Integrated Detachable Beverage Container Support and Plate Assembly

Abstract

A combination beverage support and plate assembly accommodating a variety of beverage container configurations is a modular, detachable assembly where the plate member and the beverage support member are removably mated using a pressure-fitted mating mechanism. In a first embodiment, the pressure-fitted mating mechanism is a prong and prong receiving mechanism. In a second embodiment, the pressure-fitted mating mechanism is a clip and clip receiving mechanism. Both mating mechanisms are engaged by slideably pushing the plate and beverage support members together and released by slideably pulling the plate and beverage support members apart. The beverage support member is further configured to accommodate stemmed containers and can alternatively serve as a secondary food well for holding small quantities of food relative to a quantity of food capable of being held in the food well, so as to separate different types of food in a single assembly.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A combination beverage container support and plate assembly, comprising:
 a plate member having a food receiving surface;   a plate rim having an innermost edge and an outermost lip, said outermost lip defining a perimeter of said plate member;   a beverage support member having a beverage rim with an outermost beverage lip defining a perimeter of said beverage support member and an annular depression formed with an opening, said beverage rim held in spaced apart relationship with said annular depression;   a concave surface substantially concentric to and extending from said annular depression to said beverage rim, said concave surfaced sized and shaped to receive at least one of a bowl of a stemmed beverage container and a base of a non-stemmed beverage container; and   a mating mechanism having a first mating element and a second mating element;   wherein said first mating element is formed into said plate member at its respective mating area, and said second mating element is formed into said beverage support member at its respective mating area;   whereby mating said first and second mating elements removably joins said plate member to said beverage support member.   
     
     
         2 . The combination beverage container support and plate assembly of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a base adjoining a lowermost edge of said annular depression; 
 an opening formed into said base; 
 a slot extending from said outermost lip to said opening formed in said annular depression; 
 wherein said slot is sized to receive a stem of said stemmed beverage container; and 
 wherein said slot is shaped such that said stem of said stemmed beverage container inserted into said slot travels at least one of a straight path and a curved path to said opening in said annular depression. 
 
     
     
         3 . The combination beverage container support and plate assembly of  claim 1 ,
 wherein said first mating element is comprised of a pair of parallel, spaced apart walls, each said wall formed with a mating groove, the pair of said walls extending away from said food well of said plate member; and   wherein said second mating element is comprised of a pair of spaced apart prongs extending outwards from said concave surface of said beverage support container, each said prong having a protrusion sized and shaped to frictionally and slideably mate with said mating groove of said first mating element;   whereby pushing said first and second mating elements together mates the pair of said prongs to the pair of said walls by said protrusions mating with said mating grooves; and   whereby pulling said first and second mating elements apart slideably disconnects said protrusions from said mating groves.   
     
     
         4 . The combination beverage container support and plate assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said innermost edge of said plate member at said respective mating area and said outermost lip of said beverage support member at said respective mating area are coplanar when said first and second mating elements are mated. 
     
     
         5 . The combination beverage container support and plate assembly of  claim 2 , wherein said second mating element is positioned opposite said slot. 
     
     
         6 . The combination beverage container support and plate assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a flange formed at said respective mating area of said plate member and a receiver formed into said respective mating area of said beverage support member, whereby mating said plate assembly with said beverage support member mates said flange with said receiver. 
     
     
         7 . The combination beverage support container and plate assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said perimeter of said beverage container support and said plate assembly formed by mating said first mating element with said second mating element approximates a rounded square shape. 
     
     
         8 . The combination beverage support container and plate assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said plate rim and said beverage rim are coplanar. 
     
     
         9 . The combination beverage support container and plate assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said first mating element is a clip receiver formed as a flange having a pair of opposed ends in said respective mating area of said plate member;
 wherein said second mating element is a clip protruding from said respective mating area of said beverage support member, said clip further comprised of an upper clip element and a lower clip element;   wherein said upper clip element and said lower clip element are opposed so as to provide pressure to grasp said clip receiver by frictional force, and wherein mating said clip to said clip receiver frictionally sandwiches said clip receiver between said upper clip element and said lower clip element.   
     
     
         10 . The combination beverage support and plate assembly of  claim 9 , wherein said respective mating area of said plate member is further formed with a notch sized and shaped to receive said upper clip element such that when said clip is mated with said clip receiver, immediately adjacent lips of said beverage support member and said plate member are coplanar. 
     
     
         11 . The combination beverage support and plate assembly of  claim 9 , wherein at least one of said beverage rim and said beverage lip is positioned above a plane of at least one of said plate rim and said plate lip when said clip is mated with said clip receiver. 
     
     
         12 . The combination beverage support and plate assembly of  claim 9 , wherein said beverage support member is further comprised of a stop formed below said beverage rim, whereby mating said beverage support member to said plate member positions said stop immediately adjacent said opposed ends of said clip receiver. 
     
     
         13 . The combination beverage support container and plate assembly of  claim 1 , wherein a perimeter of said beverage container support and said plate assembly formed by mating said first mating element with said second mating element approximates a regular polygon.