FR2855732A1 - Knife holder for holding knife and chopstick, has support with cylindrical part to hold cap, where part is delimited at two ends by respective stops in order to avoid cap from rolling and tilting in support - Google Patents

Abstract

The holder has a support with a cylindrical part (12) to hold a cap. The part is delimited at two ends by respective stops (14) in order to avoid the cap from rolling and tilting in the support. The support has a front surface (16) inclined towards top and front in order to carry all information e.g. name. A slit (18) disposed at back of the support permits to slide the edge of a card containing the information. An independent claim is also included for a knife holders assembly having two knife holders.

Description

The invention relates to a knife holder, and an assembly

of knife holders.

  In the present specification, the term "knife holder" has its usual meaning, that is to say, it designates an accessory intended to support the end of a knife, a spoon, a fork or even one or more chopsticks, its role being to remove this cover element from a tablecloth so that it is not stained.

  Knife holders are generally used when the table around which guests gather is covered with a tablecloth, so that it is protected against soiling due to contact with the cutlery. Under these circumstances, the meal is usually of higher quality than that of ordinary meals, and is sometimes even gastronomic, most often with the consumption of at least one wine. In these circumstances, it is interesting, so that the guests derive all the expected pleasure from the meal, that they are the object of all kinds of attention, for example that they are informed of the place they should occupy, the 20 dishes they will be served, the wines they will be able to drink, etc., all of these essentially utilitarian measures aimed at enhancing the pleasure derived from the meal.

  The knife holder usually has a purely utilitarian function of protecting the tablecloth, and sometimes a decorative function.

  The subject of the invention is the production of knife holders which have several functions and which thus increase the pleasure derived from the meal by multiplication of small attentions.

  When you want to have the "knife holder" function without having such an accessory, you use any object present, and therefore plugs have already been used to fulfill the knife holder function. The plug has a drawback in this implication, because it rolls easily. Instead of ensuring the protection of a tablecloth, it can therefore on the contrary increase its soiling. Thus, when a fork is placed on it, it can roll and come to apply the teeth of the fork on the tablecloth.

  To remedy this drawback, we had to cut a section of the plug to prevent it from rolling. However, to be effective, this pan must be extended and reach almost the middle of the cap. Cutting the cap is not convenient, and when a large section has been cut, it is no longer possible, in most cases, to read the impression usually present on the cap and which indicates the origin or the nature of the contents of the bottle it closed. Finally, the plug used directly as a knife holder becomes dirty and must be replaced frequently.

  The invention relates to the use of a plug in a knife holder, in a manner which overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks. More specifically, the object of the invention is to solve on the one hand the problem posed by the rolling of a plug used as a knife holder, and on the other hand, the problem of the fouling of the plug.

  More specifically, the invention relates to a knife holder which comprises on the one hand a plug and on the other hand, a support which prevents the rolling of the plug and can fulfill other functions, in particular of protecting the plug against soiling .

  More specifically, the invention relates to a knife holder which comprises a stopper, and a stopper holder intended to prevent the stopper from rolling and tilting in a cutlery support function.

  In one embodiment, the function of the cover support is fulfilled by the plug, and the support has two stops parallel to the longitudinal axis of the plug. In various variants, the stops are formed by a plug housing 30 in the form of a cylinder part with a horizontal axis, the stops are formed by a plate with an edge projecting upwards, the two stops are formed by a frame which surrounds the stopper on at least three sides, or the two stops are formed by a U-shaped member. In another variant, the two stops parallel to the longitudinal axis of the stopper are connected by at least one hoop passing over the plug.

  In another embodiment, the cover support function is fulfilled by the stopper, and the stopper support has a protruding needle to penetrate the stopper and thereby prevent rotation thereof. In another embodiment, the cover support function is fulfilled by the cap support.

  In variants of this embodiment, the stopper support comprises an envelope of which at least one upper lateral part is transparent, the stopper support comprises an envelope having at least one upper lateral part which is free, or the stopper support has a support bar separating a cover from the cap.

  In the previous embodiments, it is advantageous for the stopper support to have at least one stop on at least one side of the stopper in the direction of the longitudinal axis thereof.

