US3458243A - Swingout undercounter container holder - Google Patents

Description

July 29, 1969 A, P, F OH SWINGOUT UNDERCOUNTER CONTAINER HOLDER Filed July 5, 1967 Ambrose P Gefroh United States Patent 3,458,243 SWINGOUT UNDERCOUNTER CONTAINER HOLDER Ambrose P. Gefroh, 3945 SE. 52nd Ave., Portland, Oreg. 97206 Filed July 3, 1967, Ser. No. 650,781 Int. Cl. A47b 88/ 06, 88/00 US. Cl. 312-329 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to undercounter container holders. It pertains particularly to garbage can holders mounted beneath a sink or cabinet counter.

In doctors ofiices, dentists ofiices, commercial establishments, household kitchens, and like situations it frequently is desirable to mount a container holder within a cabinet in such a manner that as the cabinet door is swung to its open position, the container is swung outwardly to a position where it is readily accessible. Then as the door is swung to its closed position, the container is returned to a storage, undercounter location pending the next use. Such an arrangement is particularly desirable in the case of garbage can holders located beneath a kitchen sink or counter.

Various types of devices heretofore have been devised which accomplish these functions. However, such devices uniformly have been relatively complicated, expensive and not universally applicable to various undercounter situations.

It is the general purpose of the present invention to provide an undercounter container holder, particularly an undersink garbage can holder, which is simple in construction, smooth and reliable in its operation, easily installed, and universally applicable to kitchen cabinet and sink installations provided with outwardly swinging doors.

The manner in which the foregoing and other objects of this invention are accomplished will be apparent from the accompanying specification and claims considered together with the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the undercounter container holder of the invention mounted within a cabinet on the hinged door thereof.

As seen in the drawings, the undercounter container holder of my invention is adapted for installation in a cabinet including a floor 10, a ceiling 12 (which may be the underside of the cabinet counter), and a pair of spaced side pieces 14, 16. These components define an opening to one side of which is hinged a door 18 by mean of hinges 20'.

The container holder is 50 arranged that it swings outwardly and inwardly with the opening and shutting of the door. However, its weight is borne largely by the floor of the cabinet.

To this end there is provided a container-support frame comprising in the illustrated form of the invention, a back bar 22 with feet 24, 26; an arcuate front bar 28 with a terminal foot 30, and an angularly bent stop 32; and a plurality of crossed support bars 34, 36, 38, 40 and 42.

Back bar 22 is so disposed that its foot 26 may be screwed to the inside face of door 18 near the lower inner 3,458,243 Patented July 29, 1969 corner thereof. Its foot 24, on the other hand, is riveted to the inner end of arcuate bar 28.

Foot 30 of arcuate bar 28 is screwed or otherwise secured to the inner face of door 18 near the outer lower corner thereof. The inner end of arcuate bar 28 overlies the floor 10 of the cabinet to a greater or lesser extent, depending upon the degree of opening of the door.

The underside of bar 28 furnishes a slide which bears against a pad 44. This advantageously may be composed of nylon or other self-lubricating, wear-resisting material.

The pad is anchored in place in the outer left hand corner of the floor, as viewed in drawings, by a suitable means such as ascrew 46. In the alternative, it may be secured in place by means of nails or adhesives.

Preferably, screw 46 has an elongated, upstanding head 48 which extends upwardly sufliciently to engage stop 32 when the door has been swung outwardly to its fully opened position.

Further to support the frame and its superimposed load, there may be provided a second bearing pad 50. Like bearing pad 44, pad 50 may be made of nylon or similar self-lubricating, wear-resisting material. It is wedge shaped in profile and secured to floor 10 of the cabinet by being tacked, screwed or glued thereto. It is oriented in such a manner that, as the door swings inwardly, bar 22 is brought into firm bearing contact with the pad in the closed position of the door, thus supporting the weight of the container and its contents.

The frame thus constituted and mounted is adapted to support a garbage can or other container 52. The container is braced in part by frictional engagement with the inner face of door 18, in part by frictional engagement with the constituent members of the frame on which it rests. However, further to brace it there may be provided a brace 54 in the form of a reversely bent strip of metal provided with overlapped feet 56, 58 by means of which the brace is secured to frame member 36.

Preferably brace 54 is made adjustable toward and away from container 52 so that containers of various sizes may be accommodated. In this construction, frame bar 36 is for-med with a longitudinal slot 60 which receives a locking screw 62, thereby furnishing the desired adjustable mounting of brace 54.

In use, container 52 is placed on the supporting frame, braced on one side against door 18 and on the other against adjustable brace 54. As the door swings out, the load is distributed between feet 26, 30, screwed to door 18, and bearing pad 44, with which arcuate bar 28 is in bearing engagement. Outward movement of the door is limited by abutment of stop 32 against post 48.

As the door is closed, arcuate bar 28 slides across the upper surface of bearing pad 44. As the door approaches its closed position, back bar 22 overlies wedge-shaped bearing pad 50 and, in the closed position of the door, bears firmly against the pad so that the load on the frame is amply supported during undercounter storage.

Thus by the present invention I have provided an undercounter container holder of simple, inexpensive construction and reliable operation. The holder is easily installed by the do-it-yourself householder. Also, it is universally applicable to all of the common types of cabinets and containers, particularly to undersink garbage containers.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herein shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. For use in a cabinet having a floor below, a ceiling above, a pair of side pieces defining a door opening, and

3 4 a door hinged to one of the side pieces for outward swing- 3. The container holder of claim 2 wherein the end ing movement, a container holder comprising: of the arcuate bar joining the straight bar has an out- (a) a container support frame having a back edge, a wardly offset stop portion, and wherein the bearing securside edge, and an arcuate front edge, ing means comprises a screw having an elongated head (b) securing means for securing the side edge of the 5 projecting upward from the bearing means adjacent the frame to the inner side of the door, outer side of the arcuate bar for contact by the stop (0) the back edge extending substantially normal to portion in the open position of the door.

the side edge and having a length slightly less than the width of the door opening, References Cited (d) the arcuate front edge extending between the outer UNITED STATES PATENTS griigleof the side edge and the outer end of the back 1,054,311 2/1913 Phillips a 3 9 X 1,321,859 11/1919 Streich 312-348 X (e) from edge support bearmg means and 2,027,124 1/1936 Stockstrom et a1. 312 329 X (f) securing means for securing the bearing means to the floor of the cabinet adjacent the side of the door 15 opening opposite the door hinge for supporting said arcuate front edge slidably thereon during opening and closing of the door HLHSOH.

2. The container holder of claim 1 wherein the con- 3054187 9/1962 staunt 248-310 X tainer support frame comprises a straight bar defining the back edge, an arcuate bar defining the front edge, ROY FRAZIER Primary Exammer and a plurality of bars in criss-cross relation interconnect- J. FRANKLIN FOSS, Assistant Examiner ing the straight bar and arcuate bar, the ends of the straight bar and arcuate bar adjacent the door having US. Cl. X.R. offset portions defining the side edge. 248309 2,558,939 7/1951 Dornbush 312-329 2,646,333 7/1953 Abrahamson et 211. 2,759,773 8/1956 Wilmer et a1.

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