FR2651653A1 - STORAGE CABINET FOR MANY SMALL OBJECTS. - Google Patents

Abstract

The cabinet comprises superimposed trays 1A, 1B, 1C... which rotate about a vertical axis 2. The trays have a sector-shaped cut-out. In the rest state, the cut-outs are superimposed in front of the access zone and thus form an open column. In order to gain access to a useful zone of a tray, it is made to rotate in order to make the sought zone appear in the open column. It is possible to take objects from that zone or to place objects in that zone. The pulling out of a drawer is avoided which is an obstacle in the drawn-out position.

Description

The present invention relates to cupboards, furniture and

storage cabinets

  or classification for small, numerous and different objects.

  The invention applies for example to drugs in a pharmacy, where there are in stock a large number of different drugs, each generally having a small volume and being present in a few copies, or to mechanical parts in a workshop, archive files, laser discs, video cassettes, etc. and, in general, any classification of objects using drawers or

of shelves.

  The invention relates to cabinets of the kind in question which have superimposed trays which can be moved individually to reveal the

  clear surface of a tray, to take or deposit objects there.

  The most common devices of this kind are drawers that have been used for a very long time. The disadvantage of this furniture in premises where space is dearly measured imposes in addition to the surface of a piece of furniture a surface equivalent to that of the piece of furniture to allow the deployment of drawers. When a deep drawer is opened, the user must stand beside it and prevent the simultaneous use of an adjacent piece of furniture. If the drawers are deep, the corridor serving the furniture must obviously be as wide. Automatic operation, opening and closing,

  drawers present difficulties.

  The object of the invention is to provide a space-saving storage unit, easy to access, simple to operate, and making it possible to limit the width of the corridor.

  service to what is only necessary for the passage of users.

  Consequently, the subject of the present invention is a storage cabinet for objects of small dimensions, numerous and different, comprising a number of mobile trays which are superposed independent of each other, characterized in that the trays are mounted to rotate around a single vertical axis, have a circular periphery around said axis, and that each plate has a notch

following a circular sector.

  At rest, that is to say in the neutral position, the notches of the plates are superimposed and form an unobstructed vertical column which is placed in front of the access area. To access a useful area of a tray, it is rotated to reveal the desired area in the cleared column. We can then take it or there

drop objects.

  Advantageously, the plates are conical, with the higher center, and preferably, they are formed of concentric crowns rising in steps towards the

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  center. This allows better observation, especially horizontal. In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the plates consist of several baskets in the form of circular sectors, advantageously three quadrants, in general, n- 1 or n-2 baskets in the form of sector 1 / n of circle ( for example 10 baskets of 1/12 of a circle). The composition of 3 baskets in a quarter circle is simple and advantageous. The trays can be of molded material and have a height h less than that of storage, while partitions or removable edges can have a

upper height.

  Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the

  following description, given by way of nonlimiting example, with reference to the drawings

  attached, and which will make it clear how the invention can be implemented.

  In the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 are simplified perspective views of an example of a device according to the invention, making it possible to explain the principle of organization of the device; Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1, of another embodiment of the invention, with an improvement; Figure 4 is a partial sectional view of another embodiment of the invention; Figure 5 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an automatic mode of operation of the device; Figure 6 is a plan view of a tray separated into three identical baskets; Figure 7 is a sectional view of a basket according to league VII in Figure 6; Figure 8 is a detailed partial plan view of the basket of Figure 7; and Figure 9 is a perspective view showing an example of a partition

  usable to complete the plates of the device of the present invention.

  Figures 1 and 2 schematically illustrate the general principle which is at the origin of the present invention. The device comprises in this example three superimposed plates 1A, 1B, 1C, mounted to rotate about a vertical axis 2. Each plate has the shape of a disc centered on the axis 2, and which lacks a circular sector to form a notch. In order to save space, and to put the products stored on the shelved trays, the trays are arranged as close vertically as possible to each other. Under these conditions, it is only possible to have access to a part of a plate other than the upper plate, when this

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  part of the tray is located below at least the notch of the immediately upper tray. An access zone is normally provided, on the front in the case of FIG. 1, and the plates are normally arranged, at rest, with all the notches superimposed in front of the access zone, overall position called neutral. In the example shown, the notches are 90, a quarter of a circle. It is not very useful if it is larger. A narrower notch saves

  storage space at the expense of speed of access.

  To access a useful area 3lB of the lB tray for example, where objects are classified, it is enough, from the neutral position, to rotate this tray to bring the useful area 3lB sought in the free part left free by the notches from the other upper shelves (figure 2). To prevent the trays from occupying any position and so that the notches are correctly placed one above the other, indexing can be provided, for example by means of elastic members such as two flexible blades 3 (FIG. 3) cooperating with or

  falling into, of the housing 4 provided on each tray.

