GB2045079A

GB2045079A - Storage rack

Info

Publication number: GB2045079A
Application number: GB7910617A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Rusby C E
Current assignee: Rusby C E
Priority date: 1979-03-27
Filing date: 1979-03-27
Publication date: 1980-10-29
Also published as: EP0017417A1; DE3063735D1; EP0017417B1; ATE3747T1; GB2045079B

Abstract

A storage rack has a plurality of compartments each having a mouth through which articles such as wine bottles (14) can be inserted for storage in the rack. The rack has closure means e.g. a grid (15,16) movable from an open position to a closed position. In the closed position the closure means reduces the size of the mouth of the compartments in order to prevent articles from being withdrawn from the compartments.

Description

1 GB 2 045 079 A 1

SPECIFICATION

Storage racks M_ The invention relates to storage racks and particularly to racks for storing articles which it is desired to inspect visually, from time to time, for example wine bottles when stored in a restaurant, or cans of oil when stored on a garage forecourt.

Racks are known for storing articles such as wine bottles, other bottles, cans of oil, and the like. The racks have a plurality of compartments to receive the articles. However it is difficult to provide a convenient device for storing such articles which can be locked to prevent or reduce the risk of theft. Wine bottles or cans of oil can of course be locked in a cupboard or cabinet, or a rack could be provided with an outer door or a shutter which can be locked, but this means that the articles cannot remain on display and cannot be visually inspected without unlocking and opening the door or shutter. This may be particularly inconvenient in a restaurant where it may be desired to display a large range of wine bottles as part of the decor. A further inconvenience that might arise with wine botles in a restaurant, or cans of oil on a garage forecourt, is that it may be desired to check frequently what bottles or cans are still remaining in stock without the inconvenience of having to unlock and then open a door or shutter.

In addition there may be a space problem in locating a door or shutter. If the door or shutter is to hinge or slide open, space must be allowed for to accommodate the door or shutter in the open position and this may be inconvenient in a crowded restaurant or small garage forecourt.

A flexible shutter could be provided, e.g. a shutter which is accommodated in a rolled up manner when the shutter is opened, but such an arrangement is expensive, and visual inspection is not possible without opening the shutter.

According to the invention a storage rack is provided comprising a plurality of compartments each having a mouth through which articles such as bottles can be inserted for storage in the rack, the rack having closure means movable from an open position to a closed position in which the closure means reduces the size of the mouth of the compartments in order to prevent the articles from being withdrawn therefrom.

The invention enables a very simple construction to be used since the means movable to reduce the size of the mouth of the compartments can be much smaller than a door or shutter, and can require much less movement between its open and closed posi- tions.

For example there may be a bar or rod which moves cross the mouth of each compartment to reduce the size of the mouth. The bar or rod prevents articles from being withdrawn but does not prevent visual inspection of the articles.

Where the rack has compartments arranged to receive articles in a plurality of parallel rows, there may be a plurality of bars or rods connected together for movement as a unit.

For example the rack may have horizontal rows of 130 compartments, the rows being arranged vertically one above the other and there may be a plurality of horizontally extending bars or rods interconnected by vertically extending members to form a grid, the apertures in the grid corresponding substantially in shape and position to the mouths of the compartments. To insert articles into the rack the grid is positioned with the apertures in the grid in registration with the mouths of the compartments. To secure the articles in the rack the grid requires only slight movement to cause the apertures in the grid to move out of registration with the compartments.

The grids may be mounted for sliding movement over the mouths of the compartments.

Preferably there is a lock, (e.g. key operated) for use in locking the closure means in the closed position.

By way of example, one embodiment of storage rack according to the invention will now be de- scribed, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 is a front view of a wine rack according to the embodiment of the invention; Figure2 is a side view of the rack of Figure 1, in cross-section, showing the closure means in the closed position; Figure 3 is a view of part of the rack shown in Figure 2, showing the closure means in the open position; and Figure 4 is a view of part of the rackfrom the front, to a larger scale, showing the closure means in the closed position.

The rack shown in the Figures comprises a square open fronted cupboard 10. Secured to the open front of the cupboard is an array of fixed vertical metal rods 11 and fixed horizontal metal rods 12, the rods 11 and 12 serving to divide the front of the cupboard into seven parallel rows each row containing eight square openings. At the rear of the cupboard there are horizontal support members 13, and the rack can thus be regarded as having fifty six compartments to respectively receive fifty six wine bottles, each of the square openings defined by the rods 11 and 12 comprising the mouth of one compartment. The bottles 14 will be supported in an inclined manner as shown in Figures 2 and 3, each bottle resting on one of the rods 12 and one of the supports 13.

