Tableware shelf assembly and kitchen utensil

Abstract

The utility model relates to a tableware shelf assembly and kitchen utensils comprising the tableware shelf assembly. The dishware shelf assembly includes a bracket and a rocker including an elongated body extending in a longitudinal direction and a hook portion extending from a longitudinal end of the elongated body, the hook portion being configured to pivotally connect with the bracket to allow the rocker to pivot between a working position and a stowed position. In the working position, the hook portion locks the rocker to form a preset inclination angle with the bracket, so that the rocker and the bracket define a first bowl placing area and a second bowl placing area which extend in the longitudinal direction and are located on the two sides of the rocker in the transverse direction, and the long body of the rocker can obliquely support bowls in the second bowl placing area. In the storage position, the long body of the rocker abuts against the bottom of the bracket. According to the tableware shelf assembly, the capacity of the tableware shelf assembly can be effectively increased, and a user is allowed to flexibly arrange the tableware partitions of the tableware shelf assembly according to actual requirements.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present utility model relates to kitchen utensils, and particularly to a tableware rack assembly and a kitchen appliance including the tableware rack assembly. Background Art

[0002] The content of this part only provides background information related to the present utility model, which may not constitute prior art.

[0003] Tableware racks are usually equipped in kitchen appliances such as cabinets, dishwashers, and disinfection cabinets. In a conventional tableware rack, the space in the height direction of the tableware rack is usually not fully utilized. For example, a conventional tableware rack usually only allows a user to lay a single layer of tableware flat on the bottom of the tableware rack. The user usually expects to accommodate as many tableware as possible without increasing the volume of the tableware rack. The user usually also expects the tableware partition of the tableware rack to be flexibly adjusted according to actual needs. Summary of the Utility Model

[0004] An object of the present utility model is to provide a tableware rack assembly that is conducive to increasing the number of tableware that can be accommodated. Another object of the present utility model is to provide a tableware rack assembly with a flexibly adjustable tableware partition.

[0005] One aspect of the present utility model provides a tableware rack assembly, which includes a bracket and a rocker. The rocker includes an elongated body extending in the longitudinal direction and a hook portion extending from a longitudinal end of the elongated body. The hook portion is configured to be pivotally connected to the bracket, thereby allowing the rocker to pivot between a working position and a storage position. In the working position, the hook portion locks the rocker at a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the bracket, such that the rocker and the bracket together define a first tableware placement area and a second tableware placement area that extend in the longitudinal direction and are located on both sides of the rocker in the transverse direction, wherein the elongated body of the rocker can support the tableware in an inclined manner in the second tableware placement area. In the storage position, the elongated body of the rocker abuts against the bottom of the bracket.

[0006] In some embodiments, the tableware rack assembly further includes a flexible rocker sleeve, which includes a sleeve body that at least partially surrounds the elongated body of the rocker.

[0007] In some embodiments, the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve body of the rocker sleeve is provided with concave and convex textures.

[0008] In some embodiments, the rocker sleeve includes a plurality of protrusions protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve body.

[0009] In some embodiments, the plurality of protrusions include a plurality of annular protrusions that extend in the circumferential direction and are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction.

[0010] In some embodiments, the rocker sleeve is provided with at least one label portion, and the at least one label portion includes a mark indicating the placement direction of the tableware and / or a mark indicating the pivoting direction of the rocker.

[0011] In some embodiments, the rocker sleeve is formed of an elastomeric material.

[0012] In some embodiments, the bracket includes a grille, and the hook portion of the rocker is hooked to the grille.

[0013] In some embodiments, the hook portion of the rocker includes a bent portion that extends bent around a rod in the grille and a stop portion that extends in the longitudinal direction from the bent portion, and the stop portion is configured to abut against the grille when the rocker is in the working position to hold the rocker in the working position.

[0014] Another aspect of the present utility model provides a kitchen utensil including a tableware rack assembly according to the above aspect.

[0015] In a conventional tableware rack, the space in the height direction of the tableware rack is usually not fully utilized. The tableware rack assembly according to the present utility model makes full use of the space in the height direction of the tableware rack assembly to store tableware by means of a rocker that can tiltably support the tableware, effectively increasing the capacity of the tableware rack assembly. When not in use, the rocker can be pivoted to the storage position to save space. The rocker sleeve provided on the rocker can effectively increase the friction force between the rocker sleeve and the tableware to prevent the tableware from undesired displacement. In addition, the rocker sleeve can also play a role in protecting the tableware. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The embodiments of the present utility model will be described hereinafter only by way of example with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same features or components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. In the drawings:

[0017] Figure 1 A perspective view of a tableware rack assembly according to an embodiment of the present utility model is shown;

[0018] Figure 2 Shown is Figure 1 An enlarged view of part A in

[0019] Figure 3 Shown is Figure 1 A perspective view of the rocker sleeve of the tableware rack assembly in

