AU2007100590A4 - Confection support - Google Patents

Description

27.Jun. 2007 19:49 Wallinston-Dummer Sydney No.0670 P. 3 P/00/009 Regulation 3.2B

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR AN INNOVATION PATENT Invention Title: CONFECTION SUPPORT The invention is described in the following statement together with the best method of performing it known to us: Our Reference: 076005 COMS ID No: SBMI-07935755 Received by IP Australia: Time 19:59 Date 2007-06-27 2lE.Jun. 2001 19:49 Wallinston-Dummer Sydney Uo.O61D P. 4 -2- 0 CONFECTION SUPPORT The present invention relates to confections and, more particularly to edible compositions mounted on a graspable support.

V) BACKGROUND oSmall novelty items included in packaging as o collectable or small toys are popular with children and young people and can add to the desirability of die consumer product with which they are provided. While many types of packaging readily lend themselves to the inclusion of small items, some do not. one example is the type of confection which is provided on a stick-like support, such as lollypops and ice-blocks. These are typically provided within a basic wrapper generally unsuitable for the inclusion of promotional items.

It is an object of the present invention to address or at least ameliorate some of the above disadvantages.

Notesa 1. The term "comprising" (and grammatical variations thereof) is used in this specification in the inclusive sense of "having" or "including", and not in the exclusive sense of "consisting only of".

COMS ID No: SBMI-07935755 Received by P1 Australia: Time 19:59 Date 2007-06-27 27.Jun. 2007 19:50 Wal ington-Dummer Sydney No.0670 P. 3 2. The above discussion of the prior art in the Background 0 of the invention, is not an admission that any ci Sinformation discussed therein is citable prior art or part of the of the common general knowledge of persons ci skilled in the art in any country.

o BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION Accordingly, in one broad form of the invention, there is o provided a confection support; said support comprising an ci assembly including a head portion and a stick portion; wherein said head portion is substantially in the form of a disc with said stick portion projecting radially from an edge of said disc; said head portion substantially enveloped by a confection; at least a portion of said stick portion projecting from said confection.

Preferably, said support further includes an outer piece and an inner piece; said outer piece forming a perimeter around said inner piece; said inner piece comprising an inner disc portion and an inner stick portion.

Preferably, said inner disc portion and said inner stick portion are separable one from the other; each of said inner disc portion and said inner stick portion provided around their respective peripheries with notches; said notches allowing any notch of a said inner disc portion to COMS ID No: SBMI-07935755 Received by IP Australia: Time 19:59 Date 2007-06-27 27.Jun. 2007 19:50 Wallington-Dummer Sydney No.0670 P. 6 4 releasably engage with any notch of a said inner stick 0 portion.

Preferably, surfaces of said inner disc portion and said C inner stick portion respectively may be printed wiLh indicia; indicia on an inner disc portion of one said h confection support potentially offering a prize when o presented together with a complementing indicia of an inner stick portion of another said confection support.

Preferably, said support is of a food grade polypropylene; and wherein said indicia are printed with soy-based food grade inks.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a partially consumed confection item mounted to a preferred embodiment of a confection support according to the invention, Figure 2 shows perspective views of the confection support of Figure 1 with the confection item removed Figure 3 shows the confection support of Figures 1 and 2 disassembled into its inner and outer pieces, COMS ID No: SBMI-07935755 Received by IP Australia: Time 19:59 Date 2007-06-27 27.,Jun, 2.007 19:50 Wa I lington-Dummer Sydney No.0670 P. 7 5 Figure 4 shows how an inner disc portion of the inner piece may be separated from an inner stick portion, ci SFigure 5 shows the inner piece of Figure 3 before and after separation of the inner disc and stick portions, Figure 6 shows an example of an assembly formed from a O collection of head and stick portions.

o o DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS SWith reference to Fig. 1 a partially consumed confection 10, in this example an ice block, is mounted to a confection support 12 according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. In general, the confections adapted for use with the confection support of the invention, are moulded from liquid or flowable form in a suitable mould (not shown), in which the support has been suspended, as well understood in the art.

