PANTRY SNACK RACK AND A BAG CLIP THEREFOR
A storage device for mounting to a structure and for securing and suspending bags and small items includes an elongate track for mounting to the structure and having a channel formed therein. One or more clips each having movable jaws, at least one handle for manipulating the jaws, and a runner to be received in the channel of the elongate track allow the clips to be repositioned along the elongate track.
The present application claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/779,657, filed Mar. 6, 2006, and incorporates the disclosure of the same herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates generally to the field of storage devices and more particularly to a pantry snack rack and a bag clip therefor.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONIn home kitchen pantries, it's not uncommon to have a bunch of open, half-eaten bags of snacks or other food items either cluttering the shelves or strewn on the floor. Consequently, it can be time-consuming to search for a particular item in such cluttered pantries. Generally, bags of food generally do not weigh very much, but yet in a number of households, such items consume valuable storage space in the kitchen pantry.
Thus, it has been found that a need yet exists for another way to store pantry items that minimizes clutter while making such items more visible. It is to such a provision meeting these and other needs that the present invention is primarily directed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAdvantageously, the pantry snack rack of the present invention makes use of otherwise unusable space in a pantry for storing snack bags or other small items, which typically would take up quite a lot of room in the pantry. The pantry snack rack provides a storage unit that can be securely attached to the pantry door or wall to provide storage for snack bags, including open snack bags that are closed or secured with a bag clip, without damaging the pantry door.
In one aspect, the present invention provides a pantry snack rack for use in a kitchen pantry for storing snack packages. The pantry snack rack includes a frame mounted to the pantry door or pantry wall and having a plurality of elongate tracks for receiving bag retention elements therein. The elongate tracks, which can be T-tracks, are adapted for capturing portions of the bag retention elements therein. The bag clip retention elements include spring clamps with movable jaws for releasably securing items therein and having runner portions adapted to be repositionably received in the tracks. Preferably, the runner portions are elongate to help maintain a horizontal orientation in the tracks.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a storage device for mounting to a structure and for securing and suspending bags and small items. The storage device includes an elongate track for mounting to the structure and having a channel formed therein for capturing a portion of one more bag clamps. Each clamp has movable jaws, at least one handle for manipulating the jaws, and a runner to be received in the channel of the elongate track to allow the clamp to be repositioned along the elongate track. Preferably, the runner is elongate to help maintain a horizontal orientation of the clamp in the elongate track and has rounded or tapered ends to assist in guiding the runner into the track. The track can be secured directly to a vertical surface or a horizontal surface.
These and other aspects, features and advantages of the invention will be understood with reference to the drawing figures and detailed description herein, and will be realized by means of the various elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following brief description of the drawings and detailed description of the invention are exemplary and explanatory of preferred embodiments of the invention, and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.
The present invention may be understood more readily by reference to the following detailed description of the invention taken in connection with the accompanying drawing figures, which form a part of this disclosure. It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the specific devices, methods, conditions or parameters described and/or shown herein, and that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments by way of example only and is not intended to be limiting of the claimed invention. Also, as used in the specification including the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural, and reference to a particular numerical value includes at least that particular value, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Ranges may be expressed herein as from “about” or “approximately” one particular value and/or to “about” or “approximately” another particular value. When such a range is expressed, another embodiment includes from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent “about,” it will be understood that the particular value forms another embodiment.
