Dish Drain Basket With Extendable Sides

The present invention relates generally to a standard type dish drain basket and, more particularly, to a dish drain basket with four contiguous, but independently extendable and retractable sides.

Typically, a dish drain basket allows for the placement of just washed dishes, pots, glasses and cups to drain. The main shortcoming of such prior art dish drain baskets is their limitation in size, which is mainly restricted because of the available space on counter tops and in double bowl sinks in which many drain baskets are placed.

As a result, it has remained necessary to provide a means for accommodating more dishes, pots, glasses and cups in the drain basket, but yet maintaining its original size to allow for its continued placement in one bowl of a double bowl sink.

The present invention is directed at overcoming the above stated problem and accomplishing the stated objective by providing a drain basket with four contiguous, but independently extendable and retractable sides.

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a standard type dish drain basket made of wire or plastic with a bottom and four sides. The standard drain basket has been adapted for accommodating four contiguous, but independently extendable and retractable sides. Each side is constructed with a plurality of tines which are fashioned into a lower hook configuration for positioning this independent side in the extended position to allow for the placement of glasses and cups to drain. These tines are also fashioned with a second hook configuration, at their top, for positioning this independent side in the retracted position when not needed. When all four independent sides are extended they have the effect of doubling the depth of the drain basket allowing for the stacking of more dishes and pots. In addition, the placement of cups and glasses on the tines on all four sides, rather than in the basket, facilitates the stacking of many more dishes and pots.

Because of the difficulty in making a drawing showing a dish drain basket with four extendable sides, the drawing has been simplified to show only one side of the dish drain basket having an extendable side.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the dish drain basket with only one extendable side in the extended position.

FIG. 2 is an overhead view showing one side of the dish drain basket with the extendable side in the retracted position.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the extendable side independent of the drain basket.

FIG. 4 is a level view from inside the drain basket looking out, with the extendable side hooked in the extended position.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of one of the end tines of an extendable side in the extended position which shows the function of the lower hook configuration and also shows the bottom loop configuration and its function as a guide that travels up and down on one of the stationary tines of the dish drain basket.

FIG. 6 is a level view from inside the drain basket looking out, with the extendable side in the retracted position.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of one of the end tines of an extendable side in the retracted position. This view also shows the function of the upper hook configuration that is used to lock the extendable side in the down position.

Referring to FIG. 1, number 10 indicates the embodiment of a typical dish drain basket showing just one of the four contiguous, but independently extendable and retractable sides 20 that are the actual invention. Only one side 20 of the invention is shown because of the difficulty in drawing all four sides 20.

The extendable and retractable side 20 as shown in FIG. 3 is comprised of a plurality of tines 12 and a bottom connecting rod 18 which as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7 is positioned on the outside of the basket 10 and acts to join together the plurality of tines 12 and also to aid in stabilizing the tines 12 when in the extended position.

FIG. 3 shows that each tine 12 is attached to a loop configuration 14 and to the connecting rod 18. This can be accomplished by suitable means such as welding. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7 the function of the loops 14 are to attach the extendable sides 20 to the sides of the dish drain basket 10 by encircling the fixed tines of the drain basket 10 and using these fixed tines as guide-posts on which the extendable and retractable sides 20 are raised and lowered.

FIG. 5 shows that each tine 12 has a hook configuration 15 in its lower position. These lower hook configurations 15 are used to secure the sides 20 in the extended position for placement of cups and glasses.

FIG. 7 shows that each tine 12 also has a hook configuration 16 in its upper portion. These upper hook configuration 16 are used to secure the sides 20 in their retracted position when they're not needed for their extra storage capacity.