Culinary Utensil Holders

Abstract

A culinary knife block assembly includes a block containing a series of knife holders, each knife holder including one or more friction ribs for engagement with a knife and including a resilient latch for releasably attaching the knife holder to the block.

1 . A culinary utensil holder for holding knives and the like, the holder comprising:
 a body having an entrance and a distinct friction formation located in a path along the body.   
     
     
         2 . A holder as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the body comprises a sheath having two mutually spaced opposed side walls with a slot therebetween for sheathing a knife or the like. 
     
     
         3 . A holder as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the formation is formed on one of the side walls. 
     
     
         4 . A holder as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the formation comprises an elongate rib. 
     
     
         5 . A holder as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the rib has a rectangular, square, or concave cross-section extending across a longitudinal extent thereof. 
     
     
         6 . A holder as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the formation comprises a series of elongate ribs formed on one of the side walls, the elongate ribs extending parallel to and spaced from one another. 
     
     
         7 . A holder as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the other side wall includes at least one opposing friction formation. 
     
     
         8 . A holder as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the at least one opposing friction formation comprises a further series of ribs formed as a mirror image of the elongate ribs. 
     
     
         9 . A holder as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the side walls are generally parallel to one another. 
     
     
         10 . A holder as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein in a rest configuration the side walls taper towards one another in a direction remote from the entrance. 
     
     
         11 . A holder as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the side walls are resiliently engaged against one another towards an end of the side walls remote from the entrance. 
     
     
         12 . A holder as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the entrance comprises an elongate ring connected to the side walls. 
     
     
         13 . A holder as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein each side wall includes a flared entrance guide member at an end of the side wall proximal to the entrance, the flared entrance guide members being spaced from the elongate ring and resilient. 
     
     
         14 . A holder as claimed in  claim 2 , further comprising a latch member attached to at least one of the side walls for releasably latching the holder into a culinary utensil block. 
     
     
         15 . A holder as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein the latch is formed integrally with the side walls. 
     
     
         16 . A culinary block assembly comprising:
 a block with a plurality of slots; and   a plurality of culinary utensil holders as claimed in  claim 1  adapted to be located in the slots.   
     
     
         17 . A culinary block assembly as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein the plurality of culinary utensil holders comprises at least two culinary utensil holders which are identical to one another and are located in corresponding slots of the plurality of slots, and wherein at least two knives of different configurations are sheathed in corresponding holders of the at least two culinary utensil holders. 
     
     
         18 . A culinary block assembly as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein the plurality of culinary utensil holders comprises at least five identical culinary utensil holders locatable in corresponding slots formed in the block. 
     
     
         19 . A culinary utensil holder for holding knives and the like, the holder comprising:
 a body for sheathing kitchen utensils, the body including a latch member for releasably latching the holder into a culinary utensil block.   
     
     
         20 . A culinary utensil holder as claimed in  claim 19 , wherein the latch member is formed integrally with the body.