Supports: cabinet structure – Counters – Tops
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-15
2001-06-05
Wilkens, Janet M. (Department: 3636)
Supports: cabinet structure
Counters
Tops
C312S228000, C312S312000, C312S310000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06241330
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a kitchen environment and, more specifically, is directed to a kitchen workstation incorporating a dual direction sliding tray.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Whenever preparing for or serving a meal to be eaten outside an area of a kitchen, it is often necessary to make numerous trips back and forth to the kitchen in order to obtain the necessary dinnerware, utensils, food items, condiments and the like. If the kitchen is of limited size or only has a single convenient entrance, the necessary trips can become cumbersome and time consuming. Even if the kitchen is more open, such as in a design including an island or a through opening provided in one or more walls, there is still a fair amount of maneuvering required about the island and walls which prolongate the meal preparation time. Even in arrangements wherein there is a table, attached to or directly adjacent the island on the opposite side of the kitchen area, which can be used in connection with chairs or the like as a small breakfast or other eating space, it can still be difficult to access items from the kitchen portion of the island from the eating area.
A similar potential problem exists following a meal. That is, all of the used plates, containers and utensils generally need to be hand-carried back to the kitchen area for cleaning, left-over food needs to be properly cared for and the various condiments need to be returned to the kitchen area. Although hand trays could be utilized to collect many of these items to limit the number of necessary trips, there still exists a need in the art for a system which will enable a wide range of items to be readily transferred back and forth between a kitchen area and an adjacent eating area in a convenient manner in order to effectively reduce meal preparation and clean up times.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains to a kitchen workstation, such as an island, that includes a countertop defining a work space, along with an article support member that is slidably mounted for movement in opposing directions relative to the countertop. More specifically, the article support member is adapted to be shiftable to a first extended position, wherein the support member projects above at least a portion of the work space of the countertop, and a second extended position, wherein the article support member is shifted away from the kitchen to preferably beyond a side edge of the countertop which is exposed to an eating area adjacent to the kitchen.
In the most preferred form of the invention, the kitchen workstation is defined by an island having a platform extending over a portion of the countertop such that the work space is defined on one side of the platform and the other side of the platform is remote from the kitchen. The article support member is generally constituted by a tray that can be shifted in either one of opposing directions from a central location over the platform. The tray is slidably mounted through rails that guide the tray for movement between the first and second extended positions. The rails are arranged as sets, with one rail of each set being fixed to the tray and another rail of the set being fixed to a carrier frame. In the most preferred form of the invention, the carrier frame can also be repositioned vertically relative to the countertop in order to arrange the tray in either an exposed or recessed condition.
Additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts in the several views.
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Brin, Jr. George G.
Flannery John P.
Harrison Diana
Harrison Marc S.
Lye Michael T.
Diederiks, Jr. Everett G.
Harrison Diana
Maytag Corporation
Wilkens Janet M.
LandOfFree
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