Rotating Pegboard Storage/Display Unit, Using Right Angle Joinery

Abstract

A portable rotating pegboard device that can be used for tool storage as a well as display of a plurality of items. The device is formed into a box like structure by right angle connectors. These connectors ensure that the planar surface of each side are joined at right angles to each other. Top and bottom covers enclose the device and an attaching turntable provides the means of rotation with 360 degrees of access. Hook and loop fasteners give the device the ability to be disassembled for transport and reassembled at the destination. Because this device can be partially assembled, it makes it convenient for shipping and packaging, as well as being offered as a kit. The right angle joinery can be used to join any four planar surface at 90 degrees to a form a box like structure.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefits of PPA, Application No. 61/944,758, Date Filed Feb. 26, 2014 by the present inventor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Pegboards and attaching hardware are generally used to mount and store a plurality of tools and other items either for storage or display. Pegboard sheeting material is generally available in two sizes: four feet by eight feet and two feet by four feet. These pegboards are typically mounted to vertical spaces that can accommodate those sizes. However, if space is limited, then the pegboard is either cut to the size of available space or not used at all, thus creating a dependency on available resources and skill levels.

Pegboards can also be cut and assembled into four sided structures. However, joinery can be a problem. Various methods are used for joining panels at 90 degrees (four-sided structure). Depending on skill levels and resources, this can be time consuming and challenging for those with lessor skills and/or resources.

The present invention features right-angle joinery ensuring that panels are joined at 90 degrees to each other, thereby making assembly and disassembly quick and easy.

This present invention can be permanently assembled or disassembled and transported to the site where it is to be used and then reassembled, making it suitable for trade shows, arts and craft fairs or other venues where portability is required.

A rotating base makes items accessible from all sides. The entire structure can be scaled up or down to meet the needs of the user. Since one embodiment of this present invention can be disassembled, it makes it suitable for packaging and shipment as well.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

The following is a tabulation of some prior art that presently appears relevant followed by a brief description of the prior art.

U.S. Patents
	Patent Number	Kind Code	Issue Date	Patentee
	4,480,755	None	Nov. 6, 1984	Cartwright
	8,640,889	B2	Feb. 4, 2014	Gasper
	8,172,095	B1	May 8, 2012	Herlihy

U.S. Patent Applications Publications
Publication Number	Kind Code	Issue Date	Applicant
2007/0210023	A1	Sep. 13, 2007	Mower
2008/0169252	A1	Jul. 17, 2008	O Risky

Cartwright's device while being rotatable is designed with a complex cam apparatus to lock pegboard hardware in place. This level of complexity prohibits assembly and disassembly for the purpose of transport. Gasper discloses a trapezoidal frame that is affixed to a wall without any means of rotation. Herlhy discloses a permanently wall mounted device without any portability. Mower presents a fixed array of pegboard apertures that are designed to be affixed to a planar surface.

O'Risky shows a rotatable device, but without any means of disassembly. The aforementioned prior art all have one important aspect in common: they are not designed to be assembled and disassembled for transport.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one embodiment, a rotating pegboard box that can be used for storage or display of plurality of items. A rotating feature and removable top cover allows easy access to all items attached to both the side panels and the inside of the boxlike structure. Accordingly, several advantages of one or more aspects are as follows: to provide four side panels, that can be easily assembled using joinery, that ensures panels are aligned at right angles to each other, that can be disassembled for transport and packaging, that can be reassembled easily and repeatedly, that can be used for storage and display. Other advantages of one or more aspects will be apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing descriptions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The appended drawings contain figures of embodiments to further illustrate and clarify the above and other aspects, advantages, and features of the present invention. The embodiments of the invention are described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1—Shows a perspective view of the first embodiment completely assembled.

FIG. 2—Shows a perspective exploded view of how the panels and joinery are assembled.

FIG. 3—Shows a top view of the interconnection of panels to right angle joinery.

