Patent Application
20140001133
The invention concerns storage of snowboards, skis or other similarly-shaped elongated sporting equipment or other items. In a preferred form the invention comprises a rack of simple construction to be supported from an elevated position such as from a beam or joist in a structure, with generally two such racks being used in tandem to store snowboards or skis or other elongated sporting equipment.
Snowboards and skis are stored in various ways. Sometimes they are stored in the rafters or similar places, but more often they are simply stood up in a corner of a room or laid horizontally on a floor. Other storage arrangements have been proposed, but none as space-saving, efficient and elegantly simple as that of the present invention described below.
The invention comprises a simple rack, primarily for storage of snowboards or skis (or other equipment) at an elevated position, formed preferably as a generally triangular frame with an additional upstanding arm for hanging the rack from a rafter, beam, ceiling or other elevated structure. In one form at least two snowboards can be received on the frame of the rack, two such racks being required in tandem to hang the snowboards. The rack can be formed of welded rod and has at the upper end of the arm, some form of connection for attaching the rack to a selected structure. In a preferred form this is a simple tapered screw thread at the end of the arm, but it could be a hole for a fastener or another connection arrangement.
In a preferred form the rack comprises a stainless steel rod forming generally a:symmetrical (isosceles) triangle with the arm extending upward from the upper apex of the triangle, for storing elongated items such as snowboards or skis. Two of the racks are supported in tandem from an elevated structure, hanging down to provide two tandem support locations for the stored items. Preferably the horizontal support bar at the base of the triangle extends laterally beyond the triangle corners at both sides, with an upturned end on each overhang, to provide for snowboards to be stored in a leaning orientation on the outside of the triangle frame.
Accordingly, it is among the objects of the invention to provide a simple, effective and efficient space-saving rack arrangement particularly for snowboards or skis, to retain these items of sporting equipment at an elevated and out-of-the-way position, while providing for easy retrieval. These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will be apparent from the following descriptions of preferred embodiments, considered along with the accompanying drawings.
This invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Certain exemplary embodiments will now be described to provide an overall understanding of the principles of the structure, function, manufacture, and use of the devices and methods disclosed herein. One or more examples of these embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art will understand that the devices and methods specifically described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are non-limiting exemplary embodiments and that the scope of the present invention is defined solely by the claims. The features illustrated or described in connection with one exemplary embodiment may be combined with the features of other embodiments. Such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.
In the drawings,
It should be understood that the connection device 22 on the arm 14 can take other forms.
It should also be understood that the top end of the arm 14 can be formed into a bracket, such as a U-shaped bracket for hanging on a beam, a bracket with one or two vertical faces with holes for attachment at either side of a beam, joist or rafter, or another form of bracket or hanger effective to engage the arm 14 with available elevated structure. The bracket can have a flat, horizontal plate for securing to a ceiling. The upper end of the upwardly extending arm 24 could also be threaded as a machine screw, for attachment to one of several different types of fittings that can be part of a set that accompany the rack. For example, one such threaded fitting could provide a hole to take the place of the hole 24 shown in
Although the generally triangular configuration illustrated in these drawings is a preferred embodiment, the shape of the racks can be otherwise. For example, each rack could be generally an L-shape, with a lip at the tip of the bottom leg of the L, to retain one or several snowboards or pairs of skis. Each rack could be formed in a different shape, such as a square or rectangular shape if desired. What is most important is that the rack or frame 10 include a bottom leg which is essentially horizontal, or slightly tilted in a direction to retain skis or snowboards on the rack. The term generally horizontal as used in the claims is intended to include such a slight tilt. Another example is an upside-down F-shape. Again, the horizontal members can be slightly inclined in order to retain the snowboard or skis without the need for any lip at the outer edge, or a lip or upturned hook can be included avoiding the need for any slope.
Some examples of such variations are shown in
In
It should be understood that the rack of the invention can be made in any desired size and different proportions and can be used to support any type of elongated equipment, such as surfboards, with appropriate sizing.
One skilled in the art will appreciate further features and advantages of the invention based on the above-described embodiments. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited by what has been particularly shown and described, except as indicated by the appended claims. All publications and references cited herein are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
