Patent Application
20110220600
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to organizers for holding items.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is desirable for an organizer or storage device to be rotatable, to permit easier selection of desired items.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,732,298, issued on Oct. 22, 1929, to Charles E. Arthur, discloses a revolving spice tray, with recesses in which the tops of items may be inserted. The instant invention is distinguishable, in that in it the lids of the jars are fastened to the slats.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,620,363, issued on Nov. 16, 1971, to William C. Donnithorne, discloses a rotating storage and display device, with tubes that are parallel to the axis of rotation. The instant invention is distinguishable, in that in it the jars can be unscrewed from lids attached to rotating parts.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,674,155, issued on Jul. 4, 1972, to Lester A. Kessler, discloses a rotating tool storage device, with trays or holders suspended from the rotating part, but without lids attached to the rotating part, from which jars can be unscrewed, as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,805,965, issued on Apr. 23, 1974, to Albert Champagne, discloses a storage unit having an upright post with several circular plates with lids attached to their undersides, from which jars can be unscrewed. The instant invention is distinguishable, in that it rotates on a horizontal rather than vertical axis, and the jars extend outward from the axis of rotation, rather than parallel to it.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,628, issued on Jul. 22, 1986, to Michael M. Lowing, discloses rotary storage structures, which rotate on a horizontal axis, but without jars that can be screwed off from lids, as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,049, issued on Sep. 28, 1993, to James E. Murphy, Sr., discloses a rotating tray caddy for holding items such as nuts and bolts, but without the closed containers of the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,207,448, issued on Apr. 24, 2007, to Frank Marino, Jr., discloses a modular storage system, with containers attached to the undersides of shelves, but it does not rotate as does the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 264,604, issued on May 25, 1982, to Howard Sussman, discloses a design for a desk unit for paper clips and sundries, without the closed containers of the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 278,585, issued on Apr. 30, 1985, to Rodnie D. Oldham, discloses a design for a rotatable storage rack for spice jars and the like, but not the multiple slats, rachet, and handle of the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 329,573, issued on Sep. 22, 1992, to Serge Picard, discloses a design for a container storage assembly, in which the lids of jars appear to be fastened to a member that may rotate, but again it does not disclose the multiple slats, rachet, and handle of the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 347,769, issued on Jun. 14, 1994, to Marcus W. Kibbe, discloses a design for a combined revolving spice rack and spice grinder containers, in which the lids of the containers appear to extend outward from the rack, rather than being fastened to it as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. D488,643, issued on Apr. 20, 2004, to Gerald Birmingham, discloses a design for a portable storage unit, with shelves that may rotate, with the shelves having holes that may retain jars, but it does not disclose lids fastened to the rotating part, as in the instant invention.
French Patent No. 2 676 341, published on Nov. 20, 1992, to Michel Paris, discloses a wine cellar with rotary hydraulic elevated storage racks. It does not disclose jar lids attached to a rotating element, as in the instant invention.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.
The present invention is an organizer that may be mounted on either a wall, wall to ceiling, ceiling, or many other ways, using limited space, and using jars for storage. It has eight wooden slats that have jars attached. There are either six or seven jars, depending on the jar size, attached to the eight rows. The lids are fastened to the slats, and the jars can be opened by unscrewing them from their lids. There are handles on one end to rotate the storage system, and a ratchet on the interior to prevent slipping. The ratchet allows rotation in only one direction. Because they are transparent, the jars allow you to visually select what you are looking for. These jars can hold anything from hobby supplies to nuts and bolts. Potential applications range from garage organizing to commercial applications. It can be mounted in a commercial van for electricians or plumbers.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide an improved means for organizing various items by placing them in transparent containers.
It is another object of the invention to provide an improved means for finding a particular item from among the items organized.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an organizer for home use.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an organizer for business use.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.
The preferred embodiments of the invention may be used in a method of organizing items, comprising the steps of:
sorting items;
placing the items in jars;
screwing the jars to lids attached to slats; and
rotating the slats around the axle to select one of the jars.
The mounting bracket may be attached to a wall, ceiling or other surface of a building, or it may be attached to a surface of a vehicle.
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.
