U.S. patent application number 12/436770 was filed with the patent office on 2009-11-12 for loft storage rack.
Invention is credited to Dan David, Brian Eustace.
Application Number | 20090278004 12/436770 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41266090 |
Filed Date | 2009-11-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090278004 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Eustace; Brian ; et
al. |
November 12, 2009 |
LOFT STORAGE RACK
Abstract
A ceiling storage unit including: at least four brackets
attachable to a ceiling; at least four support posts, each support
post attachable to a bracket; a frame comprising at least two
cross-beams attachable at their ends to the support posts; a shelf
panel positioned on and supported by the frame; and at least two
braces, each brace attachable at its ends to at least two support
posts for supporting long items to be stored, wherein the positions
of the braces and the frame along the support posts are
adjustable.
Inventors: |
Eustace; Brian; (Sierra
Madre, CA) ; David; Dan; (La Canada-Flintridge,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
CHRISTIE, PARKER & HALE, LLP
PO BOX 7068
PASADENA
CA
91109-7068
US
|
Family ID: |
41266090 |
Appl. No.: |
12/436770 |
Filed: |
May 6, 2009 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61050991 |
May 6, 2008 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
248/201 ;
211/134 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47B 43/003 20130101;
A47F 5/0892 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
248/201 ;
211/134 |
International
Class: |
A47B 96/06 20060101
A47B096/06; A47F 5/08 20060101 A47F005/08 |
Claims
1. A ceiling storage unit comprising: at least four brackets
attachable to a ceiling; at least four support posts, each support
post attachable to a bracket; a frame comprising at least two
cross-beams attachable at their ends to the support posts; a shelf
panel positioned on and supported by the frame; and at least two
braces, each brace attachable at its ends to at least two support
posts for supporting long items to be stored, wherein the positions
of the braces and the frame along the support posts are
adjustable.
2. The ceiling storage unit of claim 1, wherein the at least two
braces are at an elevation below the elevation of the frame and
shelf panel.
3. The ceiling storage unit of claim 1, wherein the at least two
braces are at an elevation above the elevation of the frame and
shelf panel.
4. The ceiling storage unit of claim 1, wherein the support posts
comprise an upper support post attachable to the bracket and a
lower support post section attachable to the upper support
post.
5. The ceiling storage unit of claim 4, wherein the upper support
post is adjustably attachable to the lower support post with a
fastener.
6. The ceiling storage unit of claim 4, wherein the upper and lower
support post sections are L-shaped.
7. The ceiling storage unit of claim 4, wherein the upper and lower
support post sections comprise slots along their lengths so that
the positions of the lower support post, the frame and the braces
are be adjustable.
8. The ceiling storage unit of claim 7, wherein the slots have a
double sided keyhole shape with a larger mid-slot opening and
smaller end-slot openings.
9. The ceiling storage unit of claim 1, wherein the shelf panel
comprises a solid panel.
10. The ceiling storage unit of claim 9, wherein the solid panel
comprises sheet metal.
11. The ceiling storage unit of claim 9, wherein the solid panel
comprises particle board.
12. The ceiling storage unit of claim 9, wherein the solid panel
comprises plastic.
13. The ceiling storage unit of claim 1, wherein the shelf panel
comprises a wire shelf panel.
14. The ceiling storage unit of claim 1, wherein the braces have an
L-shaped cross-sectional configuration.
15. The ceiling storage unit of claim 1, wherein the cross-beams
are boltlessly attachable to the support posts.
16. The ceiling storage unit of claim 1, wherein the braces are
boltlessly attachable to the support posts.
17. The ceiling storage unit of claim 1, wherein the braces have a
v-shaped section.
18. The ceiling storage unit of claim 1, wherein the braces have a
square-shaped section.
19. The ceiling storage unit of claim 1, wherein the braces have a
curved section.
20. The ceiling storage unit of claim 1, wherein the ceiling
storage unit is attachable to an uneven ceiling.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S.