  In another embodiment in which the stopper placed on the support has its vertical axis, the stopper support 20 comprises a cylinder part with a vertical axis intended to accommodate one end of the stopper whose longitudinal axis is then vertical.

  In the previous embodiments, it is advantageous for the support to include, on the side intended to be turned towards the user and upwards, an extended surface for information support.

  In the previous embodiments, it is also advantageous for the support to have at the rear, on the side opposite to that which is intended to be turned towards the user, a device for retaining a removable support card. information.

  In variants, the card retaining device is a slot formed in the support and intended for the insertion of an edge of the card, the slot being for example rounded along its length so that a card can be trapped under the action of its own elasticity, or the retaining device comprises a clamp.

  The invention also relates to a set of knife holders, comprising at least two knife holders as defined in the preceding paragraphs. It is then advantageous for the number of caps to be at least 5 less than the number of cap supports, and for the last cap to come from an open bottle when using the knife holders.

  Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge more clearly from the description which follows of exemplary embodiments, given with reference to the appended drawings in which: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a very simple example of support knife holder according to the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the knife holder according to the invention, comprising three improvements with respect to the knife holder of Figure 1; Figure 3 illustrates the use of a knife holder according to the invention used with chopsticks, in another variant of the invention; FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of a knife holder according to the invention, produced in goldsmith's work; Figure 5 is a very simple embodiment of the knife holder support according to the invention; Figures 6, 7, 8 and 9 each show other embodiments of the knife holder according to the invention; Figure 10 shows a variant of the knife holder support of Figure 9 having another characteristic according to the invention; Figures 11, 12, 13 and 14 show four embodiments of knife holder in which the plug is not in contact with the cutlery; FIG. 15 shows another embodiment of a knife holder according to the invention in which the stopper 35 is a screw cap for a whiskey bottle; and Figure 16 is a plan view of another multiple embodiment of a knife holder support according to the invention.

  The knife holder support shown in FIG. 1 simply comprises, in a rectangular parallelepiped, a hollow part in the form of a cylinder part of circular section and horizontal axis whose radius corresponds to that of an ordinary plug. It is easily noted that a plug can be placed on the support 10 shown in FIG. 1, in the hollow cylindrical part 12, and that the plug does not roll, because it is retained by the two stops formed by the two sides of the hollow part 12. It is then possible to place a cover on the stopper, as suggested in FIG. 3.

  The knife holder support of FIG. 2 has three improvements with respect to the support of FIG. 1. First, the cylindrical cavity is delimited at its two ends by stops 14 which prevent the plug from coming out. one side or the other. Then, the body has a front surface 16 inclined upward and forward so that it can carry all kinds of useful information, such as a name or an expression recalling an event, related to the meal during which is used the knife holder. Finally, a slot 18 disposed at the rear of the support makes it possible to slide the edge of a card which can carry other information, most often the name of the guest. Although this slot 18 is shown in horizontal form, it can be slightly inclined, so that the plane of the card carrying the information rises backwards, but without however being able to cut the knife, the chopsticks or other cover element placed on the cap. Furthermore, although the slot 18 is shown in rectilinear form, it can advantageously be slightly curved so that the card placed in the slot gets stuck therein under the action of its own elasticity.

  FIG. 3 shows how a knife holder, comprising a support corresponding to an intermediate variant 35 between the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 2 and a plug 20, is used to carry rods 22.

  The plug supports of Figures 1 to 3 can be formed of any convenient, relatively solid material which can be easily cleaned. We can cite not only various plastics but also wood, glass, crystal, various metals and metal alloys, etc. The knife holder support shown in Figure 5 4 is an example of refinement appreciated in gourmet meals. The support is formed from a precious metal, for example gold or silver, and its inclined front face bears an engraving, illustrating the place or the event linked to the meal in question. The plug housing cavity is serrated so that the plug is securely retained in position.

  In contrast to the embodiment of Figure 4, which can be a very expensive product, the embodiment of Figure 5 is extremely simple. It consists of a plate 24, two longitudinal sides of which form protrusions 26 rising relative to the body of the plate 24 to delimit two stopper retaining stops. Although the two projections 26 are shown as being perpendicular to the body of the plate 24, they can be inclined inwards or outwards, depending on their height. The essential characteristic is that the distance between the upper edges of projections 26 is less than or equal to the length of the cord of a sector of a circle having the radius of the plug and of height equal to the height 25 of projections 26.

