Patent Application
20090008283
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to storage devices, and more particularly to a telescoping, easy-access storage device for storage of Christmas tree ornaments and other similar objects.
2. Background and Related Art
The storage of Christmas tree ornaments and other similar objects (referred to herein as simply, “ornaments”) provides a particular challenge. Many ornaments are fragile and require careful storage. Additionally, many ornaments include strings, hooks, or other hanging mechanisms as well as decorative embellishments that may tangle with the hanging mechanisms or decorative embellishments of other ornaments. For these and other reasons, it is generally considered desirable to provide for individual storage of ornaments.
To provide for individual storage of ornaments, several types of boxes or shelves have been developed. However, such boxes or shelves have several significant limitations for the storage of ornaments. Particularly, to maximize storage space in a compact package, typical storage boxes and shelves stack one box or shelf of ornaments immediately above the next box or shelf of ornaments. Thus, a user is typically unable to readily see all available ornaments when decorating a Christmas tree or accessing the ornaments for whatever reason. As may be appreciated, this may lead to difficulty when decorating a tree in properly distributing different types and/or colors of ornaments in a desirable, coordinated fashion. A user may therefore have to remove and redistribute ornaments as a tree is decorated several times in order to properly distribute the ornaments on the tree.
Meanwhile, some users decide to remove and/or open each box or shelf of ornaments before decorating so that all ornaments are visible. This is problematic for additional reasons, since the ornaments and boxes may need to be distributed across a significant area before all ornaments are visible, creating clutter and leading to an increased possibility that the user may accidentally step on, trip over, or otherwise break one of the boxes, shelves, or ornaments during a decorating process.
Similar problems may be encountered during removal and re-storage of the ornaments, such as at the end of a holiday season. A user storing a certain type of ornament may be unable to locate each of that type of ornament on the tree during a first search, and may have to leave a box or shelf for that type of ornament aside while other types of ornaments are removed, or may have to mix ornament types in a single shelf or box. Either approach is problematic: either clutter during removal and storage is increased, or finding of a desired ornament at a later time becomes more difficult. Additionally, where individual boxes or shelves are used to store ornaments, it is possible to misplace or separate ornaments into different locations. When this occurs, it becomes difficult to locate ornaments for the next holiday decoration cycle.
An ornament storage system and device is described that provides for secure, compartmentalized, and compact storage of ornaments and other similar objects (“ornaments”). The ornament storage system and device permits easy access to the ornaments by providing for removal of the top and one or more sides of the ornament storage system and device and further improves access to the ornaments by separating the stored ornaments onto individual storage trays or shelves. The individual storage trays or shelves are easily accessed by telescoping the storage trays or shelves in a substantially vertical and linear fashion in such a way as to provide increased vertical separation between each successive shelf and may be further improved by making each individual storage tray or shelf removable from the ornament storage system and device. In such a way, each ornament in the ornament storage system and device may be simultaneously viewed and may be easily stored in or accessed from the ornament storage system.
Therefore, in some embodiments, the ornament storage system and device includes a plurality of storage trays attached to a telescoping handle such that when the telescoping handle is telescoped up, the storage trays simultaneously and substantially linearly telescope up and separate from each other. The plurality of storage trays may be removable from the telescoping handle to facilitate ornament access, ornament storage, and ornament removal, and may be rearranged in some instances as needed or desired.
The objects and features of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are, therefore, not to be considered limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:
A description of the embodiments of the present invention will now be given with reference to the Figures. It is expected that the present invention may take many other forms and shapes, hence the following disclosure is intended to be illustrative and not limiting, and the scope of the invention should be determined by reference to the appended claims.
An ornament storage system and device is described that provides for secure compact storage of ornaments, trinkets, decorations, and other similar objects (referred to herein as simply “ornaments”). The ornament storage system and device provides for easy access to the ornaments through removal of the top and one or more sides of the storage system and device and further improves access to the ornaments by separating the stored ornaments onto individual storage trays or shelves. The individual storage trays or shelves may be accessed by telescoping the storage trays or shelves in such a way as to provide increased vertical separation between each successive shelf and may be further improved by making each individual storage tray or shelf removable from the ornament storage system and device. In such a way, each ornament in the ornament storage system and device may be simultaneously viewed and may be easily stored in or accessed from the ornament storage system.
