This application is based upon provisional application 61/1035,565 filed on Mar. 11, 2008.
BACKGROUND The present invention relates to shelves. More particularly, it relates to a slidable and pivotable shelving system to more effectively use the space available in conventional shelves.
SUMMARY An embodiment described herein provides a plurality of vertically-hinged shelves both slidably and pivotably mounted to a shelf or a cabinet.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional cabinet fitted with a shelving system made in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view, similar to FIG. 1, but with the shelving system pulled out of the cabinet, the first vertical shelf pivoted 180 degrees and out of the way, the second vertical shelf pivoted 90 degrees and also out of the way, to gain access to the third vertical shelf;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged, perspective view of the shelving system of FIG. 2, with the cabinet omitted for clarity;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view, similar to that of FIG. 3, but with the second vertical shelf swung back into position to gain access to items on this second shelf;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view, similar to that of FIG. 4, but with the first vertical shelf swung back into position to gain access to items on this first shelf;
FIG. 6 is an exploded, perspective view of the shelving system of FIG. 5; and
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a cabinet with three levels of the shelving system of FIG. 5 installed.
DESCRIPTION: FIGS. 1-7 show a shelving system 10. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the shelving system 10 may be mounted to fit inside a conventional cabinet 12, such as a kitchen cabinet or a bathroom cabinet. The cabinet 12 may have a door (not shown) to fully enclose the shelving system 10 inside the cabinet 12. As explained in more detail below, the shelving system 10 may be pulled out by pulling on the handle 14 (See FIGS. 5 and 6) to pull out one or more of the vertically-hinged shelves 16, 18, 20 out of the cabinet 12, and at least some of the vertically-hinged shelves 16, 18, 20 are able to pivot or swing out of the way to allow access to the shelves behind them.
If access to the items on the first shelf 16 only is required, the shelving system 10 may be left inside the cabinet 12 (as shown in FIG. 1), or the shelving system 10 may be pulled forward (as shown in FIG. 5) to bring the items on the first shelf 16 even closer to the user. As will be explained in more detail below, to access items on the second shelf 18, the first shelf 16 may be pivoted 180 degrees out of the way (as shown in FIG. 4). To access items on the third shelf 20, the first shelf 16 is pivoted 180 degrees out of the way and the second shelf 18 is pivoted at right angles to its original position (as shown in FIG. 3).
Referring now to FIG. 6, the shelving system 10 includes first, second, and third shelves 16, 18, 20, which are both slidably and pivotably mounted inside the cabinet 12. The shelves 16, 18, 20 in this embodiment are wire mesh baskets to minimize the weight of the shelves 16, 18, 20 while still providing support for the items to be stored on the shelves 16, 18, 20. In this embodiment, each of the shelves 16, 18, 20 has horizontal top and bottom members, and vertical left and right side and back members. These shelves 16, 18, 20 may be made from any suitable materials in addition to wire mesh, including wood or plastic for instance, and they may be subdivided with additional horizontal and/or vertical members in order to better adapt the storage area to the products being stored, if desired.
Referring now to FIG. 6, the shelves 16, 18, 20 are mounted to vertical cross arms 24 via hinges blocks 26. The cross arms 24 are mounted to horizontal scab plates 28. The scab plates 28 are mounted to a set of common drawer slides 22. The drawer slides 22 are mounted to “L” shaped brackets 30 which are mounted to the sidewall 32 and/or the bottom wall 34 of the cabinet 12 in order to support the shelving system 10. Snap blocks 36 are also mounted to the scab plates 28 (as shown in FIG. 4) such that the snap blocks 36 engage and secure the shelves 16, 18, 20 when the shelves 16, 18, 20 are in the stowed position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6. The shelves 16, 18, 20 are mounted so that each shelf may pivot about its own vertical pivot axis defined by the axially aligned hinge blocks 26 for each shelf.
While it is possible to mount the shelves 16, 18, 20 directly onto the drawer slides 22, or mount the cross arms 24 directly onto the drawer slides 22, without using the scab plates 28, the use of the scab plates 28 allows the mounting of more shelves, and the customizing of the spacing between the shelves, without being limited by the mounting arrangement of the drawer slides 22.
The shelves 16, 18, 20 may come in a variety of dimensions, as required or desired, to customize the installation. Preferably, the shelves 16, 18, 20 are available with depth dimensions of 2 inches, 3 inches, or 4 inches, and these shelves may be mixed and matched in an installation as best suited for the application. Also, even though the figures show three identical shelves 16, 18, 20, an installation may have one or more shelves, each one with different dimensions. For instance, the shelf which is furthest back (such as shelf 20 in FIG. 1) may be a deeper shelf, such as a 4 inch deep shelf. The next shelf out (shelf 18 in FIG. 1) may be a very shallow shelf, such as a 2 inch deep shelf such that, when it is pivoted away, as shown in FIG. 2, it infringes as little as possible on the accessibility to the rearmost shelf 20. Finally, the outermost shelf (shelf 16 in FIG. 1) may have any desired depth as this shelf swings entirely out of the way, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, posing no restriction to the accessibility of the remaining shelves.
To complete an installation, the entire sliding/pivoting assembly, including the drawer slides 22, the scab plates 28, the cross arms 24, the handle 14, the hinge blocks 26, and the snap blocks 36 may be preinstalled onto the brackets 30. The brackets 30 are then mounted inside the cabinet 12. The hinge blocks 26 are temporarily removed or loosened far enough to allow the shelves 16, 18, 20 to be mounted to the hinge blocks 26, and the hinge blocks 26 are then reinstalled or tightened to complete the installation.
While the embodiment described above shows one arrangement for a shelving system, various other arrangements are possible. As discussed above, the number and dimensions of the shelves may be varied to meet the degree of customization desired. The number of drawer slides may also be varied depending on the size and quantity of shelves to be used. As also indicated above, the shelves may be mounted directly to the drawer slides, or they may be mounted via the cross arms and/or the scab plates 28. The drawer slides may be mounted directly onto the side wall of a cabinet, without the need for the mounting brackets. Depending on the size and weight of the shelves and of the items to be stored on the shelves, one or more drawer slides may be needed. In this particular embodiment, as shown, there are two drawer slides 22.
FIG. 7 shows three of the systems 10 of the previous embodiments mounted one above the other.
It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the scope of the present invention.
