SHELF FOR FURNITURE, AND RELATED ITEM OF FURNITURE

Abstract

 A shelf for furniture, comprising at least:
- a base element (2) provided with at least one flat upper surface (2a),
- a rigid grille (3) made of a material resistant to high temperatures; the grille (3) is removably arranged on the flat upper surface (2a) and is configured to define an additional supporting surface, which during use is arranged at a vertical height that is higher than that of the flat upper surface (2a),
- a pair of sliding guides (4), anchored to the base element (2) and configured to obtain the coupling of the base element (2) to an item of furniture (100) with the possibility of relative translation along a direction of sliding (A).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a shelf for furniture, and the item of furniture that contains it.

[0002] As is known, when dishes are being cooked in an oven, often the need arises to interact with the foods placed inside the oven, in order to test if the food is cooked, mix or add ingredients, etc.

[0003] To do this therefore, according to an established practice, the (scorching hot) baking tray on which the foods of interest are placed is temporarily taken out of the oven and placed somewhere in the immediate vicinity, so as to intervene on the foods in accordance with requirements.

[0004] In such circumstances, it is therefore necessary to have available a solid surface that is resistant to high temperatures, on which to place the baking tray: sometimes, the solution consists in using the cooking hob of the kitchen, if it is not already occupied by pots, pans and the like; in other cases, it is necessary to improvise a temporary surface, by placing the tray on a table or on the top of another item of furniture, but not until the surface has been adequately protected from high temperatures with dishcloths or oven gloves.

[0005] These are in any case improvised solutions and are often inconvenient, and each time they require different efforts of the person trying to cook, and they are in any case clearly conditioned by the availability of space in the kitchen, which is increasingly, especially in modern buildings, very restricted.

[0006] The aim of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, by providing a shelf for furniture that offers a practical resting surface for baking trays or other scorching hot recipients.

[0007] Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide an item of furniture that offers a practical resting surface for baking trays or other extremely hot recipients.

[0008] Another object of the invention is to provide a shelf and an item of furniture that can be easily installed and integrated in rooms of reduced dimensions.

[0009] Another object of the invention is to provide a shelf and an item of furniture that make it possible to take optimal advantage of the space available.

[0010] Another object of the invention is to provide a shelf that is versatile and which can be cleaned in a practical and easy manner.

[0011] Another object of the invention is to provide a shelf and an item of furniture that make it possible to easily interact with foods and to allow dough containing yeast to rise properly.

[0012] Another object of the invention is to provide a shelf and an item of furniture that ensure a high reliability of operation.

[0013] Another object of the invention is to provide a shelf and an item of furniture that adopt an alternative technical and structural architecture to those of conventional solutions.

[0014] Another object of the invention is to provide a shelf and an item of furniture that can be easily obtained starting with elements and materials that are readily available on the market.

[0015] Another object of the invention is to provide a shelf and an item of furniture that are of low cost and safely applied.

[0016] This aim and these and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by a shelf according to claim 1 and by an item of furniture according to claim 7.

[0017] Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the detailed description that follows of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of the shelf and of the item of furniture according to the invention, which is illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the shelf according to the invention;

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the shelf of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the item of furniture according to the invention, with a number of shelves inserted in it;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the item of furniture of Figure 3, with one of the shelves partially extracted along the direction of sliding.

[0018] With reference to the figures, the reference numeral 1 generally designates a shelf for furniture and the reference numeral 100 generally designates an item of furniture that comprises at least one shelf 1.

[0019] Typically, the item of furniture 100 is designed to be located in a kitchen or in another environment provided with an oven, so as to be able to use the shelf 1 for at least temporarily placing baking trays or other scorching-hot containers extracted from the oven.

[0020] The scope of protection claimed herein in any case extends to any placement or use of the shelf 1 and of the item of furniture 100, according to the specific requirements.

[0021] According to the invention, the shelf 1 comprises first of all at least one base element 2 (typically substantially laminar in shape), which has at least one flat upper surface 2a. The term "upper" surface obviously means the surface that, during use, is directed upward: as such, it offers a first supporting surface for baking trays and other containers.

[0022] The element 2 has adequate rigidity and robustness, so as to be able to support the weight of baking trays or other recipients, when the shelf 1 is, during use, integrated in the item of furniture 100.

[0023] Furthermore, according to the invention, the shelf 1 comprises a rigid grille (or grid) 3, which is made of a material resistant to high temperatures. The high temperatures are those reached by baking trays, other containers or utensils that would be placed on the shelf 1 if just extracted from an oven (and therefore scorching hot).

[0024] In this regard, the grille 3 is preferably metallic and even more preferably is made of stainless steel.

[0025] The grille 3 is removably arranged on the flat surface 2a and is configured to define an additional supporting surface, which, in use, is arranged at a vertical height that is (slightly) higher than that of the flat surface 2a (and than the resting surface that it defines). Thus, if very hot baking trays are placed on the grille 3, they are kept spaced apart from the base element 2, so preserving it from any damage caused by the high temperatures in play, temperatures for which the material chosen for the base element 2 may not have been indicated.

