Knife holder having support stand allowing use on counter or in drawer
A cutlery holder for positionably retaining a plurality of cutlery items in either a horizontal orientation or in an inclined orientation. The cutlery holder includes a body portion having a plurality of slots formed therein for receiving blade portions of cutlery items and a support stand connected to the body portion. The support stand has a first position for supporting the body portion such that the slots extend in a horizontal orientation and a second position for supporting the body portion such that the slots extend in an inclined orientation.
The present invention relates generally to knife holders having blade-receiving slots therein for removably supporting kitchen knives.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONNumerous forms of knife holders are known in the art, including slotted holders. Such holders generally include a series of slots, formed in a suitable support, which are each adapted to removably receive and retain a knife blade. One common form of slotted holder is designed to be simply placed on a countertop so that the knives will be readily accessible. Examples of knife holders that are placed on countertops are shown in numerous patents, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,537,315, 6,371,312 and 4,561,548. The slots in these holders are customarily formed within a support body so as to receive the knife blades in a generally upwardly-extending position, with a butt end of each handle resting upon a support; or alternately, to receive the knife blades downwardly therein at an inclined angle, such that a forward face of the handle abuts the support body adjacent the slots. These devices occupy a certain amount of countertop space, which is rather limited in many homes. In other types of slotted holders the slots extend horizontally so that the holder may be housed in a kitchen drawer thereby preserving limited counterspace. In any case, the knives are taken out when they are demanded for cooking.
One of the disadvantages encountered with known knife holders, resides in the fact that the slots for receiving the knife blades are generally in a fixed orientation with respect to a support base. Thus, in a knife holder intended to reside on a countertop the slots are either positioned vertically or at an angle for receiving the knife blades, whereas in a knife holder intended to reside in a draw the slots extend in a horizontal direction. Since the typical homeowner is usually pressed for counter space, a horizontal orientation of the slots is often preferred so that the holder can be stored in a draw. However, it is difficult to take out knives from inside the draw, particularly when several different kinds of knives are to be used during cooking. In this case it is an annoyance to continuously open and close the draw to take out the knives or put them back in the holder.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,509,651 shows a knife holder that can be adjusted between a vertical orientation and an inclined orientation. The vertical orientation will generally occupy less counter-space and thus can be used to store the knife holder, whereas the inclined orientation, while occupying more counter-space, is more convenient when the knives are in use. However, neither orientation allows the holder to be placed in a drawer, thereby eliminating the need to occupy any counter-space whatsoever. Thus, the homeowner continues to be confronted with the dilemma of having to choose between convenience of use, and the utilization of counter-space when selecting a knife holder for cutlery.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several aspects of the invention and together with the description of the preferred embodiments, serve to explain the principles of the invention. A brief description of the drawings is as follows:
In accordance with the present invention, a cutlery holder is provided for positionably retaining a plurality of cutlery items in either a horizontal orientation or in an inclined orientation. The cutlery holder includes a body portion having a plurality of slots formed therein for receiving blade portions of cutlery items and a support stand connected to the body portion. The support stand has a first position for supporting the body portion such that the slots extend in a horizontal orientation and a second position for supporting the body portion such that the slots extend in an inclined orientation.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the support stand is retractable when in the first position.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the body portion has an upper surface from which the plurality of slots extend, a bottom surface opposing the upper surface, a front surface and back surface and opposing side surfaces. The support stand is retractable against the back surface.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the support stand is pivotably connected to the back surface.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the support stand is pivotably connected to the opposing side surface of the body portion.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the support stand includes a support tongue having a first end hingedly connected to the back surface.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the support stand further comprises a detachable fastening mechanism for selectively maintaining the support stand in the retractable first position.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the detachable fastening mechanism includes a first component secured to the back surface and a second component attached to a portion of the support stand.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the support stand includes a planar support base pivotably connected to a portion of the back surface near the bottom surface. The support stand also includes a brace having a first end pivotably connected to the planar support base and a second end that selectively engages with the bottom surface of the body portion when the support stand is in the second position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONThe embodiments of the present invention described below are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed in the following detailed description. Rather, the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may appreciate and understand the principles and practices of the present invention.
The present invention overcomes the aforementioned limitations of conventional knife holders by providing a cutlery (e.g., knife) holder that can rest on a counter in an inclined orientation or which can be conveniently stored in a draw. This is accomplished, as detailed below, by providing a support stand that is attached to the back of the cutlery holder so that the holder can rest on a counter or other surface. The support stand is connected to the cutlery holder by a hinge or other mechanism so that it can lay flat against the holder when it is to be used in a horizontal orientation (e.g., when it is to be stored in a draw). While the present invention will bet discussed in terms of a knife holder, those of ordinary skill in art will recognize that the invention is equally applicable to holders for other types of cutlery.
