US2498402A

US2498402A - Article rack for drawers

Info

Publication number: US2498402A
Application number: US654278A
Authority: US
Inventors: Guyon L C Earle
Original assignee: EARLE KITCHEN UNIT CORP
Current assignee: EARLE KITCHEN UNIT Corp
Priority date: 1946-03-14
Filing date: 1946-03-14
Publication date: 1950-02-21
Anticipated expiration: 1967-02-21

Description

Feb. 21, 1950 G. L. c. EARLE 2,498,402

ARTICLE RACK FOR DRAWERS Original Filed July 1, 1944 A 1 EM INVENTOR. Gum/v.1. 6. ARL

BY W 5 A TTORNEY Patented Feb. 21, 1950 .Gu n

L. C. Earle, Forest Hills, N. Y., assignor,

by mesne assignments, to Earle Kitchen Unit Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Continuation of application Serial No. 543,139, July 1, i944, This application March 14, 19.46,

Serial No. 654,278

6 Claims.

This invention relates to article racks and more specifically to racks for bottles and the like. In an important specific aspect, the invention relates to bottle racks for refrigerator drawers.

This application is a continuation of application Serial No. 543,139, filed July 1, 1944, now abandoned.

It is an object of this invention to provide a novel and improved article rack for a drawer.

It is another object of this invention to provide improved means for supporting a large number of bottles and the like, as, for example, in drawers for refrigerators or cabinets.

It is still another object of this invention to provide an improved rack for supporting bottles of varied sizes in such a way that they will not roll and knock against eachother.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved drawer structure suitable for refrigerators or cabinets.

The improved rack for drawers in accordance with this invention is particularly suitable for use in refrigerators of the set-back" type (such as those disclosed in Patent 2,312,326, issued March 2, 1943 to Guyon L. C. Earle) although it will be obvious from the description below that the invention is capable of other uses. The present invention, in one of its more important specific aspects, relates to a refrigerator drawer which has novel means for supporting bottles, cartons or cans ofliquids adapted to be refrigerated. Such a drawer is suitable for use not only in a refrigerator of the set-back type but also in other types of refrigerators or in cabinets employing drawers.

The above-mentioned and other objects are attained in accordance with this invention by pro-- viding as an illustrative embodiment thereof a refrigerator drawer which has at the rear thereof near its back a corrugated member which is inclined so as to form an angle of from 30 degrees to 60 degrees with the horizontal, an angle of about 45 degrees being preferred, the upper edge of this member merging into or being fastened to a ledge member which extends between the sides of the drawer and is-positioned at a higher level than another ledge member at the back of the drawer. One or both of these ledgemembers can have grooves or corrugations therein, if desired.

Another inclined member extends from the bot tom of the first inclined member to the ledge member at the back of the drawer. A number of small bottles, such as thosewhich contain cola drinks, soda, etc. have their sides supported by the-first inclined member and their bottoms supported by the second inclined member, the corrugations in the first inclined member preventing the bottles from rolling. A second row of small bottles can be placed on top of the first. Larger bottles, such as those holding approximately-a quart, are adapted to have their lower portions supported by the ledge at the rear of the drawer and their upper portions by the necks of the smaller bottles or by the first-mentioned ledge member. The rack may be permanently fastened to the inside of the drawer or be made removable; as desired. Various other objects and features, some of them more or less ancillary to those already described, will be apparent from the description which follows. 1' The invention will be more readily understood by referring to the following description taken-in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part thereof, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator employing one or more drawers, at least one of which contains an article rack in accordance with the invention; I r

