FIELD Racks for storing bottles are disclosed herein, and more particularly, racks for efficient storage and retrieval of wine bottles in storage areas where space limitations are present.
BACKGROUND Racks are commonly used to store bottles (e.g., bottles containing alcoholic beverages such as wine, vodka, cognac, and other consumable beverages). The racks may be located in storage areas such as refrigerators, wine cellars, cabinets, closets, or the like. Racks often include support members in column format that permit the bottles to be stored on the rack two, three, or more bottles deep. Some storage arrangements include identical racks where the support members of adjacent racks are oriented on the same level. Such arrangements necessitate clearance between the end of one bottle in one rack to the end of the other bottle in the second rack and requires adjacent racks to be positioned far enough apart for the adjacent racks to be moved relative to one another.
Such bottle storage arrangements suffer from a disadvantage in that the bottles located in the second, third, or subsequent columns inward are obstructed both physically and from view by the bottles in the front columns. This prevents a person desiring to select one or more bottles to pull from the rack from quickly and easily identifying and reaching a bottle or bottles of interest.
Accordingly, a rack is needed that overcomes the disadvantages associated with the above racks by providing a space-efficient storage of bottles and easy and intuitive selection and retrieval of the bottles from any of the columns in the rack.
SUMMARY A rack according to one embodiment includes a frame member having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, a top and a bottom, and a height between the top and the bottom. The rack further includes a plurality of support arms extending from each of the first and second sides of the frame member, and the plurality of support arms are sized and positioned to support a plurality of bottles thereon. The rack also includes at least one slide member operably engaged to the frame member. The at least one slide member is configured to permit the frame member and each of the bottles supported by the support arms extending from each of the first and second sides of the frame member to linearly slide from a stowed position into a deployed position.
The first and second sides of the frame member may include at least three pairs of the support arms positioned in one horizontal plane. Each of the three pairs may form a part of one of three vertical columns of support arms and each of the three vertical columns of support arms may be adapted to support a respective column of the bottles. The three vertical columns of the bottles may include a front column, a middle column, and a rear column. When the frame member and each of the bottles slides from the stowed position toward the deployed position, the rear column may slide forward past a position occupied by the front column in the stowed position.
The at least one slide member may include a first slide member operably attached to the frame member at the top and a second slide member operably attached to the frame member at the bottom. In one approach, at least a portion of the at least one slide member telescopes outwardly in a linear direction perpendicular to the height of the frame member when the frame member slides from the stowed position into the deployed position.
A rack according to another embodiment includes a frame member having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, a top and a bottom, and a height between the top and the bottom. The rack further includes a plurality of support arms extending from each of the first and second sides of the frame member and the plurality of support arms is sized and positioned to support a plurality of bottles thereon. The rack also includes at least one rotating member operably engaged to the frame member. The at least one rotating member is configured to permit the frame member and each of the bottles supported by the support arms to rotate about a rotational axis parallel to the height of the frame member from a stowed position into a deployed position.
Each of the first and second sides of the frame member may include at least three pairs of the support arms positioned in one horizontal plane. Each of the three pairs of the support arms may form a part of one of three vertical columns of support arms and each of the three vertical columns of support arms may be adapted to support a respective column of the bottles. The at least one rotating member may include a first rotating member operably attached to the frame member at the top and a second rotating member operably attached to the frame member at the bottom.
In one approach, the rotating member permits the frame member to rotate at least 90 degrees about the rotational axis as the frame member and each of the bottles supported by the support arms rotate about the rotational axis from the stowed position toward the deployed position. In another approach, the rotating member simultaneously permits the plurality of support arms extending from the first side of the frame member to rotate 90 degrees about the rotational axis such that tips of the bottles supported by the support arms extending from the first side of the frame member face toward a user while the plurality of support arms extending from the second side of the frame member rotate 90 degrees about the rotational axis such that tips of the bottles supported by the support arms extending from the second side of the frame member face away from the user.
A rack according to yet another embodiment includes a frame member having a first panel and a second panel, the first and second panels being movably engaged relative to each other, a top and a bottom, and a height between the top and the bottom. The rack further includes a plurality of support arms extending from each of the first and second panels, and the plurality of support arms are sized and positioned to support a plurality of bottles thereon. The rack also includes at least one pivot member operably engaged to the first and second panels and the at least one pivot member is configured to permit at least one of the first and second panels to pivot in a direction away from another of the first and second panels from a stowed position into a deployed position.
The at least one pivot member may include a first hinge operably engaged to at least one of the first and second panels proximate the top of the frame member and a second hinge operably engaged to at least one of the first and second panels proximate the bottom of the frame member.
In one approach, the pivot member permits the first panel to pivot 90 degrees relative to the second panel such that the first panel is perpendicular to the second panel when the first panel pivots into the deployed position.
In another approach, the pivot member permits the first panel to pivot 180 degrees relative to the second panel such that the first panel and the second panels are in one plane when the first panel pivots into the deployed position.
In yet another approach, the pivot member permits each of the first and second panels to simultaneously pivot 90 degrees when the first and second panels pivot from the stowed position into the deployed position such that the first and second panels are positioned in one plane when the first and second panels are in the deployed position.
A kit for assembling at least one rack including a plurality of trays for supporting bottles includes vertical frame member having a first including a plurality of mounting location. Each mounting location includes at least one slot passing through the vertical frame member and at least one clip member located in part in an interior of the vertical frame and in part protruding through the at least one slot. The kit includes a top mounting member adapted to be fixed to one of a wall and a ceiling and including at least one opening for receiving a top portion of the vertical frame member. The kit also includes at least one tray including an opening for receiving at least a portion of the vertical frame member therethrough, the opening including at least one sleeve movably coupled to the vertical frame member and adapted to permit the at least one tray to independently rotate relative to the vertical frame member about a rotational axis parallel to the vertical frame member, the at least one tray including a plurality of support arms extending therefrom, the plurality of support arms being sized and positioned to support a plurality of bottles thereon.
In one approach, the at least one sleeve is movably coupled to the vertical frame member such that the at least one tray is permitted to slide upwardly and downwardly on the vertical frame member.
