U.S. patent application number 12/849415 was filed with the patent office on 2012-02-09 for adjustable plate stand.
This patent application is currently assigned to Wilton Industries, Inc.. Invention is credited to Stephanie GOODE, Thomas Noone, Mason Umholtz.
Application Number | 20120031860 12/849415 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45555327 |
Filed Date | 2012-02-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120031860 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
GOODE; Stephanie ; et
al. |
February 9, 2012 |
ADJUSTABLE PLATE STAND
Abstract
An adjustable plate stand including a plurality of plates
configured to hold foodstuffs thereon, a support rod configured to
be arranged vertically and support the plurality of plates thereon,
and a locking mechanism associated with each of the plurality of
plates to lock each of the plurality of plates with respect to the
support rod and further configured to allow the plurality of plates
to move with respect to the support rod.
Inventors: |
GOODE; Stephanie;
(Woodridge, IL) ; Noone; Thomas; (Woodridge,
IL) ; Umholtz; Mason; (Woodridge, IL) |
Assignee: |
Wilton Industries, Inc.
Woodridge
IL
|
Family ID: |
45555327 |
Appl. No.: |
12/849415 |
Filed: |
August 3, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
211/41.2 ;
211/41.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47G 19/00 20130101;
A47F 5/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
211/41.2 ;
211/41.1 |
International
Class: |
A47G 19/08 20060101
A47G019/08; A47F 7/00 20060101 A47F007/00 |
Claims
1. An adjustable plate stand comprising: a plurality of plates
configured to hold foodstuffs thereon; a support rod configured to
be arranged vertically and support the plurality of plates thereon;
and a locking mechanism associated with each of the plurality of
plates to lock each of the plurality of plates with respect to the
support rod and further configured to allow the plurality of plates
to move with respect to the support rod.
2. The adjustable plate stand according to claim 1 wherein the
locking mechanism comprises a knob that is configured to be
actuated by a user to lock and unlock the locking mechanism.
3. The adjustable plate stand according to claim 1 further
comprising an ornamental cap arranged at the top of the support
rod.
4. The adjustable plate stand according to claim 1 wherein the
locking mechanism comprises a ring associated with each of the
plurality of plates.
5. The adjustable plate stand according to claim 1 wherein the
plurality of plates comprise at least one of circular, oval,
square, rectangular, and polygonal geometric shapes.
6. The adjustable plate stand according to claim 1 further
comprising a support rod connector configured to hold the support
rod.
7. The adjustable plate stand according to claim 1 further
comprising a stand configured to hold the support rod.
8. The adjustable plate stand according to claim 1 further
comprising a non-moving plate.
9. The adjustable plate stand according to claim 1 wherein the
locking mechanism is configured to increase the friction with
respect to the support rod and the plurality of plates.
10. An adjustable plate stand comprising: a plurality of plates
having an aperture and a flat surface configured to hold items
thereon; a support rod configured to be arranged vertically and
support the plurality of plates thereon through the aperture; and a
locking mechanism associated with each of the plurality of plates
to lock each of the plurality of plates with respect to the support
rod and further configured to allow the plurality of plates to move
with respect to the support rod along the aperture.
11. The adjustable plate stand according to claim 10 wherein the
locking mechanism comprises a knob that is configured to be
actuated by a user to lock and unlock the locking mechanism.
12. The adjustable plate stand according to claim 10 further
comprising an ornamental cap arranged at the top of the support
rod.
13. The adjustable plate stand according to claim 10 wherein the
locking mechanism comprises a ring associated with each of the
plurality of plates.
14. The adjustable plate stand according to claim 10 wherein the
plurality of plates comprise at least one of circular, oval,
square, rectangular, and polygonal geometric shapes.
15. The adjustable plate stand according to claim 10 further
comprising a support rod connector configured to hold the support
rod.
16. The adjustable plate stand according to claim 10 further
comprising a stand configured to hold the support rod.
