1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a storage unit that receives information equipment, etc., used in an office, an exhibition hall, etc., to construct an appropriate storage space in accordance with the size of the office, etc., and to a storage structure constructed by such a storage unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been disclosed a technique for a method of constructing a variety of kinds of spaces in offices, etc., for the purpose of conveniences to many people who use such spaces. For example, there has been disclosed a technique that provides, in combination with poles and frame members, a spatial structure that is robust and does not cause damage to the rooms in an office, etc. (see, for example, a Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2003-138771). In this technique, a minimum shared space structure is shown which is formed of three poles and two frame members that form an angle of 120 degrees therebetween.
In addition, there is also disclosed a technique utilizing unitized buildings in constructing a spatial structure (see, for example, Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2003-41689). Such a unitized building is generally constructed as follows. That is, most parts of a building body are produced in a factory, and then transported, after completion of foundation work, to a construction site by means of trucks or the like, where they are coupled and anchored to the foundation, and thereafter fitting and finishing work for necessary fixtures, furnishings, etc., is carried out. Also, in the above-mentioned technique, a duct space for wiring is defined in advance in a wall panel that constitutes the unit.
In a spatial structure provided for an office or the like, it is also important to construct a storage space for storing or receiving information equipment, etc., used in the office. In particular, objects to be stored or received in such a storage space vary in accordance with the purpose of use of the spatial structure, etc., so there is fear that the storage space, if always remaining constant or fixed, might become inconvenient to the user.
In view of the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present invention is to provide, upon construction of a storage space in a spatial structure, a storage unit for the storage space which is capable of constructing an appropriate storage space in accordance with the purpose of use of a user.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to the present invention, a storage structure for providing a storage space is constructed of unitized storage units. The storage unit is formed of four individual panels, each of which is provided with a groove for a specific purpose necessary to construct the storage structure. As a result, the construction of the storage structure according to the combination of storage units becomes easy, and the combination can be made arbitrary.
Specifically, a storage unit according to the present invention is in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is formed of a pair of horizontal panels and a pair of vertical panels that are connected with one another in an annular fashion. Each of said horizontal panels has a fitting groove extending in a lateral direction thereof into which a part of a structural member of a structural body into which said storage unit is built, and each of said horizontal panels also has a positioning groove extending in a lateral direction thereof into which a protrusion formed on a horizontal cover covering said one horizontal panel is fitted.
The storage unit according to the present invention is a minimum unit of a storage structure for receiving storage objects in a spatial structure, etc. Accordingly, by combining a plurality of such storage units in accordance with an arbitrary purpose such as the purpose of use of the storage unit in a spatial structure, it is possible to form a storage structure corresponding to the intended use of the user. In addition, this storage unit is composed of four detachable panels (two horizontal panels and two vertical panels), so at a stage prior to the construction of the storage structure, the space required for the prior accommodation of component parts can be suppressed small by storing the panels according to their kinds.
Here, two kinds of grooves including a fitting groove and a positioning groove are formed in said horizontal panels for individual purposes. When the storage unit is built in and used for the spatial structure (the above-mentioned structural body), the fitting groove provides a space into which structural members such as poles, etc., for supporting the storage unit are fitted and received. Accordingly, the storage unit can be constructed so as to accommodate the structural members thereby to form a storage structure, thus making it possible to ensure the strength of the storage structure, and the design is also excellent because the structural members exist in the places that are not apt to be noticeable from outside.
The positioning groove provides a space for positioning the horizontal cover in such a manner that the horizontal cover covering the surface of the horizontal panel is properly placed with respect to said horizontal panel. That is, the mounting position of the horizontal cover is decided by the protrusion on the horizontal cover and the positioning groove in the horizontal panel. This horizontal cover is mainly intended to improve the design of the appearance of the storage structure. In addition, the positioning groove is a groove that extends in the lateral or horizontal direction of the horizontal panel. With this positioning groove, when the horizontal cover is attached to the horizontal panel, it is possible to fit the horizontal cover to the horizontal panel by making the protrusion of the horizontal cover slide into the positioning groove. Thus, the handling upon attachment of the horizontal cover becomes better.
Here, note that in the above-mentioned storage unit, each of said horizontal panels may have at least two positioning grooves which are in parallel to said fitting groove. Due to the horizontal arrangement of the fitting groove and the positioning grooves, the positioning of the horizontal cover after attachment of the storage unit to the storage structure can be easily done according to the operator's eye or visual sensation. Further, with the provision of at least two positioning grooves, the position of the horizontal cover with respect to the horizontal panel can be decided more accurately.
