Beverage service

Technical Field

This invention relates to a beverage service comprising a cup and relative saucer.

More specifically, this invention relates to a cup for drinking hot drinks, such as tea, coffee, cappuccino, chocolate or the like.

Background Art

The cups for hot drinks comprise a body for containing the drink, which is round or cylindrical in shape, provided with a gripping handle.

More specifically, the body for containing the drink is provided with a base, substantially circular, for supporting the cup.

Generally, the cups are accompanied by a respective saucer thereby forming the aforesaid service.

The saucer, of a substantially circular shape, has a cavity for receiving the cup, designed to join with the supporting base of the cup, and an edge for supporting a teaspoon.

In use, the cup and the teaspoon for stirring the drink are placed on the respective saucer in such a way that the base of the cup is positioned inside the respective cavity and the teaspoon is positioned on the edge of the saucer, diametrically opposite the handle of the cup.

When serving the drinks, the cup and the teaspoon are served with the respective saucer and, often, the stirring teaspoon falls to the ground, sincethe saucer constitutes an element for positioning the cup, but not the teaspoon which is simply positioned on its edge.

The falling to the ground of the teaspoon is an unpleasant mishap for catering services, such as, for example, bars and restaurants, which must guarantee an efficient service for the clientele, reducing to a minimum the cover charges to the customers. Aim of the Invention

The aim of this invention is to provide a beverage service comprising a cup and respective saucer which avoids the aforesaid mishap, that is, the falling to the ground of the teaspoon when serving tea.

The specified aim is achieved by a beverage service comprising the features described in independent claim 1. Brief Description of the Drawings

Further features and advantages of this invention are more apparent in the non-limiting description which follows of a preferred embodiment of a beverage service illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 is a first perspective view of the beverage service according to this invention;

- Figure 2 is a second perspective view of the beverage service of Figure 1;

- Figure 3 is a front view of the beverage service of Figure 1;

- Figure 4 is a perspective view of the saucer of the beverage service of Figure 1 and a teaspoon;

- Figure 5 is a perspective view of the cup of the beverage service of Figure i;

- Figure 6 is another perspective view of the cup of Figure 5;

- Figure 7 is a schematic side view of several cups stacked. Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments of the Invention

With reference to Figures 1 to 3, the numeral 1 denotes a beverage service comprising a cup 2 and a saucer 3.

The cup 2 comprises a main body 4 for holding a drink, such as, for example, tea, coffee, cappuccino or the like.

In the preferred embodiment the main body 4 has a frustoconical shape.

Alternatively, it may have, for example, a rounded hemispherical shape.

The main body 4 is provided with a mouth 5, a base 6 and a handle 7 for gripping.

The gripping handle 7 is of the "loop" type in order to facilitate gripping and holding the cup 2 when consuming the drink.

The mouth 5 and the base 6 have a rounded shape with a circular cross- section. More specifically, the cross-section of the mouth 5 is larger than the cross-section of the mouth 6.

The cup 2 comprises a projection 8 extending from the base 6 of the main body 4 and forming a perimeter wall 9 ending with a supporting edge 10.

The supporting edge 10 is circular in shape. More specifically, the edge 10 forms a circular cross-section which is smaller than the circular cross-section formed by the base 6. Moreover, the circular cross-section formed by the supporting edge 10 is larger than the cross-section of the mouth 5, allowing the stacking of the cups 2 as described in more detail below.

The perimeter wall 9 of the projection 8 has a substantially frustoconical shape. Moreover, the profile of the perimeter wall 9 is curved, in particular substantially parabolic.

The main body 4 and the projection 8 give the cup 2 an "hourglass" type shape, that is, defined by a convergent-divergent profile.

As illustrated in Figures 3 and 5, the projection 8 has a height less than the height of the main body 4. In terms of proportions, the projection 8 has a height equal to approximately a third of the height of the main body 4.

With reference to Figure 6, the projection 8 forms with the base 6 an inner cavity 11. The inner cavity 11 is designed to partly house a teaspoon 15, in particular at least the bowl 15a of the teaspoon 15, as described in more detail below.

The perimeter wall 9 comprises at least one wall 12, communicating with the cavity 11, extending from the supporting edge 10. More precisely, the window 12 extends from the supporting edge 10 to the base 6 of the cup 2. The window 12 is designed to be passed through by the handle 15b of the teaspoon 15.

More specifically, a first window 12a is positioned at the gripping handle 7 and a second window 12b is positioned diametrically opposite the first window 12a.

The first and the second window 12a and 12b divide the projection 8 into two distinct parts each having a perimeter wall 9 having a curved profile, in particular substantially parabolic.

Alternatively, the window 12 may be made in any position of the perimeter wall 9.

The first and the second window 12a and 12b both have a substantially rectangular cross-section.

With reference in particular to Figure 4, the saucer 3 comprises a means 13 of positioning the cup 2.

The positioning means 13 act in conjunction with the supporting edge 10 of the cup 2 to guarantee a stable support of the cup.

More specifically, the positioning means 13 comprise a cavity 14 made on the base 3 a of the saucer 3, designed to accommodate the supporting edge 10 of the perimeter wall 9 of the projection 8 of the cup 2. In order to join with the circular shaped supporting edge 10, the cavity 14 has an annular shape. The positioning means 13 also comprise a rib 16 protruding from the base 3 a of the saucer 3, designed to make contact with the supporting edge 10 of the perimeter wall 9 of the projection 8 of the cup 2. The rib 16 is convex and has a substantially circular shape.

It should be noted that the saucer 3 has a surface 17 for supporting the saucer 3 on the opposite side of the cavity 14 and of the rib 16 .

In use, the cup 2 is positioned on the saucer 3 in such a way that the supporting edge 10 is positioned inside the cavity 14. In this way, the inner cavity 11 and the rib 16 form a cavity, not illustrated, having inside the bowl 15a of the teaspoon 15 and the handle 15b through the window 12, as illustrated in Figure 2. The bowl 15a of the teaspoon 15 is positioned in the cavity with the concavity facing downwards or, alternatively, with the concavity facing upwards.

The window 12 has dimensions such as to prevent the passage of the bowl 15a of the teaspoon 15 and the perimeter wall 9 forms means for locking the latter inside the cavity 11.

Advantageously, when serving the drink contained in the cup, the cavity 11, housing the bowl 15a, and the window 12, passed through by the handle 15b, prevent the teaspoon 15 from falling to the ground.

Moreover, the presence of the cavity 14, in which the supporting edge 10 is engaged, and of the rib 16, which makes contact with the supporting edge 10 of the cup 2, make the cup 2 more stable compared with the prior art, thereby preventing any falling to the ground of the cup 2.

Lastly, as illustrated in in Figure 7, it should be noted that the cup 2 of the beverage service according to this invention is easily stackable with other cups of the same type, since the perimeter walls 9 forming the projection 8 of the cup 2 positioned above the other easily fit in the mouth 5 of the cup 2 positioned below it and the window 12, in particular the second window 12a, houses the gripping handle 7 in such a way as to allow a stable stacking of several cups 2. Consequently, the second window 12a is sized in such a way as to prevent the passage of the bowl 15a of the teaspoon 15 and to allow a partial insertion of the gripping handle 7 inside the window 12a.

The invention described is susceptible of industrial application and may be modified and adapted in several ways without thereby departing from the scope of the inventive concept. Moreover, all the details of the invention may be substituted by technically equivalent elements.