17. The adjustable plate stand according to claim 10 further
comprising further comprising a non-moving plate.
18. The adjustable plate stand according to claim 10 wherein the
locking mechanism is configured to increase the friction with
respect to the support rod and the plurality of plates.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention is directed to a plate stand for
displaying foodstuffs in an attractive manner, and more
particularly to an adjustable plate stand that allows for the plate
stand to be customized and/or the plates to be vertically
adjustable.
[0003] 2. Prior Art
[0004] Numerous devices exist that allow for the display of
foodstuffs in a multiple level manner. Oftentimes these devices
include numerous positioned plates in order to provide an
arrangement of the foodstuffs. However, these devices have a number
of limitations. For example, the devices typically have a set
number of plate arrangements that are not adjustable. For example,
the plates in such devices typically do not allow for the vertical
movement of the plates for different customized arrangements.
Additionally, these devices do not allow for the plates to be
added, removed, and/or replaced with varying sizes of plates as
desired.
[0005] Accordingly, there is a need for a display device having a
number of plates that are vertically adjustable and also may have
the ability to have varying number and sizes of plates for use
therewith.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] Accordingly, the invention is directed to an adjustable
plate stand that has the ability to exchange plates for varying
number and/or sizes of plates and also has the ability to
vertically move the plates as desired by the user.
[0007] In one aspect, the invention includes an adjustable plate
stand including a plurality of plates configured to hold foodstuffs
thereon, a support rod configured to be arranged vertically and
support the plurality of plates thereon, and a locking mechanism
associated with each of the plurality of plates to lock each of the
plurality of plates with respect to the support rod and further
configured to allow the plurality of plates to move with respect to
the support rod.
[0008] The locking mechanism may include a knob that is configured
to be actuated by a user to lock and unlock the locking mechanism.
The adjustable plate stand may include an ornamental cap arranged
at the top of the support rod. The locking mechanism may include a
ring associated with each of the plurality of plates. The plurality
of plates may include at least one of circular, oval, square,
rectangular, and polygonal geometric shapes. The adjustable plate
stand may include a support rod connector configured to hold the
support rod. The adjustable plate stand may include a stand
configured to hold the support rod. The adjustable plate stand may
include a non-moving plate. The locking mechanism may be configured
to increase the friction with respect to the support rod and the
plurality of plates.
[0009] In another aspect, the invention includes adjustable plate
stand including a plurality of plates having an aperture and a flat
surface configured to hold items thereon, a support rod configured
to be arranged vertically and support the plurality of plates
thereon through the aperture, and a locking mechanism associated
with each of the plurality of plates to lock each of the plurality
of plates with respect to the support rod and further configured to
allow the plurality of plates to move with respect to the support
rod along the aperture.
[0010] The locking mechanism may include a knob that is configured
to be actuated by a user to lock and unlock the locking mechanism.
The adjustable plate stand may include an ornamental cap arranged
at the top of the support rod. The locking mechanism may include a
ring associated with each of the plurality of plates. The plurality
of plates may include at least one of circular, oval, square,
rectangular, and polygonal geometric shapes. The adjustable plate
stand may include a support rod connector configured to hold the
support rod. The adjustable plate stand may include a stand
configured to hold the support rod. The adjustable plate stand may
include a non-moving plate. The locking mechanism may be configured
to increase the friction with respect to the support rod and the
plurality of plates.
[0011] Additional features, advantages, and embodiments of the
invention may be set forth or apparent from consideration of the
following attached detailed description and drawings. Moreover, it
is to be understood that both the foregoing summary of the
invention and the following attached detailed description are
exemplary and intended to provide further explanation without
limiting the scope of the invention as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a
further understanding of the invention, which are incorporated in
and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments
of the invention and together with the detailed description serve
to explain the principles of the invention. No attempt is made to
show structural details of the invention in more detail than may be
necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention and the
various ways in which it may be practiced.
