Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Title: CUTLERY TRAY ASSEMBLY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to cutlery trays.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Kitchen drawers are used to store various household items. Typically one
kitchen drawer, located in an easily accessible location in the kitchen, is
used
to hold an assortment of items, such as cutlery, utensils, gadgets and other
kitchen aids, which the homeowner tends to use more frequently than other
items. However, such an assortment of dissimilar items results in a
disorganized drawer which makes finding specific items somewhat frustrating.
Furthermore, since the drawer is in frequent use, there is a tendency for it
to
collect dirt, crumbs and the like, which falls into the drawer from the
counter.
As can be appreciated once such kitchen debris makes its way into the drawer
it comes into contact with the exposed assortment of items and contaminates
them, which is undesirable.
Attempts have been made to organize cutlery in kitchen drawers with cutlery
trays. Some examples of known cutlery trays can be found in U.S. Design
Patent Nos. D353,078, D527,229, D562641, and D569,196; and U.S. Patent
Application Publication No. 2008/0073241.
U.S. Patent No. 7,290,661 to DeFino is a further example of a cutlery tray
which
attempts to deal with the issue of debris contaminating cutlery in the kitchen
drawer by providing a roll-top closure. However, the roll-top closure of the
DeFino cutlery tray is complicated and prone to breaking and jamming.
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Moreover, the roll-top mechanism increases the vertical height of the DeFino
tray relative to conventional cutlery trays, which makes for an inefficient
use of
the available space in the most important kitchen drawer.
In view of the above, there is a continuing need for improvements in cutlery
tray
designs. What is desired is a cutlery tray which is simple and inexpensive to
manufacture, and is capable of organizing typical items held in kitchen
drawers,
efficiently, taking advantage of the average 33/4 to 4 inch clearance height
of
typical kitchen drawers, and which protects items placed therein from
contamination by common kitchen debris.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will address at least some of
the problems with prior art cutlery trays. One preferred embodiment of the
present invention is a cutlery tray assembly which will fit into a standard
kitchen
drawer, and which includes two stacked trays hingedly attached together with
a cover hingedly attached to the topmost tray. The compartments are
configured to hold items such as cutlery, spice containers, medicine/wellness
product containers, cosmetic containers, hand tools, and batteries. The cover
is preferably sufficiently transparent for items to show through, and divided
into
two sections with a hinge, for example a living hinge or a piano hinge,
permitting
one group of compartments in the topmost tray to be closed independently of
a second group of compartments. Preferably, one section of the cover will
cover the one group of compartments and a portion of the second group of
compartments to form a barrier preventing the items in the second group of
compartments from sliding out when the tray is tilted up.
According to another embodiment a member is slidably attached to the bottom
tray of the cutlery tray assembly to form an adjustable compartment for
holding
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additional items and to facilitate widthwise fitment of the cutlery tray
assembly
in a kitchen drawer.
Therefore, according to one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention
there is disclosed a cutlery tray assembly, comprising:
a first tray having a plurality of partitions defining a plurality of
compartments for holding items; and
a cover to cover said plurality of compartments, said cover comprising:
a first cover section hingedly attached to one end of said first tray,
said hinged attachment defining a hinge axis, and
a second cover section hingedly attached to said first cover
section;
at least one side tab positioned on said first cover section adapted
to releasably attach to a respective point on said tray to hold said first
cover section in a closed position;
at least one other tab positioned on said second cover section
adapted to releasably attach to a respective point on said tray to keep
said second cover section in a closed position independent of said at
least one side tab.
According to another aspect of the present invention said first tray has a
bottom
edge and a top edge associated with said one end, and said cutlery tray
assembly further comprises a second tray having a plurality of partitions
defining a plurality of compartments for holding items, said second tray
having
a top edge hingedly attached to said bottom edge of said first tray.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention said first tray has a
side, and said cutlery tray assembly further comprises a member slidably
attached to said second tray and configured to define, in combination with
said
second tray, an adjustable compartment, wherein said slidable member has a
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bottom wall, upstanding side walls extending from said bottom wall, and a side
opening configured to slidably receive said side of said second tray. It is
also
contemplated that the cutlery tray assembly further comprises a pair of
channels formed in said one end and at an end opposite to said one end of said
tray, said pair of channels being configured to slidably engage complementary
flanges extending in matching relation from top edges of said upstanding side
walls.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Reference will now be made to the preferred embodiments of the present
invention with reference, by way of example only, to the following drawings in
which:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cutlery tray assembly according to an
embodiment of the present invention with a first tray and cover in partially
open
positions;
Fig. 2 is a top view of a cover of the cutlery tray assembly of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a top view of a first tray of the cutlery tray assembly of Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 is a top view of a second tray of the cutlery tray assembly of Fig.
