Food-retaining device

Claim 1

In combination with a food plate or dish, a food-retaining device for retaining food on said plate or dish and against which food may be urged to force it onto an eating utensil comprising: a radially flexible or radially expansible ring-shaped element having a substantially V-shaped cross section formed by an upper and a lower ring-shaped section of right angular truncated conical configuration with a central aperture therethrough for accommodating the peripheral edge of said plate, said upper section and said lower section being joined at their base to form a peripheral edge whereby said upper section extends inwardly and upwardly relative to the center of said plate and said lower section extends inwardly and downwardly relative to the center of said plate and in divergent relationship to said upper section and terminates in a peripheral edge of lesser diameter than the diameter of said plate or dish; said expansible ring-shaped element being resiliently tensioned so as to normally draw inwardly in diameter to forcibly urge against the plate edge; said ring-shaped element having a transverse split defined between opposing opposite ends of said element that terminate in spaced apart relationship whereby said element is radially expandable against the self-bias of said element normally urged against said plate; said ring-shaped element having a yieldable diameter normally smaller than the diameter of said plate; said lower section having an inner exposed surface in space opposing relationship to the external exposed surface of the plate; and sAid ring-shaped element including said upper and lower sections is composed of a semirigid, plastic material adapted to bend or flex so as to distort said central aperture or opening to accommodate assembly and disassembly of said element on and from said plate respectively.