OYSTER COASTER

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/672,149, filed on Jul. 16, 2024, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

In the restaurant industry, oysters are traditionally served in a circular or rectangular aluminum tray or dish, often accompanied by crushed ice or salt to create an ideal setting for the oysters. However, additional/improved devices for oyster presentation are needed in the art, particularly for at-home use.

SUMMARY

Present embodiments relate to an oyster coaster configured to support an oyster on a stepped surface.

In various embodiments, the invention provides an oyster coaster for supporting an oyster, the coaster comprising: a continuous body having an exterior comprising a ground surface configured to contact a surface on which the oyster coaster is placed; a skirt extending from the ground surface; and a shoulder extending from the skirt; and an interior comprising a series of steps formed in the body; and a bottom surface, wherein the steps have progressively smaller circumferences as the steps progress from the shoulder towards the bottom surface.

In some embodiments, the skirt comprises an outward skirt surface and an inward skirt surface.

In some embodiments, the shoulder comprises an outward shoulder surface and an inward shoulder surface.

In some embodiments, the steps form an outward step surface and an inward step surface.

In some embodiments, the bottom surface comprises an outward bottom surface and an inward bottom surface.

In some embodiments, the oyster coaster is about 38 mm to 76 mm in width.

In some embodiments, the oyster coaster is about 64 mm in width.

In some embodiments, the oyster coaster is about 34 mm to 94 mm in length.

In some embodiments, the oyster coaster is about 84 mm in length.

In some embodiments, the oyster coaster is about 8 mm to 34 mm in height.

In some embodiments, the oyster coaster is about 16 mm in height.

In some embodiments, the oyster coaster has a thickness of about 0.5 mm to 5 mm±0.2 mm.

In some embodiments, the oyster coaster has a thickness of about 1 mm±0.2 mm.

In some embodiments, the oyster coaster is formed from plastic, metal, wood, recycled fibers, or stone.

In some embodiments, the skirt has a rise of about 6 mm to 32 mm and a run of about 1 mm to 16 mm with a pitch of about 6 mm to 1.8 mm.

In some embodiments, the skirt has a rise of about 11 mm and a run of about 2 mm with a pitch of about 5.5 mm.

In some embodiments, the shoulder has a rise of about 2 mm to 28 mm and a run of about 2 mm to 16 mm with a radius of about R4 mm to R7.2 mm.

In some embodiments, the shoulder has a height of rise 5 mm and run of about 8.4 mm with a radius of about R5.17 mm.

In some embodiments, the oyster coaster has about two to 24 steps.

In some embodiments, the oyster coaster has five steps.

In some embodiments, the steps each have a height of about 0.5 mm to 8 mm, a length of about 0.5 mm to 8 mm, and a radius of about R0.5 mm to R8 mm.

In some embodiments, the steps each have a height of about 3 mm and a length of about 3 mm with a radius of about R3 mm.

In some embodiments, the oyster coaster is configured to be stacked on one or more additional oyster coasters.

In some embodiments, a distance between the ground surface of the oyster coaster and a ground surface of an adjacent stacked oyster coaster is about 6 mm.

Additional features and advantages of embodiments of the present invention are described further below. This summary section is meant merely to illustrate certain features of embodiments of the invention, and is not meant to limit the scope of the invention in any way. The failure to discuss a specific feature or embodiment of the invention, or the inclusion of one or more features in this summary section, should not be construed to limit the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of certain embodiments of the application, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purposes of illustrating the device of the present application, there are shown in the drawings preferred embodiments. It should be understood, however, that the application is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a top view of an oyster coaster according to embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a bottom view of the oyster coaster;

FIG. 3 shows a left side view of the oyster coaster;

FIG. 4 shows a right side view of the oyster coaster;

FIG. 5 shows a front view of the oyster coaster;

FIG. 6 shows a back view of the oyster coaster;

FIG. 7 shows a top perspective view of the oyster coaster;

FIG. 8 shows a bottom perspective view of the oyster coaster;

FIG. 9 shows a top perspective view of a stack of three oyster coasters;

FIG. 10 is a shadow rendering of a top view of an oyster coaster according to embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a shadow rendering of a bottom view of the oyster coaster;

FIG. 12 is a shadow rendering of a top perspective view of the oyster coaster; and

FIG. 13 is a shadow rendering of a bottom perspective view of the oyster coaster.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The primary challenge in serving oysters lies in their organic shape and cupped bottom shell. Placing oysters on a tray or plate could result in tipping over, causing the oyster and oyster liquor to spill onto the serving surface leading to potential contamination and messy presentation.

In the restaurant industry, oysters are traditionally served in a circular or rectangular aluminum tray or dish, often accompanied by crushed ice or salt to create an ideal setting for the oysters.

However, many at-home seafood lovers may find themselves without access to or the desire for large quantities of crushed ice and salt. Consequently, their options often narrow down to a plate with static cup-like forms. The static design of plates currently available the market that may be used for oyster presentation poses a limitation: users are confined to the fixed number of cup-like forms available. If users have fewer oysters than the number of cup-like forms on the plate, the presentation may appear lacking; conversely, if they have more oysters than the number of cup-like forms on the plate, they may struggle to find suitable placement for them on the plate. In addition, the cup-like forms may not adequately hold oysters of various sizes in place.

