OA19550A - Cone comprising a casing for a toy. - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cone (1) provided with an additional casing volume for storing a surprise toy. Said cone (1) for providing a surprise toy comprises an edible cone (2) and a casing volume (3) having a hollow body with sidewalls (7) expanding in vertical direction (y), and said edible cone (2) comprises also a hollow body having a wall (6) which expands from its lowermost end to its uppermost end, wherein the casing volume (3) is located on the edible cone (2) such that the sidewall of the casing volume (3) and the wall (6) of the edible cone (2) provide substantially the same inclination angle with respect to the horizontal axis (x).

Description

CONE COMPRISING A CASING FOR A ΤΟΥ

Technical Field of the Invention

The présent invention relates generally to a cône comprising a case for a surprise toy. The invention particularly relates to a cône formed with an edible cône and a casing for a small toy wherein the casing is introduced on foodstuff of said edible cône in a way to form a relatively bigger cône body.

Background of the Invention

Confectionery products such as an ice cream provided with a toy as a surprise gift for the kids are well known in the prior art. Such products are mainly supplied in a 15 container which provides a separate area for both foodstuff and the toy. These containers used for providing ice cream with a toy are especially formed as an ice cream cône holder which isolâtes the ice-cream cône from the hand contact of a user, while they provide a separate area in their structure for the surprise gifts. These types of containers are generally known as a supporting item in order to receive the foodstuff 20 and the surprise gift in two separate areas in a single piece and mostly produced from a material which cannot be consumed.

An example for such cône holders is disclosed in the document EP 1639900 Al wherein the cône holder comprises an open hollow body for supporting an ice-cream cône 25 partially inserted therein. When the ice-cream cône is placed onto the cône holder, there is provided a hollow area in the lower portion of the cône holder in order to introduce a capsule for a toy therein.

Another example in this field is disclosed in the document GB 2190893 A wherein the 30 container for a food substance is formed by a frusto-conical upper body intended to be used for confectionery such as ice-cream and by a cylindrical lower body integrated with the upper body. Said lower body comprises a closure at the bottom of the container and there is provided a hollow area inside the said cylindrical body in order to embed a toy therein.

One of the main issues related to such cône holders is that, as explained above, both types of containers are not produced from an edible material, therefore when the users consume the confectionery product and take the toy ont, they generally throw away said containers. Such disposable containers cause a redundant cost for the manufacturers. Additionally, it should be also noted that such containers generate an excessive increase in size for these kinds of confectionery products, which is not preferred by the traders because the products occupy an unnecessary place on the shelves of the markets. One another drawback of the conventional products is that they fail to combine an edible product such as a cône with the non-edible part (i.e. toy’s réceptacle) into the one single integrated packaging and geometry. Apart from that, it is burdensome for the kids to reach to the surprise toy, and mostly the réceptacle of the toy is placed underneath the confectionary product.

The présen t invention is based on the principle of offering a case for a surprise toy on a conventional cône such as an ice cream cône, without increasing size of the packaging excessively while providing an attractive and relatively bigger cône view from outside. In addition, the présent invention advantageously allows air insulation by locating a partially empty réceptacle on the foodstuff of the cône and said insulation prevents melting of the foodstuff at a relatively higher ambient température. Said foodstuff can for instance be ice cream, chocolaté, marshmallow, candy etc.

Brief Description of the Invention

The présent invention relates to a cône (1) accommodating a surprise toy along with a foodstuff (5 ). The cône comprises an edible cône (2) and a casing volume (3) for holding the toy’s réceptacle (20), and said casing volume (3) is located on top ofthe edible cône (2). The casing volume (3) has a sidewall (7) which expands in vertical direction (y), and said edible cône (2) comprises a hollow body having a wall (6) which expands from its lowermost end to its uppermost end. Advantageously, the sidewall (7) of the casing volume (3) and the wall (6) of the edible cône (2) are arranged substantially in a linear alignment such that they hâve substantially the same inclination angle (a) with respect to horizontal axis (x) in order to form an intégral cône (1). The cône (1) further comprises a réceptacle (20) placed into the casing volume (3) for holding a toy therein, and said réceptacle (20) has a truncated cône shape with a sidewall (16) having substantially the same inclination angle (a) with the sidewall (7) of the casing volume (3), with respect to the horizontal axis (x), such that the réceptacle (20) substantially occupies the casing volume (3).

