BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a storage rack, more particularly to a storage rack for discs.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional storage rack 1 for storing CDs, VCDs, DVDs, etc., is shown to include a base 11, a plurality of upright supporting posts 12 mounted on the base 11, and a plurality of receiving plates 13 mounted among the supporting posts 12. The base 11 is formed with a plurality of holes 111 to receive the supporting posts 12 therein. Each upright supporting post 12 is formed with a plurality of grooves 121 at predetermined intervals along a length thereof. During assembly, the upright supporting posts 12 are respectively inserted into the holes 111 in the base 11, after which an edge of each receiving plate 13 is inserted into aligned grooves 121 in the upright supporting posts 12. Discs 4 are respectively placed on the receiving plates 13.
However, the grooves 121 in each upright supporting post 12 are formed by a machining process, and the curved edge of each receiving plate 13 must have a precise curvature so as to be received by the aligned grooves 121. Thus, the fabrication, assembly, and disassembly of the components of the conventional storage rack 1 are labor-intensive and consume a relatively significant amount of time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a storage rack that has a simple structure and that may be quickly assembled and disassembled.
According to this invention, a storage rack comprises a base, a pair of spaced-apart front upright posts mounted on the base, a pair of substantially parallel plate members, and a rear upright post. Each of the front upright posts has a first engaging member. Each of the plate members is mounted on at least one of the front upright posts, and is provided with a second engaging member to engage the first engaging member. The plate members include confronting longitudinal first faces, and a plurality of spaced-apart transverse ribs which project from the longitudinal first faces in opposite directions and which are aligned along directions transverse to the longitudinal first faces. The ribs of one of the plate members cooperate with the ribs of the other one of the plate members so as to be adapted for holding a plurality of discs. The rear upright post is mounted on the base, and is adapted to prevent the discs from being released from the ribs.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional storage rack;
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the conventional storage rack in an assembled state;
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the first preferred embodiment of a storage rack according to the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the first preferred embodiment in an assembled state;
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the second preferred embodiment of a storage rack according to the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the second preferred embodiment in an assembled state;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the third preferred embodiment of a storage rack according to the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the fourth preferred embodiment of a storage rack according to the present invention;
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the fifth preferred embodiment of a storage rack according to the present invention; and
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the sixth preferred embodiment of a storage rack according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Before the present invention is described in greater detail, it should be noted that like elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure.
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the first preferred embodiment of a storage rack 2A according to the present invention is adapted for storing compact discs 3 of standard dimensions, and is shown to comprise a base 21, a pair of spaced-apart front upright posts 22, a rear upright post 20, and a pair of substantially parallel plate members 23.
The base 21 has a top face formed with three spaced-apart holes 211.
The front and rear upright posts 22, 20 are respectively inserted into the holes 211 in the base 21 so as to form a substantially triangular arrangement when viewed along a direction substantially normal to the top face of the base 21. Each of the front upright posts 22 has an abutment face 221, and the rear upright post 20 has an abutment face 201. A plurality of first engaging members 222, 202 are formed on the abutment faces 221, 201, respectively.
In this embodiment, the plate members 23 are mounted respectively on the front upright posts 22, and are substantially vertical in this mounting state. The plate members 23 include confronting longitudinal first faces 231, and a plurality of spaced-apart transverse ribs 234 which project from the longitudinal first faces 231 in opposite directions in such a manner as to be aligned along directions transverse to the longitudinal first faces 231. The ribs 234 of one of the plate members 23 cooperate with the ribs 234 of the other one of the plate members 23 so as to be adapted for holding a plurality of the discs 3. Each of the plate members 23 further includes a longitudinal second face 232 opposite to a respective one of the longitudinal first faces 231. The second face 232 of each plate member 23 is formed with a plurality of second engaging members 235 that engage respectively the first engaging members 222 of the front upright posts 22 so that the second face 232 of each plate member 23 abuts against the abutment face 221 of the respective front upright post 22.
In this embodiment, the first engaging members 222 are formed as slots, whereas the second engaging members 235 are formed as studs that engage respectively and releasably the slots. The locations of the slots and the studs may be interchanged accordingly, i.e., the first engaging members 222 may be formed as studs and the second engaging members 235 as slots.
During assembly, the front and rear upright posts 22, 20 are first inserted into the corresponding holes 211 in the base 21, after which the plate members 23 are respectively mounted on the front upright posts 22 by interengaging the first and second engaging members 222, 235, thereby quickly completing assembly of the storage rack 2 of the present invention. To perform disassembly, the plate members 23 are simply detached from the front upright posts 22, after which the front and rear upright posts 22, 20 are removed from the base 21.
To store the discs 3, they are inserted one by one between two horizontally aligned spaces, each of which is defined by a pair of adjacent ribs 234. At this time, the rear end of each disc 3 abuts against the abutment face 201 of the rear upright post 20, thereby preventing the inadvertent removal of the discs 3 from the ribs 234 of the plate members 23. Alternatively, the rear upright post 20 may be provided with a third plate member (not shown) similar in construction with the plate members 23. In this case, the rear end of each disc 3 may rest against the corresponding rib of the third plate member.
