GB2572634A

GB2572634A - Cutlery holder

Info

Publication number: GB2572634A
Application number: GB1805724.0A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Olaniawo Olatunde
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2018-04-05
Filing date: 2018-04-05
Publication date: 2019-10-09
Anticipated expiration: 2038-04-05
Also published as: GB201805724D0; GB2572634B

Abstract

A table cutlery holder comprises a rack 1 with gaps 6 suitable to hold elongate cutlery in separate stacks that project from the rack through the gaps. The holder may comprise a support base 2 and the rack may be moveably mounted to the support base 2. The rack may comprise a part of U-form cross-section with at least one pair of correspondingly opposite gaps formed respectively in the two arms of the U such that an item of elongate cutlery can lie across the U resting in the pair of gaps, thus protruding beyond both arms. The support base comprises a part of U-shaped cross-section, wherein the cross-section is perpendicular to the U-shaped cross-section of the rack. The support base may comprise lips 7, 8 which may be sued to retain napkins in the support base. In use, the holder is positioned on a dining table adjacent at least one dining place.

Description

This invention relates to cutlery holders, e.g. for presenting cutlery sets in restaurants, hotels, home and eateries.

BACKGROUND

In such a case, when people are eating, a set of one each of spoon, fork and knife may be put on top of a serviette or napkin for each person sharing a table.

THE INVENTION

However, the present inventor has realised that this conventional practice of presenting cutlery on dining tables presents certain difficulties. The staff of the establishment need to change the cutlery set on the table each time a new course is served, and they may also need to change the serviettes or napkins when used. In situations where more than one set of cutlery is presented on the table to cater for the new course changes, each extra set of cutlery takes up much-needed space on the table and the presentation can look cumbersome, however artistically arranged. Additionally, the corresponding items of cutlery of the different sets are usually arranged side by side, taking up much space that could be needed, or at least preferably employed, for dishes, plates, table decorations and eating spaces. This makes it more difficult for those eating to manoeuvre tableware conveniently on the table, which detracts from the dining and eating experience. It also presents a hygiene problem because the cutlery sets are lying on the table and can fall or be brushed against by clothes or other external objects, and so on. Furthermore, some existing cutlery holders known to the inventor are one-size-fits-all, which causes a problem because there are different cutlery sizes and types.

One aspect of the invention consists in a table cutlery holder comprising a rack (or cradle) with gaps so that it is suitable to hold elongate cutlery (preferably, lying substantially horizontally) in separate stacks to project from the rack through the gaps.

Embodiments of the invention may have any one or more of the following further features:

• comprising a support base, and said rack mounted to the support base movably therealong and suitable to hold cutlery that is elongate in the direction of such movement.

• the rack comprises a part of U-form (e.g. with the arms of the U substantially vertical) with at least one pair of correspondingly opposite gaps formed in the two arms of the U such that an item of elongate cutlery can lie across the U resting in the pair of gaps so as to protrude beyond both arms.

• there are at least three of said pairs of gaps (e.g. suitable to support respectively knives, forks and spoons).

• the gaps of a said pair have a (vertical) depth along the respective arms of the U in a range of from 2 cm to 6 or even 8 cm (preferably from 3 cm to 5 cm) and/or are of the same depth as each other.

• the arms of the U at the gaps of a said pair are spaced apart by a distance in the range of from 5 cm to 10 cm. It is also possible for the rack to be constructed so that such a distance is changeable.

• the width of the gaps of a said pair is in a range of from 2 to 6 cm or from 1 cm to 4 cm.

• comprising a support base for the rack, in which the support base is shaped to accommodate at least one folded table napkin below the cutlery.

• said rack comprises a part of U-form cross-section and said base comprises a part of U-shaped cross-section (e.g. with the arms of either or both of the U-shapes substantially vertical) with the two cross-sections substantially perpendicular to each other.

• the support base is elongate in the direction of movement of the rack therealong.

• the support base has a lip in the region of one or each end able to act as a stop to help position a said napkin. (Preferably, the holder is shaped to provide a space above at least one end of the napkin to facilitate withdrawing the latter from the base.) • in combination with separate stacks of respective kinds of cutlery held by the holder.

• in combination with one or more napkins accommodated below the cutlery.

• positioned on a dining table adjacent at least one dining place.

• in combination with the dining table.

These features provide an embodiment of an adjustable cutlery holder.

Another aspect of the invention consists in a table cutlery holder comprising a support base, and a rack (or cradle) mounted to the support movably along the support and suitable to hold cutlery that is elongate in the direction of such movement.

Embodiments of the invention may have any one or more of the above or following further features:

• the support base is shaped to support at least one folded table napkin below the cutlery.

