DE9017348U1 - Storage containers for kitchen appliances - Google Patents

Description

Klaus Dahraen 5650 Solingen 11

Storage containers for kitchen appliances

The invention relates to a storage container for kitchen utensils, in particular knives, forks, scissors and sharpening steel, with openings arranged on the front for inserting the kitchen utensils.

Such storage containers, also called knife blocks, hold the work surfaces of knives, forks, scissors and sharpening steel when these kitchen utensils are not in use. They are also intended to protect the work surfaces from contamination or damage and to store the said utensils safely to avoid injuries.

Previously known storage containers of the type mentioned have the disadvantage that the openings or the interior of the containers are difficult or impossible to clean. In particular, if there are still residues on the devices, these easily settle on the openings or in the interior. Dust or other dirt can also settle in the openings and interior over a longer period of time. The known storage containers are therefore not perfectly hygienic. In particular, with narrow openings, such as those in the well-known wooden knife blocks, the work surfaces of devices that have not been in use for a long time can rust when exposed to moisture. This risk exists in particular if after rinsing

Kitchen utensils that are not completely dry are placed in the knife block.

In addition, in the known storage containers, the dimensions of the kitchen utensils, e.g. the blade length of a knife, for which a certain container can be used are determined by the size of the openings and the length of the slots extending inwards in the container. For other dimensions, e.g. longer knife blades, a different storage container must then be used.

The invention is based on the object of creating a storage container of the type mentioned at the beginning, which is hygienically perfect and which can be adapted without great effort to different dimensions of the kitchen appliances to be inserted into it.

The object is achieved according to the invention in that a storage container of the type mentioned at the outset has an internal cavity and a removable and replaceable lid is provided on the front side, in which the openings extending into the cavity are formed.

Due to the design according to the invention, the openings in the lid and the interior of the container can be easily and thoroughly cleaned by removing the lid. The storage container according to the invention is therefore perfectly hygienic. Furthermore, Lids with different thicknesses and/or differently shaped openings can be exchanged so that one and the same storage container can be used for kitchen utensils of different dimensions, e.g. knives with different length blades. For this purpose, a Lid assortment should be provided so that the storage container can be easily adapted to the dimensions of the

can be easily adapted to the respective kitchen appliances.

Preferably, the lid is made of plastic. A

Such a lid has the advantage that it is dishwasher safe and therefore, like other kitchen utensils, can be used in

The container, which

can also be made of plastic, can be used inside and the outside is also easy to clean. Lid and containers can also be made of wood or other materials.

In a preferred embodiment, the lid is in the It can also be inserted into the container opening.

be attached to the container in another way, e.g. by means of a screw connection.

The lid preferably has a peripheral flange of a certain thickness on its outer face, which is flush with the container wall. Different Thickness of the peripheral flange with different lids the storage container according to the invention can be adapted to different lengths of the work surfaces of the kitchen utensils, such as e.g. knife blades. The peripheral flange, which is flush with the container wall, prevents discontinuous smooth transition between container and lid and is aesthetically particularly pleasing.

The container and lid preferably have a circular cross-section. Both can essentially be designed in the shape of a cylinder. On the other hand, however, other cross-sectional shapes, such as squares, rectangles or ovals, are also possible.

In an expedient development of the invention, the lid has guide parts arranged on its inside around the openings. The guide parts allow the devices to be aligned when plugged in and stored in the container. Mutual contact between the

Working surfaces of the devices inside the container are thus avoided.

Optimum alignment and lateral support are achieved by the guide parts extending in a closed form around the openings.

In particular, the guide parts can be aligned axially to the container so that the kitchen appliances inserted into the openings are arranged parallel to the axial direction of the container.

Since the storage container according to the invention has a different weight distribution in the longitudinal direction compared to the previous known storage containers, in particular a wooden knife block, it has, in a further development of the invention, one or more feet on the front side opposite the lid. The feet contribute to the secure standing of the storage container according to the invention. container. With their help, the container can have a relatively slight inclination compared to the vertical. A certain inclination is desirable in many cases in order to be able to easily insert the kitchen utensils into the storage container.

In a preferred embodiment, a foot is provided,

whose underside extends in the direction of inclination, flush with the lower front side of the container that is inclined to the longitudinal axis, and whose upper side runs essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and which is integrally formed onto the container. A container with such a base can be manufactured in a simple manner and is particularly visually appealing.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in more detail below with reference to the drawing.