FIG. 4—Shows a perspective exploded view of an alternative embodiment.

FIG. 5—Shows a perspective view of an alternative embodiment with all parts disassembled.

FIG. 6—Shows a perspective view of an alternative embodiment as a storage box or semi-preassembled kit

Drawing Reference Numerals
Item Number Item Name
10          Pegboard Panel
12          Cover
14          Turntable
16          Right Angle Joinery
18          Mounting Screws
20          Industrial Strength Hook and Loop Fasteners
22          Subassembly Face

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to FIG. 1 the present invention comprises four right angle joints 16 which join four pegboard panels 10. Two covers 12 enclose the top and bottom of the assembly.

A rotating device 14, such as a turn table, attaches to a bottom cover 12, providing a means of rotation and access to all four panels 10 of the assembly. Attaching pegboard hardware or hardware used for displaying a plurality of items are not shown as they are commonly known and commonly available.

FIG. 2 shows panels 10 attaching to the right angle joinery 16 thus forming one face of the assembly. The grooves must be of the same thickness as the panels 10 and of an appropriate depth to allow sliding the panels 10 into the grooves of right angle connectors 16. For the preferred embodiment, the grooves are left unglued to allow the panels 10 to be disassembled from right angle joints 16. The grooves of right angle joints 16 must be fabricated in such a manner and of such material, so that repeating assembly and disassembly of panels 10 and right angle connectors 16 do not deteriorate the integrity of the joint. I contemplate that right angle joints 16 be made of materials including wood, plastic, aluminum, but not limited to any other suitable materials. For an alternate embodiment, high quality adhesive is applied to secure the panels 10 to the grooves of the right angle joinery 16, thus forming permanent assemblies. The adhesive is not shown as it is commonly known and commonly available.

FIG. 3 is an exploded top view of the assembly shown in FIG. 1. The two covers 12 are removed for clarity, allowing a view of turntable 14. The panels 10 and the right angle joinery 16 are not connected to show how panels 10 and right angle joinery 16 are assembled to form a box like structure. Turntable 14 can be of any type of apparatus that can support the structure shown in FIG. 1 and be able to rotate freely and support the weight and access to a plurality of items that are either displayed or stored on the planar surfaces of panels 10.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view, showing cover 12 removed from the top of the assembly. The second cover 12 is secured to the bottom as the base of the assembly. Turn table 14 is shown with attaching hardware 18. An alternate embodiment is formed by not securing cover 12 to the top of the assembly, thus making cover 12 removable. The inside space formed by the four panels 10, right angle connectors 16, and base cover 12 can then be used as storage for a plurality of items as well. Panels 12 are shown as pegboard panels but may be made of any material such as plastic, aluminum, corkboard, or any material that will form planar surfaces.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the preferred embodiment showing all attaching parts of the assembly shown in FIG. 1. In addition, industrial strength hook and loop fasteners (hook and loop fasteners) 20 are shown sandwiched between and attaching to the ends of right angle connectors 16 and the bottom of cover 12 enclosing the top of the assembly. Hook and loop fasteners 20 are also shown sandwiched between and attaching to right angle connectors 16 and the top of cover 12 enclosing the bottom of the assembly. Sandwiching hook and loop fasteners 20 between the ends of right angle connectors 16 provides the means for assembly and disassembly of the entire structure shown in FIG. 1. Hook and loop fasteners 20 also provide structural integrity of the assembly shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 shows an exploded view of an alternate embodiment. Subassembly face 22 is formed by attaching one panel 10 between two right angle connectors 16. By repeating the procedure, another subassembly face is formed. The remaining two panels 10 are inserted in the grooves of the right angle connectors 16 to form a hollow box. The box is enclosed on one end by the third cover 10. The panels 10 may be made of any suitable material including but not limited to pegboard, corkboard, or other type of planar material suitable for storage of display.