On the market, there are high-end ceramic plates that boast aesthetic appeal but come with a hefty price tag, making them less accessible to the average consumer. While these plates may be more artistic than functional, they may not fully meet the practical needs of users. Conversely, cheaper plastic and metal plates are also available that offer static cup-like forms, but they often compromise on presentation and fail to enhance the dining experience.

Oysters like any other crop are organic and different in form due to geography and species type. Small and medium are mostly served on the half shell, also known as serving the oyster raw, while large oysters are the most versatile and are served on the on the half shell, baked, and fried. Extra-large oysters are used for baking and frying purposes. Even though oysters are commonly categorized by length, when it comes to the depth of an oyster, the bottom shell also known as the cupped shell, can vary in size. Indeed, smaller oysters in length can have a deeper cup then large oysters, this depends on the species and growing environment. Accordingly, a need exists for improved devices for oyster presentation, including to accommodate varying cupped shell lengths and depths.

Embodiments of an oyster coaster according to the present invention will now be described by way of example. These embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the claims, as other embodiments of an oyster coaster will become apparent to one having ordinary skill in the art upon reading the instant description. Non-limiting examples of the present embodiments are shown in FIGS. 1-9.

The oyster coaster [6] is a serving dish to stabilize a shucked oyster from tipping over and spilling. The oyster coaster [6] has a generally egg-shaped or rounded triangular profile (in top plan view) and is cup-shaped, with a series of steps having progressively smaller circumferences as they progress from top to bottom. Once an oyster is shucked the oyster can be placed on the oyster coaster [6]. The oyster will make contact with outward shoulder surface [3A] and outward step surface [2A] of the oyster coaster [6]. The combination of the oyster coaster [6] form and steps forming outward step surface [2A] allows for the shucked oyster to be set in a stable position and ready to be served.

The oyster coaster [6] of the present embodiment is comprised of nine main surfaces: outward bottom surface [1A], inward bottom surface [1B], outward step surface [2A], inward step surface [2B], outward shoulder surface [3A], inward shoulder surface [3B], outward skirt surface [4A], inward skirt surface [4B], and ground ring surface [5]. As illustrated, the oyster coaster [6] is preferably formed from a continuous body, such that the inward surfaces are an offset of the outward surfaces.

The overall dimensions of the oyster coaster [6] are approximately 64 mm in width, 84 mm in length and 16 mm in height. However, the optimal overall dimensions can range from 38 mm to 76 mm in width, 34 mm to 94 mm in length and 8 mm to 34 mm in height. Depending on the oyster coaster [6] material, the thickness may vary. For injection molding, compression, or CNC manufacturing processes the oyster coaster [6] thickness can be approximately 1 mm but can range from 0.5 mm to 5 mm. For a stamping manufacturing process the thickness can be approximately 1 mm plus or minus 0.2 mm but can range from 0.5 mm to 5 mm plus or minus 0.2 mm. The material types range from plastic, metals, wood, recycled fibers, stone, and the like.

The ground ring surface [5] is approximately 1 mm wide but can range from about 0.5 mm to 5 mm in width and contacts the surface on which the oyster coaster [6] is placed. The skirt of the oyster coaster, including outward skirt surface [4A] and inward skirt surface [4B], is preferably slightly splayed outward for added stability to the coaster [6]. For example, in the present embodiment, the skirt has a rise of approximately 11 mm and a run of approximately 2 mm with a pitch of about 5.5 mm. The skirt rise can range from about 6 mm to 32 mm and the run can range from about 1 mm to 16 mm with the pitch ranging from about 6 mm to 1.8 mm.

The shoulder of the oyster coaster, including outward shoulder surface [3A] and inward shoulder surface [3B], has a height of approximately 5 mm and length of approximately 8.4 mm with a radius of approximately R5.17 mm. The rise of the shoulder can range from about 2 mm to 28 mm, and the run of the shoulder can range from about 2 mm to 16 mm while the radius can range from about R4 mm to R7.2 mm.

The form of the oyster coaster [6] includes steps forming outward step surface [2A] and inward step surface [2B] so as to accommodate oysters of multiple sizes. The combination of the oyster coaster [6] form and steps allows an oyster to rest in a stable position when set on the oyster coaster [6]. The outward step surface [2A] and inward step surface [2B] are made up of five steps in the present embodiment, but in alternative embodiments can range from two steps to twenty-four steps. Each step has a height of approximately 3 mm and length of approximately 3 mm with a curvature of about 3 mm. The height of each step can range from approximately 0.5 mm to 8 mm, the length of each step can range from about 0.5 mm to 8 mm while the radius of each step can range from about R0.5 mm to 8 mm.

The overall form of the oyster coaster [6] allows it to be stacked [7] for compact storage. For example, three oyster coasters [6] stack to a height of about 28 mm while 12 oyster coasters [6] stacked are about 82 mm. The distance between ground ring surfaces [5] for two stacked oyster coasters [6] is about 6 mm.

Although this invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, the descriptions are intended to be illustrative of the invention and are not intended to be limiting. Various modifications and applications may occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention.

Certain embodiments according to the present invention may thus be characterized as follows.