EP0231165B1

EP0231165B1 - An arrangement in storage frames intended for hanging sheet-like articles

Info

Publication number: EP0231165B1
Application number: EP84904006A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Bonnie Lundberg; Tommie Lundberg
Original assignee: LICA LUNDBERG INTERNATIONAL CENTER AB
Current assignee: LICA LUNDBERG INTERNATIONAL CENTER AB
Priority date: 1983-05-19
Filing date: 1984-10-16
Publication date: 1988-05-18
Also published as: FI871610A0; FI871610A; WO1986002242A1; SE8302852D0; AU578635B2; FI83589B; NO862374L; NO162146B; AU3557184A; SE8302852L; NO862374D0; SE445876B; DE3471243D1; FI83589C; ATE34288T1; NO162146C; EP0231165A1

Abstract

A storage frame for hanging sheet-like articles comprises a pivotable frame member which can be swung between a vertical and a horizontal position relative to a stationary frame part. The pivotable frame member supports the sheet-like articles (10) which hang vertically in both the horizontal position, in which the articles (10) can be reached and the vertical storage position of the pivotable frame member. The pivotable frame member is connected to the stationary frame part via support arms (4) which are connected to the stationary frame part via upper pivot locations (6). The inwardly end of the pivotable frame member is provided with rollers (3d) which upon pivotal movement of the member run on a vertical surface associated with the stationary frame part. The arrangement is such that the weight exerted by the articles (10) is relieved upon upward and downward pivotal movement of the pivotal frame member.

Description

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an arrangement in storage frames intended for hanging sheet-like articles such as drawings, charts and the like, having fixed to one edge thereof, the upper edge, holders which can be inserted into a pivotable frame member which can be swung relative to a stationary frame part, between a horizontal position in which the holders, together with the vertically hanging sheet-like elements attached hereto, can be inserted one at a time, so that the said articles hang close to one another, and a vertical position in which the vertically hanging articles are packed tightly together with the holders positioned one beneath the other.
Such storage frames enable a large amount of space to be saved, by packing the articles close together during storage. When the pivotable frame member is swung to its horizontal position, the stored articles can be readily reached, one at a time.
Such a storage frame may have the form of a separate stand, or may be incorporated in a cabinet which is provided with hinged doors and which when the doors are closed requires but the minimum of space. The arrangement may be such that when the doors are opened, the pivotable frame member swings to its horizontal position.

Background Art

Such a storage-frame structure is described in Swedish Patent Specification Number 363 730 (Lundberg). In this known storage frame, the stored articles are enclosed by a guard means, comprising three mutually hinged inflexible parts, which are also hinged to the forward part of the frame.
One problem with this known storage frame is that the pivotable frame member is quite heavy to swing between the horizontal and vertical positions, especially when a large number of articles hang from said frame member.
-Attempts have been made to solve this problem with the use of various kinds of line arrangements which, with the use of weights, lighten the load on the pivotable member, particularly when withdrawing the frame in those cases where several similar storage frames are accommodated in one and the same cabinet. Such an arrangement is described in Swedish Lay-Out Print 7305910-7 (Publication Number 383 251) (Lundberg).
Other similar cabinet and storage arrangements are found described in Swedish Patent Specification Number 221 805 (Bjorge), French Patent Specifications Numbers 1 067 725 (Bourdoiseau) and 1 051 899 (Paveau), the German Patent Specification 353 446 (Bruggemann) and the U.S. Patent Specifications Numbers 1,371,193 (Berge) and 1,381,907 (Lisle). None of these publications, however, offers a solution to the problem of facilitating the upward and downward pivotal movement of the pivotable member of a storage frame of the aforesaid kind.

Objects of the Invention

Consequently, an object of the present invention is to provide a storage frame of the above kind which avoids the aforesaid disadvantages of known storage frames and cabinets and which enables the load to be relieved when the pivotable frame member is swung up and down such that the force required herefor can be brought to a minimum.
A further object is to provide a storage frame of the aforesaid kind which is of simple, robust and reliable construction, and which can be produced at low costs.

