Apparatus for Receiving Food Products

Abstract

An apparatus for receiving a food product having a cover and a removable liner are discussed. The cover has a top and bottom opening and a sidewall that extends at least partially between the top and bottom opening. At least one aperture is disposed on the sidewall. The removable liner can be inserted within the cover to form the apparatus for receiving the food product. After use of the removable liner, a user can dispose the removable liner by using the aperture to lift the cover with the removable liner inside, and dropping the removable liner into a waste receptacle.

1 . A cover sized and dimensioned to receive a removable liner configured to hold a food product, comprising:
 top and bottom openings that define a through hole;   a sidewall that extends at least partially between the top and bottom openings;   a first horizontal rim extending from an upper portion of the sidewall, wherein the first horizontal rim extends inwardly from the sidewall to define the top opening; and   an aperture disposed on the sidewall, wherein the aperture extends through the sidewall.   
     
     
         2 . The cover of  claim 1 , wherein the sidewall has a lower portion that defines the bottom opening. 
     
     
         3 . The cover of  claim 1 , wherein the bottom opening has a larger inner diameter than an inner diameter of the top opening. 
     
     
         4 . The cover of  claim 1 , further comprising a second rim extending from a bottom portion of the sidewall, wherein the second rim extends outwardly from the sidewall. 
     
     
         5 . The cover of  claim 1 , further comprising a fastener sized and dimensioned to engage a removable liner with the cover. 
     
     
         6 . The cover of  claim 1 , further comprising a protrusion extending from the first horizontal rim that is sized and dimensioned to engage a hole on the removable liner. 
     
     
         7 . The cover of  claim 1 , wherein the sidewall extends beyond the bottom opening. 
     
     
         8 . An apparatus for receiving a food product, comprising:
 a cover having a through hole defined by top and bottom openings, wherein the cover comprises a sidewall extending at least partially between the top and bottom openings, wherein the sidewall comprises a first aperture, and a horizontal rim that extends inwardly from the sidewall to define the top opening;   a removable bowl having a lip that extends horizontally and outwardly from a sidewall of the removable bowl and defines a top opening in the removable bowl, wherein the removable bowl is sized and dimensioned to pass through the bottom opening of the cover;   wherein the horizontal rim extends in an opposite direction to the horizontal lip; and   wherein an outer diameter of the bowl is greater than an inner diameter of the horizontal rim.   
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the first aperture is sized and dimensioned to allow access to the removable bowl while the cover is disposed over the removable bowl. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , further comprising a second aperture disposed on the sidewall, wherein the first and second apertures are sized and dimensioned to allow access to the removable bowl while the cover is disposed over the removable bowl. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the removable bowl comprises at least one raised area sized and dimensioned to effectively reduce an internal volume of the removable bowl. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the removable bowl comprises a divider sized and dimensioned to divide an internal volume of the bowl into at least two sections. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , further comprising a protrusion extending from the horizontal rim of the cover, wherein the lip of the removable bowl has a hole that is sized and dimensioned to receive the protrusion. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , further comprising a lid that is rotatably coupled to the cover and an actuator coupled to the lid, wherein the lid has an opening that allows access to at least a portion of the removable bowl when the cover is disposed over the removable bowl, and wherein the actuator is configured to rotate the lid. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , further comprising a fastener having a lever, wherein the fastener is configured to coupled the removable bowl to the cover, and wherein actuation of the lever decouples the removable bowl from the cover. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , further comprising a mat that comprises a hole sized and dimensioned to receive the cover. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the horizontal rim is sized and dimensioned to cover the lip of the removable bowl when the cover is disposed over the removable bowl. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the top and bottom openings are concentric about an axis, and the aperture has a center axis that is substantially perpendicular to the axis. 
     
     
         19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the horizontal rim and the lip are parallel. 
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the removable bowl and the cover are not securely locked together. 
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the horizontal rim and the lip are flat. 
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the horizontal rim has a horizontal surface and the lip has a second horizontal surface, and wherein the horizontal surface abuts the second horizontal surface when the cover contacts the removable bowl.