To solve the problems incurred by the aforesaid difficulties, the present inventor proposes, in a preferred embodiment, an adjustable cutlery holder unit with three pairs of cutlery-holding gaps, with each pair respectively able to store up to four each of a spoon, fork or knife stacked on top of one another, a sliding rack at the top of the holder providing these gaps and being movable along the base (i.e. adjustably positionable and preferably fixable along the length of the base) to adjust the configuration of the cutlery holder to the parameters of the cutlery, particularly the length and the position of the centre of gravity of the items of cutlery, a napkin holder capable of storing up to five napkins, a front and back lip to balance/support the items of cutlery (e.g. a long knife) and hold the napkins in place.

The cutlery-holding gaps are wide enough to hold any width of (e.g. standard, e.g. table) cutlery. Each pair can hold up to four each of a spoon, knife or fork stacked on top of one another.

The sliding rack on top is the main mechanism of the device (i.e. the cutlery holder) which allows it to be adjustable to fit the parameters of any cutlery. It sits on top of a base of the device and slides along the base part, e.g. using four locating means, e.g. spring plungers, fixed to the sliding rack to engage the base orfixed to the base to engage the rack, e.g. two on either side, to set and hold the sliding rack in a desired fixed position. For this purpose, the spring plungers may slide (with the rack) along grooves formed in the bottom (base) part of the unit (i.e. the cutlery holder) and snap into recesses in the grooves. Each locating means may be provided with a locking member, e.g. a threaded member (e.g. a nut), that can be tightened to fix or lock the plunger in a chosen recess. The locating means and/or locking means may operate otherwise than with a spring plunger mechanism.

The napkin holder is on the bottom part. Napkins will sit on the upper face of the bottom part of the device and are held in position by the front and back lips.

Embodiments can be in any colour or colours. The holder may have at least one area (e.g. such as area 52, Figure 4), preferably substantially flat, bearing, or suitable to have applied thereto, information, e.g. advertising matter, a trade mark or logo, the name of the eating establishment at which the holder is located, and so on, for which purpose the area is preferably a minimum of 3 cm x 3 cm, preferably at least 3 cm x 6 cm. such area may be on the base or the rack, preferably the base and preferably at the side thereof because this is more visible.

Embodiments may provide an adjustable cutlery holder unit with three cutlery-holding pairs of gaps, with each gap able to store up to four each of a spoon, fork and knife sitting on top of each other, a ground-breaking sliding top rack to adjust the position of the cutlery holder to the length of the cutlery, a napkin holder capable of storing up to five napkins, a front and back lip to balance the cutleries and hold the napkins in place. For example, cloth napkins may be folded to have a thickness of ¹Z> cm to 1½ cm. Such embodiments may also provide any one or more of:

• such an adjustable cutlery holder unit with a top sliding rack with at least four spring plungers that allows the adjustable position of the sliding rack to be set and fixed at a desired position;

• such an adjustable cutlery holder in which a groove on either side of the bottom part is utilised to move the top rack to a desired position before the spring plungers are used to secure that position;

• such an adjustable cutlery holder in which the gaps to hold the cutleries is big enough to hold any dimension of table cutleries;

• such an adjustable cutlery holder which has a bottom part that holds at least five neatly folded disposable napkins;

• such an adjustable cutlery holder unit which has a bottom part with two lips to balance the cutlery holder against the weight, length and width of cutleries and to hold folded napkins in place;

• such an adjustable cutlery holder which is any colour.

-3The rack is preferably sized (constructed and arranged) to hold at least three types of cutlery items; and in separate stacks, e.g spoons, knives and forks respectively.

The table cutlery holder can be used for eating and/or for serving.

The term cutlery is used herein as a general term to cover knives, forks, spoons, chopsticks or other elongate or typical eating implements. This excludes, for example, hands and plates.

It is preferred to have at least three gaps each side of the holder/rack/cradle. In an embodiment designed to accommodate at least three adjacent stacks of cutlery, and having respective gaps for these stacks, one gap between two others is made deeper than the two others, e.g. to be able to accommodate knives, since these normally have thicker handles than the thickness that needs to be allotted to forks or spoons, so that a stack of knives will be higher than a stack of the same number of forks or spoons.

Embodiments provide a cutlery holder, comprising a rack with gaps so that it is suitable to hold elongate cutlery (preferably, lying substantially horizontally) in separate stacks to project from the rack through the gaps. As exemplified in Figure 8, (the holding part of) the rack may have no inside but simply be like an upturned fork blade or a comb, e.g. being essentially a single sheet with gaps.

The holder is suitable (e.g. in configuration and/or size) to serve for a single place setting, or could be for two adjacent/neighbouring place settings (for adjacent/neighbouring diners), e.g for the holder to be located on a dining table between two adjacent diner places. This will mean that it has a capacity for a sufficient number of sets of cutlery for one set for each course of the meal for each place. It is envisaged that it could even be suitable for up to four diners, e.g. sitting round a relatively small table.

