CA3161348A1 - Universal display and storage panel - Google Patents

Abstract

A perforated display or storage panel includes a plurality of open slots on the edge or edges of the panel and a plurality of apertures within the panel. The said apertures have a wider opening and joined by one or multiple narrower slot(s) on the side. The wider opening allows a wider portion of an object to pass through, and the narrower slot(s) allows a narrower portion of an object to enter but prevents the wider portion of an object to pass through, thus securing said object in said slot.

Description

Universal Display and Storage Panel Description CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
No prior art of this nature has been discovered.
FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to display, storage and organizational systems, and more particularly to structures used to mount display or storage items onto flat surfaces.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Display and storage systems of the type in which a board with a plurality of holes is mounted vertically on a surface are well known in the art. These systems, known as pegboards, are often adapted to receive support devices, e.g., hook and peg members, which extend into the holes so that articles may be supported from the forwardly projecting portions of the support device. Supporting devices are unique for each brand of pegboard. Most often these supporting devices are marketed as accessories of the pegboard. Some accessories are designed to hold articles of specific shape and size, such as a Double-Ring Tool Holder or a Multi-Prong Tool Holder which are designed to hold articles like screwdrivers.
Other accessories such as a Hook or a Bin or a Basket are meant for general articles. Still some articles of random shapes and sizes are hard to find a suitable accessory for them to be hold properly to the pegboard. A customized solution is very difficult to achieve due to highly specialized support mechanism of these pegboards.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention, in general, relates to perforated display or storage panels structurally adapted to serve as display, storage or similar members. More particularly, these panels have a plurality of open slots on one or more of the edges for maximum utilization of the panel surface and have a plurality of apertures with a wider opening joined by one or more narrower slot(s) within the panel. The wider openings enable a wider member of an object to pass through while the narrower slots prevent the wider member of an object to pass through.
One example would be a household object like a screw, which has a wider head but a narrower body. The wider opening on the perforated panel allows the screw head to pass through, while the narrower body of the screw is able to slide into a slot.
The narrower slot prevents the head of the screw to pass through thus enabling screw-attached items to be mounted on the panel. Another example is a Para-cord or a bungee cord that can be knotted to have a wider end, which can be put through a wider opening on the perforated panel then the narrower cord body slides into a desired slot. The other knotted end of the Para-cord or bungee cord can be attached to the board in the same way thus enabling articles of various shapes and sizes to be secured on the panel.
The prime object of this invention is to provide greater flexibility displaying or storing items on a perforated board with household items without using specialized accessories.
A further object of this invention is to maximize the usage of the limited surface area of a perforated display or storage panel by having a plurality of open slots on one or more of the edges and a variety of aperture designs for various applications.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-06-02

2 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig.1 represents some examples of aperture designs with a wider opening 1 and joining narrower slots 2.
Fig.2 is an example of a panel design with open slots 3 on all sides of the panel and cross-shaped apertures within.
Fig.3 depicts some of various ways a bungee cord or a Para cord may be strung.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
This description of preferred embodiments is intended to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire written description of this invention. The drawing figures are not necessarily to scale and certain features of the invention may be shown exaggerated in scale or in somewhat schematic form in the interest of clarity and conciseness.
Referring to FIG.1, a perforated panel formed in accordance with the present invention includes a plurality of one or more forms of the apertures. These apertures, while each in a unique form, share one principle: each has a wider opening 1 and joining narrower slot(s) 2.
A wider opening 1 allows a wider member of an object to pass through while the narrower slots 2 prevent the wider member of an object to pass through but allows a narrower member of an object to enter. The said object has both a wider member and a narrow member and is used as a means of securing an article to the perforated panel. The wider member of an object passes through a wider opening 1 of an aperture and the narrower member of an object enters a narrower slot 2. In dong do the wider member of an object is trapped behind the rear surface of the narrower slot 2, thus enables an article to be secured through the object. It will be understood that the number of narrower slot 2 in an aperture may vary, depending upon various applications. It will also be understood that the narrower slot(s) 2 may join the wider opening 1 of an aperture in any position and/or orientation, depending upon various applications.
Referring to Fig.2, a perforated panel formed in accordance with the present invention includes a plurality of open slots 3 and a plurality of apertures 4. The said panel is installed on a flat surface through the mounting holes 5 with a dedicated standoff, a pegboard wall anchor or a bracket all of which shall produce a clearance between the rear surface of the perforated panel and the flat surface upon which the perforated panel is installed. The clearance allows members of an object to engage with the rear surface of the perforated panel as a means of securing the object on to the perforated panel. The perforated panel may be formed from a composite wood material, metal or polymer, as long as the material comprises sufficient structural integrity to withstand the shear loads without appreciable deformation. It will be understood that the perforated panel may have various shapes, lengths and widths, depending upon various applications. It will also be understood that the density, location and orientation of the open slots 3 may also vary, depending upon various applications. It will be further understood that the apertures may be arranged differently and without a uniformed approach and there may be multiple forms of apertures on a single perforated panel, depending upon various applications.
Referring to FIG.3, a perforated panel formed in accordance with the present invention is strung with bungee cords or Para cords 6 as means of securing articles onto the perforated Date Recue/Date Received 2022-06-02

3 panel. These cords 6 are knotted on both ends. The knotted ends are secured by the narrower slots 2 of the apertures 4 or the open slots 3. With a conventional perforated panel securing an article with a bungee cord or Para cord is very difficult due to limited length options of the hooked cord accessory. With the present invention the cord 6 length can be tailored to articles of various sizes, shapes and weights, so to achieve optimum length and tension securing articles onto the perforated panel.
The advantage of this invention compared with a conventional perforated panel is obvious in its utilitarian nature. While this invention also allows conventional wire attachments or accessories to be used, the novel aperture design enables the use of household objects like a screw or a Para cord or a bungee cord thus greatly expands the utilitarian aspect and flexibility of a perforated display or storage panel. The open slots 3 on one or more of the edges further enhance such usage and provide even greater flexibility.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-06-02

Claims (2)

Universal Display and Storage Panel The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. A perforated panel adapted to be mounted on a surface for storage or display of articles and adapted to receive an object with both a wider member and a narrower member.
Specifically the said panel comprises of a sheet of material having a plurality of apertures with a wider opening and one or multiple narrower slots joining on the side with the said wider opening.
The wider opening allows the wider member of an object to pass through, and the narrower slot(s) allows the narrower member of an object to enter but prevents the wider member of an object to pass through, thus securing said object in said slot.

2. The combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said panel have a plurality of open slots on one or more edges as means of securing said object.