GB2400015A

GB2400015A - A storage and display cabinet

Info

Publication number: GB2400015A
Application number: GB0307800A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mark Bracher
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-04-04
Filing date: 2003-04-04
Publication date: 2004-10-06
Also published as: GB0307800D0

Abstract

A storage and display cabinet for fishing equipment such as flies, rods, nets and reels. The cabinet comprises a housing having at least one storage area therein and a display case which inclines upwardly from the housing. The display area further comprises a transparent panel and a lighting device. The storage area further comprises at least one drawer and compartments.

Description

24000 1 5 A storage and display cabinet

Description

This invention relates to a storage and display cabinet and especially, but not exclusively, to such a storage and display cabinet for fishing equipment, for example, fishing flies, fishing rods, nets and reels.

Fishing equipment such as rods, hooks, lures and reels, when not in use, are often stored in a garage or shed. Storing fishing equipment in such places can, however, be detrimental to the equipment.

Damp, for example, could lead to rust or moulds forming on the equipment, which both affects the aesthetics of the items and eventually may cause the equipment to fail, necessitating replacement. It is also important to protect the equipment from damage, for example, compression damage or dirtying.

Also, fishing flies and lines are prone to tangling with such tangles being difficult and time consuming to remove. It is also important for safety reasons, that sharp objects, such as hooks and the like, are stored and transported in a secure manner to prevent injury to a person using the equipment or to any other person who unwittingly touches the equipment.

Fly tying and collecting are hobbies enjoyed by many people.

Fly fishing flies are often very beautiful, being intricate in design and containing strikingly coloured feathers. It is therefore desirable to display them so that their beauty can be appreciated at all times.

Presently available display cabinets have the disadvantage that their contents can only be viewed whilst standing directly over, or at least near, the display cabinet. They also have the disadvantage that there is no other space provided to store other fishing equipment, which does not need to be displayed. Indeed most flies that are tied or collected as a hobby are actually not suitable for fishing but it is still desirable to keep all fishing equipment together, with some items being stored away and some items being displayed. Previously there has been no apparatus for storing and displaying fishing equipment within a single cabinet suitable for household use.

Accordingly, the present invention provides an alternative to known storage and display cabinets, such as those described above.

I'he invention provides a storage and display cabinet comprising: a housing, having at least one storage area therein; and a display case which inclines upwardly from the housing.

As used herein, the term "incline" refers to any angle between, but excluding, O degrees and 90 degrees from horizontal, in normal use. Preferably, however, the incline is between 80 degrees and lO degrees and most preferably between 30 degrees and 70 degrees.

Such a cabinet is very advantageous as it allows, for example, fishing equipment, to be both stored and displayed in one location, inside a users home. This means that the fishing equipment will not rust as is common with such equipment left in garages or sheds. It also helps ensure that the equipment can be easily located and is not lost.

The cabinet, provides not only a useful storage area, for example, for fishing equipment, but also allows other items, for example, the often beautiful and colourful fishing flies, to be viewed, in the display case. The fact that the display case is arranged at an incline is very advantageous as it allows the display to be viewed from many angles and from a distance, such that it can provide a constant display feature in any room in which the cabinet is located.

The cabinet preferably also comprises a compartment extending up from the housing, which is defined by a plurality of wall panels.

As used herein, the term "wall panel" refers particularly, but not exclusively, to a full wall or to any panel or insert which makes up part of a wall. The wall panel may be made of any suitable material, for example wood or glass, and any number of wall panels may be used to construct a full wall.

Wall panels that are used to make up a full wall may be of differing sizes and materials and can be connected together in any suitable manner to form said full wall. The display case, for example, may comprise a wall panel or wall, and may be incorporated into a further wall panel or wall.

In a preferred embodiment at least one wall panel of the compartment is movable preferably about a pivot to permit access into the compartment. The movable wall panel may be any wall panel of the compartment but preferably is or incorporates the display case, such that, the display case is movable to permit access into the compartment. When the display case is movable, it is preferably movable from its inclined position to a horizontal position to permit access into the compartment.

The display case preferably comprises at least one support member which may be arranged to hold articles to be displayed, within the display case. The support member preferably comprises a panel of support material, onto or into which, in use, fishing flies can be pinned or otherwise secured, for example a foamed plastics material, fabric, felt, cotton wool, organic material, straw, cork, wood, netting or wire mesh.

The support member may further comprise fastening means, for example, hooks or pins that are connected to the support member by any suitable means.

Other forms of support member may also be suitable, for example, the wall panels themselves, in particular any base wall panel or back wall panel of the display case itself, may provide support for an article to be displayed. Even further examples could include, hooks, nails, shelves, compartments, sticky material or any other support member capable of supporting an article to be displayed within the display case.

The display case preferably further comprises a transparent or translucent panel through which, in use, an article displayed therein can be viewed. The panel is preferably constructed from glass but any other suitable transparent material, for example a plastics material may be used. The presence of a transparent panel provides protection for any articles displayed in the display case and is therefore very advantageous.

The display case is also preferably openable to allow articles to be placed therein and most preferably comprises a lighting device to illuminate the inside of the display case and any articles being displayed therein. The display case may be lockable by any suitable means, such that, any articles displayed in the display case can be secured therein.

The housing may have at least one drawer but preferably has a plurality of drawers. The or each drawer is preferably split into a plurality of compartments, which are useful for storing equipment in an ordered manner, such that, a required item can be located with ease.

The housing may comprise at least one cupboard but preferably a plurality of cupboards. The or each cupboard may be split into a plurality of compartments which are useful for storing equipment in an ordered manner, such that, a required item can be located with ease when required.