Patent Application No. 61/050,991, filed on May 6, 2008, in the
United States Patent and Trademark Office, the entire content of
which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a loft storage rack. While
there are a variety of loft storage racks that have been designed
to store various items, they are not easily configurable for
storing awkwardly shaped items that may exceed the dimensions of
the storage rack, such as skis, in a convenient manner. Further,
conventional loft storage racks are not formed of a simple
construction and may be expensive to manufacture and difficult to
assemble and adjust.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] An embodiment of the present invention provides a ceiling
storage unit including: at least four brackets attachable to a
ceiling; at least four support posts, each support post attachable
to a bracket; a frame comprising at least two cross-beams
attachable at their ends to the support posts; a shelf panel
positioned on and supported by the frame; and at least two braces,
each brace attachable at its ends to at least two support posts for
supporting long items to be stored, wherein the positions of the
braces and the frame along the support posts are adjustable.
[0004] The at least two braces may be at an elevation below the
elevation of the frame and shelf panel. The at least two braces may
be at an elevation above the elevation of the frame and shelf
panel.
[0005] The support posts may include an upper support post
attachable to the bracket and a lower support post section
attachable to the upper support post. The upper support post may be
adjustably attachable to the lower support post with a fastener.
The upper and lower support post sections may be L-shaped. The
upper and lower support post sections may include slots along their
lengths so that the positions of the lower support post, the frame
and the braces may be adjusted. The slots may have a double sided
keyhole shape with a larger mid-slot opening and smaller end-slot
openings.
[0006] The shelf panel may include a solid panel. The solid panel
include sheet metal, particle board, or plastic. The shelf panel
may include a wire shelf panel.
[0007] The braces may have an L-shaped cross-sectional
configuration. The cross-beams may be boltlessly attachable to the
support posts. The braces may be boltlessly attachable to the
support posts. The braces may have a v-shaped section. The braces
may have a square-shaped section. The braces may have a curved
section.
[0008] The ceiling storage unit may be attachable to an uneven
ceiling.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The accompanying drawings, together with the specification,
illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and,
together with the description, serve to explain the principles of
the present invention.
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a ceiling storage system
according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a ceiling storage system
according to another embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] In the following detailed description, only certain
exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shown and
described, simply by way of illustration. As those skilled in the
art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in
various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or
scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the drawings and
description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not
restrictive. Like reference numerals designate like elements
throughout the specification.
[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the
present invention; a ceiling storage system may be mounted from a
ceiling to conveniently store awkwardly shaped objects. The ceiling
storage system may include at least one substantially horizontal
shelf panel 12 that is supported by a frame 13 which, in turn, is
supported by substantially vertical support posts 20, 22. The frame
13 is formed of substantially horizontal cross-beams 15, which are
boltlessly attached at their ends to the support posts 20, 22. The
shelf panel 12, which may be any suitably rigid material such as
particle board, plastic, composite material, sheet metal, a metal
mesh, metal wire or the like, may be mounted on or within the
frame. A pair of opposing substantially horizontal braces 28 are
boltlessly mounted to the support posts 20, 22 at an elevation
below the shelf panel.
[0014] The cross-sectional configuration of the braces 28 may be
any suitable cross-sectional configuration. An example of a
suitable cross-sectional configuration is an L-shaped
cross-sectional configuration which provides a generally flat
horizontal top surface.
[0015] The cross-sectional shape of the cross-beams 15 may be any
suitable shape, such as an L-shape, that is capable of receiving
the shelf panel. Another example of a cross-beam 15 configuration
is a "Z-beam" configuration as described in U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 11/854,500, filed Sep. 12, 2007, the entire content of
which is incorporated herein by reference.
[0016] Further, the dimensions of the ceiling storage system may be
adjusted to suit the needs of the user. For example, the ceiling
storage system may be made larger to store larger items. Also, the
ceiling storage system may be made smaller so that it may be
mounted in rooms with less available space. Further, the ceiling
storage system may be made shorter to be mounted in rooms with
lower ceilings, or taller to be mounted in rooms with higher
ceilings or to accommodate taller items for storage.