In at least one embodiment, the ornament storage system and device includes a plurality of storage trays attached to a telescoping handle such that when the telescoping handle is telescoped up, the storage trays simultaneously telescope up and separate from each other in a substantially vertical, substantially linear fashion. The plurality of storage trays may be removable from the ornament storage system and device to facilitate ornament access, ornament storage, and ornament removal. When the storage trays are removable, they may be removed either with or without telescoping the trays apart. The ornament storage system and device, as well as each of the individual removable trays may include handles to facilitate carrying of the system and device, the trays, and any contained ornaments.
In the description and in the claims, the term “ornament” shall refer to all types of Christmas tree ornaments and other similar objects where storage of such objects is desirable in an individualized manner in such a way that multiple such objects in storage may be simultaneously visible.
In the embodiment illustrated in
To facilitate securing to and removal of the removable front panel 16 and the removable top panel 18 to the body of the ornament storage device 10, the lines where the removable front panel 16 and the removable top panel 18 meet the side panels 12 and/or the bottom panel may be provided with a means for reversibly attaching the removable front panel 16 and the removable top panel 18 to the side panels 12 and/or to the bottom panel. Such means for attaching may include a zipper, snaps, a hook-and-loop fastener system, clips, buttons, or any other reversible fastener known in the art. By way of example, the ornament storage device may include a continuous zipper that may extend along the joint between the removable top panel 18 and one side panel 12, continues along the joint between the removable front panel 16 and the first side panel 12, continues along the joint between the removable front panel 16 and the bottom panel, continues along the joint between the removable front panel 16 and the other side panel 12, and finally extends along the joint between the removable top panel 18 and the second side panel 12. One of skill in the art will understand that in embodiments where the ornament storage device 10 is hard-sided, the removable front panel 16 and the removable top panel 18 may be hingedly-connected panels and may be completely removable. One of skill in the art will also understand that in some embodiments, the side panels 12 may also be made removable.
One embodiment of the telescoping handle 26 is illustrated in more detail without the attached storage trays 24 and without the surrounding structure of the ornament storage device 10 in
As may also be appreciated by one of skill in the art, each successive ascending telescoping segment 30 may be constructed so as to be narrower or to have a smaller diameter than the telescoping segment 30 below, so as to allow successive nesting of all the telescoping segments 30. Alternatively, a portion of each telescoping segment 30 may be narrower than a remaining portion of the telescoping segment 30 to allow such nesting. Additionally, as may be readily appreciated, the telescoping segments 30 may be provided with a means for securing the extended telescoping segments 30 against unwanted collapse. Any such means for securing the extended telescoping segments 30 against unwanted collapse that is known in the art may be used, including a frictional engagement between successive telescoping segments 30, a spring-loaded bearing lock or other spring-loaded engagement mechanism, a manually-actuated lock, or any other such mechanism. Such mechanisms are well known in the art of telescoping handles such as those used for rolling luggage.
As is known to those of skill in the art, typical telescoping handles, such as for luggage, normally provide a maximal extended handle length for a minimal nested or retracted handle length. Therefore, the telescoping segments of a typical telescoping handle may be sized so as to completely or almost completely nest within each other in their retracted position. Such is not the case with the telescoping handle 26 illustrated in
Use of fully-nested telescoping segments, as has been previously used with prior telescoping handles, could result in undesirable crushing or breakage of any ornaments stored in the ornament storage device 10, as full nesting could permit an upper storage tray 24 to press down upon a lower storage tray 24. Therefore, in the embodiment depicted in
To permit attachment of the storage trays 24 to the telescoping handle 26 in such a way that the storage trays 24 telescope up and down with the telescoping handle 26 for easy access, the telescoping segments 30 may be provided with tray mounting brackets 32. The tray mounting brackets 32 may be attached at the tops of each telescoping segment 30 by any attachment means known in the art, including screws, set screws, cement, rivets, glue, a frictional fit, or any other means of attachment that does not prevent telescoping of the other telescoping segments 30. As the tray mounting brackets 32 are attached to the top of each telescoping segment 30 (or pair of telescoping segments 30, as illustrated in
Therefore, as may be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the telescoping handle 26 and trays 24 of the present invention provide a unique method for storing ornaments and quickly providing simultaneous viewing and access to all the stored ornaments. To further provide such access in a stable manner, the telescoping handle 26 may be attached to an inner base support 34, as is shown in
Additionally, as may be recognized by one of skill in the art, it may be desirable for the ornament storage device 10 to be easily moved from one point to another while the ornaments are fully visible. Therefore, in some embodiments, the point 36 where the inner base support 34 joins the telescoping handle 26 may be provided with wheels (not shown). In this fashion, the ornament storage device 10 may be tipped back to some degree, as shown in
In some embodiments, the tray support 38 may be integrally formed with the tray mounting brackets 32, rather than separately attached as described above. Additionally, in some embodiments, the tray supports 38 (and the tray mounting brackets 32, when integrally formed with the tray supports 38) may be integrally formed with all or a portion of the storage trays 24. For example, it is possible to form or mold the storage trays 24 out of a material such as plastic such that the storage trays 24 include the tray supports 38 and optionally the tray mounting brackets 32. Alternatively, it may be desirable to form the remaining portions of the storage trays 24 separately from the tray mounting brackets 32. In such embodiments, such as illustrated in
In the embodiment shown in
Although the embodiment illustrated in
In the embodiment of
To facilitate removal, carrying, and replacement of the storage trays 24, the storage trays 24 may be provided with storage tray handles 58, as is illustrated in
Specifically,
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. For example, although the embodiments of the ornament storage device 10 illustrated herein all have four storage trays 24, it is envisioned that embodiments may be provided with more or fewer storage trays 24. By way of example, alternate embodiments of the ornament storage device 10 may have two, three, five, six, seven, eight, or more storage trays 24. In some such embodiments having a large number of telescoping storage trays 24, a mechanism may be provided to selectively telescope and access only a portion of the storage trays 24, such as providing additional grips 28 actuating selected numbers of the storage trays 24.