As can be seen in Figure 1 the confection substantially or wholly envelops a head portion 14 of the confection support 12, with a stick portion 16 projecting from the confection. When hardened or set, the confection may be consumed by grasping the projecting stick portion 16.

With reference now to Figures 2 and 3, confection support 12 comprises an inner piece 18 and an outer piece 20 which are separable one from the other (as shown in Figure for example by being joined by multiple small COMS ID No: SBMI-07935755 Received by IP Australia: Time 19:59 Date 2007-06-27 27.Jun, ,2007 19:50 Wall I i n ton-Dummer Sydney No.0670 P. 8 friable lugs (not shown). Outer piece in the form of a c- perimeter with the inner piece 18 in two conjoined Sportions; a first inner disc portion 22 and an inner stick portion 24.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, after separation from Souter portion 20, inner disc portion 22 and inner sLick In Sportion 24 may be snapped apart to form two separate 0 components. The respective peripheries of each of inner 0 Sdisc portion 22 and outer disc portion 24 are provided with notches 26 and 28 respectively. Notches 26 and 28 and the thickness of the inner disc portion 24 and inner stick portion are sized so that any notch of an inner disc portion may engage with any notch of an inner stick portion as shown in Figure 6. By this means a collection of confection supports 12 of the present invention, may be used to make various assemblies of inner disc portions 22 and inner stick portions 24.

The confection support of the invention is made of a food grade material, preferably food grade polypropylene.

Inner disc portion 22 and inner stick portion 24 may be printed with indicia (not shown) using food grade inks, for example soy based inks.

Indicia may indicate advertising or promotional material, but in at least one preferred form of the invention, inner disc portion 22 of a given confection support may have indicia indicating a prize can be won if COMS ID No: SBMI-07935755 Received by IP Australia: Time 19:59 Date 2007-06-27 27,Jun. 2007 19:50 Wallington-Dummer Sydney No.0670 P. 9 7 presented in combination with a complementing indicia on 0- the inner stick portion of another confection support.

ci Thus consumers of confections provided with the confection support of the present invention, will be encouraged to collect the supports, both to enable assembly O of numbers of inner disc portions and inner sLick portions, Sand in the hope of acquiring complementary prize winning 0 combinations of indicia. Collecting friend may compare each o other's collections of discs portions and stick portions with the possibility of swapping so as to form prize winning combinations.

The above describes only some embodiments of the present invention and modifications, obvious to those skilled in the art, can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention.

COMS ID No: SBMI-07935755 Received by IP Australia: Time 19:59 Date 2007-06-27

Claims (3)

1. 2. The confection support of claim 1 wherein said support further includes an outer piece and an inner piece; said outer piece forming a perimeter around said inner piece; said inner piece comprising an inner disc portion and an inner stick portion.
2. 3. The confection support of claim 2 wherein said inner disc portion and said inner stick portion are separable one from the other; each of said inner disc portion and said inner stick portion provided around their respective peripheries with notches; said notches allowing any notch of a said inner disc portion to releasably engage with any notch of a said inner stick portion. COMS ID No: SBMI-07935755 Received by IP Australia: Time 19:59 Date 2007-06-27 27,Jun. 2007 19:51 Wallington-Dummer Sydney No.0670 P. 11 9
3. 4. The confection support of claim 2 or 3 wherein 0 O surfaces of said inner disc portion and said inner Sstick portion respectively may be printed with indicia; indicia on an inner disc portion of one said confection support potentially offering a prize when 0 presented together with a complementing indicia of an Sinner stick portion of another said confection 0 support. 0 5. The confection support of any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein said support is of a food grade polypropylene; and wherein said indicia are printed with soy-based food grade inks. COMS ID No: SBMI-07935755 Received by IP Australia: Time 19:59 Date 2007-06-27