Divider System and Clip for Use Therein

Abstract

A clip for installing a divider into a compartment includes a mounting segment and a divider support segment adjoined to the mounting segment. The mounting segment is receivable into a mounting opening in a wall or a divider to secure the clip into it. The mounting segment has an axial length along a central axis of extension and a peripheral profile over the axial length. The divider support segment defines a linear slot adapted to slidably receive and support a positionable divider therein. The peripheral profile of the mounting segment is shaped such that, when a pair of the clips having respective mounting segments which are identical are each coaxially inserted into opposing sides of a mounting opening, the peripheral profile of one of the mounting segments does not interfere with that of another one of the mounting segments with their respective axial lengths being axially overlappable with one another.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This disclosure relates to re-configurable divider systems for compartments such as, for example, drawers. More particularly, this disclosure relates to divider systems including positionable clips for receiving or supporting dividers within a compartment space.

BACKGROUND

Drawers and other compartments are widely used to store items. Particularly where the volume within the compartment is large relative to the items to be stored in the compartment, it is common to divide the compartment into separate sections. With various sections having been established, the items can be placed in each of the created sections for organized storage.

Many such compartment organization systems are either inflexible in nature or complex in their construction.

For instance, some compartment organization systems comprise tray-like inserts which are received into the space of the compartment. However, such tray-like inserts may inefficiently use space if, for example, they are not sized to specifically fit the space. Even if they are sized to fit the space, such inserts may often involve an outer wall that nests inside the volume of the compartment which still reduces the overall usable volume of the compartment relative to the compartment without the insert. Moreover, many of these types of inserts are fabricated with pre-defined sections are not adjustable.

Some compartment organization systems may be more re-configurable than inserts having pre-defined forms, but still can be often limited in the manner in which they can be arranged. For example, some systems can have clips or hooks which mount to a sidewall or divider. However, this can still be limiting as, when the clip or hook is attached to one side, it can prevent the attachment of a clip or hook on the same location on the other side. Thus, even such configurable systems may be highly limited in their configurability and how they may be constructed.

SUMMARY

A clip for installing a divider in a compartment and a divider system including one or more such clips is disclosed herein. The clip has a mounting segment with a geometry that permits for reception of a pair of clips on opposing sides of the same mounting opening. Due to the geometry of the mounting segment, when two opposing clips are inserted into a single mounting opening on opposing sides of that opening, their mounting segment can have axial overlap with one another. Still further, the outer profile of such mounting segment can have a geometry which prevents the axial rotation of clip within the mounting opening. The clip has a divider support segment for reception and support of a divider therein once the clip is installed in the opening. One such potential benefit of a clip and divider system such as those described herein is that there are no restraints on positioning support clips on opposing sides of the same wall which can, in some designs, limit configurability of the system. Still further, another benefit is that, as the mounting segments can potentially be inserted to a depth corresponding to the full thickness of the wall of the mounting opening and the mounting segment of the clip can have a non-circular profile, the mounting segment can be robustly supported without the possibility of inadvertent rotation during the installation process for a divider in the compartment.

According to one aspect, clip is disclosed for installing a divider into a compartment. The clip includes a mounting segment and a divider support segment. The mounting segment is receivable into a mounting opening in a wall or a divider to secure the clip into the wall or the divider. Additionally, the mounting segment has an axial length along a central axis of extension and a peripheral profile over the axial length. The divider support segment is adjoined to the mounting segment and defines a linear slot adapted to slidably receive and support a positionable divider therein. The peripheral profile of the mounting segment is shaped such that, when a pair of the clips having respective mounting segments which are identical are each coaxially inserted into opposing sides of the same mounting opening in the wall or the divider, the peripheral profile of one of the mounting segments does not interfere with the peripheral profile of the other one of the mounting segments so that the respective axial lengths are axially overlappable with one another.

In some forms, the linear slot may be defined by two parallel and spaced channel walls positioned on opposite sides of the slot.

In some forms, the linear slot may define a receiving plane for a divider that is coplanar with the central axis of extension for the mounting segment.

In some forms, the mounting segment may include a pair of L-shaped sections which extend along the axial length of the mounting segment. Each of the L-shaped sections may have two legs with a bend between the legs. The bend of each of the respective L-shaped section can face the bend of the other L-shaped section.