Brief Disclosure of the Invention

These and other objects are fulfilled in accordance with the invention by a storage frame of the aforementioned kind which is mainly characterized in that the pivotable frame member is connected to the stationary frame part through support arms which are hingedly connected to the pivotable frame member and to the stationary frame part and which are provided at respective one ends thereof with a roller which runs on a vertical surface on said stationary frame part during the pivotable movement of said pivotable frame member.
In this way, the hinge or pivot points of the support arms on the pivotable frame member form pivot axes for said pivotal movement, providing a lever-arm action such as to greatly relieve the weight of the stored articles, and in certain cases even to balance out said weight. Thus, a much smaller force is needed to swing the pivotable frame member up and down.
Preferably, there is provided in connection with the stationary frame part and/or the vertical surface a stop means for restricting downward movement of the pivotable frame member as it is swung to its horizontal position, so as to prevent the pivotable member from moving beyond the horizontal position.
A hinged latch-hook may be provided on the upper part of the stationary frame part, for holding the pivotable frame member in its raised vertical position. This ensures that the storage frame will always take a precisely vertical attitude in the storage position.
The supporting arms may also be provided with alternative hinge points on the pivotable frame member. This enables the lever-arm effect to be adjusted in accordance with the number of articles hung in the storage frame and their position.
Distinct from known storage frames, it is normally not necessary with an arrangement according to the invention to provide separate legs for supporting the pivotable frame member on the floor or like surface in the horizontal position of said member. Such legs can be provided if desired. According to one feature of an alternative embodiment, the support legs are detachably mounted, for use solely when the occasion demands.
The support arms can be mounted on the stationary frame part in various ways, to permit the arms to be swung about horizontal axes. In this respect, it is convenient to use simple mounts in the form of fittings which will enable the support arms to be removed if desired.
Additional characteristics of a storage frame according to the invention will be evident from the following description of an embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating a storage frame 1 according to the invention mounted in a cabinet with open doors, the pivotable frame member of the storage frame being shown when swung slightly outwards from its vertical storage position.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a storage frame according to the invention, with the pivotable frame member in its substantially horizontal position in which the stored articles can be reached.
Figure 3 is a perspective detail view illustrating the connection between a support arm and a leg of the pivotable frame member, and stop means for its inner end, on which a roller is mounted.
Figure 4 is a perspective view illustrating the cabinet with the doors closed.

Description of a Preferred Embodiment of the Invention

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, a storage frame 1 for hanging sheet-like articles, such as drawings, charts or the like, comprises a stationary frame part 2, and a pivotable frame part 3 which can be swung between a vertical and a horizontal posi; tion. The pivotable frame part is connected to the stationary frame part 2 via two support arms 4, said arms being connected to the stationary frame part 2 via upper hinge means 5 and to the pivotable frame member 3 via lower hinge means 6.
The pivotable frame member 3 comprises two mutually parallel side struts 3a, a forward transverse, handle-part 3b connecting said side struts 3a, and a rear transverse connecting member 3c provided with rollers 3d which run on a stationary vertical surface 2b connected to the vertical frame element 2a of the stationary frame part 2.
The struts 3a of the pivotable frame member have provided therein holes or recesses 3e, which are arranged to receive holder-parts 11a a of holders 11 attached to respective sheet-like articles 10. The holders may have any suitable form, and may comprise for example a straight projecting pin or a hooked portion. The holes 3e may have an approximate L-shape, to enable both types of holder elements 11a and 11a' respectively illustrated in Fig. 3.
The provision of the rollers 3d on the rear transverse connecting bar 3c of the pivotable frame member enables the support arms 4 to relieve the weight of the articles 10 when the pivotable frame member 3 is swung between said horizontal and vertical positions. Thus, no appreciable force is required to swing the pivotable frame member from the position illustrated in Fig. 1 to the position illustrated in Fig. 2. In this respect, it is only necessary to simply grasp the handle portion 3b of the pivotable frame member and push the handle downwards, whereupon the pivotable frame member swings downwardly until engaging a stop abutment 8 on the stationary frame part 2, therewith preventing further downward movement.
The pivotable frame member can also be swung from the position illustrated in Fig. 2 without requiring any appreciable force herefor, since the carrier arms 3 enable the weight of the articles 10 to be relieved by a produced lever-arm effect.
In this respect, the lower support-arm pivot points 6 on the struts 3a of the pivotable frame member 3 are suitably allotted alternative positions, so that the lever-arm effect produced can be adjusted to the number of articles 10 stored in the storage frame. Fig. 2 illustrates additional holes for hinging the illustrated support arm to the strut 3a. Fig. 3 illustrates the stop abutment 8 arranged to prevent further upward movement of the roller 3d along the vertical surface 2b.

