Device for organizing access to at least one compartment

Abstract

A device with a lid and a compartment that has separate storage areas that open upward. The device has a transport device with a slide that is displaceable in a transport direction. The slide extends transversely to the transport direction over the entire width of the compartment and cover part of the storage areas of the compartment. The slide is slidably mounted between the compartment and the lid in the transport direction, and two slide plates are arranged on the slide and overlap with the slide and are slidably mounted relative thereto in the transport direction of the slide. The slide is displaceable in the transport direction by a controllable drive of the transport system and wherein one of the slide plates is fixable in a stationary manner by a holding element of the transport system, whereby the slide can move relative to the slide plate.

Claims

1. Device (20) with at least one compartment and a closable lid arranged above the compartment, wherein the compartment has dividing elements which form storage areas in the compartment which are separated from one another and open upwards in the direction of the lid; the device comprising: a transport device having at least one cover plate which is designed as a slide and is mounted in a free space between the at least one compartment and the at least one lid such that it can be displaced in a transport direction, the slide extending transversely with respect to the transport direction over the entire width of the compartment and covering part of the storage areas of the compartment wherein at least two sliding plates are arranged on the slide and are overlappable with the slide and are mounted so as to be displaceable relative thereto in the transport direction, and wherein the transport device comprises at least one controllable drive and at least one controllable holding element, wherein the slide adapted to be displaced in the transport direction by the drive and at least one of the sliding plates is fixable in a stationary manner by the holding element, as a result of which a relative movement between the slide and the at least one sliding plate is effectable.

2. Device according to claim 1, wherein in the case of several compartments, the at least one cover plate and at least one of the sliding plates can be delivered to each compartment by the transport device.

3. Device according to claim 1, wherein in the case of a plurality of compartments, a continuous free space is formed between the compartments and the covers for the transport device.

4. Device according to claim 1, wherein the length of the slide transverse to the transport direction corresponds at least to the length of the compartment.

5. Device according to claim 1, wherein the width of the slide corresponds at least to the width of a storage area, preferably to half the width of the compartment in the transport direction.

6. Device according to claim 1, wherein the storage areas are organized in rows and columns which are aligned in the transport direction.

7. Device according to claim 1, wherein the number of sliding plates corresponds to a number of rows of storage areas in the compartment.

8. Device according to claim 1, wherein the sliding plates are mounted such that they are displaceable laterally with respect to the slide by at least the width of a depositing region in the transport direction.

9. Device according to claim 1 further comprising at least one retaining element, wherein the retaining element comprises a sliding pin which can be advanced towards the sliding plates and, in the advanced state, holds the sliding plates stationary during a movement of the slide along the transport device, as a result of which the relative movement between the slide and the sliding plate can be affected.

10. Device according to claim 1, wherein the sliding plates are arranged in guide devices on the at least one slide and the guide devices are designed to receive projecting sliding plates of adjacent slides.

11. Device according to claim 9, wherein two adjacent slides are connectable to each other by the holding elements and the sliding plates.

12. Device according to claim 1, wherein the slide and the sliding plate form a functional unit.

13. Device according to claim 1, wherein the sliding plate is arranged in the slide such that it can be displaced by contact.

14. Method for organizing access to a storage area in a compartment by a device according to claim 1, wherein access to a storage area in the compartment is affectable by a combined positioning of at least one slide and sliding plates in the transport direction, in that the at least one slide and the sliding plates are positioned above the openings of the storage areas whose access is to be prevented and do not cover the storage area to which access is to be enabled, and wherein the lid of the device is released for opening as soon as the positioning of the at least one slide and the sliding plates located thereunder is completed.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein a control unit controls the combined positioning of the slide and the sliding plates and that the control unit releases the lid of the device to open.

16. Device according to claim 10, wherein two adjacent slides are connectable to each other by the holding elements and the sliding plates.

Description

(1) The basic operation of the present invention is explained by means of an embodiment example according to the attached figures.

(2) Show in the drawings:

(3) FIG. 1 is a top view of a compartment according to the invention with dividing segments/dividing elements.

(4) FIG. 2 is a general view of an embodiment of the present invention with 2 receiving areas for 2 compartments with 2 lids,

(5) FIG. 3 is a top view of the inner workings of the device according to the invention,

(6) FIG. 4 is a perspective view of section according to FIG. 3 showing the operation of the slider, the slider plates and the retaining elements,

(7) FIG. 5 is a detailed view of a slide according to the invention (top view) and

(8) FIG. 6 is a detailed view of a slide according to the invention (view from below with 2 slide plates.

(9) FIG. 1 shows a top view of a compartment 10 according to the present invention which is divided into individual areas 12 or sub-compartments by means of dividing elements 11. The device according to the present invention can in particular be designed to allow access to one or more of these areas selectively.

