INTEGRATED DRYING SYSTEM FOR SINK

Abstract

An integrated drying system for a kitchen sink comprises a drying rack configured to rest above a basin of the sink, and a bottom grid configured to rest on the bottom of the basin. The drying rack includes a plurality of first parallel supports having a first spacing and a plurality of second parallel supports having a second spacing that is greater than the first spacing. At least one elongated notch is formed in the bottom grid. The at least one elongated notch has a width that is greater than the first spacing, and has a depth such that the notch extends downwardly from a primary plane defined by the bottom grid. When the drying rack is placed over a kitchen sink with the bottom grid resting in the basin, the second parallel supports of the drying rack are arranged parallel to the elongated notches of the bottom grid.

Claims

1. A drying system for a sink including a basin and a drain, the drying system comprising: a drying rack configured to rest above the basin, the drying rack including a plurality of first parallel supports having a first spacing and a plurality of second parallel supports having a second spacing that is greater than the first spacing; and a bottom grid configured to rest on a bottom of the basin, the bottom grid including a grid of support members with at least one elongated notch formed in the grid, the at least one elongated notch having a width that is greater than the first spacing and having a depth such that the at least one notch extends downwardly from a primary plane defined by the grid to a secondary plane defined by a bottom of the at least one notch.

2. The drying system of claim 1 wherein the second spacing is at least twice the first spacing.

3. The drying system of claim 1 wherein the second spacing is equal to the width of the at least one notch.

4. The drying system of claim 1 wherein the drying rack further includes a first side support extending along one side of the drying rack and a second side support extending along a second side of the drying rack, wherein the plurality of first parallel supports and the plurality of second parallel supports are non-removably connected to the first side support and the second side support.

5. The drying system of claim 4 wherein the first side support and the second side support are comprised of a resilient flexible material.

6. The drying system of claim 1 wherein the grid of support members of the bottom grid includes parallel columns of support members and parallel rows of support members, wherein a plurality of first columns of support bars on one side of the bottom grid have a first spacing and a plurality of second columns of support bars on an other side of the bottom grid have a second spacing, wherein the second spacing of the second columns of support bars is greater than the first spacing of the first columns of support bars.

7. The drying system of claim 6 wherein the second columns of support members are recessed downward in the at least one notch and arranged in the secondary plane.

8. The drying system of claim 7 wherein the parallel rows of support members include portions that form vertically extending sidewalls in the at least one notch.

9. A method of drying kitchen accessories comprising: positioning a bottom grid on a bottom surface of a basin of a sink, the bottom grid including a grid of support members including a first plurality of support members in a primary plane and a second plurality of support members in a secondary plane, the bottom grid further including at least one elongated notch that extends downwardly from the primary plane to the secondary plane; positioning a drying rack above the basin of the sink and over the bottom grid, the drying rack including a plurality of first parallel supports having a first spacing and a plurality of second parallel supports having a second spacing that is greater than the first spacing; and inserting a kitchen accessory through the plurality of second parallel supports in the drying rack and into the at least one elongated notch in the bottom grid.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising placing additional kitchen accessories on the plurality of first parallel supports of the drying rack.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the drying rack is positioned on a ledge of the sink above the basin.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the kitchen accessory is planar cookware, and the method further comprises engaging the planar cookware with a vertical sidewall of the at least one notch.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein positioning the drying rack over the bottom grid includes aligning the plurality of second parallel supports of the drying rack with the at least one elongated notch of the bottom grid.

14. A drying accessory kit for a kitchen sink, the drying accessory kit comprising: a drying rack configured to rest above the kitchen sink, the drying rack including a plurality of first parallel supports having a first spacing and a plurality of second parallel supports having a second spacing that is greater than the first spacing; and a bottom grid configured to rest in a basin of the kitchen sink, the bottom grid including a grid of support members comprising a first plurality of support members in a primary plane, a second plurality of support members in a secondary plane, and at least one elongated notch defining a sidewall that extends downwardly from the primary plane to the secondary plane.