Fig. 1 also illustrates a pivotable latching hook 9, intended to hold the pivotable frame member 3 in its vertical position.
Fig. 4 illustrates a cabinet 12 which has mounted therein the storage frame described with reference to the remaining figures, said storage frame being in its vertical storage position with the articles 10 tightly packed together. As illustrated by the figure, when the doors 12a of the cabinet 12 are closed the cabinet requires but the minimum of space.

The support arms 4 may be detachably connected to the part 2a of the stationary frame part 2, and to this end the frame structure may be provided with T-shaped attachment pegs (not shown), which also function as pivot shafts.

Industrial Application

A storage frame according to the invention can be used for storing many different types of articles, andits structural details can be modified in many ways, depending upon the type of article to be stored, the design of the holder means, etc. The forward transverse handle part 3b of the pivotable frame member, and its transverse connecting part 3c may also be modified in dependence upon prevailing circumstances, for example, so that the handle can be more readily gripped or so that a single roller 3d or more than two rollers can be mounted. The manner in which the support arms 4 are connected to the stationary frame part 2 and to the pivotable frame member 3 respectively, can also be varied in many ways within the scope of the concept of the invention as defined in the accompanying Claim 1.

Claims

1. An arrangement in storage frames for hanging sheet-like articles, such as drawings, charts or like articles (10), having attached to the upper end thereof holders (11 a) which can be inserted into a pivotable frame member (3) connected to the storage frame (1) for pivotable movement relative to a stationary frame part (2) between a horizontal position, in which the holders (11a) and the sheet-like elements (10) hanging vertically therefrom can be attached one at a time to said pivotable frame member (3) so that said articles hang close together, and a vertical position in which the vertically hanging articles are packed tightly together with the holders (11a) positioned one beneath the other, characterized in that the pivotable frame member (3) is connected to the stationary frame part (2) via support arms (4) which are hingedly connected to said pivotable frame member and to said stationary frame part and which have mounted on one end thereof a roller (3d) arranged to run on a vertical surface (2b) of the stationary frame part (2) upon pivotal movement of the pivotable frame member (3).

2. An arrangement according to Claim 1, characterized by stop means (8) arranged in connection with the stationary frame part (2) and/or the vertical surface (2b) and operative in restricting movement of the pivotable frame member (3) when said member is swung to its horizontal position.

3. An arrangement according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, characterized by a preferably hinged latch hook (9) for securing the pivotable frame member (3) in its vertical position.

4. An arrangement according to any one of Claims 1-3, characterized in that the support arms (4) are provided with additional hinge points (6') enabling the hinged location of the pivotable frame member (3) to be varied.

5. An arrangement according to any one of Claims 1-4, in which the pivotable frame member is provided with support legs at the outer end thereof, characterized in that the support legs are detachable.

6. An arrangement according to any one of Claims 1-5, characterized in that the pivotable frame member is provided preferably with L-shaped recesses (3e) which permit different shaped holders to be removably attached, for example pin-like holders or hook-like holders (11 a and 11 a' respectively).