Spray Bottle Rack

Abstract

A rotatable storage rack for spray bottles is described wherein the spray bottles are suspended on a rotatable outer ring supported above a fixed base.

Description

PRIOR APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application 61/540,638, entitled Spray Bottle Rack, filed on Sep. 29, 2011 by the same inventors and currently pending.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to rotatable storage racks used to support articles, such as spray bottles containing various liquids, and more particularly to an improved spray bottle rack for supporting a multitude of spray bottles in a confined space with easy and ready access being provided to any of those bottles selected by the user.

2. Related Background Art

Household storage space for items such as cleaning and lawn care articles is generally found to be insufficient in present homes and apartments. Closet and cabinet space is typically at a premium and is usually dominated by clothing, food, cooking utensils and the like. Storage space for household chemicals such as cleaning solutions, insecticides and herbicides, etc. is usually relegated to ad hoc storage areas, such as found in a laundry area or garage, where access to these potentially dangerous materials by children and pets can be controlled. These materials are frequently provided in manually operated spray bottles that provide clean, easy and convenient application of their contents to the intended target. These spray bottles typically comprise a storage bottle attached to a mechanical spray head that includes a manually operated pump trigger that extends from the bottom of the spray head. It is not uncommon to find a dozen or more spray bottles containing various household liquids within the home. Consequently, the typical condition of insufficient storage space results in disorganized and inefficient storage of spray bottles within already congested storage spaces, making selection difficult and tending to cause accidental upset and spillage of their contents by the user.

There have been numerous solutions to the problem of storage space disorganization in the past. Generally designed to make more efficient use of closet areas for storage, these prior art solutions comprise specially designed shelves and racks that provide higher visibility of and access to stored materials. While being effective in promoting the more efficient use of cabinet and closet space and in providing accessibility to a larger variety of contents, these solutions have presented difficulties in their installation and their adaptability for use in a variety of confined spaces. In particular, it is still common for spray bottles to be stored together side-by-side in such storage solutions so that labels and contents largely obscured and the bottles have to be serially searched to find a particular product, leading to the potential for upset and spillage.

As such, it can be appreciated that there continues to be a need for a new rack device for spray bottles that addresses the limitations of the prior art in strength of construction, ease of use and deployment, and suitability for handling a larger number and wider variety of bottles.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is general purpose and object of the present invention to provide an improved rotatable spray bottle rack device that makes efficient use of storage space, such as closets and the like, and better handles a full capacity and wider variety of spray bottles than those storage constructions heretofore developed.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved spray bottle rack device that is lightweight and portable yet provides increased stability in storing and handling of a large number of spray bottles.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved rotatable spray bottle rack device that is normally free standing and able to be moved easily yet is adaptable for fixed installation at a particular location.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a rotatable spray bottle rack that is reasonably inexpensive to manufacture, easy to assemble and deploy, and reliable in its operation.

Briefly, these and other objects of the present invention are accomplished by a spray bottle carousel device particularly suitable for use in cabinets, closets and other confined areas and comprising a rotatable wire rack member mounted upon a central shaft. The shaft is adapted to be stationed upon a horizontal surface in a substantially vertical position supported within a base stand and may be adjustable in its length to provide for varying spray bottle heights. The wire rack member is specially formed to hold and display a variety of spray bottles around the periphery of the rack member. Each rack member is constructed from a plurality of radial spokes centrally connected to a hub member at inner ends of the spokes and connected to a circularly shaped outer ring at their outer ends. Spray bottles are conveniently stored by suspending them from the outer ring, hooking the spray head over the outer ring in the space between the neck of the storage bottle and the manual trigger.

For a better understanding of these and other aspects of the present invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals and characters designate like parts throughout the figures thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the spray bottle rack.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1, illustrating the attachment of spray bottles.

FIG. 3 an exploded view of the embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a multi-tiered embodiment of the spray bottle rack.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of an adjustable height embodiment of the spray bottle rack.

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of an embodiment that incorporates a storage area in an extended base.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the spray bottle rack and illustrates the features of the device. The spray bottle rack 100 provides an outer ring 101 attached to an inner rotatable hub 102 using spokes 103. The attached outer ring is supported above fixed base 104 by a fixed support tube 105 and is rotatably attached to a fixed inner shaft (not shown) using finial 106 which attaches to the threaded end of the inner shaft (not shown.) The diameter of base 104 is equal to or larger than the diameter of outer ring 101 in order to provide for the stability of the spray bottle rack when loaded with full spray bottles, and the base may contain additional weights to further improve the stability of the rack. In another embodiment (not shown) the finial is shaped to form a carrying handle with finger grips.

