RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/083,382, filed September 25, 2020, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] This application relates to bowls for dipping foods, more particularly, to a bowl having an upper defining an opening into the bowl that transitions from the periphery of lower toward the central axis, in a longitudinal cross-section through a central axis, as a linear function, positive parabolic function, a negative parabolic function that terminates at an elevation above an origin of the upper.

BACKGROUND

[0003] Scooping salsa, chip dip, hummus, or the like (the “dip”) out of a bowl can be messy, as the dip often spills out over the edge of the bowl onto the table once the chip, cracker, vegetable, etc. (the “dip carrier”) reaches the lip of the bowl. Scooping the dip onto the dip carrier effectively and cleanly is desirable for any gathering.

[0004] Others have attempted to solve this problem with inadequate solutions. For example, in US D619421 a salsa bowl has a partial curved upper. This partial curved upper is opposite a flat edge of the bowl. Based solely on the design patent drawings, Applicant submits that the partially curved upper extends to far into the center of the bowl to leave a large enough opening for a user to get their hand into the bowl if the curved upper were extended around the entire periphery of the bowl as disclosed herein. The flat edge of the bowl indicates the that it was not intended to have an upper extending therefrom. Further, being a design patent there are no specifics dimensions disclosed for the bowl and its shape. [0005] Another attempt is the Chip Lip bowl commercially available from thechiplip.com. This bowl has a very short inward-facing lip around the rim of the bowl that extends inward at a 90 degree angle from the rim.

[0006] Thus, there is still a need for an improved bowl that is more effective at presenting spills of the dip over the side of the bowl.

SUMMARY

[0007] In all aspects, a bowl for dipping foods is disclosed that has a lower and an upper collectively defining an internal cavity that has a central axis. The lower defines a closed base of the bowl and the upper defines an opening into the internal cavity, which is large enough to receive a user’s hand within the internal cavity. The upper is integral with the lower and transitions from the entire periphery of the lower toward the central axis, and, in a cross-section through the central axis dividing the bowl into two parts, the upper transitions as mirror images shaped according to a linear function, a horizontal parabolic function, or a cubic function according toy = +ax ³ that terminates at an elevation above an origin of the upper. The origin is the point at which the lower ends and the upper begins.

[0008] In one embodiment, the lower is only a flat base. When the lower is a flat base, the lower can have an upward extending portion extending from the entire periphery of the flat base, which diverges outward from the flat base to the origin of the upper.

[0009] In one embodiment, the upper as the linear function begins with respect to the origin at an angle greater than zero degrees defined at a transverse plane to the central axis that is aligned with the origin and less than ninety degrees defined at a plane perpendicular to the transverse plane and positioned at the periphery of the lower. The angle with respect to the origin is in a range of 5 degrees and 85 degrees. The angle with respect to the origin is in a range of 10 degrees and 80 degrees.

[0010] In some embodiment, the elevation of the upper is in a range of 0.2 inches to 24 inches. In other embodiments, the elevation of the upper is in a range of 0.5 inch to 12 inches.

[0011] In one embodiment, coincident with the cross-sectional through the central axis, the opening in the upper has a lineal distance, the lower has a width as measured as the periphery of the lower, and the ratio of the widthdineal distance is in a range of 1.5 : 1 to 24: 1. The ratio of the widthlineal distance is in a range of 1.5 : 1 to 8 : 1. The elevation of the upper is in a range of 0.2 inches to 24 inches.

[0012] In one embodiment, the opening in the upper has the same geometric shape as defined by the periphery of the lower.

[0013] In another aspect, the bowl has a primary bowl and a secondary bowl and the upper transitions as dual mirror images and defines the secondary bowl in the center of the primary bowl, thereby the primary bowl surrounds the secondary bowl. In one embodiment, the primary bowl is toroidally-shaped.

[0014] In yet another aspect, the upper transitions as dual mirror images and the lower has an open center region surrounded by the closed base of the lower.

[0015] In all aspects, the periphery of the lower can be shaped as a circle, oval, square, rectangle, diamond, football, heart, hexagon, or octagon.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0016] Many aspects of the disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present system.

[0017] FIG. l is a front, perspective view of one embodiment of a bowl taken from a CAD system.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a front view of the bowl of FIG. 1 once molded from a plastic material. [0019] FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cross section of a representation of a second embodiment of a bowl.

