Patent Document

RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present invention was first described in and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/781,890, filed Mar. 14, 2013, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to tray assembly slidably mounted within a cabinet and provided with an expandable assembly and a plurality of tines to support items therein. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Today&#39;s modern kitchens are provided with an abundance of storage space, but none are used more than the kitchen cabinet. These cabinets are used to store dinnerware such as bowls, plates, and the like, in a stacked format. Additionally, they are used to store cookware such as pots, pans, lids, and the like as well. Unfortunately, this stacked arrangement often means that several items must be removed until the user can get at the one he or she needs. This not only a time-consuming process, but also exposes other pieces of dinnerware or cookware to possible damage from chipping or even breaking. Accordingly, there exists a need for a means by which desired dinnerware and cookware items can be easily removed from a kitchen cabinet, without impacting other items, and without exposing them to possible chipping or damage. The development of the expandable cabinet tray fulfills this need. 
     The expandable cabinet tray is a storage apparatus for kitchen cabinets that holds various dinnerware and cookware items. The invention is intended to increase usability of the kitchen cabinets as well as prevent damage to the stored items. The invention is comprised of an overall stainless steel frame which fits into the upper wall section of a kitchen cabinet. It is provided with an adjustment mechanism to securely install the invention in place. The frame provides an inner moving mechanism which extends in and out of the cabinet area. In turn, this extension portion includes adjustable dividers for storing each individual piece of dinnerware, such as bowls, plates, cups, or the like. It can also be used to store cookware such as pots, pans, lids, and similar products. As such, at no time does any piece of dinnerware or cookware touch another item. This makes it very easy to remove one item, without having to move other items for access. Additionally, it prevents damage to the item by eliminating the possibility of chipping or breaking. It is envisioned that the present invention could be easily installed in almost any type of kitchen cabinet with a minimal amount of tools, and could be removed at a later date, without leaving any telltale marks behind. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The expandable cabinet tray is designed with utility and convenience in mind, and is easy to install and use. The tray consists of a primary base plate and an expanding base plate, which are attached to the inside of the cabinets with adhesive pads, such as mastic. This way, no damage to the cabinet would exist. However, if desired, permanent installation could be achieved by using threaded fastening mechanisms. 
     Base assemblies are preferably stainless steel, and adhesive pads would be placed on the underside of the horizontal portion of each of the primary base plate and expanding base plate. The slide roller bearing on the inside of the primary base plate would allow the expanding base plate to slide out easily. 
     The tray has a primary frame floor in the form of a stainless steel plate, and support tines are attached to the primary frame floor to hold items vertically. The support tines are stainless steel wires. Disposed along the outside of the support tine assembly of the primary frame, a short distance above the primary frame floor, is a primary frame brace, preferably comprised of stainless steel wire for the purpose of supporting the dishware in the apparatus. The floor of the expansion frame is a series of stainless steel plates, welded to the expanding frame side member of the expanding frame and spaced so as to bypass the support tines attached to the primary frame floor. 
     In operation, the pull out tray assembly comprising of the primary frame and the extending frame with integral floors and, and support tines may be extended from the cabinet either partially or fully on the slide roller bearings and for the removal or insertion of glassware, dishware, and/or cookware. The items in the tray would be supported on or against the tines on the primary frame floor. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The advantages and features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following more detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric drawing of a cabinet tray  10  in a partially expanded position as it would be installed in a wall cabinet of a width between the minimum and the maximum range, with the tray frame assemblies  40  and  50  entirely retracted on the slide rails  25  and  35  of the base frame assemblies  20  and  30  for the storage of dishware or cookware in the cabinet according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an isometric drawing of the cabinet tray  10  in a partially expanded position with the tray frame assemblies  40  and  50  partially extended on the slide rails  25  and  35  of the base frame assemblies  20  and  30  for the removal or insertion of items according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is an isometric drawing of the cabinet tray  10  in the fully collapsed position, that is with the base frame assemblies  20  and  30  at their nearest proximal position, installed in a wall cabinet of the minimum width with the tray frame assemblies  40  and  50  partially extended on the slide rails  25  and  35  for the insertion or removal of items according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a section view along line A-A as shown on  FIG. 1  cut through the primary portion of the expandable cabinet tray  10 , illustrating the outer race  26  of the slide roller bearing  25  attached to the primary frame base  21 , and the inner race  27  of said slide roller bearing  25  attached to the primary frame lower side member  42  of the primary tray frame assembly  40 , and with the primary base adhesive pad  23  which will affix the cabinet tray  10  to the shelf of the wall cabinet according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and, 
         FIG. 5  is an isometric view of the bottom of the expandable cabinet tray  10  showing the primary frame base adhesive pad  23  and the expanding frame base adhesive pad  33  affixed to the primary frame base  21  and the extending frame base  31  to secure the said base assemblies to the cabinet shelf. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTIVE KEY 
     