In one approach, the clip member is adapted to resiliently flex in response to being contacted by at least a portion of the at least one tray during movement of the at least one tray one the slcontacted such that the clip member is entirely located within the interior of the vertical frame.
The kit may further include a bottom mounting member adapted to be fixed to a floor and including at least one opening for receiving a bottom portion of the vertical frame member.
In an approach, the top mounting member is mounted on a vertical wall and includes an intermediate mounting member and the vertical frame member is coupled to the intermediate mounting member.
The aforementioned racks advantageously provide space-efficient storage of multiple columns of bottles, and permit easy and intuitive access to and retrieval of bottles in rear columns that are obstructed by bottles in front columns. Further advantages will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art with reference to the following drawings, detailed description, and claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a storage area including three racks according to an embodiment, all three of the racks being shown in a stowed position;
FIG. 2 is the same view as in FIG. 1, but shown with one of the racks of FIG. 1 being slid from the stowed position to the deployed position;
FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of a storage area including three racks according to another embodiment, all three racks being shown in a stowed position and positioned in the storage area with enough clearance from the walls of the storage area to rotate the racks without sliding them forward;
FIG. 4 is the same view as in FIG. 3, but shown with one of the racks of FIG. 3 being rotated from the stowed position to the deployed position;
FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of a storage area including three racks according to another embodiment, all three racks including hinged panels, the racks being shown in a stowed position and positioned in the storage area substantially flush against a wall;
FIG. 6 is the same view as in FIG. 5, but shown with one of the panels of a center rack being pivoted from the stowed position to the deployed position;
FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the racks of FIG. 5, shown with one of the hinge members partially exploded for clarity and the hinged panels shown in the stowed position;
FIG. 8 is the same view as in FIG. 7, but shown with one of the panels of the rack of FIG. 7 being swung about the hinge members between the two panels from the stowed position to the deployed position;
FIG. 9 is a front perspective view of a storage area including three racks according to any one of the aforementioned embodiments, all three racks being shown in the stowed position and positioned in the storage area against a wall to illustrate the difficulty of retrieving bottles in the second and third column inward;
FIG. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of portions of two adjacent wine racks to illustrate staggered orientation of the support arms according to one embodiment;
FIG. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of portions of one side of a rack according to any one of the aforementioned embodiments to illustrate the orientation of the support arms in the exemplary three column configuration;
FIG. 12 is a front perspective view of a storage area including two racks according to an embodiment, shown with an assembly for mounting to a ceiling and floor and including individually rotatable trays, with some trays being shown in a stowed position and some trays rotated from the stowed position to the deployed position;
FIG. 13 is a front perspective view of a storage area including two racks according to another embodiment, shown with an assembly for mounting to a wall and including individually rotatable trays, with some trays being shown in a stowed position and some trays rotated from the stowed position to the deployed position;
FIG. 14A illustrates a front perspective view of top and bottom frame members according to one embodiment, shown being aligned via a plumb line and plumb bob, for coupling to the vertical frame member;
FIG. 14B illustrates a front perspective view of top and bottom frame members according to another embodiment, shown with the top frame member having circular openings and the bottom frame member having square-shaped openings to restrict rotation of the vertical frame member;
FIG. 14C illustrates a front perspective view of top and bottom frame members according to another embodiment where the bottom frame member is separable into two identical halves that may be brought together;
FIG. 15 shows a side perspective view of one of the trays of FIG. 12;
FIG. 16 is a front elevational view of the racks of FIG. 12;
FIG. 17 is an enlarged fragmentary front view of the racks of FIG. 16 showing one of the trays mounted to a vertical frame member with bottles being stored on the support members of the tray;
FIG. 18A shows a sectional front view of the tray of FIG. 16 being moved up the vertical frame member and a clip member mounted in its initial position;
FIG. 18B is the same view as in FIG. 18A, but with the tray being moved into tension with the clip member such that portions of the clip member flex into the interior of the vertical frame member;
FIG. 18C is the same view as in FIGS. 18A and 18B, but with the tray being moved past the corners of the clip member such that the clip member snaps back into its initial position and the tray is supported on flange portions of the clip member;
FIG. 19 is a side elevational view of a clip member according to one embodiment;
FIG. 20A is an enlarged fragmentary front view of the tray of FIG. 15 showing the tray in the stowed position and illustrating an exemplary configuration of a bushing that permits rotation of the tray;
FIG. 20B is an enlarged fragmentary side view of the tray of FIG. 20A showing the tray in the deployed position and further illustrating the bushing of FIG. 20A;
FIG. 21A is an enlarged fragmentary front view of the tray of FIG. 15 showing the tray in the stowed position and illustrating an exemplary alternative configuration of a bushing that permits rotation of the tray; and
FIG. 21B is an enlarged fragmentary side view of the tray of FIG. 21A showing the tray in the deployed position and further illustrating the bushing of FIG. 21A.
For ease of reference, in the accompanying FIGURES, the aspects of the racks and/or trays that are similar across the different embodiments have been designated with similar reference numbers, prefaced with differing leading numbers in an increasing numerical order.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION Generally, racks for storing a plurality of bottles are described herein. The racks store a plurality of bottles in multi-column format and include movable members to facilitate at least a portion of the rack to move from the stowed position where some of the bottles in rearward columns are obstructed by some of the bottles in the forward columns into a deployed position where the bottles in any column are visible and easy to retrieve from the wine rack.
Racks 10a, 10b, and 10c according to one exemplary embodiment are shown in FIG. 1. The racks 10a, 10b, and 10c are illustrated as storing a plurality of bottles 80, illustrated in a form typically attributed to wine bottles. It will be appreciated, however, that the racks 10a, 10b, and 10c may be used advantageously to store other bottles containing non-alcoholic beverages and/or other spirits (e.g., vodka, cognac, champagne, or the like), or containers other than bottles, such jars, cans, or the like.
