Under cabinet/shelf storage rack
10408531 ยท 2019-09-10
Inventors
Cpc classification
A47B46/005
HUMAN NECESSITIES
F25D2325/021
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
A47B96/025
HUMAN NECESSITIES
F25D2331/809
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F25D2331/803
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
A47B73/008
HUMAN NECESSITIES
F25D25/024
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
A47B96/024
HUMAN NECESSITIES
International classification
F25D25/02
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
A47B43/00
HUMAN NECESSITIES
A47B96/06
HUMAN NECESSITIES
Abstract
Rack systems, devices, and methods for attaching and providing foldable storage racks underneath refrigerator shelves or cabinets or other shelves for suspending, storing and separating wine bottles and beverage cans and plates. The storage racks can include a plurality of bail cradles each having ends pivotally attached to brackets. The bail cradles can have concave support surfaces for supporting and separating bottles and cans. The bail cradles can have ribbed upper surfaces for allowing a shelf/tray to slide thereon. The racks can have pivotal vertical legs with a slide out drawer on lower ends of the legs. The racks can be used for storing other items such as computer keyboards and the like, used with desks, tables, and the like.
Claims
1. A foldable rack system for being mounted under a shelf, comprising: a first elongated bracket having a front end and a rear end; a second elongated bracket having a front end and a rear end, the first elongated bracket being spaced from and in parallel to the second elongated bracket, and separated by a space distance therebetween; a slide out drawer assembly having a left side and a right side with width distance therebetween, the space distance between the first and the second elongated brackets being greater than the width distance between the left side and right side of the slide out drawer assembly; a drawer for sliding from a rest position within the drawer assembly to an extended position extending outward from the drawer assembly; a first plurality of parallel vertical legs having upper ends pivotally attached to the first elongated bracket, and having lower ends pivotally attached to the left side of the slide out drawer assembly; and a second plurality of parallel vertical legs having upper ends pivotally attached to the second elongated bracket, and having lower ends pivotally attached to the right side of the slide out drawer assembly, wherein upper spacing distance between the upper ends of the first plurality of vertical legs and the upper ends of the second plurality of vertical legs is greater than lower spacing distance between the lower ends of the first plurality of vertical legs and the lower ends of the second plurality of vertical legs.
2. The foldable rack system of claim 1, further comprising: screw fasteners for attaching each of the first and the second elongated brackets to an under surface of the shelf.
3. The foldable rack system of claim 1, further comprising: an accessory shelf having an upper surface with spaced apart ribs for separating beverage containers stored thereon, the accessory shelf for being positioned on the drawer.
4. The foldable rack system of claim 1, wherein the slide out drawer assembly includes a left track for allowing a left side of the drawer to slide out thereon; and a right track for allowing a right side of the drawer to slide out thereon.
5. The foldable rack system of claim 1, wherein the slide out drawer assembly includes a left inner race and a left outer race for allowing a left side of the drawer to slide out thereon; and a right inner race and a right outer race for allowing a right side of the drawer to slide out thereon.
6. The folded rack system of claim 1, wherein each of the upper ends of the first plurality of parallel vertical legs and each of the upper ends of the second plurality of parallel vertical legs includes an upper step portion that steps inward from the first elongated bracket and the second elongated bracket, and each of the lower ends of the first plurality of parallel vertical legs and each of the lower ends of the second plurality of parallel vertical legs includes a lower step portion that steps inward to the left side and the right side of the drawer assembly.
7. The folded rack system of claim 1, further comprising: a first hook on the front end of the first elongated bracket; a second hook on the rear end of the first elongated bracket; a third hook on the front end of the second elongated bracket; and a fourth hook on the rear end of the second elongated bracket, wherein the first hook, the second hook, the third hook and the fourth hook, attach the foldable rack system about front and rear outer edges of a shelf so that the rack system is suspended underneath the shelf.
8. The foldable rack system of claim 7, wherein the first hook and the third hook are a front set of hooks, the second hook and fourth hook are a rear set of hooks, wherein at least one of the front set of hooks and the rear set of hooks include: an elongated leg having an end with threads and an opposite end having a C shaped hook, the end with threads slidable; an upper protrusion located on both an upper portion of the first elongated bracket and the upper portion of the second elongated bracket, and a nut for rotating about a portion of the threaded end of the elongated end, for holding each hook onto the upper protrusion on the upper portion of the first elongated bracket and onto the upper protrusion of the second elongated bracket.
