Interactive assembly of customized nutritional meals and snacks

Abstract

A method for assembling a nutritional meal and snack, and a package for the same, are presented. The method includes defining nutritional food and beverage groups within a recommended nutritional meal or snack, and providing food and beverage item options within each of the food and beverage groups. The method further includes associating a portion of a character image with each of the groups, and associating pictorial or graphic expressions of each of the character image portions to the food and beverage item options such that one expression of the character portion corresponds to one of the food and beverage options. A customer is allowed to choose one of the expressions such that a food and beverage item option for each of the food and beverage groups is chosen to form both of the nutritional meal or snack and a unique expression of a character image.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for assembling a nutritional meal and snack, comprising:
 defining a plurality of nutritional food and beverage groups within at least one of a recommended nutritional meal and snack;   providing a plurality of food and beverage item options within each of the plurality of nutritional food and beverage groups;   associating a portion of a character image with each of the plurality of nutritional food and beverage groups;   associating a plurality of pictorial or graphic expressions of each of the portions of the character image, wherein one expression of the portion of the character image corresponds to one of the food and beverage item options;   allowing a customer to choose one of the expressions for each of the portions of the character image such that a food and beverage item option for each of the plurality of nutritional food and beverage groups is chosen to form both of the at least one of the recommended nutritional meal and snack and a unique expression of a character image.   
     
     
         2 . The method for assembling of  claim 1 , further including:
 placing the chosen expressions for each of the portions in a meal and snack package to display the unique expression of the character image.   
     
     
         3 . The method of assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the step of defining the plurality of nutritional food and beverage groups further includes:
 defining groups within a nutritional meal as including an entrée, a fruit, a vegetable and a beverage; and   defining groups within a nutritional snack as including a snack food and a beverage.   
     
     
         4 . The method of assembly of  claim 3 , wherein the step of associating the portions of the character image for the nutritional meal includes:
 associating a head portion of the character to the entrée group;   associating a body portion of the character to the fruit group;   associating a legs portion of the character to the vegetable group; and   associating a feet portion of the character to the beverage group.   
     
     
         5 . The method of assembly of  claim 4 , wherein at least two of the head, body, legs and feet portions and corresponding entrée, fruit, vegetable and beverage groups are interchangeable. 
     
     
         6 . The method of assembly of  claim 3 , wherein the step of associating the portions of the character image for the nutritional snack includes:
 associating a head and a body portion of the character to the snack food group; and
 associating a legs and a feet portion of the character to the beverage group. 
   
     
     
         7 . A portable meal and snack package, comprising:
 a housing including a base portion, an integral side wall extending upwardly from the base portion and a lid portion coupled to the side wall, wherein the base portion and the side wall cooperate to define an internal chamber that is selectively opened and closed by the lid portion; and   the internal chamber including a plurality of internal compartments suitably sized to contain and exhibit food and beverage item packages, the food and beverage item packages for storing food and beverage items, each of the food and beverage item packages including a display area for exhibiting one of a plurality of unique pictorial or graphic expressions of a character-based display scheme;   wherein the character-based display scheme includes a plurality of character portions and a plurality of unique pictorial or graphic expressions of each of the character portions;   wherein the food and beverage items include a plurality of predefined food groups and food and beverage options within the plurality of food groups;   wherein the plurality of predefined food groups corresponds to the plurality of character portions, and wherein the food and beverage options within the plurality of food groups corresponds to the plurality of unique pictorial or graphic expressions of the character portions;   wherein the selection and assembly of a food and beverage item package from each of the plurality of predefined food groups results in the assembly of a complete character image expression of the character-based display scheme and a nutritionally well balanced meal or snack.   
     
     
         8 . The meal and snack package of  claim 7 , wherein package includes a plurality of windows corresponding to the plurality of internal compartments for revealing contents of the compartments. 
     
     
         9 . The meal and snack package of  claim 7 , wherein the plurality of character portions includes a head portion, a body portion, a legs portion and a feet portion. 
     
     
         10 . The meal and snack package of  claim 7 , wherein the plurality of expressions of each of the character portions includes portions to form a character including at least one of a monster, an alien, a cartoon image of an animal, a pirate, a wizard or a witch, a mad scientist, an athlete, an action figure, a prince or princess, and like characters of interest to children and adolescents. 
     
     
         11 . The meal and snack package of  claim 7 , wherein the plurality of predefined food groups include at least one of an entrée, a fruit option, a vegetable option and a beverage option. 
     
     
         12 . The meal and snack package of  claim 7 , wherein the plurality of internal compartments are comprised of four internal compartments. 
     
     
         13 . The meal and snack package of  claim 12 , wherein the four internal compartments contain and exhibit at least one of an entrée, a fruit option, a vegetable option and a beverage option. 
     
     
         14 . The meal and snack package of  claim 7 , wherein the plurality of internal compartments is comprised of two internal compartments. 
     
     
         15 . The meal and snack package of  claim 14 , wherein the two internal compartments contain and exhibit at least one of a snack food option and a beverage option.