Patent Grant
8727142
The present invention in general relates to a drawer organizer and in particular to organizing handled items that vary widely in dimensions within a drawer.
Organization of similar objects within the volume of a drawer is readily accomplished with compartments sized to receive the objects. In this way, silverware is regularly sorted and organized, and writing utensils and paperclips all are readily maintained within a drawer space compartment to promote efficient use of the drawer. Representative of such drawer organizers are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,703,326 and 5,037,165 and U.S. Patent Application Publication 2003/0234205.
Attempts to organize drawers containing a variety of handled implements such as kitchen utensils or tools characterized by different head sizes and head shapes have met with limited success. With a variety of tool head shapes and sizes, parallel dividers that encompass the entire implement tend to be wasteful of space with large-headed implements such as a ladle or claw hammer. While an encompassing compartment efficiently stores numerous small-headed implements such as knives or screwdrivers, the implements tend to be poorly organized and therefore not readily accessible. While custom-molded contours to accommodate specific implements provide both organization and efficient use of drawer space, the custom nature of the contours precludes storage of additional implements or implements of like function yet with different dimensions.
Thus, there exists a need for a drawer organizer to accommodate handled implements having disparate heads.
A drawer organizer is provided that includes a platform. The platform has a width, a first side, a second opposing side, a top surface, and a bottom surface. Grooves extend into the platform from the top surface. The grooves are adapted to receive a handle of a handled implement and allow the implement head to extend beyond the platform.
The present invention is further detailed with respect to the following drawings that exemplify visually certain attributes of the present invention. It is to be understood that the scope of the present invention is not limited to that depicted in the accompanying drawings.
The present invention has utility in the organization of a bounded space such as a drawer that contains handled implements having disparate shaped and sized heads. Exemplary of the handled implements as a collection that are particularly well suited for organization according to the present invention include cooking utensils and hand tools. An inventive tool organizer functions by creating an elevated platform having grooves extending across the platform such that a portion of the handled implement upon resting within one of the grooves extends beyond the footprint of the platform thereby allowing a handled implement head to rest in a stable position, even if that stable position is below the parallel axes defined by the groove and the implement handle. Space is efficiently utilized with numerous large-headed handled implements by alternating head direction between adjacent grooves of an inventive drawer organizer. By elevating the grooved platform of an inventive drawer organizer with feet or rails, or a combination thereof, additional storage space for additional objects is created underlying the grooved platform. While numerous projection shapes for a platform are operative herein, a rectilinear block form is depicted as exemplary in the following figures.
Referring now to the figures, an inventive drawer organizer is depicted generally at 10. The organizer 10 has a platform 12 with multiple grooves noted generally at 14 traversing the platform top surface 11. Preferably, the grooves 14 are non-intersecting and, more preferably, are substantially parallel. As used herein, “substantially parallel” is defined as being within 20 degrees of parallel for two grooves of an inventive organizer. The platform 12 has a width along the axial direction of the grooves 14 that is less than the overall length of a handled implement T resting within a groove 14a of the multiple grooves 14. In this way, an oversized or off handle axis tool head H extends beyond and below the platform 12. It is appreciated that multiple handled implements T having oversized or off handle axis heads T best fill the space of a drawer through centering an inventive drawer organizer and alternating the direction of head T between adjacent grooves 14.
A platform 12 is readily formed from a variety of materials illustratively including wood, metal, plastic, and glass. Grooves 14 are appreciated to readily be molded or machined into the platform 12, depending on the nature of the material. A platform 12 is optionally provided with a thickness below the base of a groove 14, but typically between 1 and 4 inches, or alternatively the bottom surface 26 of platform 12 has an elevator to raise bottom surface 26 above a supporting substrate such as a drawer bottom. The elevator is illustratively a spacer 28, a collection of legs 30, or a combination thereof. A spacer 28 operative herein illustratively includes a deformable beanbag 29 or a block 31. It is appreciated that the inventive embodiment depicted in the accompanying figures represents a composite having both a spacer 28 and legs 30. It is appreciated that the elevation of a platform 12 is readily accomplished with a single spacer 28 or at least one additional leg positioned in lieu of the spacer 28. Optionally, a leg 30 includes an adjustment 32. The adjustment 32 illustratively includes threads (32′) that engage complementary threads within the platform 12, a series of spaced protrusions or intrusions that engage a complementary feature within a leg socket 34 of the platform 12, or score marks (32″) along the leg 30 that facilitate breakage of the leg to a desired length for insertion into leg socket 34. It is appreciated that a nut (not shown) riding on threads 32′ to engage socket 34 represents another mode of adjusting and locking the height of organizer 10. Optionally, a platform 12 is equipped with a selectively deployable prop stand 36. The prop stand 36 is particularly well suited to afford ease of access to tools within an inventive organizer during a period of intensive use by providing differential height to each of the grooves 14. A retainer 38 is preferably provided when a prop stand 36 is present to hold the prop stand 36 in a folded configuration when not in use. A hinge 40 is optionally provided to allow prop stand 36 to swing between positions. Optionally, a magnet 39 is provided associated with one of grooves 14 to facilitate retention of a metal handled implement T. Optionally, the prop stand 36 is formed from two slidably engaging portions 36A and 3613 that telescopically interact to provide a user-selected height to prop stand 36.
An inventive platform 12, in addition to being formed from a monolithic or unitary piece of material, is readily formed from two platform pieces 12a and 12b that slidably engage so as to vary the width of an inventive drawer organizer 10 to accommodate the specific dimensions of a handled implement T.
A groove, such as 14a-14d and collectively defined at 14, is each formed having a cross section 52a-52d at the first side 13 of platform 12. While specific grooves 14a-14c have identical cross sections 52a-52c at the opposing second side 15 of platform 12, it is noted that groove 14d has an arcuate surface 55 that results in a different cross section 54d at the opposing second side 15, as shown in
Patent documents and publications mentioned in the specification are indicative of the levels of those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains. These documents and publications are incorporated herein by reference to the same extent as if each individual document or publication was specifically and individually incorporated herein by reference.
The foregoing description is illustrative of particular embodiments of the invention, but is not meant to be a limitation upon the practice thereof. The following claims, including all equivalents thereof, are intended to define the scope of the invention.
This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/253,166 filed Oct. 20, 2009, which is incorporated herein by reference.
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