Full-access, non-gravity dependent, jar storage rack

• US 5,615,780 A
• Filed: 10/31/1995
• Issued: 04/01/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Caroline H. Nimetz, Steven A. Nimetz
• Original Assignee: Caroline H. Nimetz, Steven A. Nimetz
• Inventors: Nimetz, Steven A., Nimetz, Caroline H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gibson, Jr., Robert W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WALLACE, DONALD JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US08/550,558
• Time in Patent Office: 518 Days
• Field of Search: 211/49.1, 211/75, 211/120, 211/14, 211/89, 211/74, 211/59.2, 211/71, 312/45, 220/23.4, 220/23.83, 220/737, 206/446, 206/499
• US Class Current: 211/49.1
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 77/16 by adaptation of compartments or drawers for receiving or holding foodstuffs; by provision of rotatable or extensible containers for foodstuffs
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 1/08 dispensing from bottom

Abstract

A storage rack is provided that allows items to be stacked securely while providing full access to all the stacked items and allowing for removal of any item without having the remaining items fall under gravity to fill the void created by the removal of the selected item. More particularly, this invention relates to a device for storing foodstuffs such as jars of baby food.

Claims

1. A full-access, non-gravity dependent, jar storage rack, comprising:

an elastic body having front, rear and top surfaces, said body having a jar receiving bore with an interior surface that penetrates into the body from the body'"'"'s top surface, said bore interior surface intersecting body'"'"'s front surface so as to define a slot that provides access through the body'"'"'s front surface to jars stored in the bore;

said elastic properties of the body and the bore'"'"'s diameter are chosen so as to allow the bore'"'"'s interior surface to be expanded when accepting jars, thereby yielding a biasing force against the jars which is sufficient to prevent the jars'"'"' slippage in the bore under the force of gravity;

said slot having a width chosen so as to allow a user'"'"'s fingers to grasp and remove a jar through the slot, and

a planar mounting member having front and rear surfaces, said elastic body rear surface being secured to the mounting member'"'"'s front surface.

2. A full-access, non-gravity dependent, jar storage rack as recited in claim 1, wherein:

said bore interior surface having corrugations so as to allow the bore to accommodate a wider range of jars with differing diameters, said corrugations aligned parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bore.

3. A full-access, non-gravity dependent, jar storage rack as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

said elastic body having a bottom surface;

said jar receiving bore having top and bottom portions and extending between the body'"'"'s top and bottom surfaces;

said planar mounting member having a bottom edge, and

a base having a rear edge and a top surface, said rear edge connected to the planar mounting member'"'"'s bottom edge, said base configured so that its top surface prevents jars in the rack'"'"'s bore from being forced out the bottom portion of the bore.

4. A full-access, non-gravity dependent, jar storage rack as recited in claim 3, wherein:

said bore interior surface having corrugations so as to allow the bore to accommodate a wider range of jars with differing diameters, said corrugations aligned parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bore.