"METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING A SANDWICH"

PCT/US2005/044838, titled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING A SANDWICH (applicant McDonalds) received an unfavorable written opinion. Priority was claimed to US 11/018,989.

The abstract states:

The present invention relates to a sandwich assembly tool and methods of making a sandwich, which may be a hot or cold sandwich, quickly by pre-assembly of various sandwich components and simultaneous preparation of different parts of the same sandwich. The sandwich assembly tool is composed of a member preferably having one or two cavities for containing a quantity of garnish. The cavities are used for the assembly of the sandwich. The tool may have a raised ridge adjacent one or both cavities for placement against the hinge of a bread component. Methods of making a sandwich] are disclosed. The methods may include one or more of the use of preasseribled sandwich fillings, assembly of garnishes in advance of a customer's order or while ether portions of the sandwich are being heated using the sandwich assembly tool, the simultaneous heating of a bread component and the sandwich filling, placing the bread component over the tool containing garnish, and inverting the tool and bread combination to deposit the sandwich garnish onto the bread component.


Claims 1, 3-10, 12-13 and 18-25 of PCT/US2005/044838 were found to lack novelty, and all claims were found to lack inventive step (were obvious). Of interest, claims 1, 4-5, and 8 were found anticipated over an internet site, www.taste.com.au/recipes.

Of national phase filings from the PCT:


Office Code National Entry Date National Reference Number Status
AU 19.06.2007 2005319483 Published: 12.07.2007
CA 20.06.2007 2591476
EP 23.07.2007 2005849345 Published: 17.10.2007
Withdrawn: 29.12.2009