Disposable plate system

Abstract

A disposable plate system wherein each plate of a stack of disposable plates has a tab on its periphery that is preferably angularly offset with respect to the tab on adjacent disposable plates. To remove a plate from the top or bottom of the stack of plates its tab is pulled away from the other plates to separate it from the stack of plates, and the tab of an adjacent disposable plate may be held firm to assist in the separation of the plates. Each tab has a distinguishing mark thereon that helps to distinguish it in some manner to make it easily visible with respect to the plurality of disposable plates and their tabs, and one disposable plate can be identified with respect to other disposable plates after they have been removed from the plurality of disposable plates. In lieu of a tab a cutout may be made in the outer edge of the plate that is used to assist a user separating one plate from the other plates in the stack.

1 . A disposable plate comprising: 
 a substantially flat central portion;    a raised rim around the substantially flat central portion;    an elongated tab element that is attached to the outer edge of raised rim furthest from the substantially flat central portion, the tab element being adapted to be grasped by the fingers of a user.    
   
   
       2 . A disposable plate system comprising: 
 a plurality of disposable plates, each plate having a substantially flat central portion surrounded by a raised rim;    wherein each plate has an elongated tab element that is attached to the outer edge of the raised rim furthest from the substantially flat central portion, and    the tab element of a plate is adapted to be grasped by the fingers of a user and pulled to separate the last mentioned plate from the plurality of plates.    
   
   
       3 . The disposable plate system of  claim 2  wherein the plurality of disposable plates are assembled as a stack of disposable plates from which plates are removed from the top or bottom of the stack by grasping the tab of the disposable plate at the top of the stack and pulling upward and by grasping the tab of the disposable plate at the bottom of the stack and pulling downward.  
   
   
       4 . The disposable plate system of  claim 3  wherein to remove a disposable plate from the top of the stack the tab of the plate on top of the stack is grasped and pulled upward away from the stack while the tab of the next to top plate is grasped and pulled downward toward the stack.  
   
   
       5 . The disposable plate system of  claim 4  wherein to remove a disposable plate from the bottom of the stack the tab of the plate on the bottom of the stack is grasped and pulled downward away from the stack while the tab of the next to bottom plate is grasped and pulled upward toward the stack.  
   
   
       6 . The disposable plate system of  claim 5  wherein the tab on each disposable plate in the stack of plates is distinguished in some manner to make it easily visible with respect to the rest of the plates in the stack.  
   
   
       7 . The disposable plate system of  claim 5  wherein the manner in which one disposable plate in the stack is distinguished is different than the manner in which other plates in the stack are distinguished so that one disposable plate can be identified with respect to other disposable plates after they have been removed from the stack of disposable plates.  
   
   
       8 . The disposable plate system of  claim 2  wherein the tab on each disposable plate of the plurality of disposable plates is distinguished in some manner to make it easily visible with respect to the rest of the plurality of disposable plates.  
   
   
       9 . The disposable plate system of  claim 2  wherein the manner in which one disposable plate is distinguished from the remainder of the plurality of disposable plates is different than the manner in which others of the plurality of plates are distinguished so that one disposable plate can be identified with respect to other disposable plates after they have been removed from the plurality of disposable plates.  
   
   
       10 . The disposable plate system of  claim 9  wherein the plurality of disposable plates are assembled as a stack of disposable plates from which plates are removed from the top or bottom of the stack by grasping the tab of the disposable plate at the top of the stack and pulling upward and by grasping the tab of the disposable plate at the bottom of the stack and pulling downward.  
   
   
       11 . The disposable plate system of  claim 10  wherein to remove a disposable plate from the top of the stack the tab of the plate on top of the stack is grasped and pulled upward away from the stack while the tab of the next to top plate is grasped and pulled downward toward the stack.  
   
   
       12 . The disposable plate system of  claim 11  wherein to remove a disposable plate from the bottom of the stack the tab of the plate on the bottom of the stack is grasped and pulled downward away from the stack while the tab of the next to bottom plate is grasped and pulled upward toward the stack.  
   
   
       13 . The disposable plate system of  claim 2  wherein the manner in which one disposable plate is distinguished from the remainder of the plurality of disposable plates is different than the manner in which others of the plurality of plates are distinguished so that one disposable plate can be identified with respect to other disposable plates after they have been removed from the plurality of disposable plates.  
   
   
       14 . The disposable plate system of  claim 3  wherein the tab on each disposable plate in the stack of disposable plates is angularly offset with respect to the tab of adjacent disposable plates.  
   
   
       15 . The disposable plate system of  claim 10  wherein the tab on each disposable plate in the stack of disposable plates is angularly offset with respect to the tab of adjacent disposable plates.  
   
   
       16 . A disposable plate system comprising: 
 a plurality of disposable plates, each plate having a substantially flat central portion surrounded by a raised rim;    wherein each plate has a cutout in the outer edge of the raised rim,    the notch of a plate being adapted to assist a user separating the last mentioned plate from the other of the plurality of plates.    
   
   
       17 . The disposable plate system of  claim 16  wherein the cutout in the rim of each disposable plate in the stack of disposable plates is angularly offset with respect to the cutout in the rim of adjacent disposable plates.