  In the schematic examples above, the plates are substantially planar.

  The visibility of the objects placed on the trays can be improved if the trays have a conical surface whose center is higher than the periphery. This facilitates horizontal observation and is particularly advantageous for the trays located

a certain height.

  Figure 4 shows in half-section two superimposed plates 5A, SB. These trays are formed of 5 ', 5 ", 5'" crowns arranged in steps, equivalent to a conical shape, but due to the flat bottom of the boxes formed on the trays, this arrangement is more convenient for the placement of objects and the reading of the indications (see below). Of course, a simple conical shape also fits into

the scope of the present invention.

  Each plate is compartmentalized by circular members receiving axial dividers. The frames carry card holders allowing the location of the

products contained in the tray.

  The system can be improved by making it automatic. To do this, there will be available for all of the plates two vertical roller shafts 6A, 6B (see FIG. 5) driven by motors Mi, M2. The motors are controlled by contacts 7A, 7B, organized as follows. Each shaft 6 pivots in a yoke comprising a vertical upright 9 and two arms 8 fixed on the vertical upright 9. The vertical upright 9 pivots in the frame 26 of the assembly. Springs 27

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  can be provided to apply the screed, with a scarce towards the center of the plates.

  An arm 8 of each yoke is provided with an extension 8A, forming a contact lever which struggles between the two contacts 7A, 7B. In the engine stop position, the shafts are placed in the housing of the plates, and the extensions 8A do not touch any of the contacts. Two trees are necessary due to the notches in the trays. As soon as you want to access a useful area of a tray, you manually rotate the chosen tray in the desired direction, which has the effect of releasing an indexing shaft 6A (or both) out of its housing and to bring it into contact with the circumference of the chosen plate and to keep it there thanks to the springs 27. Simultaneously, the end 8B of the lever 8A comes to lift a microswitch 7, and keeps it in the high position as long as there is not 6 fell back into another home. The two microswitches are organized to each control a direction of rotation of the motor corresponding to the direction primed manually. The indexing shaft set in rotation then provides a roller function and frictionally drives the periphery of the chosen plate. The other plates being in an indexed position, their peripheries are not in contact with any of the two roller shafts, and they are not rotated and remain stationary. As soon as rarbre has fallen back into the next housing, lever 8 releases the microswitch which falls back, which causes the stop of rarbre (or both if necessary) and reindexing of the plate with the next quarter which is now

  accessible. If you want another district, the user gives a boost.

  It will be noted that, depending on the useful zone sought, the plate can be rotated in one direction or another. The motors, with two directions of rotation, start

  automatically turn in the direction initiated by manual push.

  The construction of each plate can be simplified by producing the indexing housings by interruptions of a discontinuous friction strip (for example

  rubber) glued to the periphery of each tray.

  The system can be supplemented by a manual blocking in neutral position, preventing any access to the plates and thus serving as global lock. Another manual locking can on the contrary keep the rollers in non-indexed positions, which has the effect of making all the trays free (in the event of a power failure for example)

  allowing manual use of the device.

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Advantages of the system:

  1 / No overflow in rally.

  2 / Given the depth of conventional drawers, the operator is forced to stand on the side of the drawer to be able to use it and therefore condemns the use of adjoining cupboard while it is being used. In the system of the invention, operator

  use from the front and do not condemn the use of an adjoining cupboard.

  3 / Automaticity of the system: The operator no longer has to pull or push back a drawer, a slight manual push on the chosen tray and it comes automatically

present a useful part.

  4 / Simplicity of construction, operation and maintenance as a device

  has only one central axis instead of two telescopic slides per drawer.

   / Space saving: A traditional drawer requires a development surface equal to its useful surface; the useful occupancy is therefore 50% while the inventive device does not overflow the floor on the furniture of which 75% is usefully occupied. 6 / Removal of the external covering which is provided directly by the plates. The following figures show, by way of example, various embodiments

of the invention.

  Figure 6 is a schematic representation of a tray. It consists of three identical baskets 10A, 10B, 10C, each constituting a useful area and each being hung on a central axis, for example on a sleeve 12 rotatably mounted on the vertical axis. This solution first allows easier manufacturing, the mold being cheaper, but above all, when a basket is presented in front of the active area, it can be unhooked from the central axis to transport it to another place where it will be, for example , filled. This avoids immobilizing any cupboard when we want to restock the floors. Note that each basket has chamfers 11 on its edges

  external, these chamfers serving as indexing housing for rare engine.