As an additional example, the embodiments illustrated herein all have matched pairs of telescoping segments 30. Other embodiments may rely on a single column of telescoping segments 30 to provide the functions described herein. Still other embodiments may utilize three or more matched columns of telescoping segments, or may utilize different non-continuous sets of telescoping segments to provide additional telescoping range, such as for embodiments having a larger number of storage trays 24, as discussed above. Still other embodiments may provide access to the telescoping handle 26 when the removable front panel 16 and the removable top panel 18 are closed or attached, so that the telescoping handle 26 may be used to help move the closed ornament storage device 10. In such embodiments, the ornament storage device 10 may be provided with wheels as discussed above. Additionally, in some such embodiments, the telescoping handle 26 may be provided with a number of telescoping segments 30 at the top of the telescoping handle 26 that are not attached to storage trays 24, so that a portion of the telescoping handle 26 may be extended to facilitate rolling transport of the ornament storage device 10 without any of the storage trays 24 being extended or elevated.
As may be appreciated by one of skill in the art by reference to the drawings and the above description, the embodiments of the ornament storage device 10 described above utilize various modular components. The various components and the modularity of the ornament storage device permit straightforward changing of components, such as for storing of different types of ornaments and for switching the stacking order of the storage trays 24. The components and modularity also permit shipping of the ornament storage device 10 in a compact, unassembled package that is straightforward to assemble for use. Similarly, the ornament storage device 10 may also be disassembled and stored in a compact space when not in use.
The individual storage trays 24 may be provided with a lid, a cover, or any other desired means for securing the ornaments within the storage compartments of the storage trays 24. The means for securing the ornaments may include elastic and non-elastic straps, elastic and non-elastic webbing, elastic and non-elastic cloth, and rigid lids and covers. The means for securing the ornaments may prevent inadvertent spillage of ornaments from the storage trays 24. In embodiments wherein each of the storage trays 24 is individually covered, the outer case of the ornament storage device 10 may optionally be omitted.
That the features and advantages of the embodiments of the ornament storage device 10 and systems described above may be more fully appreciated and understood, a description of the ornament storage device 10 in use will now be given. The ornament storage device 10 may first be assembled or may be purchased/acquired in an assembled state to provide a setup as shown in
To improve access to the various storage trays, the user could perform one of two actions. First, the user could simply remove the uppermost storage tray 50, providing access to the second storage tray 56 below, and could repeat this process for each subsequent storage tray. Alternatively, the user could grasp the grip 28 and pull upwards to actuate the telescoping segments 30 of the telescoping handle 26. In doing so, the various trays would simultaneously substantially vertically telescope and separate to provide the configuration shown in
The user can then store any desired ornaments in the ornament storage device, may return any removed storage trays 24 to their positions in the ornament storage device 10 (or alternatively may choose to rearrange the order of the storage trays 24), and may collapse the telescoping handle 26 and the associated trays if they were in the extended position. The removable top panel 18 and the removable front panel 16 may then be reattached and/or secured in place, and the ornament storage device 10 may be transported to a desired storage location. When the ornaments are to be accessed and/or used again, the above steps may be repeated. Therefore, it may be appreciated that the described ornament storage device 10 provides for compact, convenient storage of ornaments while providing improved access to stored ornaments and to ornament storage space.
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims, rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
