초록

A food and beverage tray in various implementations has one or more of drink bands, retractable legs and/or a collapsing tray assembly. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A food and beverage tray, comprising: a tray having a bottom surface to support food and beverage items to be carried and walls extending upward therefrom to create an open box structure;the tray having at least one corner;a drink band having ends and situated adjacent the corner and operative to

1. A food and beverage tray, comprising: a tray having a bottom surface to support food and beverage items to be carried and walls extending upward therefrom to create an open box structure;the tray having at least one corner;a drink band having ends and situated adjacent the corner and operative to rotate between an operative position that forms an opening for a beverage cup of variable size and a stowing position;the drink band having a plurality of finger-like structures that point generally toward the opening when in the operative position to steady the beverage cup by urging the beverage cup toward the corner; andwhere, the drink band is rotatable at each end so as to assume the operative position in which the beverage cup can be situated in the opening between the drink band and the corner, and where the drink band is rotatable from the operative position to the stowed position wherein the drink band approximately conforms to a shape of the corner. 2. The food and beverage tray according to claim 1, where the bottom surface of the tray has a recessed portion adjacent the corner to accept a bottom portion of the beverage cup. 3. The food and beverage tray according to claim 1, where the walls of the tray collapse to reduce a height of the open box structure. 4. The food and beverage tray according to claim 3, where the walls comprise first and second opposing walls, and wherein the first opposing walls have a central hinge that folds when the walls collapse, and wherein the second opposing walls have an upper hinge that allows the second opposing walls to fold toward each other when the tray is collapsed. 5. The food and beverage tray according to claim 1, further comprising a set of retractable legs that can support the tray when not retracted. 6. The food and beverage tray according to claim 5, where the retractable legs are approximately U-shaped with hooks at each end of the U shape, and where the hooks rotate about a pin to go from an extended position approximately perpendicular to the tray bottom, to a position approximately parallel to the tray bottom, and slides into a recessed chamber within the tray to fully retract. 7. The food and beverage tray according to claim 6, where the recessed chamber forms a leg cover that covers the legs when the legs are fully retracted, the recessed chamber being molded as a part of a rim portion of the tray which is folded at a living hinge running a length of the leg cover and snaps into place to form the recessed chamber. 8. The food and beverage tray according to claim 5, where the retractable legs are approximately U-shaped with hooks at each end of the U shape, and where the hooks rotate about a pin to go from an extended position approximately perpendicular to the tray bottom, to a position approximately parallel to the tray bottom, and slides into a recessed chamber within the tray to fully retract, and where the legs stop at a stop member in the recessed chamber that affixes the legs at an intermediate position to permit the leg to extend short of the fully retracted position such that the leg can be used as a handle. 9. The food and beverage tray according to claim 1, where the tray has a plurality of corners with drink bands as described situated adjacent each corner. 10. The food and beverage tray according to claim 9, where the saddle bag is insulated. 11. The food and beverage tray according to claim 1, further comprising a saddle bag connected to the tray. 12. A food and beverage tray, comprising: a tray having a bottom surface to support food and beverage items to be carried walls extending upward therefrom to create an open box structure; anda set of retractable legs that can support the tray when not retracted, wherein the retractable legs are approximately U-shaped with hooks at each end of the U shape, and wherein the hooks rotate about a pin to go from an extended position approximately perpendicular to the tray bottom, to a position approximately parallel to the tray bottom, and slides into a recessed chamber within the tray to fully retract; the tray has at least one corner; a drink band having ends and situated adjacent the corner and operative to rotate between an operative position that forms an opening for a beverage cup of variable size and a stowing position; the drink band having a plurality of finger-like structures that point generally toward the opening when in the operative position to steady a beverage cup by urging the beverage cup toward the corner; where the drink band is rotatable at each end so as to assume the operative position in which the beverage cup can be situated in the opening between the drink band and the corner, and where the drink band is rotatable from the operative position to the stowed position where the drink band approximately conforms to a shape of the corner; and where the bottom surface of the tray has a recessed portion adjacent the corner to accept a bottom portion of the beverage cup. 13. The food and beverage tray according to claim 12, where the recessed chamber forms a leg cover that covers the legs when the legs are fully retracted, the recessed chamber being molded as part of a rim portion of the tray which is folded at a living hinge running a length of the leg cover and snaps into place to form the recessed chamber. 14. The food and beverage tray according to claim 12, where the walls of the tray include a living hinge about which the walls collapse to reduce a height of the open box structure. 15. The food and beverage tray according to claim 14, where the walls comprise first and second opposing walls, and where the first opposing walls have a central hinge that folds when the walls collapse, and where the second opposing walls have an upper hinge that allows the second opposing walls to fold toward each other when the tray is collapsed. 16. The food and beverage tray according to claim 12, further comprising a saddle bag connected to the tray. 17. The food and beverage tray according to claim 16, where the saddle bag is insulated. 