  If we examine Figures 7 and 8, we see that each basket consists of corridors 13 in which will be housed the drugs or products to be stored. The

  basket has a height "h" which may be less than the height of the products to be stored.

  Means may be provided for fixing partitions of height H greater to the plates. For example, in the rims of the basket and the annular partitions 21,

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  an annular groove is provided 14. Finally, each corridor is equipped with stops or vertical grooves 15 making it possible to slide removable partitions 16 or radial partitions to isolate different types of products to be stored. The hanging system on the central axis is shown here. In Figure 8, there is shown by way of example a system of circular housings 15 open to accommodate the removable partitions 16. This system makes it possible to prevent the removable separation from having a movement of

displacement along a radius.

  In the annular grooves 14, partitions 17 can be inserted which serve as partitions between compartments, of a height equal to the total useful height of each tray, while the tray itself has a lower height h. Partitions 17 are

  advantageously transparent and can be used as label holders.

  An example of a partition is shown in perspective in FIG. 9. It consists of a honeycomb structure composed of a central wall 18 on

  which are fixed, for example by welding, two embossed walls 19, 20.

  The whole can obviously be produced in one go by extrusion. This system made up of three transparent walls makes it possible to constitute two rows of cells in which the labels for locating the products will be slipped. It is common for a product to be accompanied by two labels, one designation, the other in stock. This honeycomb structure is flexible enough to be curved. Her

  length "L" and height "'" can be modified by cutting.

  In Figure 7, the honeycomb is placed in an annular groove in the basket. The honeycomb therefore has two roles: to serve as a label holder and to define the storage height of the products. It actually serves as ledges to the corridors. We have seen that the corridor could be separated by removable radiant partitions, but it is common to want to split the corridor into small annular zones. To do this, a retaining clips can be fixed on a removable partition and ron can slide into this clips a piece of honeycomb which again will serve as label holders and ledge. We have

  so here constituted two storage areas in the corridor.

  To this end, the removable partitions may include perforations 22 (FIG. 7) of any suitable shape, for passing screws or other fixings therein. The clips

  can be simply slid and held by clamping on the partition.

  We can simply organize subdivision systems of corridors and boxes, by providing dovetails, holes and lugs in the trays and

partitions or sub-partitions.

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Claims (15)

Claims:   1.- Storage cabinet device for small, numerous and different objects, comprising a number of mobile trays superimposed independent of each other, characterized in that the trays (1) are rotatably mounted around a single vertical axis (2), have a circular periphery around said axis, and each plate has a notch in a circular sector. 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the plates (1) have   a conical surface, the center of which is higher than the periphery.   3.- Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the surface of the plates is formed of crowns arranged in circular steps whose levels   are higher as you get closer to the center.   4.- Device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that each   tray consists of several identical baskets (10), in the form of circular sectors, hooked in the center on a sleeve (12) rotatably mounted on the vertical axis (2).   5.- Device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that   indexing housings (4) are provided on the periphery of the plates to cooperate with elastic members (3, 6), in order to index the plates in different predetermined positions.   6.- Device according to claim 5, attached to claim 4, characterized in that the outer corners of the baskets (10) are formed with chamfers (11), so that two adjacent chamfers of two adjacent baskets form together an indexing housing.   7.- Device according to one of claims 5 or 6, characterized in that the   elastic members consist of two roller shafts (6) driven by motors   (Ml, M2), applied elastically against the peripheries of the plates.   8.- Device according to claim 7, characterized in that the shafts (6) are each journalled in a yoke (8,9) comprising a vertical upright (9) and two arms (8), pivotally mounted on the frame ( 26) together, one of the arms (8) being provided with an extension (8A) whose end (8B) moves between two contacts (7A, 7B) for controlling the motors, the yoke being elastically biased towards the center of the device ..   9.- Devices according to any of the preceding claims, characterized   in that the plates have annular partitions. 8 2651653   10.- Device according to any one of the preceding claims,   characterized in that each plate has a height (h) less than the height of   storage and includes means for fixing partitions of greater height (H).   11.- Device according to claim 9 or claim 10, characterized in that an annular groove (14) is formed in the rims of the basket and the annular partitions, to receive partition elements (17), of height greater than that (h) of the stage.   12.- Device according to claim 11, characterized in that the partition (17) is composed of a central wall (18) on which are fixed two embossed walls (19, 20).   13.- Device according to one of claims 11 or 12, characterized in that the partition is transparent.   14.- Device according to any one of the preceding claims,   characterized in that the periphery of the plates and the annular partitions are provided   ribs or grooves (15) for fixing radial partitions (16).   15.- Device according to any one of the preceding claims,   characterized in that partitions are provided with fixing means such as holes   (22) or lugs, or dovetails.