[0026] Furthermore, according to the invention, the shelf 1 comprises at least one pair of sliding guides 4, which are anchored to the base element 2 and which are configured to obtain the coupling of the latter to an item of furniture 100 with the possibility of relative translation along a direction of sliding A.

[0027] When coupling is complete, and as for example in Figure 4, the shelf 1 can thus be easily extracted (partially or completely) in order to allow baking trays or the like to be placed on it more easily. The direction of sliding A is therefore also the direction of extraction of the shelf 1, when, in use, the latter is integrated in the item of furniture 100.

[0028] In particular, in an embodiment of significant practical interest, illustrated in the accompanying figures for the purposes of non-limiting example of the invention, the grille 3 is constituted by a grid comprising a plurality of longitudinal rigid wires 5a, which are parallel to each other and parallel to the direction of sliding A identified by the guides 4, and a plurality of transverse rigid wires 5b, which are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the longitudinal rigid wires 5a.

[0029] In the preferred embodiment, shown in the accompanying figures but which does not limit the application of the invention, the transverse rigid wires 5b are placed removably in respective transverse grooves 6 provided along the flat surface 2a of the base element 2. In turn, the longitudinal rigid wires 5a are anchored to the top of the transverse rigid wires 5b, with the latter wires being kept protruding above the flat surface 2a (by suitably dimensioning the depth of the grooves 6 and the transverse cross-section of the transverse rigid wires 5b).

[0030] The possibility is not ruled out of providing shelves 1 wherein, during use, the longitudinal rigid wires 5a are arranged below the transverse wires, but the choice adopted in the accompanying figures is preferable because it allows the easy positioning and sliding of baking trays and similar objects on the shelf 1.

[0031] Usefully, the base element 2 has a substantially rectangular (or square) plan shape and comprises two lateral containment lips 2b, which protrude from respective mutually opposite sides of the flat surface 2a, and an additional rear containment lip 2c, which protrudes from a third side of the flat surface 2a (which in use is designed to remain on the opposite side with respect to the user). The reference numerals 2b, 2c are given only in Figures 1, 2 in order to not excessively complicate the other figures.

[0032] The two sides from which the lateral lips 2b protrude are the sides that are parallel to the direction of sliding A.

[0033] Advantageously, the base element 2 comprises a grip handle 2d constituted by a shaped band, which extends from an edge of the base element 2 (which in use is designed to remain facing toward the user) and which protrudes downward in use. The band has a central region of reduced vertical extension, in order to allow the user to insert a hand and obtain an easier grip.

[0034] In particular, if as preferred the base element 2 is rectangular in plan, the handle 2d protrudes downward from the side directed in use toward the user and without lips 2b, 2c.

[0035] In the embodiment according to the accompanying figures purely as an example, each guide 4 comprises a guiding rail 7 (which comprises or is constituted by a conveniently contoured profiled element), which can be anchored to an item of furniture 100, and a slider 8, which can slide along the rail 7 and is anchored to the bottom of the base element 2, on the opposite side to the flat upper surface 2a. The guide 4 can be completed with stroke-limiting contrivances and/or other contrivances known in the sector, for adjusting the relative sliding of extractable drawers or shelves.

[0036] In addition to the shelf 1 illustrated up to here, another object of the present discussion is the item of furniture 100 introduced previously and mentioned several times in the foregoing pages.

[0037] So in other words, protection is claimed herein first and foremost for a shelf 1 which can also be sold individually, for example intended for existing items of furniture (in substitution of or in addition to existing shelves or ledges) or for items of furniture obtained separately. Furthermore, the protection claimed herein should certainly be understood to extend to the production or sale of items of furniture 100 already fitted with one or more shelves 1.

[0038] In more detail, the item of furniture 100 comprises at least two side walls 101 which can be mutually coupled by means of at least one horizontal plate 102a, 102b. It should be noted in this regard that the item of furniture 100 has a preferably box-like shape structure and therefore comprises a lower plate 102a on the bottom, and a plate 102b on the top, so as to at least partially delimit a compartment 103. The compartment 103 can likewise be closed at the rear by a back wall 104 and optionally by a tilting front door (not shown in the accompanying figures but easily intuited and made, for the person skilled in the art).

[0039] According to the invention, the item of furniture 100 therefore comprises at least one shelf 1 of the type described up to here, which is coupled so that it can slide to the side walls 101 by means of respective guides 4 (each guide 4 being for example anchored, directly or indirectly, with the rail 7 to a side wall 101 and with the slider 8 to the bottom of the base element 2, proximate to a flank of the latter).

[0040] In particular, the item of furniture 100 can comprise a plurality of shelves 1 (for example four, as in the accompanying Figures 3 and 4), which are slideably coupled to the side walls 101 by means of respective guides 4, at different vertical elevations (at different heights).

[0041] The use of the shelf 1 and of the item of furniture 100 according to the invention is effectively evident from the foregoing description.