15. The drying accessory kit of claim 14 wherein the second spacing is at least twice the first spacing.

16. The drying accessory kit of claim 14 wherein the drying rack further includes a first side support extending along one side of the drying rack and a second side support extending along a second side of the drying rack, wherein the plurality of first parallel supports and the plurality of second parallel supports are non-removably connected to the first side support and the second side support.

17. The drying accessory kit of claim 16 wherein the first side support and the second side support are comprised of a resilient flexible material.

18. The drying accessory kit of claim 14 wherein the grid of support members of the bottom grid includes parallel columns of support members and parallel rows of support members, wherein a plurality of first columns of support bars on one side of the bottom grid have a first spacing and a plurality of second columns of support bars on an other side of the bottom grid have a second spacing, wherein the second spacing of the second columns of support bars is greater than the first spacing of the first columns of support bars.

19. The drying accessory kit of claim 18 wherein the second columns of support members are recessed downward in the at least one elongated notch and arranged in the secondary plane.

20. The drying accessory kit of claim 19 wherein the parallel rows of support members include portions that form vertically extending sidewalls in the at least one elongated notch.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] FIG. 1 shows an upper perspective view of an integrated drying system for a kitchen sink including a drying rack arranged above a sink basin and a bottom grid resting in the bottom of the sink basin;

[0011] FIG. 2 shows a bottom perspective view of the bottom grid of FIG. 1;

[0012] FIG. 3 shows a top view of the bottom grid of FIG. 2;

[0013] FIG. 4 shows a side view of the bottom grid of FIG. 2;

[0014] FIG. 5 shows a top view of the drying rack of FIG. 1;

[0015] FIG. 6 shows a side view of the drying rack of FIG. 5; and

[0016] FIG. 7 shows a prior art drying rack.

DESCRIPTION

[0017] With reference now to FIG. 1, a sink is shown, and particularly a kitchen sink 10 having an integrated drying system 22. The integrated drying system 22 includes a bottom grid 30 positioned in a basin 12 of the sink 10, and a drying rack 50 arranged above the basin 12. As will be recognized from the disclosure herein, the integrated drying system 22 is designed to receive planar cookware 100 (illustrated in phantom lines in FIG. 1), such as cutting boards, sheet pans, etc., in a substantially vertical orientation for drying. The drying system 22 also includes a plurality of parallel bars 54 that provide a horizontal upper surface to support other kitchen accessories for drying.

[0018] The kitchen sink 10 may be any of various commercially available kitchen sinks. The kitchen sink 10 includes a basin 12 defined by a bottom surface 14 and four sidewalls 16. A drain 18 is formed in the bottom surface 14. The kitchen sink 10 may also include an upper ledge 20 (which may alternatively be referred to as a rim) configured to engage a kitchen counter and support the sink in place upon the counter (or alternatively beneath the counter, depending on the mounting design of the sink).

[0019] With reference now to FIGS. 2-4, the bottom grid 30 is comprised of a perimeter frame 32 with a gridwork of support members in the form of elongated bars 34 arranged on the frame 32. The elongated bars 34 traverse one another and are arranged in columns 36 and rows 38 to form a grid of bars 34 on the frame 32. A drain hole 40 is formed in the grid. A base 42 is provided on a bottom side of the grid, the base including a plurality of feet 44 that extend downwardly and contact the bottom surface 14 of the sink 10. The grid 30 may be comprised of any of various relatively rigid materials, such as metal, plastic, or a combination thereof. In at least some embodiments, the grid 30, or parts of the grid, may be comprised of a softer material such as a silicone material, or the feet 44 may be fitted with a silicone material in order to prevent metal on metal contact between the bottom grid 30 and the sink 10.