The bottles 80 are shown in FIG. 1 as being located in an exemplary storage space 90 suitable for storing the racks 10a, 10b, and 10c. The storage space 90 shown in FIG. 1 includes a first side wall 92, a second side wall 94, and a rear wall 96 connecting the first and second side walls 92, 94. It is to be appreciated that any storage space suitable to accommodate the racks 10a, 10b, and 10c may be used instead of the storage space 90. For example, the racks 10a, 10b, and 10c may be stored in a storage area such as a refrigerator, wine cellar, pantry, cabinet, or the like. Further, it is to be appreciated that the racks 10a, 10b, and 10c have been shown as being mounted to the first and second side walls 92, 94 and to the rear wall 96 by way of example only, and that the racks 10a, 10b, and 10c may be mounted, for example just to the rear wall 96, just to a ceiling, just to a floor, or to both the ceiling and the floor, as will be discussed in more detail below with reference to alternative embodiments.
With reference to FIG. 1, each rack 10a, 10b, 10c includes a frame member 12 and a plurality of support arms 14 extending from the frame member 12. Each frame member 14 of the racks 10a, 10b, 10c includes a first side 15 and a second side 17 opposite the first side, and includes support arms 14 extending from each of the two sides 15, 17 to increase bottle storage efficiency in the storage area 90.
FIG. 1 shows the racks 10a, 10b, 10c positioned in a “stowed” or “home” position within the storage space 90. With the racks 10a, 10b, 10c being in the stowed position, as discussed in more details below, bottles 80a and 80d of the front two columns obstruct a user's view of bottles 80b, 80c, 80e, 80f in the rear columns. Advantageously, the frame member 12 includes at least slide member 16 operably engaged to the frame member 12 to permit the frame member 12 to slide from the stowed position into a deployed position. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, each of the racks 10a, 10b, 10c includes a first slide member 16 proximate a top 20 of the frame member 12 and a second slide member 18 proximate a bottom 22 of the frame member 12. Each of the first and second slide members 16 and 18 may be in the form of a single track, a multi-track assembly, a ball-bearings assembly, telescoping assembly, pulley assembly, or the like.
The first and second slide members 16, 18 permit each of the racks 10a, 10b, 10c to move along the slide members 16, 18 from the stowed position shown in FIG. 1 into the deployed position shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 shows the rack 10b being in the deployed position, where at least a portion of the rack 10b is located outside of the storage space 90, facilitating a user's ability to view and remove any of the bottles 80 stored on the rack 10b. Each of the slide member 16, 18 includes a front 24 and a back 26, as shown in FIG. 2. As the rack 10b is moved from the stowed position to the deployed position, the rack 10b moves linearly (e.g., in a straight line) in a direction from the back 26 to the front 24 of the slide members 16, 18 and away from the rear wall 96. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-2, the direction of movement of the rack 10b from the stowed position to the deployed position (and vice versa) is perpendicular to the direction of the support arms 14 and perpendicular to the height of the frame member 12, which is defined for purposes of this application as a maximum vertical dimension of the frame member 12 from the top 20 of the frame member 12 to the bottom 22 of the frame member 12.
As shown in FIG. 2, when the rack 10b is in the deployed position, bottles 80b, 80c, 80e, 80f located in the rear columns of the rack 10b are positioned flush with, or slightly further away from the rear wall 96 of the storage space 90 than bottles 80a, 80d located in the front columns of the adjacent racks 10a and 10c, permitting a user to easily view the labels on any of the bottles 80a, 80b, 80c, 80d, 80e, 80f on each of the sides 15, 17 of the frame member 12 of the rack 10b. When a user removes one or more bottles 80a, 80b, 80c, 80d, 80e, 80f of interest from either of the sides 15, 17 of the frame member 12 of the rack 10b, the user may then move the rack 10b from the deployed position of FIG. 2 back to the stowed position of FIG. 1 by sliding the rack 10b linearly along the slide members 16, 18 away from the user and toward the rear wall 96.
It is to be appreciated that while only one of the racks 10b has been shown in FIG. 2 being pulled from the stowed position into the deployed position, two of the racks (e.g., 10a and 10c), or all three of the racks 10a, 10b, 10c may be simultaneously pulled into the deployed position.
FIGS. 3 and 4 show racks 110a, 110b, 110c according to an alternative embodiment in a stowed position within the storage space 90. As seen in FIG. 3, with the racks 110a, 110b, 110c being in the stowed position, bottles 80a and 80d of the front two columns obstruct a user's view of bottles 80b, 80c, 80e, 80f in the rear columns. Advantageously, the frame member 112 of each of the racks 110a, 110b, 110c includes a rotating member 121 operably engaged to the frame member 114. It will be appreciated that while only one rotating member 121 is shown operably engaged to the frame member 114, more than one (e.g., two, three, four, or more) rotating members 121 may be used, where appropriate, for example, depending on the weight and size of the racks 110a, 110b, 110c. Further, while FIG. 3 has been shown to include only one rotating member 121 at the top 120 of the frame member 14, where appropriate, the frame member 114 may include a second rotating member at the bottom 122 of the frame member 114. Similarly, it will be appreciated that the location of the rotating member 121 at the top of the frame member 114 is shown for illustration purposes only, and the rotating member 121 may be positioned proximate to the top 120 of the frame member 114, or positioned midway between the top 120 and bottom 122 of the frame member 114. The rotating member 121 may be a swivel, a pivot, a rod, a shaft, or the like.
The rotating member 121 permits each of the racks 110a, 110b, 110c to rotate about a rotational axis (see dotted lines in FIG. 4) from a stowed position (see FIG. 3) to a deployed position (see FIG. 4). In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, the rotational axis is parallel to a height of each of the racks 100a, 110b, 110c, but may be non-parallel as well. As the rack 110b moves from the stowed position into the deployed position, the rotating member 121 simultaneously permits the support arms 114 extending from the first side 115 of the frame member 112 to rotate 90 degrees about the rotational axis such that tips of the bottles 80 supported by the support arms 114 extending from the first side 105 of the frame member 112 face toward a user while the plurality of support arms 114 extending from the second side 115 of the frame member 112 rotate 90 degrees about the rotational axis such that tips of the bottles 80 supported by the support arms 114 extending from the second side of the frame member 112 face away from the user, as seen in FIG. 4 and discussed in more detail below.
