AU2007100804A4

AU2007100804A4 - A storage assembly

Info

Publication number: AU2007100804A4
Application number: AU2007100804A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Joanne Spicer
Original assignee: SPEZIA HOLDINGS Pty Ltd
Current assignee: SPEZIA HOLDINGS Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2007-08-23
Filing date: 2007-08-23
Publication date: 2007-09-20
Anticipated expiration: 2015-08-23
Also published as: WO2009023932A1

Description

23-AUG-2007 11:11 From:WYNNES PFT&TM ATT 0733421292 To:0262837999 o A STORAGE ASSEMBLY ;Z FIELD OF INVENTION SThe present invention relates to storing goods that are related in purpose and

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usage. The present invention has particular but not exclusive application for o organizing and storing clothing accessories and personal accessories. In the body 00 0 of the specification, reference is made to the storage of jewelry, bags, clothing accessories and personal accessories by way of example only.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION An assortment of hats, handbags and other clothing accessories are often haphazardly stored on shelves or in drawers within a wardrobe or on the floor.

Wardrobes are often overcrowded and as a result of items being stored together in close proximity, the items are often damaged. For example, a hat can be deformed when heavier items such as large handbags are squashed against them. Expensive handbags can be deformed and damaged when stored on shelves or on the floor.

Scarves can be easily snagged by belt buckles when stored in the same drawer.

The storage of jewelry also requires careful attention. For example, when beads and chains are stored together in the same drawer, they become entangled with one another and are troublesome to separate.

In order to reduce damage to clothing and personal accessories, the delicate items can be separated from the heavier items. Jewelry stands in different shapes and configurations exist for the storage of jewelry when not in use. These stands however vary in their success in keeping the pieces of jewelry from being entangled.

Individual pieces of jewelry can also be stored separately by placing in separate compartments of a drawer. This method of organizing personal accessories COMS ID No: ARCS-158032 Received by IP Australia: Time 11:24 Date 2007-08-23 23-RUG-2007 11:11 From:WYNNES PAT&TM ATT 0733421292 To:0262837999 P.6 -2- 0 O separately requires substantial amounts of storage space which is often not available. It also makes items difficult to locate and access.

Alternatively, items like hats can be stored on a hat or coat stand that has arms or hooks designed for hanging hats. Since a coat or hat stand is often quite large the stand may not be fully utilized. These coat or hat stands cannot be used 00 for storing items other than for coats and hats.

0 A utility stand for a law enforcement officer is described in US 6749073. The o utility stand is specifically designed to store the uniform and law enforcement

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equipment such as a radio, ammunition and utility belt. The function of the utility stand described in US 6749073 is specific for and limited to law enforcement officers.

There does not appear to be any suitable storage device that stores and organizes a person's clothing and personal accessories that they would use regularly.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a storage assembly that overcomes at least in part one or more of the above mentioned disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In one aspect the present invention broadly resides in a storage assembly including one or more elongate support members that form or can form a single upright member, said single upright member has a plurality of upright apertures: mounting means to mount the single upright member; and COMS ID No: ARCS-158032 Received by IP Australia: Time 11:24 Date 2007-08-23 23-AUG-2007 11:12 From:WYNNES PFT&TM RTT 0733421292 To:0262837999 P.T7 -3- 0 0a plurality of holder members connectable to the single upright member, each of said holder members is positionable and connectable to any one of the upright en apertures wherein the one or more elongate support members and mounting means are arranged to form a desired configuration with the modular and interchangeable 5 holder members.

00 The desired configuration includes but not limited to organizing and storing clothing accessories, personal accessories, jewelry, bags, shoes, belts, soaps and S toiletries, craft materials, compact discs and DVD, and hardware items and tools.

The plurality of holder members preferably includes one or more lateral arms, one or more holding panels, one or more trays, one or more carousels or a combination thereof. Preferably, a combination of different types of the above mentioned holder members are connectable to the upright member.

The lateral arm is preferably a rod that can pass through the upright aperture to connect to the upright member.