         
         
           
               10  cabinet expandable tray 
               20  primary frame base assembly 
               21  primary frame base 
               23  primary frame base adhesive pad 
               24  removable adhesive protector 
               25  primary frame slide roller bearing 
               26  primary frame slide bearing outer race 
               27  primary frame slide bearing inner race 
               30  expanding frame base assembly 
               31  expanding frame base 
               33  expanding frame base adhesive pad 
               35  expanding frame slide roller bearing 
               36  expanding frame slide bearing outer race 
               37  expanding frame slide bearing inner race 
               40  primary frame assembly 
               42  primary frame side member 
               44  primary frame front member 
               46  primary frame rear member 
               49  primary frame floor plate 
               50  expanding frame assembly 
               52  expanding frame side member 
               54  expanding frame front member 
               56  expanding frame rear member 
               58  expanding frame floor plate piece 
               71  support tine assemblies 
               72  primary frame brace 
               73  expanding frame brace 
           
         
       
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The best mode for carrying out the invention is presented in terms of its preferred embodiment, herein is depicted in  FIGS. 1 through 5 . However, the invention is not limited to the described embodiment and a person skilled in the art will appreciate that many other embodiments of the invention are possible without deviating from the basic concept of the invention, and that any such work around will also fall under scope of this invention. It is envisioned that other styles and configurations of the present invention can be easily incorporated into the teachings of the present invention, and only one particular configuration shall be shown and described for purposes of clarity and disclosure and not by way of limitation of scope. 
     The terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced items. 
     The present invention describes a wall cabinet expanding tray (herein described as the apparatus)  10 , which provides a means for storing dishware, glassware, and/or cookware in wall cabinets of various standard and custom widths in a manner such that said items can be inserted or removed individually from the tray  10  so as to prevent, or at least minimize, any chipping or breakage of those items that could be caused as a result of the inadvertent handling of them. The preferred embodiment of the apparatus  10  will be to affix the primary base plate  21  and the expanding base plate  31  to the cabinet shelf with adhesive pads  23  and  33 , such as mastic, so as to avoid the use of, and eliminate the concurrent damage caused by, other fastening means. However, a more permanent installation could be achieved with the use of threaded fasteners by anyone with minimal skills and access to the necessary tools and hardware and would not be considered outside the scope of this invention. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , an isometric view of the apparatus  10 , according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, is disclosed. The apparatus  10  is shown with formed stainless steel base assemblies  20  and  30  attached to a typical wall cabinet shelf through the use of adhesive pads  23  and  33 , preferably double-sided mastic, attached respectively to the underside of the horizontal portion of each of the primary base piece  21  and the expanding base piece  31 . Attached to the inside of the vertical leg of the primary base piece  21  is an outer race  26  of a slide roller bearing  25 . The inner race  27  of the slide roller bearing  25  is affixed to the primary frame side member  42 . Similarly, the outer race  36  of another slide roller bearing  35  is attached to the inside of the vertical leg of the expanding frame base piece  31  while the inner race  37  of said slide roller bearing  35  is affixed to the expanding frame side member  52 . The purpose of these roller bearing slides  25  and  35  being to provide the means of extending the tray frame out of the cabinet for access to the stored items. This type of slide roller bearing is typically manufactured with an outer race, an inner race, and a sliding race complete with captured ball bearings and has an integral stop mechanism to limit the extension of the races. This preferred embodiment illustrates the use of said slide roller bearings  25  and  35 , which are available from several manufacturers, to keep a uniformity of material and application, however, the use of roller wheels and formed slide rails could alternately be used as a means of providing the necessary support and mobility to the apparatus  10  without limiting the scope of this invention. 
     The front frame member  54  and the rear frame member  56  of the expanding frame  50  fit into the corresponding tubular stainless steel members of the primary frame  40  to provide for expansion or contraction of the apparatus  10  to adjust for installation in wall cabinets of different widths. 