While FIG. 4 shows the rack 110b rotated about the rotational axis by 90 degrees relative to the stowed position, it will be appreciated that the rotating member 121 is adapted to permit the frame member 114 of each rack 110a, 110b, 100c to rotate, swivel, or pivot by a full range of motion (i.e., 0-360 degrees), as indicated by the circular dotted lines in FIG. 4. More specifically, the rotating member 121 is adapted to permit the frame member 114 to rotate at least by 90 degrees, 180 degrees, 270 degrees, and/or 360 degrees in either (clockwise or counterclockwise) direction.
With reference to FIG. 4, when the rack 110b is in the deployed position, one side 115 of the frame member 112 faces toward the user and the other side 117 of the frame member 112 faces away from the user and toward the rear wall 96. The deployed position of the rack 110b orients the bottles 80a, 80b, 80c supported by the support arms 114 extending from the first side 115 of the frame member 112 and the bottles 80d, 80e, 80f supported by the support arms 114 extending from the second side 117 of the frame member 112 such that a user is permitted to easily view the labels on the bottles 80a, 80b, 80c, 80d, 80f of the rack 110b. If a bottle (e.g., 80e) of interest is not visible to a user with the rack 110b being in the deployed position, the user may simply rotate the rack 110b by 180 degrees about the rotational axis such that the orientation of the rack 110b is reversed, i.e., such that the bottles 80d, 80e, 80f supported by the support arms 114 extending from the second side 117 of the frame member 112 face the user. When the user removes one or more bottles of interest from either of the sides 115, 117 of the rack 110b, the user may then rotate the rack 110b from the deployed position back to the stowed position by rotating the rack 110b by 90 degrees in either direction about the rotational axis.
It is to be appreciated that while only one of the racks 110b has been shown in FIG. 4 being rotated into the deployed position, two of the racks (e.g., 110a and 110c), or all three of the racks 110a, 110b, 110c may be simultaneously rotated into the deployed position, where appropriate. It is also to be appreciated that the embodiment of FIGS. 3-4 requires that the racks 110a, 110b, 110c are positioned at a predetermined distance away from the rear wall 96 of the storage space 90 to permit the circumference of motion (see the circular dotted circles in FIG. 4) of the tips of the bottles 80a, 80b, 80c, 80d, 80e, 80f to have clearance away from rear wall 96 of the storage space 90 to permit a full 360 range of motion of the racks 110a, 110b, 110c.
FIGS. 5-8 shows racks 210a, 210b, 210c according to yet another embodiment in a stowed position within the storage space 90. As seen in FIG. 5, with the racks 210a, 210b, 210c being in the stowed position, bottles 80a and 80d of the front two columns obstruct a user's view of bottles 80b, 80c, 80e, 80f in the rear columns. Advantageously, each of the racks 210a, 210b, 210c includes a frame member 212 with a first panel 211 and a second panel 213 that are movably engaged relative to each other. In particular, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5-8, each of the racks 210a, 210b, 210c includes a hinge member 250 proximate a top 220 of the frame member 212 and a second hinge member 252 proximate a bottom 222 of the frame member 212. It will be appreciated that while the two hinge members 250 and 252 have been shown in FIGS. 5-8, less than two (i.e., one), or more than two (e.g., three four, or more) hinge members 250, 252 may be used, where appropriate, depending, for example, on the size and weight of racks 210a, 210b, 210c. The hinge members 250 and 252 may be in the form of a hinge, a latch, a pin, a shaft, or any other connection or operable engagement that permits pivoting, swiveling, or rotational movement of the first and second panels 211, 213 of the frame member 212 relative to each other.
The hinge members 250, 252 permit the first and second panels 211 and 213 of each of the racks 210a, 210b, 210c to separately or simultaneously rotate in a direction away from each other (indicated by the arrows in FIG. 7) from a stowed position (see FIG. 7) to a deployed position (see FIG. 8) such that at least some of the bottles 80 are at least in part positioned external to the storage space 90, as shown in FIG. 6. While FIG. 6 shows the second panel 213 of the rack 210b in a deployed position, i.e., pivoted about the hinge members 250, 252 by 90 degrees relative to the stowed position, it will be appreciated that hinge members 250, 252 of the rack 210b permit the panels 211, 213 of the racks 210a, 210b, 210c to rotate, swivel, or pivot by a range of motion of 180 degrees.
In the deployed position shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, one panel 213 of the frame member 212 faces toward the user and the other panel 211 of the frame member 212 faces away from the user and toward the rear wall 96. The deployed position in this embodiment provides the user visual access to the bottles 80d, 80e, 80f supported by the support arms 214 extending from the panel 213 of the frame member 212. If a bottle of interest (e.g., 80b) is not visible to a user with the rack 210b being in the deployed position, the user may simply rotate the panel 211 of the rack 210b by 90 degrees about the hinge members 250, 252 such that the panel 211 also faces the user and the bottles 80a, 80b, 80c supported by the support arms 214 extending from the panel 211 of the frame member 212 face the user. When a user removes one or more bottles 80 of interest from either of the panels 211, 213 of the rack 210b, the user may then move the panels 211, 213 of the rack 210b about the hinge members 250, 252 from the deployed position back to the stowed position.
It is to be appreciated that while only one panel 213 of one of the racks 210b has been shown in FIG. 6 being rotated into the deployed position, one or both panels 211, 213 of two of the racks (e.g., 210a and 210c), or selected non-adjacent panels 211, 213 of all three of the racks 210a, 210b, 210c may be simultaneously moved into the deployed position, where appropriate.
It is also to be appreciated that while the racks 110a, 110b, 110c of the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4, which cannot be placed flush against the rear wall 96 of the storage space 90, and require being positioned a predetermined distance away from the rear wall 96 of the storage space 90 as indicated by the dotted lines in FIG. 4, the racks 210a, 210b, 210c of FIGS. 5-8 may be positioned flush against the back wall 96 of the storage space 90. This is so because one or both of the panels 211, 213 pivot to the deployed position without requiring the other of the panels 211, 213 to correspondingly rotate in a rearward direction towards the rear wall 96.