From the aforementioned description of the first preferred embodiment, it is apparent that the structure of the storage rack 2 is simpler than that of the conventional storage rack 1, and that the components of the storage rack 2 are easy to manufacture since no machining of holes and curvature preciseness are required.
Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the second preferred embodiment of the storage rack 2B according to the present invention is shown to be similar to the first preferred embodiment. However, in this embodiment, the storage rack 2B further comprises a plurality of vertically spaced-apart blocking members 25, each of which is formed as an elongated rod 251 mounted on the rear upright post 20. The rear upright post 20 is further formed with a plurality of through holes 203, each of which is provided for extension of a respective one of the elongated rods 251 therethrough. A plurality of substantially parallel plate members 24 (only two are shown) are disposed in a substantially horizontal position. Each of the plate members 24 has two longitudinally opposed end faces 243, and a second engaging member 245, in the form of a stud, is formed on a respective one of the end faces 243. During assembly, the second engaging members 245 of the plate members 24 are respectively engaged with the first engaging members 222 of the front upright posts 22 so that the plate members 24 are positioned between the front upright posts 22. At this time, one of the plate members 24 is disposed above the other one of the plate members 24, and the end faces 243 of the plate members 24 abut respectively against the abutment faces 221 of the front upright posts 22. Next, the blocking members 25 are respectively inserted through the through holes 203 in the rear upright post 20, thereby quickly completing the assembly.
To use the storage rack 2B of this embodiment, the gap between two adjacent plate members 24 may be adjusted according to the dimensions of the discs to be inserted between the plate members 24 by selectively engaging the second engaging members 245 with the first engaging members 222. By such selective engagement, discs 5 of larger dimensions, such as DVDs, can be inserted one by one between two vertically aligned spaces, each of which is defined by the pair of adjacent ribs 234. The blocking members 25 prevent continued rearward movement of the discs 5 so as to avoid the inadvertent removal of the discs 5 from the ribs 234 of the plate members 24.
Referring to FIG. 7, the third preferred embodiment of the storage rack 2C according to the present invention is shown to be substantially identical to the second preferred embodiment. However, in this embodiment, a pair of vertical plate members 23 and a pair of horizontal plate members 24 are used in combination in the storage rack 2C. The plate members 23 and 24 are mounted on the front upright posts 22. In this case, the discs 3 of smaller dimensions may be placed one by one between the horizontally aligned spaces defined by adjacent ribs 234 of the plate members 23, while the discs 5 of larger dimensions may be placed one by one between the vertically aligned spaces defined by adjacent ribs 234 of the plate members 24. The blocking members 25 and the abutment face 221 of the rear upright post 20 block continued rearward movement of the discs 5 and 3, respectively.
Referring to FIG. 8, the fourth preferred embodiment of the storage rack 2D according to the present invention is shown to be similar to the third preferred embodiment except that, in this embodiment, a pair of blocking members 25′ are mounted on the rear upright post 20. Each of the blocking members 25′ has one hooking end 252′ engaged to one of the through holes 203 in the rear upright post 20. The hooking end 252′ of each blocking member 25′ forms an angle with a respective elongated body 251′ in such a manner that an acute angle is formed between the elongated body 251′ of each blocking member 25′ and the rear upright post 20. With this configuration, the discs 3 and 5 may be prevented from being inadvertently released from the ribs 234 of the plate members 23, 24.
Referring to FIG. 9, the fifth preferred embodiment of the storage rack 2E according to the present invention is shown to be substantially identical to the third preferred embodiment. However, in this embodiment, each of the blocking members 25″ includes a blocking arm 251″, and a rotatable knob 253″ extending through the rear upright post 20 and into the blocking arm 251″ so as to rotate the blocking arm 251″ between first and second positions relative to the rear upright post 20. In the first position, each blocking arm 251″ is parallel to the rear upright post 20. In the second position, each blocking arm 251″ is perpendicular to the rear upright post 20. When the discs 5 are disposed respectively between the vertically aligned spaces defined by the adjacent ribs 234 of the plate members 24, the knob 253″ is rotated so as to turn the corresponding blocking arm 251″ from the first to the second position, thereby preventing the inadvertent removal of the discs 5 from the ribs 234 of the plate members 24.
Referring to FIG. 10, the sixth preferred embodiment of the storage rack 2F according to the present invention is shown to be similar to the fifth preferred embodiment. However, in this embodiment, the pair of horizontal plate members 24 are interconnected by two parallel connecting members 30 to form a four-sided frame 27. The pair of vertical plate members 23 are interconnected by two other parallel connecting members 30′ to form another four-sided frame 27′. The discs 5, 3 are respectively mounted on the four-sided frames 27 and 27′.
While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.
Patent Application
20060021955
