Patent Grant
10004361
The present invention is directed to a device for securing an elongate article, preferably a kitchen implement or a household tool.
a illustrate embodiments of the device of the present invention in which the rear portion of the housing member has a vertical support separating a left and right through-holes.
As used in the present application, the term “securing” means to “hold in place”.
In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the elongate article is a kitchen implement (non-limiting examples of which include, spoons, knives, forks, spatulas, peelers, mashers, scoops, scrapers, cutters, slicers, shears/scissors, tongs, whisks, can or bottle openers, brushes, meat tenderizers, zesters, corers, reamers and presses), a hand-held tool (non-limiting examples of which include hammer, screw driver, pliers), or cleaning implements (non-limiting examples of which include brooms, mops, dustpans, shovels, rakes, and the like).
Each pair has a left finned holder element and a right finned holder element; the left and right finned holder elements being mirror images of each other.
Each of the finned holder elements is elastomeric, a term known in the art to mean a material that can exhibit a rapid and reversible strain in response to a stress.
In preferred embodiments, the elastomeric material from which the finned holder elements are fabricated has a Shore Hardness A of from about 35 to about 70.
Shore Hardness is a measure of the indentation resistance of an elastomeric or soft plastic material based on the depth of penetration of a conical indentor and is defined, for example, by ISO Test Standard 868. Shore Hardness values range from 0 (for full penetration) to 100 (for no penetration). Full penetration is between 2.46 and 2.54 mm (0.097 and 0.100 in) depending on the equipment used.
In more preferred embodiments, the Shore Hardness A of the elastomeric material from which the finned holder elements are fabricated is from about 50 to 55.
As used herein in connection with a measured quantity, for example Shore Hardness A or degrees, “about” refers to that variation in the measured quantity as would be expected by one skilled in the art exercising a level of care commensurate with the objective of the measurement and the equipment used, and includes uncertainties that may be introduced by mathematical rounding errors.
In alternate embodiments, the finned holder elements can be fabricated from a soft plastic having a Shore Hardness A of from about 35 to about 70, more preferably a Shore Hardness A of from about 50 to about 55.
In certain preferred embodiments in which the device has mounting rails, the device also has a mounting bracket having a top channel [41] and a bottom channel [42] in slideable engagement with top and bottom mounting rails on the housing member.
The housing member can, and preferably is, fabricated from plastic. In certain embodiments, the housing member is U-shaped.
Each finned holder element is upwardly disposed at an angle of about 1° to about 60° relative to the horizontal.
In one preferred embodiment, each of the finned holder elements is upwardly disposed at an angle of about 5° to about 45° relative to the horizontal.
In a more preferred embodiment, each of the finned holder elements is upwardly disposed at an angle of about 10° to about 30° relative to the horizontal.
In an even more preferred embodiment, each of the finned holder elements is upwardly disposed at an angle of about 15° to about 25° relative to the horizontal.
In preferred embodiments, the recess [15] is rounded.
Alternatively, the recess can be configured as a notch having two or more straight walls. For example, the notch can be in the shape of a “V”.
The straight walls in the notch can, in some embodiments, have one or more convex “nubs” [90], similar to “balls” inserted into a ring, to create a more snug fit.
The device of the present invention also comprises a housing member [30] for housing the left and right finned holder elements in opposing juxtaposition.
In embodiments in which the rear portion does not have a vertical support, the finned holder elements are preferably a unitary elastomeric insert.
In preferred embodiments, the vertical support in the rear portion of the housing member is a centrally-located slotted member [45].
The centrally-located slotted member separates the left through-hole and the right through-hole. In
The top-left and top-right slots are configured and dimensioned to receive the free edges of the finned holder elements of the top pair.
The middle-left and middle-right slots are configured and dimensioned to receive the free edges of the finned holder elements of the middle pair.
The bottom-left and bottom-right slots are configured and dimensioned to receive the free edges of the finned holder elements of the bottom pair.
In certain preferred embodiments, the width of the finned holder elements varies such that pairs of finned holder elements are stacked from top to bottom in a manner whereby the width of each fin decreases in the downward direction.
