This invention relates generally to the storage of household articles on cabinet doors and more particularly to a storage rack that hangs on the door of a base cabinet of the type commonly found in residential kitchens beneath counters and in other areas such as laundry rooms, bathrooms, garages and basement storage areas.
Base cabinets in kitchens are commonly used for the storage of food and various household products such as dish towels, bags, soaps, paper towels, food wrap, and cleaning supplies. Other household areas such as bathrooms, basements, laundry rooms and garages are also often provided with base cabinets. Because of the variety of items that are typically stored in base cabinets, it is common for the cabinets to become cluttered and disorganized. The hinged doors that open and close base cabinets are used at times to hold racks which are permanently fixed to the inside door surface. However, the use of space is not efficient in this type of arrangement. Further, the need to mount a storage rack permanently with fasteners such as screws results in permanent marring of the door surface.
The present invention is directed to a storage rack that hangs on the top edge of a base cabinet door and provides for the storage of various articles, including dish towels, dish rags, bags, food wrap, cleaning supplies, dish soap, paper towels and other household articles that can be stored in a basket or tray or on a shelf in a kitchen or other area. Preferably, the storage rack hanging system includes a structure for mounting a towel bar on the outside surface of the base cabinet door. Additionally, the hanger brackets for the storage rack are preferably provided in two different configurations, one for a flush mounted cabinet door and the other for a recessed door.
It is an object of the invention to provide a base cabinet storage rack that hangs securely on the upper edge of a base cabinet door to accommodate storage of various articles commonly stored in base cabinets. It is a particular feature of the invention in this regard that the storage device can take a number of different forms, including a towel bar, hooks, a basket, a shelf, a tray, a bag holder, a paper towel holder, a food rack dispenser, or another type of storage apparatus.
Another object of the invention is to provide a base cabinet storage rack of the character described that may be constructed to accommodate a towel bar on the outside surface of the cabinet door and a storage device for other items on the inside surface of the door.
A further object of the invention is to provide a base cabinet storage device of the character described that is applicable both to flush mounted doors and to recessed doors. In this respect, the hanger bracket that hangs on the top edge of the cabinet door can have an inverted U-shape to fit closely on a flush door edge, or it can have a stepped configuration to fit closely on the stepped upper edge of a recessed door. Alternatively, a single bracket can be constructed in a manner to accommodate both types of doors in different orientations.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a base cabinet storage rack of the character described that is constructed to accommodate the storage of a wide variety of household articles.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a base cabinet storage rack of the character described that can be detachably mounted on a cabinet door without permanently damaging any part of the door.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a base cabinet storage rack of the character described that is constructed in a simple and economical manner, has an aesthetically pleasing appearance, and can be packaged compactly and assembled easily without the need for special skills or tools.
These and other objects of the invention are achieved by providing special hanger brackets that hang closely and securely on the upper edge of a base cabinet door. Each bracket may have a leg extending downwardly along the inside door surface. A hook or other structure may be formed on the lower end of each leg to receive a mounting fixture to which a basket or other storage device may be attached.
The brackets preferably also present tabs or another structure on the outside of the door for the receipt of mounting fixtures for a towel bar. The towel bar fits in sockets in the mounting fixtures to extend between them, thus mounting the towel bar at a convenient location on the outside of the door.
In the accompanying drawings which form a part of the specification and are to be read in conjunction therewith and in which like reference numerals are used to indicate like parts in the various views:
Referring now to the drawings in more detail and initially to
The storage rack 10 includes a pair of hanger brackets which are identical to one another and generally identified by numeral 16. As best shown in
With particular reference to
The hooks 34 provide inner connection portions that allow various types of storage devices to be connected to the brackets 16. By way of example, a paper towel holder generally identified by numeral 40 may be connected to the brackets 16. Each bracket 16 may mount a two-piece block structure that includes a pair of mating fixtures 42 and 44. The fixtures 42 and 44 may be fitted and secured together with pins 46 projecting from fixture 44 fitting in mating sockets 48 formed in the other fixture 42 to assure alignment. The fixtures 42 and 44 may be screwed together or connected in any other suitable fashion. Alternatively, the fixtures 42 and 44 may be formed as a single unitary piece. As best shown in
The paper towel holder 40 further includes a front rod 52 that extends rigidly between the two braces 54 adjacent to their lower bent ends. A short rod 60 extends rearwardly from one end of rod 58 in order to mount a horizontal rod 62 that serves to receive a roll of paper towels (not shown). The opposite end of rod 62 is provided with an upturned pin 64 that prevents the paper towel roll from inadvertently sliding off rod 62.
In this fashion, the paper towel holder 40 provides a convenient location for holding a roll of paper towels on the rod 62 at a location inside of the base cabinet near the inside surface of the door 12 and near the upper edge 14 of door 12 so that the paper towels can be easily reached by a user. Alternatively, the rod or bar that holds the paper towel roll may be oriented vertically and may be provide along with a basket or other storage device on the inside of the door 12.
The tabs 28 provide outside connection portions that may be used to mount a towel bar 66 on the outside surface of the door 12. A pair of blocks 68 are provided with sockets 70 for receiving the opposite ends of the towel bar 66 in order to locate the towel bar in extension between the blocks 68. The blocks 68 in turn may be secured to the tabs 28 by extending the screws 32 upwardly through the tab openings 30 and threading the screws into the undersides of the blocks 68. In this manner, the towel bar 66 is mounted on the outside of door 12 near its upper edge where a towel that is stored on it may be conveniently reached. The towel bar 66 is preferably bowed such that its center portion is located farther away from the outside surface of door 12 than the end portions of the towel bar. It should also be noted that the towel bar can be secured to the connecting portions provided by the tabs 28 in ways other than as disclosed for the preferred embodiment. Further, the tabs 28 can be eliminated in some applications in which there is no desire to provide a towel bar on the outside of the cabinet door 12.
As best shown in
The paper towel holder 40 and the basket 74 are only exemplary of the types of storage devices that can be mounted on the base cabinet door 12 in accordance with the present invention. Other examples of storage devices that can be provided include trays, shelves, paper or plastic bag holders and racks that hold articles such as dish rags and dish towels. Further, the storage device on the inside of the cabinet door may take the form of a simple hook for holding a towel or the like, and the hook may constitute either a hook similar to the hook 34 or another type of hook that is secured to hook 34 or some other connection device provided on the bracket 16 inside of the cabinet door.
The brackets 116 are shaped to accommodate the stepped upper edge configuration of the recessed cabinet door 112. Accordingly, each bracket 116 has a hanger portion 118 that is in the shape of an inverted U but in which the flange 122 has a length to barely span the thickness of the lip 112c. The front strip 120 of the hanger portion 118 fits closely against the front surface of the lip 112c, and the back strip 124 fits closely against the back or inside surface of the lip 112c. Each bracket 116 has a horizontal shoulder 125 that is located adjacent to and on top of the ledge 112d when the bracket 116 is applied to the door 112. Bracket 116 has a tab 28 and a leg 26 and hook 34 that may be identical to the corresponding components of bracket 16.
The storage rack making use of the brackets 116 is applied closely to the stepped upper edge of a recessed door 112 in the manner shown in FIG. 6 and otherwise functions identically to the brackets 16 to mount various types of storage devices on the inside and/or outside of the cabinet door 112. As with brackets 16, various types of storage devices can be mounted on the brackets 116.
From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all ends and objects hereinabove set forth together with the other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the structure.
It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims.
Since many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20040079717 A1 | Apr 2004 | US |