In some forms, the mounting segment may have two planes of reflectional symmetry that are each coplanar with the central axis of extension for the mounting segment.

In some forms, the clip may comprise a polymeric material. For example, the clip may be an injection molded component.

According to another aspect, a divider system is provided. The divider system includes a container with side walls and one or more dividers received within the side walls of the container. At least one of these one or more dividers is a positionable divider. There are a plurality of mounting openings and at least some of the mounting openings extend through a thickness of one of the side walls of the compartment or a thickness of a respective one of the dividers. The divider system further includes one or more clips as described above and elsewhere herein. The mounting segment of each clip is received in one of the mounting openings to position the divider support segment of the respective clip for reception of an edge of a positionable divider within the container.

In some forms, the edge of the positionable divider may be received in the slot of the divider support segment of the respective clip.

In some forms, the thickness of the mounting opening in which the mounting segment is received may be less than twice the axial length of the mounting segment such that, when fully inserted, at least a portion of the axial lengths of opposing mounting segments axially overlap. For example, in this form, another clip may be received on the other side of the side wall of the compartment or the divider having the mounting opening and a pair of clips are received on opposite sides of the same mounting opening. The peripheral profile of the mounting segment on the clip on one side may not interfere with the peripheral profile of the mounting segment on the clip on the other side such that the respective axial lengths of the mounting segments axially overlap one another.

In some forms, the mounting opening may have a periphery that is shaped like a plus sign and the mounting segment of the clip may include a pair of L-shaped sections which extend along the axial length that are received in the mounting opening. In this form, a cross-sectional area of the mounting opening may be half-filled by the pair of L-shaped sections on the mounting segment of the clip upon reception of the clip in the mounting opening, thereby permitting an insertion of another clip on the other and opposing side of the mounting opening. Likewise, in this form, the pair of L-shaped sections on the mounting segment of the clip may include opposing peripheral sections that prevent rotation of the mounting segment of the clip within the mounting opening when the mounting segment is received in the mounting opening. In addition to preventing rotation about the central axis while in the mounting opening, this geometry may also only permit axially translation in to and out of the mounting opening.

In some forms, the depth of the mounting opening (or the thickness of the wall in which the mounting opening is formed) may be equal to the axial length of the mounting segment.

In some forms, the divider system may further include another mounting opening on another one of the side walls of the compartment or on another respective one of the dividers, in which the other mounting opening opposes the first mounting opening having a first clip in it, and in which another clip is received in the other mounting opening to provide a pair of opposing facing clips each receiving a respective opposing edge of a divider. The pair of opposing facing clips, when received in their respective mounting openings, may have (1) a distance between a base of a slot of one of the clips and a slot opening on the other one of the clips that is shorter than an edge-to-edge distance of the positionable divider and (2) a distance between the base of the slot of one of the clips and the base of the slot of the other one of the clips that is longer than the edge-to-edge distance of the positionable divider.

These and still other advantages of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description and drawings. What follows is merely a description of some preferred embodiments of the present invention. To assess the full scope of the invention the claims should be looked to as these preferred embodiments are not intended to be the only embodiments within the scope of the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a partially exploded perspective view of a drawer including a divider system.

FIG. 2 is a detailed exploded perspective view of an internal divider wall having mounting openings formed therein in which a pair of clips are exploded out of both sides of the mounting opening.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a clip showing the divider support segment of the clip and the associated slot for receiving a positionable divider.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the clip of FIG. 5 showing the mounting segment on the other side of the clip for reception in a mounting opening.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional elevation view illustrating a mounting opening with no clips received therein taken through line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional elevation view illustrating the mounting opening of FIG. 5 after two clips have been received therein, with one clip being received on each side of the divider.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional plan view taken half way up the walls of the divider through line 7-7 of FIG. 1 to better illustrate the engagement of a pair of back-to-back clips with the mounting opening and how the clips engage the positionable dividers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” and “coupled” and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings. Further, “connected” and “coupled” are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings.

As used herein, unless otherwise specified or limited, “at least one of A, B, and C,” and similar other phrases, are meant to indicate A, or B, or C, or any combination of A, B, and/or C. As such, this phrase, and similar other phrases can include single or multiple instances of A, B, and/or C, and, in the case that any of A, B, and/or C indicates a category of elements, single or multiple instances of any of the elements of the categories A, B, and/or C.