FIG. 9 shows three racks 310a, 310b, 310c generically representing the exemplary racks 10a, 10b, and 10c, 110a, 110b, and 110c, 210a, 210b, and 210c without regard to their specific features (e.g., slide members, rotating members, hinge members) for purposes of a more detailed illustration of the relative orientation of the frame members 312 and the support arms 314. The exemplary racks 310a, 310b, 310c are each adapted for storing bottles 80a, 80b, 80c, 80d, 80e, 80f in two sets of three vertical columns to provide for increased storage efficiency.
FIG. 10 shows an enlarged fragmentary view of two adjacent racks 310a and 310b while FIG. 11 shows a close-up of a portion of one of the racks 310b to illustrate the structure and orientation of the support arms 14 relative to the frame member 12. In the illustrated exemplary embodiments, the support arms 314 are oriented in multiple horizontal sets 330 (e.g., FIG. 11) having a predetermined number of support arms 314 for holding a predetermined number of bottles 80c. In particular, as shown in FIG. 11, one horizontal set 330 of support arms 314 includes a first pair of support arms 314a, 314b spaced apart a distance sized to accommodate a first bottle 80a, a second pair of support arms 314c, 314d spaced apart a distance sized to accommodate a second bottle 80b, and a third pair of support arms 314e, 314f spaced apart a distance sized to accommodate a third bottle 80c.
FIG. 11 also shows a second horizontal set 340 of support arms 314 that includes a first pair of support arms 314g, 314h spaced apart a distance sized to accommodate a first bottle 80a (which has been removed), a second pair of support arms 14i, 14j spaced apart a distance sized to accommodate a second bottle 80b, and a third pair of support arms 14k, 14l spaced apart a distance sized to accommodate a third bottle 80c. The exemplary horizontal sets 330 and 340 of support arms 314 are oriented vertically to form a column (e.g., FIGS. 1 and 10) permitting a three-deep storage of the bottles 80 to provide for space-efficient storage of the bottles 80 on each of the racks 310a, 310b, 310c, as shown, for example, in FIGS. 1, 3, and 5.
With reference to FIGS. 9 and 10, in one approach, the support arms 314 of adjacent columns are oriented such that their elevations and the bottles 80 are positioned in a staggered orientation such that portions of bottles 80 overlie one another. The staggered elevation of the support arms 314 permits adjacent racks 310a, 310b, 310c to be positioned closer to one another, providing a more space-efficient arrangement as compared to conventional racks where the bottles are spaced apart and do not overlie one another. It will be appreciated that the staggered elevation of the support arms 314 is optional, and where space permits, the support arms 314 of adjacent racks 310a, 310b, 310c may be located at identical elevations with the racks 310a, 310b, 310c being spaced further apart.
It is to be appreciated that the configuration shown in FIGS. 1-11 has been shown by way of example only, and the racks of FIGS. 1-11 may include less or more than three columns (e.g, two, four, five, or more columns) of bottles 80. It will also be appreciated that the racks shown in FIGS. 1-11 are shown as being separate from one another and not as one interconnected structure, the racks may be removably or non-removably attached to one another, and may include one or more mounting member that permits the racks to be removably or non-removably attached to a corresponding structure of the storage area 90.
FIG. 12 shows racks 410a, 410b according to an alternative embodiment located in the exemplary storage space 90. By way of example only, unlike the racks 10, 110, 210, 310 discussed above, which store the bottles 80 three-deep (80a, 80b, 80c), the racks 410a, 410b are illustrated in FIG. 12 as storing the bottles 80 four-deep (80a, 80b, 80c, 80d), providing the racks 410a, 410b with more storage capacity as compared to the racks 10, 110, 210, 310. While the racks 10a and 110a described above are constructed and mounted such that the frame members 12a, 112a rotate in their entirety to simultaneously move all of the bottles 80 stored on the racks 10a, 110a, the racks 410a, 410b are different from the racks 10 and 110 also in that each rack 410a, 410b includes a rotationally fixed vertical frame member 421a, 421b each including a plurality of independently rotatable trays 470a, 470b rotatably mounted on a respective vertical frame member 421a, 421b.
As shown in FIG. 15, a tray 470b (which is identical to the tray 470a of FIG. 12) includes a plurality of support arms 414b for supporting a predetermined number of bottles. The exemplary tray 470b of FIG. 15 includes eight support arms 414b that are positioned and spaced to support eight typically-sized bottles 80a-80h, as shown in FIG. 12. As discussed in more detail below, the trays 470a, 470b are independently rotatable about the vertical frame members, permitting any one of the trays 470b and eight bottles to be moved at one time, instead of moving all of the bottles on a rack when a single bottle in a rear column is intended to be accessed and removed.
As can be seen in FIG. 12, when the trays 470a, 470b of the racks 410a, 410b are in the stowed position, the bottles 80a and 80e of the front two columns obstruct a user's view of, and restrict the user's access to, the bottles 80b, 80c, 80d, 80f, 80g, 80h located in the rear columns. The vertical frame members 421a, 421b permit the trays 470a, 470b of the racks 410a, 410b to rotate about a rotational axis parallel to the vertical frame members 421a, 421b from a stowed position (see rack 470a in FIG. 12) to a deployed position (see second from the top rack 470b in FIG. 12) such that each of the bottles 80b, 80c, 80d of the three rear vertical columns are all unobstructed and accessible to the user as much as the bottle 80a of the front vertical column.
While FIG. 12 shows the tray 470b of the rack 410b rotated into the deployed position by 90 degrees about the rotational axis relative to the stowed position, it will be appreciated that the vertical frame member 421b is adapted to permit the trays 470a, 470b of each rack 410a, 410b to rotate, swivel, or pivot by a full range of motion (i.e., 0-360 degrees), as indicated by the circular dotted lines in FIG. 12. More specifically, the vertical frame member 421b is coupled to the trays 470b such that each of the trays 470b is permitted to swivel or rotate independently at least by 90 degrees, 180 degrees, 270 degrees, and/or 360 degrees in either (clockwise or counterclockwise) direction. For example, the tray 470b may be rotated 180 degrees about the vertical frame member 421b such that the bottles 80a-80d are obstructed and face away from the user while the bottles 80e-80h are brought in to a position formerly occupied by the bottles 80a-80d (as in FIG. 12) to face the user and permit easy access for viewing and removal of any of the bottles 80e-80h.
