GB2351483A

GB2351483A - Slotted carrier sheet

Info

Publication number: GB2351483A
Application number: GB9915030A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Terrence Newberry
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-06-28
Filing date: 1999-06-28
Publication date: 2001-01-03
Anticipated expiration: 2019-06-28
Also published as: GB2351483B; GB9915030D0

Abstract

A carrier sheet for use in a generally vertical position has staggered, horizontal slots 1L, 1R extending from its edges to receive upper portions of items such as bags SBL, SBR whose thickened top parts 7 prevent them from slipping though the slots. To inhibit deflection of the sheet portion above a slot relative to the sheet portion below that slot, eg owing to the weight of the bag suspended from that slot, a rib is associated with the slot, eg immediately above it. This slightly depresses the top part 7 so that it does not act in a horizontal direction through the slot. Top part 7 may be the resealable closure of the bag. A button-like part 12 may be attached (eg snap fitted in a hole) to the sheet just above the slot and towards the open end of the slot, and overlap the sheet portion just below the slot to further inhibit deflection. The sheet may be an A4 sized plastics board, 1.5 mm thick, with holes for hanging or for fitting in a ring binder.

Description

2351483 SAMPLE DISPLAY SYSTEM This invention relates to means forstoring,

displaying, transporting, and intermittently retrieving, small components such as nuts, bolts, paper clips, stamps, etc.

Whilst suitably sized drawers r epresent convenient means for storing and retrieving items such as small nuts and bolts, stamps, paper clips, screws, etc., they are not convenient when the drawers are to be carried around by the user, and their contents can become disarranged and spilled. Moreover, empty drawers take up the same space as full drawers.

It will be shown, in this specification, how facile means for storing, displaying, transporting, and intermittently retrieving, samples, are made available in the form of a storage board system, one name for which is "STOR-BOARDS".

The basic component of the system is the storage board, which, in one variant, consists of an A4 sized piece of resilient material, e.g. plastic, which has two sets of parallel horizontal slots formed at regular intervals from top to bottom. One set of slots is vertically staggered with respect to the other set, and each of the slots is terminated at a distance, from the appropriate right hand or left hand edge, which is less than half the total width of the A4 sheet, thereby ensuring that there is sufficient material between the terminated slots to provide a resilient structure. The slots provides means for sliding into place, plastic sample bags containing a variety of items where the re-sealable characteristic of these bags provides a protruding lip which prevents the bag from slipping out of the slot.

Other items which can be stored include:

Carpet samples and the like. Wallpaper samples and the like. Geological, archaeological, botanical, samples and the like. Photographs, postcards and archive materials, and the like.

2 In order to describe the invention in more detail, reference will now be made to the accompanying diagrams in which:

Figure 1 shows, in three-dimensional form, a basic storage board unit.

Figure 2 shows, in three-dimensional form, a storage board holding some plastic, selfseal bags.

Figure 3 shows, in three-dimensional form, a storage board holding plastic self-seal bags, whilst the board is, itself, held in a suitable ring binder.

Figure 4 shows, in three-dimensional form, various views of sections of a storage board, which demonstrate the limitations of one design and the advantages of an improved design.

With reference to Figure 1, which represents a three-dimensional view, a storage board, 1, consists of an A4 sized sheet of plastic about 1.5 mm thick having two sets of parallel slots, which are, themselves, parallel with the top and bottom edges of the sheet, formed at intervals along the sheet. The two sets of slots, IR, 2R, 3R, 4R, 5R, and 6R (right) and IL, 2L, 3L, 4L, 5L, and 6L (left) are such that the right hand set of slots has the open end of each slot formed at the right hand vertical edge of the A4 sheet, and the left hand set of slots has the open end of each slot formed at the left hand vertical edge of the A4 sheet. The left hand set of slots is vertically staggered with respect to the fight hand set, and each of the slots is terminated at a distance, from the appropriate right hand or left hand edge, which is less than half the total width of the A4 sheet, thereby ensuring that there is sufficient material between the terminated slots to provide a resilient structure.

Near to the outer extremity of each slot, the direction of the slot changes from horizontal, to upward sloping, e.g. refer to upward sloping slot, SI, at the right hand extremity of horizontal slot, 11; and each slot finally opens to create a wide-mouthed 3 entry region e.g., region, ERI, having smooth edges to assist entry of the sample bag to be stored.

Various holes formed in the board allow the board to be supported in a variety of ways; these are:

Comer holes, CHI, CH2, CH3, and CH4. Open slotted holes, OSI and OS2. Long slotted hole, LSI. Slotted holes, SHI and SH2. Ring binder slots, RBS1, RBS2, RBS3, and RBS4.

