Aerosol container storage cabinet

Abstract

A cabinet for the storage of aerosol containers, which may satisfy the storage cabinet construction requirements of NFPA 30A, the cabinet including a top wall, a bottom wall, and a number of side walls defining an interior. Each wall is of double-wall construction, and one side wall includes an opening for storage and removal of aerosol containers. A closeable door of double-wall construction is hingedly attached to the side wall including the opening, wherein the door may be secured, in its closed position, by a latching mechanism. The cabinet may also include fixed-position, adjustable, or sliding shelves with retainers to receive and secure aerosol containers within the cabinet.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a cabinet for the storage of aerosol containers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Aerosol containers provide for useful and convenient storage of fluids such as paint, solvents, cleaners, and the like. Such containers may be relatively small and portable, and can eliminate the need for heavy and cumbersome air compressors, fixed-location shop air lines, or other means to atomize and spray such fluids at the site of their use. Moreover, the use of aerosol containers to store and spray fluids does not require extensive clean-up after each use, as does the use of a compressed air system. Specifically, compressed air spraying systems utilizing reusable fluid containers and hoses require cleaning if they are to be used to spray different fluids, for example, paints of a different color. Since it is often cost-prohibitive to provide dedicated hoses and containers for a wide range of individual fluids, particularly small amounts thereof, aerosol containers provide a relatively small and portable low-cost alternative, with minimal clean-up required.

[0003] However, the nature and inherent characteristics of aerosol containers present storage concerns. The high pressures within aerosol containers can cause serious injury or property damage if the container explodes as a result of exposure to fire or high temperatures. The small size and portability of aerosol containers may lead to a cluttered work environment, wherein the containers may easily be lost or misplaced. Also, in such an environment, the containers are at greater risk of being knocked over, or off of a work surface, whereby they may be punctured, thus causing injury or damage.

[0004] Presently, storage cabinets for aerosol containers are generally known. Such cabinets may centralize storage of aerosol containers, and custom, “aerosol-only” designs facilitate organization of the containers, and ease of access thereto. For example, Pucel Enterprises, Inc. has marketed an “Aerosol-Can Storage Cabinet,” with “slide-out” shelves and preformed aerosol-can holders to neatly store such containers.

[0005] Although cabinets known in the art have addressed aspects of aerosol container storage and organization, there is a need for a cabinet that protects workers and workplace property from the risks presented by aerosol containers in industrial environments. Prior devices may be unsafe in conditions such as a fire emergency. Such cabinets are not certifiable under the standards promulgated by such organizations as the National Fire Protection Association (“NFPA”) and the Occupational Safety and Hazard Administration (“OSHA”). The invention provides such a cabinet, which may satisfy the requirements of NFPA and OSHA, such as NFPA 30A, among others, for the storage of flammable and combustible liquids. As such, the present cabinet addresses concerns not addressed by prior cabinets and offers significant advancements in safety, functionality, and construction. These and other advantages of the present invention, as well as additional inventive features, will be apparent from the description of the invention provided herein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The cabinet is fabricated of metal, specifically of sheet steel. A preferred embodiment may be constructed of sheet steel with a thickness of at least 18 gauge. The cabinet includes a top wall, bottom wall, and a number of side walls, assembled to form a storage cabinet, defining an interior of square, rectangular, or some other geometric cross-sectional shape.

[0007] Each of the top, bottom, and side walls may be of double-wall construction, with an inner and outer panel, and an air gap preferably of at least 1.5 in. (38 mm) between the inner and outer panels. Moreover, at least one of the side panels includes an opening, for insertion, removal, and access to aerosol containers in the cabinet. To arrange the aerosol containers for storage within the cabinet, the cabinet may include a number of shelves. The shelves may be fixed in position within the interior, or they may be of adjustable height. Alternately, the shelves may slide into and out of the cabinet interior, utilizing sliding tracks that are partially fixed to side walls of the cabinet. The shelves may further include raised portions with cutouts sized to receive aerosol containers and retain them uprightly while the shelves are slid into and out of the cabinet. Alternately, in other embodiments in keeping with the inventive scope, the aerosol containers may be secured in an orientation other than upright. For example, an embodiment may receive and secure the aerosol containers in a horizontal orientation, as wine bottles in a wine rack, or at some angle from an upright or horizontal orientation.

