EP0336907A2

EP0336907A2 - Case, in particular for cutlery

Info

Publication number: EP0336907A2
Application number: EP89830132A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Osvaldo Franceschini
Original assignee: Franceschini Flli SNC
Current assignee: Franceschini Flli SNC
Priority date: 1988-04-07
Filing date: 1989-03-23
Publication date: 1989-10-11
Anticipated expiration: 2009-03-23
Also published as: DE68912174T2; IT217894Z2; IT8835628V0; DE68912174D1; EP0336907A3; EP0336907B1; ES2048862T3

Abstract

The subject matter of the present invention is a case, particularly for cutlery, which essentially comprises a cover (3) and a supporting base (8), of new and inventive characteristics, optionally joined to the cover at least externally. On the supporting base (8), by cutting the entire thickness, at least a row of loops (9) is extracted. The loops (9) of each row are spaced, arranged side by side or arranged in such a way that adjoining loops are not found on the same line, and determine, with the imaginary lines that join together their corresponding extremities, a geometric shape of rhomboidal form. In correspondence with the central part of each loop, at least on one of the sides, is present a cavity to facilitate the insertion and the extraction of cutlery or similar articles.

Description

The present invention refers to a case of new and original characteristics which is particularly effective and convenient when used for packing, presentation, display and preservation, in particular for cutlery.
In this connection, attention is drawn to the fact that, even though the description that follows always deals with the problem of accomodating and holding cutlery for the purposes indicated hereinabove, said case can also be used for other articles, such as for example pens and/or pencils.
The problem of accomodating and holding cutlery, in order to pack, present, display and preserve the same, has already been dealt with in the prior art, and to solve it various types of case have been proposed. These proposed solutions, in spite of the variety of their structure, can essentially be classified in the category of rigid cases or that of flexible cases.
The conventional rigid cases are made of box elements normally of wood or cardboard covered with paper and/or cloth of better or poorer quality, having inside a supporting base of rigid material, also covered with cloth, showing encased forms for the fixing of the cutlery. These well-known cases, even if having the advantage of completely displaying the cutlery, are effected by various inconveniences, amongst which it is possible to number, for example, excessive incidence of labour and materials, necessity that the case be rigid in order to render functional the encased forms on the support, and bulky packing with consequent disadvantages of storage and expensive cost of transport.
On the contrary, the flexible cases are made of pieces of fabric, of appropriate thickness and quality, on which are sewn pockets of the appropriate dimensions, capable of containing the cutlery to be preserved, these mentioned pieces of fabric being then, in the final phase, rolled up. The cases in this category have the advantage that the packing is light and not bulky, with consequent ease of storage and less incidence of transport cost.
But, on the other hand, they have the disadvantage of hiding from sight a good part of the shape of the cutlery contained in the pocket, so that they are not suitable to be used as a means of presentation.
Cases have also been proposed consisting of an external flexible cover and of an internal semi-rigid supporting base provided with raised ledges, transversal or longitudinal, these also in semi-rigid material, displaying one or more spaced slots, cut from the entire thickness of the raised ledges. Each slot is capable of holding a piece of cutlery when inserted, instead of being encased as in the supports of the previous rigid cases. Cases of this kind, being light and not bulky, can easily be stored and transported with a low cost. The use of these cases has anyway encountered technical, economical and commercial disadvantages, caused by the fact that all the slots present on the single ledges are raised side-by-side so that the respective loops are found all on the same line.
In this way, in fact, each point at which the ledge is glued to the supporting base is subjected to tear stress when cutlery is inserted or extracted in adjacent slots.
Now it has been surprisingly found that all the disadvantages of the available cutlery cases on the market can be overcome by adopting the case disclosed in the present invention, which also presents other advantages which will be evident hereinafter.
The case, particularly for cutlery, according to the present invention essentially comprises: a cover, optionally provided with blocking means in the closed position; a supporting element, optionally joined to the cover at least externally, from which is extracted, by cutting the entire thickness, at least a row of spaced loops, arranged side by side or placed in such a way that the adjacent loops are not on the same line and determine with the imaginary lines that join their corresponding extremities a geometric shape of rhomboidal form; and in correspondence with the central part of each loop, at least at one of the sides, a cavity, to facilitate the insertion or extraction of cutlery, optionally with the form of a parallelepiped.
The insertion cavity substantially with the form of a parallelepiped can have a section with the form of a trapezium, either isosceles or rectangular. The section of the parallelepiped forming the insertion cavity on the side opposite to the one adjacent to the loop can present rounded angles.
The loops in a row can be conveniently staggered in respect to the next row to allow the intercalated disposition of the articles inserted in the loops.
On the supporting base wedges or cavities can be foreseen to facilitate and stabilize the accomodation of the supported articles.
The cover can be made of flexible material suitable to be closed as a wallet and can consist of a rectangular piece of relatively firm fabric.
In this case, the blocking means can be press-studs.
The supporting base can be made of semi-rigid material, natural or synthetic.
Until now only a general disclosure of the case according to the present invention has been given. The invention will be better illustrated in its object, characteristics and advantages with the help of preferred embodiments, shown as examples in the enclosed figures, in which:

figure 1 is a perspective view from above of one case according to the present invention; and
figure 2 is a perspective view from above of a second case according to the present invention.