Optionally, the panel 18 can include a plurality of pockets 20 therein for housing small packages of food items, such as condiments (such as ketchup packets, salad dressing packets, sugar packets, other seasoning packets, etc.), small snack bags, dry soup mix, etc. The pockets 20 can be any shape or size and can be constructed of any material. In one embodiment, the pockets 20 are constructed of the same material as the panel 18. The pockets 20 optionally can be constructed of a transparent material so that the contents of the pocket can be easily viewed. Alternatively, the pockets 20 can be constructed of an opaque material. The pockets can be open pockets, as shown in
Preferably, each strap end has a door hook for attachment to one end of a pantry door. Preferably, there are four door hooks 22, 24, 26, and 28: two at the top and two at the bottom of the pantry snack rack 10, for securely attaching the pantry snack rack 10 to the pantry door. Also preferably, the lower hooks 26 and 28 each include a strap of elastic material 30 and 32 extending from the frame 12 so that the hooks can be stretched towards the bottom of the door and securely fastened thereto. Those skilled in the art will understand that the pantry snack rack 10 of the present invention can also be attached to a wall of the pantry using conventional attachment techniques, such as by gluing, nailing, etc. However, the pantry snack rack 10 having the plurality of door hooks allows the pantry snack rack to be attached and detached from a pantry door as desired, without damaging the pantry door.
The straps 14 and 16 also include a plurality of recesses, slots, or pockets 40 therein for housing a plurality of bag clip retention elements 42 for supporting a plurality of bag clips 44. In the depicted embodiment of
In one embodiment, snack bags can be mounted to the frame 12 using the a hole 52 in the snack bag clips (and such holes are typically located in a handle or “jaw” of conventional bag clips), as shown in
Preferably, the pantry snack rack 110 includes an upper door hook 122 and a lower door hook 126, which are hooked over the top and bottom, respectively, of the pantry door to secure the frame 112 to one side of the door. The depicted embodiment in
The lateral beams 116, 118, and 120 have recesses 140 formed therein for receiving tongues (not shown) of the pegs 146 to support the bag clips 144. The pegs 146 and associated tongues can be repositioned along the length of the lateral beams for accommodating more or fewer snack bags and for accommodating larger or smaller snack bags. The bag clips 144 are secured to the pegs 146 in a manner similar to that described with respect to
Alternatively, instead of being mounted to the pantry door or pantry wall, the pantry snack rack could be mounted to the shelves of the pantry. In such a configuration, the pantry snack rack would typically be somewhat narrow, perhaps a foot wide or less, so as to provide good access to the contents of the shelves. In this regard, the pantry snack rack could be mounted to the shelves at one end thereof, to better allow a user to reach around the pantry snack rack to reach the contents of the shelves without removing the pantry snack rack.
Additionally, the vertical supports 314 and 316 can further include a hole 320 for receiving a screw or other conventional fastener and a male snap head 322 at each distal end, as shown in
The panel 318 can be constructed of a durable, yet flexible fabric such as canvas or vinyl. Alternatively, the panel 318 can be constructed of a generally inflexible or rigid material, such as plastic. Optionally, the panel 318 can include a plurality of pockets 329 therein for housing small packages of food items, such as condiments (such as ketchup packets, salad dressing packets, sugar packets, other seasoning packets, etc.), small snack bags, dry soup mix, etc. The pockets 329 can be any shape or size and can be constructed of any material. In one embodiment, the pockets 329 are constructed of the same material as the panel 318. The pockets 329 optionally can be constructed of a transparent material so that the contents of the pocket can be easily viewed. Alternatively, the pockets 329 can be constructed of an opaque material. The pockets can be open pockets, as shown in
At least one, and preferably a plurality of elongate T-tracks extend between the vertical supports 314 and 316.
The T-track 330 further includes an aperture 342 and 344 at each end for attachment to the vertical supports 314 and 316. Thus, the T-track 330 can be secured to the vertical supports 314 and 316 with rivets or other suitable conventional fasteners. Preferably, the apertures 342 and 344 are countersunk such that when a screw or other fastener is secured therein, the fastener will lie flush with or below the surface of the T-track. In one embodiment, during the manufacture of the pantry snack rack 310, any of the two T-tracks can be secured at both ends to the vertical supports 314 and 316, while a third T-track is secured at only one end to one vertical support. As depicted in
Referring now to
The bag clip 400 includes at least one, and preferably two springs 422 and 424, for urging the level arms 410 and 412 away from one another, which in turn causes the jaws 402 and 404 to close. Preferably, the tension of the springs 422 and 424 are sufficient to hold securely a snack bag but not so strong that the user of the clip would have to exert great effort to open the clip and insert a bag therein. The jaw faces 414 can further include a resilient rubber strip 426 permanently affixed thereto for further gripping a bag and for preventing the bag from slipping between the jaws 402 and 404. Those skilled in the art will understand how to construct the rubber strips 426.