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a drawer con-f taining a rack in accordance with the invention; Fig. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the drawer of Fig. 2 showing how bottles: are sup-'- port-ed therein; and Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional; view in a plane through the line 4-4 in Fig.3 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring more specifically to; the drawing, Fig. 1 shows, byway of example for illustrative purposes, a refrigerator ll! of the set-back type provided with a plurality of drawers, at least one of which has an article rack therein constructed in accordance with the invention. The refrigerator Ill comprises an insulated upper refrigerated portion H an insulated lower refrigerated portion [2, both portions being supported by a recessed base it, and a table-top member M of any suitable material such as, for example, porcelain, linoleum, stainless steelfor' Monel metal. The upper portion ll containsarr evaporator E5 the coils of which are adjacent-or surround one or more ice cube trays-- orj'food containers such as the trays or containers [6,- H and 18. The upper portion also contains mes'h shelves I9, 20 and 2 l, the upper two of which may" have portions cut out so that tall bottles can-beaccommodate on the lowest mesh shelf. Doors" 22- and 23 are provided as closure" members for,

the upper portion of the refrigeratorlll. a e The lower portion- I2 comprises a suitable framework and a plurality of

drawers

24, 25 and 26, These drawers may be, for example, of the type shown and described in a copending application of Guyon L. C. Earle, Serial No. 531,691, filed April 19, 1944, now abandoned.

Fig. 2 shOWs in perspective one of the refrigerator drawers, as,'for example, the lower drawer 26 which is preferably made deeper than the upper ones so as to accommodate large roasts and many bottles, jars, etc. This drawer contains a novel article rack 50 constructed in accordance with the invention. The drawer 26 comprises an article containing or inner drawer member 30 having side members 3! and 32, a front 33 (see Fig. 3), a back 34 and a bottom 35 which is preferably corrugated or ridged to prevent liquids flowing from front to back and which rests on ledge 4| attached to the side members and on ledge 42 attached to the back, The member 30 canbe formed "of any suitable material suchas, forexample, 20 or 22 gauge aluminum with aluminite finish. A top lip 36 can be provided for the sides, front and back and this lip is preferably wider at the front than at the sides and back since it can be used to secure firmer attachment of the inner drawer member 30 to the drawer frontmember 31 which comprises an insulating layer 38 and a front portion 39 having a drawer handle 46. v

The article rack 50 comprises a first inclined member mounted at an angle of from 30 degrees to 60 degrees with the horizontal and which, by way of example, has been shown in Fig. 3 as having an inclination of about 45 degrees, a second inclined member 52 shown, for example, making an angle of a little less than 90 degrees with the first inclined member 5| and an angle of about 50 to 55 degrees with the horizontal, a front ledge member 53 and a rear ledge member 54. The inclined member 5| has a multiplicity of corrugations therein. These corrugations may extend from top to bottom or for only a portion of this distance. They may be curved or have sharp angles. By way of example, each corrugation may comprise a curved surface one half inch across and one quarter inch deep. For a drawer 21 inches wide, for example, there are more than forty of these corrugations in the member 5| which are deep enough to keep the bottles from rolling. At the same time, by having a large number of corrugations, the member 5| can accommodate a number of different sized bottles without leaving big spaces in between. These corrugations also add strength to the article rack. The member 5! supports the sides of a row of bottles and the bottoms of these bottles (or the upper portions of the bottoms when the bottles are placed on the member 5|) are supported by the member 52 which is preferably uncorrugated. It has been found that less rattling or rolling is produced if only the outer edge of the bottom of each bottle (as shown in Fig. 3) contacts the member 52 rather than the entire bottom. A second row of bottles can be supported by the first row. These may be smaller than the bottles of the first row or the same size. A preferred way of stacking is to place bottles of the type bearing cola drinks in the lower row and bottles of beer (which are usually shorter and squattier than those of the cola beverages) in the second row. A third row may be placed on top of the second row, as shown in Fig. 3. This third row preferably includes bottles of large size such as large ginger ale bottles and those containing fruit juices, wine, etc. The lower side of each of these bottles in the third row is supported by the ledge 54 which is preferably corrugated, as in the manner described above in connection with the member 5|, for example, and the upper part of these bottles is supported by the necks of the bottles in the lower two rows (as indicated in Fig. 3) or by the front ledge member 53 which is at a higher level than the ledge member 54 and which may be corrugated or not, as desired. If a bottle in the third row is long, an open space is left between bottles in the first two rows and the front of the long bottle can be supported by the ledge 53. If it is not long enough (that is, if only the neck reaches the member 53 when the lower part is supported by the member 54, or if the first two rows are full), the bottles in the third row can be'supported as shown in Fig. 3 to keep them from sliding forwardly.

