To date, the staff of restaurants, or anyhow of businesses providing table service, in order to bring dishes to the tables use either a common tray or manually handles the dishes (one or more half-overlapped per hand). This working mode entails the disadvantage that, being the plates at least partially overlapped thereamong, the bottom of a dish often contacts the food contained in another dish. Moreover, from a sanitary point of view this way to transport dishes does not offers a satisfactory hygienic level, because the waiter has to touch their inside in order to support them.

Moreover, additional space is often required at the guest table, for steps of preparing or dressing specific foods, e. g. fish, etc.

In these cases, the abovecited steps require an extension or a trolley. In the known art, such an extension usually consists of a small-size table to be neared to the main one, with remarkable dimensions when the extension is used, as well as when it is put back ; alike considerations may be expressed for the trolley. By virtue of such features, the number of extensions or trolleys made available by restaurant professionals restricts their concomitant use to a limited number of tables only.

Object of the present invention is to solve said known- art problems by providing a multifunctional system for table service characterized in that. it comprises: - a supporting base apt to be secured to a table top;

a service member, apt to be removably anchored to said supporting base ; and means for hooking said service device on said supporting base, wherein said hooking means are such as to be manually operable by an operator.

The main advantage of the system according to the present invention lies in that it provides additional resting surface remarkably limiting the dimensions.

Other advantages, as to maneuverability and safety, derive from the same structure of the constituent members of the system, and from the fact that those are secured to the table and not merely neared or rested thereto.

Moreover, the table-securing modes require no knob screwing, lever pushing, or operating of any mechanism requiring a second free hand or a further engagement of the hand or fingers bearing the device itself. Hence, two devices may concomitantly be transported, with apparent advantages concerning the quality and the promptness of the service. Moreover, while hooking there is no need to tilt the portion carrying the dishes, thereby preventing chance shedding of their content.

The securing to the table takes place in a simple fashion, merely by following a ground-parallel joining line. Moreover, there is no need for the operator to use a second hand to unhook the removable part from the table.

Another advantage is that, by virtue of a guiding and self-centering system, the hooking takes place safely even when the two members to be joined are not perfectly aligned.

The system is easily adaptable to most tables presently in use, regardless of the outside edge contour.

The present invention provides no members that may be bumped into, and therefore potentially injurious, projecting from the same table, thereby making the system extremely safe and functional.

A further advantage of the system according to the present invention is that it allows to concomitantly carry plural dishes, with no contact thereamong and preventing contact of the waiter's hands with their inside, thereby ensuring totally hygienic conditions.

The maneuverability, the strength of the materials and the reduced weight allow to make the waiter's route faster and safer, also and above all in situations requiring specific skill, like e. g. steps, stairs, and slaloms among people or unexpected obstacles.

Moreover, contrarily to the traditional manual service techniques in which the hand assumes an unnatural posture, the sole plane surface for hand resting and gripping is set to attain a more homogeneous weight distribution that does not rest on the individual fingers, with the entailed abatement of muscular stress on the latter.

Further advantages, features, and the operation modes of the present invention will be made apparent in the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof, given by way of example and without limitative purposes, making reference to the figures of the annexed drawings, wherein: figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a system according to the present invention; figure 2 is a perspective view of the system of figure 1, when mounted on a table; figure 2a is a side view of the system of figure 2; figure 3 is a view of a second embodiment of a system according to the present invention; figure 3a is a side view of the system of figure 3; figure 4 is a view of a third embodiment of a system according to the present invention; figure 4a is a side view of the system of figure 4; figures 5 to 7 are views of variants of the service member according to the present invention; and figure 8 is a view of a rack trolley for service

members according to the present invention.

With initial reference to figures 1 to 2a, these show a first embodiment of a system according to the present invention.

A supporting base 1 is secured to a table top 2, e. g. through a screw clamping device 3, such as a clamp or the like.

It is understood that each table on the premises may advantageously be provided with such a supporting base.

The supporting base 2 comprises a resting portion 4 apt to house, as it will be detailed hereinafter, a service member 20.

Then, such a service member 20, will be brought to the table by an operator (waiter, etc. ), hooked to the supporting base 1 and left in such a location with its entire content (dishes, etc.).

The service member 20 further comprises a centrally located spacer 17, whose main function is to allow a dish positioning onto the service member that is appropriate as to weight distribution.

In fact, by abutting both dishes against the spacer 17, the service member is positively not unbalanced.

During table service, the spacer 17 may advantageously be removed or shifted to provide the operator with more free space.

The service member 20 is removably anchored to the supporting base 1 via hooking means 6,7, 8,9, 10,11, 12, 13.

