The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 28, 2012
Filed:
Apr. 16, 2010
James C. Purgatorio, Woodridge, IL (US);
Henry T. Ewald, Roselle, IL (US);
Paul G. Simmons, Glen Ellyn, IL (US);
David W. Kirby, Lemont, IL (US);
Peter Rivera-pierola, Chicago, IL (US);
James C. Purgatorio, Woodridge, IL (US);
Henry T. Ewald, Roselle, IL (US);
Paul G. Simmons, Glen Ellyn, IL (US);
David W. Kirby, Lemont, IL (US);
Peter Rivera-Pierola, Chicago, IL (US);
Restaurant Technology, Inc., Oak Brook, IL (US);
Abstract
A container holder adapted to hold a container between two spaced apart prongs is provided herein. The prongs clamp the container with a clamping force large enough to hold the container, but small enough to avoid damaging the container. The prongs may be spaced apart to fit different-sized containers, while the clamping force still meets these criteria. The clamping force may be provided by a substantially constant-force spring or a variable-force spring. In a method according to the present invention, a stack of nested containers is held in a container holder as described, for subsequent removal of a selected container from the stack.