The following discussion is presented to enable a person skilled in the art to make and use embodiments of the invention. Various modifications to the illustrated embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles herein can be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from embodiments of the invention. Thus, embodiments of the invention are not intended to be limited to embodiments shown, but are to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein. The following detailed description is to be read with reference to the figures, in which like elements in different figures have like reference numerals. The figures, which are not necessarily to scale, depict selected embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of embodiments of the invention. Skilled artisans will recognize the examples provided herein have many useful alternatives and fall within the scope of embodiments of the invention.

Referring first to FIGS. 1, a divider system 100 is illustrated including a compartment and various dividers. The compartment is illustrated in the form of a drawer 102 which, as shown, is apart from the structure in which it is normally received such as, for example, a drawer-receiving frame or cabinet. The drawer 102 includes a volume 104 defined by a base wall 106, a pair of lateral side walls 108, a rear wall 110, and a front wall 112 which also includes a drawer pull 114 for opening and closing the drawer 102. Although not so limited, the various parts of the compartment or drawer 102 may be fabricated from a metal, such as sheet metal which may be bent in part to form and/or joined at edges and/or corners to one another. While a drawer is illustrated, it should be appreciated that the divider system described herein could be applied to other compartments or structures which are not drawers but have a volume to be divided or compartmentalized such as, for example, storage boxes or containers.

Notably, the volume 104 of the compartment or drawer 102 can be partitioned, divided, or otherwise organized into various smaller volumes using one or more dividers 116 which are received within the various side walls of the container or drawer 102. As used herein, the reference numeral 116 will be used to describe the dividers generally, while the references numerals 116a to 116h will be used to describe individual ones of the dividers within the set uniquely.

At least one of the set of dividers 116 is positionable within the volume 104 of the compartment or drawer 102, by which it is meant that the divider is not permanently fixed in place relative to the drawer 102 and can be removed and/or repositioned within the volume 104 of the compartment or drawer 102. It is contemplated that more than one—and possibly all—of the dividers 116 could be positionable as is the case in the divider system 100 illustrated in FIG. 1. However, in other forms, some of the dividers 116 could alternatively be fixed within the compartment (for example, welded in place within the volume 104), while one or more of the other dividers are positionable.

In the particular form illustrated, the dividers 116 include two dividers 116a and 116b which extend longitudinally from the front wall 112 to the rear wall 110 of the drawer 102 and six dividers 116c, 116d, 116e, 116f, 116g, and 116h which extend laterally between one of the side walls 108 and an adjacent one of the dividers 116a or 116b or just between the dividers 116a and 116b. As illustrated in FIG. 1, dividers 116c, 116d, and 116e are installed, while dividers 116f, 116g, 116h are shown exploded away from the drawer 102.

These dividers 116 are generally rectangular in shape and can each have a length dimension that corresponds to their intended placement within the volume 104 of the compartment or drawer 102. Accordingly, it should be appreciated that dividers 116 may be made available or provided to the user of the divider system 100 which have various lengths to accommodate a variety of divider configurations within the volume 104 of the compartment or drawer 102. Since these dividers 116 are receivable in a number of discrete positions within the divider system 100 as is apparent from the discussion that follows, such dividers 116 can be provided with a number of discrete lengths that correspond to their possible placement within the volume 104 of the compartment or drawer 102.

The divider system 100 further includes a plurality of mounting openings 118. At least some of these mounting openings 118 extend through the thickness of one of the side walls of the compartment (for example, the lateral walls 108 or the rear wall 110) and/or one or more of the dividers 116. In the particular form illustrated in FIG. 1, the mounting openings 118 are present in the lateral walls 108 of the drawer 102, the rear wall 110 of the drawer 102, the base wall 106 of the drawer 102 (although these are not visible in the figures, they are beneath the dividers 116a and 116b at least where the corresponding clips can be seen along the base wall 106), and in the walls of two of the dividers 116a and 116b which extend front-to-back in the drawer 102.

Such openings need not be found in all walls and dividers, but could be present in only some. For example, as illustrated, the positionable dividers 116c, 116d, 116e, 116f, 116g, and 116h do not have mounting openings 118 formed therein although, in other forms, they could.