1;
Fig. 5 is a top view of another second tray of the cutlery tray assembly
of Fig. 1;
Fig. 6 is a rear view of any one of first and second trays of Figs. 3 to 5;
Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the tray of Fig. 6 taken along line 7-7;
Fig. 8 is a rear view of the cover of Fig. 2;
Fig. 9 is a side view of the cutlery tray assembly of Fig. 1 in a closed
position;
Fig. 10 is a front view of the cutlery tray assembly of Fig. 1 in a closed
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position;
Fig. 11 is a back view of the cutlery tray assembly of Fig. 1 in a closed
position;
Fig. 12 is a side view of the cutlery tray assembly of Fig. 1 with the first
tray in a partially open position, and the cover in a fully closed position;
Fig. 13 is a side view of the cutlery tray assembly of Fig. 1 with the first
tray in a closed position, and the cover in a partially open position;
Fig. 14 is a side view of the cutlery tray assembly of Fig. 1 with the first
tray in a fully open position, and the cover in a partially open position;
Fig. 15 is a perspective view of the cutlery tray assembly of Fig. 19 with
the first tray, cover and slidable member in partially open positions;
Fig. 16 is a top view of the cutlery tray assembly of Fig. 19 installed in a
kitchen drawer;
Fig. 17 is a top view of a slidable member according to another
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 18 is a front view of a cutlery tray assembly according to another
embodiment of the present invention similar to Fig. 1 with the slidable member
of Fig. 17 slidably attached to the second tray in a fully closed position;
Fig. 19 is a front view of the cutlery tray assembly of Fig. 18 with the
slidable member slidably attached to the second tray in an open position; and
Fig. 20 is a side view of the cutlery tray assembly of Fig. 19.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention is described in more detail with reference to exemplary
embodiments thereof as shown in the appended drawings. While the present
invention is described below including preferred embodiments, it should be
understood that the present invention is not limited thereto. Those of
ordinary
skill in the art having access to the teachings herein will recognize
additional
implementations, modifications, and embodiments which are within the scope
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of the present invention as disclosed and claimed herein. In the figures, like
elements are given like reference numbers. For the purposes of clarity, not
every component is labelled in every figure, nor is every component of each
embodiment of the invention shown where illustration is not necessary to allow
those of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention.
A cutlery tray assembly according to one embodiment is shown generally in Fig.
1 with reference numeral 10. The cutlery tray assembly is shown with a cover
12 attached to a first tray 14 which is in turn attached to a second tray 16.
As
best seen in Figs. 3 to 5, each of the first and second trays 14, 16 have
partitions 18 which define compartments for holding items 22. Preferred
embodiments of the present invention will have the first and second trays 14,
16 configured to hold household items such as cutlery (i.e. knives, forks,
soup
spoons, tea spoons, etc), small containers (i.e. spice containers,
medicine/wellness product containers, cosmetic containers, and the like), hand
tools (i.e. screw drivers, utility knives, pliers, scissors, wrenches, etc.),
and
batteries. Accordingly, Fig. 3 shows a preferred configuration of partitions
18
defining compartments 20 for holding cutlery or hand tools. Fig. 4 shows a
preferred configuration of partitions 18 defining compartments 20 for holding
spice containers such as standard 50g and 135g McCormick , ClubHouse
and Mrs. Dash spice containers. Fig. 5 shows a preferred configuration of
partitions 18 defining compartments 20 for holding assorted batteries. First
and
second trays 14, 16 are made according to known techniques including
molding, injection molding, stamping, casting, milling, and the like.
Accordingly,
the materials for making the first and second trays 14, 16 will be selected
according to the chosen method of manufacture and desired characteristics and
properties in the final product. To minimize packaging and package size when
shipping the manufactured first and second trays 14, 16, it is contemplated
that
in preferred embodiments of the present invention like trays will be nestable
within one another. Preferred materials include plastic, wood, fiber, bamboo
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powder polymers, metal, and metal alloy. Preferred plastics include ABS and
PVC.
The cover 12 is hingedly attached to the first tray 14. As will be
appreciated,
the cover 12 helps prevent contaminants from falling into the compartments 20
in the first tray 14 and onto the items 22 in the compartments 20. Preferably,
the cover 12 is sufficiently transparent for the items to show through.
