CA2551898C - Kitchen dish rack design improvement - Google Patents

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.

Description

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.

-7_ 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.

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:

Claims (5)

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.