Preferably the members 5| 52, 53 and 54 are made so as to form one piece to act as a catch basin for water dripping from the evaporator if the housewife forgets to place the drip pan in position during defrosting. During defrosting the drip pan can rest on the

ledge members

53 and 54 by taking the bottles out of the way or the rack member 50 may be used to catch the drip water. The drawer can be taken out to empty the water or the rack member may be provided with side members 55 so that water will not leak out, in which event only the rack member 50 need be taken out and emptied. When the drawer is pulled out any of the bottles can be easily lifted out. Obviously, cans or paper containers can be supported by the rack of this invention as well as bottles. The rack can be fas tened in place in the drawer or' be removably mounted therein.

Bracket members

56 and 51 on v the back and sides ofthe drawer help support the article rack in position. The rack member takes up a Very small space considering the number of bottles it is capable of supporting (while it has been shown as taking a third to a half of the drawer, it need not, andpreferably does not take this much room in long drawers) Ample room is left in the front of the drawer fora 20 lb. turkey or one or more roasts such as a leg of lamb, which can extend under the overhang of the member'5l. The lower drawer thus has enormous capacity. It will be readily apparent that there has been described a rack member which is simple to construct and which, considering its simplicity,is capable of supporting a large number of articles. Moreover the rack can serve to catchwater of de: frosting from the evaporator. By way of example, it need take only about 6 inches of the rear of the drawer and holds 12 to 18 bottles of various sizes neatly stacked so. thatthey wont rattle and so that they can be pulled out easily'as they are stacked on an angle. The front part of the drawer can hold as many as three roasts.

While there has been shown and particularly described certain embodiments of the invention for the purpose of explaining its principles and showing its applications, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many modifications and Variations are possible and itis'therefore in;- tended to cover all such modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the invention which isdefined in the appended claims. In the claims the term bottles and the like is intended to include cans, cartons, etc.

What is claimed is: 1. A cabinet drawer including front,'back, bottom and side members and an article supporting member therein comprising a first member, inclined with respect to the horizontal, for supporting the sides of bottles and the like, saidfirst member having a multiplicity of corrugations therein running in a direction parallel to the sides of the drawer, a second member, positioned to make an angle of substantially 90 degrees with respect to said first member, for supporting at least a portion of the lower part of each of said bottles and the like, a substantially horizontal ledge member at the top of the second member and extending rearwardly towards said back member for supporting the lower portions of other bottles and the like and a second ledge member at the top of the first inclined member and extending forwardly thereof for supporting the upper portions of all those bottles and the like whose lower portions are supported by said second ledge member and whose upper portions are not supported by and between the upper portions of adjacent ones of said first-mentioned bottles and the like, each of said ledge members having a multiplicity of corrugations therein running in a direction parallel to the sides of the drawer.

2. A cabinet drawer including front, back, bottom and side members and an article supporting member therein comprising a first member, inclined with respect to the horizontal, for supporting the sides of bottles and the like, said first member having a multiplicity of corrugations therein running in a direction parallel to the sides of the drawer, a second member, positioned to make an angle of substantially 90 degrees with respect to said first member, for supporting at least a portion of the lower part of each of said bottles, and the like, a substantially horizontal ledge member at the top of the second member and extending rearwardly towards said back member for supporting the lower portions of other bottles and the like, a second ledge member at the top of the first inclined member and extending forwardly thereof for supporting the upper portions of all those bottles and the like whose lower portions are supported by said second ledge member and whose upper portions are not supported by and between the upper portions of adjacent ones of said first-mentioned bottles and the like, each of said ledge members having a multiplicity of corrugations therein running in a direction parallel to the sides of the drawer, and bracket members on the back and side members of said drawer for holding the article supporting member in position therein.