In the form illustrated, the mounting openings 118 are regularly and equally spaced from one another along the given wall or divider, although it is contemplated that in some forms, the mounting openings 118 need not be equally or regularly spaced from one another. However, one benefit of such equal and regular spacing may again be that the dividers 116 to be received in the compartment of a particular system can be of regular, consistent, and discrete lengths.

With additional reference being made to FIGS. 2 and 5, which show the mounting openings 118 in greater detail than FIG. 1 and without clips yet received therein, the specific shape and geometry of the mounting openings 118 can be seen. In the specific form illustrated, the mounting openings 118 are shaped to resemble a plus sign (that is, a “+”) with a pair of lines that are equal lengths and intersect at their centers. The ends of the plus sign each have a radius and there is a smaller radius at the intersection of the two lines to overall define a peripheral profile 119 of the mounting opening 118 that is generally smooth and continuous.

Returning now to FIG. 1 and with further reference being made to FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the divider system 100 also includes one or more clips 120 which can be received in the mounting openings 118. Each clip 120 generally includes two parts or segments: a mounting segment 122 for insertion into one of the mounting openings 118 and a divider support segment 124 that is adjoined to the mounting segment 122 for receiving an edge of one of the positionable dividers 116c, 116d, 116e, 116f, 116g, or 116h therein. As illustrated, these two segments 122 and 124 can be integrally formed with one another, by for example, an injection molding process in which the clip 120 is formed from a polymeric material.

Looking first at the divider support segment 124 in FIG. 3, the divider support segment 124 includes a pair of vertically-extending and parallel channel walls 126 which together form a linear slot 128 for reception of an edge of one of the positionable dividers. These channel walls 126 can extend forwardly from a central body 130, which as illustrated is generally hexagonal shaped, and this central body 130 may also form a bottom or base 131 of the slot 128. In the form illustrated, there are also cylinder-like projections 132 on the side of the channel walls 126 outside of the linear slot 128. These projections 132 may provide additional strength to the channel walls 126 to prevent them from flexing away from their position or fracturing from the central body 130 which, if such flexure or fracture of one of the channel walls 126 occurred, could prevent the linear slot 128 from continuing to secure the positionable divider in place.

As best illustrated in FIG. 4, on the side of the central body 130 opposite the divider support segment 124, there is a mounting segment 122 which is shaped to be received in one of the mounting openings 118. The mounting segment 122 has an axial length along a central axis of extension (which is the same as the axis of insertion into the opening 118) and a peripheral profile over that axial length. As illustrated, the mounting segment includes a pair of L-shaped sections 134 which extend along the axial length. Each of the L-shaped sections 134 has two legs 136 orthogonal to one another and a bend 138 between the legs 136. The L-shaped sections 134 are oriented such that the bend 138 of each of the respective L-shaped section 134 faces the bend 138 of the other L-shaped section 134.

It can also be seen that an outer periphery 140 of the mounting section 122 has a profile and shape that closely corresponds to approximately one-half of the periphery 119 of the mounting opening 118. In the form illustrated, in which the mounting section 122 includes two L-shaped sections 134, this corresponding portion of the outer periphery 140 is side of the L-shaped sections 134 having the inside angle which correspond in shape to the periphery 119 of the mounting opening 118. With this geometry, even when only a single clip 120 is inserted into the mounting opening 118, the mounting section 122 of the clip 120 is only insertable along its central axis and is not rotatable within the mounting opening 118 about the central axis once the clip 120 is initially received in the mounting opening 118. Still further, this means that the mounting section 122 of the clip 120, while not fully engaging or contacting the entirety of the periphery 119 of the mounting opening 118 (or even, for that matter, more than half of the periphery 119 of the mounting opening 118), can still be securely received in the mounting opening 118.

Accordingly, given this geometry of the mounting segment 122, looking at the mounting segment 122 down its central axis, the mounting segment 122 has two planes of reflectional symmetry that are each coplanar with the central axis of extension for the mounting segment 122. Among other things, this means that, while the clip 120 is not rotatable in mounting opening 118 once it is received therein as described in the paragraph above, there is more than one angular or rotation position in which the mounting segment 122 could be inserted into the mounting opening 118 in the first instance. In the particular form illustrated, in which the mounting opening 118 is shaped like a plus sign, this means there are four possible insertion positions (which are 90 degrees from one another), in which two of the positions direct the slot 128 of the divider support section 124 vertically (as is generally desired based on how a divider is inserted into the slot 128 and which positions are 180 degrees from one another) and two positions in which the slot 128 is horizontal (which will not desired when the divider 116 is to be slotted down into the clip 120, and which are 180 degrees from one another and are 90 degrees from the vertical positions).