  FIG. 6 represents another embodiment in which the support is in the form of a frame 28 which surrounds the plug 20 and practically prevents the latter from rolling, because at the distance between the two longitudinal sides of the frame 28 is practically equal to the diameter of the plug 20. The height of the frame 28 is greater than or equal to the radius of the plug. The cap clearly protrudes above the frame so that it supports cutlery or chopsticks. The impression formed on the stopper appears on the large part of the surface cleared at the top.

  However, it is also advantageous for the frame 28 to be formed from a transparent material, for example glass or crystal, allowing observation of the plug in its lower part.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 7, the knife holder has a support 30 simply formed by a U-shaped metal member on the branches of which the plug 20 rests.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 8, the plug is retained by two arches 32 connected by support bars on the table bearing the reference 34.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 9, a support 10 36 similar to that of FIG. 5 has at its ends two stops 38 intended to prevent the displacement of the plug towards the ends. In the example of FIG. 9, these stops 38 have the form of a letter of the alphabet, which can be suggestive of a name or of an event, or can be made up of any identifying symbol.

  FIG. 10 represents a support for a knife holder in a variant of FIG. 9. In the embodiment of FIG. 9, the stopper is retained by two projections, as in the embodiment of FIG. 5. 20 In the embodiment of Figure 10, the plug is retained because it is pressed on a needle 40 secured to a support 42 which carries the stops 38. In this embodiment, the plug is more difficult to separate from the door -knife only in the embodiment of Figure 25 9, and it is separated only for cleaning.

  In all the embodiments described above, the impression carried by the stopper is observed by the guest who has it. On the other hand, the drawback of all these embodiments is that the dirty cover is in contact with the plug. As the cork is normally made of cork, it can thus be soiled. If the cap is to be used only once, this soiling is not a drawback. However, if the plug must be able to be reused, it is desirable that it is not soiled. The following four embodiments prevent this fouling of the plug.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 11, the stopper has its cylindrical lateral surface covered with an envelope 44. This is represented as a simple curved transparent sheet which follows the shape of the stopper over approximately half of its periphery and has an internal diameter practically equal to the external diameter of the plug 20. The impression formed on the plug 20 is seen through the envelope 44, but the cutlery is placed on the envelope 44 which can be easily cleaned. In this way, the plug 20 is not soiled.

  FIG. 12 represents a variant of the embodiment of FIG. 11 in which the support 46 is not formed by bending as in the embodiment of FIG. 6, but by molding which leaves a cavity 48 in the form of a hollow cylinder of circular cross section slightly larger in diameter than that of the plug 20. In this way, the plug accessible at the ends of the support 46 can be rotated so that the impression carried by the plug appears through the material of the support 46 which is transparent.

  The supports of the two embodiments of FIGS. 11 and 12 are advantageously formed from a transparent material which, although it may be plastic, is advantageously glass or crystal.

  FIG. 13 shows another embodiment of a knife holder in which the plug 20 is contained in an envelope 50 of profiled shape so that it protects the plug 20 against contact with the cutlery while allowing the impression of the plug to appear. 20. The support 50 of the embodiment of FIG. 13 can therefore be formed from an opaque material. It is also noted in FIG. 13 that, by way of example, the two end cheeks form stops 52 which prevent the plug from coming out at one or the other end. The plug is introduced through the orifice formed in the lower part of the support 50.

  FIG. 14 shows another embodiment 35 similar to that of FIG. 9, in which contact between the cover and the stopper (not shown) is prevented by a bar 54 disposed between the two stops 38 disposed at the ends of the support 36 .

  In all the embodiments of FIGS. 11 to 14, the plug is not directly in contact with the cutlery and is therefore not soiled.

  It should however be noted that, in the embodiments described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10, it is possible to prevent the cork from becoming clogged by forming a transparent plastic coating protecting it and facilitating its cleaning.

