Patent Application
20250064293
The present invention relates to a combination drying mat, rack and storage container.
Dish drying racks are well known articles of manufacture, which provide an area to dry and store various types of kitchenware, such as plates, bowls, glasses, utensils, etc. Generally, a dish drying rack includes a base and a plurality of drainage slots arranged to hold and dry kitchenware. Similarly, dish drying rack usually are placed on a dish drying mat which provides an area to dry and store various types of kitchenware. Over the years, many devices have been developed to make the process of cleaning and drying dishes more efficient. Automatic, electric dishwasher appliances are well known, but expensive, and not affordable by everyone. Therefore, there is a continuing need for improved devices and methods for the manual washing and drying of dishes, flatware, cookware, and the like.
After being washed, dishes are usually placed in a drying rack on a countertop adjacent to a sink to expedite the air-drying process. A problem with prior dish drying racks is that some require the use of a towel underneath the rack to prevent water runoff from accumulating on the counter and subsequent spilling over onto the floor. An example of a dish drying rack which solves the aforementioned problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,907,453, filed Dec. 22, 2015, which patent is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Many versions of dish drying racks include containers arranged for holding utensils. These containers typically include drainage apertures arranged within a floor of the container to allow the water to exit the container. An example of this type of container is illustrated in U.S. Design Patent No. D897,063, filed Apr. 16, 2019.
Thus, there is a long-felt need for a combination drying mat, rack and storage container where the drying rack is arranged to be substantially collapsed within the container and also secured at least partially within the container, where the rack and container combination is arranged to be removably seated on a drying mat, wherein the mat may be collapsed and secured substantially proximate the container.
Generally, the present invention comprises a combination drying mat, rack and storage container, where the rack and storage container are arranged to be removably engaged to the mat, the container having a pivotably secured rack attached thereto and a pivotably attached flexible band attached thereto, where the rack is arranged to be moved and/or pivoted at least partially within the container, where the band is arranged to pivot and substantially secure the rack at least partially within the container, and wherein the mat may be folded and substantially secured proximate the container via the band—allowing the aforementioned present invention to be configured in either an expanded or collapsed arrangement. By providing a pivoting flexible band, foldable mat, and a pivoting rack, the assembly may be collapsed for transport or to accommodate easy cleaning of a counter top proximate or underneath the device.
According to aspects illustrated herein, there is provided a combination drying
mat, rack and storage container, having a mat having a raised attachment wall extending therefrom, a container having an outer wall arranged to removably accept the raised attachment wall therein, and a rack pivotably secured to the container and arranged to move between a first position wherein the rack is resting upon the mat and a second position wherein the rack is tucked at least partially into an area within the container.
In some arrangements, the aforementioned combination drying mat, rack and storage container may further include a flexible band pivotably attached to the container, wherein the band is arranged to pivot and substantially secure the rack in the second position. In a first position the flexible band tightly contacts an outer wall of the container, whereas in a second position it may be stretched to create a space between the band and the outer wall of the container.
In further arrangements the aforementioned mat of the combination drying mat, rack and storage container is arranged to move between a first position wherein the mat is extending away from the container and a second position wherein the mat is folded proximate the rack when the rack is in the first position of the rack, where the aforementioned band may be arranged to pivot and substantially secure the mat in the second position of the mat.
In other embodiments and according to aspects illustrated herein, there is provided a combination drying mat, rack and storage container comprising a container having an outer wall, a rack pivotably secured to the container and arranged to move between a first position wherein the rack is resting upon the mat and a second position wherein the rack is tucked at least partially into an area within the container, and a flexible band pivotably attached to the container, wherein the band is arranged to pivot and substantially secure the rack in the second position.
In some embodiments, the aforementioned combination drying mat, rack and storage container further includes a mat having a raised attachment wall extending therefrom, wherein the outer wall of the container is arranged to removably accept the raised attachment wall therein.
In further embodiments, the aforementioned mat of the combination drying mat, rack and storage container is arranged to move between a first position wherein the mat is extending away from the container and a second position wherein the mat is folded proximate the rack when the rack is in the first position of the rack, where the band may be further arranged to pivot and substantially secure the mat in the second position of the mat.