It is also possible that such L-shaped sections could be differently formed or shaped than that which is illustrated and therefore not symmetrical in the way described above. For example, one leg of each L could be longer than the other so that there are only two rotational positions of insertion (180 degrees apart), both of which have the slot 128 oriented as is desired (that is, vertically oriented) and that prevents incorrect insertion of the clip 120 into the mounting opening 118.

Still further, while a plus sign shaped mounting opening 118 and mounting segments 122 with L-shapes for the clips 120 have been illustrated, it will be appreciated that other geometries could be used to identical or similar effect. For instance, instead of a plus sign, the opening could be circular with two 90 degree arcs of material, each separated by 90 degrees of gap. In this circular geometry, however, there would not be forced alignment of the mounting segments at a particular angle into the openings unless there was an irregularity in the peripheries, such as a step or tooth in the circumference, to require a particular alignment. Nonetheless, it will be apparent that geometries other than those shown or described may be capable of being used in such a divider system while also permitting similar back-to-back alignment of the clips and not all such possible geometries are described explicitly herein.

Having described both the mounting openings 118 and the clips 120 generally, it can now be understood how two clips can be inserted in a single mounting opening from FIGS. 5, 6 and 7. For purposes of the description of these figures, two distinct clips 120a and 120b—which are both identical to the clip 120 illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4—will be referenced where ending a's and b's on the reference numerals will be used to illustrate corresponding features on the unique clips.

For purposes of making unambiguously clear the shape of the mounting opening 118 in the illustrated embodiment, FIG. 5 provides an elevational cross-sectional view of one mounting opening 118 in which no clips have been yet received.

FIG. 6 then depicts this similar cross-sectional view and mounting opening 118 from FIG. 5 after two clips 120a and 120b have had their mounting segments 122a and 122b received on opposite sides of the mounting opening 118 in a manner similar to how the two clips 120 in FIGS. 2 and 7 are arranged with respect to the mounting opening 118. It can be seen from this section that each of the two L-shaped sections 134a and 134b nest into one another complimentarily to completely fill the mounting opening 118. However, it can also be seen that the mounting opening 118 would be perfectly suitable for receiving only one of those two clips 120a or 120b in the exact same position, even if the other clip is not present.

Looking now at FIG. 7, this back-to-back clip arrangement can be seen in a cross section taken through a different plane orthogonal to that of the section taken in FIGS. 5 and 6. Notably, it can be seen in this view that the axial length of the mounting segments 122a and 122b of the clips 120a and 120b extend through the full thickness of the wall of the divider 116a and the most distal part of both mounting segments 122a and 122b contact the central body 130a or 130b of the opposing clip. It also illustrates how the central body 130a or 130b can contact the surface of the divider 116a to establish full insertion depth of the mounting segments 122a and 122b in the mounting opening 118.

FIG. 7 also illustrates how the movable dividers are received in the as-installed clips with the edge of the dividers 116c and 116d being received in the corresponding divider support segment 124a and 124b, respectively, of the clips 120a and 120b. It will be appreciated that the insertion depths of the clips 120a and 120b in the mounting openings 118 in the walls of the divider 116a may be relatively shallow and that the presence of the dividers 116c and 116d in the slots 128a and 128b the divider support segments 124 may help to ensure that the clips 120a and 120b remain fully engaged with the mounting opening 118 and do not fall out after their initial insertion.

FIG. 7 also illustrates that there can be clips/mounting openings that are positioned on the bottom of a divider 116 and at the top surface of a base wall 106 to help secure a divider 116 in place. While this lower clip mounting arrangement will not be discussed in great detail it is similar to the arrangement described above in mounting opening and mounting segment geometries, even though it does not involve the back-to-back clip arrangement ability described above (because a clip is not received in the lower side of the base wall 106).

