Bowl for dipping foods

Abstract

A bowl for dipping foods has a lower and an upper collectively defining an internal cavity that has a central axis. The lower defines a closed base of the bowl and the upper defines an opening into the internal cavity, which is large enough to receive a user's hand within the internal cavity. The upper is integral with the lower and transitions from the entire periphery of the lower toward the central axis, and, in a cross-section through the central axis dividing the bowl into two parts, the upper transitions as mirror images shaped according to a linear function, a horizontal parabolic function, or a cubic function according to y=+ax 3 that terminates at an elevation above an origin of the upper. The origin is the point at which the lower ends and the upper begins.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A bowl comprising:
 a lower and an upper collectively defining an internal cavity that has a central axis;   wherein the lower defines a closed base of the bowl and the upper defines an opening into the internal cavity;   wherein the upper is integral with the lower and transitions from the entire periphery of the lower toward the central axis, and, in a cross-section through the central axis dividing the bowl into two parts, the upper transitions as mirror images shaped according to a linear function, a horizontal parabolic function, or a cubic function according to y=+ax 3  that terminates at an elevation above an origin of the upper;   wherein the origin is the point at which the lower ends and the upper begins; and   wherein the opening is large enough to receive a user's hand within the internal cavity.   
     
     
         2 . The bowl as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the lower is only a flat base. 
     
     
         3 . The bowl as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the lower has a flat base and an upward extending portion extending from the entire periphery of the flat base. 
     
     
         4 . The bowl as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein the upward extending portion diverges outward from the flat base to the origin of the upper. 
     
     
         5 . The bowl as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the upper as the linear function begins with respect to the origin at an angle greater than zero degrees defined at a transverse plane to the central axis that is aligned with the origin and less than ninety degrees defined at a plane perpendicular to the transverse plane and positioned at the periphery of the lower. 
     
     
         6 . The bowl as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the angle with respect to the origin is in a range of 5 degrees and 85 degrees. 
     
     
         7 . The bowl as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the angle with respect to the origin is in a range of 10 degrees and 80 degrees. 
     
     
         8 . The bowl as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the elevation of the upper is in a range of 0.2 inches to 24 inches. 
     
     
         9 . The bowl as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein the elevation of the upper is in a range of 0.5 inch to 12 inches. 
     
     
         10 . The bowl as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein, coincident with the cross-sectional through the central axis, the opening in the upper has a lineal distance, the lower has a width as measured as the periphery of the lower, and the ratio of the width:lineal distance is in a range of 1.5:1 to 24:1. 
     
     
         11 . The bowl as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the ratio of the width:lineal distance is in a range of 1.5:1 to 8:1. 
     
     
         12 . The bowl as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein the elevation of the upper is in a range of 0.2 inches to 24 inches. 
     
     
         13 . The bowl as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the opening in the upper has the same geometric shape as defined by the periphery of the lower. 
     
     
         14 . The bowl as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the bowl has a primary bowl and a secondary bowl; wherein the upper transitions as dual mirror images and defines the secondary bowl in the center of the primary bowl, thereby the primary bowl surrounds the secondary bowl. 
     
     
         15 . The bowl as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein the primary bowl is toroidally-shaped. 
     
     
         16 . The bowl as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the upper transitions as dual mirror images and the lower has an open center region surrounded by the closed base of the lower. 
     
     
         17 . The bowl as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the periphery of the lower is shaped as a circle, oval, square, rectangle, diamond, football, heart, hexagon, or octagon.