In the storage unit as stated above, in case where said protrusion has a joint portion that can be connected with an external member, said vertical panel may be covered with a vertical cover, and said external member may be connected with said joint portion, whereby said protrusion having said joint portion can be fitted into said positioning groove with said vertical cover being connected with said horizontal cover.
The vertical panel has its surface covered with the vertical cover, similar to the horizontal panel. Here, when the horizontal cover and the vertical cover are connected with each other, a positioning protrusion is used. For example, a screw is exemplified as an external member, and the horizontal cover and the vertical cover are connected with each other by the use of this screw. By arranging the thus connected locations within the positioning groove, both of the horizontal and vertical covers are fitted on the individual panels, respectively, with the horizontal cover being made as a reference. Thus, the connecting portions of the covers can be arranged in the place where eyes do not reach easily from the outside of the storage structure. As a result, the design value of the storage unit upon attachment of the horizontal cover and the vertical cover is not impaired, and the significance of existence of both covers is never reduced.
In the storage unit as stated above, when two of said storage units are arranged side by side with their vertical panels being in opposition to each other, there may be formed a clearance of a predetermined width between said vertical panels. That is, when the storage structure is constructed by the combination of the storage units, said clearance is formed which may be used for a prescribed purpose. The predetermined width that decides the size of this clearance is determined in accordance with the purpose of use given to said clearance. Accordingly, for example, in case where said clearance is used for the purpose of receiving power cables and signal cables of information equipment stored or received in the storage unit, the predetermined width may be to such an extent that those cables can be received in the clearance. In addition, this clearance is formed between the vertical panels, so the situation in which said clearance is used (e.g., the condition of the cables received in the above-mentioned case) is in a state where eyes do not reach easily from the outside of the storage structure. As a result, the design value of the storage unit upon attachment of the horizontal cover and the vertical cover is not impaired, and hence the significance of existence of both covers is never reduced.
Here, as a storage structure formed by the storage units as stated above, there is exemplified one which is formed by arranging one or a plurality of said storage units in a horizontal direction and one or a plurality of said storage units in a vertical direction, wherein a common structural member of the storage structure is fitted into a fitting groove in a horizontal panel on an upper surface of each of at least one or a plurality of uppermost storage units, and another common structural member of the storage structure is fitted into a fitting groove in a horizontal panel on a lower surface of each of one or a plurality of lowermost storage units.
With the storage structure constructed in this manner, it is possible to put the combined storage units into a state where the storage units are firmly clamped vertically by means of said one structural member and the other structural member. In addition, the storage structure is constructed with the structural members being interposed, so the assembly thereof becomes easy. Here, note that supporting structural members may be arranged not only for the fitting grooves of the uppermost and lowermost storage units, but also for the immediate storage units arranged therebetween as well.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
a) and 12(b) are partial perspective views showing a horizontal cover and a vertical cover, respectively, which are coupled to the storage unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.
Hereinafter, an embodiment of a spatial structure for which storage units according to the present invention are used will be described based on the accompanying drawings.
Specifically, the spatial structure 1 shown in
In addition, a pole 2h is arranged in opposition to the pole 2e, and is connected with an intermediate portion of the beam 3b. Two small beams 4b are connected between the pole 2e and the pole 2h, and a shelf 6 is arranged in a space enclosed by the small beams 4b and the poles 2e, 2h. Further, two poles 2i, 2j, being connected with intermediate portions of the beam 3d, are arranged between the poles 2c, 2d, and the lower portions of the poles 2c, 2i, 2j, 2d are connected with one another by means of the small beam 4c. In addition, a screen 7 is formed between the poles 2i, 2j so as to server as a plane of projection for a projector 8 that is hung from a beam 3g. Here, note that in consideration of a load applied to the beam 3g by the weight of this projector 8, beams 3h, 3i are arranged between the beam 3g and the beam 3d for the purpose of enforcement. Also, a signal to the projector 8 is provided by a computer that is received in the shelf 6.