The rack is envisaged as being made of sheet metal or plastics sheet but could be made of wire, e.g. plastic-coated. It could be of steel sheet but is preferably of aluminium sheet or some other sheet that is soft compared with the steel of the usual all-steel kinds of cutlery so as not to mark or otherwise damage this.

While the illustrated embodiments show the rack as having as cross-section an upstanding U-shape, with two substantially vertical arms interconnected at the bottom, other arrangements or shapes may be suitable, e.g. an M-shape or a W-shape. One or both of said arms may be tilted to the vertical, or curved. The U-shape of the rack may be inverted, e.g. as seen Figure 8. The width of the U-shape, between the two vertical arms, may suitably be chosen to be substantially a single value within a range of from 5 cm to 10 cm, or may vary within this range. The width of the gaps through which cutlery is to project may suitably be chosen to be substantially a single value within a range of from 3 cm to 5 cm, or may vary within this range. Edges of the rack defining the gaps may be substantially vertical and/or substantially inclined to the vertical. Such edges may be lined/covered, e.g. with a material softer than the usual or intended cutlery (e.g. of steel), e.g. of plastics or aluminium, again to protect the cutlery from marking or other damage.

As exemplified in the illustrated embodiments, the rack may not be the sole support for the cutlery, or some of it, but the cutlery may rest partly on the base, and or on a napkin, beyond the rack.

Lips at one or both ends of the base may be provided, e.g. to help position the napkins and/or cutlery. The shape of the base preferably has at least one cutout adjacent a said lip to facilitate lifting a napkin out of the base. The base may also be considered to have a U-shape of which the upright arms are the sides of the base and (as exemplified in Figure 1) define grooves 5 and 12, the crosspiece of the U being the face 9.

Locating all of the handles at one end facilitates picking items of cutlery without touching the tool part of vertically or horizontally neighbouring items.

PARTICULAR EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cutlery holder embodiment of the invention, which shows the sliding rack 1 as the top part of the unit 1, 2, the gaps 6 to hold sets of cutlery, 20, 21, 22, two spring plungers 3, 4 and a groove to adjust the position of the top rack 1 (like plungers and groove are provided on the opposite side, not seen in this Figure), the bottom part 2 of the cutlery holder 1,2, the front lip 7 and back lip 8;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the top rack 1 with its four spring plungers 3, 4,10,11 and six gaps 6 to store and hold cutlery;

-4Figure 3 is a perspective partial view, from almost the same point of view as Figure 2, of the bottom (base) part 2, showing its upper napkin-bearing face 9, grooves 5,12 for sliding and front lip 7;

Figures 4 and 5 are further perspective views (given additionally to aid an understanding of how the embodiment works) from the opposite side to Figures 1, 2 and 3 (as can be seen for example by the position of groove 5, which is nearer to front lip 7 than to back lip 8);

Figures 6 and 7 are perspective views from the same side as Figures 1,2 and 3, the views respectively showing the cutlery holder unloaded and loaded with napkins 23 and four sets of cutlery 20,21,22; and

Figures 8 and 9 are schematic perspective views, taken from a viewpoint similar to that of Figure 4, but somewhat higher, of two further configurations embodying the invention, with the rack 1 movable in the directions of arrow 100 on base 2, similarly to the embodiments of the earlier Figures. For simplicity and clarity, locating and locking means such as 3, 4, 51 of Figure 1, though present, are not shown in these Figures.

Referring to the drawings, identical references in the same Figure or different Figures refer to the same item or items that are identical or similar or have similar functions, and references with the same first one or two digits in some cases refer to items that are identical or similar or have similar (or related) functions.

Referring to the Figures, more particularly Figure 1, the sliding rack 1 is the top part 1 of the holder or device 1,2. On it are the cutlery gaps 6 for storing sets of cutlery and two spring plungers 3 and 4. The bottom (base) part 2 is attached to the top rack through the horizontal edges of the grooves 5 holding captive the spring plungers 3 and 4 of the top rack 1 which are also utilised for changing the position of the top sliding rack 1 and fixing this in position. The front lip 7 and the back lip 8 are utilised when items of cutlery 20, 21, 22 are stored on it to give the device balance (both aesthetically and possibly partly to support at least some of the items of cutlery, e.g. spoons 20, knives 21 and/or forks 22) and they are also used to control the position of the napkins 23 on the bottom part 2 (so as to lie snugly between lips 7 and 8). The sliding rack 1 can move from a 'starting' position (as shown in Figures 1 and 6) to the middle of the device 1,2 (as shown in Figures 5 and 7) in order to balance the device against the weight, width and height/length of different items of cutlery and aesthetically.

