GB1584157A

GB1584157A - Storage racks

Info

Publication number: GB1584157A
Application number: GB4136876A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1976-10-05
Filing date: 1976-10-05
Publication date: 1981-02-04
Also published as: DE7730783U1

Description

(54) STORAGE RACKS (71) I, DENNIS ERNEST FLYNN, a British Subject, of Shavington, Groby Place, Altrincham, Cheshire, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to storage racks, and particularly, but not exclusively to racks for storing individually boxed articles such as music and other cassettes and cartridges.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a storage rack comprising a pair of superposed parallel elongate shelves, mutually spaced transverse their lengths by spacers detachably secured to and extending between and substantially perpendicular to said shelves adjacent the respective ends of the rack, said shelves having mutually facing surfaces which said spacers engage and which are provided with respective rows of parallel webs extending laterally, and spaced correspondingly and uniformly longitudinally of the shelves to permit a series of similar articles, each extending between the shelves, to be supported on said rack with each said article having two opposed portions accommodated between respective corresponding pairs of adjacent webs of said respective rows, to provide restraint for that article longitudinally of the rack.

Preferably the spacers comprise respective pairs of rods, or pillars, each having an axially projecting male screw threaded portion at one end, and a female threaded bore at the other end, terminal nuts with threads complimentary to said screw threaded portions and bores affixing the shelves to the pillars through holes provided in said shelves.

Preferably, each shelf is provided with a flange at one longitudinal edge thereof, said flange adjoining one end of each of said webs of said shelf.

The rack is preferably dismantleable to allow compact packaging and according to a further aspect of the invention, therefore, there is provided a kit for assembly to form a rack, the kit comprising a pair of elongate shelves, spacers adapted to be detachably secured to said shelf members, means being provided for detachably securing said spacers to the shelves adjacent respective ends thereof with said spacers extending between and substantially perpendicular to said shelves, and mutually spacing said shelves in superposed, parallel relationship, said shelves each having at least one surface thereof provided with a row of laterally extending parallel webs, said webs extending laterally, and spaced correspondingly and uniformly longitudinally of the shelves to permit a series of similar articles, each extending between the shelves, to be supported on the rack, when assembled, with each said article having two opposed portions accommodated between respective corresponding pairs of adjacent webs of said respective rows, to provide restraint for that article longitudinally of the rack.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a storage rack according to the invention; and Figure 2 is an exploded view illustrating the manner in which the rack of Figure 1 may be assembled.

The rack 1 illustrated is designed for the purpose of holding music and other cassettes contained in their individual storage boxes.

The rack is in the form of a miniature bookcase consisting of a plurality of, in this case three, shelves 2 which are mutually spaced, secured to and supported by spacer means constituted by respective pairs of pillars, or rods 3, each pair extending between the corresponding ends of a respective pair of the shelves 2, and engaging the mutually facing surfaces of that pair of shelves.

The rack is designed to accommodate, between each respective pair of shelves a predetermined number of cassette boxes, and to this end the shelves are provided with sets of uniformly, longitudinally spaced separator webs 5 which extend laterally from the front to the rear of the shelves and which project from the mutually facing surfaces of shelves.

These sets of webs 5 are provided on both sides of the shelf to provide separate accom modation for each individual cassette box.

Figure 1 illustrates one such box 4 accommodated between the middle and upper shelves and restrained laterally by two pairs of webs 5' and 5".

The shelves each have a rear flange 6, the end view of each shelf resembling a longstemmed T, to provide rigidity to the shelves, which are preferably moulded in plastics material, and to provide a rear stop for the cassette boxes. The flanges 6 have holes 7 drilled in them to provide for wall-hanging of the rack if desired.

The shelves 2 are each provided with pairs of drilled holes 8 at the opposite ends thereof to provide for the necessary fixing of the pillars in a manner as illustrated in Figure 2. The pillars, of generally circular section in this embodiment, each having an axially projecting male screw threaded portion 9 at one end and a female threaded bore 10 at the other end.

Terminal nuts 11, 12 formed with respectively female and male screws threadedly affix to the ends of the pillars to secure them to the shelves. As illustrated, the male threaded portions of the terminal nuts 12 and pillars project through the holes 8 in the assembled rack. The terminal nuts 12 on the bottom of the rack will act as feet if the rack is used free-standing. It will be appreciated that the central shelf 2 of the rack of Figure 1 is secured between the upper and lower parts of pillars 3, the male portions 9 of the lower pillars engaging the female bores 10 of the upper pillars.

By virtue of the above construction the rack may be supplied in kit form, contained in a relatively compact flat pack, for subsequent assembly. Although the kit from which the rack of Figure 1 is assembled would include three shelves, the most basic complete rack kit could comprise two shelves, two pairs of pillars, and two pairs each of female and male threaded nuts.

The rack may be supplied with a pre determined number of sequentially numbered edge labels 13 of appealing design for in sertion in the spines of the cassette boxes to provide an attractive and unified appearance to the loaded rack.

Also supplied with the rack would be a con tents booklet to be used for listing and des cribing the contents of the cassettes.

An extension kit to add a shelf to the basic rack would include a shelf and two pairs of pillars.