9. A foldable rack system comprising: a left elongated bracket having a front end and a rear end; a right elongated bracket having a front end and a rear end, the left elongated bracket being spaced from and in parallel to the right elongated bracket, and separated by a space distance therebetween; a plurality of left vertical leg members having upper ends spaced apart from one another and pivotally attached to the left elongated bracket and lower ends; a plurality of right vertical leg members having upper ends spaced apart from one another and pivotally attached to the right elongated bracket and lower ends; and a slide out shelf assembly having a left side, a right side, a front side and a rear side, the slide out shelf assembly having a width distance between the left side and the right side, the space distance between the left elongated bracket and the right elongated bracket being greater than the width distance between the left side and the right side of the shelf assembly, the lower ends of the plurality of left vertical leg members are pivotally attached to the left side of the shelf assembly, and the lower ends of the plurality of the right vertical leg members are pivotally attached to the right side of the shelf assembly; and a shelf for sliding from a rest position within the shelf assembly to an extended position extending outward from the shelf assembly, wherein the shelf assembly has a folded down position with the plurality of the left vertical leg members and the plurality of the right vertical leg members in a down position, and a folded up position with the plurality of the left vertical leg members and the plurality of the right vertical leg members in a folded position; wherein upper spacing distance between the upper ends of the plurality of left vertical leg members and the upper ends of the plurality of right vertical leg members is greater than lower spacing distance between the lower ends of the plurality of left vertical leg members and the lower ends of the plurality of right vertical leg members.
10. The folded rack system of claim 9, wherein the slide out shelf assembly includes a left inner race pivotally attached to the lower ends of the plurality of the left vertical leg members; a left outer race slidingly attached to the left inner race, the left outer race being attached to a left side of the shelf; a right inner race pivotally attached to lower ends of the plurality of the right vertical leg members; and a right outer race slidingly attached to the right inner race, the right outer race being attached to a right side of the shelf.
11. The folded rack system of claim 9, wherein the slide out shelf assembly includes a left track for allowing a left side of the shelf to slide thereon; and a right track for allowing a right side of the shelf to slide thereon.
12. The folded rack system of claim 9, further comprising: screw fasteners for attaching each of the left and the right elongated brackets to an under surface of an existing shelf.
13. The folded rack system of claim 9, an accessory shelf having an upper surface with spaced apart ribs for separating beverage containers stored thereon, the accessory shelf for being positioned on the shelf.
14. The folded rack system of claim 9, wherein each of the upper ends of the plurality of left vertical leg members and each of the upper ends of the plurality of right vertical leg members includes an upper step portion that steps inward from the left elongated bracket and the right elongated bracket, and each of the lower ends of plurality of left vertical leg members and each of the lower ends of the plurality of right vertical leg members includes a lower step portion that steps inward to the left side and the right side of the shelf assembly.
15. The folded rack system of claim 9, further comprising: a first hook on the front end of the left elongated bracket; a second hook on the rear end of the left elongated bracket; a third hook on the front end of the right elongated bracket; and a fourth hook on the rear end of the right elongated bracket, wherein the first hook, the second hook, the third hook and the fourth hook, attach the foldable rack system about front and rear outer edges of an existing shelf so that the rack system is suspended underneath the existing shelf.
16. The foldable rack system of claim 15, wherein the first hook and the third hook are a front set of hooks, the second hook and fourth hook are a rear set of hooks, wherein at least one of the front set of hooks and the rear set of hooks include: an elongated leg having an end with threads and an opposite end having a C shaped hook, the end with threads slidable; an upper protrusion located on both an upper portion of the left elongated bracket and the upper portion of the right elongated bracket, and a nut for rotating about a portion of the threaded end of the elongated end, for holding each hook onto the upper protrusion on the upper portion of the left elongated bracket and onto the upper protrusion of the right elongated bracket.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
(1) The drawing figures depict one or more implementations in accord with the present concepts, by way of example only, not by way of limitations. In the figures, like reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements.
First Embodiment
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Second Embodiment
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Third Embodiment
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DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
(65) Before explaining the disclosed embodiments of the present invention in detail it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its applications to the details of the particular arrangements shown since the invention is capable of other embodiments. Also, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.
(66) In the Summary above and in the Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments and in the accompanying drawings, reference is made to particular features (including method steps) of the invention. It is to be understood that the disclosure of the invention in this specification does not include all possible combinations of such particular features. For example, where a particular feature is disclosed in the context of a particular aspect or embodiment of the invention, that feature can also be used, to the extent possible, in combination with and/or in the context of other particular aspects and embodiments of the invention, and in the invention generally.
(67) In this section, some embodiments of the invention will be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout, and prime notation is used to indicate similar elements in alternative embodiments.