However,
the cover 12 need not be transparent. The cover 12 may also be tinted or
coloured if desired. As best seen in Fig. 2 the cover 12 has a first cover
section
24 and a second cover section 26. The first cover section 24 is attached to
the
second cover section 26 with a living hinge 28 which permits the first and
second cover sections 26, 28 to bend relative to one another as discussed in
more detail below. Alternately, the first cover section 24 may be attached to
the
second cover section 26 with a piano hinge (not shown), or the like. The
living
hinge 28 is shown as spanning the width of the cover and is substantially
parallel to the to the hinge axis A of the cover 12 at the point of attachment
to
the back 50 of the first tray 14. As best seen in Fig. 8, the first cover
section 24
of the cover 12 has posts 30 extending therefrom for pivotally attaching to
corresponding receptacles 32 formed in the first tray 14. Preferably, the
first
cover section 24 includes a pair of side tabs 34 adapted to releasably attach
to
respective points on the first tray 14, by way of a friction fit, or snap fit,
coupling,
to keep the first cover section 24 in a closed position on the first tray 14.
Good
results have been obtained by positioning the side tabs 34 adjacent to the
living
hinge 28. Preferably the friction fit coupling will be configured to prevent
opening of the first cover section 24 from the first tray 14 against the
weight of
items 22 contained in the compartments 20. According to the preferred
embodiment, the second cover section 26 has at least one other tab 36
positioned thereon and adapted to releasably attach to a respective point on
the
first tray 14 to keep the second cover section 26 in a closed position on the
first
tray 14 independent of the side tabs 34. In this way, the second cover section
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26 may be opened and closed independently of the first cover section 24.
It will now be understood that access to items 22 in compartments 20 of the
first
tray 14 covered by the second cover section 26 are accessible after decoupling
or unsnapping tab 36 and lifting and tilting the second cover section 26 about
living hinge 28. Access to items 22 in compartments covered by the first cover
section 24 are accessible after further decoupling or unsnapping side tabs 34
and lifting and tilting the first and second cover sections 24, 26 about hinge
axis
A. Closing of the first and second cover sections 24, 26 is achieved by
reversing the above steps.
As will be appreciated, the cover 12 may be provided with ribs 38 to increase
its strength and stiffness. Furthermore, the edges of the cover 12 may be
formed to engage the top edge of the first tray 14 to help prevent side to
side
movement of the cover 12. For example, the edges of the cover 12 may be
curved to match a curved profile of the top edge of the first tray 14.
Referring back to Fig. 3, it can be seen that the preferred first tray 14 has
two
groups of compartments, namely a first group of compartments 40 and a
second group of compartments 42 adjacent to the first group of compartments
40. In Fig. 3, the first group of compartments 40 includes one compartment
oriented parallel with the hinge axis of the cover 12, and the second group of
compartments includes five compartments oriented perpendicular to the hinge
axis of the cover 12. Preferably the five compartments oriented perpendicular
to the hinge axis of the cover 12 have a length to accommodate standard
cutlery or hand tools as the case may be. The preferred cover 12 has the first
cover section 24 sized and shaped to cover at least the first group of
compartments 40 and the second cover section 26 is sized and shaped to cover
the second group of compartments 42. More preferably, however, the first
cover section 24 of the cover 12 is sized and shaped to cover the first group
of
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compartments 40 and a portion 44 of the second group of compartments 42,
as best seen in Figs. 14 and 16. Referring now to Fig. 14, it will be
understood
that covering a portion 44 of the second group of compartments 42 helps
prevent the items from slipping out of the second group of compartments 42
when the first tray 14 is lifted up from the second tray 16, especially since
it is
contemplated that the hinged attachment of the first tray 14 to the second
tray
16 may be configured to permit the first tray to tilt up to 90 degrees
relative to
the second tray 16. In this respect the preferred length of the portion 44 is
between 5 and 40% of the average length of the compartments 20 in the
second group of compartments 42. However, the most preferred length of the
portion 44 will be 20% of the average length of the compartments 20 in the
second group of compartments 42.
As mentioned above, first and second trays 14, 16 of the cutlery tray assembly
10 are attached together, and as shown in Fig. 1, the attachment is a hinged
attachment to permit the first tray 14 to tilt up from the second tray 16,
enabling
a user access to items 22 in compartments 20 of the second tray 16. Various
forms of hinged attachments as comprehended by the present invention, and
one example of such a hinged attachment is shown in Figs. 6 and 7. However
other examples include pneumatic piano-type hinges, posts, and rods, slide and
lock/unlock channelling systems to permit holding and/or locking the first
tray
14 at one or more angles relative to the second tray 16. The present invention
further comprehends biasing means, such as a spring, to assist in lifting the
first
tray to an inclined position. However, reasonable results are achieved with a
passive hinge arrangement
It is preferred, according to the present invention, to put the higher demand
items in the first tray 14, such as cutlery. While batteries, for example, are
usefully stored below the first tray 14 in second tray 16. Typically, access
to
such batteries will not be as frequent as for the first tray 14 cutlery items.
