KITCHEN DISH RACK DESIGN IMPROVEMENT

AMELIORATION APPORTEE A LA CONCEPTION D'UN PANIER A VAISSELLE DE CUISINE

English Abstract

The rack retains plates, cups and all types of non-standard kitchenware for
drying, washing,
and storing. The rack has two mesh shelves, one at a certain distance below
the other.
Horizontally placed wires of the top shelf create a flat surface for placing
objects of any shape on
top. At the same time, being at a uniform distance apart, the wires create
slots for placing objects
like plates or lids vertically. The bottom mesh shelf, which is narrower than
the top shelf, serves
as a stopper for vertically placed objects, and prevents them from sliding
through the rack. Mesh
structure design allows water to go through freely and provides natural
ventilation for drying.

French Abstract

L'invention a trait à un panier à vaisselle permettant de mettre de côté des plats, des tasses et tous les types d'articles de cuisine non standard pour les laver les sécher et les ranger. Ledit panier comporte deux étages de treillis à une certaine distasnce l'un de l'autre. Des fils métalliques disposés horizontalement à la partie supérieure du panier forment une surface plane pour y placer divers objets de toute forme. Comme ces fils sont uniformément espacés, ils forment des fentes convenables pour y disposer des assiettes ou des couvercles en position verticale. Le treillis métallique de l'étage inférieur est plus étroit que celui du haut et sert de support aux objets disposés verticalement pour les empêcher de tomber. Le treillis métallique est conçu pour laisser librement passer l'eau et assure une ventilation naturelle convenant au séchage.

Claims

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1. A dish rack comprising a top shelf and a bottom shelf disposed under the
top shelf,
wherein the top and bottom shelves each have a plurality of open slots, and a
length (a) of the
open slots in the top shelf is greater than a length (b) of the open slots in
the bottom shelf, so that
the bottom shelf works as a stopper when a small diameter item is placed
vertically in a slot of
the top shelf and slides therethrough.

2. The dish rack of claim 1, wherein the top and bottom shelves are made of
wire and the
open slots are formed by parallel wire rods.

3. The dish rack of claim 2, wherein a length of the wire rods in the top
shelf is from 27 to
30 cm and a distance between two adjacent rods in the top shelf is from 2 to
2.5 cm.

4. The dish rack of claim 3, wherein a length of the wire rods in the bottom
shelf is
approximately a third of the length of the wire rods in the top shelf.

5. The dish rack of claim 1, wherein the slots in the top shelf are at most 3
times longer than
the slots in the bottom shelf.

Description

CA 02551898 2010-09-16

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KITCHEN DISH RACK DESIGN IMPROVEMENT
Technical Field

This invention relates to mechanical design of racks for kitchenware which is
washed and
dried.

Background of the Invention

Commonly found rigs for drying or washing dishes in a dishwasher usually
resemble wires,
which are bent upwards or downwards to support the vertical position of flat
dishes. Such
designs require additional flat space to allow placement of other kinds of
kitchenware such as
cups, bowls, or generally shaped items. Even if the shaped section (where the
wires protrude) is
free from kitchenware, it can't be used for placing cylindrical items and the
rack is losing its
efficiency. This design deficiency was already addressed by several
manufacturers when it was
decided upon the decrease in the amplitude of the protruding wires of the
shaped section of a
dish rack. But it does not eliminate the imperfection of the design and leaves
it incomplete.
Some manufacturers have even abandoned the above technique due to its flaws,
and started
making a flat horizontal mesh shelf, created by a number of straight-running,
parallel wires,
attached with both ends to a couple of wires that are placed perpendicular to
the general
direction. The absence of protruding wires that prevent the placement of
cylindrical, or
irregularly shaped items, solves the issue of inefficient space. The shelf can
be used for
placement of different types of kitchenware in any order without restrictions.
At the same time,
the slots that are organized in-between wires can hold flat dishes in a
vertical position. But it can
only hold large-diameter flat dishes: small diameter items will slip through
slots if placed
vertically.

Summary of the Invention

I have found that this disadvantage may be overcome by adding a narrower
horizontal mesh
shelf at a certain distance below the basic, flat horizontal mesh shelf. This
narrow shelf will work
as a stopper to prevent small diameter flat items from sliding through when
placed vertically,
while the top shelf will allow for placement of any differently shaped items.


CA 02551898 2010-09-16
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Brief Description of the Drawings

The improvement, which is documented in this application, is described with
reference to
the accompanied drawings:
Figure 1 is the isometric view of the position of two mesh shelves in a rack;
Figure 2 is the top view of the top shelf;
Figure 3 is the top view of the bottom shelf;
Figure 4 is the top view of both shelves placed together;
Figure 5 is the side view of both shelves placed together;
Figure 6 shows traditional kitchen dish rack modernized by the suggested
improvement.
Figure 7 shows Figure 6 in isometric view.

Detailed Description

Suggested embodiment consists of two mesh shelves illustrated in Figure 1 as
item 1 and
item 2.
Top shelf, item 1, is represented in Fig. 2 from the top view. It consists of
wires (item 3)
running parallel at a certain uniform distance from each other. The length of
item 3 is marked as
"a". The length (a) of item 3 is from 27 to 30cm. Wires (item 3) are fixed on
each end by
perpendicular wire (item 4). Wires (item 3) are 2-2.5cm apart one from
another. Spaces
organized in-between wires serve as slots for vertical placement of flat
items. The top shelf itself
supports items of different shapes when they are placed on the surface
organized by wires.
Bottom shelf, Fig.' (top view of the bottom shelf) has the same structure and
repeats all
dimensions of top shelf but one: the length of parallel wires (item 5). Item 5
of the bottom shelf
is identical to item 3 of the top shelf, its length is marked as "b". The
relation of length "a" to
length "b"' is at most 3:1.
This structure creates slots on the bottom shelf which are narrower than the
slots on the top
shelf. Fig.2 and Fig.3 have axes of symmetry Xt&Yt for the top shelf, and
Xb&Yb for the
bottom shelf.


CA 02551898 2010-09-16

Suggested improvement is achieved by placing these two shelves at a certain
vertical
distance from each other, but considering that Xt and Yt axes coincide with Xb
and Yb for the
top view as is shown in Fig.4. The side view (A-A in Fig.4) of both shelves
looks like it is shown
in Fig.5.
The adjustment of this construction may vary to meet specific needs. Fig. 6
shows the
kitchenware and two-shelves dish rack (delineated in bold black) placed inside
the traditional
kitchen dish rack frame (item 7, highlighted in light gray). Fig. 6 also shows
how the bottom
shelf stops a small-diameter item (item 6) from falling through once it is
placed vertically in the
top shelf slot. Addition of the top shelf allows cups or other objects to be
placed anywhere on the
top shelf without considering a special location for them. Stopping small
items from falling
through and simultaneously allowing for placement of cups without designated
area is the focus
of the improvement.

The isometric view of the two mesh shelves design for kitchen dish rack placed
inside the
traditional dish rack frame is shown in Fig. 7, where it is attached to the
frame (item 7) by
welding the side wire of top mesh shelf (item 4) to the side wires of the dish
rack frame (item 8).
I claim:

Representative Drawing