[0020] FIG. 4 is a representation of a left half of a longitudinal cross section of a bowl showing multiple options for the curvature of the upper according to a parabolic function. [0021] FIG. 5 is a representation of a left half of a longitudinal cross section of a bowl showing multiple options uppers according to a linear function.

[0022] FIG. 6 is a representation of a left half of a longitudinal cross section of a bowl showing multiple options for the curvature of the upper according to a cubic function.

[0023] FIG. 7 is a front, perspective view of another embodiment of a bowl having a toroidal shape.

[0024] FIG. 8 is a longitudinal cross section of the bowl of FIG. 7.

[0025] FIG. 9 is a longitudinal cross section of a bowl with dip to illustrate the method of dip being applied to a dip carrier by a user.

[0026] FIG. 10 is a longitudinal cross section, representation of an embodiment of the bowl when the lower is entirely flat.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The following detailed description will illustrate the general principles of the invention, examples of which are additionally illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements.

[0028] Referring now to FIGS. 1-6, a bowl 100 has a lower 102 and an upper 104 collectively defining an internal cavity 106 that has a central axis C. The lower 102 defines a closed base 108 of the bowl 100 and the upper 104 defines an opening 110 into the internal cavity 106. The opening 110 is sized to be large enough to receive a user’s hand within the internal cavity 106. The upper 104 is integral with the lower 102, transitions from the entire periphery 112 of the lower 102 toward the central axis C, and, in a cross-section through the central axis C dividing the bowl into two parts, as shown in FIGS. 3-6, the upper 104 transitions as mirror images 114. The mirror images 114 are shaped according to a linear function as shown in FIG. 5, a horizontal parabolic function according toy ² = +ax as shown in FIG. 4, or a cubic function according to j- = +ax ³ as shown in FIG. 6 that terminates at an elevation above an origin 118 of the upper 104._The “origin” as used herein is the point at which the lower 102 ends and the upper 104 begins, which is typically at the outermost periphery 112 of the lower 102. The origin 118 is identified in the longitudinal cross sections of FIGS. 3-6.

[0029] In all aspects, the bowl 100 can be oval, heart shaped, square shaped, football shaped, hexagonal or octagonal in shape or any other fun shape for a bowl for any occasion, such as but not limited to a Christmas tree, pumpkin, clover, etc. Also, in all aspects, the opening 110 in the upper 104 can have the same geometric shape as defined by the periphery 112 of the lower 102, e.g., when the bowl is heart-shaped, the opening can be heart shaped. [0030] In one exemplary embodiment, the bowl 100 has a lower 102 that has just a flat base 108' as shown in FIG. 10. In other embodiments, the bowl 100 has a lower 102 that has a flat base 108 and an upward extending portion 109 extending from the entire periphery of the flat base 108. The upward extending portion 109 diverges outward from the flat base 108 to the origin 118 of the upper 104. The upward extending portion may diverge as a curved surface in traditional bowl fashion or may have straight diverging walls, especially if the bowl has a square, rectangle, or diamond shape.

[0031] The elevation 120 of the upper is represented by the arrow labeled in FIG. 3. In all aspects, the elevation 120 is the maximum lineal distance above an origin 118 for the upper 104, which is often measured at the opening 110. The elevation 120 is in a range of 0.2 inches to 24 inches, preferably 0.5 inch to 12 inches, and more preferably 1 inch to 6 inches. [0032] Further, in all aspects, coincident with the cross-sectional through the central axis, the opening in the upper has a lineal distance, the lower has a width as measured as the periphery of the lower, and the ratio of the widthdineal distance is in a range of 1.5: 1 to 24: 1, preferably in a range of 1.5: 1 to 8: 1, and more preferably 1.5: 1 to 4: 1.

[0033] In one embodiment, when the upper 104 transitions as a horizontal parabolic function, is can be to the equation y ² = +ax as shown in FIG. 4, the upper is concave toward the interior cavity 106. The value for a in this function is preferably in a range from 1/10 to 100, preferably from 1/10 to 50, more preferably from 1/10 to 25, and even more preferably from 1/10 to 10. As seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the segment of the parabolic function defining the mirror images 114 of the upper 104 terminate to define the opening 110 by being generally parallel to the flat base 108. “Generally parallel” encompasses parallel and anything up to +/- 10 degrees, more preferably up to +/- 5 degree from parallel. [0034] In another embodiment, when the upper 104 transitions as a horizontal parabolic function, it can be a semicubical parabola function according to the equation y = +ax ^3/2 . The value for a in this function is preferably in a range from 1/10 to 5, preferably from 1/4 to 3, more preferably from 1/2 to 2.

