Storage system

Abstract

A storage structure includes a housing. A front wall is movable to and from a closed position closing a forwardly facing opening of the housing. The front wall includes an upper section covering an upper part of the opening in the closed position thereof and a lower section covering a lower part of the opening in the closed position thereof. The lower section can be moved generally rectilinearly relative to the upper section into generally parallel, overlapped relation with the upper section. The upper section is pivotably mounted to the housing so that the front wall can be pivoted upwardly into a storage position generally parallel to and underneath the top wall for storing the upper and lower sections in the generally parallel, overlapped relation underneath the top wall. An actuator is connected to the upper section to apply a force that urges the upper section to pivot upwardly.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application claims priority to the U.S. Provisional Application of Patel, Ser. No. 60/418,240, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated into the present application by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention generally relates to a storage structure, and relates more particularly to a storage structure with a front wall that moves from a closed position to an open position for proving access to a storage area in the structure.

[0004] 2. Description of Related Art

[0005] A known storage system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,566 (the '566 patent). The '566 patent discloses a storage system including a riser 20 that has a bifold door assembly 40 for closing the front of the riser 20. The bifold door assembly 40 includes an upper panel 41 having one end hingedly coupled to the top panel of the riser and an opposite end hingedly coupled to a lower panel 45. This arrangement enables the bifold door assembly to move between a folded open position and an unfolded, vertically disposed, closed position. The riser also includes a pair of gas springs 60 to assist in opening the door assembly.

[0006] The present invention provides an improved storage structure that includes an improved and more compact door assembly.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The present application discloses an improved storage structure. The storage structure comprises a housing having a plurality of walls including at least a top wall and two opposing lateral side walls defining a storage area having a forwardly facing opening. A front wall is movable to and from a closed position closing the forwardly facing opening of the housing. The front wall includes an upper section covering an upper part of the forwardly facing opening in the closed position of the front wall, and a lower section covering a lower part of the forwardly facing opening in the closed position of the front wall.

[0008] The lower section is movably mounted to the upper section so that the lower section can be moved relative to the upper section into generally parallel, overlapped relation with the upper section. The upper section is pivotably mounted to the housing so that the front wall can be pivoted upwardly to enable of the front wall to be positioned generally parallel and underneath the top wall in a storage position with the upper and lower section in the generally parallel, overlapped relation thereof underneath the top wall. An actuator is connected to the upper section and is constructed to apply a force that urges the upper section to pivot upwardly, thus facilitating the pivoting of the upper section. The actuator may include at least one spring, such as a torsion spring, linear spring, or gas spring. Alternatively, the actuator may be an electromechanical actuator, such as a motor.

[0009] The present application also discloses a method for accessing a storage area in a storage structure. The storage structure comprises a housing having a plurality of walls including at least a top wall and two opposing lateral side walls defining a storage area having a forwardly facing opening. A front wall is movable to and from a closed position closing the forwardly facing opening of the housing. The front wall has a lower section that covers a lower part of the forwardly facing opening in the closed position of the front wall, and an upper section that covers an upper part of the forwardly facing opening in the closed position of the front wall. The method comprises moving the lower section of the front walls generally rectilinearly relative to the upper section of the front wall so that the lower section is in generally parallel, overlapped relation with the upper section. The front wall is moved into a storage position wherein the upper and lower sections are in the generally parallel overlapped relation and generally parallel to and underneath the top wall. This movement of the front wall into the storage position includes at least pivoting the front wall to be generally parallel to the top wall. The pivoting includes applying a force with an actuator to urge the upper section to pivot upwardly.

[0010] Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The accompanying drawings facilitate an understanding of the various embodiments of this invention. In such drawings:

[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a storage system incorporating a storage structure constructed in accordance with the present invention;

[0013] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a storage system constructed in accordance with the present invention with the front wall in the closed position thereof;

[0014] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the storage structure of FIG. 1 with a lower section of the front wall moved upwardly into generally parallel, overlapped relation with respect to an upper section of the front wall;

[0015] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the storage structure of FIG. 1 with the upper section pivoted upwardly so that the upper and lower sections are generally parallel to the top wall; and

[0016] FIG. 5 is a perspective view with an accompanying side profile view of the storage structure of FIG. 1 with the upper and lower sections moved inwardly into a storage position in generally parallel, overlapped relation underneath the top wall.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0017] FIG. 1 illustrates a storage system, generally indicated at 1, that includes a storage structure, generally indicated at 10. The storage system 1 illustrated has a lower housing, generally indicated at 2, housing a plurality of drawers, generally indicated at 3. A vertically oriented cabinet 4 is attached on the side thereof and has a hinged door 5 for accessing its interior. The storage structure 10 illustrated is in the form of a riser mounted atop the lower housing 2. The storage structure 10, however, may be any type and need not be included in a multi-faceted storage system 1 as illustrated. The storage structure 10 may be incorporated into other types of storage system, it may be freestanding on its own, or it may be used atop a flat surface, such as a workbench. Thus, the present invention should not be considered as being limited to the environment of a storage system 1 having a lower housing 2 with a plurality of drawers 3 therein and an upper surface 6 on which the storage structure 10 is supported, although that environment is preferred.