Referring to
Returning to
Holder 10 comprises a series (e.g., four) of knife-blade receiving slots, such as slot 26, which extend inwardly from the upper surface 12 and front surface 14 and is thus able to releasably support a series (e.g., four) of knives, such as the knife 30 shown in
The exemplary item of cutlery is a knife 30 that comprises a knife handle 32 and a knife blade 34. Knife handle 32, which is wider and thicker than blade 34, includes a terminal end 36 and an opposite end 37 from which blade 34 extends or projects. As
As
Blade obstructing means 60 are provided near the lower slot end 52 of blade-receiving slot 26 in front of the interior slot portion 54 and at or near the exposed frontal slot portion 56. The distance between the top side 62 of the blade obstructing means 60 and the upper surface 12 of the body 11 of knife holder 10 adjacent the lowermost part of handle 32 is less than the length L of the blade 34 of knife 30.
Handle engagement means in the form of a projection 64 are provided adjacent the upper slot end 50 of blade-receiving slot 26 and near the edge 21 where the upper surface 12 and front surface 14 of body 11 meet or intersect. The handle engagement means 64 engages the end of handle 32 of knife 30 to prevent the latter from sliding and falling forward out of slot 26 when emplaced therein.
Knife holder 10 is employed as follows. Assume that holder 10 is standing on a surface, such as a table or counter (now shown). To place knife 30 therein, the user grasps the knife handle 32, inserts the top 35 of knife blade 34 in a slot 26 at any position above the obstructing means 60, slides the blade tip downwardly into the slot and into the space or region behind the obstructing means 60, and brings the end 37 of knife handle 32 to rest against the upper surface 12 of body 11 behind the handle engagement means 64 on surface 12, as
To remove the knife 30, it is necessary to grasp the handle 32 and to raise it vertically until the handle end 37 clears the handle engagement means 64 and then to further raise it vertically (simultaneously tilting the knife forward or counterclockwise with respect to
Support stand 110 shown in
As previously mentioned, the present invention contemplates the use of any appropriate type of support stand and is not limited to that shown in
In other embodiments of the invention a support stand 200 such as shown in
The base 210 has a cut-out 222 with dimensions sufficient to accommodate the brace 220 so that the base 210 and brace 220 can lie in a common plane (see
Although various embodiments are specifically illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated that modifications and variations of the present invention are covered by the above teachings and are within the purview of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and intended scope of the invention.
Claims
1. A cutlery holder for positionably retaining a plurality of cutlery items in either a horizontal orientation or in an inclined orientation comprising:
- a body portion having an upper surface, a bottom surface opposing said upper surface, a front surface and back surface and opposing side surfaces, said body portion having a plurality of slots formed therein and extending inward from the upper surface toward the bottom surface for receiving blade portions of cutlery items; and
- a support stand directly connected to said body portion, said support stand having a first position for supporting said body portion such that said slots extend in a horizontal orientation and a second position for supporting said body portion such that said slots extend in an inclined orientation.
2. The cutlery holder of claim 1 wherein said support stand is retractable when in the second position so that the body portion can be supported when in the second position.
3. The cutlery holder of claim 1 wherein said support stand is retractable against said back surface.
4. The cutlery holder of claim 3 wherein said support stand is pivotably connected to said back surface.
5. The cutlery holder of claim 1 wherein said support stand is pivotably connected to said opposing side surfaces of the body portion.
6. The cutlery holder of claim 3 herein said support stand comprises a support tongue having a first end hingedly connected to said back surface.
7. The cutlery holder of claim 2 wherein said support stand further comprises a detachable fastening mechanism for selectively maintaining said support stand in said retractable first position.
8. The cutlery holder of claim 7 wherein said detachable fastening mechanism comprises a first component secured to the back surface and a second component attached to a portion of the support stand.
9. The cutlery holder of claim 3 wherein said support stand comprises a planar support base pivotably connected to a portion of the back surface near said bottom surface and a brace having a first end pivotably connected to the planar support base and a second end that selectively engages with said back surface of the body portion when said support stand is in said second position.
10. The cutlery holder of claim 1 wherein each of said slots have an interior slot portion configured to substantially enclose a cutlery blade and a length that extends at least half the distance between the upper surface and the bottom surface of the body.
11. The cutlery holder of claim 1 wherein the upper surface extends downwardly from the back surface to the front surface.
12. The cutlery holder of claim 11 further comprising a plurality of handle engagement elements each associated with one of the slots.
13. The cutlery holder of claim 12 wherein each of the handle engagement elements comprises a projection formed in the upper surface and which tapers inward toward its respective slot.
14. The cutlery holder of claim 1 further comprising a blade obstructing element situated at an end of the slot remote from the upper surface.
15. A cutlery holder for positionably retaining a plurality of cutlery items in either a horizontal orientation or in an inclined orientation comprising:
- a body portion having an upper surface, a bottom surface opposing said upper surface, a front surface and back surface and opposing side surfaces, said body portion having a plurality of slots formed therein for receiving blade portions of cutlery items, wherein the slots extend through the upper surface of the body portion toward the bottom surface; and
- a support stand having a first position for supporting said body portion such that said slots extend in a horizontal orientation and a second position for supporting said body portion such that said slots extend in an inclined orientation and wherein a portion of the bottom surface of the body portion is in contact with a surface on which the cutlery holder is situated when the body portion is in the inclined orientation.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 2, 2004
Publication Date: Feb 2, 2006
Inventors: Jurgen Schmidt (Montvale, NJ), Marvin Levy (Montvale, NJ)
Application Number: 10/909,745
International Classification: A47G 21/14 (20060101);