US20050253491A1

US20050253491A1 - Stationary accessory tower

Info

Publication number: US20050253491A1
Application number: US10/845,703
Authority: US
Inventors: David Gilman
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-05-14
Filing date: 2004-05-14
Publication date: 2005-11-17

Abstract

Stationery accessory tower with a stationary accesory housing, a support shaft, a bearing, a base, the housing essentially rectangular in shape and including a plurality of vertically stacked compartments, the housing compartments each having a hinged door, the doors being flush with the exterior of the housing, the doors including recessed finger pulls, the doors removably attached to the housing frame by magnets or other standard releasably attaching means, the housing rotatably attached to the base by the bearing supported shaft, and the base including an aperture for removably retaining a standard Post-it note dispenser. A preferred embodiment includes an upper most open topped compartment that can accept pens, pencils or the like.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable
DESCRIPTION OF ATTACHED APPENDIX
Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to the field of office accessories and more specifically to a stationery accessory tower.
In today's office environment, most office workers find it necessary to use stationery accessories on a regular bases. These supplies include paper clips, rubber bands, post-it note pads and the like. Additionally, many office workers use post-it type notes to remind them of items that need attention in the near future.
Post-it notes are a product manufactured by the 3M company and include a semi-sticky portion that make then easy to adhere to a flat surface and to remove them easily when so desired. People write reminder type messages on the post-it note paper and then attach the note paper to a convenient surface such as the side of a file cabinet, or the side of a computer housing or the like. Additionally, most office workers need to place their stationery accessory supplies in a convenient location such as a desk drawer or the like.
Unfortunately, the application of numerous post-it notes to various surfaces in the work place can lead to an unsightly mess. Additionally, office supplies such as paper clips, rubber bands and the like tend to migrate throughout a desk drawer thereby making the access of these items difficult and restricting the available space in the desk drawer for other important items.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary object of the invention is to provide a housing for stationery accessories that also serves as a holder and displaying surface for of post-it notes.
Another object of the invention is to provide a stationery accessory housing that is rotatable.
Another object of the invention is to provide a stationery accessory housing that includes a segmented receptacle for pencils, pens and the like.
A further object of the invention is to provide a stationery accessory housing that includes a plurality of flush doors that also allow the placement of post-it notes.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a stationery accessory housing that is similar in width to a standard post-it note.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed a stationery accessory tower comprising: a stationary accessory housing, a support shaft, a bearing, a base, said housing essentially rectangular in shape and including a plurality of vertically stacked compartments, said housing compartments each having a hinged door, said doors being flush with the exterior of said housing, said doors including recessed finger pulls, said doors removably attached to said housing frame by magnets or other standard releasably attaching means, said housing rotatably attached to said base by said bearing supported shaft, and said base including an aperture for removably retaining a standard post-it note dispenser.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the invention in use.
FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the top of the invention.
FIG. 4 is a side section view of the invention.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the lower portion of the invention, including the base with an optional side drawer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner.
Referring now to FIG. 1 we see a perspective view of the invention 100. The invention is comprised of a tower type housing 70 that is rotatably connected via a vertical shaft 8 to a base portion 2. The tower portion 70 includes a plurality of stacked compartments, each having an access door 10, 12, 14, 16. At the top of the tower 70 is an open topped compartment 20 for removably storing pens 22, pencils and the like. The tower 70 is rectangular in shape and is sized so that each of the four vertical walls can receive a plurality of standard sized post-it notes 24. A standard sized post-it note is approximately three inches square, so the width of each side wall is approximately three and one half inches. The embodiment shown includes four enclosed compartments as well as the top pen holding compartment. The base portion 2 includes a recessed area that allows a standard post-it note dispenser 4 to be inserted such as the Post-it Pop Up Notes Dispenser manufactured by the 3M corporation. This allows the user to have easy access to Post-it notes 6 and to have a vertical surface to attach them to. The entire invention 100 takes up relatively little space on a desk, so the user can store a variety of stationary accessories, pens and pencils, as well as a four sided Post-it note retaining surface capable of showing up to twenty Post-it notes at once in the space of a standard pencil and pen holder. FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the invention 100 in use. In this view, a person 60 is removing a stationary accessory such as a paper clip 76 from a compartment. The person 60 has opened hinged door 14 by inserting his or her finger into the aperture created by cut out portion 40. The door 14 is hinged on the bottom as will be shown in FIG. 4 and includes a ferrous metal plate 72 that can removably attach to magnet 74 to hold the door 14 closed. Obviously, other standard closure means may be used such as a molded in snap fastener. FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the top 20 of the tower 70. The open toped compartment 20 is segmented 30, 32, 34, 36 to better hold contents such as pens or pencils 22. FIG. 4 shows a side section view of the present invention 100. Compartments 11, 13, 15, 17 are shown. Compartment 15 is shown with its door 14 in the closed position and the open position as shown by dotted line 14A. Magnet 74 is shown inset into a tab located at the upper portion of the compartment. Metal plate 72 is shown in open door 14A. All other doors have a similar configuration, however, they are normally not shown because they are to the left of the center section line. Hinge 78 attaches the door 14A to the tower housing 70. Because the hinge member is flush with the outside of the door, Post-it notes can be placed on the door surfaces as well as the other three vertical surfaces that comprise tower housing 70. Integral shaft 8 is retained by bearing 42 which is in turn retained by recessed cavity 43, Screw 44 prevents shaft 8 from lifting out of cavity 43 but allows a slip fit between the bottom of shaft 8 and the base of cavity 43 so that the entire tower 70 can rotate freely. This allows the user to attach Post-it notes on all four vertical surfaces of housing tower 70 and to be able to read all the notes by rotating the tower to see all four tower sides. This allows up to twenty three inch square post-it notes to be in full view at any one time. Base portion 2 includes a recessed cavity 45 that accommodates a Post-it note dispenser 4 that in turn retains a plurality of Post-it notes 7 so that the user can pull out one at a time 6. The remainder of base housing 2 can be filled with sand 46, lead shot or the like to create more stability for the tower housing 70. FIG. 5 shows the inclusion of an optional additional drawer 80 that can pull out 82 from the base portion 2. This drawer 80 allows for additional storage of items such as Post-it page markers or the like.
While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. Stationery accessory tower comprising:

a stationery accessory housing;

a support shaft;

a bearing or bearing surface;

a base;

said housing essentially rectangular in shape and including a plurality of vertically stacked compartments;

said housing compartments each having a hinged door;

said doors being flush with the exterior of said housing;

said doors including recessed finger pulls;

said doors removably attached to said housing frame by magnets or other standard releasably attaching means;

said housing and attached support shaft rotatably attached to said base by said bearing or said bearing type surface; and

said base including an aperture for removably retaining a standard Post-it note dispenser.

2. Stationery accessory tower as claimed in claim 1 further comprising an uppermost open topped compartment that can accept pens, pencils or other small items.

3. Stationery accessory tower as claimed in claim 1 wherein said accessory tower whose sides are each approximately three and one half inches which is dimensioned to be slightly more than the width of a standard post-it note.

4. Stationery accessory tower as claimed in claim 1 wherein said base is hollow.

5. Stationery accessory tower as claimed in claim 4 wherein said hollow portion may be weighted by being filled with a material such as sand or lead shot.

6. Stationery accessory tower as claimed in claim 1 wherein said compartments in said housing tower are capable of removably retaining stationary accessories such as paper clips, post-it note paper, rubber bands, thumb tacks and the like.

7. Stationery accessory tower as claimed in claim 1 wherein said base also includes a drawer portion that can slide out of the side wall of said base portion.