The housing may comprise one or more storage boxes, for example, boxes suitable for storing flies, which are preferably sized to fit within any drawers, cupboards or compartments present.

The housing may comprise at least one fishing rod holder but preferably has a plurality of fishing rod holders. The fishing rod holder may be of any suitable shape, for example, a hook, strap or clip mechanism constructed from any suitable material, for example, iron, steel, brass, wood, leather, canvas or a plastics material. Any hook, strap or clip mechanism may be mounted, or mountable, on a panel on the cabinet.

Alternatively the fishing rod holder may be in the form of one or more mountable or mounted containers, which are preferably cylindrical and constructed from any suitable material, for example, iron, steel, brass, wood, leather, canvas or a plastics material. The fishing rod holder may be an integral part of the cabinet or may be detachable there from. Any fishing rod holder present, may be located anywhere on the cabinet, but is most preferably located on a side wall of the housing.

The cabinet may also be in the form of a kit of parts which is erectable into the cabinet discussed above. The kit of parts being provided with means to allow the display case to incline upwardly form the housing.

A second aspect of the invention provides a cabinet as discussed above having one or more items for display in, or intended for display in, the display case, preferably, for example, fishing flies.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood, a preferred embodiment of storage and display cabinet, in accordance therewith, will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1. is a perspective view from the front of an embodiment of a storage and display cabinet; Figure 2. is a perspective view from above of a drawer taken from the storage and display cabinet shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3. is a perspective view from above of a storage box, for use, in the drawer shown in Figure 2.

As shown in Figure 1, the cabinet, indicated generally at 1 comprises a base (not shown) and a housing, indicated generally at 2. The housing comprises side walls 4 a front wall 6 and a back wall (not shown). The cabinet 1 also has a display case indicated generally at 8 which inclines upwardly from the housing 2.

The display case 8 forms one wall panel of a compartment, indicated generally at 10, which extends up from the housing 2 to form an extra storage space, indicated schematically at 11 within the compartment 10 and behind the display case 8.

The display case 8 can be pivoted about a pair of hinges 12, 14 to permit access to the storage space 11 within the compartment 10. The display case 8 is pivotable about its hinges 12, 14 from the inclined position shown in Figure 1 to a horizontal position (not shown) to permit access into the storage space 11 within the compartment 10.

The display case 8 contains a support member 9, which is arranged to hold articles to be displayed, within the display case 8. The support member 9 is formed from a panel of support material, for example a foamed material, into which fishing flies 16 are pinned. The display case 8 also has a glass panel 18 through which, in use, fishing flies 16 displayed therein can be viewed to provide protection for the flies 16 so displayed.

The display cabinet 8 is openable to allow fishing flies 16 to be placed therein and has a lighting device 13 to illuminate the inside of the display case 8 and any fishing flies 16 displayed therein.

The housing 2 contains four drawers 20, 22, 24 and 26 which are split into several compartments 28, by internal partitions 29, as shown in Figure 2 and which are useful for storing equipment in an ordered manner, such that, a required item can be located with ease. The housing 2 has one drawer 26, which is suitable for storing fly boxes 30, as shown in Figure 3. The fly boxes 30 are constructed from wood with a sheet of foamed material inside, (not shown), into which fishing flies can be pinned in use. The fly boxes 30 are sized such that they are locatable within the compartments 28.

The housing 2 also has two cupboards 32, 34 located at the base of the housing 2 and several fishing rod holders 35, which are located on the side walls 4 of the housing 2.

The cabinet 1, drawers 20, 22, 24, 26, cupboards 32, 34 and partitions 29, are all preferably manufactured from wood, for example oak, elm or pine however they could be made of any other suitable material.

Claims

1. A storage and display cabinet for fishing equipment comprising: a housing, having at least one storage area therein; and a display case which inclines upwardly from the housing.

2. A cabinet as claimed in claim l, further comprising a compartment extending up from the housing and having a plurality of wall panels.

3. A cabinet as claimed in 2, wherein at least one wall panel of the compartment is movable to permit access into the compartment.

4. A cabinet as claimed in claim 3, wherein the at least one wall panel is movable about a pivot.

5. A cabinet as claimed in any of claims 2, 3 or 4, wherein at least one wall panel of the compartment is the display case.

6. A cabinet as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the display case comprises at least one support member which is arranged to hold articles to be displayed, within the display case.

7. A cabinet as claimed in claim 6, wherein the support member comprises a sheet of support material, into which, in use, fishing flies can be pinned.

8. A cabinet as claimed in 7, wherein the support material comprises a sheet of foamed material.

9. A cabinet as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the display case further comprises a transparent panel through which, in use, an article displayed therein can be viewed.

10. A cabinet as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the display case is openable to allow articles to be placed therein.

11. A cabinet as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the display case further comprises a lighting device.

12. A cabinet as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the housing further comprises at least one drawer.

13. A cabinet as claimed in claim 12, wherein the at least one drawer further comprises a plurality of compartments.

14. A cabinet as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the housing further comprises at least one cupboard.

15. A cabinet as claimed in claim 14, wherein the at least one cupboard further comprises a plurality of compartments.

16. A cabinet as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the housing further comprises one or more storage boxes.

17. A cabinet as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the housing further comprises at least one fishing rod holder.

18. A cabinet as claimed in claim 17, wherein the at least one fishing rod holder is located on a side wall of the housing. s

19. A cabinet substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

20. A cabinet as claimed in any of claims 1 to 19 further comprising one or more items for display in, or intended for display in, the display case.