[0013] The construction and function of preferred embodiments of
the plate stand arrangement will be better understood by reference
to the following description, taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings, in which like components are designated by
the same reference numeral in the several figures.
[0014] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an adjustable plate stand
constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention;
[0015] FIG. 2 is a side view of the adjustable plate stand
constructed according to the principles of the invention;
[0016] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the plate stand constructed
according to the principles of the invention;
[0017] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a plate of the adjustable
plate stand constructed according to the principles of the
invention;
[0018] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of part of the locking
mechanism of the adjustable plate stand constructed according to
the principles of the invention; and
[0019] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another part of the locking
mechanism constructed according to the principles of the
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0020] The embodiments of the invention and the various features
and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with
reference to the non-limiting embodiments and examples that are
described and/or illustrated in the accompanying drawings and
detailed in the following attached description. It should be noted
that the features illustrated in the drawings are not necessarily
drawn to scale, and features of one embodiment may be employed with
other embodiments as the skilled artisan would recognize, even if
not explicitly stated herein. Descriptions of well-known components
and processing techniques may be omitted so as to not unnecessarily
obscure the embodiments of the invention. The examples used herein
are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which
the invention may be practiced and to further enable those of skill
in the art to practice the embodiments of the invention.
Accordingly, the examples and embodiments herein should not be
construed as limiting the scope of the invention, which is defined
solely by the appended claims and applicable law. Moreover, it is
noted that like reference numerals represent similar parts
throughout the several views of the drawings.
[0021] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an adjustable plate stand
constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention. As
shown in FIG. 1, the adjustable plate stand 100 may include a
plurality of plates and one or more of the plates may be vertically
adjustable with respect to a support rod. The support rod and plate
combination may be adjustable vertically, and the plates may be
added, removed, and/or replaced with varying size plates to provide
the desired customized adjustable plate stand 100.
[0022] In a particular aspect, the adjustable plate stand 100 may
include plates 102, 104, 106 having apertures therein and arranged
vertically along a support rod 108. In this regard, plates 102,
104, 106 may have varying diameter sizes as shown in FIG. 1.
Alternatively, plates 102, 104, 106 may be the same size. Moreover,
the plates 102, 104, 106 may have one or more plates being the same
size, and the plates may be larger at the top and smaller at the
bottom for a different look. Additionally, plates 102, 104, 106 may
have any type of ornamental look. In this regard, the plates 102,
104, 106 as shown in FIG. 1 have a circular construction with an
attractive edge there around. Any type of plate with any type of
attractive ornamental attributes may be used as plates 102, 104,
106. Additionally, plates of different geometric shapes may also be
used. These geometric shapes may include oval, square, rectangular,
polygonal and the like. Finally, although only three plates are
shown in FIG. 1, greater than or fewer than three plates may be
used in the practice of the invention. In this regard, the
adjustable plate stand 100 may accommodate any number of plates of
any size having any ornamental characteristics.
[0023] As further shown in FIG. 1, the adjustable plates 102, 104,
106 are arranged vertically along the support rod 108. The plates
102, 104, 106 may include a mechanism to allow the vertical
movement of the plates 102, 104, 106 with respect to the support
rod 108. Accordingly, any desired vertical placement of plates 102,
104, 106 may be achieved by the user to accommodate varying types
of foodstuffs. In this regard a user may have a cake, cupcakes,
hors d'oeuvres, or the like of varying sizes and arrangements and
adjusting the plates 102, 104, 106 vertically allows the user to
provide an attractive arrangement of the same. Additionally,
depending on the needs of the user, additional plates may be
included in the adjustable plate stand 100 or less plates may be
included in the adjustable plate stand 100 to accommodate the
user's needs and the physical attributes of the foodstuffs that are
desired to be displayed. This includes, for example, cakes of
varying heights that may be arranged on the plates 102, 104, 106 in
a tiered fashion to provide an attractive arrangement of the
same.
