2355645 RECEPTACLE FOR MAINTAINING LIQUIDS AND SOLID FOODS SEPARATE This
invention relates to a receptacle for simultaneously containing solid and liquid edible substances while maintaining the liquid substance, for example milk or cream, and the solid substance, for example a crispy cereal, separate thus maintaining the crispness of the cereal.
Milk or cream is used with a crispy cereal to remove the dryness of the cereal and to help digestion of the cereal. A problem arises however in eating crispy cereal in a common bowl in trying to maintain the crispness of the cereal after introducing milk or cream into the bowl since by their nature the cereal absorbs at least some milk or cream and looses its crispness and becomes soggy. US Patent No., 5676275 discloses a receptacle having an upper bowl and a lower bowl. The upper bowl is for containing cereal and the lower bowl is for containing milk, there being one portion of the upper bowl adjacent to its side wall at a lower level than the remaining portion of the upper bowl. The lower portion or well of the upper bowl extends into the lower bowl and has a perforated area by which milk in the lower bowl can flow into the lower portion or well of the upper bowl. A spoonful of cereal from the upper bowl can be moved into the well for contact with the milk prior to consumption. The two bowls are united in use but are separable, for example for washing.
An object to the present invention is to obviate or mitigate this problem.
Accordingly, the present invention is a receptacle for maintaining liquid and solid food substances separate comprising an upper bowl and a lower bowl, the lower bowl being to hold an amount of liquid and the upper bowl being to hold a solid food substance, at least part of the bottom of the upper bowl having one or more apertures, the upper bowl being located in the lower bowl and means being provided for the upper bowl to be manually movable selectively downwardly and upwardly into 2 and out of the lower bowl whereby a solid food substance or at least a lower portion of the food substance in the upper bowl can be dipped into and out of the liquid.
Preferably, the means for selective movement between the upper and lower bowls is a screw-threaded arrangement with one part of the arrangement provided on the outside of a wall surround of the upper bowl and a co-operating part of the arrangement provided on the inside of a wall surround of the lower bowl, rotation of the upper bowl clockwise and anti-clockwise respectively moving the upper bowl into and out of the lower bowl. The upper edge of the wall surround of the upper bowl is preferably knurled for ease in rotating the upper bowl relative to the lower bowl. A io plurality of apertures is desirably provided in the bottom of the upper bowl.
Alternatively, the means for selective movement between the upper and lower bowls is a guide arrangement in which a series of upright guides are provided on the outside wall surround of the upper bowl matable with a corresponding series of opentopped slots provided in the wall surround of the lower bowl, the slots depending down from the top edge thereof and each having a sloped guide track bottom edge to allow for the required downward and upward movements on rotation of the upper bowl, relative to the lower bowl. The upper edge of the outside wall surround of the upper bowl is preferably knurled for ease in rotating the upper bowl relative to the lower bowl. A plurality of apertures is desirably provided in the bottom of the upper bowl.
Also alternatively, the means for selective movement between the upper and lower bowls is a resilient tongue arrangement in which the upper edge of the lower bowl is provided with an outwardly extending flange and an upwardly extending rim to define a track around the lower bowl with a corresponding outwardly extending ledge being provided at the top of the upper bowl to seat on the flange of the lower bowl, the ledge having a series of resilient tongues downwardly inclined whereby downward movement of the upper bowl is against the resilient biasing of the tongues 3 and release of the upper bowl returns it to its normal biased position. A plurality of apertures is desirably provided in the bottom of the upper bowl.
Further alternatively, the means for selective movement between the upper and lower bowls is a buoyancy arrangement in which the bottom of the upper bowl is provided with only one centrally positioned aperture with a downwardly turned rim, the upper bowl adapted to float on any liquid located in the lower bowl.