[0020] Figure 4 Shown is Figure 3 A partial enlarged view of one longitudinal end of the rocker sleeve in

[0021] Figure 5 Schematically shown is Figure 1Exploded view of the rocker and rocker sleeve of the tableware rack assembly in Detailed implementation mode

[0022] The following description is essentially exemplary only and is not intended to limit the present invention, its applications, and uses. It should be understood that in all these drawings, like reference numerals indicate the same or similar parts and features. Each drawing only schematically shows the concept and principle of the implementation mode of the present invention, and does not necessarily show the specific dimensions and their ratios of each implementation mode of the present invention. Specific parts in a specific drawing may be exaggerated to illustrate the relevant details or structures of the implementation mode of the present invention.

[0023] In the description of the implementation mode of the present invention, the orientation terms related to "upper" and "lower" are described based on the upper and lower positions of the views shown in the drawings. In actual applications, the "upper" and "lower" positional relationships used herein can be defined according to the actual situation, and these relationships can be reversed with each other.

[0024] Figure 1 The perspective view of the tableware rack assembly 1 according to an implementation mode of the present invention is shown, Figure 2 Shown is Figure 1 The enlarged view of part A in Figure 1 And Figure 2 As shown, the tableware rack assembly 1 includes a bracket 10 and a rocker 20. The tableware rack assembly 1 may further include a rocker sleeve 30. Figure 3 The perspective view of the rocker sleeve 30 is shown, Figure 4 The partial enlarged view of a longitudinal end of the rocker sleeve 30 is shown, Figure 5 Schematically shows the exploded view of the rocker 20 and the rocker sleeve 30.

[0025] As Figure 1 And Figure 2 Shown, the rocker 20 is pivotally attached to the bracket 10 so as to be able to pivot relative to the bracket 10 between a working position and a storage position. Figure 1 Two rockers 20 attached to the bracket 10 are shown in Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 5As shown, the rocker 20 includes an elongated body 21 extending in the longitudinal direction and a hook portion 22 extending from the longitudinal end of the elongated body. The hook portion 22 is pivotally connected to the bracket 10 to allow the rocker to pivot between a working position and a storage position. The elongated body 21 and the hook portion 22 of the rocker 20 can be integrally formed by bending a wire or a metal rod, for example. In the present embodiment, the bracket 10 includes a bottom in the form of a grille 11. Two hook portions 22 respectively extend from two longitudinal ends of the elongated body 21 of the rocker 20 substantially perpendicular to the elongated body 21 and are hooked to the grille 11 of the bracket 10. As Figure 2 Best shown, each hook portion 22 includes a bent portion 221 that extends by bending around one of the rods 111 of the grille 11 and a stop portion 222 that extends in the longitudinal direction from the bent portion 221. The stop portion 222 is configured to abut against the other rod 112 of the grille 11 to limit the pivoting angle of the rocker 20 so as to hold the rocker 20 in the working position. In other embodiments, the bracket 10 can also be configured to include any other suitable structure other than the grille 11 that is adapted to pivotally connect to the hook portion 22 of the rocker 20. For example, the bottom of the bracket 10 can be a non-hollow structure. In the working position of the rocker 20, the stop portion 222 of the hook portion 22 abuts against the other rod 112 of the grille 11 of the bracket 10, thereby holding the rocker 20 in the working position at a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the bracket 10. Thus, the rocker 20 and the bracket 10 together define a first tableware placement area S1 and a second tableware placement area S2 that extend in the longitudinal direction and are located on both sides of the rocker 20 in the transverse direction. In the first tableware placement area S1, tableware can be directly placed (e.g., upside down) on the bracket 10. Preferably, in the first tableware placement area S1, the bottom of the bracket 10 can be inclined so that the tableware is placed obliquely on the bottom of the bracket 10, thereby saving tableware storage space. On the other side of the rocker 20 opposite to the first tableware placement area S1, the elongated body 21 of the rocker 20 in the working position can obliquely support the tableware in the second tableware placement area S2. When the rocker 20 is slightly moved in the longitudinal direction such that the stop portion 222 of the hook portion 22 of the rocker disengages from abutting against the other rod 112 of the grille 11, the rocker 20 can pivot to the storage position. As Figure 1 Shown by the dashed line in, in the storage position of the rocker 20, the elongated body 20 of the rocker 20 abuts against the bottom of the bracket 10.