[0017] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the
ceiling storage system may be mounted to the ceiling by attaching
L-shaped brackets 14 to a part of the ceiling that is capable of
bearing a load, such as a beam 10, by inserting any suitable
fastener 16, such as screws or bolts, through holes in the brackets
14 and into the beam 10. Upper support post sections 20, which may
have any suitable cross-sectional configuration such as an L-shaped
cross-sectional configuration, are attached to the brackets 14 by
inserting any suitable fastener 18, such as screws or pins, through
holes in the brackets 14 and holes in the upper support posts 20.
The lower support post sections 22, which may also have any
suitable cross-sectional configuration such as an L-shaped
cross-section configuration, may be attached to the upper support
post sections by any suitable fastener 24.
[0018] For example, the support posts 20, 22 may include multiple
double sided keyhole slots 21, 23, respectively, along the length
of the support posts 20, 22 having a larger mid-slot opening and
smaller end-slot openings. The upper support posts 20 and the lower
support posts 22 may be positioned so that they overlap, and a
fastener 24, such as a bolt or a pin, may be inserted through the
slots 21 on the upper support posts 20 and the slots 23 on the
lower support posts 22, and secured with a nut or clip to attach
the upper support posts 20 to the lower support posts 22. The
fastener 24 may be positioned in the lower end-slot opening of the
slot 21 of the upper support post 20 and in the upper end-slot
opening of the slot 23 of the lower support post 22. It is
understood that the slots may have other shapes, such as wedge,
key-hole, diamond, oval or the like.
[0019] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the
frame 13 that supports the shelf panel 12 may be formed by
attaching the cross-beams 15 to the support posts 20, 22 by
inserting a slot engaging member, e.g. rivets, at the end of the
cross beams into the enlarged portion of the slots and seating the
rivets into the lower narrower portion of the slots 21, 23 of the
support posts 20, 22. The shelf panel 12 may then be positioned on
the frame 13 so that items may be stored on the shelf panel 12.
[0020] Due to the slots 21, 23 being positioned along the length of
the support beams 20, 22, respectively, the ceiling storage system
may be configured and adjusted in various different ways. As a
result, the ceiling storage system may be mounted on ceilings that
are not level. Further, the shelf panel 12 may be raised or
lowered, depending on the items to be stored on the shelf panel 12
and the available space in the location where the ceiling storage
system is mounted.
[0021] According to an embodiment of the present invention, brace
supports 28 may be mounted to the support posts 20, 22 by any
suitable means, such as by boltless attachment. For example, the
brace supports 28 may include slot engaging rivets at their ends
which are inserted through and seated in the lower portions of the
slots 21, 23 of the support posts 20, 22.
[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the
present invention, the braces 28 are mounted to the lower support
posts 22 beneath the frame 13. However, as shown in FIG. 2, the
braces 28 may be mounted to the lower support posts 22 above the
frame 13 if desired. Further, though the braces 28 are shown
mounted on opposite sides of the frame 13 from each other, braces
28 may be mounted on adjacent sides of the frame 13 or on all sides
of the frame 13.
[0023] Awkwardly shaped objects may be conveniently stored on the
ceiling storage system by mounting at least two brace supports 28
on the support posts 20, 22 and by positioning the awkwardly shaped
objects on the brace supports 28. These awkwardly shaped objects
may include long objects, such as skis, lumber, rakes, shovels,
hockey sticks, crutches, pipes, surfboard or the like. The position
of the braces 28 and frame 13 may be easily adjusted to the most
convenient position for the objects to be stored.
[0024] It is to be understood that a variety of modifications can
be made to the ceiling storage system components without departing
from the scope of the invention. For example, the braces 28 may be
curved or bowed or have multiple curvatures or angles, e.g.
V-shaped or square-shaped sections to accommodate specific
objects.
[0025] It is further understood that the invention is not limited
to any particular style of support post, cross-beam, or brace
support, but they may have any suitable cross-sectional shape, such
as L-shaped, flat, or rectangular. Further the support posts,
cross-beams, and brace supports may be formed of any suitable rigid
material, such as metal or plastic.
[0026] While the present invention has been described in connection
with certain exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the
invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the
contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent
arrangements thereof.
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