OPERATION—FIGS. 2, 3, 4, 5, AND 6

FIG. 2 shows a panel 10 inserted between the slots in two right angle connectors 16. FIG. 3 shows how four right angle connectors 16 and four panels 10 are used to form a rectangular box like structure. FIG. 3 shows enclosing the structure with covers 12 on both the bottom and top ends giving structural strength to the embodiment. Attaching turntable 14 with screws 18 provides the rotational means for the structure, thus giving access to all four panels 10. In an alternate embodiment additional storage space is provided inside the structure by not permanently attaching top cover 12.

FIG. 5 shows an alternate embodiment. Portability is provided by sandwiching hook and loop fasteners 20 to each end of all four right angle connectors 16. For example the hook part is attached to the right angle connectors 16 and the loop part is attached to the underside corners of the top cover 12 and the top side corners of bottom cover 12. A semi-permanent structure is formed by using the hook and loop fasteners to hold all attaching parts. The hook and loop fasteners provide the means for the structure to be assembled and disassembled, thus providing portability.

FIG. 6 is another embodiment showing how two subassemblies faces 22 can be formed. Each subassembly 22 is formed by gluing one panel 10 between two right angle connectors 16. A second subassembly 22 is formed by repeating the process just stated. A box like structure is then formed by inserting two panels 10 between the two subassemblies 22. These panels are not glued. Employing the hook and loop fasteners and the procedure described for FIG. 6 provides the means of assembling and disassemble, and portability. The structure is enclosed on one end by another panel 10. This method of assembly can be applied to FIGS. 4 and 5 as well. A further embodiment is contemplated by supplying the subassemblies 22 as well as the remaining parts as semi-fabricated kits.

CONCLUSIONS RAMIFICATIONS AND SCOPE

Accordingly, the reader will see that the rotating pegboard with right angle joiner, of various embodiments has the additional advantages in that:

• • It can be assembled and disassembled for transport and still maintain its structural integrity.
  • It can be offered as a kit in its partially assembled state. Successfully assembling kits can be very rewarding, especially when right angle joinery is used.
  • It can be fabricated not only with pegboard sides but also with any planar surface such as cork board.
  • It is versatile and can have a mix and match of sides.
  • It can not only be used for storage and display, but with cork board sides and push pins, it can be used to display office items such as notes and stationary items.

Although the descriptions above contain many specifics, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments but as merely providing illustrations of some of several embodiments. For example, the right angle joinery and planar surfaces can be made into boxes, which serve as modular storage units. Thus the scope of the embodiments should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given.

Claims

1. A rotating assembly used for storage of a plurality of items comprising:

a. planar pegboard surfaces,

b. right angle connectors formed by fabricating grooves at right angles to the longitudinal axis of two adjacent faces of a square post, wherein said pegboard edges are attached to said grooves, thereby forming a box like structure with said pegboard vertical surfaces at right angles to each other,

c. means for enclosing both open ends of said box like structure, thereby forming an attaching base and top of said structure,

d. means for 360 degrees of continuous rotation thereby providing access to all four sides of said pegboard surfaces.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said assembly is used for displaying a plurality of items.

3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein adhesive is applied to all joints of the structure thereby providing a means for permanent assembly.

4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the top of said structure is not attached, thereby allowing access to the inside of the structure for further storage.

5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein hook and latch fasteners are sandwiched between the ends of said right angle connectors and said base and top thereby providing a structure that can be repeatedly assembled and disassembled for transport.

6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the planar surfaces of the assembly are not limited to pegboard material but any suitable material that can be connected to said right angle connectors, thereby forming a box like structure.

7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the material of right angle connectors includes, but not limited to wood, aluminum, plastic or any other suitable material that can be used to fabricate grooves along the longitudinal axis of said posts.

8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the rotating means and the top are not used, whereby the functionality of said box like structure is retained for storage.

9. The assembly of claim 6 wherein said box like structure can be modular.

10. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the assembly can be scaled up or down in any or all dimensions to meet the needs of the user and application.