US20110220600A1

US20110220600A1 - Rotating organizer using jars for storage

Info

Publication number: US20110220600A1
Application number: US12/564,916
Authority: US
Inventors: Bruce Gary Wilder
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-09-22
Filing date: 2009-09-22
Publication date: 2011-09-15
Also published as: WO2011037856A1

Abstract

An organizer that may be mounted on either a wall, wall to ceiling, ceiling, or many other ways, using limited space, and using jars for storage. It has eight wooden slats that have jars attached. There are either six or seven jars, depending on the jar size, attached to the eight rows. The lids are fastened to the slats, and the jars can be opened by unscrewing them from their lids. There are handles on one end to rotate the storage system, and a ratchet on the interior to prevent slipping. The ratchet allows rotation in only one direction. Because they are transparent, the jars allow the user to visually select what the user is looking for. These jars can hold anything from hobby supplies to nuts and bolts. Potential applications range from garage organizing to commercial applications. It can be mounted in a commercial van for electricians or plumbers.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to organizers for holding items.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is desirable for an organizer or storage device to be rotatable, to permit easier selection of desired items.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,732,298, issued on Oct. 22, 1929, to Charles E. Arthur, discloses a revolving spice tray, with recesses in which the tops of items may be inserted. The instant invention is distinguishable, in that in it the lids of the jars are fastened to the slats.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,620,363, issued on Nov. 16, 1971, to William C. Donnithorne, discloses a rotating storage and display device, with tubes that are parallel to the axis of rotation. The instant invention is distinguishable, in that in it the jars can be unscrewed from lids attached to rotating parts.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,674,155, issued on Jul. 4, 1972, to Lester A. Kessler, discloses a rotating tool storage device, with trays or holders suspended from the rotating part, but without lids attached to the rotating part, from which jars can be unscrewed, as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,805,965, issued on Apr. 23, 1974, to Albert Champagne, discloses a storage unit having an upright post with several circular plates with lids attached to their undersides, from which jars can be unscrewed. The instant invention is distinguishable, in that it rotates on a horizontal rather than vertical axis, and the jars extend outward from the axis of rotation, rather than parallel to it.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,628, issued on Jul. 22, 1986, to Michael M. Lowing, discloses rotary storage structures, which rotate on a horizontal axis, but without jars that can be screwed off from lids, as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,049, issued on Sep. 28, 1993, to James E. Murphy, Sr., discloses a rotating tray caddy for holding items such as nuts and bolts, but without the closed containers of the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,207,448, issued on Apr. 24, 2007, to Frank Marino, Jr., discloses a modular storage system, with containers attached to the undersides of shelves, but it does not rotate as does the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 264,604, issued on May 25, 1982, to Howard Sussman, discloses a design for a desk unit for paper clips and sundries, without the closed containers of the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 278,585, issued on Apr. 30, 1985, to Rodnie D. Oldham, discloses a design for a rotatable storage rack for spice jars and the like, but not the multiple slats, rachet, and handle of the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 329,573, issued on Sep. 22, 1992, to Serge Picard, discloses a design for a container storage assembly, in which the lids of jars appear to be fastened to a member that may rotate, but again it does not disclose the multiple slats, rachet, and handle of the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 347,769, issued on Jun. 14, 1994, to Marcus W. Kibbe, discloses a design for a combined revolving spice rack and spice grinder containers, in which the lids of the containers appear to extend outward from the rack, rather than being fastened to it as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. D488,643, issued on Apr. 20, 2004, to Gerald Birmingham, discloses a design for a portable storage unit, with shelves that may rotate, with the shelves having holes that may retain jars, but it does not disclose lids fastened to the rotating part, as in the instant invention.
French Patent No. 2 676 341, published on Nov. 20, 1992, to Michel Paris, discloses a wine cellar with rotary hydraulic elevated storage racks. It does not disclose jar lids attached to a rotating element, as in the instant invention.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is an organizer that may be mounted on either a wall, wall to ceiling, ceiling, or many other ways, using limited space, and using jars for storage. It has eight wooden slats that have jars attached. There are either six or seven jars, depending on the jar size, attached to the eight rows. The lids are fastened to the slats, and the jars can be opened by unscrewing them from their lids. There are handles on one end to rotate the storage system, and a ratchet on the interior to prevent slipping. The ratchet allows rotation in only one direction. Because they are transparent, the jars allow you to visually select what you are looking for. These jars can hold anything from hobby supplies to nuts and bolts. Potential applications range from garage organizing to commercial applications. It can be mounted in a commercial van for electricians or plumbers.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide an improved means for organizing various items by placing them in transparent containers.
It is another object of the invention to provide an improved means for finding a particular item from among the items organized.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an organizer for home use.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an organizer for business use.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is perspective view of the first preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is front elevational view of the first preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the first preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a right side view of the first preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a detail view of the second preferred embodiment of the invention, showing the locking member in an open position.