In some configurations and according to aspects illustrated herein, there is provided a combination drying mat, rack and storage container comprising a mat having a raised attachment wall extending therefrom, a container having an outer wall arranged to removably accept the raised attachment wall therein, a rack pivotably secured to the container and arranged to move between a first position wherein the rack is resting upon the mat and a second position wherein the rack is tucked at least partially into an area within the container, and a flexible band pivotably attached to the container, wherein the band is arranged to pivot and substantially secure the rack in the second position.
As such, a general object of the present invention is to provide a combination drying mat, rack and storage container that may be arranged in an expanded configuration for use and a collapsed configuration for: storage, transport, and/or shipping.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent upon a review of the following detailed description of the invention, in view of the drawings and appended claims.
Various embodiments are disclosed, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings in which corresponding reference symbols indicate corresponding parts, in which:
At the outset, it should be appreciated that like drawing numbers on different drawing views identify identical, or functionally similar, structural elements. It is to be understood that the claims are not limited to the disclosed aspects.
Furthermore, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the particular methodology, materials and modifications described and as such may, of course, vary. It is also understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims. Those in the art will understand that any suitable material, now known, or hereafter developed, may be used in forming the present invention described herein.
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. It should be understood that any methods, devices or materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the example embodiments.
It should be noted that the terms “including”, “includes”, “having”, “has”, “contains”, and/or “containing”, should be interpreted as being substantially synonymous with the terms “comprising” and/or “comprises”.
It should be appreciated that the term “substantially” is synonymous with terms such as “nearly,” “very nearly,” “about,” “approximately,” “around,” “bordering on,” “close to,” “essentially,” “in the neighborhood of,” “in the vicinity of,” etc., and such terms may be used interchangeably as appearing in the specification and claims. It should be appreciated that the term “proximate” is synonymous with terms such as “nearby,” “close,” “adjacent,” “neighboring,” “immediate,” “adjoining,” etc., and such terms may be used interchangeably as appearing in the specification and claims. The term “approximately” is intended to mean values within ten percent of the specified value.
It should be understood that use of “or” in the present application is with respect to a “non-exclusive” arrangement, unless stated otherwise. For example, when saying that “item x is A or B,” it is understood that this can mean one of the following: (1) item x is only one or the other of A and B; (2) item x is both A and B. Alternately stated, the word “or” is not used to define an “exclusive or” arrangement. For example, an “exclusive or” arrangement for the statement “item x is A or B” would require that x can be only one of A and B. Furthermore, as used herein, “and/or” is intended to mean a grammatical conjunction used to indicate that one or more of the elements or conditions recited may be included or occur. For example, a device comprising a first element, a second element and/or a third element, is intended to be construed as any one of the following structural arrangements: a device comprising a first element; a device comprising a second element; a device comprising a third element; a device comprising a first element and a second element; a device comprising a first element and a third element; a device comprising a first element, a second element and a third element; or, a device comprising a second element and a third element.
Moreover, as used herein, the phrases “comprises at least one of” and “comprising at least one of” in combination with a system or element is intended to mean that the system or element includes one or more of the elements listed after the phrase. For example, a device comprising at least one of: a first element; a second element; and, a third element, is intended to be construed as any one of the following structural arrangements: a device comprising a first element; a device comprising a second element; a device comprising a third element; a device comprising a first element and a second element; a device comprising a first element and a third element; a device comprising a first element, a second element and a third element; or, a device comprising a second element and a third element. A similar interpretation is intended when the phrase “used in at least one of: ” is used herein. Furthermore, as used herein, “and/or” is intended to mean a grammatical conjunction used to indicate that one or more of the elements or conditions recited may be included or occur. For example, a device comprising a first element, a second element and/or a third element, is intended to be construed as any one of the following structural arrangements: a device comprising a first element; a device comprising a second element; a device comprising a third element; a device comprising a first element and a second element; a device comprising a first element and a third element; a device comprising a first element, a second element and a third element; or, a device comprising a second element and a third element. A similar interpretation is intended when the phrase “used in at least one of: ” or “one of: ” is used herein.
