US20100064948A1

US20100064948A1 - Drawer Liner

Info

Publication number: US20100064948A1
Application number: US12/180,269
Authority: US
Inventors: Holly S. Tucker
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-07-25
Filing date: 2008-07-25
Publication date: 2010-03-18

Abstract

Disclosed is a flexible drawer liner with raised projections, which allows for orderly arrangement of items—between the projections. Cut to size, it fits in any/all drawers and boxes, and can be used in kitchen, office, bathroom, workroom . . . wherever. It replaces existing rigid organizers such as kitchen silverware trays, or other organizational boxes. And, no need for a separate drawer liner—as the invention is a cushioned liner and organizer all in one. It just gets measured and cut to fit any drawer or box. Arrange your silverware or other items on the liner, and you're done. It's time to throw away those drawer organizers that don't fit, and just don't do the job very well. The invention can also be used in sinks, as a draining mat, leaning dishes on end to dry. This is a clever household organization solution—and is a great fit for existing products such as cooking and eating utensils, hand tools, et cetera.

Description

SUMMARY

Disclosed is an article of manufacture intended to aid in the organization and storage of eating and cooking utensils, in its preferred embodiment. It can also be used, however, to organize craft supplies, small tools, et cetera, and to stabilize dishware (as in a kitchen sink) that has been washed by hand. Though, in its preferred embodiment, the invention is a drawer liner.
An object of the invention is a drawer liner that provides for the orderly arrangement of items, among an array of projections. Another object is a drawer liner that can easily be cut to appropriate custom size, whether it is for the bottom of a drawer, a kitchen sink, a countertop, et cetera. Still another object is an organizer that maximizes the space available for actual storage, and minimizes the space taken up by the organizer itself. Yet another object is an organizer that allows the user to decide where specific items will be located during storage.
The invention is molded from a suitable material such as plastic, polyurethane, rubber, vinyl, et cetera. It can be made in rolls, sheets, or custom sizes depending on volume. Other embodiments can be constructed with multiple pieces, to provide necessary strength for heavier or bulkier items. Conceivably, a flat wooden board, a flexible mat, or metal plate (as examples) can be used as a base in which so many projections are fastened by a suitable means, at predetermined locations on the base. The base may contain holes for lightening or drainage.
Also in other embodiments, the profile of the projections themselves can be of a non-cylindrical shape. Larger tips, for example, can facilitate the utility of the invention more effectively. The invention can be made either flexible or rigid.

DRAWING FIGURES

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the invention in its preferred embodiment.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the invention in its preferred embodiment.

FIG. 3 shows a close-up perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 shows a top view of the invention in its preferred embodiment, in a rolled condition.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the invention in its preferred embodiment, along with a number of items for which the embodiment is intended.

FIG. 6 shows an overhead perspective view of the invention in its preferred embodiment, in an alternate use, along with a number of items for which the embodiment is intended.

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the invention, as it is used in a drawer.

DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a good view of the invention 10 in its simplest form. The invention is molded as a single piece of material. It has two main components, a base 20 and a plurality of projections 30. In this case the material is an elastomer. It is pliable to the extent that it will accept items that vary in shape substantially.
FIG. 2 is a view of the invention 10 showing by example how a wide variety of arrangements for the projections 30 are acceptable, and foreseen.
FIG. 3 is a close-up partial view of the invention 10 showing by example how the projections 30 can be of a non-cylindrical shape. In fact, a wide variety of shapes are foreseeable, which accommodate the specifics of a particular application.
FIG. 4 is a view of the invention 10 after it has been rolled.
FIG. 5 shows the invention 10 in use. Here a specific size has been cut to fit a kitchen drawer, and to serve as an organizer. The drawer itself is not shown in the figure, so as to aid visibility.
FIG. 6 shows the invention 10 in an alternate use. Here it has been cut to fit the bottom of a sink, and to serve as a strainer.
FIG. 7 shows the invention 10 in another alternate use. Here it is shown inside a drawer, and used to locate and store hand tools.
Of course, many of the projections can be trimmed off, to provide customized recessed areas (as suggested in FIG. 2, where the layout of the projections shown can either be established as it is manufactured, or trimmed after the product has been purchased by the consumer).
Although not shown in FIG. 7, this function of trimming away one or more projections to form custom recesses can help a user to identify the proper storage location for a particular article, so that the article may be returned to the recessed area that matches the particular article, in overall shape.

Claims

1. A storage mat for useful articles, wherein the mat comprises a base and a plurality of

projections stemming from the mat, and arranged in an orderly manner along two directions, so as to provide a means for organizing said articles in either a corresponding or a facilitated orderly manner.

2. The storage mat in claim 1 whose base is of a material and form that it may easily be trimmed to custom size, and fitted to the bottom of a sink, so as to act as a convenient strainer for drying washed dishes.

3. The storage mat in claim 1 wherein said articles are hand tools, craft supplies, or flatware.

4. The storage mat in claim 1 whose projections are shaped with a cross-sectional area that is greatest at some pre-determined distance from the base, so as to keep articles in position and prevent them from shifting.

5. The storage mat in claim 1 whose projections are of a material and form that they may easily be severed selectively, so as to define one or more clearances fitted to one or more said articles.

6. The storage mat in claim 5 wherein said articles are hand tools, craft supplies, or flatware.