US2675289A

US2675289A - Combination basket and pie rack

Info

Publication number: US2675289A
Application number: US270929A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harland W Whitmore
Original assignee: Motor Products Corp
Current assignee: Motor Products Corp
Priority date: 1952-02-11
Filing date: 1952-02-11
Publication date: 1954-04-13
Anticipated expiration: 1971-04-13

Description

April 13, 1954 H. w. WHITMORE 2,675,289

COMBINATION BASKET AND PIE RACK Filed Feb. 11, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l RT. E 24 April 3, 1954 H. w. WHITMORE 2,675,289

COMBINATION BASKET AND PIE RACK Filed Feb. 11, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 TIE: 4 1:22:22? 23 r H a? ,1

IN VEN TOR.

Patented Apr. 13, 1954 COMBINATION BASKET AND PIE RACK Harland W. Whitmore, Kenosha, Wis., assignor to Motor Products Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of New York Application February 11, 1952, Serial N 0. 270,929

7 Claims. (Cl. 312--213) This invention relates generally to article ho1ding containers, and refers more particularly to improvements in wire baskets of the type used, for example to support articles within a cabinet.

One use for wire baskets embodying the features of this invention is in connection with home freezer where it is advantageous to compactly arrange a wide variety of food articles, and at the same time, provide easy access to the articles. A wire basket constructed in accordance with this invention may be supported within a home freezer cabinet for sliding movement to different positions so that articles contained within the cabinet below the basket may be conveniently reached. Also the interior of the basket is divided into separate top and bottom storage spaces by a shelf or rack removably supported within the basket substantially midway between the top and bottom of the basket. In addition the top of the basket is open enabling insertionof the shelf into and removal of the shelf from the basket. Also one side of the basket is open throughout its area permitting easy acces to both of the storage spaces in the basket while the latter is supported within the cabinet.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a closure for the open side of the basket in the form of a wall of open Wire mesh construction having the top edge hingedly supported on the basket for outward swinging movement, and having means engageable with latch means on the basket to hold the closure against accidental movement from its closed position.

The foregoing as well as other objects will be made more apparent as this description proceeds, especially when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a semidiagrammatic top plan view of a home freezer cabinet showing my improved basket in assembled relation therewith;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the basket;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the basket shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an end elevational view of the basket shown in Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a top plan view of a removable shelf or rack for the basket;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6--G of Figure 5;

Figure '7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the latch means associated with the basket;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary sectional view of the basket showing the shelf or rack in place, and

Figure 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of one corner of the basket.

Upon reference to Figure l of the drawings, it will be noted that the numeral H3 designates a cabinet of the type commonly used for home freezers and the numeral Ii indicates a storage container in the form of a wire basket The top of the cabinet is open for substantially the full area of the cabinet to provide acces to the in terior of the cabinet and the basket 1! is supported within the cabinet for sliding movement in the direction of length of the cabinet. For this purpose a pair of guide rails 12 are respectively secured to the inner surfaces of opposite side walls of the cabinet and parts of the basket at opposite sides thereof seat on the rails. The rails 62 are usually located near the open top of the cabinet, and the depth of the basket II is preferably considerably less than the depth of the cabinet so that a storage area of generous pro portions is provided below the basket. The arrangement is such that articles occupying the storage space directly below the basket i may be conveniently reached by merely sliding the basket i l along the rails ii.

The basket 5 i has one side it completely open and comprises a bottom wall M, a rectangular bordering frame 5 at the top, a side wall it opposite the open side it, and connecting or end walls 17. The open side I3 is normally closed by a wall It having its top edge hingedly connected to the frame l5 for outward swinging movement. All of the walls of the basket are of a wire open mesh construction in order to enable free circulation of air through the basket and this is especially important in instances where the basket is used for the purpose of storing articles within a refrigerator or home freezer cabinet.

Each of the walls of the basket are formed of a number of strands of wire spaced laterally from each other to provide opening of substantial area and the wire strands are welded or otherwise permanently connected to form a strong, durable structure. Also the bottom wall it, sid wall [5 and end walls H are connected together and to the frame 1'5 in a manner to provide an integral structure possessing substantial stability.