The réceptacle (20) according to the présent invention may comprise a lid (15) which can be freely closable to a mouth (18) portion thereof, or fixed to at least one portion of the mouth (18) of the réceptacle (20) with a connecting element (12).

The foodstuff (5) on the other hand may for instance be selected from the group of ice cream, cacao cream, chocolaté, marshmallow and candy.

In preferred embodiments, the cône (1) according to the présent invention may further comprise a separator (4) located between the foodstuff (5) of the edible cône (2) and bottom portion (17) of the réceptacle (20) in order to isolate the foodstuff (5) from contact with the said réceptacle (20). Said separator (4) may be in the form of a hoop having a vertically extending rim in order to form a basis for the toy’s réceptacle (20) and to form a closure for the foodstuff (5) contained in the edible cône (2). Preferably, said separator (4) is narrowed in vertical axis (y) from an open inlet (14) to the lower portion (13) in order to be introduced into the mouth portion (9) of the edible cône (2).

The edible cône (2) may comprise a conic or a frusto-conical shape wherein the wall (6) of the edible cône (2) can be in a cylindrical or cornered form.

The cône (1) according this invention may further comprise a wrapping material (11) which constitutes sidewalls (7) of the casing volume (3) for wrapping up the réceptacle (20). Additionally, the cône (1) may also comprise a packing cover (10) in order to close the mouth portion (8) of the cône (1), which is independently provided or is fixed to the wrapping material (11) from a portion thereof. The edible cône (2) as mentioned herein can be made of any eatable material such as wafer or biscuits.

Brief Description the Figures

Figure 1 shows perspective view of the cône according to an embodiment of the présent invention.

Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the cône according to the présent invention.

Figure 3 shows a représentative view of the cône according to the présent invention wherein the cône comprises a packaging material wrapping up the cône.

Figure 4 shows perspective view of the toy's réceptacle with a lid, for use in the présent invention.

Figure 5 shows a perspective view of the réceptacle case without a lid.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The présent invention generally relates to a cône (1) comprising an edible cône (2) and a casing volume (3) located on said edible cône (2) wherein said casing volume (3) is configured to hâve a cône shaped hollow body as a continuation of the cône (2) to receive a toy as a surprise gift for the kids.

The cône (1) comprising the casing volume (3) and the edible cône (2) are formed to hâve a conic or a frusto-conical hollow body. The term conic” or frusto-conical” refers to a shape in which the structure has a lowermost area differing from the uppermost area such that the structure is not a cylinder. The periphery of the conic or frusto-conical cône (1) may be in a circular form or in a cornered form.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the casing volume (3) is of the frusto-conical shape having preferably a circular periphery which rises from mouth portion (9) of the edible cône (2) such that the sidewall (7) defining the casing volume (3) is expanding from said mouth portion (9) of the edible cône (2) to the mouth (8) of the overall cône (1) along a 35 straight line as a continuation of the edible cône (2). The casing volume (3) is integrated with the edible cône (2) such that both the sidewall (7) of the casing volume (3) and the wall (6) ofthe edible cône (2) provides substantially a straight line, and therefore having substantially the same inclination angle (a) with respect to the horizontal axis (x). In addition, bottom portion (17) of the réceptacle (20) may be intended to be used as a coverage on the foodstuff (5) of the edible cône (2). Therefore, the casing volume (3) as mentioned herein is designed to hâve a toy’s réceptacle (20) which has a shape of truncated cône.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, réceptacle (20) may comprise a lid (15) for the purpose of preventing the toy (not shown) from falling wherein the lid (15) may be freely connected to the mouth (8) or may be hinged thereto with a connecting element (12) which allows opening of the lid (15). It has to be noted that the réceptacle (20) is designed to fill the casing volume (3) preferably in a tight fashion such that it does not move inside the said casing volume (3). Therefore, it is designed in a geometry, i.e. truncated cône, to fill the casing volume (3) which is having substantially the same geometry with the réceptacle (20). In this respect, the sidewall (16) of the réceptacle (20) has substantially the same inclination angle (a) with sidewall (7) of the casing volume (3) as well as the wall (6) of the edible cône (2), with respect to the horizontal axis (x).