[0008] The side wall opening may be closeable by a door hingedly attached to a side panel. In one embodiment, the door may also be of double-wall construction, and may be fabricated of sheet steel with a thickness of at least 18 gauge. To secure the door in its closed position, and thus the contents of the cabinet, it may include a latching arrangement operable by a handle disposed on the exterior of the cabinet. The latching arrangement may be configured as a three-point system, further including a latch disposed on each of three non-hinged door edges such that each latch secures its respective door edge to a cabinet side wall. The latches may be operable individually, or they may be operable simultaneously or sequentially by operating a single handle disposed on the exterior of the door.

[0009] In order to contain liquid leaks or spills within the container, the opening in the side wall may include a door sill, such that a sump is formed at the bottom of the cabinet interior. The top edge of the door sill is preferably spaced at least 2 in. (50 mm) from the inner panel of the bottom wall of the cabinet. Additionally, the outside bottom wall of the cabinet may include height-adjustable feet to keep the cabinet level, particularly on uneven surfaces.

[0010] As described above, the invention may satisfy NFPA 30A construction specifications for storage cabinets, and may be certifiable under that standard, among others. Thus, the preferred cabinet may provide for storage of not more than 120 gal. of aerosol and non-aerosol containers containing Class I, Class II, and/or Class IIIA flammable and combustible liquids, as defined by NFPA 30A.

[0011] The invention may best be understood with reference to the accompanying drawings and to the detailed description provided herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] FIG. 1 illustrates a front perspective view of the aerosol container storage cabinet of the present invention, with the door open, and storage shelves extended.

[0013] FIG. 2 illustrates a front perspective view of the aerosol container storage cabinet of the present invention, with the door closed.

[0014] FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of the aerosol storage cabinet of the present invention.

[0015] FIG. 4 illustrates a cross section through the aerosol storage cabinet according to the invention, corresponding to the cross section line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

[0016] FIG. 5 illustrates a front elevational view of the aerosol storage cabinet of the present invention, with the latching mechanism illustrated in phantom view.

[0017] FIG. 6 illustrates a right side elevational view of the aerosol storage cabinet of the present invention.

[0018] FIG. 7 illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of the aerosol storage cabinet of the present invention, along the cross section line 7-7 of FIG. 5.

[0019] FIG. 8 illustrates a detail view of the handle and latching mechanism, as designated at Detail A of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate an embodiment of an aerosol container storage cabinet 2 of the present invention. The cabinet 2 may include a top wall 4, bottom wall 6, and four side walls 8, 10, 12, 14, arranged to form a rectangular-block-shaped interior 3. It is to be noted, though, that the cabinet 2 may include any number of side walls, arranged to form interiors of different shapes, in keeping with the inventive concept. For example, three side walls may be combined with a top and bottom wall to form a prism-shaped interior. Additionally, five, six, seven, eight or more side walls may be combined with the top and bottom walls to form cabinet interiors of various shapes. In an embodiment of the invention, the walls may be fabricated of sheet steel with a thickness of at least 18 gauge, and may be joined and made tight by various known methods such as riveting, welding or other equally effective method. However, in keeping with the inventive scope, the wall-joining methods are not limited to those described herein. To the contrary, the walls may be bolted, soldered, brazed, or joined by a suitable high strength adhesive compound, or other suitable method.

[0021] To facilitate access to the interior 3 of the cabinet 2, one of the side walls 14 may include an opening 20. The opening 20 may be rectangular-shaped to allow access to at least a portion of the entire cabinet interior 3, or the opening 20 may be shaped and sized to receive a particular type of aerosol container. It is to be noted that more than one side wall may include an opening to the interior 3 of the cabinet 2, in keeping with the inventive concept. For example, each of the side walls 8, 10, 12, may include an opening, or all of the sidewalls 8, 10, 12, 14 may include openings.

[0022] To secure the aerosol containers 16, 17, 18, 19 within the cabinet 2, by closing off the opening 20, an embodiment of the invention may include a door 22 attachable to the side wall 14 that includes an opening 20. In the embodiment shown, the door 22 is hingedly attached to the side wall 14. The door 22 may thus pivot between open (FIG. 1) and closed (FIG. 2) positions. Moreover, in one embodiment, the door 22 may be constructed of at least 18 gauge sheet steel. It is to be noted that additional doors may facilitate additional closeable points of access to the interior of the cabinet, as in the embodiments described above.