Figure 2 shows a clearer, enlarged view of the sliding rack 1 which highlights the six cutlery gaps 6 (not shown as deep vertically as in the Figure 1 arrangement, as a possible variant embodiment) and the spring plungers 3, 4 on the left side and spring plungers 10, 11 on the right side. The two gaps of each pair of gaps 6, e.g. 61, 62, formed in opposite arms of the U shape of rack 1, cooperate to provide at least partial support for an item of cutlery, e.g. as seen in Figure/.

Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the bottom part 2, showing the upper face 9 upon which the napkins sit and the front lip 7 which helps to balance the device against the weight, height and length of the set of cutlery loaded onto it. There is a groove 5 and another groove 12, one on either side of the bottom part 2.

There may thus be provided an adjustable cutlery holder 1, 2 with three cutlery-holding pairs of gaps 6, with each gap pair, such as 61, 62, storing up to four each of a spoon, fork or knife respectively, sitting on top of each other in a stack, an innovative sliding top rack 1 to adjust the position of the cutlery holder to the length etc of the cutlery with (the top and bottom sides of) the grooves 5,12 engaging positioning and locking means 3, 4,10,11 to guide the sliding rack 1 (and allowing it to be held captive to base 2), said means being exemplified as four spring plungers 3, 4, 10, 11 to hold and set the sliding rack 1 to an arbitrary desired fixed position, a napkin holder upward face 9 capable of storing up to five napkins, a front and back lip 7,8 to balance the cutlery dimensions against the cutlery holder and hold the napkins in place.

In use, the rack 1 is adjusted by sliding it longitudinally along the base part 2 until it is in the desired position and its spring-loaded plungers 3, 4,10,11 snap into corresponding locating recesses 51,121 in grooves 5 and 12 respectively, where their nuts 31, 41 and 101, 111 are tightened to fix the rack 1 in position on base part 2. Folded napkins 13 (e.g. one for each course of the meal) are placed on face 9 of base part 2, below rack 1, which is then loaded with cutlery 14. This cutlery 14, for example, consists of a set comprising a knife, fork and spoon for each course of the meal, all these sets being loaded concurrently into rack 1 together with the napkins 13onface9. Thisisforonedinerandthereisprovidedsimilariyforeachdineraloadedcutleryholderl, 2. This obviates the need to have multiple sets of cutlery, one outside another in directions radiating from the plate position, as is conventional, and thus saves a lot of space on the table 30.

Many variations of the invention and embodiments herein described will be apparent to people skilled in the art. For example, features of the different embodiments disclosed herein may be omitted, selected, combined or exchanged in order to form further embodiments. Again, where a preference or particularisation is stated, there is implicit the possibility of its negative, i.e. a case in

-5which that preference or particularisation is absent. The invention is considered to extend to any new and inventive embodiments formed by said variations, further embodiments and cases.

Claims

1. A table cutlery holder, comprising a rack with gaps so that it is suitable to hold elongate cutlery in separate stacks to project from the rack through the gaps.

2. A holder as claimed in claim 1, comprising a support base, said rack being mounted to the support base movably therealong and suitable to hold cutlery that is elongate in the direction of such movement.

3. A holder as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the rack comprises a part of U-form with at least one pair of correspondingly opposite gaps formed respectively in the two arms of the U such that an item of elongate cutlery can lie across the U resting in the pair of gaps so as to protrude beyond both arms.

4. A holder as claimed in claim 3, in which there are at least three of said pairs of gaps.

5. A holder as claimed in claim 3 or 4, in which the gaps of a said pair have a depth along the respective arms of the U in a range of from 2 cm to 8 cm.

6. A holder as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 5, in which the arms of the U at the gaps of a said pair are spaced apart by a distance in the range of from 5 cm to 10 cm.

7. A holder as claimed in claim 6, in which the width of the gaps of a said pair is in a range of from 2 to 6 cm.

8. A holder as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising a support base for the rack, in which the support base is shaped to accommodate at least one folded table napkin below the cutlery.

9. A holder as claimed in claim 8, in which said rack comprises a part of U-form cross-section and said base comprises a part of U-shaped cross-section with the two cross-sections substantially perpendicular to each other.

10. A holder as claimed in claim 2 or any other claim appendant thereto, in which the support base is elongate in the direction of movement of the rack therealong.

11. A holder as claimed in claim 10, in which the support base has a lip in the region of one or each end able to act as a stop to help position a said napkin.

12. A holder as claimed in any preceding claim, in combination with separate stacks of respective kinds of cutlery held by the holder.

13. A holder as claimed in claim 12, in combination with one or more napkins accommodated below the cutlery.

14. A holder as claimed in claim 12 or 13, positioned on a dining table adjacent at least one dining place.

15. A holder as claimed in claim 14, in combination with the dining table.