In a further alternative, the means for selective movement between the upper and lower bowls is a coil or a leaf spring arrangement positioned between the outside bottom of the upper bowl and the inside bottom of the lower bowl, there being a clip io arrangement between the two bowls to prevent the upper bowl from separating from the lower bowl. A plurality of apertures is desirably provided in the bottorn of the upper bowl.
The upper and lower bowls may respectively be provided with a sealed portion of cereal and a sealed quantity of milk, the two bowls being packaged together, one above the other, for sale as a ready-to-use mean or meal course. The sealed portion of cereal and the sealed quantity of milk are preferably provided in a bag, carton or the like seated in the bowl. Alternatively, the sealed portion of cereal and the sealed quantity of milk may be provided in the respective upper and lower bowls which are closed off or sealed by a tear-off lid secured across the mouth of the upper and lower bowls or at an intermediate position between the mouth and the bottom of each bowl.
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:
Figs. 1 A, 1 B and 1 C are respectively a perspective view of an upper bowl of a receptacle according to a first embodiment of the present invention, a perspective view of a lower bowl, and a perspective view of the upper and lower bowls together; 4 Figs. 2A, 2B and 2C are respectively a perspective view of an upper bowl of a receptacle according to a second embodiment of the present invention, a perspective view of a lower bowl, and a perspective view of the upper and lower bowls together; Figs. 3A, 3B and 3C are respectively a perspective view of an upper bowl of a receptacle according to a third embodiment of the present invention, a perspective view of a lower bowl, and a perspective view of the upper and lower bowls together; Figs. 4A, 4B and 4C are respectively a perspective view of an upper bowl of a receptacle according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, a perspective view of a lower bowl, and a perspective view of the upper and lower bowls together; Figs. 5A, 5B and 5C are respectively a perspective view of an upper bowl of a receptacle according to a modified first embodiment of the present invention having a portion of a solid food substance therein and sealed by a tear-off lid (shown partially opened), a perspective view of a lower bowl having a carton of liquid, and a perspective view of the upper and lower bowls together; and Figs, 6A and 6B are respectively a perspective view of an upper bowl of a closed receptacle according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, and a perspective view of the receptacle being shown exploded with an upper bowl with a portion of solid food substance therein and a partially torn-off lid, a perspective view of a lower bowl with liquid from a carton being poured thereinto, and an upturned top to fit over the receptacle, the fifth embodiment being based upon the third embodiment.
Referring to all the drawings and general to all embodiments, a receptacle for maintaining liquid and solid food substances separate comprises an upper bowl 10 and a lower bowl 12. The lower bowl 10 is to hold an amount of liquid and the upper bowl 12 is to hold a solid food substance. At least part of the bottom of the upper bowl 10 has one or more apertures 14. The upper bowl 10 is located in the lower bowl 12 and means being provided for the upper bowl 10 to be manually movable ft selectively downwardly and upwardly into and out of the lower bowl 12 whereby a solid food substance or at least a lower portion of the food substance in the upper bowl 10 can be dipped into and out of the liquid in the lower bowl 12.
In a first embodiment as shown in Figs. 1A, 1B and 1C, the means for selective movement between the upper and lower bowls is a screw-threaded arrangement with one part 16 of the arrangement provided on the outside of a wall surround 18 of the upper bowl 10 and a co-operating part 20 of the arrangement provided on the inside of a wall surround 22 of the lower bowl 12. Rotation of the upper bowl 10 clockwise and anti-clockwise along the screw threads respectively moving the upper bowl 10 into and out of the lower bowl 12. The upper edge of the wall surround 18 of the upper bowl 10 is knurled at 24 for ease in rotating the upper bowl relative to the lower bowl 12. A plurality of apertures 14 is provided in the bottom of the upper bowl 10.
