Patent Publication Number: US-2006011567-A1

Title: Storage device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      None  
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
      None  
     REFERENCE TO “SEQUENCE LISTING” 
      None  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      This invention relates to storage apparatus and, more particularly, to a storage apparatus for cooking vessel lids that suspend the lids by lid grips of varying sizes from the interior top of a storage cabinet and the like.  
      Efficient cooking vessel lid storage in the home, in restaurants and in other food preparation establishments presents a number of problems. If, for example, the lids are stored in a cabinet with their corresponding cooking vessels, considerable storage volume is wasted because the combination of vessel and lid prevents several vessels from being nested together and stacked. Alternatively, the lids removed from the vessel are not easily stored together and compete for cabinet space with the other utensils.  
      Proposals have been advanced to provide an apparatus for attachment to the interior top of a storage cabinet. An elongated body, for example, having a channel with two widths is formed in the body to establish a wide and a narrow separation between the two tracks that the channel forms in the body. Lid grips, which usually are thermally inulating disks of different sizes that are riveted to the centers of their respective lids, are placed on the top of the tracks with the associated lids, suspended below the tracks in the top portion of the cabinet volume.  
      This proposal, however, is subject to several practical disadvantages. Illustratively, because lid grips frequently are of different sizes, the two widths of a channel accommodate both smaller and larger grips. It is not possible with this structure, however, to match the actual number of grip sizes that are to be stored with the appropriate channel lengths that are available. Thus, depending on the assortment of grip sizes for lids that are to be stored, there will be too much storage space on the tracks for lid grips of one size and insufficient storage space for lid grips of a different size.  
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      These and other disadvantages that have characterized the prior art are overcome to a great extent through the practice of the invention. For instance, a pair of parallel, opposing tracks are mounted on the under surface of the top of a kitchen cabinet or shelf. The separation between the opposing tracks is adjustable to support different size lid grips. Thus, the tracks are drawn apart or pressed toward each other to form a gap that corresponds to the diameter of the grips on the lids that are to be stored.  
      In this manner, the problems created in the prior art by the mismatch between the grip sizes for the lids that are to be stored in contrast to a limited storage capability for those grip sizes is largely avoided. These and other advantages, moreover, are achieved through the practice of the invention in accordance with the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when taken with the drawing. The scope of the invention is limited only through the claims that are appended hereto. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       FIG. 1  is a plan view of an illustrative embodiment of the invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a side elevation of the embodiment of the invention shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 3  is a bottom view of the embodiment of the invention shown in  FIG. 1 ; and;  
       FIG. 4  is a side elevation of the embodiment of the invention shown in  FIG. 1 , in use. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION  
      As best shown in  FIG. 1 , a storage device  10  has a track  11  that partially overlaps a parallel track  12 . The track  11  has a generally flat upper surface  13  in which two elongated adjustment holes  14 ,  15  are formed. Turning now to  FIG. 2 , it can be seen that the track  11  has a perpendicular member  16  that protrudes from lower surface  17  of the track  11 . As shown, the perpendicular member  16  terminates in a flat lid grip support  20  that is disposed parallel with the lower surface  17  of the track  11  and inwardly toward the parallel track  12 .  
      The track  12  also has a flat upper surface  21  that is divided by a fold  22  in the track  12  on the side of the track  12  that oriented toward the track  11 . A flange  23  protrudes from the fold  22  toward and beneath the lower surface  17  of the track  11  to enable a portion  24  of the track  11  to overlap the flange  23 . Holes  25 ,  26  ( FIG. 1 ) are formed in the flange  23  in alignment with the adjustment holes  14 ,  15 , respectively, in the overlapping portion  24  of the track  11 .  
      A perpendicular member  27  protrudes from lower surface  30  of the track  12 . As shown, the perpendicular member  30  terminates in a flat lid grip support  31  that is generally parallel with the lower surface  30  of the track  12 . The lid grip support, moreover, is oriented not only inwardly toward the lid grip support  20  on the track  11 , but also is in alignment with the support  20 .  
      A means, such as a pair of screws  32 ,  33  ( FIG. 3 ) are received in the holes  25 ,  26 , ( FIG. 1 ) respectively, in the track  12 . The screws  32 ,  33  are in alignment with and also protrude through the elongated adjustment holes  14 ,  15  in the track  11  to enable the track  11  to be moved toward and away from the track  12  as illustrated through arrows  34 ,  35  ( FIG. 2 ).  
      In operation, and as best shown in  FIG. 4 , the storage device  10  is pressed up against the lower side of a shelf or cabinet  36 . The screws, of which only the screw  32  is shown in  FIG. 4 , are turned to penetrate the shelf  36  and to secure the storage device  10  to the lower side of the shelf  36 . To accommodate a cooking vessel lid  37  and to support the lid  37  from the storage device  10 , the track  11  is pressed toward the track  12  in the direction of the arrow  34 .  
      When gap  40  between the lid grip supports  20 ,  31  is sufficiently wide to sustain a lid grip  41  on the supports  20 ,  31 , the screws  32 ,  33  (only the screw  32  is shown in  FIG. 4 ) are tightened to secure the storage device  10  to the shelf  36  with sufficient pressure to fix the length of the gap  40  between the supports  20 ,  31 . In this way cooking vessel lids in various sizes, of which the lid  37  is typical, can be suspended in the cabinet space above other utensils (not shown). To widen the gap  40  between the grip supports  20 ,  31 , it is only necessary to back off the screws  32 ,  33  to enable the track  11  to be moved in the direction of the arrow  35 . When the gap  40  that is formed between the lid grip supports  20 ,  31  is adequate to sustain the cooking vessel lid, the screws  32 ,  33  can, once more, be tightened to fix the length of the gap  40  in order to mount one or more cooking vessel lids on the storage device  10 .  
      The storage device  10  can be formed from metal, plastic or any suitable material and used not only to stow cooking vessel lids, but any other materials that can be mounted on the tracks  11 ,  12 .