(10) FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the device 20 according to the invention in an embodiment with two lids 21 and two compartments 10 of which at least one area 12 is recognizable, whereby at least one slider or slide 30 and preferably two associated slider or slide plates 31 can be provided above the compartment with the open lid. The compartment 10 as well as the slider 30 and the associated slider plates 31 may preferably be provided on the base body 22 of the device 20. In principle, the compartment 10 may be insertable into the receiving area for the compartment 10 in the device 20 from above, when the lid is open, or laterally or from behind. In the depicted state of the embodiment according to FIG. 2, access to an area 12 of the compartment 10 is enabled, whereby the further areas as depicted in FIG. 1 are concealed by at least one slider 30 and its sliding plates 31.

(11) In the embodiment according to FIG. 2, in which two lids 21, two compartments 10 and two slides 30 with associated sliding plates 31 are provided, the two slides 30 can be jointly feedable to the same compartment or the same area below a lid 21 and jointly cover the area of the compartment 10 with open lid 21 to which access is to remain blocked.

(12) FIG. 3 shows a detailed top view of the mechanism according to the present invention for covering areas 12 of a compartment 10. As can be seen, the slider 30 can be added to the compartment 10 above the openings of the individual areas 12, whereby the slider plates 31 can be provided overlapping with the slider 30. Preferably, the slider plate 31 is in operative connection with the slider 30, particularly preferably on an underside of the slider 30.

(13) The slider can be mounted so that it can be moved horizontally in the plane of observation along the transport device 51 in a transport direction which is shown by an arrow in FIG. 3. A drive 50 can be provided for this purpose, which is in active driving connection with the slider 30.

(14) If more than one compartment 10 is provided, multiple sliders 30 and corresponding slider plates 31 may be provided. Preferably, if there are a plurality of compartments with corresponding openings above them for access to the compartments 10, there are two sliders 30 or one slider 30 for each compartment 10 (and preferably a corresponding number of lids).

(15) The areas 12 of the compartment 10 are arranged in horizontal rows and vertical columns (in a top view of the compartment), as shown for example in FIG. 1. The number of slider plates 31 per slider 30 can be based on the number of horizontal rows of areas 12 in the compartment 10. Particularly preferably, one slide plate 31 is provided for each row of areas 12 of a compartment 10.

(16) The length of the slider plates 31 can be equal to or smaller than the width of the slider 30 in the transport direction of the slider 30. This allows the slider plate 31 to disappear completely behind the slider 30 as required.

(17) The slider 30 preferably extends transversely to a transport direction (vertically in a top view) along the transport device 51 at least over the entire width of the compartment and may also extend beyond it. The slider 30 preferably extends in its transport direction (horizontally in a top view) along the transport device 51 relative to the extent of the compartment 10 to at least half the width of the compartment. Accordingly, the slider 30 may be configured to cover at least half of the areas 12 of the compartment 10.

(18) A retaining device with retaining elements 40 may be provided on both sides of a compartment 10 on the device 20. This is preferably provided on the frame 23 of the device 20.

(19) FIG. 4 shows a detailed perspective view of the mechanism according to FIG. 3. The slide plates 31 of the slide 30 are shown extended to two different sides and in this case each cover an area 12 of the compartment 10. On both sides of the compartment in the direction of transport of the slide 30, the retaining elements 40 are each arranged to be extendable.

(20) When the slider 30 is moved and the slider plates 31 are supported by the extended retaining elements 40, the slider plates 31 can be moved in relation to the slider 30. This can be possible for each slide plate 31 basically to both sides of the slide 30. If there are several sliders, they can be moved independently of each other on the transport device by means of individual drives 50.

(21) FIG. 5 shows a detailed view of a slide 30 according to the invention, which preferably has guide elements 32 for the slide plates 31 on its underside. These can be designed as receiving grooves for the slide plate 31.

(22) FIG. 6 shows a bottom view of a slide 30 according to the invention, in which the slide plates 31 are arranged in the guide elements 32 as shown in FIG. 5. As can be seen in FIG. 6, the slide plates 31 can be moved to either side of the slide 30 so that they can protrude either to one side or to the other side of the slide 30 below it.

(23) Preferably, indentation or recesses 33 are provided in the slider plates 31 so that the retaining elements 40 on the device 20 according to the invention not only enable the slider plates 31 to be displaced but, in addition, the slider plates can also be fixed in position when the retaining elements 40 engage in the recesses 33. Thus, by means of an interaction of the retaining elements 40 in the sliding plates 31, it is possible to pull in, hold in and push in the sliding plates 31.