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US-12622538-B2 - Serving tray and methods of use

US12622538B2US 12622538 B2US12622538 B2US 12622538B2US-12622538-B2

Abstract

A serving tray assembly includes a platform, a spacer coupled to the platform, at least one metallic element coupled to the spacer, and a handling subassembly releasably coupleable to the spacer and comprising a pole orthogonal to the platform, a support ring coupled to the pole, and at least one magnetic element coupled to the support ring, the at least one magnetic element being aligned with and magnetically coupleable to the at least one metallic element.

Inventors

  • Melissa Tortorello

Assignees

  • Melissa Tortorello

Dates

Publication Date
20260512
Application Date
20240531

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . A serving tray assembly comprising: a platform; a spacer coupled to the platform; at least one metallic element coupled to the spacer; and a handling subassembly releasably coupleable to the spacer and comprising: a pole orthogonal to the platform; a circular support ring coupled to the pole and positioned for direct contact with the spacer and the platform, a diameter of the circular support ring being between 50% and 60% of the diameter of platform; and at least one magnetic element coupled to the circular support ring and disposed above the circular support ring and being spaced away from the pole by the circular support ring, the at least one magnetic element being aligned with and magnetically coupleable to the at least one metallic element.
  2. 2 . The serving tray assembly of claim 1 , wherein the platform and the spacer have a same shape.
  3. 3 . The serving tray assembly of claim 1 , wherein the platform is circular.
  4. 4 . The serving tray assembly of claim 1 , wherein the platform is rectangular.
  5. 5 . The serving tray assembly of claim 1 , wherein the spacer includes an aperture for receiving the at least one metallic element.
  6. 6 . The serving tray assembly of claim 1 , wherein the spacer comprises acrylic.
  7. 7 . The serving tray assembly of claim 1 , wherein the pole is covered by a cushioned grip.
  8. 8 . The serving tray assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a forearm arc support coupleable to the pole.
  9. 9 . The serving tray assembly of claim 8 , wherein the forearm arc support includes a curved track having a concavity for resting on a user's arm.
  10. 10 . The serving tray assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least one metallic element includes multiple metallic elements.
  11. 11 . The serving tray assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least one metallic element includes a magnet.
  12. 12 . The serving tray assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least one magnetic element includes a neodymium magnet.
  13. 13 . The serving tray assembly of claim 1 , wherein the support ring defines an area that is at least 40% of the area of the platform.
  14. 14 . A serving tray assembly comprising: a platform; a spacer coupled to the platform; at least one metallic element coupled to the spacer; and a handling subassembly releasably coupleable to the spacer and comprising: a circular base positioned for direct contact with the spacer and the platform; a U-shaped handle disposed on an opposing side of the base; and at least one magnetic element coupled to a first side of the base, the at least one magnetic element being aligned with and magnetically coupleable to the at least one metallic element, the at least one magnetic element being disposed above the circular base and being spaced away from the U-shaped handle by the circular base, the at least one magnetic element being aligned with and magnetically coupleable to the at least one metallic element.
  15. 15 . The serving tray assembly of claim 14 , wherein the platform and the spacer have a same shape.
  16. 16 . The serving tray assembly of claim 14 , wherein the platform is circular.
  17. 17 . The serving tray assembly of claim 14 , wherein the platform is rectangular.
  18. 18 . The serving tray assembly of claim 14 , wherein the spacer includes an aperture for receiving the at least one metallic element.
  19. 19 . The serving tray assembly of claim 14 , wherein the at least one metallic element includes multiple metallic elements.
  20. 20 . The serving tray assembly of claim 14 , wherein the at least one metallic element includes a magnet.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Ser. No. 63/505,748, filed on Jun. 2, 2023, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety as if fully set forth herein. FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure relates to a serving tray and, more specifically, a serving tray with improved stability and ergonomics BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE Serving trays are difficult to carry as more items are added onto the platform. In most cases, the server places the bottom of the tray platform on their palm. This requires the server to move around with extreme caution and balance to prevent spilling and/or dropping. It generally takes some practice in order to be able to balance multiple items on a tray. Cramping is another issue with modern serving trays. As the server balances the tray on the palm and/or fingers, the muscles in the wrist, forearm, biceps, triceps, and neck fatigue. Over time, the server may struggle to maintain the tray's balance, which results in soreness and additional fatigue. As the server attempts to compensate for fatigue by spreading the fingers widely on the bottom of the tray, additional strain is placed on the wrist. The overall effect leads to joint instability and overuse. Poor ergonomics are not only unpleasant, but may also result in severe workplace injury. Finally, as the server approaches the desired table it becomes difficult to place the tray on a flat surface since the server's palm is resting on the bottom of the tray. In order to place the tray on a flat surface, or on a table, the server must slide their hand between the flat surface and the table causing the tray to become unstable, which increases the chance of the tray tipping over, and potentially falling. Thus, the conventional devices may result in injury to the server, loss to the restaurant and inconvenience to the patrons. SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE In some examples, a serving tray assembly includes a platform, a spacer coupled to the platform, at least one metallic element coupled to the spacer; and a handling subassembly releasably coupleable to the spacer and comprising a pole orthogonal to the platform, a support ring coupled to the pole, and at least one magnetic element coupled to the support ring, the at least one magnetic element being aligned with and magnetically coupleable to the at least one metallic element. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE Embodiments of the presently disclosed devices and systems are shown herein with reference to the drawings, wherein: FIGS. 1A-C are schematic perspective views of a circular tray according to one embodiment; FIGS. 2A-B illustrate an alternative gripping mechanism for use with the circular tray of FIGS. 1A-C; FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of an optional armrest for use with the circular tray of FIGS. 1A-C; and FIGS. 4A-C are schematic perspective views of a rectangular tray according to another embodiment. The embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the appended drawings. It is to be appreciated that these drawings depict only some embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Despite the various improvements that have been made to serving trays and their methods of use, conventional devices suffer from some shortcomings as described above. There therefore is a need for further improvements to the devices, systems, and methods of making and using serving trays. Among other advantages, the present disclosure may address one or more of these needs. FIG. 1A depicts one embodiment of a serving tray system 100 that includes a flat, circular platform 102 and a circular spacer 103 that form a serving subassembly 100A. The circular platform 102 and the circular spacer are of approximately a same size and the platform 102 may have a lip that surrounds the outer circumference of circular spacer 103. Platform 102 and spacer 103 may be friction fit with one another, or otherwise coupled using any suitable means (e.g., via fasteners, adhesive, etc.). Alternatively, platform and spacer may be integrally formed. Spacer 103 may be formed of an acrylic sheet of approximately 3 mm in thickness and may have an aperture 104 configured to receive a metallic element 105 (e.g., a steel washer or ⅞ steel blanks or magnet, if desired). The lower part of serving tray system 100 includes a handling subassembly 100B formed of a vertically-extending pole 110 covered by a cushioned plastic grip 111 (e.g., round, flexible or deformable vinyl grip). Pole 110 may be coupled to a circular support ring 112 and to a magnetic element 113 via a fastener 114. In some examples, support ring 112 is approximately 150 mm in diameter and used to support the loaded weight of the tray. The diameter of the support ring may between 40%-80% of the diameter of platform 102, or between 50% and 60% the diameter of platform