FIG. 2 illustrates the storage of spray bottles using the embodiment of FIG. 1. Spray bottles 201 and 202 are conveniently stored by suspending them from the outer ring 101, hooking the spray head 203 over the outer ring in the space between the neck of the storage bottle 204 and the manual trigger 205. The optimal dimensions for the spray bottle rack are determined by the typical dimensions of the spray bottles which are to be stored thereon. For example, if the typical spray bottle is characterized by a rectangular base having length L and width W, where L is larger than W, then the optimal diameter of the outer ring 101 is four times the length, L. Although the total number of bottles storable on the rack depends on both W and L, it can be shown that the storage efficiency of the rack (which relates the ratio of the number of bottles stored on the rack to the number of bottles that could be stored on a square surface having an edge dimension equal to the diameter of the outer ring 101) attains a maximum value of approximately 40% when the diameter is four times the length, L, independent of W. Of course, the spray bottles are more conveniently identified and accessed when stored on the rack, and are less prone to being knocked over and their contents spilled.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 that shows the fixed inner shaft 301 having threaded ends that attach to the fixed base 104 in the threaded hole 107 at the bottom of the assembly and to the finial 106 at the top. The fixed inner shaft fits within the rotatable hub 102 and fixed support tube 105 with adequate clearance to allow free rotation of the hub 102. The support tube has a first end 108 and a second end 109. The first end 108 rests upon the base 104. The bottom end 110 of the hub 102 rests upon the top end 109 of the support tube 105. The top end 111 of the hub 102 would contact a second support tube if added for a second rack as shown and discussed in FIG. 4. This construction allows the spray bottle rack to rotate and to be lifted using the finial 106 and used to transport the load of spray bottles to a work site.

FIG. 4 shows a multi-tiered embodiment of the spray bottle rack that incorporates a second fixed support tube 401 that also fits over an extended fixed inner shaft (not shown) and separates the individual storage tiers 402 and 403. This embodiment allows the maximum storage efficiency of the spray bottle rack to increase to nearly 80% in storage locations having adequate available height.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of the spray bottle rack wherein a telescoping upper fixed support tube 501 fits within the lower fixed support tube 105 and is locked using a manually tightened compression fitting 502. This embodiment allows the height of the outer ring to be adjusted relative to the base, thereby accommodating spray bottles of various heights. In this embodiment fixed support tube 105 mounts directly into the base 104, and the fixed inner shaft (not shown) attaches only to the finial 106 and extends downward through the rotatable hub 102 and upper fixed support shaft 501.

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of the spray bottle rack wherein the fixed base 104 is expanded to form a storage compartment for rags, sponges, and other cleaning tools. The storage compartment is accessible through a hinged door 601.

Claims

1-3. (canceled)

4. A carousel device for storing spray bottles, said device comprising:

a. a base said having a threaded hole at the middle,

b. a cylindrical shaft said shaft being threaded at each of two ends and said threads at a first end sized to thread into the threaded hole of the base,

c. a support tube said support tube having a length, a first end, and a second end, and a center axis along the length and a diameter, said diameter sized to fit over the cylindrical shaft and said first end resting in contact with the base, such that the support tube may be rotated around a center axis of the support tube,

d. a rack, said rack comprising an outer ring and an inner support tube said outer ring and inner support tube joined by a plurality of spokes to form a wheel structure, said rack inner support tube comprising a hollow cylinder having a first end and a second end said rack inner support tube cylinder having a diameter the same as the diameter of the support tube such that the rack inner support tube fits over the cylindrical shaft and the first end of the rack inner support tube rests atop the support tube and in contact with the second end of the support tube, the rack is thereby rotatably supported on the cylindrical shaft,

e. a finial including a threaded hole said hole sized to thread onto the second end of the cylindrical shaft and thereby constrain the support tube and the rack in place on the cylindrical shaft.

5. The carousel device of claim 4 wherein the length of the support tube is adjustable.

6. The carousel device of claim 4 further including a second rack.

7. The carousel device of claim 4 further comprising a storage compartment contained within said base.

8. The carousel device of claim 7 wherein said storage compartment includes a hinged door.

9. The carousel device of claim 4 wherein the finial is shaped as a carrying handle with finger grips.

10. The carousel device of claim 4 further comprising:

a. a second support tube said second support tube having a length, a first end, and a second end, and a center axis along the length and a diameter, said diameter sized to fit over the cylindrical shaft and said first end resting in contact with the second end of the rack inner support tube, such that the support tube may be rotated around a center axis of the support tube, and,

b. a second rack, said second rack comprising an outer ring and an inner support tube said outer ring and inner support tube joined by a plurality of spokes to form a wheel structure, said second rack inner support tube comprising a hollow cylinder having a first end and a second end, said second rack inner support tube cylinder having a diameter the same as the diameter of the second support tube such that the second rack inner support tube fits over the cylindrical shaft and rests atop the second support tube and the first end of the second rack inner support tube in contact with the second end of the second support tube, the second rack is thereby rotatably supported on the cylindrical shaft.