Furthermore, as used herein, “and/or” is intended to mean a grammatical conjunction used to indicate that one or more of the elements or conditions recited may be included or occur. For example, a device comprising a first element, a second element and/or a third element, is intended to be construed as any one of the following structural arrangements: a device comprising a first element; a device comprising a second element; a device comprising a third element; a device comprising a first element and a second element; a device comprising a first element and a third element; a device comprising a first element, a second element and a third element; or, a device comprising a second element and a third element.
The terms “distal” or “distally” are intended to be exemplary directional terms and should be interpreted to mean that a first component is arranged away from a second component. Likewise, the terms “proximal” or “proximally” are intended to be exemplary directional terms and should be interpreted to mean that a first component is arranged close to a second component.
Adverting now to the figures, the following description should be taken in view of
In some arrangements, mat 10 has bottom surface 14a and top surface 14b, where plurality of ridges 12 extend outwardly from top surface 14b. Mat 10 includes first scam 10a and second seam 10b, which define folding points of mat 10, thereby allowing mat 10 to fold into the collapsed configuration of combination assembly 100 shown in
In some embodiments, container 20 of combination assembly 100 may comprise outer wall 22, floor 24, and partitions 22a through 22d, which are connected to at least one of outer wall 22 and floor 24. First partition 22a and second partition 22b are at least partially connected to floor 24, thereby forming slots 22f and 22g, respectively. First slot 22f and second slot 22g are essentially drainage apertures. It should be appreciated that a different number and shape of drainage slots/apertures could be used, i.e., slot 22f and/or slot 22g could have multiple “sub-slots” therein. Thus, floor 24 could also have a plurality of drainage apertures arranged therein. Container 20 may be configured to have at least one internal compartment, e.g., internal compartments 20a through 20c. In a preferred embodiment, container 20 includes three internal compartments, first internal compartment 20a, second internal compartment 20b, and third internal compartment 20c. First internal compartment 20a is formed by outer wall 22, floor 24, first partition 22a and third partition 22c, such that first internal compartment 20a has five (5) substantially closed walls defining an internal space and an open end arranged distally in relation to floor 24. Second internal compartment 20b is formed by outer wall 22, floor 24, second partition 22b, third partition 22c, and fourth partition 22d, that second internal compartment 20bhas five (5) substantially closed walls defining an internal space and an open end arranged distally in relation to floor 24. Third internal compartment 20c is formed by outer wall 22, floor 24, second partition 22b, and fourth partition 22d, that third internal compartment 20c has five (5) substantially closed walls defining an internal space and an open end arranged distally in relation to floor 24. In a preferred embodiment, first slot 24f is in communication with first internal compartment 20a and second slot 24g is in communication with second internal compartment 20b and third internal compartment 20c. Obviously, the container could have a different number of internal compartments of various shapes and dimensions.
In a preferred arrangement, rack 30 and band 40 are pivotably connected to container 20. In one possible arrangement, first protrusion 26a and second protrusion 20b extend from an inner surface of outer wall 22. First protrusion 26a and second protrusion 20b arranged to engage “looped ends” of rack 30 (discussed further, infra), such that the respective looped ends of rack 30 may rotate/pivot about protrusions 20a and 20b. In other embodiments, third protrusion 26c and fourth protrusion 26d extend from the inner surface of outer wall 22 and arranged distally in relation to first and second protrusions 26a and 26b, respectively (i.e., protrusions 26c and 26d are arranged farther away from first partition 22a and second partition 22b than first protrusion 26a and second protrusion 20b). Third protrusion 26c and fourth protrusion 26d are arranged to act as rotation-limiting members, such that when rack 30 is pivoted in an expanded configuration (as shown in
In some embodiments, first outer protrusion 42a and second outer protrusion 42b extend from an outer surface of outer wall 22 of container 20. Band 40 is pivotably secured, proximate respective ends, to first outer protrusion 42a and second outer protrusion 42b, respectively. First outer protrusion 42a and second outer protrusion 42b may each include two portions, a first portion which extends from outer wall 22 and having a first diameter, and a second portion extending from the first portion having a second diameter, where the second diameter is greater than the first diameter. Preferably, band 40 is arranged on the respective first portions of first outer protrusion 42a and second outer protrusion 42b, and substantially held thereon via the respective second portions of first outer protrusion 42a and second outer protrusion 42b. In a preferred embodiment, band 40 is flexible and expandable, such that it may be stretched when a force is imparted thereon and recoils to its original length/size when the force is removed. That is, in a first state it is contracted and in contact with the outer wall of the container, but in a second state it can be expanded to create a space between the inner surface of the band and the outer surface of the container, and, in this expanded state, it can actually pivot/rotate in an arc completely above the top of the container, into a new position which accommodate holding the folded mat and rack in place partially within the container. As such, band 40 may be comprised of a rubber-like material, or like-alternatives, as those in the art will understand that any suitable material, now known or hereafter developed, may be used in forming band 40.