Other holes can be formed elsewhere in the board to allow convenient joining to other boards or objects.

With reference to Figure 2, which represents a three-dimensional view, a storage board, 1, resembling that already described with reference to Figure 1, is shown holding, 1) a storage bag, SBR, containing samples, SR, by means of slot, 1R, and 2) a storage bag, SBL, containing samples, SL, by means of slot, IL.

With reference to Figure 3, which represents a three-dimensional view, a ring binder, 2, has lockable, snap-action clips, RBCI, RBC2, RBC3, and RBC4, which hold storage boards, 3, and 4, via their own ring binder slots. Thus it can be seen that storage board, 4, is held by means of slots, RBSI, RBS2, RBS3, and RBS4.

With reference to Figure 4A, which represents a three-dimensional view, the right hand section, 5, of a storage board, resembling the board, 1, already described with reference to Figure 1, has slots, Rl, R2 (not shown) and R3, where slot Rl, formed by the space between top flexible element, TRI and bottom flexible element, BR1, is shown holding a plastic sample bag, 6, whose resealable, end part, 7, is shown preventing the bag from slipping through the slot, RI.

With reference to Figure 4B, which contains side elevations, a part, 8, of storage board, 5, already described with reference to Figure 4A, is shown in side-elevation containing a plastic bag, 6, (only the resealable, end part, is shown) such that the 4 resealable part of the bag which has a roughly cylindrical cross-section, is trapped at the slot because its diameter is greater than the height of the of slot, RI.

With farther reference to Figure 4B, the plastic bag, 6, is shown being subjected to a force, AF, which represents the horizontal component of the force created by the weight of the contents of the bag, 6, which is exerted on the elements, TRI (top) and BRI (bottom) of the board, 5. The consequence of this force, AF, acting as described, is to cause the flexible elements, TRI and BRI, to flex in the direction of the force, AF, and ultimately to allow the bag, 6, with its contents, to slip out of the storage board. This is shown as the side-elevation, 9.

Figure 4C shows. in three-dimensional form, representations of parts 8 and 9, already described with reference to Figure 4B.

With reference to Figure 4D, which contains a side-elevation and a threedimensional view, a variant, 10, of the design of the storage board, 5, already described with reference to Figure 4A, and which overcomes the tendency for heavy objects to cause the storage bag to slip out of the board, is shown in side-elevation. It can be seen that top flexible element, TRI, has a rib, 11, which prevents the upper half of the resealable cylindrical section, 7, of bag, 6, from acting in a horizontal direction, and itself provides a reactive force, RF, via its lower, horizontally inclined surface; it thereby prevents the top, flexible element, TRI, from moving in the direction of the applied force, AF. The bottom flexible element, BR1, is then the only part of variant, 10, of storage board, 5, which can flex under the action of the applied force, AF.

With further reference to the side-elevation shown in Figure 4D, cylindrical disc, 12, is shown attached to the lower part of top flexible element, TRI, by means of pm-t, 13, which engages in a blind hole formed in element, TRI. The disc, 12, and element, TRI, could for example, be connected together by means of a snap-fit joint, where part 13, is either a separate part, or forms an integral part of the disc, 12. Disc, 12, thus reduces the tendency for the bottom flexible element, BRI, to flex under the action of applied force, AF, since a part of it extends below the lower extremity of top flexible element, TRI, creating an overlap. The function of the disc, 12, is finiher exemplified in the three-dimensional representation of variant, 10, shown in the right hand section of Figure 4D, With reference to Figure 5A, which represents a side-elevation, another variant, 15, of storage board, 5, already described with reference to Figure 4A, resembles variant, 10, but has the top element, TR1, formed with an overlapping part, 16, which forms an integral part of the design of the top element, TRI, and is of the same width as the diameter of disc, 12.

With reference to Figure 5B, which represent a three-dimensional view, the rear part of variant, 15, is shown with the resealable part, 7, of bag, 6, shown in situ. The outer edge of Disc, 12, can be seen on the other side of variant, 15, and the position and function of rib, 11, can also be clearly seen.

6

Claims

1. A storage system which m one variant consists of an A4 sized piece of resilient material approximately 1.5mm.thick with slots staggered along each edge, when used with re ' -sealable bags the cylindrical section of the bag is trapped by the slot, deflection of the slot and release of the bag is prevented by a rib which changes the ffirection of the force imposed on the sl^ this force may be produced by the contents of the bag or the insertion of the bag by the user.

2. A storagesystem. as claimed in 1 where the lower part of the slot is prevented flom flexing by an overlapping feature.