With reference to figure 1 it is generically indicated with 1 the cover of the case, consisting of a piece of relatively firm fabric, divided by an imaginary fold line, shown in the figure by the dotted line 2, into a covering part 3 and a holding part 4.
The cover 1 is provided with a metallic element 5 on each corner, to reinforce it and to make it rigid, clamped on the respective edge and presenting, for the stop in the closed position, that is with the cover 3 folded over like a wallet onto the holding part 4, two press-studs in which the feminine elements 6 are fixed in a relation conveniently spaced, in correspondence to the edge of the cover 3, while the masculine elements 7 are hooked on the border of the holding part 4 in positions respectively corresponding to the feminine elements 6. On the holding part 4 of the cover 1 is fixed, for instance by an adhesive, the cutlery support 8 of rectangular form, in semi-rigid material.
On the support 8, by cutting the entire thickness two rows of loops 9 are extracted (in the present embodiment six in each row). The cuts are widened in correspondence to the central part of each of the loops, in such a way as to create by the side of them two cavities 10 and 11 with the form of a parallelepiped having a section with the form of an isoscelese trapezium, of which the major base is adjacent tc the loop and of which the minor base is on rounded angles. In each row the loops 9, suitable to hold an inserted piece of cutlery, in the drawing a teaspoon 12, are arranged side by side, spaced, parallel to each other and oblique to the sides of the rectangular perimeter of the supporting base.
It is worth noting that the two rows of loops 9 are conveniently staggered in the longitudinal direction to allow an appropriate intercalated disposition of the cutlery.
On the supporting base are finally foreseen two rows of cylindrical cavities 13, each one parallel to and above, member to member, the corresponding row of loops 9. These cylindrical cavities are used to accomodate the convex part of the teaspoons, stabilizing their position on the supporting base.
Figure 2 shows a second embodiment of the present invention regarding a case for three pieces of cutlery consisting of a fork 14, a knife 15 and a spoon 16.
Given that the already described components of the previous embodiment will be indicated with the same reference numbers without a useless detailed illustration, it should be noted that the structural principle characterizing the case of the present invention remains essentially unchanged.
Also in this embodiment, in fact, it is possible to find the same wallet shaped cover consisting of a covering part 2 and a holding part 4 divided by an imaginary fold line 2, as in the previous embodiment, while the supporting base of cutlery 8 presents some modifications to better adjust it to the different conformation of the three pieces of cutlery as described before.
In fact, the rectangular supporting base 8, in semi-rigid material, presents on the right half, as seen in figure 2, a raising element 17. In the upper and lower part of the raising element, are the loops 9, with insertion cavities 10 and 11 as in the example of figure 1, for the accomodation of the fork 14 and the spoon 16.
In the central part of the raising element 17 is the loop 18 for the knife 15, parallel to the loops 9 for the fork 14 and the spoon 16, and provided with cavities for insertion 19 and extraction 20, each one with a parallelepiped form with a section of rectangular trapezium form, the section of insertion being wider and equal in height to that of extraction.
To place the described cutlery in a substantially horizontal position there is an elevation 21 connected to the raising element 17, for the blade of the knife 15, and there is a cavity 13 to slot respectively the convexities of the fork 14 and the spoon 16.

Claims

1. A case, in particular for cutlery, comprising essentially: a cover optionally provided with blocking means in the closed position; a supporting base element, optionally joined to the cover at least externally, from which is extracted, by cutting the entire thickness, at least a row of spaced loops, arranged side by side or disposed in such a way that the adjacent loops are not on the same line and determine, with the imaginary lines that join together their corresponding extremities, a geometric shape of rhomboidal form; and in correspondence to the central part of each loop, at least at one of the sides, a cavity to facilitate insertion and extraction.

2. The case as per claim 1, in which the cavity has substantially a parallelepiped form with section substantially of trapezium form.

3. The case as per claim 2, in which the cavity has a section substantially of isoscelese trapezium form.

4. The case as per claim 2, in which the cavity has a section substantially of rectangular trapezium form.

5. The case as per each of the preceding claims, in which the cavity section, on the side not adjacent to the single loop, presents rounded angles.

6. The case as per the preceding claims, in which the loops of a row are conveniently staggered over the next row to allow the intercalated disposition of the inserted articles.

7. The case as per the preceding claims, in which raising parts and/or cavities are foreseen on the supporting base to facilitate and stabilize the slot of the supported articles.

8. The case as per the preceding claims, in which the cover is made of flexible material capable of being closed like a wallet.

9. The case as per the preceding claims, in which the described cover of flexible material, capable of being closed like a wallet, is made by a rectangular piece of relatively firm material.

10. The case as per the preceding claims, in which the blocking means of said cover in flexible material, capable of being closed as a wallet, consists of press-studs.

11. The case as per the preceding claims, in which said supporting base is made of semi-rigid material, natural or synthetic.