As can be appreciated by those skilled in the art, a cône shaped body has varying crosssectional areas throughout the vertical axis (y), and also the réceptacle (20) having the shape of truncated cône will hâve a bottom portion (17) having an area larger than at least some certain part of the cône (1). It is therefore clear that the réceptacle (20), when placed into the casing volume (3), would not need a support in order to hold this réceptacle (20) above the foodstuff (5) because either ofthe sidewall (7) ofthe casing volume (3) or the wall (6) of the edible cône (2) as such will be supporting réceptacle (20) in a level above the foodstuff (5) because of the narrowing of the cross-section in vertical direction (y). Therefore, it is possible to form an air insulation area between the foodstuff (5) and bottom portion (17) of the réceptacle (20) without needing a supporting surface. In another embodiment, however, a separator (4) can be provided in this area to provide a further insulation ofthe foodstuff (5) as explained below.

Therefore, the cône (1) may further comprise a separator (4) to form bottom area of the casing volume (3) between the mouth portion (9) of the edible cône (2) and the bottom portion (17) of the réceptacle (20) in order to isolate the foodstuff (5) from contact with the said réceptacle (20), which clearly safeguards any harmful effect of the réceptacle (20) on the foodstuff (5). Said separator (4) is preferably produced from paper, cardboard, polyproylene or any other material which is suitable for contacting with the foodstuff (5). The separator (4) is preferably coated with a polymer film to form a laminate with the separator (4) as an additional measure for safety.

In a preferred embodiment, the separator (4) may be in a cylindrical dise form or in a cornered dise form lying on the horizontal axis (x) to cover the foodstuff (5) of the edible cône (2) and isolate the foodstuff (5) from the bottom portion (17) of the réceptacle (20).

As shown in Fig. 1, as a further embodiment, the separator (4) may be provided as a hoop having a vertically extending rim forming as a basis for the toy’s réceptacle (20). The side surface of the separator (4) isolate the foodstuff (5) of the edible cône (2) from the wrapping material (11). Said side surface of the separator (4) is narrowed in the vertical axis (y) from the open inlet (14) to the lower portion (13) in order to be introduced onto the edible cône (2) such that it would cover and isolate the foodstuff (5). Said separator (4) is adapted to be removable when the cône (1) is unpacked.

In this embodiment, the separator (4) as a hoop serves as a closure in order to prevent air contact on the foodstuff (5) when the cône (1) is unpacked and the réceptacle (20) is separated from the edible cône (2). If the consumer does not desire to eat the foodstuff (5) after rernoving the casing volume (3) from the cône (1) to hâve the toy, said closure of the separator (4) keep the foodstuff (5) covered.

The edible cône (2) may be produced by wafer, biscuits or any eatable filler material, therefore when the cône (1) is unpacked and the casing volume (3) is removed, the edible cône (2) can be completely eaten by the consumer.

The cône (1) may further comprise a packing cover (10) in order to close mouth portion (8) of the cône (1), which can be freely located on the cône (1) or can be fixed to the wrapping material (11) from a portion thereof.

Additionally, the foodstuff (5) of the edible cône (2) can be ice cream, cacao cream, chocolaté, marshmallow, candy or any other confectionery food which is suitable for being offered on an edible cône (2). These foodstuff (5) may be a mixture or combination of the material mentioned above which may include a topping portion formed by addition of further foodstuff and dressing material such as dragee, pièces of hazelnut and peanut or popping candies.