The racks 410a, 410b are shown in FIG. 12 as being mounted to a top wall or ceiling 97 via a top mounting member 420 and to a bottom wall or floor 98 via a bottom mounting member 422. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 12, the top and bottom mounting members 420, 422 may be fixedly attached to the ceiling 97 and the floor 98, respectively, via fasteners (e.g., screws 429 shown FIGS. 14A-14B) that pass through the top and bottom mounting members 420, 422 and into the respective one of the ceiling 97 and the floor 98. While the top and bottom members 420, 422 have been shown with pre-drilled holes 419 for accommodating the fasteners 429, it is to be appreciated that the pre-drilled holes 419 may be omitted and the fasteners 429 may be in the form of self-tapping screws that may be used to attach the top and bottom members 420, 422 to the ceiling 97 and floor 98, respectively.
With reference to FIG. 12, in one approach, the support arms 414a, 414b of the adjacent columns of the racks 410a, 410b are oriented such that their elevations and the bottles 80a-80h are positioned in a staggered orientation such that portions (e.g., necks) of the bottles 80a-80h overlie one another. The staggered elevation of the support arms 414a, 414b permits adjacent racks 410a, 410b to be positioned closer to one another, providing a more space-efficient arrangement as compared to conventional racks where the bottles are spaced apart and do not overlie one another. It will be appreciated that the staggered elevation of the support arms 414a, 414b is optional, and where space permits, the support arms 414a, 414b of adjacent racks 410a, 410b may be located at identical elevations and the racks 410a, 410b may be spaced further apart.
FIG. 13 illustrates racks 510a, 510b according to an alternative embodiment located in the exemplary storage space 90. The racks 510, 510b are substantially similar to the racks 410a, 410b, with one difference being that the racks 510a, 510b are mounted to the rear wall 96 and the floor 98 of the storage space 90 instead of being mounted to the ceiling 97 and the floor 98 as the racks 410a, 410b. Specifically, the racks 510a, 510b are mounted to a bottom wall or floor 98 of the storage space 90 via a bottom mounting member 522 substantially the same way as described above in reference to the bottom mounting member 422 in FIG. 12 above. Unlike the top mounting member 420 of FIG. 12, which overlies the vertical frame members 421a, 421b, the top mounting member 522 is mounted to the rear wall 96 of the storage space and does not overlie the vertical frame members 521a, 521b. As such, the vertical frame members 521a, 521 are rotatably coupled to intermediate mounting members 525a, 525b, respectively, which may be unitary parts of the top frame member 520, or may be fixedly attached to the top frame member 520, as shown in FIG. 13. The intermediate mounting members 525a, 525b have been shown in FIG. 13 as extending away from the top frame member 520 in a direction generally perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the top frame member 520 and are oriented generally horizontally and perpendicularly relative to the vertical frame members 521a, 521b. It will be appreciated that the intermediate mounting members 525a, 525b may be oriented non-horizontally, and may be non-perpendicular to one or both of the top frame member 520 and the vertical frame members 521a, 521b.
With reference to FIGS. 14A-14C, varying alternative configurations of the top and bottom mounting members 420 and 422 are shown to illustrate possible ways to restrict rotation of the vertical frame members 421a, 421b when one or more of the trays 470a, 470b are independently rotated from the stowed position into the deployed position.
FIG. 14A shows one exemplary configuration where the top mounting member 420 includes two openings 435 and the bottom mounting member 422 includes two openings 437 opposite the openings 435. Since the exemplary vertical mounting members 421a, 421b are generally straight as shown in FIG. 12, the openings 435 and 437 of the top and bottom mounting members 420, 422 may be aligned using a plumb line 86 which may include a plumb bob 88, as shown in FIG. 14A. While the openings 435 of the top mounting member 420 have been shown in FIG. 14A as being circular and hollow (to receive a top portion 423a of the circular vertical frame members 421a, 421b) and not passing completely through the top mounting member 420, the openings 435 may alternatively pass completely through the top mounting member 420.
The openings 437 of the bottom mounting member 422 are shown in FIG. 14A as being circular and hollow (to receive a corresponding bottom portion 423b of the vertical frame members 421a, 421b) and also not passing completely through the bottom mounting member 420, and including a slot 439 sized and shaped to receive a matching peg at the bottom portion 423 of the vertical frame members 421a, 421b. When the vertical frame members 421a, 421b are coupled to the top and bottom mounting members 420, 422, the pegs of the openings 437 act as a stop to prevent rotational movement of the circular vertical frame members 421a, 421b during rotation of any one of the trays 470a, 470b, allowing any one of the trays 470a, 470b to be independently rotated from the stowed position into the deployed position without requiring associated rotational movement of the vertical frame members 421a, 421b.
FIG. 14B shows another exemplary configuration where the top mounting member 620 includes two openings 635 and the bottom mounting member 622 includes two openings 637 opposite the circular openings 635, which may be aligned as described above in reference to FIG. 14A. The openings 635 of the top mounting member 620 are shown in FIG. 14B as being circular and hollow (to receive a corresponding top portion 423a of the vertical frame members 421a, 421b) and completely passing through the top mounting member 620, but may alternatively only partially through the top mounting member 620. The openings 637 of the bottom mounting member 622 are shown in FIG. 14B as being hollow (to receive a corresponding bottom portion 423b of the vertical frame member 421a) and also passing completely through the bottom mounting member 620, and being square-shaped and sized to receive a correspondingly sized and shaped bottom portion 423a, 423b of the vertical frame members 421a, 421b. When the vertical frame members 421a, 421b are coupled to the top and bottom mounting members 620, 622, the square-shaped bottom portion of the vertical frame members 421a, 421b is at least in part positioned in the square shaped openings 637 of the bottom mounting member 622 and acts as a stop to prevent rotational movement of the vertical frame members 421a, 421b during the rotation of any one of the trays 470a, 470b, allowing any one of the trays 470a, 470b to be independently rotated about the vertical frame members 421a, 421b from the stowed position into the deployed position.
FIG. 14C shows another exemplary configuration where the top mounting member 720 is identical to the top mounting member 620 and the bottom mounting member 622 is substantially similar to the bottom mounting member 622, but instead of having a one-piece monolithic construction as the bottom mounting member 622, the bottom mounting member 722 includes two identical halves, which may be brought into contact to form the mounting member 722 that, aside from being formed from two separable pieces, would be identical to the bottom mounting member 622.