(68) A list of components will now be described. 10 Fold-down wine bottle storage assembly. 20 Left hand mount bracket for two bail cradles which can be strapped, clamped, or screwed to an existing shelf in a refrigerator or cabinet. 25 Right hand mount bracket has same features as the left hand bracket. 30 Swing-down bail cradles wine bottles. 40 Bar link ties two bails together for coordinated movement and strength. 50 Strap with buckle threads through the mount brackets and wraps around shelf. Adjustable buckle secures assembly to the shelf. 55 free ends of straps 60 Refrigerator shelf. 70 Adjustable strap buckle. 80 Captive pin used to assemble pivoting parts. 90 Captive nut used to secure pin. 100 Wine bottle. 110 Locking finger engages indents on bail locking the bails up or down. 120 Back stop tabs located on the inside of the mount bracket prevent over-travel of the bails when they are in the down position. 130 Slots in the mount brackets for screw-mount of the brackets to a shelf. 132 upper protrusions on brackets 20, 25 140 Slots in the mount brackets enable a strap or cable to be threaded through for shelf mounting. 150 Stop ear on the bail engages the stop tab on the inside of the mount bracket for over-travel prevention. 160 detents on the bail engage the locking fingers of the mount brackets to lock the bail down or up. 170 Protrusion on the locking finger fits into the indent on the mount bracket to create the bail locking feature. 190 Cabinet shelf. 200 Shelf mounting screw. 210 Alternate screw clamping mount assembly for mounting bracket. 220 Alternate spring clamping mount assembly for mounting bracket. 230 Threaded screw clamp mount hook. 232 hook end 240 Washer. 250 Hex nut. 260 Spring clamp mount hook. 262 hook end 265 Compression spring provides clamping force. 270 Fold-down multi-use storage assembly. 280 Swing-down multi-use bail incorporates free rotating balls to ease the loading and unloading of the accessory shelf or pre-packaged beverages. 290 Rotating ball is retained in a cavity in the multi-use bail. 300 Anti-tip tabs protrudes from the inside of the multi-use bail to keep the accessory shelf from pitching forward or backward if it is unevenly loaded. 310 Bar link ties three bails together for coordinated movement and strength. 320 Left hand mount bracket for three bails has the same mounting options as the two-bail bracket. 325 Right hand mount bracket has the same features as the left hand bracket. 330 Accessory shelf. The shelf has ribs on one side to help locate different beverage packages and ribs on the other side to support a plate or serving tray. 340 Ball track on accessory shelf. 350 ribs on accessory shelf. 360 Compartment on accessory shelf for a can, bottle, or wine opening tool. 370 This side of the accessory shelf has ribs to support a plate or serving tray. 380 This side of the tray has ribs to separate different beverage packages. 410 Multiple detents along the edges of the ball tracks to provide cavities that the rolling ball in the bails can occupy in order to provide locating stops to the accessory tray in its travel. 420 Cavity in multi-use bail for free rotating ball. 430 Beverage can 24 pack. 440 Beverage can 12 pack. 450 Wine screw. Prior art. 460 Beverage can. 470 Beverage bottle. 472 Swing-down bail with long roller to ease loading and unloading of the accessory shelf and or other cargo. 475 Roller. 480 Swing-down bail with raised ribs to ease loading. 490 Raised ribs on swing-down bail. 500 Fold-down storage assembly with attached, slide-out, shelf. 510 Slide-out shelf/tray attached to drawer slides that are attached to swing-down legs. 520 Swing-down legs attach mounting brackets to drawer slides. 530 Drawer slide assembly. 540 Outer race of drawer slide. 550 Inner race of drawer slide. 570 Screws that attach the outer race of the drawer slide to the swing-down legs. 580 Screws that attach the inner race of the drawer slide to the 590 Nut attached to shelf for attachment screw.
First Embodiment
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(78) Bar link ties (arms) 40 can each have L shaped ends with through holes that can be pivotally attached to end leg portions of the bail cradles 30 by additional captive pins 80 that also pass into holes in brackets 20, 25 and pivotally held in place by captive nuts 90. The bar arms 40 allow for the bail cradles 30 to remain continuously parallel to one another and to pivot from a downward position extending below the brackets 20, 25 to a folded up position and back.
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(82) To move the bail cradles 30, continuous pressure allows for the protrusion 170 on the flexible locking finger 110 to move in and out of the detent 160 to allow the bail cradles 30 to move from the locked down position to the locked up position and in reverse.
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Second Embodiment
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(87) The bail cradles 280 can have rolling balls 290 spaced underneath anti-tip tabs 300 at the extreme ends of the bottom member of each bail cradle 280 that engage with ball tracks 340 on the accessory shelf 330. The anti-tip tabs 300 protrude from the inside of the multi-use bail cradles 280 to keep the accessory shelf 330 from pitching forward or backward if it is unevenly loaded.
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Third Embodiment
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(106) A portable drawer/organizer with front wall (that can have a drawer pull handle), closed side walls, and backwall and open top can be incorporated with the slide out shelf/tray 510.
(107) The invention can be used with slide out trays/shelves that support computer keyboards, and other computer accessories and the like. The novel assemblies can be used with attaching underneath tables, underneath desks, conference tables, under chairs, and under any other type of horizontal surface.
(108) While the invention has been shown and described as being attachable and likewise detachable from refrigerator shelves, cabinets, other shelves and the like, the invention can be pre-attached to refrigerator shelves, and on cabinets, and other shelves, and the like.
(109) Although the embodiments refer to using a flexible finger/tab with detents to lock the folded up or folded down position of the cradles, other techniques can be used such as but not limited to magnets, snaps, hook and loop fasteners, removable through pins and friction fit parts, and the like
(110) While the invention has been described, disclosed, illustrated and shown in various terms of certain embodiments or modifications which it has presumed in practice, the scope of the invention is not intended to be, nor should it be deemed to be, limited thereby and such other modifications or embodiments as may be suggested by the teachings herein are particularly reserved especially as they fall within the breadth and scope of the claims here appended.