[0018] The storage structure 10, and any system, such as the illustrated storage system 1, in which it is included, may of the type for storing tools in a mechanics shop, but may be used for any desired purpose. The storage structure 10 comprises a housing 12 having a plurality of walls including at least a top wall 14 and two opposing lateral side walls 16, 18 defining a storage area 19 having a forwardly facing opening 20 (see FIG. 3). The housing 12 can have any size or shape, and the invention is not limited to the configuration depicted.

[0019] As an optional feature, at least one drawer (not shown) may be mounted in the housing 12 for movement between an open position extended forwardly from the housing through the forwardly facing opening 20 and a closed position retracted inwardly into the housing 12. Any number of drawers may be used and they may be mounted for movement between their open and closed positions in any suitable manner. For example, conventional sliding tracks may be used to support the drawers for rectilinear movement between their open and closed positions. The use of drawers is optional and the storage area 19 may house cabinets with pivoted doors therein, or may simply be a large open space with or without vertical separator and/or horizontal shelves for dividing the area 19 into individual compartments. As illustrated, the storage area 19 is a large open area suitable for loose storage of large tools that would not fit in the smaller drawers shown at 3.

[0020] As can be appreciated from the Figures, the storage structure 10 has no bottom wall, and the lower edges of the side walls 16, 18 engage the upper surface 6 of the lower housing 2. For securement, bolts or other fasteners may be used to fasten side walls 16, 18 to upper surface 6. However, it is contemplated that the housing 12 of the storage structure 10 could have a bottom wall extending between the lower edges of the side walls 16, 18. Either configuration may be used.

[0021] A front wall 22 is movable to and from a closed position closing the forwardly facing opening 20. The closed position is illustrated in FIG. 2 and prevents access to the storage area 19. The front wall 22 includes an upper section 24 covering an upper part of the forwardly facing opening 20 in the closed position of the front wall 22, and a lower section 26 covering a lower part of the forwardly facing opening 20 in the closed position of the front wall 22. The front wall 22 may have any size or configuration and the invention is not intended to be limited to the one depicted.

[0022] The lower section 26 is movably mounted to the upper section 24 so that the lower section 26 can be moved relative to the upper section 24 into generally parallel, overlapped relation with the upper section 24. This is shown in FIG. 3. The lower section 26 may be mounted to the upper section 24 in any suitable manner to enable it to be moved into a generally parallel, overlapped relation relative to the upper section 24. For example, the lower section 26 could have a set of rollers on each side thereof and the upper section 24 could have a pair of tracks on the internal side edges thereof. The rollers would be mounted in the tracks to enable the lower section 26 to be slid in a generally rectilinear manner into the generally parallel, overlapped relation with respect to the upper section 24. Likewise, inter-engaged sliding tracks could be used. Regardless, any suitable mechanism for enabling this movement may be used and the present application is not intended to be limited to any particular arrangement.

[0023] The upper section 24 is movably mounted to the housing 12 so that it can be moved through two distinct motions. The upper section 24 can be pivoted upwardly to a pivoted position wherein the upper section 24 and the lower section 26 are generally parallel to the top wall 14. This is reflected by the change in positions understood by comparing FIGS. 3 and 4. Also, the upper section 24 with the lower section 26 in the generally parallel, overlapped relation therewith can be moved inwardly together into the housing 12 into a storage position underneath the top wall 14 in generally parallel, overlapped relation therewith. This storage position is shown in FIG. 5. The upper section 24 may be mounted to the housing 12 in any suitable manner to achieve this movement. For example, a pair of tracks could be mounted to the insides of the side walls 16, 18, and a pair of brackets could be slidably or rollingly mounted to the tracks for generally rectilinear movement along the tracks. The upper section 24 would be pivotally mounted to these brackets. The pivotal mounting will allow the upper section 24 to be pivoted upwardly to the aforementioned pivoted position, and then the upper and lower sections 24, 26 could be moved inwardly to the storage position with the brackets riding inwardly along the tracks. However, any suitable mechanism may be used and the present invention is not intended to be limited to any specific arrangement. The construction for this mounting depicted in FIG. 4 will be discussed in detail below.

