GB2158705A - Suspendible support - Google Patents

Abstract

A support that is suspendible from the rods, wires, rails or the like of a rack-like shelf (11) in the use thereof comprises a normally substantially uniplanar trapezoidal support portion of open-work formation having two gently convergent opposite edges (3) each provided with hook-like hangers (6) which will co-operate with appropriately positioned rods, wires, rails or the like of a shelf (11) in hanging the support therebeneath in partially surrounding relationship with a wine bottle (10), can/tin or other container or article. The suspendible support is advantageously formed from a low temperature grade of polypropylene by a single injection moulding operation and is particularly, but not exclusively, suitable for use in a refrigerator where it enables the cooled space to be employed more efficiently. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Suspendible support This invention seeks to provide a suspendible support that is especially, but not exclusively, suitable for suspending bottles, cans/tins and other containers beneath the rack-like shelves and other containers beneath the rack-like shelves of domestic and other refrigerators.

An object of the invention is to enable the available cooled space in a refrigerator to be used more completely, and thus economically, than is normally possible in the absence of at least one support in accordance with the invention.

According to the invention, there is provided a suspendible support comprising a normally substantially uniplanar support portion of open-work formation, said support portion of having two opposite edges which are provided with hangers constructed and arranged releasably to engage rods, wires, rails or the like of a rack-like shelf in the use of the support, said support portion being resiliently flexible so that it may extend partly beneath an article to be suspended, in partially surrounding relationship with that article, when said hangers are engaged with the rods, wires or the like of an overlying rack-like shelf.

For a better understanding of the invention, and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a top perspective view of a suspendible support in accordance with the invention shown in an initial substantially flat position, Figure 2 is a view as seen in the direction indicated by an arrow II in Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the support of Figures 1 and 2 employed in suspending a bottle from the shelf of a domestic refrigerator.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the suspendible support that is illustrated therein is of trapezoidal configuration (see particularly Figure 1) having longer and shorter parallel edges 1 and 2 whose lengths are respectively substantially 245 mms and substantially 220 mms and also two opposite side edges 3 that are gently convergent from the longer edge 1 to the relatively parallel shorter edge 2, each side edge 3 having the length substantially 190 mms.As can clearly be seen in Figures 1 and 3 of the drawings, the suspendible support is of open-work formation and comprises, in addition to the edges 1, 2 and 3, three ribs 4 that extend parallel to the edges 1 and 2 at substantially regular intervals between those edges and five ribs 5 that integrally interconnect the longer edges 1 and 2 and the ribs 4 in very slightly convergent relationship with one another and with the side ribs 3. It will be seen from Figure 1 that, counting the ribs 5 from either of the side edges 3, the spacing between that side edge 3 and the first rib is a little less than is the spacing between that first rib and the second rib and that, in turn, the spacing between the second rib 5 and the central or third rib 5 is again a little greater than is the spacing between the first and second ribs 5.

Each of the side ribs 3 is integrally provided at its opposite ends, and centrally along its length, with three hangers in the form of suspension hooks 6 each of which is of substantially right-angled configuration having a limb that projects upwardly (as seen in Figure 2) from the generally uniplanar support portion that is afforded by the parts 1 to 5 inclusive and a limb which is substantially parallel to, but spaced upwardly above (as seen in Figure 2), that support portion. The tip of this second limb is provided with a substantially hemi-spherical projection 7 that is directed back towards the general plane of the support portion.

Three stops 8 project upwardly (as seen in Figure 2) from the general plane of the support portion and locations along the longer edge 1 that coincide with the integral junctions of that longer edge 1 with the second, third and fourth of the convergent ribs 5 counting in either direction. Buttresses 9 reinforce the integral connections between the stops 8 and the longer edge 1 of the support.

Figure 3 of the drawings illustrates the suspendible support in a position of use in which it is shown holding a conventional bottle, such as a wine bottle 10, immediately beneath the rods, wires, rails or the like of a rack-like shelf 11. The suspendible support is formed integrally by a single injection moulding operation from a flexible but substantially inextensible synthetic plastics material that must retain its flexibility at low temperatures without becoming brittle and it has been found that a low temperature grade of polypropylene fulfills these requirements.It will be seen from Figure 3 that, to suspend the bottle 10 beneath the shelf 11, it is only necessary to engage the three hooks 6 along each side edge 3 with an appropriate rod, wire or rail of the shelf 10, the hooks 6 being resilient so that the projections 7 at their free ends will usually engage around the selected rods, wires or rails in such a way that a small manual force is necessary to cause disengagement whereby such disengagement will not normally take place accidentally. Assuming that, as seen in Figure 3, the door of the domestic refrigerator is to the right, the bottle 10 can then be inserted, bottom or punt end first, into the substantially arcuately disposed support until said bottom or punt engages the three stops 8 which will, at this time, all project inwardly towards the approximate axis of curvature of the support.Due to the trapezodial formation of the suspendible support, its bottom (when disposed as shown in Figure 3) has a gentle downward slope from its shorter edge 2 to its longer edge 1. The suspendible support acts as an open-work bottle basket when disposed substantially as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings, extending partly beneath an article, such as the bottle 10, to be suspended, in partially surrounding relationship with that article. It constitutes simple and practical means for making better use of the cooled storage space in a domestic or other refrigerator since, frequently, space immediately beneath shelves is wasted because the shelf spacing is such that articles standing on the upper surfaces of the shelves cannot conveniently be arranged so as to make the best possible use of the cooled space that is available.Merely piling articles one upon the other, whilst at least partially overcoming the problem, makes the recovery of individual articles, when required, a somewhat difficult operation and can interfere with the circulation of cooled air that must take place inside the refrigerator if efficient cooling of its contents is to be attained.