[0023] The security of the aerosol containers 16, 17, 18, 19 may be further enhanced by double-wall construction of the cabinet walls 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, and door 22. Double-wall construction limits the internal temperature rise of the cabinet 2 when the cabinet is in an environment of elevated temperature, such as during a fire emergency, for example. Since aerosol containers may pose an explosion hazard at elevated temperatures, limiting the temperature rise within the interior 3 of the cabinet 2 reduces the risk. As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 7, each of the top 4, bottom 6, side 8, 10, 12, 14 walls and the door 22 may include an inner panel 30 spaced from an outer panel 32, for example, thus creating an air gap 34 between the panels 30, 32. In a particular embodiment, the spacing between the inner and outer panels is at least 1.5 in. (38mm), creating an air gap 34 of the same dimensions. The spacing of the inner and outer panels described and illustrated in FIG. 7 herein, regarding an individual side wall 14 of this embodiment, are exemplary of the inner and outer panels of each of the top 4, bottom 6, and side 8, 10, 12, 14 walls and door 22. Thus, each wall and door of the cabinet 2 of this embodiment may include an inner and outer panel with an air gap of the specified dimension.

[0024] Moreover, the top 4, bottom 6, and side walls 8, 10, 12, 14 may be joined such that the air gaps of the top 4, bottom 6, and side 8, 10, 12, 14 walls are in fluid communication, thus creating a continuous air gap about the periphery of the cabinet. Alternately, each wall may completely enclose its respective air gap and be joined to the other walls by the means described above.

[0025] To receive and store the aerosol containers in an organized and secure fashion within the cabinet 2, the interior 3 of the cabinet 2 may also include shelves 40, 42, slidably attached to the inner panels of the side walls 8, 10, as illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 more clearly illustrates that each shelf 40, 42 may slide into and out of the cabinet interior 3 along shelf brackets 44, 46. For explanatory purposes, only the brackets 44, 46 of shelf 42 will be described herein, as they are exemplary of the brackets along which the other illustrated shelf 40 may slide. As seen in FIG. 4, each bracket 44, 46 may include a nested track arrangement consisting of two tracks, as known in the art, which allows the shelf to slide in and out. In this embodiment, a bracket 44, 46 may be attached to each side of the shelf 42 by an inner track of the respective bracket 44, 46. The outer track in the nesting arrangement may be attached to an inner panel of a side wall 8, 12. The track attached to the shelf 42 slides along the other track in the nested bracket arrangement, thus allowing the shelf 42 to be slid into or out of the interior 3 of the cabinet 2, through the opening 20. The brackets 44, 46 may include sliding surfaces, wheels, bearings, or other known means between the tracks to facilitate their relative “sliding.” Moreover, a variety of construction materials may be used for the brackets, in keeping with the inventive scope. For example, the tracks may be fabricated of steel, graphite, or any other single metal or composite material, or of various composition-type materials that facilitate the relative “sliding.” This “sliding,” in turn allows the shelves 40, 42 to slide into and out of the cabinet 2.

[0026] Of course, in keeping with the inventive concept, the number or type of shelves are not limited to the above description. To the contrary, the cabinet 2 may include one, three, four, five, or more shelves, and the shelves may take various configurations. For example, the shelves may be fixedly attached to the inner panels of the top 4, bottom 6, or side walls 8, 10, 12, 14, or even the door 22 of the cabinet 2. Alternately, to allow for vertical adjustability of the shelves the inner panels of their respective side walls 8, 10, 12 or door 22 may include, among other arrangements, either notched brackets that receive tabs attached to the shelves, or protruding tracks along which shelves can slide, as in a household oven.

[0027] In order to receive and secure the aerosol containers 16, 17, 18, 19 in an upright position, the shelves 40, 42 may include retainers 48, 50, with openings 52 configured and sized to receive various diameters of aerosol containers, as illustrated in FIG. 1. The retainers 48, 50 may also function to provide a separation between the containers 16, 17, 18, 19 and the inner panels of the side walls of the cabinet 2. The separation further insulates the containers 16, 17, 18, 19 from an environment of elevated temperature, thus reducing the explosion or combustibility risk. The retainers 48, 50 may be fabricated of sheet steel, although other materials such as polymers, plastics, and others that satisfy cost and performance parameters may be selected, in keeping with the inventive concept.