Further, it should be appreciated that the aforementioned clip mounting arrangements in the side walls do not need to be back-to-back. For example, looking at FIG. 1, it can be seen that at least some of the clips 120 can be placed in similarly shaped “plus sign” type mounting openings 118 where no other clip 120 is received on the other side. As illustrated in FIG. 1, all of such single-sided clip mounting arrangements are on an outside wall of the drawer 102 (because the other side of the wall is outside of the interior volume 104, a clip would not be placed on the other side). However, a single-sided clipping arrangement could be used on an internal divider or wall in which the other side could be, but is not necessarily, occupied by another opposing clip.

With all of the aforementioned specific structure having been described, a general mode of use of the divider system 100 is now described. While much of this use is apparent from the description above, this additional detail is provided to explicitly provide one mode of divider installation into a compartment and to permit the highlighting of a few additional variations.

Initially, a compartment or drawer is provided in which no dividers are present. This compartment or drawer can have external walls (such as the side and base walls 106, 108, 110, and 112 illustrated and described above) which may have mounting openings 118 formed therein or other structures adapted to receive one side of a positionable divider 116. Because these are external walls of the compartment and a clip 120 will not be placed on the external side of the wall, the mounting openings 118 need not be formed in such a way as to permit back-to-back clip insertion, although they could still have such a geometry. In some forms, it is possible that these structures adapted to receive one side of a positionable divider are slots for receiving an edge of the divider and/or openings that are capable of receiving just one clip 120 of the divider system 110 on the internal volume side of the wall. Still further in some forms there may not even be a structures adapted to receive one side of a positionable divider in the external side wall because it is possible the edge of positionable divider could be received and generally abut the external wall and the bottom wall could have a clip or clips that helps to place the positionable divider.

In any event, with such a compartment available, one or more positionable dividers can be installed into the volume. The mounting segment 122 of a clip 120 in inserted into one of the mounting openings 118 and another clip can inserted in an aligned opening on an opposing wall to that which the first clip was inserted. This second clip can be installed in another mounting opening in a similar manner to the first clip. The slots on the divider support segment of the clips should be vertically extending after the clips are installed in the wall for receiving a divider and generally coplanar with one another.

With the pair of opposing clips 120 in place on opposing facing walls (which again, may either be external walls provided by the compartment and/or internally positioned dividers), a divider 116 can be inserted vertically downwardly into the slots 128 on the divider support segments 124 of the clips 120.

When two clips are used, the divider can have a length dimension which will help to retain the clips in their mounting openings without the possibilities of the divider being so short that the divider could fall of the slots of the clips or that the clips could fall out of their mounting openings. As one condition on the length of the divider, the divider has an edge-to-edge length which is less than the base-to-base distance between the bases of the two slots in the clips so the divider fits into the slots in the first instance (as, if the divider were longer, the divider would be too long to fit between the two clips). However, the divider also has a length that is greater than the distances between the base of one of the clips and the forwardly most-extending sides of the walls defining the slot of the other clip. This condition ensures that the divider is not so short that it could fall out of engagement with one of the slots. In most instances, the divider will be greater than even that length, however, because it will be desired that there is not enough play or clearance that one of the mounting segments of a clip could come out of its respective opening. Considering the possible side-to-side dimensional stack up, this means that the total divider length edge-to-edge, may be designed to have a length greater than the base-to-base distance of the slots when the clips are fully inserted into their mounting openings less the axial length of one of the mounting segments.

Once inserted, the divider 116 is retained in place in the volume 104 of the compartment or drawer 102 between the clips 120 until the divider 116 is lifted upward for removal. To fully remove a divider 116, the divider 116 is lifted out and the clips 120 are removed from their respective mounting openings 118. The divider 116 and clips 120 can then potentially be re-installed in a new position.

From this, it can be appreciated that one or more positionable divider can be installed into a volume having a plurality of mounting openings. Still further, a positionable divider could be installed between any two walls, whether those walls are external walls of the compartment or an internal wall defined by a divider (which may be either a permanently installed or may be previous installed using clips). Still further, while two clip arrangements are described, it is possible that in some forms, a clip may be used on one side of the divider and another divider receiving structure (such as a vertically extending slot) could be used on the other side. It will be apparent to the reader that such variations in structure may also alter some of the aforementioned possibilities with regards to target divider length.

Thus, a clip that can be co-axially received in both sides of a single mounting opening is disclosed as well as a divider system incorporating such clips. This system is highly configurable, with the dividers being limited in placement only by the number of openings in walls and dividers.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that while the invention has been described above in connection with particular embodiments and examples, the invention is not necessarily so limited, and that numerous other embodiments, examples, uses, modifications and departures from the embodiments, examples and uses are intended to be encompassed by the claims attached hereto.

