The present invention relates generally to improvements in lockers or storage cabinets used in athletic or sporting facilities, and more specifically to compartments of such lockers being closed automatically.
The aesthetics and utility of lockers or storage cabinets in “locker rooms” of athletic and sporting facilities of sports teams and country clubs, for example, have become a measure of the quality and prestige of such organizations and an increasingly important aspect of recruiting new team or club members. Modern lockers are a far cry from the simple wood or metal cabinets of the past.
Modern lockers incorporate storage for specific items of equipment, such as helmets and shoes, and features promoting comfort and luxury. There is a constant need for improvement in both functional and aesthetic aspects of such lockers, including the maintaining the safety of the people in the locker room when using these lockers.
The novel features believed characteristic of the embodiments of the present application are set forth in the appended claims. However, the embodiments themselves, as well as a preferred mode of use, and further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
While the assembly and method of the present application is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiment disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present application as defined by the appended claims.
Illustrative embodiments of the locker and high-speed drying unit of the present application are provided below. It will of course be appreciated that in the development of any actual embodiment, numerous implementation-specific decisions will be made to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as compliance with assembly-related and business-related constraints, which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.
Referring now to
Between sidewalls 103 of locker 101, there is a horizontal panel 125 which divides the inside of the locker into upper and lower sections. The upper section houses a ventilated storage rack 116 which is comprised of a ventilated base 129, a C shaped support 112, an elongated support 113, and a mounting head 114. Ventilated base 129 connects to the top of horizontal panel 125 and contains vents 135 to help maintain airflow through the upper and lower sections of locker 101. The two prongs of C shaped support 112 will connect to the top of ventilated based 129 to provide adequate support for equipment being stored on the rack. Elongated support 113 will be attached to C shaped support 112 and elongated upward to provide enough space to support equipment such as helmets, shoulder pads, and other sport equipment. At the top of elongated support 113 there will be the mounting head 114 which forms a base to support the equipment, mounting head 114 also contains a vented portion 133 as C shaped support 112 and elongated support 113 will be hollow so vented portion 133 of mounting head 114 will allow for airflow into the equipment. On either side of ventilated storage rack 116 there are angled ventilated protrusions 115 attached to side walls 103 where smaller items such as gloves or other pieces of equipment can be mounted for storage. Back wall 105 of the upper section of locker 101 also contains ventilation slots 131 in the upper section of the wall along with a ventilation plate 127 and both are used to maintain air flow through the entire system.
The lower section of locker 101 is further divided by ventilated vertical panel 107 creating a left and right section of the lower part of locker 101. The lower right section has no further compartments in it but does contain hanging racks 117 attached to back wall 105 and hanging racks 123 which are attached to side wall 103 and ventilated vertical panel 107 which can be used to hang clothes or other pieces of equipment. The lower left section is divided into smaller sections by ventilated horizontal panels 121. In these compartments, back wall 105 also contains ventilations 109 to help airflow within the locker. Each of these compartments may be sized and otherwise configured for storage of clothing, sporting equipment, or other items, and may include doors, ventilation grills, sliding components, tilting components, equipment racks, and equipment holders, any of which may be lockable.
Locker 101 also has a horizontal seat 111 which is below the compartments. Beneath the locker seat is bottom storage compartment 201. Front plate 203 of bottom storage compartment 201 can have a logo or emblem 204 attached to the middle of front plate 203 to allow for further customization of locker 101. Front plate 203 of bottom storage compartment 201 will have a groove 202 so that the compartment can be opened and front plate 203 can also have ventilation grills and may be lockable.
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It is apparent that a system with significant advantages has been described and illustrated. The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as the embodiments may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. It is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified, and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the application. Accordingly, the protection sought herein is as set forth in the description and claims. Although the present embodiments are shown above, they are not limited to just these embodiments, but are amenable to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/323,272, filed 24 Mar. 2022, titled “Full Self-Closing Soft-Close Equipment Drawer for Locker,” which is incorporated herein for all purposes.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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63323272 | Mar 2022 | US |