[0028] Additionally, in keeping with the inventive scope, the cabinet of the present invention may be configured to store aerosol containers in orientations other than upright. For example, in one embodiment, the cabinet may include horizontal retainers configured to receive and secure aerosol containers horizontally, as in a wine rack. In another embodiment, the cabinet may include angled receivers to receive and secure aerosol containers at some angle from a vertical or horizontal orientation.

[0029] To collect, contain and retain spills or drips from the aerosol containers 16, 17, 18, 19, or otherwise, the cabinet interior 3 may include a sump. As shown in FIG. 7, the sump is formed by including a door sill 54, as part of the side wall 14 that includes the cabinet opening, such that the top edge 56 of the door sill 54 forms the bottom of the cabinet opening 20. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the top edge 56 of the door sill 54 may be spaced at least 2 in. (50 mm) from the inner panel 57 of the bottom wall 6, in one embodiment.

[0030] As discussed above, the cabinet 2 includes a closeable door 22 to secure the contents of the cabinet 2. As FIG. 7 illustrates, the door 22 may include an inner panel 60 and an outer panel 62, spaced apart at least 1.5 in. (38 mm), thus providing an air gap 64 between the door inner 60 and outer 62 panels. The air gap 64 may match the air gap 34 provided between the other panels of the cabinet 2, in order to provide additional security for the aerosol containers 16, 17, 18, 19 contained within. The air gaps 34, 64 serve to limit the temperature rise of the cabinet interior 3, by insulating it from a high temperature environment such as in case of a fire emergency, or other such circumstances. Since aerosol containers pose a risk of explosion at elevated temperatures, limiting the temperature rise of the cabinet interior 3 in these types of scenario may reduce the explosion risk.

[0031] To secure the door 22 in its closed position, the door 22 may include a latching mechanism as is known in the art, illustrated generally at FIG. 5. In one embodiment, the latching mechanism may be of a three-point latching type, that secures the door to one or more cabinet walls at three locking points. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the latching mechanism may include a “paddle-type” handle, pivotally attached to the door 22, as is more clearly seen in FIG. 2, and operable from outside the cabinet 2. A spring arrangement, as described below, may bias the paddle 70 such that the paddle 70 is generally flush with the outer panel 62 of the door 22, as is more clearly seen in FIG. 2. In other embodiments, the handle may take different forms, in keeping with the inventive scope. For example, the handle may be “L-shaped,” or some other known handle shape that permits operation of a latching mechanism.

[0032] The latching mechanism may also include a bullet slam 72, and two locking rods 74, 76 operable by the handle. The bullet slam 72 and locking rods 74, 76 may be disposed between the inner 60 and outer 62 door panels. As FIG. 7 illustrates, the respective latching ends 78, 80 engage respective cut-outs 82, 84 in the top wall inner panel 86, and the top edge 56 of the door sill 54 to secure the door 22 in its closed position.

[0033] It is to be noted that the locking arrangement of locking rods 74, 76 is representative of how the bullet slam 72 engages an opening in the inner panel of its respective side wall 8 (not shown).

[0034] To open the door, a person reaches behind the paddle 70 with his fingers, and pulls its free end 90. Pulling the free end 90 pivots the entire paddle 70 about hinge pins 92, 93 such that a distal end 94 of the paddle 70 plunges “into” the door 22, and pushes a peg 96, which protrudes from a flat slide member 98, in the direction of arrow 100. The slide member 98 is connected to the bullet slam 72 so that as the peg 96 moves in the direction of arrow 100, the slide member 98 moves with it, pulling bullet slam 72 out of engagement with the cut-out in the inner panel of side wall 8.

[0035] As the paddle 70 is pulled, and the peg 96 moves in the direction of arrow 100, the peg 96 simultaneously pushes rocker links 102, 104, pivoting them about their pivot pins 106, 108, in the direction of arrows 110, 112. In turn, pintles 114, 116, respectively attached to rocker links 102, 104, slide within oblong journals 118, 120 of latching rod plates 122, 124. When the pintles 114, 116 reach the respective ends 126, 128 of the journals 118, 120, the pintles 114, 116 pull the respective latching rod plates 122, 124 toward the flat slide member 98. The latching rod plates 122, 124 are connected to the ends of the latching rods 74, 76, such that when the plates 122, 124 are pulled toward the flat slide member 98 by the respective pintles 114, 116, the plates 122, 124 pull the latching rods 74, 76 in the same direction. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the latching ends 78, 80 are thus pulled out of engagement with their respective cut-outs 82, 84. As a result, pulling the free end 90 of the paddle 70 causes the bullet slam 72 and the latching ends 78, 80 to pull out of engagement with their respective cut-outs allowing the door 22 to open.