Whilst the primary purpose of a suspendible support in accordance with the invention is for use in domestic and other refrigerators in supporting bottles, cansitins and other containers immediately beneath the rack-like shelves thereof, it will be appreciated that the support will equally well carry wrapped or unwrapped food that is not in a container, cardboard cartons and other items. Whilst the dimensions that have been given above are satisfactory for dealing with standard wine bottles and the like, such dimensions are not, of course, essential and a support in accordance with the invention could be made in both larger and smaller sizes when primarily intended to carry specific articles other than bottles.The low temperature grade of polypropylene that is preferred for the formation of the suspendible support can incorporate any desired colouring pigment to enable it substantially to match the refrigerator, cooling cabinet, domestic or catering freezer or the like with which it is to be used or substantially to match a domestic or restaurant kitchen colour scheme. Whilst the indicated grade of polypropylene is preferred, since it gives the suspendible support the required features that are indicated above, as well as being strong, nontoxic and waterproof, an alternative synthetic plastics material which would posses the same features in the finished article would be equally acceptable as might also be some other elastomeric materials that are not synthetic plastics material. Whilst being particularly useful in domestic and other refrigerators and freezers, a suspendible support in accordance with the invention could, of course, be used at room temperature and might, purely for example, be hung from a railed cupboard shelf or from co-operating hooks or eyes screwed into the lower surface of a wooden shelf.

When not is use, the resiliency of the suspendible support will ensure that it will revert to a configuration in which it is substantially flat apart from the upwardly projecting hooks 6 and stops 8. This substantially flat condition is appropriate for storage at a site in a domestic or other kitchen and, of course, for initial sale in a transparent synthetic plastics or cellulose bag accompanied by a label andlor other illustrative material showing clearly how the suspendible support is intended to be used.

Claims (11)

1. A suspendible support comprising a normally substantially uniplanar support portion of open-work formation, said support portion having two opposite edges which are provided with hangers constructed and arranged releaseably to engage rods, wires, rails or the like of a rack-like shelf in the use of the support, said support portion being resiliently flexible so that it may extend partly beneath an article to be suspended, in partially surrounding relationship with that article, when said hangers are engaged with the rods, wires or the like or an overlying rack-like shelf.

2. A suspendible support as claimed in claim 1, wherein said two opposite edges of the support portion are substantially straight and in convergent relationship with one another.

3. A suspendible support as claimed in claim 2, wherein said support portion has two further substantially straight and substantially parallel longer and shorter edges, said support portion being of substantially trapezodial configuration.

4. A suspendible support as claimed in claim 3, wherein said support portion comprises a plurality of relatively spaced ribs that are substantially parallel to the longer and shorter edges thereof and also a plurality of further relatively spaced ribs each of which is substantially, but not exactly, parallel to at least one neighbouring further rib, each such further rib being substantially straight and in convergent relationship with said two opposite egdes of the support portion.

5. A suspendible support as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a plurality of said hangers is provided in relatively spaced apart relationship along each of said opposite edges of the support portion, each such hanger being of the form of a hook having a first limb which, when the support portion is in the substantially uniplanar condition, projects out of the general plane of that support portion, each hook also comprising a second limb that is substantially parallel to said general plane of the support portion but that is spaced by said first limb from that general plane.

6. A suspendible support as claimed in claim 5, wherein the tip of the second limb of each hook is provided with a projection that is directed back towards the general plane of the support portion.

7. A suspendible support as claimed in either claim 5 or claim 6 when read as appendent to claim 3, wherein the longer substantially parallel edge of the support portion is provided with a plurality of relatively spaced apart stops each of which projects from the general plane of said support portion in the same direction as do the first limbs of the hooks affording said hangers, said stops being arranged to prevent the passage past them of the base of a bottle, can,tin or the like when the suspendible support is in use.

8. A suspendible support as claimed in any preceding claim, the support being formed wholly from a flexible but substantially inextensible synthetic plastics material by a single injection moulding operation.

9. A suspendible support as claimed in claim 8, wherein the synthetic plastics material is a low temperature grade of polypropylene.

10. A suspendible support as claimed in claim 3 or in any one of claims 4 to 9 when read as appended to claim 3, wherein the longer substantially parallel edge of the support portion has a length of substantially 240 mm, the shorter parallel edge thereof has a length of substantially 220 mm and each of said convergent opposite side edges has a length of substantially 190 mm.

11. A suspendible support substantially as her einbefore described with reference to the accom panying drawings.