[0035] When the upper 104 transitions as a cubic function according toy = +ax ³ as shown in FIG. 6, the upper is concave toward an exterior of the bowl. The value for a in this function is preferably in a range from 1/100 to 1, more preferably from 1/10 to 1.

[0036] When the upper 104 transitions as a linear function as shown in FIG. 5, the upper begins with respect to the origin 118 at an angle greater than zero degrees defined at a transverse plane 130 to the central axis that is aligned with the origin 118 and less than ninety degrees defined at a plane 132 perpendicular to the transverse plane and positioned at the periphery of the lower. The angle with respect to the origin is in a range of 5 degrees and 85 degrees, more preferably in a range of 10 degrees and 80 degrees, and more preferably in a range of 10 degrees to 45 degrees, and even more preferably in a range of 10 degrees to 30 degrees.

[0037] In one example, the bowl has a width W of 12 inches, a lineal distance LD for the opening of 5 inches, 6 inches, 7 inches, 8 inches, and an elevation of the upper is any half inch increment between 0.5 inches to 6 inches. In a second example, the bowl has a width W of 12 inches, a lineal distance LD for the opening of 8 inches, and an elevation of 2 inches. [0038] In a fourth example, the bowl has a width W of 9 inches, a lineal distance LD for the opening of 5 inches, 6 inches, 7 inches or 8 inches, and an elevation 120 of the upper is any half inch increment between 0.5 inches to 4 inches. In a fifth example, the bowl has a width W of 9 inches, a lineal distance LD for the opening of 6 inches and an elevation of 1.5 inches.

[0039] Any of the bowls disclosed herein have an overall height H in a range of 2 inches to 25 inches. The difference in the overall height H and the elevation 120 is the height of the lower 102, and the difference between the width W and the lineal distance LD divided in half is the length of the segment of the function that defines each individual image of the mirror images 114.

[0040] Turning now to FIGS. 7 and 8, in another embodiment, the bowl 200 has a primary bowl 201 and a secondary bowl 202. Here, the upper 104 transitions as dual mirror images 203, 205 and defines the secondary bowl 202 in the center of the primary bowl 201, thereby the primary bowl surrounds the secondary bowl. The secondary bowl 202 has a base 208. The primary bowl 201 is toroidally-shaped. Here, the primary bowl 201 is typically circular, but it can be oval, heart shaped, square shaped, football shaped, hexagonal or octagonal in shape or any other fun shape for a bowl for any occasion, such as but not limited to a Christmas tree, pumpkin, clover, etc.

[0041] As seen in the cross section of FIG. 8, the base 208 in the center of the bowl 200 is optional. When the base 208 is not present, the upper 104 transitions as dual mirror images 203, 205 and the lower 102 has an open center region passing through the bowl 200, which is surrounded by the closed base 108 of the lower 102.

[0042] Referring now to FIG. 9, in use, when the bowl 100 contains a dip, the user with a dip carrier in hand, reaches their hand through the opening 110 in the upper 104, inserts the chip carrier into the dip and mover the dip carrier toward the periphery of the bowl and moves the chip carrier up along the inside surface of the upper until the opening is reached at which point the hand with the dip carrier and dip exits the bowl.

[0043] In all aspects, the bowls are made of plastic, typically of molded plastic, but are not limited thereto. The bowls could be made of wood, metal, or any other suitable commercially available material.

[0044] It should be noted that the embodiments are not limited in their application or use to the details of construction and arrangement of parts and steps illustrated in the drawings and description. Features of the illustrative embodiments, constructions, and variants may be implemented or incorporated in other embodiments, constructions, variants, and modifications, and may be practiced or carried out in various ways. Furthermore, unless otherwise indicated, the terms and expressions employed herein have been chosen for the purpose of describing the illustrative embodiments of the present invention for the convenience of the reader and are not for the purpose of limiting the invention.

[0045] Having described the invention in detail and by reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.