Book-shaped device for holding a cuisine-specific collection of herbs and spices and business method for providing cuisine-specific herbs and spices

• US 6,349,820 B1
• Filed: 12/21/1999
• Issued: 02/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Richard D. Kelley, Sherrill L. Beard Kelley
• Original Assignee: Richard D. Kelley, Sherrill L. Beard Kelley
• Inventors: Kelley, Richard D., Kelley, Sherrill L. Beard
• Primary Examiner(s): LUONG, SHIAN TINH NHAN
• Application Number:
  US09/467,689
• Time in Patent Office: 798 Days
• Field of Search: 206/472, 206/223, 206/459.5, 206/387.13, 206/3, 206/8, 220/507, 220/553, 220/555, 426/115, 426/119, 434/127
• US Class Current: 206/223
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 47/04 for granulated foodstuffs

Abstract

A spice-holding device includes a rectangular book-shaped container having a top, bottom, back cover, front cover, a binding end and an opening end defining an interior volume. The interior volume is partitioned into a plurality of compartments for holding predetermined quantities of preselected spices. The front cover is pivotally attached to the book-shaped container along the binding end so that the front cover is pivotable between an open position exposing the spice-holding compartments in the interior volume and a closed position covering the spices for storage and so that the spice-holding device is self-supporting when holding the spices and placed on its bottom. A method of business for distributing selected spices in a cuisine specific book shaped storage device. A method that includes selecting a specific cuisine, collecting spices useful for preparing the selected specific cuisine and making a book-shaped spice-holding device, including a plurality of compartments for holding small quantities of the selected cuisine-specific spices. The book-shaped spice-holding device is labeled with a cuisine indicator corresponding to the selected, specific cuisine for which the collected spices are useful.

Claims

1. A method of business for distributing spices comprising the steps of:

a) providing a self-supporting, book-shaped spice holder having a plurality of compartments arranged in an array inside said self-supporting, book-shaped spice holder, said book-shaped spice holder having an openable cover operably engaged with said spice holder, said cover sized and shaped corresponding to the shape of said holder so that said array of compartments can be covered for storage or opened for access to the spice-holding chambers;

b) selecting a plurality of separate quantities of spices according to a predetermined cuisine, each spice usable in one or more recipes for preparation of comestibles corresponding to said preselected cuisine;

c) providing packages having small quantities of said selected spices to be placed in said array of spice-holding chambers;

d) providing cuisine indicative labels by which each book-shaped spice holder can be cuisine-specifically identified;

e) arranging one of said labels to be attached to said self-supporting, book-shaped spice holders identifying said specific cuisine for which said small quantities of selected spices have been inserted into said partitioned compartments; and

f) providing a plurality of printed recipes for preparation of said specific cuisine and including said plurality of cuisine-specific recipes attached to said book-shaped spice holder correspondingly labeled to identify said specific cuisine, said recipes, and said cuisine-specific spices.