It will be appreciated that while FIGS. 14A-14C show a top mounting member 420, 620, 720 and a bottom mounting member 422, 622, 722, it will be appreciated that the vertical frame members 421a, 421b may be mounted using only the top mounting member 420, 620, 720 or only the bottom mounting member
The configuration of the bottom mounting member 722 in two separable halves may facilitate the coupling of the vertical frame members 421a, 421b to the bottom mounting member 722 in situations where lifting the vertical frame members 421a, 421b off the floor 98 and into the openings 737 is not desirable, for example, due to a limitation in height. Similarly to the configuration of FIG. 14B, when the vertical frame member 421a is coupled to the top and bottom mounting members 720, 722, the square-shaped bottom portions 423a, 423b of the vertical frame members 421a, 421b are at least in part positioned in the square shaped openings 637 of the bottom mounting member 622 and act as stops to prevent rotational movement of the vertical frame members 421a, 421b during rotation of any one of the trays 470a, 470b, allowing any one of the trays 470a, 470b to be independently rotated about the vertical frame members 421a, 421b from the stowed position into the deployed position.
With reference to FIG. 15, each tray 470b includes an upper surface 471 and an opening 472 passing through the upper surface 471. A flanged collar portion 473 protruding from the upper surface 471 surrounds the opening 472, as shown in FIG. 15, and extends in part into the opening 472, as shown in FIGS. 18A-18B. In one approach, the flanged collar portion 473 may be fixedly attached, i.e., by welding to an interior surface of the opening 472. The opening 472 is located centrally to the tray 470, but the opening 472 may also be off-center. The opening 472 of the tray 470 is sized and shaped to receive the vertical frame members 421a, 421b such that the vertical frame members 421a, 421b may be insertable into the opening 472 of the tray 470 and such that the tray 470 may be slid up or down the vertical frame members 421a, 421b.
Preferably, the tray 470 is sized and shaped to be in a friction-fit around the vertical frame members 421a, 421b. In an approach shown in FIG. 15, the opening 472 includes a sleeve or bushing 474 inserted into and coupled to the flanged collar portion 473, and one or more ball bearings 475 to permit rotational movement of the tray 470b about the vertical frame member 421b. It will be appreciated that the ball bearings 475 are shown by way of example only, and may be optionally omitted such that the sleeve or bushing 474 slides and rotates without the ball bearings 475. The sleeve or bushing 474, when not including the ball bearings 475, may be made of a material that provides for sliding and rotation of the bushing 474 relative to the vertical frame members, for example, Nylon, Delrin, and UHMW The sleeve or bushing 474 may be separable from the flanged collar 473 and may be inserted into the portion of flanged collar 473 located within the opening 472, for example, by sliding. The sleeve or bushing 474 may be made of a metallic or plastic material and is discussed in more detail below. As discussed above, the trays 470a and 470b are identical in the illustrated embodiments, but it will be appreciated that the trays 470a and 470b may be different from each other in size and bottle capacity.
With reference to FIG. 16, the vertical frame members 421a, 421b of the racks 510a, 510b and the trays 470a, 470b are adapted to have a modular relationship. Specifically, the vertical frame members 421a, 421b include a predetermined number of mounting locations where the trays 470a, 470b may be mounted onto the vertical frame members 421a, 421b. As shown in FIG. 16, the rotatable frame members 421a, 421b each include 14 mounting locations such that 14 independently rotatable trays 470a, 470b are mounted onto a respective one of the vertical frame members 421a, 421b. As shown in FIGS. 14 and 17, with FIG. 17 showing a single mounting location of one tray 470b on the vertical frame member 421b, each of the mounting locations on the rotatable frame member 421b includes a first slot 431b and second, larger, slot 433b. The vertical frame member 421b has a hollow interior 454, and includes, at each of the mounting locations, a clip member 460, as shown in FIGS. 18A-18C.
With reference to FIG. 19, the exemplary clip member 460 includes a bottom portion 461, a first leg portion 462, and a second leg portion 463 opposite the first leg portion 462. The first and second leg portions 462, 463 each include a foot portion 464, 465, respectively, with the first foot portion 464 terminating in a hook portion 466 and the second foot portion 465 terminating in a hook portion 467. The first leg portion 462 and the bottom portion 461 are joined by a first notch portion 468, and the second leg portion 463 and the bottom portion 461 are joined by a second notch portion 469. As can be seen in FIG. 19, the bottom portion 461 is entirely curved and U-shaped or dome-shaped, depending on how the clip member 460 is oriented. It is to be appreciated that the bottom portion 461 does not have to be entirely curved and may include one or more straight portions. The first and second notch portions 468, 469 are generally V-shaped but may be alternatively U-shaped. The foot portions 464, 465 are in the form of flanges and extend inwardly from their respective leg portions 462, 463. The foot portion 464 intersects the leg portion 462 forming a first corner 469a, while the foot portion 465 intersects the leg portion 463, forming a second corner 469b, as shown in FIG. 19. The hook portions 466, 467 are generally linear (although may be J-shaped, C-shaped, etc.).
The clip member 460 is preferably made from a metallic, plastic, or synthetic resin material that permits the clip member 460 to both be flexible enough to permit the leg portions 462, 463 to flex inward as shown in FIG. 18B and outward as shown in FIG. 18C multiple times without the clip member 460 developing kinks and/or breaking. For example, the clip member 460 may be formed from aluminum or a thermoformed polymer material.
