US2664207A - Rack for drinking glasses - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 29, 1953 c, U T M I 2 ,664,207

RACK FOR DRINKING GLASSES Filed Jan. 14, 1953 INVENTOR. Qua/21022272401? @Lig/ Patented Dec. 29, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,664,207 RAoK FOR DRINKING GLASSES Cesar Bustamante, Elmhurst, 'N. Y. Application January 14, 1953, Serial No. 331,246

- 1 This invention relates to improvements in'racks for supporting drinking glasses, and the like, in draining position, and particularly, to portable 3 Claims. (Cl; 211 74) racks for household use, although, if desired, the

improved rack can be advantageously used in restaurants, lunch counters, etc, and in automatic dishwashing machines. The rack can be used as a carrier for the drinking glasses as well as a stationary holder or support.

In the household, as well as in restaurants and other eating places, when drinking glasses are not in use, it is desirable for sanitary reasons to support them in inverted, or in substantially inverted position and with their rims out of contact with storage shelves on which they are placed. However, the racks for this purpose as heretofore constructed have been unsatisfactory for one reason or another. One of the common forms of such racks consists of a. frame supporting a series of upstanding pins or pegs. Such a rack is objectionable because the glasses are not firmly held in position, and because the glasses supported on these pegs may assume a great number of different positions so that they do not'present a neat appearance.

The primaryobject of the present invention is to provide a rack which is so constructed'as to support the desired number of drinking glasses, or the like, securely and firmly in inverted, or draining, position, so that, if desired, the entire group of glasses may be easily moved from one place to another without danger of breakage. For example, in the household, the glasses may be placed on the rack directly from the washing or cleansing operation and allowed to dry. Thereafter the entire rack containing a half dozen, a dozen or more glasses, may be placed in storage cupboards without again touching or handling the individual glasses.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rack which will support the glasses with their axes approximately parallel so that the entire group presents a neat appearance.

Another object of the invention is to provide a drinking glass rack which will accommodate glasses, goblets, etc. which vary in size over a considerable range.

The invention will be understood by considering the accompanying drawings together with the following description thereof.

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a rack which is intended to hold eight (8) drinking glasses in two (2) rows of four (4) each;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

.Fig. 3 is a detailed section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1. I

Referring now to these drawings, the rack of the present invention comprises substantially vertical, flat frame members I and la arranged in parallel, spaced relation and joined together by cross members 2. These frame members are preferably made of a suitable molded plastic material, although they'also'may be made of wood. metal or any other convenientand suitable material. Although Fig. 2shows'the'frame members l and la and cross members 2 as being made integral, it will be understood that'they may be made separate, and cross members 2 may be made in any convenient form to'produce a composite structure. Frame members! and la are shown as having front and rear leg portions 3 and 4 but, again, the supporting legs may'be made'in any convenient form and attached to-the frames in any convenient way.

Frame members rand "Ia are each provided with a series of supports about to be described and preferably arranged at progressively higher levels so as to support the glasses one-slightly above the-other, a shown Fig.1. The supports are also arranged to hold the glasses in draining position but-this may var'y'from a position Where the axes of the glasses are substantially vertical to an even less tilted angle than shown. I}

Each of the frames"! and m is provided-with a series of upwardly directed projections 5, and

each of these-projections carries -a'support'for one of the individual drinking glasses 6. These supports are indicated generally by reference numeral 1, and each support comprises a pair of fingers 8 and 9 which are mounted in horizontal position and spaced apart onopposite sides of the axis of the glass -to'-be su-ppor-ted and-on opposite sides of the supporting projection 5 of the frame. These finger are positioned above the rim ID of the glass, and preferably a substantial distance above this rim. With tall, slender glasses, this position may be somewhat less than midway of the height of the glass, and with shorter glasses, it may be somewhat above the midway position.

Below and substantially in a plane passing through the fingers 8 and 9 there is arranged a plate-like member ll having downwardly diverging edges 1 2 and I3 symmetrically positioned with respect to a plane passing through the axis of the glass at right angles to the plane through the fingers i3 and 9. In other words, fingers 8 and 9 are positioned in a horizontal line extending at right angles to the plane of frames 1 01' la, and

3 plate-like member II is also disposed at right angles to this plane.