In a second embodiment as shown in Figs. 2A, 2B and 2C and in which like is parts are denoted by like numerals, the means for selective movement between the upper and lower bowls 10, 12 is a guide arrangement in which a series of four upright guides 26 at ninety angular degree intervals are provided on the outside wall surround 18 of the upper bowl 10 matable with a corresponding series of four open topped slots 28 provided in the wall surround 22 of the lower bowl 12. The slots 18 depend down from the top edge thereof and each have a sloped guide track bottom edge 30 to allow for the required downward and upwards movement or intermediate position on rotation of the upper bowl 10 relative to the lower bowl 12. The upper edge of the wall surround 18 of the upper bowl 10 is knurled for ease in rotating the upper bowl 10 relative to the lower bowl 12. A plurality of apertures 14 is provided in the bottom of the upper bow! 10.
In a third embodiment as shown in Figs. 3A, 3B and 3C and in which like parts are denoted by like numerals, the means for selective movement between the upper and lower bowl 10, 12 is a resilient tongue arrangement in which the upper edge of the lower bowl 12 is provided with an outwardly extending flange 32 and an upwardly extending rim 34 to define a track around the lower bowl 12. A corresponding outwardly extending ledge 36 is provided at the top of the upper bowl 10 to seat on the flange 32 of the lower bowl 12. The ledge 36 has a series of resilient tongues 38 peripherally arranged and downwardly-inclined whereby downward movement of the upper bowl 10 is against the resilient biasing of the tongues 38 and release of the upper bowl 10 returns the upper bowl 10 to its normal biased position. A plurality of apertures 14 is provided in the bottom of the upper bowl 10.
In a fourth embodiment as shown in Figs. 4A, 4B and 4C and in which like parts are denoted by like numerals, the means for selective movement between the upper and lower bowls 10, 12 is a buoyancy arrangement in which the bottom of the upper bowl 10 is provided with only one centrally positioned aperture 14 with a downward ly-tu rned rim 40, the upper bowl 10 adapted to float on any liquid located in the lower bowl 12.
In a fifth embodiment (not shown), the means for selective movement between the upper and lower bowls 10, 12 is a coil or leaf spring arrangement positioned between the outside bottom of the upper bowl 10 and the inside bottom of the lower bowl 12. A clip arrangement (not shown) between the two bowls 10, 12 is provided to prevent the upper bowl 10 from separating from the lower bowl 12. A plurality of apertures 14 is provided in the bottom of the upper bowl 10.
In use, the receptacle is used as described with the liquid, e.g. milk or cream being poured into the lower bowl 12 and food substance, e.g. cereal, being placed into the upper bowl 10 in moving the upper bowl relative to the lower bowl. Only as much liquid is used as considered necessary by the user.
Figs. 5A, 5B and 5C show an embodiment of a ready-to-use version of the 7 invention in which the upper and lower bowls 10, 12 are respectively provided with a sealed portion 42 of cereal and a sealed quantity 44 of milk, the two bowls 10, 12 being packaged together, one above the other, for sale as a ready-to-use meal or meal course. The sealed portion of cereal 42 and the sealed quantity 44 of milk are 5 provided in a bag, carton 46 or the like seated in the respective bowl prior to use.
Figs. 6A and 6B show an alternative ready-to-use version with the sealed portion 42 of cereal sealed portion of cereal and the sealed quantity 44 of milk provided in the respective upper and lower bowls 10, 12 which are closed off or sealed by a tear-off lid 48 secured across the mouth of the upper and lower bowls 10, i o 12 or at an intermediate position between the mouth and the bottom of each bowl In this version a top 50 is provided to fit over the upper edge of the lower bowl 12 and enclose the upper bowl. In this version, the carton 48 of milk is seated within the top 50 above the lid 48 of the upper bowl 10. The shape of the lower bowl 12 without stand 52 and the top 50 are similar and form substantially a ball shape. For attraction 15 to children, the outside of the ball shape may be delineated to represent a football.
The bowls of the receptacle are preferably formed from a plastics material, but other materials can be used.
The milk is preferably of the 'long life'variety and the seals are hermetic.
Variations and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of 20 the invention described above and as claimed hereinafter.
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