  All the embodiments described so far 10 use a plug of ordinary elongated cylindrical shape, used for example for corking wine bottles. However, the invention is in no way limited to this type of plug.

  For example, certain embodiments can be used directly with champagne corks. For example, the embodiment of Figure 12 allows the arrangement of a champagne cork whose head protrudes at one end. It is furthermore easy to produce a knife holder support similar to that which is shown in FIG. 7 with a sufficient height so that it allows the housing of a champagne bottle stopper.

  In the case of screw caps, used for example for whiskey and other strong alcohols, it is preferable that the user sees, not the cylindrical surface, but the end surface of the cap. Figures 15 and 16 show other embodiments suitable for both normal caps and screw caps. In FIG. 15, it is noted that a support 56, having the characteristics described with reference to FIG. 2, but without the stops, 30 also has a cylindrical cavity with a vertical axis in which can be accommodated a screw cap 58 the lower part of which enters this cavity. The upper part projects above the support 56 and is visible. In this case, it may be advantageous to use the embodiment 35 shown in FIG. 16 in which the cavity 60 intended to accommodate a screw cap is placed at one end of a support 62, the rest of the support being able to be used to support cutlery or chopsticks. In the representation of FIG. 16, the presence of a cavity 64 similar to the cavity 12 of FIG. 1 has been indicated, and a slot 18 similar to that which has been described with reference to FIG. 2.

  A knife holder is rarely used alone. In general, it is available for each guest of a meal. It is therefore necessary to have a set of knife holders. The invention relates to such an assembly.

  In even gourmet meals, in general, the number of bottles consumed is less than the number of guests. It is however interesting that each guest has a cork, preferably indicating the wine he consumes. To this end, the invention therefore relates to a set of knife holders in which the number of supports is at least one unit greater than the number of plugs. In this way, the support or supports in excess of the caps are used with the caps of the bottles which have just been opened.

  Although a large number of different embodiments of knife holders according to the invention have been described, the latter is in no way limited to these embodiments since many other embodiments appear to those skilled in the art. The essential characteristics of these knife holders are the fact that they all have a stopper, and that this stopper can be arranged so that the guest who has the knife holder can read an inscription placed on the stopper, while having the knife holder function, without the inconvenience of the cap rolling and preferably without soiling the cap.

  Of course, various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art to knife holders and assemblies which have just been described solely by way of non-limiting example without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims (10)

  1. Knife holder, characterized in that it comprises: - a plug (20), and - a support (10, 28, 30, 36, 46, 50, 56, 62) of bou5 chon intended to prevent the plug roll and tilt into a cutlery support function.   2. Knife holder according to claim 1, characterized in that the function of the cover support is fulfilled by the plug (20), and the support comprises two stops paral10 leles to the longitudinal axis of the plug.   3. Knife holder according to claim 2, characterized in that the stops are formed by at least one element chosen from the group which comprises a plug housing in the form of a cylinder part (12) with a horizontal axis, a plate (24) with an upwardly projecting edge, a frame (28) which surrounds the plug at least on three sides, a U-shaped member (30), and stops (32) connected by at least one hoop ( 34) passing over the plug.   4. Knife holder according to claim 1, characterized in that the function of the cutlery support is fulfilled by the plug, and the plug support has a needle (40) which protrudes to penetrate the plug and thus prevent rotation. of it.   5. Knife holder according to claim 1, characterized in that the cutlery support function is fulfilled by the plug support (46, 50).   6. Knife holder according to claim 1, characterized in that the stopper support comprises a part (60) of cylinder of vertical axis intended to accommodate one end of the stopper whose longitudinal axis is then vertical.   7. Knife holder according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least one stop (14, 38, 52) placed on the support on at least one side of the plug (20) in the direction of the tudinal longi35 axis thereof.   8. Knife holder according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the support comprises, on the side intended to be turned towards the user and upwards, an extended surface (16) for information support.   9. Knife holder according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the support 5 has at the rear, on the side opposite that which is intended to be turned towards the user, a retaining device (18) a removable information carrier card.   10. Knife holder assembly, comprising at least two knife holders according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the number of plugs (20) is at least one unit less than the number of plug supports .