GB2099290A - Storage apparatus for cassettes and other articles - Google Patents

Abstract

Apparatus suitable for the storage, in side-by-side relationship of cassettes bearing sound and/or video recordings, comprises a box-like housing (1), which may form part of an article of furniture, having an open front face through which the cassette cases (6) are inserted into the housing with their front faces (6a), displaying their respective titles exposed. The rear faces (6b) of adjacent pairs of the cassette cases (6) engage abutments (11, 12) at opposite ends of pivotted rockers (8) which, when in their intermediate positions, locate the front faces (6a) of the cassette boxes in a substantially coplanar surface. By pressing a cassette case inwardly the rocker (8) and abutments (11, 12) cause the other cassette box of a pair to move forwardly to facilitate it being gripped for removal. Guides (13) are provided between adjacent cassette boxes (6). (Figure 1). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Storage apparatus for cassettes and other articles This invention relates to apparatus for the storage in side-by-side relationship of a plurality of similarly dimensioned articles of generally rectangular boxlike shape, or at least of generally rectangular crosssection, and incorporating means for facilitating removal by hand of an individual article from the row of stored articles.

The invention is particularly, but not exclusively, suitable for the storage of cassettes bearing sound and/or video recordings. Where a plurality of such cassettes (in their normal cases) are stored side-byside on a shelf, with the titled front faces of the cases exposed like a row of books, it is difficult selectively to remove one individual cassette unless there is room on the shelf for the cassettes to be moved apart or manual access to the upper edges of the cassette cases is not impeded by an overlying shelf, both of which involve inefficient use of storage space as well as possibly untidy storage.

This invention overcomes these problems and enables the edges of the front face of the article (e.g.

cassette case) selected to be easily gripped between the thumb and fingers and without being impeded by the stored articles on either side of the selected one. To this end, the apparatus according to the invention comprises a box-like housing in which the articles are stored in side-by-side relationship with theirfrontfaces substantially forming a substantially coplanar surface, and including operating means for advancing a selected article forwardly of said surface by depressing one or both of the articles next adjacent thereto below said surface.

The invention also consists in apparatus for storing a plurality of similarly dimensioned articles of generally rectangular box-like shape, comprising a box-like housing having an open face through which the articles can be inserted into or removed from the housing, being stored side-by-side in the housing in a row with their front faces bearing titles or other identifiying indications being visible through said open face of the housing and being located in substantially coplanar relationship by respective abutments carried from the housing, successive pairs of adjacent abutments being interconnected by a rocker or equivalent mechanism such that movement of one abutment by pressing the said front face of the associated article behind said coplanar surface causes the abutment of at least one of the adjacent articles to advance the front face of the said article in front of said coplanar surface.

It will be appreciated that by means of the present invention, the action of simply advancing one's hand to grip the selected article between the thumb and forefinger, the articles to opposite sides of the selected article will be depressed and the selected article advanced to provide easy gripping and removal.

If desired guides may be provided between adjacent articles to ensure that the articles are correctly located in the housing with respect to the abutments.

In orderthatthe invention may be more readily understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view, partly cut away, of one embodiment of a cassette storage apparatus according to the invention, Figure 2 is a plan view of a portion of the apparatus of Figure 1 with the top wall omitted, and Figure 3 is a section taken on line A-A of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawing, the cassette storage apparatus comprises a housing 1 of rectangular box-like form having a bottom wall 2, side walls 3, a top wall 4, and a back wall 5, the front face of the housing being open. The housing is dimensioned to receive, compactly, a plurality of cassettes, in the usual cases 6, in side-by-side array. At the rear of the housing 1 the bottom wall 2 contains a recess 7 which extends parallel to the back wall 5 and in which are mounted rockers 8 which pivot about vertical pivot pins 9 mounted in bearings 10. Each rocker 8 has on opposite sides of the pivot pin 9 upstanding abutments 11 or 12 which project out of the recess. Each abutment engages the lower end of the rear face 6b of a respective one of the cassette cases 6.In order to ensure that the cassette cases 6 are correctly located in the housing 1 with respect to their associated abutments 11 or 12, guides 13 are provided between adjacent cassette cases. The guides 13 extend perpendicularly with respect to the back wall 5 and project downwardly from the top wall 4 and/or upwardly from the bottom wall 2.