Because of the arrangement described, the two fingers 8 and 9 will contact the interior surface of a glass placed over the support, and the rim of the glass will engage the diverging edges [2 and [3 of plate-like member I I at points on these edges, the location of which depends upon the diameter of the rim H] of the glass. Engaging the exterior surface of the glass and forming part of the support I there is a third finger H which may be formed on the lower end of the projection 5 for the adjacent glass above. It will be understood, however, that at the uppermost support I a special projection 5a is provided on the frame upon the lower edge of which projection the third finger H for this support is carried.

The third finger I4 is positioned vertically intermediate the pair of fingers 8 and 9 and the two points where the rim I engages the tapering edges I2 and I3 of plate-like member II, and is also horizontally midway between the fingers 8 and 9 and the edges l2 and I3. In other words, the point where the third finger i4 engages the exterior surface of the glass is above the rim it.

By means of this construction of support, the glass is engaged at four points on its interior surface and the inner edge of its rim, and at one point on its outside surface, thus providing a five point wedging contact or engagement of the glass which securely and firmly holds the individual lass.

This five point support I for each of the individual glasses supports them in such a way that no part of the glass touches the frame except at the five points of support. To this end, the projections and 5a are cut away, as shown at l5, and the upper edges of projections 5 are sloped at such an angle as to clear the rims of the glasses. The upper edges of these projections 5 and also of projections 5a are sloped or curved so as to provide guiding surfaces for directing the glasses into position when they are placed upon their respective supports.

By means of this invention there has been provided a simple and effective support for one or any desired number of glasses whereby the glasses can be securely and firmly engaged and held so that the rack can be moved about as desired without danger of glasses dropping therefrom, and without any sense of such danger on the part of the person handling the rack.

It will be understood that changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of the rack, the scope of the invention being set forth in the appended claims.

I claim;

1. A drinking glass rack having a frame, a sup.- port thereon for holding an individual drinking glass in inverted position, said support comprising a pair of horizontally spaced fingers disposed to engage the interior surface of the inverted glass above the rim thereof, a plate-like member having downwardly diverging edges disposed below said fingers and arranged to engage the rim of the glass at two spaced points whose positions depend upon the diameter of the glass, and a third finger disposed vertically intermediate said spaced fingers and the rim engaging portions of said plate-like member and horizontally midway between said pair of fingers and arranged to engage the exterior surface of the glass.

2. A portable drinking glass rack for a group of glasses having a frame, a plurality of supports thereon each holding an individual drinking glass in inverted position and comprising a pair of horizontally spaced fingers disposed to engage the interior surface of the inverted glass above the rim thereof, a plate-like member having downwardly-diverging edges disposed below and in the plane of said fingers and arranged to engage the rim of the glass at two spaced points substantially in said piane and the positions of which depend upon the diameter of the glass, and a third finger disposed vertically intermediate said spaced fingers and the rim engaging portions of said plate-like member and horizontally midway between said pair of fingers and arranged to engage the exterior surface of the glass.

3. A dri iking glass rack for a group of glasses having a frame, a plurality of projections on the upper edge of said frame disposed at progressively higher elevations, each of said projections having fixed thereto a pair of horizontally spaced fingers disposed to engage the interior surface of an inverted glass above the rim thereof, and a platelike member having downwardly diverging edges disposed below said fingers and arranged to engage the rim of the glass at two spaced points whose positions depend upon the diameter of the glass, and a third finger fixed to the lower end of the projection next above and disposed vertically intermediate said spaced fingers and the rim engaging portions of said plate-like member and arranged to engage the exterior surface of the glass.

CESAR BUSTAMANTE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date D. 45,139 Abhath Jan. 13, 1914 850,381 Lohmann Apr. 16, 1907 898,584 La Bau Sept. 15, 1908 1,263,866 Darnall Apr. 23, 1918 2,553,180 Fromme May 15, 1951

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