Combination assembly 100, discussed supra, may be configured in an expanded position, as shown in
The following description should be taken in view of the aforementioned figures and
When viewing container 20 from below (removed from mat 10), as shown in
The following description is primarily illustrated in
In a preferred embodiment, shown in
The following description should be taken in view of the aforementioned figures and specifically
In a preferred embodiment, rack 30 includes U-shaped frame 30a, first loop 32a and second loop 32b arranged at respective ends of U-shaped frame 30a, plurality of transverse members 36, and connecting member 34, where plurality of transverse members 36 and connecting member 34 collectively form a first plurality of slots comprising slots 37a-37e and second plurality of slots comprising slots 39a-39e. Slots 37a-37e and 39a-39e are spaces between transverse members 36a-36f, connecting member 34 and at least one of longitudinal members 30b and 30c. e.g., slot 37a is defined by the space between transverse members 36a and 36b, connecting member 34 and first longitudinal member 30b, slot 39a is slot 37a is defined by the space between transverse members 36a and 36b, connecting member 34 and second longitudinal member 30c. U-shaped frame 30a may include first longitudinal member 30b having first loop 32a disposed at a first end and first bend 30e disposed at a second end, and second longitudinal member 30c having second loop 32b disposed at a first end and second bend 30f disposed at a second end. First bend 30e and second bend 30f are connected to cross member 30d. Plurality of transverse members includes transverse members 36a-36f, where each of transverse members 36a-36f includes a first end connected to first longitudinal member 30b and a second end connected to second longitudinal member 30c. Preferably, each of transverse members 36a-36f are equally spaced in parallel fashion with respect to an adjacent transverse member. Connecting member 34 is connected to transverse members 36a-36f and is preferably arranged proximate first longitudinal member 30b. Connecting member 34 bifurcates transverse members 36a-36f, thereby forming first plurality of slots between transverse members 36a-36f and bounded by connecting member 34 and first longitudinal member 30b, and forming second plurality of slots between transverse members 36a-36f and bounded by connecting member 34 and second longitudinal member 30c, where the first plurality of slots (e.g., slots 37a-37e) are shorter than the second plurality of slots (e.g., slots 39a-39e), i.e., the length of either plurality of slots is determined by where connecting member 34 is connected to the plurality of transverse members 36a-36f. Each of transverse members 36a-36f includes a pair of protruding bends arranged therein, e.g., transverse member 36a include protruding bends 38a and 38g, transverse member 36b includes protruding bends 38b and 38h, etc. Protruding bends 38a through 38l(collectively plurality of protruding bends 38) may take a variety of forms and/or sizes, and the accompanying drawings are intended to be exemplary of one of various embodiments within the scope of the appending clams.
In reference to rack 30 and as best illustrated in
Preferably, rack 30 is comprised of a tubular and rigid material, e.g., metal, where the material is coated with a plastic or rubber-like material. Rack 30 could be comprised of a metal wire that is coated, or non-coated if the material of the metal wire is rust-resistant. Thus, those in the art will understand that any suitable material, now known or hereafter developed, may be used in forming rack 30.
Each of loops 32a and 32b of rack 30 are arranged to rotatably engage container 20 (loop 32a is shown in
As generally depicted in
As generally shown in
As such, the embodiments shown and described are merely exemplary and various alternatives, combinations, omissions, of specific components, or foreseeable alternative components, understood by one having ordinary skill in the art, described in the present disclosure or within the field of the present disclosure, are intended to fall within the scope of the appending claims.
It will be appreciated that various aspects of the invention and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the claims.