[0042] The item of furniture 100 and/or in any case the shelf 1 can be placed in a kitchen and/or proximate to an oven, where it is advantageous to have a suitable supporting surface available for resting scorching-hot baking trays or other containers that are extremely hot (for example because they have just been extracted from the oven).

[0043] In this regard, the grille 3 offers a solid and heat-resistant supporting surface, and its placement inside an item of furniture 100 which effectively can take the form of a column of reduced bulk, and which in any case can be arranged beside the oven, makes it possible to optimize the functionality and the occupied space. In fact, the shelf 1 can be extracted only as needed, by virtue of the capacity for relative sliding offered by the guides 4, and when it is not required it remains inside the item of furniture 100.

[0044] In practice it has been found that the shelf 1 and the item of furniture 100 according to the invention achieve the intended aim and objects, in that the removable grille 3 arranged on the base element 2 offers a practical surface for placing baking trays or other scorching-hot recipients.

[0045] The shelf 1 and the item of furniture 100 therefore can be easily installed and integrated in spaces with reduced dimensions.

[0046] The grille 3 is kept stably in position by virtue of the grooves 6, which provide a shape mating with the transverse rigid wires 5b, but since the grille is simply placed in the grooves 6 (or a removable mating is obtained in some other way), it can be easily removed (even if only temporarily), in order to simplify the cleaning operations of the shelf 1 and/or if it is desired to place objects on the flat upper surface 2a of the base element 2.

[0047] This ensures maximum versatility and practicality of use.

[0048] The invention offers further and interesting benefits if there is the need to allow dough to rise, or to add sauce/toppings to pizzas on a baking tray: the item of furniture 100 can comprise, in a single and compact column, a plurality of shelves 1, which can be extracted along the direction of sliding A, and therefore offers the possibility to place a tray on each shelf 1 and to extract one tray at a time in order to be able to, for example, add sauce/toppings. Likewise, for as long as the shelves 1 are all contained in the compartment 103, the pizzas can rise in a contained environment protected from dust.

[0049] By carefully choosing the guides 4 and the other components involved, it is possible to totally or quite totally extract an individual shelf 1, and this makes it possible to access the entire contents of the tray from above, so facilitating operations on the foods being prepared.

[0050] The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, all the details may be substituted by other, technically equivalent details.

[0051] In the embodiments illustrated, individual characteristics shown in relation to specific examples may in reality be substituted with other, different characteristics, existing in other embodiments.

[0052] In practice, the materials used, as well as the contingent shapes and dimensions, may be any according to the requirements and to the state of the art.

[0053] The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. 102022000026460 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

[0054] Where the technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference numerals and/or signs, those reference numerals and/or signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference numerals and/or signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference numerals and/or signs.

Claims

1. A shelf for furniture (100), characterized in that it comprises at least:

- a base element (2) provided with at least one flat upper surface (2a),

- a rigid grille (3) made of a material resistant to high temperatures, said grille (3) being removably arranged on said flat upper surface (2a) and being configured to define an additional supporting surface, which during use is arranged at a vertical height that is higher than that of said flat upper surface (2a),

- a pair of sliding guides (4), anchored to said base element (2) and configured to couple said base element (2) to an item of furniture (100) with the possibility of relative translation along a direction of sliding (A).

2. The shelf according to claim 1, characterized in that said grille (3) is constituted by a grid comprising a plurality of longitudinal rigid wires (5a), which are parallel to each other and parallel to said direction of sliding (A) identified by said guides (4), and a plurality of transverse rigid wires (5b), which are parallel to each other and perpendicular to said longitudinal rigid wires (5a).

3. The shelf according to claim 2, characterized in that said transverse rigid wires (5b) are placed removably in respective transverse grooves (6) provided along said flat upper surface (2a), said longitudinal rigid wires (5a) being anchored to the top of said transverse rigid wires (5b), and so they are kept protruding above said flat upper surface (2a).

4. The shelf according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said base element (2) has a substantially rectangular plan shape and comprises two lateral containment lips (2b), which protrude from respective mutually opposite sides of said flat upper surface (2a), and an additional rear containment lip (2c), which protrudes from a third side of said flat upper surface (2a).

5. The shelf according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said base element (2) comprises a grip handle (2d) constituted by a shaped band, which extends from an edge of said base element (2) and protrudes downward in use.

6. The shelf according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that each one of said guides (4) comprises a guiding rail (7), which can be anchored to an item of furniture (100), and a slider (8), which can slide along said rail (7) and is anchored to the bottom of said base element (2), on the opposite side with respect to said flat upper surface (2a).

7. An item of furniture comprising at least two side walls (101) which are mutually coupled by means of at least one horizontal plate (102a, 102b), characterized in that it comprises at least one said shelf (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, which is slideably coupled to said side walls (101) by means of respective said guides (4).

8. The item of furniture according to claim 7, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of said shelves (1), which are slideably coupled to said side walls (101) by means of respective said guides (4), at different vertical heights.

Drawing