The lateral arm preferably has a stopper to prevent accidental dislodgement of items from the lateral arm. The stopper is preferably positionable at an end of the lateral arm. Preferably there is a stopper at each end of the lateral arm. Preferably the stopper is a flat disc.

The lateral arm preferably has a covering that can surround a section of the rod. The covering is preferably made of a resiliently deformable material, When the rod is connected, the covering more preferably is positioned on a section of the rod between the stopper and the upright member to substantially prevent movement of the rod relative to the upright member.

Preferably each of the one or more lateral arms is a rod that can pass through the upright aperture to connect to the upright member, each lateral arm has a COMS ID No: ARCS-158032 Received by IP Australia: Time 11:24 Date 2007-08-23 23-RUG-2007 11:12 From:WYNNES PAT&TM ATT 0733421292 To:0262837999 P.8/30 -4- 0 o stopper positioned at an end to prevent accidental dislodgement and a covering that can surround a section of the rod between the stopper and the upright member when connected to substantially prevent movement of the rod relative to the upright member.

The holding panel and tray are preferably attachable to the lateral arm.

0 00 The holding panel preferably has a panel mounting that is slideable on the 0 Slateral arm.

SPreferably, the holding panel has an aperture or a recess to hold an item for storage.

The tray preferably has a tray arm with an arm aperture. The arm aperture is preferably shaped to allow the lateral arm to pass there through for attachment purposes. Preferably, the tray has an arm mounting that is slideable on the lateral arm.

In the embodiment where the holder member is a carousel, the carousel preferably has a central collar to locate the carousel on the upright member. The central collar preferably has a positioning portion to fix the carousel to the upright member and a movable portion to allow rotation of the carousel around the upright member.

The positioning portion is preferably fixed to the upright member by a positioning pin that passes through an upright aperture. A positioning pin is preferably a threaded bolt and nut arrangement.

Each of the one or more elongate support members is preferably a pole.

Preferably, one pole is connected to another pole to form an upright post. The poles are preferably connected by a connector pin. A connector pin is preferably a threaded bolt and nut arrangement.

COMS ID No: ARCS-158032 Received by IP Australia: Time 11:24 Date 2007-08-23 23-AUG-2007 11:12 From:WYNNES PAT&TM RTT 0733421292 To:02628937999 P.9-'30 -a- 0 o The connector pin preferably allows an item to be attached to the upright Smember. The connector pin preferably has a stopper as described above.

In one embodiment of the invention the mounting means includes a base

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member to support the upright member. Preferably, the base member provides a floor mounting.

00 In another embodiment the mounting means includes a suspending member 0 that enables the upright member to be suspended from an overhead support. The o suspending member preferably has a substantially hook shape and provides a c mounting from a hanger.

In another aspect the present invention broadly resides in a kit for a storage assembly as described above and including one or more elongate support members, a plurality of holder members and a mounting member where the mounting member may be a base member or a suspending member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order that the present invention can be more readily understood reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and wherein: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a storage assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a diagrammatic partial view of the storage assembly of Figure 1 showing an exploded view of the lateral arm; Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view of a sunglass holding panel; Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view of an earring holding panel; Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view of a ring holding panel; COMS ID No: ARCS-158032 Received by IP Australia: Time 11:24 Date 2007-08-23 23-RUG-2007 11:13 From:WYNNES PRT&TM FITT 033222T:68399.1'0 0733421292 To:0262837999 P.10z30 -6o Figure 6 is a diagrammatic view of an accessories tray; Figure 7 is a diagrammatic view of a shoe carousel; Figure 8 is a photograph of the storage assembly of a second embodiment shown storing a variety of clothing accessories and personal accessories:.

Figure 9 is a diagrammatic view of a storage assembly according to a third 00 embodiment of the present invention; o Figure 10 is a diagrammatic view of a storage assembly according to a fourth o embodiment at the present invention; and NA Figure 11 is a diagrammatic view of a hanger mounting of the storage assembly of Figure 9 or Figure DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMB-ODIMENTS With reference to Figures 1 and 2 there is shown a first embodiment of a storage assembly 10 that is a storage stand 10 for organizing andl storing clothing, clothing accessories and personal accessories. The storage stand 10 has three support poles 11 connected to form a single post 12. several lateral arms 13 forming the holder components and a floor mounting 14.