WHAT I CLAIM IS:- 1. A storage rack comprising a pair of superposed parallel elongate shelves, mutually spaced transverse their lengths by spacers detachably secured to and extending between and substantially perpendicular to said shelves adjacent the respective ends of the rack opposite ends thereof, said shelves having mutually facing surfaces which said spacers engage and which are provided with respective rows of parallel webs extending laterally, and spaced correspondingly and uniformly longi tudinally of the shelves to permit a series of similar articles, each extending between the shelves, to be supported on said rack with each said article having two opposed portions accommodated between respective correspond ing pairs of adjacent webs of said respective rows, to provide restraint for that article longi tudinaly of the rack.

2. A storage rack according to claim 1 wherein said spacers comprise two pairs of spacer rods each pair being disposed adjacent a respective end of the rack.

3. A storage rack according to claim 2 wherein each rod has an axially projecting male screw-threaded portion at one end, and a female screw-threaded bore at the other end.

4. A storage rack according to claim 3 wherein terminal nuts are screw-threadedly engaged with said male screw threaded portions and female screw threaded bores with the male screw-threaded portions of the rods and those terminal nuts engaged with the said female screw-threaded bores projecting through holes formed adjacent the ends of the shelves to fix said rods to said shelves.

5. A storage rack according to any of claims 1 to 3 including more than two shelves, each being spaced from the neighbouring shelf or shelves by spacers as aforesaid.

6. A storage rack according to claim 3 and claim 5 wherein each end of the or each intermediate shelf is spaced from the two neighbouring shelves to opposite sides of that intermediate shelf by two respective pairs of said spacer rods.

7. A storage rack according to claim 6 wherein the male screw-threaded portions of one of said pairs of the spacer rods extend through holes in that intermediate shelf and screw-threadedly engage the female screwthreaded bores of the other pair.

8. A storage rack according to any preceding claim wherein said web elements are provided on both sides of each shelf.

9. A storage rack according to any preceding claim wherein each shelf is provided with a flange at one elongate lateral edge thereof, said flange adjoining one end of each of said webs of said shelf.

10. A kit for assembly to form a rack, the kit comprising a pair of elongate shelves, spacers adapted to be detachably secured to said shelf members, means being provided for detachably securing said spacers to the shelves adjacent respective ends thereof with said spacers extending between and substantially perpendicular to said shelves, and mutually spacing said shelves in superposed, parallel relationship, said shelves each having at least one surface thereof provided with a row of

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. modation for each individual cassette box. Figure 1 illustrates one such box 4 accommodated between the middle and upper shelves and restrained laterally by two pairs of webs 5' and 5". The shelves each have a rear flange 6, the end view of each shelf resembling a longstemmed T, to provide rigidity to the shelves, which are preferably moulded in plastics material, and to provide a rear stop for the cassette boxes. The flanges 6 have holes 7 drilled in them to provide for wall-hanging of the rack if desired. The shelves 2 are each provided with pairs of drilled holes 8 at the opposite ends thereof to provide for the necessary fixing of the pillars in a manner as illustrated in Figure 2. The pillars, of generally circular section in this embodiment, each having an axially projecting male screw threaded portion 9 at one end and a female threaded bore 10 at the other end. Terminal nuts 11, 12 formed with respectively female and male screws threadedly affix to the ends of the pillars to secure them to the shelves. As illustrated, the male threaded portions of the terminal nuts 12 and pillars project through the holes 8 in the assembled rack. The terminal nuts 12 on the bottom of the rack will act as feet if the rack is used free-standing. It will be appreciated that the central shelf 2 of the rack of Figure 1 is secured between the upper and lower parts of pillars 3, the male portions 9 of the lower pillars engaging the female bores 10 of the upper pillars. By virtue of the above construction the rack may be supplied in kit form, contained in a relatively compact flat pack, for subsequent assembly. Although the kit from which the rack of Figure 1 is assembled would include three shelves, the most basic complete rack kit could comprise two shelves, two pairs of pillars, and two pairs each of female and male threaded nuts. The rack may be supplied with a pre determined number of sequentially numbered edge labels 13 of appealing design for in sertion in the spines of the cassette boxes to provide an attractive and unified appearance to the loaded rack. Also supplied with the rack would be a con tents booklet to be used for listing and des cribing the contents of the cassettes. An extension kit to add a shelf to the basic rack would include a shelf and two pairs of pillars. WHAT I CLAIM IS:-

1. A storage rack comprising a pair of superposed parallel elongate shelves, mutually spaced transverse their lengths by spacers detachably secured to and extending between and substantially perpendicular to said shelves adjacent the respective ends of the rack opposite ends thereof, said shelves having mutually facing surfaces which said spacers engage and which are provided with respective rows of parallel webs extending laterally, and spaced correspondingly and uniformly longi tudinally of the shelves to permit a series of similar articles, each extending between the shelves, to be supported on said rack with each said article having two opposed portions accommodated between respective correspond ing pairs of adjacent webs of said respective rows, to provide restraint for that article longi tudinaly of the rack.

laterally extending parallel webs, said webs extending laterally, and spaced correspondingly and uniformly longitudinaly of the shelves to permit a series of similar articles, each extending between the shelves, to be supported on the rack, when assembled, with each said article having two opposed portions accommodated between respective corresponding pairs of adjacent webs of said respective rows, to provide restraint for that article longitudinally of the rack.

11. A storage rack substantially ás hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

12. A kit for assembly to form a storage rack substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.