[0036] Additionally, to bias the latching ends 78, 80 in their locking position, as illustrated in FIG. 7, an embodiment may include springs 126, 128 disposed between the latching rods 74, 76 and spring brackets 130, 132. The spring brackets 130, 132 may be welded to the outer panel 62 of the door 22 such that they protrude into the air gap 64 between the door inner 60 and outer 62 panels. The spring brackets 130, 132 may also include bores 134, 136 to keep the latching rods 74, 76 in place as the door 22 is opened and closed.

[0037] To further secure the contents of the cabinet 2, the door may be constructed to include a flange 140, about its periphery, along its non-hinged edges as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 7. The flange 140 may extend to cover any gaps 142, 144 between the door 22 and the top 4 and side wall 14 of the cabinet 2, for example. The flange 140 may abut its mating panels, as well, when the door 22 is closed.

[0038] To facilitate leveling of the cabinet 2, on an uneven shop floor, for example, the cabinet 2 may include a number of height-adjustable feet 150 as illustrated in FIG. 4. Each foot 150 may include a pad 152, and a threaded shaft 154, that may be screwed into or out of the bottom wall 6 of the cabinet 2, to adjust the height of the portion of the cabinet 2 to which the foot 150 is attached.

[0039] Although the illustrated embodiment includes four such feet disposed at the corners of the bottom wall 6, in keeping with the inventive scope, any number of feet may be attached to the bottom of the cabinet, in various configurations. For example, one, two, three, four or more feet may be configured to allow height-adjustability of different areas of the cabinet bottom wall 6. Additionally, other than being threaded, the feet may be cam or lock-slide operated, rather than threaded, in keeping with the invention.

[0040] It is to be appreciated that the latching mechanism described above is not the only locking arrangement contemplated within the inventive scope. On the contrary, other types of locking arrangements, with one, two, four, five, six or more locking tips, jointly, individually, and/or sequentially operable, may be practiced in accordance with the teachings of the invention.

[0041] Thus, a preferred embodiment of the invention may meet the construction specifications of NFPA 30A, among other standards. This preferred embodiment may be configured to receive and securely store not more than 120 gal. of aerosol or non-aerosol containers containing flammable and combustible liquids, particularly in an elevated-temperature environment, such as occurs as a result of a fire emergency. More specifically, as a result of satisfying meet the construction specifications of NFPA 30A, this embodiment may prevent the temperature of the cabinet interior from rising to elevated levels that increase the risk of combustion or explosion of liquids stored in aerosol or non-aerosol containers within the cabinet.

[0042] All of the references cited herein, including patents, patent applications, and publications, are hereby incorporated in their entireties by reference.

[0043] While this invention has been described with an emphasis upon preferred embodiments, variations of the preferred embodiments can be used, and it is intended that the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A cabinet for the storage of aerosol containers, the cabinet comprising:

a top wall, a bottom wall, and four side walls arranged and joined to form an interior, the top wall, bottom wall and four side walls each comprising an inner and an outer panel fabricated of sheet steel with a thickness of at least 18 gauge, the inner and outer panels of the respective walls being spaced apart at least 1.5 in. (38 mm), such that an air gap exists between the inner and outer panels;

an opening in at least one of the side walls; a closeable door hingedly attached to a side wall having an opening, the door allowing access to the interior of the cabinet through the side wall opening when the door is open, the door further comprising an inner and an outer panel fabricated of sheet steel with a thickness of at least 18 gauge, the inner and outer panels being spaced apart at least 1.5 in. (38 mm), such that an air gap exists between the inner and outer panels;

the door still further comprising a latching mechanism capable of securing the door, in its closed position, to one or more cabinet walls, at three or more locking points, and a handle capable of operating the latching mechanism, the handle being operable from outside the cabinet;

wherein a side wall to which the door is attached comprises a door sill with a top edge, the top edge of the door sill being spaced at least 2 in. (50 mm) from the inner panel of the cabinet bottom wall; and,

a shelf disposed in the interior of the cabinet, wherein the shelf is slidably attached to one or more of the cabinet walls, such that it slidably moves into and out of the cabinet through a side wall opening, the shelf further including a retainer configured to receive and secure aerosol containers.

2. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein the handle is a paddle handle.

3. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein the air gaps of all of the top, bottom, and side walls are in fluid communication.

4. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein the top, bottom, and side walls are joined by welding.

5. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein the top, bottom and side walls are joined by riveting.

6. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein the cabinet is configured to receive and store no more than 120 gal. of flammable and combustible liquids.

7. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein the retainer is configured to receive and secure aerosol containers in an upright orientation.

8. A cabinet for the storage of aerosol containers, the cabinet comprising: a top wall, a bottom wall, and four side walls arranged and joined to form an interior, the top wall, bottom wall and four side walls each comprising an inner and an outer panel, the inner and outer panels of the respective walls being spaced apart, such that an air gap exists between the panels; an opening in one of the side walls; a closeable door attachable to at least one side wall, the door allowing access to the interior of the cabinet through the side wall opening when the door is open, the door further comprising an inner and an outer panel, the inner and outer panels being spaced apart, such that an air gap exists between the panels, the door still further comprising a latching mechanism capable of securing the door in the closed position, and a handle capable of operating the latching mechanism, the handle being operable from outside the cabinet, wherein a side wall to which the door is attached comprises a door sill with a top edge, the top edge of the door sill being spaced a distance from the interior panel of the cabinet bottom wall; and, a shelf disposed in the interior of the cabinet, the shelf being configured to receive aerosol containers.

9. The cabinet of claim 8, wherein the latching mechanism is capable of securing the door to one or more cabinet walls at three locking points.

10. The cabinet of claim 9, wherein the door is hingedly attached to a side wall having an opening.

11. The cabinet of claim 8, wherein the inner and outer panels of the top wall, bottom wall, side walls, and door are spaced apart at least 1.5 inches (38 mm).

12. The cabinet of claim 11, wherein all of the inner and outer panels of the door, and the top, bottom, and side walls are fabricated of sheet steel with a thickness of at least 18 gauge.

13. The cabinet of claim 1 1, wherein the top edge of the door sill is spaced at least 2 inches (50 mm) from the inner panel of the bottom wall, such that the door sill retains spilled liquids within the cabinet.

14. The cabinet of claim 8, the shelf comprising a sliding shelf attached to the side walls of the cabinet, such that the shelf slidably moves into and out of the cabinet through a side wall opening.

15. The cabinet of claim 8, wherein the shelf includes a retainer configured to receive and secure aerosol containers in an upright orientation.

16. The cabinet of claim 8, wherein the bottom wall of the cabinet includes at least one height-adjustable foot.

17. The cabinet of claim 8, wherein the handle is a paddle handle.

18. The cabinet of claim 8, wherein the cabinet is configured to receive and store no more than 120 gal. of flammable and combustible liquids.

19. A method of making an aerosol storage cabinet, the method comprising the steps of: arranging and joining a top wall, a bottom wall, and four side walls to form an interior, the top wall, bottom wall and four side walls each comprising an inner and an outer panel fabricated of sheet steel with a thickness of at least 18 gauge, the inner and outer panels of the respective walls being spaced apart at least 1.5 in. (38 mm), such that an air gap exists between the panels; providing an opening in at least one of the side walls; providing a closeable door hingedly attached to a side wall having an opening, the door allowing access to the interior of the cabinet through the side wall opening when the door is open, the door further comprising an inner and an outer panel fabricated of sheet steel with a thickness of at least 18 gauge, the door inner and outer panels being spaced apart at least 1.5 in. (38 mm), such that an air gap exists between the panels, the door still further comprising a latching mechanism capable of securing the door, in its closed position, to one or more cabinet side walls, at three or more locking points; a handle capable of operating the latching mechanism, the handle being operable from outside the cabinet; providing a door sill, with a top edge, on the side wall having an opening, the top edge of the door sill being spaced at least 2in.(50 mm) from the interior panel of the cabinet bottom wall; and, providing a shelf disposed in the interior of the cabinet, wherein the shelf is configured to receive aerosol containers and is slidably attached to one or more of the cabinet walls, such that it slidably moves into and out of the cabinet through a side wall opening.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the air gaps of all of the top, bottom, and side walls are in fluid communication.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the handle is a paddle handle.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the top, bottom, and side walls are joined by welding.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the top, bottom, and side walls are joined by riveting.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the shelf includes a retainer configured to receive and secure aerosol containers in an upright orientation.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the cabinet is configured to receive and store more than 120 gal. of flammable and combustible liquids.