[0024] To access the storage area 19, the user moves the lower section 26 of the front wall 22 relative to the upper section 24 so that the lower section 26 is in generally parallel, overlapped relation with the upper section 24. The upper section 24 is pivoted to a pivoted position wherein the upper section 24 and the lower section 26 are generally parallel to the top wall 14. Then, the upper section 24 with the lower section 26 in the parallel, overlapped relation therewith are moved inwardly together into the housing 12 into a storage position underneath the top wall 14 in generally parallel, overlapped relation therewith. Preferably, the user would pivot the upper section 24 after raising the lower section 26 into the generally parallel, overlapped relation, as that would reduce the effective swing arc of the front wall 20 during opening. However, it is within the scope of the invention to allow the user to opt to pivot the upper section 24 upwardly first prior to moving the lower section 26 into the generally parallel, overlapped relation.

[0025] Referring in particular to FIG. 4, there can be seen therein the structure for mounting the front wall 22. A pair of gear racks, one being shown at 28, are mounted to the upper edges of the side walls 16, 18. A rod 30 is connected at its opposite ends to the upper side edges of upper section 24. A pair of pinions, one being shown at 32, is fixed on the opposing ends of the rod 30. Also, a pair of torsion springs, are being shown at 34, are mounted to hubs, one being shown at 36, on the side walls 16, 18. One tang 38 of each spring is fixed to the walls 16, 18, or may be engaged with structure on the side walls 16, 18 to prevent it from moving and releasing its tension. The opposite tang 40 is freely and slidably engaged with the inner surface of the upper section 24.

[0026] As the upper section 24 is being pivoted upwardly, the springs 34 apply a biasing force through tang 40 to bias the upper section 24 upwardly through its pivotal motion. The biasing force applied may be enough to fully pivot the upper section 24 to the position of FIG. 4, or may be a lesser amount for providing assistance for manual raising of the front wall 22. The use of the spring is advantageous in a storage structure made of heavy gauge metal, particularly where the upper and lower sections 24, 26 are of such heavy gauge metal. This makes raising the front wall 22 easier and provides a smoother action, as the biasing force will tend to lessen as the springs 34 expand through the movement of the front wall 22.

[0027] The pinion gears 32 ride along the racks 28 in intermeshed relation to enable the front wall 22 to be moved rectilinearly underneath the top wall 14. Because the pinion gears 32 are fixed to the rod 30, they will rotate together at the same rate to ensure that the sides of the upper section 24 move inwardly at the same rate. This prevents any binding that could be caused by pushing one side in ahead of the other.

[0028] As an additional feature, one or more linear coil springs (not shown) could be connected between the upper section 24 and the lower section 26. These springs would apply a biasing force to bias the lower section 26 upwardly towards its generally parallel, overlapped relation with respect to the upper section 24. The biasing force could be sufficient to fully move the lower section 26 to that position, or could be lesser for purposes of assisting manual movement to that position.

[0029] A latch (not shown) may be provided to releasably lock the front wall 22 in its closed position. If the springs described above are provided for fully raising the lower section relative to the upper section 24 without the need for manual assistance, and also for fully pivoting the front wall 22 upwardly without the need for manual assistance, then release of the latch would provide for an automatic action of raising the front wall 22 to the position of FIG. 4. The latch may engage one or both side walls 16, 18, or any other structure. Preferably, the release for the latch would be accommodated on or adjacent to handle 44.

[0030] Additionally, another linear spring, or more than one, could be coupled to the upper section 24 or rod 30 and also to a back wall of the structure, or the back edge of the top or side walls, to apply a biasing force for assisting or fully pulling the front wall 22 underneath the top wall 14. With the ability of fully pulling the wall 22 (i.e., without the need for manual assistance) into the storage position, the range of motion for the front wall 22 can be fully automated under the scenario described above with respect to the latch.

[0031] As an alternative, springs could be coupled between the back wall, or back edges of the top or side walls, and the lower edge of the upper section 24. These springs would pivot the upper wall 24 inwardly into storage area 19 to bring the front wall 22 to its storage position. Linear coil springs or gas cushioned springs could be used for this purpose, as well as any other suitable spring.