3. A cabinet drawer including front, back, bottom and side members and an article supporting member therein comprising a first member, in-v cilned with respect to the horizontal, for supporting the sides of bottles and the like, said first member having a multiplicity of raised means for minimizing sidewise rolling of said bottles, a second member inclined with respect to said first member for supporting at least a portion of the lower part of each of said bottles and thelike, a substantially horizontal ledge member at the top of the second member and extending rearwardly towards said back member for supporting the lower portions of other bottles and the like, and a second ledge member at the top of the first inclined member and extending forwardly thereof for supporting the upper portions of all those bottles and the like Whose lower portions are supported by said second ledge member and whose upper portions are not supported by and between the upper portions of adjacent ones of said first-mentioned bottles and the like, at least A, cabin d aw r i clud' v. front, bac t tom and side members and an article supportin member thereinv comprising afirst member, inclinedwithdfismct tothe horizontal, for support.- ns sides of bo tles and. the like, said first member having a multiplicity of raised means for minimizing sidewise rolling of said bottles, a second member inclined with respect to said first member for supporting-at least a portion of the lower part of each of said bottles and the like, a substantially horizontal ledge member at the top of the second member and extending rearwardly towards said back member for supporting the lower portions of other bottles and the like, a second ledge member at the top of the first inclined member and extending forwardly thereof for supporting the upper portions of all those bottles and the like whose lower portions are supported by said second ledge member and whose upper portions are not supported by and between the upper portions of adjacent ones of said first-mentioned bottles and the like, at least one of said ledge members having a multiplicity of raised means for minimizing sidewise rolling of said bottles, and bracket members on the back and side members of said drawer for holding the article supporting member in position therein.

5. A cabinet drawer including front, back, bottom and side members and having positioned therein an article supporting member for bottles and the like comprising a first, means positioned to support the side portions of each of a group of bottles in a first row at an acute angle with respect to the horizontal and so that the long dimension of each bottle is substantially parallel to the side members of the drawer, said first means having a multiplicity of raised means for minimizing sidewise rolling of said bottles, a second means positioned to support the bottom portions of said bottles, a third means at a higher level than said second means and positioned to support the bottom portions of a group of bottles in a second row at an acuate angle with the bottles of the first row, and a fourth means, also at a higher level than said second means and displaced from said third means, for supporting the upper portions of those bottles in the second row which are at least as long as the distance between said third and fourth means when said last-mentioned bottles are not supported by the upper portions of the bottles in the first row, at least one of said third and fourth means having a multiplicity of raised means for minimizing sidewise rolling of the bottles in the second row.

6. A cabinet drawer including front, back, bottom and side members and having positioned therein an article supporting member for bottles and the like comprising a first means positioned to support the side portions of each of a group of bottles in a first row at an acute angle with respect to the horizontal and so that the long dimension of each bottle is substantially parallel to the side members of the drawer, said first means having a multiplicity of raised means for minimizing sidewise rolling of said bottles, a second means positioned to support the bottom portions of said bottles, a third means at a higher level than said second means and positioned to support the bottom portions of a group of bottles in a second row, at an acute angle with the bottles of the first row and a fourth means, also at a higher level than said second means arid displaced from said third means, for support REFERENCES CITED mg'fthe upper portions of those bottles in The following references are of record in the second row which are at least as long as the disfile of this patent.

tan'ce'between said third and fourth means when said last-mentioned bottles are not supported by 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS the upper portions of the bottles in the first row, Number Name Date v each of said third and fourth means having a 71530 Pennie 1 67 multiplicity of raised means for minimizing side- 1,3495 e 1 2 wise rolling of the bottles in the second row. 1 9 3 56 Scioscia Se 11, 9

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