FIG. 18A shows the clip member 460 positioned in its initial position prior to being coupled to the tray 470b, which is permitted to slide in frictional contact along the vertical frame member 421b, as shown by the directional arrow in FIG. 18A. In this initial position, the clip member 460 is mounted at least in part within the hollow interior 454 of the vertical frame member 421b. Specifically, the bottom portion 461 of the clip member 460 is located fully within the hollow interior 454 of the vertical frame member 421b, the notch portions 468, 469 are inserted into the slots 431b of the vertical frame member 421b so as to form a snap fit, the leg portions 462, 463 and the foot portions 464, 465 at least in part protrude through the slots 433b of the vertical frame member 421b and are positioned outside of the hollow interior 454 of the vertical frame member 421b, the corners 469a, 469b are both positioned outside of the hollow interior 454, while the hook portions 468, 469 are positioned at least in part within the hollow interior 454 of the vertical frame member 421b. Specifically, the hook portion 468 abuts an inner surface 456 of the hollow interior 454 and the hook portion 469 abuts an inner surface 457 of the hollow interior 454 such that the hook portions 468, 469 are restricted from moving away from each other past the slots 433b.
With reference to FIG. 18B, as the tray 470b slides up along the vertical frame member 421, the flanged collar 473 of the tray 470b comes into contact with segments of the leg portions 462, 463 protruding through the slots 433b. The protruding segments of the leg portions 462, 463 are angled so as to form a ramped surface along which the flanged collar 473, as well as the interior surface of the opening 472 of the tray 470b can travel, pushing the leg portions 462, 463 as well as the foot portions 464, 465 of the clip member 460 in a direction shown by the directional arrows in 18B. Since the clip member 460 is formed from a flexible resilient material, the leg portions 462, 463 and the foot portions 464, 465 of the clip member 460 move toward each other in a direction shown by the directional arrows in FIG. 18B and into the interior 454 of the vertical frame member 421b to permit the tray 470b to slide past the corners 469a, 469b (as in FIG. 18B) and into a mounted position where the clip member 460 snaps back into initial position as shown in FIG. 18C.
In the mounted position shown in FIG. 18C, the tray 470b is supported on the protruding flange-like segments of the foot portions 464, 465 of the tray 470b, and is permitted to rotate about the vertical frame member 421b as shown, for example, in FIGS. 12 and 13. During rotation of the tray 470b by a user, the tray 470b may rotate in one plane, or may shift upward or downward relative to the mounted position shown in FIG. 18C as described in more detail below.
In a preferred embodiment, the sleeve or bushing 474 is configured to facilitate the tray 470b to be stably positioned preferentially and/or locked and/or snapped into place when the tray 470b is in the mounted position of FIG. 18C. For example, the bushing 474 may have a bottom end comprised of two sloped edges 476a, 476b that meet at an apex 477, as shown in FIG. 20A. When the tray 470b is in the mounted and stowed position as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18C, the apex 477 provides a seat for the for the foot portions 464, 465 of the tray, preferentially retaining the tray 470b in the position shown in FIG. 17.
When the tray 470b is rotated by a user from the stowed to the deployed position, the tray 470 shifts slightly upward as the foot portions 464, 465 slide down the edges 476a, 476b until the tray 470b reaches its deployed position, where the foot portions 464, 465 of the clip member 460 snap into a seat formed by an indent 479 as shown in FIG. 20B. The indent 479 retains the foot portions 464, 465 of the clip member 460 in place and restricts undesirable rotation of the tray 470b while the user views and/or removes bottles from the tray 470b. When a user rotates the tray 470b from the deployed position back to the stowed position, the tray 470b shifts slightly downward as the foot portions 464, 465 slide back up the edges 476a, 476b until the tray 470b reaches its deployed position, where the foot portions 464, 465 of the clip member 460 snap back into the seat formed by the apex 477, as shown in FIG. 17.
FIGS. 21A and 21B show alternative configurations of the bushing 474. In particular, instead of having two sloped edges 476a, 476b that meet at an apex 477, as shown in FIG. 20A, the alternative bushing 474 has a bottom end including substantially horizontal edges 476a, 476b and an indent 479 between the horizontal edges 476a, 476b, as shown in FIG. 21A. When the tray 470b is in the mounted and stowed position as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18C, the indent 479 provides a seat for the for the foot portions 464, 465 of the tray, preferentially retaining the tray 470b in the stowed position shown.
When the tray 470b is rotated by a user from the stowed to the deployed position, the tray 470 shifts slightly upward as the foot portions 464, 465 slide out of the indent 479 and along the edges 476a, 476b until the tray 470b reaches its deployed position, where the foot portions 464, 465 of the clip member 460 snap into a seat formed by another indent 479 as shown in FIG. 21B. The indent 479 retains the foot portions 464, 465 of the clip member 460 in place and restricts undesirable rotation of the tray 470b while the user views and/or removes bottles from the tray 470b. When a user rotates the tray 470b from the deployed position back to the stowed position, the tray 470 shifts slightly downward as the foot portions 464, 465 slide along the edges 476a, 476b until the tray 470b reaches its deployed position, where the foot portions 464, 465 of the clip member 460 snap back into the seat formed by the indent 479.
Since the tray 470b has a full range of motion of 360 degrees as described above, the bushing 474 may include four predetermined seats such as 477 and 479 to preferentially retain the tray 470b in both the stowed position and the deployed position. For example, since the tray 470b is preferably moved from the stowed position to the deployed position by a range of motion of 90 degrees, the bushing 474 could include four seats 477 or 479 ninety degrees apart.
The frame members of the racks described above may be manufactured from material such as wood, plastic, metal (e.g., steel, aluminum, iron), or the like. The support arms of the racks in FIGS. 1-13 may be manufactured from a metallic (e.g., aluminum) or plastic material having sufficient strength to support full glass bottle (e.g., a wine bottle). Each of the support arms of the racks in FIGS. 1-13 may be cantilevered (as shown, for example, in FIGS. 1, 10, and 11-13), but it will be appreciated that instead of being positioned on a pair of adjacent cantilevered support arms, a bottle may be securely stored on the illustrated racks via, for example, U-shaped support arm having each of its ends attached to the frame member. The support arms of the racks in FIGS. 1-13 have been illustrated as being linear or straight, but may alternatively be curved to closely match a shape of particular bottles. In addition, while each of the support arms of the racks in FIGS. 1-13 has been illustrated as being perpendicular to the height of the frame members, the support arms may be oriented at any suitable obtuse and/or acute angle relative to the height of the frame members.
The racks described herein advantageously provide space-efficient storage and intuitive and easy selection and removal of the bottles from the racks in any storage area.
While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments, examples and applications thereof, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims.
