Packaged dinner serving tray

Claim 1

A serving tray for holding a packaged dinner tray with the packaged dinner tray having a predetermined shape and an outwardly extending peripheral flange, said serving tray being generally rectangular in shape and having a central cavity formed therein, said central cavity being a preselected shape similar to the predetermined shape of the dinner tray whereby the dinner tray can be received in said cavity, said cavity having a flat lower wall to support the bottom of said packaged dinner tray against buckling and puncture during use, said lower wall terminating in upwardly formed side walls to define said cavity side walls terminating in a planar upper surface surrounding said cavity, said planar upper surface being generally parallel to said lower wall and forming an upper support surface for said dinner tray peripheral flange, four outer side walls depending downwardly from said upper surface, said four outer side walls terminating in a transversely extending lower peripheral flange, support surfaces defined by said lower peripheral flange at the juncture of adjacent ones of said outer side walls said lower wall being spaced upwardly from said support surfaces such that when said serving tray is placed on a table said lower wall is out of contact from the table top to avoid condensation or other damage to said table top, and an elongated notch formed in each of at least two opposed of said side walls to provide the dual functions of (a) permitting gripping of said tray by the user thereof and (b) to permit air to circulate freely from outside of said tray to the underside of said flat lower wall to remove condensation thereform.