FIG. 6 is a detail view of the second preferred embodiment of the invention, showing the locking member in an closed position.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is perspective view of the first preferred embodiment of the invention, showing large jars 10 containing items 12, and small jars 14 containing items 16. The jars are preferably made of transparent glass. Large jar lids 18 and small jar lids 20 are retained on slats 22 by screws, nails, glue or other suitable means. The jars are removably retained on the jar lids by external screw threads around the openings of the jars that engage internal screw threads in side walls of the jar lids. The slats are attached between two end members 24. The slats, end members, jar lids, jars and the items in them all rotate around the axle 26. The axle may either be a live axle that rotates with the slats, or it may be a dead axle that does not itself rotate. A ratchet 28 permits rotation in one direction only. Handles 30 that extend outward from the axle permit manual rotation of the slats. Supporting bracket 32 has surface attachment members 34 and angled members 36 to which axle supports 38 are welded. The slats and end members are preferably made of wood, while the axle, supporting bracket and jar lids are preferably made of metal.
FIG. 2 is front elevational view of the first preferred embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a top view of the first preferred embodiment of the invention. FIG. 4 is a right side view of the first preferred embodiment of the invention. The slats are parallel to the axle, and are separated by spaces between the slats. Each slat is an equal distance from the axle. Each slat is an equal distance from neighboring slats (i.e., the two slats that are closest to itself). The slats are radially symmetric with respect to the axle. The jar lids have flat circular tops that are attached to the slats, and cylindrical sides with internal screw threads that can engage external screw threads around openings of jars, and the cylindrical sides extend outward from the axle.
FIG. 5 is a detail view of the second preferred embodiment of the invention, which is the same as the first preferred embodiment, except that it has a locking member 40, which is shown in an unlocked open position. The locking member is retained on an extension 42 from the supporting bracket 32. A knurled knob 44 can be manually rotated to move the locking member in and out.
FIG. 6 is a detail view of the second preferred embodiment of the invention, showing the locking member in an locked closed position, in which the end 46 of the locking member engages end member 24, thus preventing the end member from rotating, and thereby also preventing the slats and jars from rotating.
The preferred embodiments of the invention may be used in a method of organizing items, comprising the steps of:
sorting items;
placing the items in jars;
screwing the jars to lids attached to slats; and
rotating the slats around the axle to select one of the jars.
The mounting bracket may be attached to a wall, ceiling or other surface of a building, or it may be attached to a surface of a vehicle.
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. An organizer, comprising:

an axle;

a plurality of slats parallel to the axle that can rotate around the axle, said slats being separated by spaces between the slats; and

jar lids attached to the slats.

2. The organizer according to claim 1, further comprising:

jars that may be screwed into the jar lids.

3. The organizer according to claim 1, wherein each slat is an equal distance from the axle.

4. The organizer according to claim 1, wherein each slat is an equal distance from neighboring slats.

5. The organizer according to claim 1, wherein the slats are radially symmetric with respect to the axle.

6. The organizer according to claim 1, wherein the jar lids have flat circular tops that are attached to the slats, and cylindrical sides with internal screw threads that can engage external screw threads around openings of jars, and the cylindrical sides extend outward from the axle.

7. The organizer according to claim 1, wherein handles extending outward enable the slats to be rotated manually.

8. The organizer according to claim 1, wherein a ratchet allows rotation of the slats in one direction only.

9. The organizer according to claim 1, further comprising two end members, between which the slats are attached.

10. The organizer according to claim 1, further comprising a mounting bracket that can be attached to a surface, with the axle supported by the mounting bracket.

11. The organizer according to claim 1, further comprising a locking member that may be turned inward to press against an end member and prevent rotation of the slats.

12. The organizer according to claim 1, wherein the axle rotates with the slats.

13. The organizer according to claim 1, wherein the axle does not rotate.

14. A method of organizing items, comprising the steps of:

sorting items;

placing the items in jars; and

screwing the jars to lids attached to slats;

wherein the slats are parallel to an axle, and can rotate around the axle, said slats being separated by spaces between the slats.

15. The method of organizing items according to step 14, comprising the further step of rotating the slats around the axle to select one of the jars.

16. The method of organizing items according to step 15, wherein outward extending handles are used to manually rotate the slats.

17. The method of organizing items according to step 15, wherein the slats are rotated only in a direction permitted by a ratchet.

18. The method of organizing items according to step 14, comprising the further steps of:

supporting the axle by a mounting bracket; and

attaching the mounting bracket to a surface.

19. The method of organizing items according to step 18, wherein the surface is of a building.

20. The method of organizing items according to step 18, wherein the surface is of a vehicle.