Thus
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the present invention comprehends placing the high demand items in the first
tray 14. As can be appreciated it will be easier to bring the cover to an open
position to access the first tray 14, than to lift the first tray 14 to an
open position
to expose the second tray.
Referring now to Fig. 6 it can be seen that the first trays 14 have pivot
posts 46
extending from the bottom edges 48 of their back sides 50. The pivot posts 46
are configured to be received by complementary receptacles 32 formed in the
top edges 52 of second trays 16. A lip 54 grippable with fingers is provided
on
the first tray 14 to facilitate tilting the first tray 14 up relative to the
second tray
16. One or more logos 56 may be included on the lip 54 to identify the purpose
of the tray and/or the manufacturer or vendor of the cutlery tray assembly 10.
As mentioned above, Fig. 8 shows cover 12 with pivot posts 30 are configured
to be received by complementary receptacles 32 formed in the top edges 52 of
first trays 14. Although not shown, it is contemplated that a third tray may
be
hingedly attached to the second tray 16 in a similar fashion. Furthermore a
fourth tray may be hingedly attached to the third tray, and so forth for a
multiple
tray arrangement.
As best seen in Fig. 10, the top edge 52 of the second tray 16 preferably
includes a recess 58 to accommodate the bottom of the first tray 14. What is
important is that the recess 58 helps prevent side to side movement of the
first
tray 14 relative to the second tray 16. Furthermore, the recess 58 will help
prevent items 22 being visible in the second tray 16.
Referring now to Figs. 9 to 14 it will now be understood that the cutlery tray
assembly 10 has a closed and covered position (Figs. 9-11), a partially open
and covered position (Fig. 12), a closed and partially uncovered position
(Fig.
13), a fully open and uncovered position (Fig. 14), a closed and fully
uncovered
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position provide access to the first group of compartments 42 (not shown).
For fitment in a drawer 60 the preferred cutlery tray assembly 10 is provided
with a height 62 that is 1/4 inches less than the maximum headroom of the
drawer 60. In this regard, it has been found that a typical kitchen drawer 60
has
a maximum headroom of between 33/4 and 4 inches, meaning that a height 62
of 31/2 inches provides sufficient clearance in most kitchen drawer 60.
Referring now to Fig. 15, there is shown a cutlery tray assembly 10 according
to another embodiment which further includes a member 64 slidably attached
to the second tray 16 and configured to define, in combination with the second
tray 16, an adjustable compartment 66 in the drawer 60 as best seen in Fig.
16.
As shown in Fig. 17, the slidable member 64 has a bottom wall 68, upstanding
side walls 70 extending from the bottom wall 68, and a side opening 72
configured to slidably receive the side of the second tray 16. Accordingly,
Fig.
18 shows a front view of the cutlery tray assembly 10 with the slidable member
64 slidably attached to the second tray 16 in a fully closed position, and
Fig. 19,
shows the cutlery tray assembly 10 with the slidable member 64 in an open
position. As best seen in Fig. 20, the second tray 16 has a pair of channels
74
formed in the front lip 54 and in a back lip 76, which channels are configured
to
slidably engage complementary flanges 78 extending in matching relation from
top edges 80 of the upstanding side walls 70. Other embodiments of the
present invention may include means to hold or lock the slidable member 64 in
an open position, for example the channels 74 and complementary flanges 78
may be provided with one or a series of friction/interference fit or snap
couplings, or an integrated gear rack and complementary ratchet. Alternately,
a clamping means may be provided to permit locking the slidable member 64
in the open position. Additionally, grip means, such as for example rubber
pads
or strips, may be included on the outside edges of the slidable member 64 and
the first or second tray 14, 16 to engage and grip the inner side walls of the
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drawer when the slidable member 64 is in an open position. In this way, the
cutlery tray assembly 10 will be customizable to the width of the kitchen
drawer
60 and prevented from sliding in the drawer 60 as the drawer is opened an
closed which can be annoying.
While reference has been made to various preferred embodiments of the
invention other variations, implementations, modifications, alterations and
embodiments are comprehended by the broad scope of the appended claims.
Some of these have been discussed in detail in this specification and others
will
be apparent to those skilled in the art. Those of ordinary skill in the art
having
access to the teachings herein will recognize these additional variations,
implementations, modifications, alterations and embodiments, all of which are
within the scope of the present invention, which invention is limited only by
the
appended claims.
