Serving platter having disposal opening and shallow sealing lid

Abstract

A serving platter includes a rectangular, single molded piece having a top portion defining a serving area and a bottom portion. The top portion includes four primary serving wells and four secondary serving wells. The bottom portion defines an enclosed interior space, and the top portion defines a rounded opening centrally located relative to the serving area and configured to receive food waste for deposit into the interior space. The top portion includes four dividing walls defining and separating the four primary serving wells, each dividing wall extending generally linearly away from the rounded opening to an outer peripheral wall of the main body. The top portion further includes four partitioning walls, each partitioning wall extending between adjacent sides of the outer peripheral wall. Each serving well has a volume that is less than half of the volume of each primary serving well.

1 . A serving platter, comprising:
 (a) a main body including,
 (i) a top portion defining a serving area comprising a plurality of primary serving wells for receiving food items therein for presentation to a person for eating, and 
 (ii) a bottom portion defining a substantially enclosed interior space, the top portion defining a disposal opening configured to receive there through food waste for deposit into the substantially enclosed interior space; 
   (b) wherein the top portion includes a plurality of dividing walls defining and separating the primary serving wells; and   (c) wherein the top portion further defines a plurality of secondary serving wells, each secondary serving well being defined by a partitioning wall that extends between adjacent sides of the outer peripheral wall of the main body.   
   
   
       2 . The serving platter of  claim 1 , wherein the top portion and the bottom portion are part of a single molded piece. 
   
   
       3 . The serving platter of  claim 1 , wherein each of the primary serving wells shares in common a dividing wall with another primary serving well. 
   
   
       4 . The serving platter of  claim 1 , wherein each secondary serving well includes a volume that is less than half of the volume of each primary serving well. 
   
   
       5 . The serving platter of  claim 1 , wherein the disposal opening comprises a circular opening centrally located relative to the serving area. 
   
   
       6 . The serving platter of  claim 5 , wherein each dividing wall extends generally linearly away from the circular opening. 
   
   
       7 . The serving platter of  claim 5 , wherein each dividing wall extends from the circular opening to the outer peripheral wall of the main body. 
   
   
       8 . The serving platter of  claim 1 , wherein the main body is generally rectangular. 
   
   
       9 . The serving platter of  claim 1 , wherein the serving platter consists of four primary serving wells. 
   
   
       10 . The serving platter of  claim 1 , wherein the serving platter consists of four equally dimensioned primary serving wells symmetrically arranged about the disposal opening of the serving area. 
   
   
       11 . The serving platter of  claim 1 , wherein each primary serving well has a bottom defining a food support surface, and wherein the food support surface is planar and configured to be generally horizontal when the serving platter is placed on a generally horizontal surface. 
   
   
       12 . The serving platter of  claim 1 , further comprising a lid removably coupled to the main body such that the lid is positioned above and extends over the serving area during transport of the serving platter, the lid defining a plurality of dividers, wherein each of the dividing walls is generally aligned with and engaged by a respective divider such that two wells are isolated from one another by a dividing wall engaged with a divider, and wherein each of the partitioning walls is generally aligned with and engaged by a respective divider such that a primary serving well and a secondary serving well are isolated from one another by a partitioning wall engaged with a divider. 
   
   
       13 . The serving platter of  claim 1 , wherein a dividing wall is engaged by a divider by being received within a channel that is defined by the lid. 
   
   
       14 . A serving platter, comprising:
 (a) a generally rectangular main body, the main body being a single molded piece and including,
 (i) a top portion defining a serving area comprising a plurality of primary serving wells for receiving food items therein for presentation to a person for eating, and 
 (ii) a bottom portion defining a substantially enclosed interior space, the top portion defining a rounded opening centrally located relative to the serving area and configured to receive there through food waste for deposit into the substantially enclosed interior space; 
   (b) wherein the top portion includes a plurality of dividing walls defining and separating the primary serving wells, each dividing wall extends generally linearly away from the rounded opening to an outer peripheral wall of the main body, each of the primary serving wells sharing in common a dividing wall with another primary serving well; and   (c) wherein the top portion further defines a plurality of secondary serving wells, each secondary serving well being defined by a partitioning wall that extends between adjacent sides of the outer peripheral wall of the main body, each secondary serving well having a volume that is less than half of the volume of each primary serving well.   
   
   
       15 . The serving platter of  claim 14 , further comprising a lid removably coupled to the main body such that the lid is positioned above and extends over the serving area and seats off the central opening of the top portion. 
   
   
       16 . The serving platter of  claim 15 , wherein the lid defines a plurality of dividers, each of the dividing walls being generally aligned with and engaged by a respective divider such that two wells are seated off from one another by a dividing wall engaged with a divider. 
   
   
       17 . The serving platter of  claim 16 , wherein each of the partitioning walls also is generally aligned with and engaged by a respective divider such that a primary serving well and a secondary serving well are isolated from one another by a partitioning wall engaged with a divider. 
   
   
       18 . A serving platter, comprising:
 (a) a generally rectangular main body, the main body being a single molded piece and including,
 (i) a top portion defining a serving area comprising,
 (A) four primary serving wells for receiving food items therein for presentation to a person for eating, and 
 (B) four secondary serving wells, and 
 
 (ii) a bottom portion defining a substantially enclosed interior space, the top portion defining a rounded opening centrally located relative to the serving area and configured to receive there through food waste for deposit into the substantially enclosed interior space; 
   (b) wherein the top portion includes four dividing walls defining and separating the four primary serving wells, each dividing wall extending generally linearly away from the rounded opening to an outer peripheral wall of the main body, each of the four primary serving wells sharing in common a dividing wall with another of the four primary serving wells; and   (c) wherein the top portion further includes four partitioning walls, each partitioning wall extending between adjacent sides of the outer peripheral wall of the main body, each serving well having a volume that is less than half of the volume of each primary serving well.   
   
   
       19 . The serving platter of  claim 18 , further comprising a lid removably coupled to the main body such that the lid is positioned above and extends over the serving area and seats off the central opening of the top portion. 
   
   
       20 . The serving platter of  claim 19 , wherein the lid defines a plurality of dividers, each of the dividing walls being generally aligned with and engaged by a respective divider such that two wells are seated off from one another by a dividing wall engaged with a divider; and wherein each of the partitioning walls also is generally aligned with and engaged by a respective divider such that a primary serving well and a secondary serving well are isolated from one another by a partitioning wall engaged with a divider.