[0026] As Figures 3 to 5As shown, the rocker sleeve 30 includes a sleeve body 31 that at least partially surrounds the elongated body 21 of the rocker 20. The sleeve body 31 may be provided with a long and narrow opening 32 extending in the longitudinal direction for receiving the elongated body 21 of the rocker 20. The rocker sleeve 30 may be formed to be flexible. In particular, the rocker sleeve 30 may be formed of an elastomeric material. Wrapping the rocker sleeve 30 around the elongated body 21 of the rocker 20 helps to increase the frictional force between the rocker 20 and the bowl, so as to reliably support the bowl in an inclined manner in the second bowl resting area S2 and prevent the bowl from undergoing undesired displacement. To further increase the frictional force with the bowl, the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve body 31 of the rocker sleeve 30 may be provided with concave and convex textures. In particular, in the present embodiment, the rocker sleeve 30 includes a plurality of protrusions 33 protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve body 31. These protrusions 33 may include a plurality of annular protrusions extending in the circumferential direction of the rocker sleeve 30 and spaced apart in the longitudinal direction. The height of the protrusions 33 and the spacing between adjacent protrusions 33 may be set according to the size of the tableware rack assembly 1 and the size of the bowl, etc.

[0027] The rocker sleeve 30 may include at least one label portion indicating how to use the rocker 20 or other information. As Figure 4 shown, at least one longitudinal end of the sleeve body 31 of the rocker sleeve 30 may be provided with a first label portion 34, and the first label portion 34 may include a mark indicating the placement direction of the bowl or any other information. Alternatively or additionally, as Figure 5 shown, the rocker sleeve 30 may include a second label portion 35 connected to the sleeve body 31. The second label portion 35 may include a mark indicating the pivoting direction of the rocker 20 or any other information to facilitate the user to understand how to correctly use the rocker 20.

[0028] The present utility model also relates to a kitchen appliance (not shown) including the tableware rack assembly described above. For example, the kitchen appliance may include any kitchen appliance suitable for accommodating various tablewares, such as a cabinet, a dishwasher, a disinfection cabinet, etc.

[0029] In a conventional tableware rack, the space in the height direction of the tableware rack is usually not fully utilized. In other words, a conventional tableware rack usually only allows the user to lay a single layer of tableware flat on the bottom of the tableware rack. The tableware rack assembly according to the present utility model includes a rocker that can pivot relative to the bracket, such that the rocker can support the bowl in an inclined manner in the working position, which fully utilizes the space in the height direction of the tableware rack assembly to accommodate the bowl, thereby effectively increasing the capacity of the tableware rack assembly without increasing the volume of the tableware rack assembly. When not in use, the rocker can also pivot to the storage position to save space. The rocker sleeve provided on the rocker can effectively increase the frictional force between the rocker sleeve and the bowl to prevent the bowl from undergoing undesired displacement (such as slipping off the rocker). In addition, the rocker sleeve can also play a role in protecting the bowl.

[0030] Herein, exemplary embodiments of the tableware rack assembly and kitchen utensils according to the present utility model have been described in detail. However, it should be understood that the present utility model is not limited to the specific embodiments described and illustrated above in detail. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the present utility model without departing from the gist and scope of the present utility model. All such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the present utility model. Moreover, all the components described herein can be replaced by other technically equivalent components.

Claims

1. A tableware rack assembly, characterized in that: The cutlery rack assembly comprises a bracket and a rocker, wherein the rocker comprises an elongated body extending in a longitudinal direction and a hook extending from a longitudinal end of the elongated body, wherein the hook is configured to be pivotally connected to the bracket so as to allow the rocker to pivot between a working position and a storage position. In the working position, the hook locks the rocker to form a predetermined tilt angle with the bracket, so that the rocker and the bracket together define a first bowl placement area and a second bowl placement area extending in the longitudinal direction and located on both sides of the rocker in the transverse direction, wherein the elongated body of the rocker can support bowls in an inclined manner in the second bowl placement area; In the stowed position, the elongated body of the rocker rests against the bottom of the bracket.

2. The tableware rack assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cutlery rack assembly also includes a flexible rocker sleeve including a sleeve body at least partially surrounding the elongated body of the rocker.

3. The tableware rack assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: The outer peripheral surface of the sleeve body of the rocker sleeve is provided with a concave-convex texture.

4. The tableware rack assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that: The rocker cover includes a plurality of protrusions protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the cover body.

5. The tableware rack assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that: The plurality of protrusions include a plurality of annular protrusions extending in a circumferential direction and spaced apart in the longitudinal direction.

6. The tableware rack assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: The rocker sleeve is provided with at least one label portion, and the at least one label portion includes a mark indicating the placement direction of the bowl and / or a mark indicating the pivoting direction of the rocker.

7. The cutlery rack assembly according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that: The rocker sleeve is formed from an elastomeric material.

8. The cutlery rack assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The bracket includes a grille to which the hook portion of the rocker is hooked.

9. The tableware rack assembly according to claim 8, characterized in that: The hook portion of the rocker includes a bent portion extending around a rod in the grille and a stopper extending from the bent portion along the longitudinal direction, wherein the stopper is configured to abut against the grille when the rocker is in the working position to hold the rocker in the working position.

10. A kitchen appliance, characterized in that: The kitchen appliance comprises a cutlery rack assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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