[0032] The foregoing description has been provided solely for the purposes of explaining the structural and functional principles of the present invention, and is not intended to be limiting. To the contrary, the present invention is intended to encompass all modifications, alterations, substitutions, and equivalents within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A storage structure comprising:

a housing having a plurality of walls including at least a top wall and two opposing lateral side walls defining a storage area with a forwardly facing opening;

a front wall movable to and from a closed position closing the forwardly facing opening of the housing;

the front wall including an upper section covering an upper part of the forwardly facing opening in the closed position of the front wall and a lower section covering a lower part of the forwardly facing opening in the closed position of the front wall;

the lower section being mounted to the upper section so that the lower section can be moved generally rectilinearly relative to the upper section into generally parallel, overlapped relation with the upper section;

the upper section being pivotably mounted to the housing so that the front wall can be pivoted upwardly to enable the front wall to be positioned in a storage position generally parallel to and underneath the top wall for storing the upper and lower sections of the front wall in the generally parallel, overlapped relation thereof underneath the top wall; and

an actuator connected to the upper section of the front wall, the actuator being constructed to apply a force that urges the upper section to pivot upwardly, thus facilitating the pivoting of the upper section.

2. A storage structure according to claim 1, wherein the actuator comprises at least one spring.

3. A storage structure according to claim 2, wherein the at least one spring is a torsion spring.

4. A storage structure according to claim 1, wherein the upper section includes a rod connected to upper side edges thereof, the rod including a pair of gears fixed on opposing ends thereof, and wherein the gears are engaged in intermeshed relation with a pair of gear racks mounted to upper edges of the side walls of the housing for enabling the upper and lower sections to be moved inwardly to the storage position with the gears riding along the gear racks.

5. A method for accessing a storage area in a storage structure, the storage structure comprising: (a) a housing having a plurality of walls including at least a top wall and two opposing lateral side walls defining a storage area having a forwardly facing opening; and (b) a front wall movable to and from a closed position closing the forwardly facing opening of the housing, the front wall including a lower section that covers a lower part of the forwardly facing opening in the closed position of the front wall and an upper section that covers an upper part of the forwardly facing opening in the closed position of the front wall; the method comprising:

moving the lower section of the front wall generally rectilinearly relative to the upper section of the front wall so that the lower section is in generally parallel, overlapped relation with the upper section;

moving the front wall into a storage position wherein the upper and lower sections are in the generally parallel, overlapped relation and generally parallel to and underneath the top wall, the moving the front wall into the storage position including at least pivoting the upper section to be generally parallel to the top wall, the pivoting including applying a force with an actuator to urge the front wall to pivot upwardly.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the actuator comprises at least one spring and the spring applies the force.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the at least one spring is a torsion spring.

8. A method according to claim 5, wherein the moving the lower section in generally parallel, overlapped relation with the upper section occurs before the moving the front wall into the storage position.

9. A storage system comprising:

a lower housing having a plurality of drawers therein, the lower housing providing an upper support surface; and

a storage structure supported on the upper support surface of the lower housing, the storage structure comprising:

a housing having a plurality of walls including at least a top wall and two opposing lateral side walls defining a storage area with a forwardly facing opening;

a front wall movable to and from a closed position closing the forwardly facing opening of the housing;

the front wall including an upper section covering an upper part of the forwardly facing opening in the closed position of the front wall and a lower section covering a lower part of the forwardly facing opening in the closed position of the front wall;

the lower section being mounted to the upper section so that the lower section can be moved generally rectilinearly relative to the upper section into generally parallel, overlapped relation with the upper section;

the upper section being pivotably mounted to the housing so that the front wall can be pivoted upwardly to enable the front wall to be positioned in a storage position generally parallel to and underneath the top wall for storing the upper and lower sections of the front wall in the generally parallel, overlapped relation thereof underneath the top wall; and

an actuator connected to the upper section of the front wall, the actuator being constructed to apply a force that urges the upper section to pivot upwardly, thus facilitating the pivoting of the upper section.

10. A storage system according to claim 9, further comprising a vertically oriented cabinet having a hinged door for accessing an interior thereof, the cabinet attached to a side of the lower housing.

11. A storage system according to claim 9, wherein the actuator comprises at least one spring.

12. A storage system according to claim 11, wherein the at least one spring is a torsion spring.

13. A storage system according to claim 9, wherein the upper section is pivoted upwardly after the lower section is moved into the generally parallel, overlapped relation with the upper section.

14. A storage system according to claim 9, wherein the upper section includes a rod connected to upper side edges thereof, the rod including a pair of gears fixed on opposing ends thereof, and wherein the gears are engaged in intermeshed relation with a pair of gear racks mounted to upper edges of the side walls of the housing for enabling the upper and lower sections to be moved inwardly to the storage position with the gears riding along the gear racks.