In particular, the supporting base 1 provides the presence of a couple of pins 7, preferably having a circular section, located so as to lie along a line parallel to the edge of the table 2.

The pins 7 are connected therebetween by a substantially plane covering member 8. This covering member has a two-fold function, on the one hand serves as pin protection, abating the risk of injuries to operators or customers, and on the other hand serves as support,

preventing any upturning of the service member.

The service member 20 comprises instead a hooking portion 6, whose contour is shaped so as to form seats 9 for the pins 7.

The shaping 9,10 of the hooking portion 6 is such as to implement a self-centering system of the service member 20 onto the base 1.

Thus, even when the service member 20 is not neared to the supporting base according to a perfect alignment, above all in the horizontal direction, the shape of the contour of the portion 6 causes a natural sliding thereof towards the correct location.

The hooking means further comprises a locking member 11, connected to the service member 20.

The locking member 11 is hinged at one end thereof and it may rotate about an axis under the operator's action.

A return spring, not shown in the figure, constantly forces the former in a hooking position (figure 2A).

The locking member 11 comprises a pawl 13 that, when the service member 20 is positioned onto the supporting base, cooperates with a seat 12 obtained onto the portion 4 of the base 1.

Thus, until an operator unlocks the locking member, the service member is locked onto the supporting base.

Due to the particular shape of the pawl, the locking of the service member entails no specific action by an operator during the hooking. The locking member, sliding onto the portion 4, rises until the pawl 13 inserts the seat 12 due to the return effect of the spring.

The reverse action of unlocking, and hence of unhooking the service member 20 from the supporting base 1, may advantageously be carried out by the operator directly with the sole hand gripping the service member 20, with no need of other manual operations involving the other hand.

In fact, it will suffice to raise the locking member

11 with a finger, so as to free the pawl from the seat 12.

Thus, the service member 20 may simply be removed, taking it off from the supporting base 1.

Next, figures 3 and 3a refer to a second embodiment of the system according to the present invention.

Differently from what has been described hereto, according to such embodiment the supporting base 11 comprises a raiser 21 for the resting portion 4.

This arrangement allows to house the service member 30 in a raised location with respect to the table top, rather than directly flush thereto.

In some cases, this solution proves particularly advantageous. E. g. , premises lacking wide spaces among tables may find such a variant useful in order to best exploit the space on the table rather than that about the table.

Moreover, this solution allows table service without occupying space on the table top, with an evident advantage e. g. in the case of particularly small tables.

Next, figures 4 and 4a show instead a third embodiment of a system according to the present invention.

According to such an embodiment, the means for hooking the service member onto the supporting base provide the pins 7 to be connected to the hooking portion 6, in particular facing downwards with respect to the normal direction of use.

Correspondingly, the resting portion of the supporting base comprises a contour shapes so as to implement two seats for the pins and the self-centering system, as described hereto.

According to the present invention, the service member may suitably assume different shapes and carry out different functions.

Figures 1 and 2 exemplify the main use for which the present invention has been implemented, i. e. a member for

carrying dishes (filled and/or empty) from the kitchens to the tables and vice versa.

In this version, the service member 20 could advantageously assume the shape indicated in figures 1 and 2, particularly apt to house at least two dishes and having a central region apt to be easily gripped with one hand.

Advantageously, the supporting member 20 comprises antislip members 15, onto which the dishes are to be rested in order to prevent slipping during the carrying.

Next, figures 3 to 8 are exemplary views of other viable uses of a system according to the present invention.

The examples of figures 3 and 4 show how the service member 30,40 may advantageously be used as additional resting top, e. g. for preparing dishes at the table, thereby simply and effectively implementing a table extension.

Next, figures 5 and 6 show how the system according to the present invention may provide further advantages, by virtue of its versatility.

In this case, the service member 50 comprises one or more holders, e. g. ice holders, to leisurely serve wine or other beverages.

A further variant of the service member is illustrated in figure 7. In this case, the service member 60 is shaped as a general container, on which table guests can place personal items (eyeglasses, wallets, keys, phone, cigarettes, etc. ) that are usually placed on the table top.

Furthermore, the container may be equipped with a key lock door closure so as to provide users with the option of leaving the table leaving personal items not in view.

Another advantageous aspect of a system according to the present invention is illustrated in figure 8, depicting a rack 70, advantageously equipped to house a plurality of service members, in an orderly manner and

such as to occupy an extremely reduced space on the service premises.

The present invention has hereto been described according to preferred embodiments thereof, given by way of example and without limitative purposes.

It is understood that other embodiments may be provided, all to be construed as falling within the protective scope of the invention, as defined by the annexed claims.