The rear jaw 402 of the bag clip 400 further includes a runner 430 protruding therefrom. The runner 430 is sized and shaped to slide within a T-track. The runner 430 is captured within a T-track with a smooth sliding, or non-interference, fit. As depicted in
In another embodiment, the T-tracks 512, 514, and 516 can be secured to a horizontal surface so as to suspend bags therefrom. For example, the T-tracks 512, 514, and 516 can be secured to the underside of a cabinet, shelf, table, etc. Such configuration may be particularly advantageous on boats and recreational vehicles. In such embodiment, a spring-loaded bag clip 540 includes a runner 550 that is preferably located at or near the top of the rear lever arm 544, as depicted in
While the invention has been described with reference to example embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that a variety of modifications, additions and deletions are within the scope of the invention, as defined by the following claims.
Claims
1. A pantry snack rack for use in a kitchen pantry for storing snack packages, the pantry having a pantry wall or pantry door and the pantry snack rack comprising:
- a frame mounted to the pantry door or pantry wall and having a plurality of elongate tracks for receiving bag retention elements therein; and
- a plurality of bag retention elements received in the tracks for supporting bags upon the frame.
2. A pantry snack rack as claimed in claim 1 wherein the elongate tracks are adapted for capturing portions of the bag retention elements therein.
3. A pantry snack rack as claimed in claim 2 wherein the frame further comprises a pair of upright rigid frame elements connecting and secured to the plurality of elongate tracks.
4. A pantry snack rack as claimed in claim 3 wherein the upright rigid frame elements are provided with fastener holes to facilitate fastening the frame directly to the pantry door or pantry wall, and wherein the pantry snack rack is further provided with attachable/detachable straps for securing the pantry snack rack to a pantry door, the upright rigid frame elements further being provided with snap fasteners for securing the straps thereto.
5. A pantry snack rack of claim 4, wherein the pantry snack rack can be collapsed into a compact configuration.
6. A pantry snack rack as claimed in claim 2 wherein the tracks comprise T-tracks.
7. A pantry snack rack as claimed in claim 2 wherein the bag clip retention elements comprise spring clamps with movable jaws for releasably securing items therein and having runner portions adapted to be repositionably received in the tracks.
8. A pantry snack rack as claimed in claim 7 wherein the runner portions are elongate to help maintain a horizontal orientation in the tracks.
9. A pantry snack rack as claimed in claim 7 wherein the runner portions have rounded or tapered ends to assist in guiding the runner portions into the tracks.
10. A pantry snack rack as claimed in claim 1 wherein the frame is adapted to be secured directly to the pantry door or pantry wall.
11. A pantry snack rack as claimed in claim 1 further comprising straps secured to the frame and hooks secured to the straps for securing the frame to the pantry door.
12. A storage device for mounting to a structure and for securing and suspending bags and small items, the storage device comprising:
- an elongate track for mounting to the structure and having a channel formed therein; and
- one or more clamps each having movable jaws, at least one handle for manipulating the jaws, and a runner to be received in the channel of the elongate track to allow the clamp to be repositioned along the elongate track.
13. A storage device as claimed in claim 12 wherein the elongate track is adapted for capturing the runner therein.
14. A storage device as claimed in claim 12 wherein the runner is elongate to help maintain a horizontal orientation of the clamp in the elongate track.
15. A storage device as claimed in claim 14 wherein the runner has rounded or tapered ends to assist in guiding the runner into the track.
16. A storage device as claimed in claim 12 wherein the track can be secured directly to a vertical surface or a horizontal surface.
17. A storage device as claimed in claim 12 wherein the track comprises a T-track.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 6, 2007
Publication Date: Sep 6, 2007
Inventor: Donald J. HELVEY (Cumming, GA)
Application Number: 11/682,594