     The primary frame floor  49  is a stainless steel plate welded to the primary frame rear member  46 , the primary frame front member  44 , and the primary frame side member  42  of the primary frame  40 . Support tines  71  of formed stainless steel wire will be attached to the primary frame floor  49  for the support of items placed in the tray. Disposed along the outside of the support tine  71  assembly of the primary frame  40 , a short distance above the primary frame floor  49 , is a primary frame brace  72 , preferably comprised of stainless steel wire for the purpose of supporting the dishware in the apparatus  10 . The floor of the expansion frame  50  is a series of stainless steel plates  58 , welded to the expanding frame side member  52  of the expanding frame  50  and spaced so as to bypass the support tines  71  attached to the primary frame floor  49 . The free ends of these floor pieces will rest on the solid floor  49  of the primary frame  40  at whatever point the frames are positioned relative to each other and these floor pieces will also be fitted with additional support tines  71  to support dishware or cookware. Disposed along three ( 3 ) sides of the support tine  71  assembly of the expanding frame assembly  50 , a short distance above the expanding frame floor  59 , is an expanding frame brace  73 , preferably comprised of a formed stainless steel wire for the purpose of supporting the dishware in the apparatus  10 . The frame members of the primary frame  40  and the expanding frame  50  are shown as square stainless steel tubing, however, the utilization of tubing having other cross sections could easily be made without limiting the scope of the apparatus  10 . 
     In operation, the pull out tray assembly comprising of the primary frame  40  and the extending frame  50  with integral floors  48  and  58 , and support tines  71  may be extended from the cabinet as shown in  FIG. 2  either partially or fully on the slide roller bearings  25  and  35  for the removal or insertion of glassware, dishware, and/or cookware. These slide roller bearings  25  and  35  will be sufficient to support the weight of the sliding frame assemblies  40  and  50  with the concurrently stored items The items in the tray  10  will be supported on or against said tines  71  and on the said frame floors. 
     The apparatus  10  will start in the fully collapsed arrangement as shown in  FIG. 3  which will be accommodated in the most narrow wall cabinet in the range of sizes for the said apparatus  10 . The expanding frame assembly  50  can be adjusted with respect to the primary frame assembly  40  to fit into wider wall cabinets, up to the maximum expandable width, and affixed to the wall cabinet shelf by means of the adhesive pads  25  and  35  on the bottoms of the base pieces  21  and  31 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , a section view cut through the primary base assembly  20  and the primary frame assembly  40 , a more illustrative detail of these assemblies can be seen. The primary base adhesive pad  23  can be seen, with a removable adhesive protector  24  attached to the bottom of the horizontal leg of the primary frame base  21 . Attached to inside of the vertical leg of the formed stainless steel primary frame base  21  is the outer race  26  of the slide roller bearing  25  which will allow the primary frame assembly  40  to be extended out of the cabinet. The inside bearing race  27  of the slide roller bearing  25  is affixed to the tubular stainless steel primary frame side member  42 . The support tines  71  can be seen attached to the stainless steel floor plate  49  of the primary frame assembly  40 . 
       FIG. 5 , an isometric view of the bottom of the expandable cabinet tray  10 , shows the primary base adhesive pad  23  and the expanding base adhesive pad  33  attached to the bottoms of the horizontal legs of the primary base  21  and the expanding base  31  respectively. This view of the apparatus  10  in the contracted position illustrates the relative size of the adhesive pads  23  and  33  with respect to projected area that said apparatus  20  will occupy on the cabinet shelf. 
     The preferred embodiment of the present invention can be utilized by the common user in a simple and effortless manner with little or no training. After initial purchase or acquisition of the apparatus  10 , it would be installed as indicated in  FIG. 1 . 
     The method of installing and utilizing the apparatus  10  may be achieved by performing the following steps: acquiring a model of the apparatus  10  having the desired width expansion to properly fit in the desired wall cabinet; assuring that the cabinet shelf comprises a smooth, clean surface; positioning the apparatus  10  in said cabinet observing that the orientation thereof permits the frame assemblies  40  and  50  to be slid out of the cabinet for proper access to the stored items to affect the proper operation of the apparatus  10  with no interference with either the back or the door(s) of the cabinet; adjusting the expansion of the frames  40  and  50  relative to each other to achieve the correct width adjustment allowing for any variation of the cabinet style positions to permit the frames  40  and  40  to slide out of the cabinet with no interferences; marking the locations of the base pieces  21  and  31  on the cabinet shelf; removing the apparatus  10  from the cabinet and pealing off the protective paper covering  24  of the adhesive pads  23  and  33 ; reinserting the apparatus  10  back into the cabinet to the locations as previously marked on the shelf, being sure to not touch the said adhesive pads  23  and  33  against the shelf until the exact location is achieved; pressing the apparatus  10  firmly against the shelf to assure that is properly affixed to said shelf; and utilizing the apparatus  10  as desired to allow for the insertion, removal, and storage of glassware, dishware, and/or cookware without those items touching each other to prevent incidental contact and resultant damage. 
     The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention and method of use to the precise forms disclosed. Obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, and to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is understood that various omissions or substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstance may suggest or render expedient, but is intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims of the present invention.

Technology Category: 1