Cupcake carrying case

Abstract

A food article holder particularly suited for storing and transporting a plurality of food articles, such as cupcakes, includes pivotally connected front and back container portions. A plurality of compartments are formed partly in the back portion and partly in the front portion of the container for supporting the individual food articles. Each support surface in the back portion of the container includes an open end which is closed by a filler carried on the front portion of the container when the front portion is closed to the back portion to substantially support the entire lower portion of a food article in each compartment.

1 . A container for holding a plurality of food articles comprising: 
 the container including a back portion and a front portion;    means for pivotally connecting the front and back portions of the container;    a plurality of individual compartments formed in the back and front portions of the container, each compartment individually supporting a single food article, each compartment including a back in the back portion of the container defined by at least a sidewall configured for engagingly supporting a lower portion of a side of a food article, the sidewall having a discontinuity facing the front portion of the container; and    a plurality of fillers carried on an inside surface of the front portion of the container and substantially filling the discontinuity in the sidewall of the support in each compartment in the back portion of the container to support a food article in each compartment.    
   
   
       2 . The container of  claim 1  wherein: 
 an inner surface of the sidewall in the back portion of the container tapers radially inward from a top to a bottom.    
   
   
       3 . The container of  claim 1  wherein: 
 each filler has at least one side edge disposed in engagement with the sidewall of a complementary compartment in the back portion of the container when the front and back portions of the container are closed together.    
   
   
       4 . The container of  claim 3  wherein: 
 an inner surface of the sidewall in each compartment in the back portion of the container defines a U-shape including opposed ends, the discontinuity formed between outer portions of the opposed ends, and an interconnecting, arcuate, inner end.    
   
   
       5 . The container of  claim 4  wherein: 
 each filler has an arcuate inner surface with opposed side edges, the inner surface cooperating with an inner surface of the sidewall in each compartment in the back portion of the container define a substantially circular support about a lower portion of the side of a container.    
   
   
       6 . The container of  claim 1  further comprising: 
 at least one stabilizer foot carried on the bottom of the container.    
   
   
       7 . The container of  claim 6  wherein: 
 the at least one stabilizer foot comprises two spaced feet.    
   
   
       8 . The container of  claim 1  wherein: 
 the compartments are arranged in a grid of vertical columns and horizontal rows.    
   
   
       9 . The container of  claim 8  wherein: 
 the container has a normal use top edge, an opposed bottom edge, and opposed side edges interconnecting the top edge and the bottom edge. The compartments extending side by side horizontally between the opposed side edges and stacked vertically between the bottom edge and the top edge.    
   
   
       10 . The container of  claim 1  further comprising: 
 each compartment having a floor disposed across a bottom of the sidewall.    
   
   
       11 . The container of  claim 1  further comprising: 
 a handle carried on an edge of the container.    
   
   
       12 . The container of  claim 1  further comprising: 
 releasable latch means for releasably securing the front to the back of the container.    
   
   
       13 . The container of  claim 9  wherein: 
 the pivotally connecting means is mounted on one of the side edges of the container to define a normal vertically extending axis of pivotal movement of the front of the container with respect to the back of the container between open and closed positions.    
   
   
       14 . A container for holding a plurality of food articles comprising: 
 the container including a back portion and a front portion, each of the back portion and the front portion including opposed side edges, a top normal use edge, and a bottom edge;    means for pivotally connecting the front and back portions of the container; and    a plurality of individual compartments each defined by a sidewall support formed in the back portion of the container for supporting a lower side portion of a single food article, the plurality of compartments arranged in stacked vertical columns between the top edge and the bottom edge of the container and side by side in horizontal rows between the opposed side edges of the container for at least vertical stacking of single food articles in vertically arranged compartments when the container is in a normal, vertically extending use position with the top edge of the container disposed uppermost.    
   
   
       15 . A container of  claim 14  wherein: 
 a portion of each individual compartment is formed in the back portion of the container.    
   
   
       16 . The container of  claim 14  further comprising: 
 a filler carried on the front portion of the container and disposable within the back portion of the container for surrounding substantially all of the circumference of the portion of a food article disposed therein.    
   
   
       17 . The container of  claim 15  further comprising: 
 a handle carried on an edge of the container.    
   
   
       18 . The container of  claim 14  further comprising: 
 releasable latch means for releasably securing the front to the back of the container.    
   
   
       19 . The container of  claim 14  further comprising: 
 at least one stabilizer foot carried on the bottom of the container.    
   
   
       20 . The container of  claim 19  wherein: 
 the at least one stabilizer foot comprises two spaced feet.    
   
   
       21 . The container of  claim 14  wherein the means for pivotally connecting the front and back portions of the container comprises: 
 hinge means extending between the front and back portions of the container.    
   
   
       22 . A holder for holding a plurality of individual food articles comprising: 
 a container including a back portion and a front portion;    means for pivotally connecting the front and back portions of the container; and    a plurality of compartments formed in the container, each compartment defined partly in the back portion of the container and partly in the front portion of the container.    
   
   
       23 . The holder of  claim 22  wherein each compartment comprises: 
 means for supporting a food article in the back portion and the front portion of each compartment.    
   
   
       24 . The holder of  claim 23  wherein: 
 the support in the back portion includes a base, an aperture formed in the base defining an inward facing support surface, the support surface having an open end.    
   
   
       25 . The holder of  claim 24  wherein: 
 the front portion support includes a filler having an edge surface substantially closing the open end of the support surface in the base of the back portion support when the front portion is closed relative to the back portion of the container.    
   
   
       26 . The holder of  claim 24  wherein: 
 the inward facing support surface in each compartment in the back portion of the container and a filler edge surface both having a tapered shape defined by a larger diameter upper edge and a smaller diameter lower edge.    
   
   
       27 . The holder of  claim 25  further comprising: 
 a bottom wall extending across a lower edge of the aperture.    
   
   
       28 . The holder of  claim 27  wherein: 
 the bottom wall extending from the back portion to underlie at least a portion of the filler in the front portion.