BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a vessel for food products, specifically designed
for ice cream and the like.
[0002] As known, an ice cream product is conventionally sold in packages comprising vessels
holding therein one or more types of ice cream, of different qualities of tastes.
[0003] The different ice cream products, in particular, are arranged in the vessel in which
no specifically designed partition member is located, thereby essentially originating
two types of problems.
[0004] The first is that as the consumer removes the different ice cream products from the
vessel, the different ice cream products are mixed with one another, and this mainly
as the ice cream starts to dissolve after few minutes upon removal from a freezer.
[0005] The second problem is that the ice cream packages have necessarily a preset number
and type of combinations, and, accordingly, it is not possible to unexpensively package
a great number of ice cram product combinations.
[0006] Moreover, a consumer cannot buy exclusively the ice cream products preferred thereby.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] Accordingly, the aim of the present invention is to provide a vessel for food products,
specifically designed for ice cream and the like products, which easily overcomes
the above mentioned drawbacks.
[0008] Within the scope of the above mentioned aim, a main object of the present invention
is to provide such a vessel for food products, specifically designed for ice cream
products and the like, which allows to easily change, during the ice cream making
and marketing steps, the number and type of ice cream products or tastes held in said
vessel.
[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide such a vessel for food products,
in particular for ice cream products, which provides a very good thermal insulation
and, consequently, an optimum preserving of the food product held therein.
[0010] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a vessel for food
products, in particular for ice cream and the like products, which is very advantageous
from a mere economic standpoint.
[0011] According to one aspect of the present invention, the above mentioned aim and objects,
as well as yet other objects, are achieved by a vessel for food products, specifically
designed for ice cream and the like products, characterized in that said vessel comprises
a vessel body made of a thermally insulating material, including at least a top opening
and adapted to hold therein a plurality of cups which can be caused to abut against
an edge of said opening, thereby preventing said cup from contacting the inner wall
of said vessel body, said cups and vessel body being provided with respective covers.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more
apparent hereinafter from the following detailed disclosure of a preferred, though
not exclusive, embodiment of the invention, which is illustrated, by way of indicative,
but not limitative, example in the accompanying drawings, where:
Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the vessel according to the present invention;
Figure 2 is a further perspective view of the vessel according to the invention;
Figure 3 is an elevation cross-sectional view taken substantially along the section
line III-III of Figure 2;
Figure 4 is an exploded view of the vessel according to the invention, said vessel
having a circular shape;
Figure 5 is a top plan view of the circular vessel, partitioned into three cups;
and
Figure 6 is a top plan view of the circular vessel, partitioned into six cups.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0013] With reference to the number references of the above mentioned figures, the vessel
for food products, specifically designed for ice cream and the like products, according
to the present invention, generally indicated by the reference number 1, comprises
a vessel body 2, advantageously made of a thermally insulating material, such as foamed
polystyrene.
[0014] Figures 1 to 3 show a vessel body having a prismatic shape, and being provided with
a top opening having a top edge or rim, thereagainst the edge portion 4 of corresponding
cups 5 can be caused to abut.
[0015] Each cup 5 is provided with a rectangular top side having such a size as to mate
with the top opening of the vessel body, thereby a plurality of cups can be easily
arranged in said vessel body.
[0016] Figures 1 to 3 show a vessel provided with four cups.
[0017] In this connection it should be apparent that the number of said cups can be easily
changed.
[0018] Each cup has a vertical extension and the bottom 6 of each cup 5 is arranged at a
set spacing from the bottom 7 of the vessel body 2.
[0019] Moreover, each cup is downwardly tapered for holding the side walls 8 of the cup
spaced from the side walls 9 of the vessel body, and, moreover, for facilitating the
stacking of said cups within one another, in a non use condition.
[0020] Thus, between the inner cups 5 and inner walls 7 and 9 of the vessel body a gap is
formed, said vessel body contacting said cups exclusively at the respective edges
or rims 3 and 4, thereby reducing to a minimum possible thermal bridges and providing
a very good thermal insulation.
[0021] As shown, each said cup 5 is provided with a corresponding cover 10.
[0022] The vessel body is provided, in turn, with a vessel body cover 11 having an undercut
12 for mating with the edges 4 of the cups 5 and edges of the covers 10 of said cups.
[0023] Figures 4, 5 and 6 show several vessels including cylindric vessel bodies 13, instead
of prismatic vessel bodies as in the previous embodiment, designed for housing therein
a plurality of cups 14, 114 of circular sector cross section and having a size which
can vary depending on the number of cups to be arranged in each vessel.
[0024] From the above disclosure it should be apparent that the invention fully achieves
the intended aim and objects, since the invention provides a vessel for food products,
in particular for ice cream and the like products, in which the number and type of
product combinations can be easily changed both in the making and in the marketing
steps.
[0025] Actually, it would be easily possible to provide a lot of differently sized cups
and combine said cups in each vessel according to a nearly infinite number of combinations.
[0026] Its would be also possible, by using only a type of standardized size cup, to provide
more than a cup for each ice cream taste, thereby allowing to easily modify the ice
cream taste rates.
[0027] The vessel according to the invention, as above disclosed, is susceptible to several
modifications and variations, all of which will come within the scope of the invention.
[0028] Moreover, all of the constructional details can be replaced by other technically
equivalent elements.
[0029] In practicing the invention, the used materials, as well as the contingent size and
shapes, can be any, according to requirements.
1. A vessel for food products, specifically designed for ice cream and the like products,
characterized in that said vessel comprises a vessel body made of a thermally insulating
material, including at least a top opening and adapted to hold therein a plurality
of cups which can be caused to abut against an edge of said opening, thereby preventing
said cup from contacting the inner wall of said vessel body, said cups and vessel
body being provided with respective covers.
2. A vessel according to Claim 1, characterized in that each cup has a vertical size
so designed that the bottom of said cup is spaced at a set spacing from the bottom
of said vessel body.
3. A vessel according to Claim 1, characterized in that each cup is tapered downwardly
in order to hold the side wall of said cup spaced from the side wall of the vessel
body.
4. A vessel according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that each
said cup is provided with a cup cover.
5. A vessel according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said
vessel body is provided with a vessel body cover having a cutout for mating the edges
of said cups and edges of said cup covers.
6. A vessel according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said
vessel comprises a cylindric vessel body, designed for housing therein variable size
circular sector cross section cups, in any set number.
7. A vessel according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said
vessel includes one or more of the features as disclosed and/or illustrated in the
preceding disclosure and in the figures of the drawings enclosed in the subject Application.