Each of the support poles 11 is a hollow tube and one support pole 11 is fixed to another support pole by a connector pin 15S. The connector pin 15 is passed through an end portion of each of the two support poles 11 to prevent the support poles from moving relative to one another. The connector pin 15 also allows an htem to be attached to the post 12. The height of the post 12 can be adjusted by varying the number of support poles 11I that are connected.

Each support pole 11 has several upright apertures 16 used for attaching a lateral arm 13 to the support pole 11. The lateral arm 13 is a hollow rod 13 that can COMS ID No: ARCS-i 58032 Received by IP Australia: Time 11:24 Date 2007-08-23 23-RUG-2007 11:13 From:WYNNES PRTSCM RTT033222T:6879 0733421292 To:0262837999 P.11/30 07 o pass through an upright aperture 16. The number and arrangement of the lateral arms 13 can be adjusted to suit the desired configuration and organization of the stored items.

CA Each of the lateral arms 13 has a stopper 18 that can be fixed to each end of. the lateral arm 13. The stopper 18 has a flat disc 21 and a screw threaded portion 00 22 that is screwed into the end 20 of the lateral arm 13. The flat disc 21 prevents an o item such as a tie or handbag from slipping off the end of the lateral arm 13.

o A rubber-like covering 24 is positioned about the lateral arm 13. The covering Ci 24 extends between the stopper 18 and the post 12 thereby preventing movement of the arm 13 relative to the post 12 The covering 24 serves as a cushion and thereby reduces the fatigue on hung items such as the handles of handbags.

With reference to Figures 3 to 0, there is shown several other different types of holder components. These holder components are a sunglass holding panel an earring holding panel 40, a ring holding panel 50, an accessories tray 60, and a shoe carousel The sunglass holding panel 30 shown in Figures 3 has a panel mounting 31 and a panel portion 32 that is fastened to the panel mounting 31. The panel mounting 31 enables the sunglass holding panel 30 to slide onto any one of the lateral arms 1$ of the storage stand 10. The panel portion 32 has slots 33 that are spaced apart to prevent the overlapping of sunglasses held in each slot 33. A sunglass is held on the panel portion 32 by tolding the arm ot the sunglass over a periphery 34 of a slot 33.

An earring holding panel 40 shown in Figure 4 ha8s an earring panel mounting 41 that is attachable to any one of the lateral arms 13 in the same way as the panel mounting 31 of the sunglass holding panel 30 described above. The earring panel COMS ID No: ARCS-158032 Received by IP Australia: lime 11:24 Date 2007-08-23 23-RUG-2007 11:13 From:YNNES PAT&TM FlTT 8733421292 To:02621837999 P.12z30 -8- 0 0 mounting 41 has an earring panel portion 42 that is fastened to the earring panel

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b mounting 41 and extends downwardly from a lateral arm 13 when the earring holding panel 40 is attached to the lateral arm 13. The earring panel portion 42 has earring CA apertures 43 and each earring aperture 43 can accommodate a stud, hoop or clip of an earring. The earring apertures 43 are arranged in several rows. There is a slot 00 44, 45, 46 beneath some of the rows of earring apertures 43. The slots 44, 45, 46 Sare of different sizes and allow earrings of various styles, sizes or ornamentation to o be stored unobstructed by the sides of earring panel portion 42 thereby preventing Ci abrasion or distortion of the earrings.

A ring holding panel 50 shown in Figure 5 has a ring panel mounting 51 and a ring panel portion 52 that is fastened to the ring panel mounting 51. The ring holding panel 50 is similar to the sunglass holding panel 30 and the earring holding panel described above except that the ring panel portion 52 includes a resiliently deformable pad 53 that has several elongate recesses 54, The pad 53 is made of foam and allows each recess 54 to be enlarged by separating opposed recess perimeter sides while having sufficient resiliency to hold a ring securely between the foam surrounding each recess 54.