Claims

1. A clip for installing a divider into a compartment, the clip comprising:

a mounting segment receivable into a mounting opening in a wall or a divider to secure the clip into the wall or the divider, the mounting segment having an axial length along a central axis of extension and a peripheral profile over the axial length;

a divider support segment adjoined to the mounting segment and defining a linear slot adapted to slidably receive and support a positionable divider therein;

wherein the peripheral profile of the mounting segment is shaped such that, when a pair of the clips having respective mounting segments which are identical are each coaxially inserted into opposing sides of the mounting opening in the wall or the divider, the peripheral profile of one of the mounting segments does not interfere with the peripheral profile of the other one of the mounting segments so that the respective axial lengths are axially overlappable with one another.

2. The clip of claim 1, wherein the linear slot is defined by two parallel and spaced channel walls positioned on opposite sides of the slot.

3. The clip of claim 1, wherein the linear slot defines a receiving plane for a divider that is coplanar with the central axis of extension for the mounting segment.

4. The clip of claim 1, wherein the mounting segment includes a pair of L-shaped sections which extend along the axial length.

5. The clip of claim 4, wherein each of the L-shaped sections has two legs and a bend therebetween and wherein the bend of each of the respective L-shaped section faces the bend of the other L-shaped section.

6. The clip of claim 1, wherein the mounting segment has two planes of reflectional symmetry that are each coplanar with the central axis of extension for the mounting segment.

7. The clip of claim 1, wherein the clip comprises a polymeric material.

8. A divider system comprising:

a container with side walls;

one or more dividers received within the side walls of the container, the one or more dividers including one or more positionable dividers;

a plurality of mounting openings, in which at least some of the mounting openings extend through a thickness of one of the side walls of the compartment or of a respective one of the dividers;

one or more clips as claimed in claim 1, in which the mounting segment of each clip is received in one of the mounting openings to position the divider support segment of the respective clip for reception of an edge of a positionable divider within the container.

9. The divider system of claim 8, wherein the edge of the positionable divider is received in the slot of the divider support segment of the respective clip.

10. The divider system of claim 8, wherein the thickness of the mounting opening in which the mounting segment is received is less than twice the axial length of the mounting segment.

11. The divider system of claim 10, wherein another clip as claimed in claim 1 is received on the other side of the side wall of the compartment or the divider having the mounting opening such that a pair of clips are received on opposite sides of the same mounting opening.

12. The divider system of claim 11, wherein the peripheral profile of the mounting segment on the clip on one side does not interfere with the peripheral profile of the mounting segment on the clip on the other side with the respective axial lengths of the mounting segments axially overlapping one another.

13. The divider system of claim 8, wherein the mounting opening has a periphery that is shaped like a plus sign and the mounting segment of the clip includes a pair of L-shaped sections which extend along the axial length that are received in the mounting opening.

14. The divider system of claim 13, wherein a cross-sectional area of the mounting opening is half-filled by the pair of L-shaped sections on the mounting segment of the clip upon reception of the clip in the mounting opening, thereby permitting an insertion of another clip on the other and opposing side of the mounting opening.

15. The divider system of claim 13, wherein the pair of L-shaped sections on the mounting segment of the clip include opposing peripheral sections that prevent rotation of the mounting segment of the clip within the mounting opening when the mounting segment is received in the mounting opening and only permits axially translation in to and out of the mounting opening.

16. The divider system of claim 8, wherein the depth of the mounting opening is equal to the axial length of the mounting segment.

17. The divider system of claim 8, further comprising an other mounting opening on an other one of the side walls of the compartment or on an other respective one of the dividers in which the other mounting opening opposes the mounting opening having a clip in it, and in which an other clip is received in the other mounting opening to provide a pair of opposing facing clips each receiving a respective opposing edge of a divider.

18. The divider system of claim 17, wherein the pair of opposing facing clips, when received in their respective mounting openings, have a distance between a base of a slot of one of the clips and a slot opening on the other one of the clips that is shorter than an edge-to-edge distance of the positionable divider and a distance between the base of the slot of one of the clips and the base of the slot of the other one of the clips that is longer than the edge-to-edge distance of the positionable divider.