Special receptacle or package – With soap-handling means
Reexamination Certificate
2002-04-23
2004-08-03
Fidei, David T. (Department: 3727)
Special receptacle or package
With soap-handling means
C206S457000, C220S571000, C220S572000, C312S229000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06769538
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates generally to a household container, and more specifically to a selectively configurable holder capable of holding one or more household items.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
People have cleaned their dwellings since the beginning of time. As mankind has become more civilized, the urge to and necessity for cleaning has only increased. Similarly, more and more cleaning products and tools are available each year. This seemingly endless multiplication of soaps, powders, brushes, sponges, towels, and so forth marches on.
With every new household product purchased, a consumer must find just a bit more space for storage. In a remarkably short time, the number of cleaning products and tools can become overwhelming. Indeed, the clutter induced by attempting to store such items in too small a space may be more distracting than the food, dirt, stains, or unsightly mess such items were designed to eliminate.
In addition, many people are inherent packrats. They save anything and everything, regardless of its utility or value. In short order, desk drawers, cabinets, boxes, closets, and other storage spaces are overflowing with potentially useful items lost in clutter.
Although many organization products have met with remarkable success, few if any are sufficiently adaptable to handle multiple items of differing sizes. Further, many useful items may require specialized storage solutions. For example, sponges and scrub brushes may be extremely wet when put away. Attempting to store such items in a bag, cardboard or metal container, cupboard, or bin, for example, is messy, inconvenient, and would ruin the storage space. These items may also be saturated with soap, cleaning chemicals, dyes, or other discoloring or caustic liquids. Such liquids may mar or otherwise deface many otherwise suitable containers, especially when the liquids can pool in the bottom of a container and sit for an extended time.
Larger containers, such as cupboards, pantries, or shelves, may hold many items. Unfortunately, a common effect of such large storage spaces is disorganization. Needed items often end up shoved to the back of the cupboard or pantry, or stored out of sight behind or under other items.
Individual taste should not be overlooked. Although one person may find an picture attractive, another may dislike that same item. This is as true with storage and organization systems or containers as it is with paintings. The aesthetics of a given container may match one person's home decor, but clash with another's. Thus, even should the above obstacles be overcome, a rigid solution that fails to permit some degree of customization will fail to reach a widespread audience.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved, selectively configurable household accessory holder.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is generally a household accessory holder capable of being customized through adding and removing a variety of artifacts, including, for example, containers, holders, and figurines or statuettes. The artifacts may hold any number of items, such as cleaning supplies, kitchen utensils, toothbrushes, soaps, sponges, towels, pens, spare change, and keys, or may be merely decorative. The household accessory holder may be configured to be placed in certain areas and hold certain items, and may be reconfigured for duty as necessary.
For example, when used in a kitchen, the selectively configurable household accessory holder may include a number of containers having drainage means capable of sluicing liquids out of the bottom of the container and into a storage area. Thus, when sponges, scrubbers, or other wet items are placed in a container, the items may drain and dry. A removable drawer or other receptacle may be housed in the base to catch runoff and permit easy disposal.
Continuing the example, the same accessory holder may be reconfigured with a variety of containers having individual drawers or recesses capable of holding small items, such as pens or spare change, but lacking drainage means. When so configured, the selectively configurable household accessory holder may be placed in a den or bedroom and stocked with keys, cufflinks, and so forth.
Generally, the selectively configurable household accessory container comprises a base having a connection means capable of mating with another connection means on the bottom of the aforementioned artifacts. In one embodiment, the base has a series of regularly spaced holes drilled in its top while an artifact has one or more pegs sized to fit into one of the spaced holes. In this manner, the artifact may be aligned on the base so that each peg sits in a hole, thus securing the artifact to the base. When a user desires to remove a particular artifact, he may simply pull the artifact up so that the peg is removed from the hole. Typically, the base is sized such that multiple artifacts may be affixed thereto simultaneously.
Further, artifacts may be formed to take almost any shape. For example, while one artifact may be a simple box, another may take the form of a statuette or decorative figurine. This permits nearly endless variety in the appearance of suitable artifacts and, by extension, the selectively configurable household accessory holder itself. Thus, each user may customize the invention's appearance to his or her taste.
That the present invention meets the needs described above, as well as other advantages, will be apparent upon reading the detailed description, below, with particular reference to the accompanying figures and claims.
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Fidei David T.
Heimbecher & Assoc. , LLC
LandOfFree
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