[0020] The columns 36 and rows 38 of elongated bars 34 are generally equally spaced apart on the grid 30, as illustrated by the distance dimension C0 in FIG. 3. However on one side of the grid 30, the columns 361 of elongated bars 34 have a greater spacing, as illustrated by the distance dimension C1 in FIG. 3 (i.e., C1>C0). In at least some embodiments, C0 is about inch, and C1 is about 1 inch. The columns 361 of elongated bars 34 are recessed downward on this side of the grid 30, and the rows 38 that intersect the columns 361 also recessed downward in two U-shaped paths in order to engage the columns 361. As a result of the U-shaped paths in the rows 38, elongated notches 46 (which may also be referred to as grooves) having a width of N1 are formed in the grid 30 along each of the columns 361, with the elongated notches 46 extending from one side of the frame 32 to the opposite side of the frame. The elongated notches may be considered as positioned between two vertically extending sidewalls, as noted in further detail below.

[0021] The elongated notches 46 serve to recess the grid 30 at the portions defined along the columns 361, and thereby drop the grid 30 from a primary plane of the grid 30 (as defined along the bars 34 of the standard spaced columns 36 and rows 38 and represented by dotted line 37 in FIG. 4) to a lower secondary plane of the grid 30 (as defined along the bars of the downwardly recessed columns 361 and rows 38 at the base/bottom of the U-shaped paths and represented by dotted line 39 in FIG. 4). The portion of the rows 38 that extend vertically between the upper primary plane 37 and the lower secondary plane 39 may be considered vertically extending sidewalls for the notches 46. The distance between the primary plane 37 and the secondary plane 39 is sufficient to provide notches having a sufficient depth to prevent slippage of cookware that is retained in the notches, as explained in further detail below. In at least some embodiments, the distance between the primary plane 37 and the secondary plane 39 is about 20 mm. As best illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4, a series of knobs 48 is also formed in the grid between each U in the U-shaped path of the rows 38. The tips of the knobs 48 extend up to the primary plane 37 of the grid 30, while the bottoms of the knobs 48 are downwardly positioned in the lower secondary plane 39 of the grid 30. The portions of the knobs 48 that extend between the primary plane 37 and the secondary plane 39 provide sidewalls for the notches 46.

[0022] With reference now to FIGS. 5 and 6, the drying rack 50 (which may alternatively be referred to as a drying mat) includes two parallel side supports 52 and a plurality of parallel bars 54. The side supports 52 are elongated and positioned on opposite edges of the drying rack 50. Each of the side supports extend along a width W that is less than or equal to the associated width of the sink 10 (i.e., the width of a conventional kitchen sink as measured from side-to-side). Similar to a conventional drying rack, the side supports 52 may be comprised of a resilient flexible material, such as thermoplastic elastomers, silicone or rubber, and the parallel bars 54 may be comprised of any of various relatively rigid materials, such as metal, wood, plastic, or a combination thereof. The side supports 52 are sufficiently flexible and resilient to allow the drying rack 50 to be rolled up when not in use.

[0023] The parallel bars 54 extend perpendicularly between the side supports 52 on the drying rack 50. The parallel bars 54 are elongated and are defined by a diameter/width D and a height H, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The length of each parallel bar is defined by a length L that is approximately the same as the length of the sink 10 (i.e., the length of any conventional kitchen sink as measured from front to back). Most of the parallel bars 54 are equally spaced apart on the drying rack 50 at a spacing dimension of S0. In at least one embodiment the spacing S0 is approximately inches or 11.5 mm. At least two of the parallel bars 541 on one side of the drying rack 50 have a spacing S1 that is significantly more than S0 (i.e., S1>S0). In at least one embodiment, the spacing S1 is 1 inch or 25.4 mm (e.g., S1 is about twice as much as S0) or greater (e.g., S1 may be approximately 2 inches). Accordingly, this spacing S1 is generally sufficient to allow planar cookware to be inserted therebetween (e.g., as shown in FIG. 1). Moreover, in at least some embodiments, the spacing S1 between the parallel bars 541 of the drying rack is equal to or approximately equal to that of the width N1 of the notches 46 in the bottom grid 30.