18. The food and beverage tray according to claim 12, where the legs stop at a stop member in the recessed chamber that affixes the legs at an intermediate position to permit the leg to extend short of the fully retracted position such that the leg can be used as a handle. 19. A food and beverage tray, comprising: a tray having a bottom surface to support food and beverage items to be carried;the tray having first and second opposing walls extending upward therefrom to create an open box structure;where the walls of the tray collapse to reduce a height of the open box structure, where the first opposing walls have a central hinge that folds when the walls collapse, and where the second opposing walls have an upper hinge that allows the second opposing walls to fold toward each other when the tray is collapsed; the tray having at least one corner; a drink band having ends and situated adjacent the corner and operative to rotate between an operative position that forms an opening for a beverage cup of variable size and a stowing position; the drink band having a plurality of finger-like structures that point generally toward the corner to steady the beverage cup by urging the beverage cup toward the corner; and where the drink band is rotatable at each end so as to assume the operative position in which the beverage cup can be situated between the drink band and the corner, and where the drink band is rotatable from the operative position to the stowed position where the drink band approximately conforms to a shape of the corner. 20. The food and beverage tray according to claim 19, wherein the bottom surface of the tray has a recessed portion adjacent the corner to accept a bottom portion of the beverage cup. 21. The food and beverage tray according to claim 19, further comprising a set of retractable legs that can support the tray when not retracted. 22. The food and beverage tray according to claim 21, where the retractable legs are approximately U-shaped with hooks at each end of the U shape, and where the hooks rotate about a pin to go from an extended position approximately perpendicular to the tray bottom, to a position approximately parallel to the tray bottom, and slides into a recessed chamber within the tray to fully retract. 23. The food and beverage tray according to claim 22, where the recessed chamber forms a leg cover that is molded into a rim portion which wraps around the leg along a living hinge running a length of the leg cover and snaps into place to permit the leg cover to enclose the leg. 24. The food and beverage tray according to claim 21, where the retractable legs are approximately U-shaped with hooks at each end of the U shape, and where the hooks rotate about a pin to go from an extended position approximately perpendicular to the tray bottom, to a position approximately parallel to the tray bottom, and slides into a recessed chamber within the tray to fully retract, and where the legs stop at a stop member in the recessed chamber that affixes the legs at an intermediate position to permit the leg to extend short of the fully retracted position such that the leg can be used as a handle. 25. The food and beverage tray according to claim 19, where the tray has a plurality of corners with drink bands as described situated adjacent each corner. 26. The food and beverage tray according to claim 19, further comprising a saddle bag connected to the tray. 27. The food and beverage tray according to claim 26, where the saddle bag is insulated. 28. A food and beverage tray, comprising: a tray having a bottom surface to support food and beverage items to be carried and walls extending upward therefrom to create an open box structure;the tray being approximately rectangular in overall shape with four corners;four drink bands, one adjacent each of the four corners;the four drink bands each having ends and situated adjacent each corner and operative to rotate between an operative position that forms an opening for a beverage cup of variable size and a stowing position;the four drink bands each having a plurality of finger-like structures that point generally toward the opening at the adjacent corner when in the operative position to steady the beverage cup by urging the beverage cup toward the adjacent corner;where, each of the four drink band is rotatable at each end so as to assume the operative position in which the beverage cup can be situated in the opening between the drink band and the adjacent corner, and where each of the four drink bands is rotatable from the operative position to the stowed position where each of the four drink bands approximately conforms to a shape of the corner;where the bottom surface of the tray has a recessed portion adjacent the corner to accept a bottom portion of the beverage cup;where the walls of the tray collapse to reduce a height of the open box structure; anda set of retractable legs that can support the tray when not retracted. 29. The food and beverage tray according to claim 28, where the walls comprise first and second opposing walls, and where the first opposing walls have a central hinge that folds when the walls collapse, and where the second opposing walls have an upper hinge that allows the second opposing walls to fold toward each other when the tray is collapsed. 30. The food and beverage tray according to claim 28, where the retractable legs are approximately U-shaped with hooks at each end of the U shape, and where the hooks rotate about a pin to go from an extended position approximately perpendicular to the tray bottom, to a position approximately parallel to the tray bottom, and slides into a recessed chamber within the tray to fully retract. 31. The food and beverage tray according to claim 30, where the recessed chamber forms a leg cover that covers the legs when the legs are fully retracted, the recessed chamber being molded as part of a rim portion of the tray which is folded at a living hinge running a length of the leg cover and snaps into place to form the recessed chamber. 32. The food and beverage tray according to claim 28, where the retractable legs are approximately U-shaped with hooks at each end of the U shape, and where the hooks rotate about a pin to go from an extended position approximately perpendicular to the tray bottom, to a position approximately parallel to the tray bottom, and slides into a recessed chamber within the tray to fully retract, and where the legs stop at a stop member in the recessed chamber that affixes the legs at an intermediate position to permit the leg to extend short of the fully retracted position such that the leg can be used as a handle. 33. The food and beverage tray according to claim 28, further comprising a saddle bag connected to the tray, wherein the saddle bag is insulated.