Serving dish for stemmed grapes

• US 5,271,508 A
• Filed: 05/15/1992
• Issued: 12/21/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gordon K. Gamwell
• Original Assignee: Gordon K. Gamwell
• Inventors: Gamwell, Gordon K.
• Primary Examiner(s): SKAGGS JR, H GRANT
• Application Number:
  US07/885,040
• Time in Patent Office: 585 Days
• Field of Search: 209/680, 209/682, 209/659, 209/374, 220/574, 220/23.83-23.86, 220/501, 220/502
• US Class Current: 209/682
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 19/30 Other containers or devices used as table equipment used as kitchen equipment A47J47/02

Abstract

In the representative embodiment of the fruit server of the invention, a display container is arranged to support one or more bunches of grapes. Openings are arranged adjacent to a sloping wall portion of the container and respectively sized so that should individual grapes become detached from the clustered grapes supported by the container, those detached grapes will work themselves along the sloping bottom and fall through the openings and be collected on a lower collector container spatially disposed below the upper display container.

Claims

1. A server for one or more clusters of grapes comprising:

a generally-concave display receptacle for receiving at least one cluster of attached grapes and including a bottom wall bounded by downwardly-sloping side walls;

means arranged for facilitating the escape from said display receptacle of individual grapes which have been detached from a cluster of grapes disposed in said display receptacle and moved downwardly along said sloping side walls into the lower portion of said display receptacle and including escape passage means in said lower portion and larger than the anticipated size of individual grapes to be disposed in said display receptacle;

a support for normally positioning said display receptacle above a collector receptacle for receiving detached grapes which have moved downwardly along said sloping side walls and passed through said escape passage means; and

means for selectively obstructing said escape passage means in said display receptacle.

2. The grape server of claim 1 wherein said escape passage means include a central escape opening in said bottom wall of said display receptacle.

3. The grape server of claim 1 wherein said escape passage means include a plurality of escape openings spatially disposed around said downwardly-sloping side walls above said bottom wall of said display receptacle.

4. The grape server of claim 1 further including at least a single drain opening in said display receptacle for draining water out of said display receptacle.

5. A server for clusters of grapes comprising:

an upwardly-opening dished primary container for displaying clusters of grapes and having downwardly-sloping side walls surrounding a lower portion with a central escape opening for passing detached grapes that have moved downwardly along said sloping side walls into said lower portion of said primary container from underneath clusters of grapes in said primary container;

a secondary container for placement on a supporting base and for receiving detached grapes falling through said central escape opening;

a support member spatially disposing said primary container above said secondary container at a sufficient height to accommodate detached grapes moving along said sloping side walls and falling through said central escape opening onto said secondary container; and

means arranged within said lower portion of said primary container for selectively blocking said central escape opening.

6. A server for clusters of grapes comprising:

an upwardly-opening dished primary container for displaying clusters of grapes and having a lower portion with a plurality of escape openings arranged therearound for passing detached grapes that have moved downwardly into said lower portion of said primary container from underneath clusters of grapes displayed therein;

a secondary container for placement on a supporting base and for receiving detached grapes passing through said escape openings;

a support member spatially disposing said primary container above said secondary container at a height which is sufficient to accommodate detached grapes falling through said escape openings onto said secondary container; and

means arranged within said lower portion of said primary container for selectively blocking said escape openings.

7. The grape server of claim 6 wherein said escape openings include a central escape opening in said lower portion of said primary container.

8. The grape server of claim 6 wherein said escape openings include a central escape opening in said lower portion of said primary container and a plurality of escape openings spatially disposed around said lower portion of said primary container above said central escape opening.