An accessories tray 60 shown in Figure 6 has two tray arms 61 each with an arm aperture 62 through which a lateral arm 13 of the storage stand 10 passes when the tray is attached to the lateral arm 13. In the embodiment shown in Figure 6, the tray arms 61 are fixed to an arm mounting 63 that can slide onto a lateral arm 13.

The tray 60 may have dividers 64 to form compartments in the tray A shoe carousel 70 shown in Figure 7 has a central collar 71 to position the carousel 70 on the support pole 11 of the storage stand 10. The central collar 71 has a fixed portion 72 and a rotatable portion 73. The fixed portion 72 has a COMS ID No: ARCS-158032 Received by IP Australia: Time 11:24 Date 2007-08-23 23-RUG-2007 11:13 From:WYNNES PRT&TM ATT 0733421292 To:0262837999 P.13/30 I- -9- 0 O positioning pin 74 that passes through the upright aperturel 6 to fix the carousel 70 to Sthe support pole 11. The rotatable portion 73 allows the carousel 70 to rotate around the support pole 11. The carousel 70 has two differently sized rings 75, 76 that are l spaced apart so that when a shoe is placed to rest on both rings 75, 76 the shoe forms a substantially 45 degree angle with the horizontal. The shoe is held at an 00 angle on the carousel to prevent the shoe from sliding off and to allow the shoe to be o stored and viewed face up for easy selection and to eliminate the possibility of Sdamage that may be caused by other forms of hanging shoe storage. In other c embodiments of the carousel, not shown in the figures, the carousel can be designed to store other items such as hats, toiletries, craft materials, CDs, DVDs or tools. For example, the carousel can have hooks, buckets or a carousel tray for organizing the various items.

With reference to Figure 8, there is shown second embodiment of the storage assembly that is a storage stand 80 having a combination of different holder components fixed to an upright post 82. The upright post 82 is formed by connecting several support poles 81, The storage stand 80 has a sunglass holding panel 83, an earring holding panel 84, a ring holding panel 85, an accessories tray 86 and several lateral arms 87. These holder components are similar to the similar named holder components described above, Since the various holder components are interchangeable, the storage stand can be assembled to suit the purpose of the user. The versatility of the storage stand 80 enables a user to organize and store various items in a single place. The user can therefore easily access and locate the items. Furthermore, the items are stored in a manner that will maintain the items in good condition. For example, handbags can be hung on the lateral arms 87 to maintain their shape and reduce COMS ID No: ARCS-158032 Received by IP Australia: Time 11:24 Date 2007-08-23 23-RUG-2007 11:14 From:WYNNES PRT&TM RTT 034222T:28799P1'0 0733421292 To:0262837999 P.14/30 o damage caused by a buckle or clasp of one handbag pushing against the side of another handbag. Jewelry chains and beads can also be hung on the connector pins 88 to avoid entanglement with one other- With reference to Figure 9 there is shown a third embodiment of the support assembly that is a hanger 90 for hanging in a wardrobe. The hanger 90 has a 00 support pole 91, two lateral arms- 92 and a hanger mounting 93 to suspend the o hanger 90 from a wardrobe rail 94. The hanger mounting 93 as shown in Figure 11 o has a U-shaped or hook shaped hanging component 95 and an attachment component 96 that has attachment aperture 97. The attachment component 96 can be attached to the end of the support pole 91 and the hanger mounting 93 is connected to the support pole 91 by passing a connector pin 98 through the support pole 91 and attachment aperture 97. The U-shaped hanging component 95 prevents the hanger 90 from rotating in the wardrobe.

The hanger 90 has several upright apertures 99 and each upright aperture 99 can be used for attaching a lateral arm 92 to the support pole 91. The lateral arms 92 are similar to the lateral arms as described above. The other holder components described above can also be interchangeably attached to the support pole 91 in a manner similar to that also described above. The versatility of the hanger provides a user with the ability to coordinate their clothing accessories with the clothes in their wardrobe, for example coordination according to colour, With reference to Figure 10 there is shown a fourth embodiment of the support assembly that is a hanger 100 for hanging in a taller wardrobe. The hanger 100 is similar to the hanger 90 described above except that two support poles 101 are connected to form a longer hanging post 102.