Show it:

Fig. 1 a side view of a storage container, 5

Fig. 2 is a front view in the direction of arrow A in Fig. 1 and

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the inside of the lid of the device shown in Figures 1 and 2.

storage container.

As can be seen from the drawing, the storage container enclosing a cavity 1 has a lid 2, in which various openings 3, 4, 5 and 6 are formed for inserting kitchen utensils such as knives, forks, scissors and a sharpening steel.

The lid 2 and the container 7 closed by it are made of dishwasher-safe plastic. Both have a circular cross-section.

The lid 2 is designed in such a way that it can be inserted into the opening of the container 7 with an annular part 8. On its outer front side it has a circumferential flange 9 of a certain thickness, which rests on the edge of the container opening and is flush with the container wall.

The thickness of the peripheral flange 9 is such that work surfaces, such as knife blades, of a certain length can be inserted into the storage container. To store kitchen appliances with longer work surfaces, the lid 2 shown in the drawing can be easily be replaced by a cover of correspondingly greater thickness. In addition, replacement covers can also be

have openings of different shapes and sizes so that different sets of kitchen utensils with corresponding lids can be used on one and the same container 7. 5

As can be seen from Fig. 3, the cover 2 has guide parts 10, 11, 12 and 13 arranged on its inside around the openings 3, 4, 5 and 6. The guide parts 10, 11, 12 and 13 extend in closed form around the openings 3, 4, 5 and 6 respectively and are aligned axially to the container 7. They have a length of about 1.5 cm. The guide parts 10, 11, 12 and 13 serve to align the kitchen appliances when inserted into the openings 3, 4, 5 and 6 and during

Storage.

As can be seen from Figures 1 and 2, the container 7 is inclined at a certain angle to the vertical and therefore has a The container 7 has a lower front face 14 that is inclined along its longitudinal axis. In the direction of inclination, a foot 15 is integrally formed on the container 7, the width of which corresponds approximately to the diameter of the container 7. The underside 16 of the foot is flush with the lower front face 14 of the container 7.

The top of the foot 15 runs essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the container 7. Since the center of gravity of the storage container is shifted slightly upwards compared to previously known containers due to the lid 2 and the storage container as a whole is relatively light, the foot 15 ensures a stable stand on a surface.

As can be seen from the drawing, the storage container can be easily and thoroughly cleaned by removing the lid 2 and cleaning the lid 2 and the container 7. The storage container therefore meets all hygienic requirements that must be met when storing kitchen appliances.

Klaus Dahroen 5650 Solingen &Pgr;

List of reference symbols

1 Cavity 2 Lid 3 opening 4 opening 5 opening 6 opening 7 container &dgr; ring-shaped part1 9 Circumferential flange 10 Management part 1 11 Management part 1 12 Management part1 13 Management part1 14 lower front side 15 Foot 16 Bottom of the foot 17 Top of the foot

Claims (10)

* C Klaus Dahraen Solingen &Pgr; Claims 1. Storage containers for kitchen utensils, especially Knives, forks, scissors and sharpening steel, with openings arranged on the front side for inserting the kitchen utensils, characterized in that !5 it has an inner cavity (1) and on the front side a removable and replaceable lid (2) is provided, in which the openings (3, 4, 5, 6) extending into the cavity (1) are formed. 2. Storage container according to claim 1, characterized in that the lid (2) is made of dishwasher-safe plastic. 3. Storage container according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the lid (2) can be inserted into the container opening. 4. Storage container according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that OQ the lid (2) has on its outer front side a circumferential flange (9) of a certain thickness which is flush with the container wall. 5. Storage container according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the container (7) and lid (2) have a circular cross-section. 6. Storage container according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the cover (2) has guide parts (10, 11, 12 or 13) arranged on its inside around the openings (3, 4, 5, 6). 7. Storage container according to claim 6, characterized in that the guide parts (10, 11, 12, 13) extend in a closed form around the Openings (3, 4, 5 or 6). 8. Storage container according to claim 7, characterized in that the guide parts (10, 11, 12, 13) are aligned axially to the container (7) ^are · 9. Storage container according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the container (7) is provided on the side opposite the lid (2) 2Q has one or more feet (15) on the front side (14). 10. Storage container according to claim 8, characterized in that a foot (15) is provided whose underside (16) extends in the direction of inclination in alignment with the lower end face (14) of the container inclined to the longitudinal axis and whose upper side (17) extends essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and which is integrally attached to the container ₃ q (7) is formed.