[0024] As further shown in FIG. 1, the adjustable plate stand may
also include a support stand 110. The support stand 110 may have
any type of ornamental attributes and may have any geometric shape.
The support stand 110 may provide stability for the adjustable
plate stand 100 for arranging foodstuffs thereon. Alternatively,
the adjustable plate stand 100 may not include the support stand
110 and the adjustable plate stand 100 may be fully supported by
the lowest most plate, for example, plate 106 as shown in FIG.
1.
[0025] The adjustable plate stand 100 may also include an
ornamental cap 112 that may be mounted to the top of support rod
108. This cap 112 may have any type of ornamental or geometric
shape. Additionally, the cap 112 is not necessary for the practice
of the invention. Accordingly, the adjustable plate stand 100 may
not have a cap 112, and the support rod 108 may just end at the
very top thereof with any type of construction.
[0026] FIG. 2 is a side view of the adjustable plate stand
constructed according to the principles of the invention. FIG. 2 in
particular shows the adjustable plate stand 100 with the plates
102, 104, 106 held along the support rod 108. In this regard,
plates 102, 104 may include a plate lock 202, 204, respectively.
The plate lock 202, 204 may be arranged along the bottom center of
the plates 102, 104 to provide a locking fastener arrangement
between the plates 102, 104 and the support rod 108. It is noted
that plate 106 may not have a plate lock 202, 204 as shown on FIG.
2. However, it is contemplated that plate 106 may be constructed
with a plate lock such as plate lock 202, 204 to provide vertical
adjustment of the plate 106.
[0027] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the plate stand constructed
according to the principles of the invention. FIG. 3 in particular
shows the arrangement of the adjustable plate stand 100 and how the
various parts may interconnect. As further shown in FIG. 3, the cap
112 may include a smaller diameter portion 312 at the bottom
thereof that may be inserted into the inside diameter portion 314
of the support rod 108. Of course, other types and manners of
connecting cap 112 to support rod 108 are contemplated.
Additionally, FIG. 3 shows the manner in which the plate locks 202,
204 are arranged with respect to plates 102, 104. In particular,
plate lock 202, 204 may include a knob 304, 308 and a ring 302, 306
respectively. The plate lock 202, 204 may of course have any
contemplated construction to vertically lock plates 102, 104 to the
support rod 108. The knob 304, 308 may be sized and arranged such
that a user may grip knob 304, 308 and rotate the knob with respect
to ring 302, 306 to lock the plates 102, 104 to the support rod
108. In this regard, the plate locks 202, 204 may increase the
diameter of the internal parts of the plate lock 202, 204 to
provide the locking function. Accordingly, the plate lock 202, 204
with the increased diameter is then capable of easily sliding up
and down support rod 108 and allowing the plates 102, 104 to slide
up and down as well. Rotating knob 304, 306 in the opposite
direction may reduce the diameter of the plate lock 202, 204, thus
gripping the support rod 108 with respect to plates 102, 104. This
reduced diameter creates a friction fit between the plate lock 202,
204 and the support rod 108, holding the plates 102, 104 firmly
vertically along support rod 108. As further shown in FIG. 3, the
knobs 304, 308 and rings 302, 306 are arranged on the bottom side
of the support plates 102, 104. However, any positioning of the
plate lock 202, 204 is contemplated by the invention, including on
top, in the middle or underneath, as shown in FIG. 3.
[0028] As further shown in FIG. 3, the support rod 108 extends
through plate 102, ring 302, knob 304, plate 104, ring 306, and
knob 308 and may be received by a support stand connector 310. In
this regard, support stand connector 310 may have a reduced
diameter with respect to support rod 108 and, as such, the support
stand connector 310 may be inserted into the hollow center 316 of
support rod 108. It should be noted that the support rod 108 may
have any type of connection with respect to the support stand 110
and may be directly inserted into support stand 110 without the
need for a support stand connector 310. Moreover, the support stand
connector 310 may have any other known or contemplated arrangement
other than that as shown in FIG. 3. Additionally, the support stand
connector 310 has a lower portion which may be inserted into
support stand 110. Accordingly, the construction of the support
stand 110 with the support stand connector 310 arranged there above
and the support rod 108 inserted over the support stand connector
310 provides for a sturdy construction. Although no additional
fasteners are shown in FIG. 3, it is contemplated that additional
fasteners may be used in order to provide greater stability when
desired.