As thus far described, the wine rack is similar to conventional wine racks, but the rack has a novel addition in the form of a further array of horizontal rods 15 and vertical rods 16. The rods 15 and 16 are secured together to form a grid, the grid defining fifty six squares which are arranged in the same manner and with the same dimensions as the mouths of the compartments for the wine bottles.

The grid is arranged for vertical sliding movement in two channel section members 17 and 18 secured to the inner sides of the cupboard 10 at the open face of the cupboard 10. The grid is trapped between the bottom 18 of the cupboard and the top 19 of the cupboard but the grid is not quite as high as the cupboard and can therefore perform limited vertical sliding movement across the mouths of the compartments. In the centre of the bottom edge of the grid there is a tongue 20 which, when the grid is in its 2 GB 2 045 079 A 2 lowermost position, engages with a hasp 21 secured to the bottom 18 of the cupboard and the padlock can be passed through the hasp to secure the grid in its lowermost position.

When it is desired to place wine bottles in the rack, or remove them therefrom, the hasp is unpadlocked and the grid is raised. In this position the holes in the grid are in exact registration with the mouths of the compartments and they do not obstruct the insertion of wine bottles or the removal of wine bottles. In this position the rods 15 overlie the rods 12 as viewed in Figure 1 and the rods 16 overlie the rods 11 as viewed in Figure 1.

When it is desired to lock the wine bottles in the rack, the grid is merely lowered again and the hasp is re-padlocked to prevent the grid being raised again except by a person having a key to the padlock. The raised position of the grid is illustrated in Figure The lowered position of the grid is illustrated in Figures 2 and 4. Itwill be seen thatthe holes in the grid move out of registration with the mouths of the compartments. This has the effect that the rods 15 partially obstruct the mouths of the compartments, as best shown in Figure 4. This position of the rods 15 when the grid is in the lowered position is also illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 1.

When the grid is locked in the closed position, the necks of the bottles can still protrude through the mouths of the compartments, as illustrated in Fi- gures 2 and 3, since the mouths of the compartments are merely obstructed, rather than fully closed. For the same reason, the bottles remain on display, so they can still provide an attractive feature of the decor of a restaurant, and the number and type of bottles remaining unsold can still be checked, without the need to open any door or shutter. At the same time all the bottles can be securely locked in the cupboard by means of the padlock, thereby reducing the risk of theft or pilfering.

It will be appreciated that the rack can be used to store articles other than bottles, and the rack is particularly useful where it is desired to be able to inspect visually the contents of the rack without having to unlock and open any door or shutter.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment. For instance the rods 16 play no part in obstructing the mouths of the compartents, and some or all of these rods may be omitted, provided that the rods 15 are connected together in a sufficiently rigid mannerto prevent bottles or other articles from being removed when the rods 15 are in their lower position.

Claims

1. A storage rack comprising a plurality of cornpartments each having a mouth through which articles can be inserted for storate in said rack, said rack having closure means movable from an open position to a closed position in which said closure means reduces the size of said mouth of said compartments in order to prevent articles from being withdrawn from said compartments.

2. A storage rack according to Claim 1, in which a 65 lock is provided for locking said closure means in said closed position.

3. A storage rack according to Claim 2, in which said lock comprises a key-operated lock.

4. A storage rack according to anyone of the preceding claims, in which said closure means is slidable between said open and said closed positions.

5. A storage rack according to anyone of the preceding claims, in which said closure means comprises a bar and means mounting said bar for movement across the mouths of said compartments.

6. A storage rack according to Claim 5, in which said storage rack comprises a plurality of parallel rows of compartments and said closure means comprises a corresponding plurality of bars connected togetherfor movement as a unit.

7. A storage rack according to Claim 6, in which said plurality of bars are disposed horizontally and a plurality of vertically extending members intercon- nects said plurality of horizontally disposed bars to form a grid having a plurality of apertures.

8. A storage rack according to Claim 7, in which each aperture of said grid corresponds in shape and position to a respective one of said mouths of said compartments.

9. A storage rack according to Claim 1, in which said mouths of said compartments are each defined by an aperture in a meshed framework.

10. A storage rack constructed and arranged substantially as herein described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Printed for Her Majesty's Stationery Office by Croydon Printing Company Limited, Croydon Surrey, 1980. Published by the Patent Office, 25 Southampton Buildings, London, WC2A lAY, from which copies may be obtained.

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