Connection bar for dish draining rack cabinet sides provided with one or more niches for lamp housing

Abstract

 The present invention concerns a bar (1) connecting the internal sides (F) of a dish draining rack cabinet, characterized by the fact that it is provided with one or more niches (2) housing the lamps (L) used to light the area under the cabinet.

Description

[0001] The present patent application concerns a bar used to connect the internal sides of dish draining rack cabinets used in modular kitchens, characterized by the fact that it comprises one or more niches able to hermetically house the lamps used to light the area under the dish draining rack cabinets.

[0002] As it is known, modular kitchens often use small surface-mounted fixtures located under the cabinets in order to provide lighting on the working area under the cabinets. However, the kitchen cabinets currently available on the market do not feature lamps under dish draining rack cabinets.

[0003] There are probably two reasons for this: first, the dish draining rack cabinets lack the bottom surface, that is the surface preferably used to mount the lighting fixtures; second, the dish draining rack cabinets are characterized by abundant dripping of water that is not compatible with the presence of a standard surface-mounted lighting fixture with lamp.

[0004] The Company owning the present patent application has been studying the said problem for a long time, being convinced of the technical-practical importance of supplying an efficient lighting to the area under the dish draining rack cabinets.

[0005] In particular, the objective of their studies has been to incorporate one or more surface-mounted lighting fixtures into the lower area of a dish draining rack cabinet subject to the following conditions: first, not to modify the standard structure of a dish draining rack cabinet, and second, to obtain a hermetic housing for the lamp that can be absolutely safe in terms of operation and possible domestic accidents.

[0006] At this regard, the applicant has already registered a patent application (filed with no. MC97U000001) concerning a plate - of the type usually mounted on the internal sides of a dish draining rack cabinet to support the internal components of the cabinet itself - characterized by the fact that it incorporates a hermetic niche provided with a transparent closing cover, that is perfectly suitable for housing a lamp used to provide lighting onto the area under the cabinet.

[0007] The said plate has been also designed to hermetically house the electric wires and contacts that are necessary to supply the lamp.

[0008] Further to additional studies and researching activities, the same Company has recently designed the bar described in the present patent application.

[0009] As it is known, due to the absence of the bottom surface, a traditional dish draining rack cabinet internally features one or two longitudinal bars used to connect the cabinet sides, thereby reinforcing the structure of the cabinet itself.

[0010] The said bars are located at the same height, near the open bottom of the cabinet, and as a matter of fact they are often used to support the dish draining rack.

[0011] The idea according to the present invention is to create one or more niches (that is small surface-mounted lighting fixtures) along the said connection bar in order to house the lamps.

[0012] Each niche must be provided with fastening means for the lamp and electrical contacts for power supply, with a transparent front cover to guarantee the hermetic condition.

[0013] It must be also noted that the said bars traditionally have a tubular structure, thus featuring an axial cavity that can be conveniently used to hermetically house the electrical wires necessary to supply the lamps contained in the above mentioned niches.

[0014] For clearer explication, the description of the invention continues with reference to the enclosed drawing, that only has an explanatory, not restrictive purpose, where Fig. 1 shows the said bar installed in a dish draining rack cabinet cut with a transversal plane in correspondence of a lamp-housing niche.

[0015] With reference to the enclosed figures, the bar according to the invention comprises a tubular bar (1) used to connect the internal sides (F) of a dish draining rack cabinet. The bar (1) shown in the figures features a rectangular transversal cross-section with rounded corners in the front; it is obvious that the bar can feature any suitable cross-section.

[0016] Two front sections are cut out along the said bar (1) in order to create two niches (2) housing the lamps (L), together with fastening means and electrical contacts.

[0017] If the said bar (1) is mounted next to the back panel of the cabinet, the said niches-lighting fixtures (2) must preferably face the front of the cabinet; if the said bar (1) is mounted in the front, behind the door, the said niches (2) must face the back of the cabinet.

[0018] This allows to direct the lighting beam produced by the lamps mounted on the bar to exactly light the working area under the dish draining rack cabinet.

[0019] It must be noted that the opening of each niche (2) is completely surrounded by two longitudinal borders with inward edges (2a).

[0020] The purpose of these edges (2a) is to allow for the installation of a transparent cover (3) for hermetic closing, whose longitudinal borders are provided with outward edges (3a) joined to the above mentioned edges (2a) located on the longitudinal borders of the niche (2), as shown in the enclosed figure.

[0021] As already mentioned, each niche (2) contains the fastening means for the lamp (L) as well as the necessary electrical contacts, while the power supply cables can easily pass through the tubular structure of the bar (1).

[0022] The bar (1) according to the invention can be directly fixed either onto the internal sides of a dish draining rack cabinet or onto one of the plastic molded plates (P) that are often applied inside the cabinet in order to allow for mounting the reinforcing tubular bars.

[0023] As it is known, the purpose of the said plates (P) is to support the tubular connection bars, as well as the water-collecting tray and the dish draining rack.

Claims

1. Connection bar for dish draining rack cabinet sides characterized by the fact that it comprises one or more niches (2) provided with fastening means for lamps (L) and electrical contacts.

2. Connection bar for dish draining rack cabinet sides, according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the said niches (2) are closed by means of hermetic transparent covers (3).

3. Connection bar for dish draining rack cabinet sides, according to above mentioned claims, characterized by the fact that the longitudinal borders of the opening of the said niche (2) feature inward edges (2a) joined to the outward edges (3a) of a transparent hermetic cover (3).

Drawing