The cône (1) of the présent invention provides an advantage for the confectionery products, which offer a foodstuff (5) with a toy, by decreasing the size of such products while increasing the effective volume for the toy, by means of locating the casing volume (3) and toy's réceptacle (20) for the surprise gift on the foodstuff (5) of the edible cône (2).

Additionally, the réceptacle (20) is adapted to provide substantially the same inclination with the wall (6) of the edible cône (2) and it is located on the edible cône (2) to offer a proper packaging and providing a view of an intégral cône from the outside to the customers. This arrangement is also advantageous for ensuring heat insulation of the confectionary product by virtue of the air occupying inner volume of the toy's réceptacle (20). It can be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the larger area of heat transfer for a confectionary product held in a cône is actually the top portion thereof and melting starts from this portion due to the larger area exposed to ambient température. With the présent structure of the cône (1) according to the invention, melting of the confectionary product is considerably retarded even if the product is exposed to relatively high températures above melting point of the foodstuff (5).

Claims (10)

1. A cône (1) accommodating a surprise toy along with a foodstuff (5) comprising an edible cône (2) and a casing volume (3) for holding the toy characterized in that said casing volume (3) is located on top ofthe edible cône (2) and having a sidewall (7) which expands in vertical direction (y), and said edible cône (2) comprises a hollow body having a wall (6) which expands from its lowermost end to its uppermost end, wherein;

the sidewall (7) of the casing volume (3) and the wall (6) of the edible cône (2) are arranged in substantially a linear alignment such that they hâve substantially the same inclination angle (a) with respect to horizontal axis (x) in order to form an intégral cône (1), and the cône (1) further comprises a réceptacle (20) placed into the casing volume (3) for holding a toy therein, said réceptacle (20) having a truncated cône shape with a sidewall (16) having substantially the same inclination angle (a) with the sidewall (7) ofthe casing volume (3), with respect to the horizontal axis (x), such that the réceptacle (20) substantially occupies the casing volume (3).

2. A cône (1) according to claim 1 wherein the réceptacle (20) comprises a lid (15) which is freely closable to a mouth (18) portion thereof or fixed to at least one portion ofthe mouth (18) ofthe réceptacle (20) with a connecting element (12).

3. A cône (1) according to claim 1 wherein said edible cône (2) comprises a foodstuff (5) and said foodstuff (5) is selected from the group of ice cream, cacao cream, chocolaté, marshmallow and candy.

4. A cône (1) according to claim 1 wherein said cône (1) comprises a separator (4) located between the foodstuff (5) ofthe edible cône (2) and bottom portion (17) of the réceptacle (20) in order to isolate the foodstuff (5) from contact with the said réceptacle (20).

5. A cône (1) according to claim 4 wherein said separator (4) is in the form of a hoop having a vertically extending rim in order to form a basis for the toy’s réceptacle (20) and to form a closure for the foodstuff (5) contained in the edible cône (2).

6. A cône (1) according to claim 5 wherein said separator (4) is narrowed in vertical axis (y) from an open inlet (14) to the lower portion (13) in order to be introduced into the mouth portion (9) ofthe edible cône (2).

7 A cône (1) according to claim 1 wherein said edible cône (2) comprises a conic or a frusto-conical shape wherein the wall (6) of the edible cône (2) is in a cylindrical or cornered form.

8. A cône (1) according to claim 1 wherein the cône (1) further comprises a wrapping material (11) which constitutes sidewalls (7) ofthe casing volume (3) for wrapping up the réceptacle (20).

9. A cône (1) according to claim 1 wherein the cône (1) further comprises a packing cover (10) in order to close the mouth portion (8) of the cône (1), which is independently provided or is fixed to the wrapping material (11) from a portion thereof.

10. A cône (1) according to claim 1 wherein the edible cône (2) comprises wafer or biscuits.