Similarly, in an embodiment with two pairs of finned holder elements, the width of each of the two finned holder elements in the top pair is greater than the width of each of the two finned holder elements in the bottom pair, where the width of each of the finned holder elements is measured from its side portion to the linear securing portion of its free edge.
The use of fins of different width provides a unique advantage to the devices of the present invention—namely, the lower fin(s) are engaged where the upper fin(s) cannot alone provide sufficient support to secure the elongate article. This aspect of the present invention is illustrated in
The topmost illustration in
The middle illustration in
The bottom illustration in
In preferred embodiments of the present invention, a plurality of devices are oriented horizontally in a single row—using mounting rails slideably engaged with mounting channels of a mounting bracket—such that the elongate articles are held securely in a vertical position. This is illustrated, for example, in
Two devices of the present invention can be positioned one on top of the other in a vertical orientation. This configuration provides additional support for “heavier” and/or “longer” articles and is illustrated in
In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the device is mounted on a wall, and the elongate article(s) is/are pressed into and engaged by one or more pairs of finned holder elements, thereby holding the article in an upright position.
The skilled artisan will understand, however, that the device of the present invention can be rotated, for example, 90 degrees. Where the device of the present invention is rotated 90 degrees, the elongate article can be held securely in a horizontal position. Thus, with reference to
In certain preferred embodiments, the thickness of each finned holder element is tapered and decreases from its base portion in the direction of its free edge. The tapering of the finned holder elements is illustrated, for example, in topmost illustration of
In other preferred embodiments, the receiving portion is rounded. The rounded receiving portion [13] is illustrated in
In particularly preferred embodiments, the finned holder elements are both tapered and have a rounded receiving portion.
In especially preferred embodiments, the finned holder elements are tapered, and have both a rounded receiving portion [13] and a rounded recess [15].
Devices in which the fins are of substantially of the same width (e.g., the fins of the top pair are not wider than the fins of the bottom pair) and/or are not tapered and/or do not have rounded receiving portions are also to be understood as within the scope of the present invention. This embodiment is illustrated in
The devices of the present invention are preferably affixed to a surface, preferably a wall, on a mounting bracket, whereby the mounting rails on the device slideably engage the mounting channels on the mounting bracket.
The devices of the present invention can also be affixed to a surface, preferably a wall, by different means. By way of non-limiting example, a device within the scope of the present invention can have at least one hole [80] for affixing the device to a wall with a screw, a nail, an anchor or a bolt. This embodiment is illustrated in
Alternatively, a device within the scope of the present invention can be affixed to a surface, preferably a wall, with an adhesive such as double-sided strips, glue, or a magnet. By way of non-limiting example, a device with a magnetic backing could be affixed directly to a metal refrigerator door or the side of metal cabinet. In the case of a magnet, a metal plate could be screwed onto a wall, allowing the magnetized backing on the device to magnetically attach to the metal plate.
In certain embodiments of the present invention, the finned holder elements are not fabricated as a unitary piece, but instead are separate. In these embodiments, each cavity contains at least one horizontal guiderail [70].
In another aspect of this embodiment, the device has four fins. The left and right cavities each contain a single guiderail, dividing the cavity into a top section and a bottom section, the top section configured and dimensioned to receive the side portion of the top finned holder element, the bottom section configured and dimensioned to receive the side portion of the bottom finned holder element.
The back portion of each finned holder protrudes in a rearward direction beyond the housing member and forms a friction contact area with a mounting bracket. This is illustrated in
In certain embodiments, the finned holders elements are not oriented in pairs, but instead in a staggered, alternating, top-to-bottom configuration.
Other embodiments having a staggered, alternating, top-to-bottom configuration are to be understood within the scope of the invention:
In all of the embodiments of the present invention, the finned holder elements—whether fabricated individually, as unitary left and right halves, or as a single unitary elastomeric insert—are inserted from rear to front and snuggly fit in the housing.
While the illustrative embodiments of the invention have been described with particularity, it will be understood that various other modifications will be apparent to and can be readily made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is not intended that the scope of the claims appended hereto be limited to the examples and descriptions set forth hereinabove but rather that the claims be construed as encompassing all the features of patentable novelty which reside in the present invention, including all features which would be treated as equivalents thereof by those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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