The frame I5 at the top of the basket has a side bar It which extends along the side wall it of the basket and is welded or otherwise secured to the wire strands forming this side wall. The opposite ends of the side frame bar it are respectively integrally connected to end bars 29 which extend along the end walls H, and are welded or otherwise secured to the wire strands forming the end walls ll. As shown in Figures 2, 8 and 9 of thedrawings the end. frame bars 20 are spaced laterally outwardly from the adja-- cent end walls I! of the basket I I and the upper ends of the wires forming the end walls ii are bent laterally outwardly to enable welding or joining the same to the end frame bars 29. The construction is such that the end frame bars 29 form seats at the top of the basket for engagement with the guide rails I2 in the. cabinet it.

The frame I5 also has a sidebar H which extends along the open side It of the basket Ii at the top of the latter, and is welded or otherwise secured to the upper endsotthe wire-strands 22 forming the closure or hinged wall it. The

opposite ends of the bar 2 I'pro-ject through openenable outward swinging movement ofthe closure.

or wall It. Suitable enlargements 23 are provided on the extremities of the bar at at th'e outer sides of the end bars 2t, and projections 24. areformed' on the bar H at the inner sides of the end bars 22 to hold the. closure or wall it in proper relationship to the open side of the basket; Also as shown in Figure 4 of the drawings the ends of the frame bars engaged by the hinge bar 2| are. ofisetupwardly with respect to the remainder of the bars 20inorder to provide a clearance between the hinge bar 2| and the rails; I2 when the basket II is supported within the cabinet.

It will: be noted, from the foregoing that when the basket. II is supported in the cabinet in on the-rails I2, the open side iiland hinged closure or wall I6 assume positions enabling the wall it to be swung to its open position while the basket is supported 011317116 rails l2. Thus the basket II may be loaded and unloaded without removing the same from the cabinet 28. It will also be noted that the hinged connection betw en the wall or closure, I 6' and basket enables swinging the closuretc-a position where it overlies the top of the basket, and is thereby held in. its open position while articles are inserted into or removed: from the basket.

It will further be noted from Figure 4 of the drawing that therbottom wall- I4 of the basket terminates short of, the hinged closure or wall I6, and that theresulting space is closed by an extension projecting laterally inwardly from thebottom edge of the wall IS. The extension 25 forms a continuation of the bottom wall I 4 of the basket I I in the closedposition of the wall i 6,, and is formed by turning the bottom portions of the wires 22 laterally inwardly as at 25. As shown in Figure 2, the extremities of the inturnecl portions 25 of. the wires 22 are connected by a 'cross wire 2! which abuts the adjacent side of the bottom wall I4 in the closed position of the wall I6. Thus the access opening actually extends for a short distance along the bottom of the basket and unloading as well as loading of the basket is facilitated.

The wall I6 is held in its closed position by a U-shaped. latch member 23 positioned midway between, the end walls i!v and having the leg portions. 29 welded or otherwise secured to laterally spaced wires forming a part of the bottom wall I of the, basket. The base, portion t l of the u-shaped latch member 28 is spaced laterally outwardly from the cross wire 2? and the leg portions 29 adjacent the base 30 are bent to form spring clips 3!. The clips 3! are fashioned to frictionally engagethe wire- 21- as the closure or hinged wall I5" is swung to its closed position, and, are. shaped to. effectively latch the wall :6

.in its; closed position. Also the design of the clips 4 3I is such that the clips are released from the cross wire 21 in response to a force exerted in an outward direction on the bottom of the wall It.

