Food service tray with cutlery

Claim 2

Food service tray made of plastic material having a top panel; at least one integral recess for receiving food formed in said top panel; a rim surrounding said top panel; a cut-out formed in said panel and located between the recess and a first side of the panel and substantially symmetrically with respect to opposite sides of the panel which are disposed laterally with respect to said first side, said cutout having an edge essentially parallel to the rim of said top panel and forming an essentially smoothly extending line; cutlery means arranged in said cut-out and forming an integral part of said tray; breakable attaching means retaining said cutlery means in the cut-out whereby, when the cutlery means are removed from the panel, the first side of the panel will form a handle for carrying the tray; and means to detachably secure a respective pair of identical food service trays in opposed and superposed relation, one relative to the other, so that a closed container is formed, said means comprising projecting engagement means and corresponding depressed engagement means, so that the projecting means of the one tray can be placed into jamming engagement with the depressed engagement means in the other tray, the adjacently located first sides of the oppositely placed panels forming a combined carrying handle.

Claim 3

Tray according to claim 1, wherein the tray is essentially rectangular, further cut-outs are formed in said panel, and the cutlery means comprises a spoon, a fork and a knife, said spoon being positioned between the rear longitudinal edge of the approximately rectangular recess and in essentially parallel relation with said first side, said knife and said fork being arranged in said further cut-outs and positioned along the lateral sides forming the shorter sides of said rectangular tray.

Claim 4

Tray according to claim 2, wherein the lengths of the knife and the fork are approximately equal to the width of said recess, the knife being positioned on one lateral side and the fork on the other lateral side of said recess.

Claim 5

Tray according to claim 2, wherein each piece of said cutlery means has a length less than the length of said recess.

Claim 6

Tray according to claim 1, wherein said recess has sloping side walls, and the outer surface of said sloping recess walls are formed with ribs to prevent lateral movement to each other of said trays in stacked position.

Claim 7

Tray according to claim 1, wherein said breakable attaching means for the cutlery means comprises at least two narrow, easily fractured necks extending from projections on the same side of the longitudinal central axis of each of the cutlery means.

Claim 8

Tray according to claim 1, wherein said panel comprises two further circular recesses located adjacent the corners of said first side and, one recess, each, being disposed between a respective end of said cut out and a lateral side of the tray.

Claim 9

Disposable food service tray-cutlery combination made of plastic material having an essentially rectangular top panEl; at least one integral recess for receiving food formed in said top panel; a rim surrounding said top panel having a downwardly directed rim flange to form a stiffening surrounding frame for the top panel, said rim flange extending downwardly from said top panel to a depth which is less than the depths of said food-receiving recess; a plurality of cut-outs formed in said panel, one cut-out being located between the recess and the first side of the panel and substantially symmetrically with respect to opposite sides of the panel which are disposed laterally with respect to the first side, said cut-out having an edge essentially parallel to the rim of said top panel and forming an essentially smoothly extending line; further cut-outs being formed in said panel and positioned along the lateral sides forming the shorter sides of the rectangular panel; cutlery means comprising a spoon, a fork, and a knife arranged in said cut-outs and forming an integral part of said tray; breakable attaching means retaining said cutlery means in the cut-outs comprising at least two narrow, easily fractured necks extending from projections on the same side of the longitudinal central axis of each of the cutlery means whereby, when the cutlery means are removed from the panel, a side of the panel will form a handle for carrying the tray; the recess having sloping side walls, the outer surfaces of said sloping side being formed with ribs to prevent lateral movement with respect to each other if the trays are placed in stacked position; the length of the cutlery means being approximately equal to the width of the recesses and the cutlery means having a length less than the length of the food-receiving recess.

Claim 10

Disposable food service tray-cutlery combination made of plastic material having an essentially rectangular top panEl; at least one integral recess for receiving food formed in said top panel; a rim surrounding said top panel having a downwardly directed rim flange to form a stiffening surrounding frame for the top panel, said rim flange extending downwardly from said top panel to a depth which is less than the depths of said food-receiving recess; a plurality of cut-outs formed in said panel, one cut-out being located between the recess and the first side of the panel and substantially symmetrically with respect to opposite sides of the panel which are disposed laterally with respect to the first side, said cut-out having an edge essentially parallel to the rim of said top panel and forming an essentially smoothly extending line; further cut-outs being formed in said panel and positioned along the lateral sides forming the shorter sides of the rectangular panel; cutlery means comprising a spoon, a fork, and a knife arranged in said cut-outs and forming an integral part of said tray; breakable attaching means retaining said cutlery means in the cut-outs comprising at least two narrow, easily fractured necks extending from projections on the same side of the longitudinal central axis of each of the cutlery means whereby, when the cutlery means are removed from the panel, a side of the panel will form a handle for carrying the tray; the recess having sloping side walls, the outer surfaces of said sloping side being formed with ribs to prevent lateral movement with respect to each other if the trays are placed in stacked position; the length of the cutlery means being approximately equal to the width of the recesses and the cutlery means having a length less than the length of the food-receiving recess.