In their normally stored positions the cassette cases 6 will be located by respective abutments such that the front faces 6a of the cassette cases, through which the titles of the cassettes are displayed, form a substantially coplanar surface. In order to advance a selected cassette case 6 having a cassette case immediately adjacent each of its opposite sides both of the adjacent cassette cases are depressed inwardly to ensure that the rocker 8 associated with the abutment 11 or 12 engaging the selected cassette case is pivoted about the pivot pin 9 thereby to cause the abutment to advance the front face of the selected cassette case so that the case can readily be removed by hand from the housing.

However, where the selected cassette case 6 is one of the two adjacent cassette cases at the end of the row at either end of the housing 1, only the other one of the two adjacent cassette cases need be depressed to ensure that the selected one is advanced.

In order to limit the extent to which the cassette cases 6 are advanced, the rockers 8 are provided with surfaces 14 which are bevelled at 45"for abutting the shoulder 15 of the recess 7. As the cassette cases 6 are pushed inwardly of the housing 1 against the abutments 11, 12 they override the rockers 8 in the recess and thus prevent possible dislodgement of the rockers from their bearings.

Whilst the housing 1 has been described above The drawing(s) originally filed was/were informal and the print here reproduced is taken from a later filed formal copy. with wall 2 as the bottom wall, the housing is cap able of functioning when it is oriented into other pos itions.

A plurality of the housings 1 may be stacked side by-side and/or on top of each other to provide a unit.

It will be appreciated that the box-like housing 1 may be incorporated in an article of furniture such as a cabinet containing, for example, a cassette player or a music centre.

The housing 1 may, for example, be made of wood or plastics material whilst the rockers and associated abutments may be made of metal, plastics or other suitable materials. The bearings 10 and guides 13 may be made of plastics material.

In order to prevent unauthorised access to the cassette cases or their unintentional separation from the housing 1 when, for example, the housing is being carried or moved, the latter may be provided with means, such as a removal cover or strap, which retains the cassette cases within the housing.

Whilst a particular embodiment of the invention has been described with reference to the drawing, it will be appreciated that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

For example, operating members other than rockers may be employed, such as a Bowden cable or pneumatic or hydraulic transmission system, where one article pushes one end of the system which is arranged such that the other end acts on an adjacent article to push or advance the latter to a more accessible position.

Claims (7)

1. Apparatus for the storage in side-by-side relationship of a plurality of similarly dimensioned articles of generally rectangular cross-section, comprising a box-like housing, open at one face, in which the articles are stored in side-by-side relationship with their corresponding faces exposed at said open side and defining a substantially coplanar surface, and including operating means for advancing a selected article forwardly of said surface by depressing one or both of the articles next adjacent thereto below said surface.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said operating means comprises a plurality of rockers each pivoted between respective adjacent pairs of articles and having abutments located to engage the faces of the respective articles of a pair opposite to their said exposed faces, the abutments locating the exposed faces of the pair of adjacent articles substantially coplanar when the rocker is in its intermediate, depressing the exposed face of one of said pair of articles causing its associated abutment to turn the rocker and cause the other abutment to advance the exposed face of the other article of the pair.

3. Apparatus for storing a plurality of similarly dimensioned articles of generally rectangular boxlike shape, comprising a box-like housing having an open face through which the articles can be inserted into or removed from the housing being stored side-by-side in the housing in a row with their front faces which display titles or other identifying indications being visible through said open face of the housing and being located in substantially coplanar relationship by respective abutments carried from the housing, successive pairs of adjacent abutments being interconnected by a rocker or equivalent mechanism such that movement of one abutment by pressing the said front face of the associated article behind said coplanar surface causes the abutment associated with at least one of the adjacent articles to advance with front face of the said article in front of said coplanar surface.

4. Apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the rockers turn on pivots turnable in bearings in a recess at the back of the housing, the articles overlying at least parts of the rockers when inserted in the housing to retain the pivots in their bearings.

5. Apparatus according to any preceding claims, wherein guides are located between adjacent articles to ensure correct location of the articles when inserted in the housing.

6. Apparatus for the storage in side-by-side relationship of a plurality of similarly dimensioned articles of generally rectangular box-like shape, and incorporating means for facilitating removal by hand of an individual article of the row of stored articles, substantially as described.

7. Apparatus for the storage of cassettes bearing sound and/or video recordings, substantially as described with reference to the drawing.