Parfait Cup

Abstract

A parfait cup including a cup, an insert, a catch panel lid and a dome lid such that the parfait cup incorporates at least three individual containers within a single, compact package. The parfait cup maintains each of the contents separately from one another until a consumer desires to combine them. The cup is designed so as to hold a yogurt or other similar contents. The insert is designed to separately hold granola, nuts, cereal or other similar contents. The catch panel lid and dome lid are designed in such a way as to, together, hold fruit or similar contents while simultaneously allowing any juices or excess water exuded from the fruit to be retained in one or more reservoirs in the top of the catch panel lid.

1 . A parfait cup, comprising:
 a cup;   an insert, removably placed atop and within said cup;   a catch panel lid, removably affixed over said insert and to said cup; and   a dome lid, removably affixed over said insert and to said catch panel lid.   
     
     
         2 . The parfait cup of  claim 1  wherein said dome lid and said catch panel lid together form a removable unit. 
     
     
         3 . The parfait cup of  claim 1  wherein said catch panel lid provides a lid over said cup and said insert, when removably affixed to said cup, and to retain the contents of said dome lid when removably affixed to said dome lid. 
     
     
         4 . The parfait cup of  claim 1  wherein said catch panel lid is designed in such a way that juices that exude from the contents of said removable unit are separated from said contents. 
     
     
         5 . The parfait cup of  claim 4  wherein said catch panel lid uses at least one concentric reservoir suitable to support said contents of said catch panel lid while simultaneously providing space for said juices to separate from said contents. 
     
     
         6 . The parfait cup of  claim 2  wherein said catch panel lid includes an indentation such that it fits within a counterpart indentation in the top of said dome lid so that a plurality of said removable units, each made up of one catch panel lid and one dome lid removably affixed to one another, are stackable one upon another. 
     
     
         7 . The parfait cup of  claim 1  wherein said insert includes a lip around the circumference of the top of said insert that allows said insert to be placed atop and within said cup. 
     
     
         8 . The parfait cup of  claim 7  wherein said catch panel lid holds said insert in place atop and within said cup by applying pressure to the lip when catch panel lid is removably affixed to said cup. 
     
     
         9 . The parfait cup of  claim 1  wherein the outer circumference of said dome lid applies pressure to the outer circumference of said catch panel lid such that the two form a removeable unit. 
     
     
         10 . The parfait cup of  claim 9  wherein a circumferential junction between said dome lid and said catch panel lid is substantially water-tight. 
     
     
         11 . The parfait cup of  claim 10  wherein said circumferential junction is comprises corresponding ridges in the lips of said dome lid and said catch panel lid such that a seal is created when said dome lid and said catch panel lid are removably affixed to one another. 
     
     
         12 . The parfait cup of  claim 1  wherein said insert includes at least one denesting lug around its interior base so as to provide space between a plurality of said inserts when stacked. 
     
     
         13 . The parfait cup of  claim 4  wherein said at least one concentric, circular reservoir in said catch panel lid includes at least one denesting lug so as to provide space between a plurality of said catch panel lids when stacked. 
     
     
         14 . A parfait cup comprising:
 a cup;   an insert, said insert including a lip around the outer, upper circumference of said insert suitable for holding the said insert in a position such that the interior of said insert is maintained within the upper portion of said cup;   a catch panel lid removably affixed to said cup and suitable for substantially sealing said cup with said insert in a position such that the interior of said insert is maintained within the upper portion of said cup when said catch panel lid is removably affixed to said cup and further including at least one reservoir suitable for receiving the juices exuded by the solid contents supported by said catch panel lid; and   a dome lid, removably affixed to said catch panel lid such that said dome lid and said catch panel lid form a substantially water-tight, removable unit.   
     
     
         15 . The parfait cup of  claim 14  wherein the reservoir is a channel. 
     
     
         16 . The parfait cup of  claim 14  wherein said catch panel lid includes a series or reservoirs made up of a series of channels. 
     
     
         17 . The parfait cup of  claim 16  wherein said catch panel lid includes a platform, separated from said reservoirs, such that said solid panel contents are separated from said juices. 
     
     
         18 . The parfait cup of  claim 14  wherein said reservoir is a series of concentric channels. 
     
     
         19 . The parfait cup of  claim 18  wherein said series of concentric channels have a width between 1/9 millimeter and ⅓ millimeter per millimeter of radius of said catch panel lid. 
     
     
         20 . The parfait cup of  claim 19  wherein said series of concentric channels have a volume, relative to the surface area of said catch panel lid, of between 0.26 and 0.88 ml/cm 2 . 
     
     
         21 . The parfait cup of  claim 14  wherein said catch panel lid includes an indentation such that said indentation fits within a counterpart indentation in the top of said dome lid. 
     
     
         22 . The parfait cup of  claim 14  wherein said catch panel lid includes a separating member suitable for removing said substantially water-tight removable unit from said cup and said insert while said substantially water-tight removable unit remains substantially water-tight. 
     
     
         23 . The parfait cup of  claim 22  wherein said dome lid incorporates an outward indentation such that it fits within a counter part indentation in the bottom of said cup in such a way that a plurality of such parfait cups, each made up of at least one said dome lid and at least one cup removably affixed to one another, are stackable one upon another. 
     
     
         24 . The parfait cup of  claim 14  wherein the junction between said catch panel lid and said dome lid is made substantially water-tight through the use of corresponding ridges in the lips of each of said dome lid and said catch panel lid such that a seal is created when said dome lid and said catch panel lid are removably affixed to one another. 
     
     
         25 . The parfait cup of  claim 14  wherein said insert includes at least one denesting lug around its interior base so as to provide space between a plurality of said inserts when stacked. 
     
     
         26 . The parfait cup of  claim 25  wherein said at least one concentric, circular indentation in said catch panel lid includes at least one denesting lug. 
     
     
         27 . A dome lid and catch panel assembly for a parfait cup comprising:
 a catch panel lid suitable for substantially sealing a cup when said catch panel lid is removably affixed to said cup;   a dome lid, removably affixed to said catch panel lid such that said dome lid and said catch panel lid form a substantially water-tight removable unit; and   wherein said catch panel lid includes at least one reservoir suitable for supporting the contents retained within the cavity formed by said catch panel lid and said dome lid while simultaneously providing space for excess juices to separate from said contents.