COMS ID No: ARCS-i 58032 Received by IP Australia: Time 11:24 Date 2007-08-23 23-RUG-2007 11:14 From:NYNNES PFlT&TM ATT 0733421292 To:0262837999 P.15/30 I--11o ADVANTAGES 0 An advantage of a preferred embodiment of the storage assembly includes having modular parts that can be assembled to adjust the size and arrangement of

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the formed storage assembly.

Another advantage of a preferred embodiment is having interchangeable 00 holder components that are used to store a variety of items in a single place. The o interchangeable holder components include a lateral arm for hanging handbags, Shats, belts, scarves, watches, bracelets, bangles and ties, various holding panels for c jewelry and sunglasses, an accessories tray for keys, wallets, cameras, ipods.

watches and mobile phones and a carousel for shoes, hats, toiletries, craft materials, CDs, DVDs or tools.

A further advantage of a preferred embodiment is that the arrangement of the interchangeable holder components is adjustable to suit the layout of the stored items. For example, the lateral arms can be arranged at different heights along the support poles so that items hung from one lateral arm do not overlap with items hung from another lateral arm.

In short, the preferred embodiment of the storage assembly allows a multiplicity of items to be stored concurrently; customized to suit user's needs; makes items easy to find, accessible and select; reduce potential damage, crease or scratch; reduce potential tangles; maximize storage space: can be free standing or hanging; and enables the creation of a decorative display to showcase items for outfit co-ordination,

VARIATIONS

COMS ID No: ARCS-158032 Received by IP Australia: Time 11:24 Date 2007-08-23 23-RUG-2007 11:14 From:WYNNES PT&TM RTT 0733421292 To:O26283T999 P.1I6/30 -12- 0 o It will of course be realised that while the foregoing has been given by way of illustrative example of this invention, all such and other modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within Cthe broad scope and ambit of this invention as is herein set forth.

Throughout the description and claims this specification the word "comprise" 0 00 and variations of that word such as "comprises" and "comprising", are not intended to 0 o exclude other additives, components, integers or steps.

0"- 0,- COMS ID No: ARCS-158032 Received by IP Australia: Time 11:24 Date 2007-08-23

Claims

23-RUG-2007 11:14 From: WYNNES PAT&TM ATT 0733421292 To:062837999 P.17/30 13 O CLAIMS 1. A storage assembly including one or more elongate support members that form or can form a single upright member, said single upright member has a plurality of upright apertures; 00 mounting means to mount the single upright member; and 0 O a plurality of holder members connectable to the single upright member, each Sof said holder members is positionable and connectable to any one of the upright CA apertures wherein the one or more elongate support members and mounting means are arranged to form a desired configuration with the modular and interchangeable holder members. 2. A storage assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the plurality of holder members includes one or more lateral arms, one or more holding panels, one or more trays, one or more carousels or a combination thereof. 3. A storage assembly as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein each of the one or more lateral arms is a rod that can pass through the upright aperture to connect to the upright member, each lateral arm has a stopper positioned at an end to prevent accidental dislodgement and a covering that can surround a section of the rod between the stopper and the upright member when connected to substantially prevent movement of the rod relative to the upright member. COMS ID No: ARCS-158032 Received by IP Australia: Time 11:24 Date 2007-08-23 23-AUG-2007 11:14 From:WYNNES PAT&TM ATT 0733421292 To:0262837999 P.18/30 14- 0 S4. A storage assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1, 2 or 3 wherein the Smounting means is a base member for mounting to the floor or a suspending member for mounting from an overhead support. 5. A storage assembly as substantially described herein with reference to and as oO illustrated by the accompanying drawings. 0 0 0 0 rcl COMS ID No: ARCS-158032 Received by IP Australia: Time 11:24 Date 2007-08-23