[0024] In the embodiment disclosed herein, the drying rack 50 is a unitary component wherein the parallel bars 54 may not be removed from the side supports 52 without damaging the drying rack 50. Accordingly, the ends of the parallel bars 54 are non-removably secured in the side supports 52 using an adhesive, welding, or other connection means. However, in at least some embodiments, the parallel bars 54 are removably secured within mounts in the side supports. In this embodiment, the ends of the parallel bars may be selectively inserted into or withdrawn from the mounts in the side supports, thus allowing the user to select a desired spacing for the parallel bars 54 at different locations along the side supports 52.

[0025] When used in combination, the drying rack 50 and bottom grid 30 may be used to dry kitchen accessories. The method includes first placing the bottom grid 30 in the basin of the sink 10 and then positioning the drying rack 50 over the basin of the sink 10. The drying rack 50 may be positioned on and supported by the ledge 20 of the sink 10. When the drying rack 50 is positioned over the basin of the sink 10, it is arranged with the parallel bars 541 of the drying rack 50 aligned/parallel with the notches 46 of the bottom grid 30. Advantageously, because the spacing between the parallel bars 541 of the drying rack 50 is generally equal to that of the width of the notches, generally planar cookware 100 inserted between the parallel bars 541 of the drying rack may also be inserted into the notches 46 of the bottom grid, allowing the cookware to rest within the notches. This connection interconnects the drying rack 50 to the bottom grid 30 and the helps to retain the cookware 100 in place and prevents it from slipping during the drying process. In other words, generally planar cookware that fits between the parallel bars 541 of the drying rack 50 (and is also long enough to reach the bottom grid 30) may be inserted into the notches 46 of the bottom grid 30 and abut the vertically extending sidewalls of the notches such that the cookware is retained in position against the bars of the bottom grid. Additionally, it will be recognized that the bottom grid 30 and the drying rack 50 may be used independently from one another. For example, the bottom grid 30 may be used without the drying rack with the notches 46 in the bottom grid used to retain planar cookware or other kitchen components in a more vertical orientation while preventing sliding of such kitchen components across the grid 30.

[0026] The disclosed design of the drying system 22 allows for any generally planar cookware or other kitchen accessory to dry in a vertical plane, allowing excess water to drain into the sink. The vertical orientation of the planar cookware consumes a relatively small amount of space on the drying rack 50 during the drying process, thus allowing space for other kitchen accessories to be dried horizontally on other portions of the drying rack. Because the planar cookware is locked in place within the notches 46, the drying system 22 removes the potential of the cookware from slipping and/or scratching the bottom of the sink.

[0027] In addition to the above, in at least some embodiments a radius may be provided on the corners of on the bottom grid 30 and/or the drying rack 50 wherein the radius matches the radius on the sink corners and the drying rack 50 is appropriately sized to align with such corners. For example, if a user places the drying rack 50 on the edge of the sink, it may be closely aligned with the edges and corners and hold the rack tighter in place. This is in contrast to conventional drying racks that are 0 radius (i.e., 90 degree corners) and don't closely align in a workstation sink that does not have 90 degree corners.

[0028] In at least some embodiments, the integrated drying system including the above-described drying rack 50 and bottom grid 30 may be sold as an accessory kit for use in association with a sink, such as a drying accessory kit for use with a kitchen sink. In such embodiment, the bottom grid 30 and the drying rack 50 are packaged together as a single unit for sale. The packaging may be any appropriate packaging means that couples the bottom grid 30 and the drying rack 50 in a single container for sale. For example, the bottom grid 30 and the drying rack 50 may be brought into engagement with one another wrapped in plastic packaging with appropriate labels, tags and/or other identifiers affixed thereto. The identifiers may be designed to describe what is contained within the packaging and/or include one or more barcodes and/or a recommended price for the kit. As another example, the bottom grid 30 and the drying rack may be packaged in a single cardboard container that includes the appropriate labels, tags and/or other identifiers included on the cardboard material or otherwise affixed thereto.

[0029] Although the various embodiments have been provided herein, it will be appreciated by those of skill in the art that other implementations and adaptations are possible. Furthermore, aspects of the various embodiments described herein may be combined or substituted with aspects from other features to arrive at different embodiments from those described herein. Thus, it will be appreciated that various of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by any eventually appended claims.