Thus, the spatial structure 1 is constructed by properly combining poles, beams, and small beams in accordance with the purpose of use in such a manner that information equipment such as the computer, the projector 8, etc., can be built into the spatial structure 1. Accordingly, the spatial structure 1 is not limited to the one shown in
First of all, an explanation of the poles 2 will be made based on
Further, at each vertex P in the cross section of the pole 2, there are arranged two external walls 25 which extend from that vertex P in directions outwardly of the pole 2 and orthogonal to two walls 22 connected to that vertex P. As a result, an external wall 25 extending from one vertex P is arranged in opposition to an external wall 25 that extends from another adjacent vertex P, and a wiring groove 26 in the form of a half-closed space is formed on a surface of the pole 2 by means of the opposing external walls 25 and the pair of walls 22 connected therewith. In this wiring groove 26, there can be stored or received power cables and signal cables of the information equipment used in the spatial structure 1. In addition, the storage or reception of the cables in the wiring groove 26 might reduce the external design or appearance of the spatial structure, so in order to avoid this, a wiring cover shown in
Next, an explanation of the beams 3 will be made based on
In the beam 3, the construction of wiring grooves for storing or receiving the power cables and the signal cables of the information equipment used in the spatial structure 1 is different from that in the case of the pole 2. In the beam 3, wiring grooves 36, 38 are formed only in two directions including vertically upper and lower directions, as shown in
Subsequently, an explanation of the small beams 4 will be made based on
As described above, the shelf 6, which is possessed by the spatial structure 1 comprising, as its component members, the poles 2, the beams 3 and the small beams 4, is a storage or reception space to receive the information equipment or other goods or articles used in the spatial structure 1, i.e., a storage structure. Details of the shelf 6 are shown in
A detailed construction of a storage unit 60 is shown in
In addition, regarding a vertical panel 62, a perforated vertical panel 62a may be employed, as shown in
In addition, similarly, the frame 63a and other frames may be attached to a rear surface of the storage unit 60. Further, when the storage unit 60 is not opened in the rear surface, the rear surface of the storage unit 60 may be closed by fitting the back panel 64.
Here, in
Here, the fitting groove 70 is sized and shaped in such a manner that the small beams 4 in the form of the components of the spatial structure 1 can be fitted into the fitting groove 70. Accordingly, the width of the fitting groove 70 is slightly larger than the width of each of the small beams 4, and when a plurality of storage units 60 are arranged side by side, as shown in
When the storage units 60 according to the present invention are arranged sideways, as shown in
In addition, unlike the case of the shelf 6 shown in
Here, when the horizontal cover 73 is attached to the uppermost horizontal panel 61, the positioning or registration of both of them is carried out by fitting protrusions 73a formed on the horizontal cover 73 into corresponding positioning grooves 71 formed in the uppermost horizontal panel 61. Thus, by utilizing such fitting engagement, it becomes easy to attach the horizontal cover 73 to the uppermost horizontal panel 61. Additionally, the protrusions 73a have threaded holes formed therein, respectively, and the threaded holes are formed in a direction along the positioning grooves 71.
In addition, in case where the horizontal cover 73 and the vertical cover 72 are both used for a storage unit 60, both of the covers are first mutually coupled with each other, and then attached to the storage unit 60 that has already been assembled, as shown in
Here, in
With respect to such a skeleton or frame structure, a total of twenty eight storage units 60 are arranged in a matrix fashion including seven rows in the horizontal direction and four lines in the vertical direction. At this time, the horizontal small beams 4 of the frame structure are fitted into the fitting grooves 70 of the individual storage units. Here, note that as a method of assembling the small beams 4 and the individual storage units 60 of the frame structure, there can be adopted an appropriate assembly method as required which serves to facilitate the assembly procedure. Further, in this storage structure, commodities are not directly received and exhibited in the storage units 60 built therein, but the commodities are instead exhibited on exhibition plates 80 mounted on the front surfaces of the storage units 60 on each line. That is, the storage units 60 do not perform direct storage of the commodities but instead perform indirect storage thereof.
In
Further, small beams (not shown) are connected between the poles 2 of the frame structure as constructed in this manner, whereby a plurality of storage units 60 are built into the frame structure, as in the case of the storage structure shown in
From the foregoing description, it is possible to provide storage units for use with a storage space which can be properly constructed in accordance with the purpose of use of a user, upon construction of the storage space in a spatial structure.
While the invention has been described in terms of a preferred embodiment, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modifications within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2005-328139 | Nov 2005 | JP | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/JP2006/008127 | 4/18/2006 | WO | 00 | 11/26/2007 |