The interior of the basket is divided into top and bottom storage spaces by a wire rack or shelf 32 having a rectangular bordering frame 33. The rack or shelf32j; is insertable into and: removable from the basket II through the topframe I5 of the basket, and is removably supported in the basket on lengths of wire 35 which extend along the, end walls, III midway between the top and bottom walls of the basket. As shown in Figures 5 and'6rof the drawings, the shelf 32 has looped crosswires 36 welded at the opposite ends to the adjacentside bars 31' of the frame 33, and has longitudinally. extending laterally spaced wires 38 welded to the cross wires 36. ends ofthe wires 38 extend beyond the end bars 39 of the frame 33, and; are fashioned to provide downwardly directed hooks til. The hooks 40 are positioned torespectively engage the, wires 35, extending along. the end walls ll of the basket and coact with the latter wires 3-5 to. removably support the shelf 32 on the basket. The shelf frame 33 is smaller than the frame I5 and. hence may be readily inserted into and. removed from the basket II. through-the top of the latter..

When the rack or shelf 32 is. in assembled re lationship with 'the basket, the storage spaces provided in the basket above and below the shelf are accessible through the open side I3 of the basket in the open. position of the closure I6.

The use of the rack or shelf 32 is especially ad'- vantageous in instances where; it is desired to store such food articles as cakes and pies In this connection itwill be noted that food articles such as cakes and pies. may be stored within the basket without danger of bumping or otherwise disturbing the articles when loading or unloading the cabinet. Also the food articles stored within the basket may be conveniently inserted into or removed from either or both the storage spaces through the open side of the basket without removing the latter from the cabinet.

What I claim. as; my invention is:

l. A. container for supporting articles. in a cabinet, comprising a, wire basket open at one side and having a bottom wall terminating. short of the open side thereof, a side wall opposite the open side and connecting walls atopposite ends of the side wall, a closure for the open side of the basket in the form of a wall spaced laterally outwardly from the. open side. of the basket and hingedly connected at. its top edge to the basket for upward swinging movement, and a wire extension projectin laterally inwardly from the bottom edge of the closure and forming a continuation of the bottom wall in the closed position of the closure.

2. The container defined in claim 1 having a spring catch for releasably latching the closure in its closed position.

A container for. supporting articles in a cabmet, comprising an open mesh wire baskethavmg one sidev open and having a bottom wall, a side wall opposite the open side, and. end walls, supporting bars respectively extending along the end walls at the top of the basket and projecting beyond the open side of the basket, and bars spaced laterally outwardly from and respectively connected to the end walls providing supports for slidably engaging laterally spaced guides, a closure for the open side of the basket and having a side wall spaced laterally outwardly from the open side of said basket,-said closure having The opposite a bottom wall extending laterally inwardly from the side wall thereof and forming a continuation of the bottom wall of the basket in the closed position of said closure, and means hingedly connecting the top of the side closure wall to the projecting ends of the supporting bars of the frame permitting upward swinging movement of the closure to a position in overlying relationship to the top of the basket.

4. The container defined in claim 3 wherein the closure is of open wire mesh construction and has a bar at the inner side of the bottom wall arranged to abut the adjacent side of the bottom wall of said basket.

5. The container defined in claim 4 comprising a spring catch supported by one of said bottom walls for engagement with the other to hold the closure in its closed position.

6. A container for supporting articles in a cabinet, comprising an open mesh wire basket open at the top and at one side, said basket havin end walls, a side wall opposite the open side and a bottom wall terminating short of the open side of the basket, a wire mesh closure for the open side of the basket and having a wall spaced laterally outwardly from the open side of the basket, said closure wall having an extension projecting laterally inwardly from the bottom edge thereof and forming a continuation of the bottom wall of the basket, means hingedly connecting the top of the closure wall to the end walls of the basket permitting upward swinging movement of the closure to its open position, a shelf insertable into and removable from the basket through the open top of the basket in the closed positionof the closure, and means removably supporting said shelf on the end walls of the basket.

'7. The structure defined in claim 6 wherein the shelf supporting means comprises lengths of wire secured to the end walls between the top and bottom of the basket, and projections on said shelf seated on the lengths of wire.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,009,451 Subert Nov. 21, 1911 1,073,138 Jones Sept. 16, 1913 1,904,297 Saunders Apr. 18, 1933 1,995,399 Reedy et al Mar. 26, 1935 2,315,595 Chappory Apr. 6, 1943 2,477,853 Baird Aug. 2, 1949