Considered
a peasant's meal in Italy for centuries we cannot say who invented the very
first pizza pie. Food historians agree that pizza like dishes were eaten by
many peoples in the Mediterranean including the Greeks and Egyptians. However, modern pizza has been attributed to baker Raffaele Esposito of Naples.
In 1889, Esposito who owned a restaurant called the Pizzeria di Pietro baked
what he called "pizza" especially for the visit of Italian King
Umberto I and Queen Margherita.
The first pizzeria in North America was
opened in 1905 by Gennaro Lombardi at 53 1/3 Spring Street in New York City.
The first "Pizza Hut" a chain of
pizza restaurants appeared in the United States during the 1930s.
Have you ever wondered, "Who invented
the circular thing that keeps the pizza from hitting the inside of the box
top?" Well wonder no longer the package saver for pizza and cakes was
invented by Carmela Vitale of Dix Hills, NY, who filed for US patent #4,498,586
on February 10, 1983, issued on February 12, 1985. Special thanks to Howard
Olivier, owner of the Flying Pie Pizzaria in Boise, Idaho, for sending us the
right answer.
A temperature resistant molded plastic device is described for use in boxes or packages such as pizza boxes where there is a tendency of large cover portions to sag downwardly to damage the soft pizza or other packaged products. In use, the saver is positioned near the center of the package to support the box cover for protecting the contents.
Patent Description:
Background of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a package saver or device for improving the packaging of soft products which may be damaged in boxes or cartons with relatively large sagging covers.
More particularly, the invention relates to
such a package saver which is molded from plastic to have minimal size, weight,
and cost and which is suitable for supporting large carton covers such as those
used for pizza pies. The molded plastic saver is positioned centrally of the
completed pie or other product to support the cover during storage and
delivery.
The package saver is useful in connection
with the delivery of products which require a package, but whose cost
necessarily requires a relatively inexpensive and disposable box or carton.
Cartons of this type, and particularly those used to deliver pizza pies or
large cakes or pies, comprise boxes with relatively large covers formed of
inexpensive board material.
Due to the quality of the board and their
large size, there is a tendency of the covers to sag or to be easily depressed
at their center portions so that they may damage or mark the pies or cakes
during storage or delivery.
Accordingly, an object of the present
invention is to provide an easily manufactured, relatively inexpensive,
lightweight article which is placed on the pie or cake within the package to
support the central portion of the package cover during delivery.
Another object of the present invention is
to provide an improved means for protecting articles such as pizza and other
pies or cakes from damage during delivery in boxes.
Another object of the present invention is
to provide an inexpensive device for protecting pizza and other pies or cakes
during delivery.
Other and further objects of the present
invention will become apparent upon an understanding of the illustrative
embodiments about to be described, or will be indicated in the appended claims,
and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the
art upon employment of the invention in practice.
Description of The Prefererred Embodiment:
In order to provide a lightweight and
inexpensive device for the purpose discussed above, the saver is preferably
molded as a unitary device from one of the plastics which is heat resistant
such as the thermo set plastics and which will resist temperatures of as high
as about 500.degree. F.
In its preferred form, as illustrated, the
saver 1 has spaced vertical legs 2 connected to a cover support 3. The lower
portions of the legs 4 have a minimal cross section to minimize any marking of
to the protected article 5 and they are also made thin for minimizing the
volume of plastic required. The cover support 3 of the saver 1 also preferably
has a minimum volume by consisting of a spoke-like arrangement of radially
oriented leg supports 6 molded to extend from a central portion 7.
This construction of portion support 3
provides a suitable broad and stable support for box 8 cover 9 which is of
minimal volume and thus has minimal cost. A disposable saver 1 is provided
which may be used in the boxes or cartons without damage to the packaged pizza
pie or other product.
As various changes may be made in the form,
construction and arrangement of the invention and without departing from the
spirit and scope of the invention, and without sacrificing any of its
advantages, it is to be understood that all matters herein is to be interpreted
as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
Patent Claims:
1. in combination a package having a flexible cover, a food article packaged therein and spaced downwardly from the cover, a unitary molded plastic package saving device for positioning between the cover and the article for supporting the package cover thereby preventing damage to the packaged food article by the cover, said device comprising the combination of three or more spaced legs, each leg having one relatively flat end adapted for engaging the packaged article and having its opposite end attached to a device cover portion.2. The combination as claimed in claim 1 in which said device cover portion comprises a number of flat cover sections radiating from a common flat central portion.
3. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein said device is formed of heat resistant plastic.
4. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein said device is formed of thermo-setting plastic.
Pizza Topping Trivia
Americans eat approximately 350 slices of
pizza per second. And 36 percent of those pizza slices are pepperoni slices,
making pepperoni the number one choice among pizza toppings in the United States.
However, in India pickled ginger, minced mutton, and paneer cheese are the
favorite toppings for pizza slices. In Japan, Mayo Jaga (a combination of
mayonnaise, potato and bacon), eel and squid are the favorites. Green peas rock
Brazilian pizza shops and Russians love red herring pizza.