[0029] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a plate of the adjustable
plate stand constructed according to the principles of the
invention. In particular, FIG. 4 shows the detailed construction of
the knob 304, 308 as arranged with respect to the ring 302, 306,
both of which may be functionally arranged and associated with the
support rod connector 402. In this regard, the plates 102, 104 may
include the support rod connector 402 arranged on the bottom
portion thereof. The support rod connector 402 may include angular
portions 404 extending therefrom. The ring 302, 306 may then be
associated over and around the support rod connector 402 and
angular portions 404. In one aspect, the ring 302, 306 may be
sonically welded to the bottom of plate 102, 104. The knob 304, 308
may be inserted over the support rod connector 402 and angular
portions 404 and below, as shown in FIG. 4, the ring 302, 306. The
construction shown in FIG. 4 allows for a user to rotate knob 304,
308 with respect to the support rod connector 402 and ring 302, 308
and change the internal diameter of the support rod connector 402,
thus providing a gripping function between the support rod
connector 402 and the support rod 108 (not shown). Rotating the
knob 304, 308 may also increase the diameter of the inner portion
of support rod connector 402 and the angular portions of 404, thus
allowing the support rod 108 and plate 102, 104 to easily slide
with respect to one another.
[0030] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of part of the locking
mechanism of the adjustable plate stand constructed according to
the principles of the invention and FIG. 6 is a perspective view of
another part of the locking mechanism constructed according to the
principles of the invention. FIG. 5 shows a detailed view of knob
304, 308. In particular, knob 304, 308 includes angular portions of
506. The angular portions of 506 may interact with the angular
portions 404 arranged on the support rod connector 402 as shown in
FIG. 4. Changing the position of the angular portions 506 of the
knob 304, 308 by rotating knob 304, 308 with respect to the angular
portions 404 of the support rod connector 402 changes the force
applied to the angular portions 404, thus urging the angular
portions 404 toward the center, reducing the diameter and
increasing the friction between the support rod 108 and plates 102,
104. The knob 304, 308 further may include a snap connector 502.
The snap connector 502 may include a hook portion, as shown in FIG.
5, that snap connects to the ring 302, 306. In particular, as shown
in FIG. 6, the ring 302, 306 includes an angular portion 604 and
the external part of angular portion 604 includes a cooperating
mechanism 406 for connecting to the snap connector 502 of the knob
304, 308. As further shown in FIG. 6, the ring 302, 306 includes a
slot 602 that may be configured to flex. The ring 302, 306 may
include extended portions 606 that are used to interact and be
associated with the support rod connector 402. As noted above, the
ring 302, 306 may be sonically welded to the bottom of plate 102,
104 or to the support rod connector 402; however, other types of
fastening construction are also contemplated by the invention.
[0031] Accordingly, the adjustable plate stand 100 of the invention
allows a user to have a customized arrangement and construction of
a display for foodstuffs and the like. This customizable
construction allows for the use of varying size plates and varying
vertical placement of plates, the use various plate shapes, the
inclusion of a stand and the possibility of having a cap at the
very uppermost part of a support rod. This allows the user to have
an infinite number of customizable arrangements that provide for a
more beautiful and decorative arrangement of foodstuffs
thereon.
[0032] While the invention has been described in terms of exemplary
embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the
invention can be practiced with modifications in the spirit and
scope of the appended claims. These examples given above are merely
illustrative and are not meant to be an exhaustive list of all
possible designs, embodiments, applications or modifications of the
invention.
* * * * *