Storage apparatus for elongate articles

A storage cassette for vertically storing elongate articles, said storage cassette comprising:

• a frame having a rigid bottom support panel and pair of side plates extending upwardly from said support panel, said support panel defining a plurality of panel openings in spaced arrangement, and said frame defining a support chamber above said support panel and configured to receive respective upper portions of a plurality of the elongate articles;
• a gripping element removably supported at said support panel, said gripping element defining a plurality of receiving apertures in spaced arrangement, wherein said gripping element flexes upwardly at said receiving apertures to permit the elongate articles to pass upwardly through respective ones of said receiving apertures in a manner such that said support chamber receives the upper portions of the elongate articles and said gripping element frictionally engages and supports the elongate articles at said receiving apertures;
• and
• a top securing plate defining a plurality of plate openings in spaced arrangement, said securing plate securing said gripping element along said bottom support panel;
• wherein respective ones of said receiving apertures of said gripping element, respective ones of said plate openings, and respective ones of said panel openings are aligned with one another;
• and
• wherein said frame and said gripping element are configured to support a full weight of each of the elongate articles and thereby suspend the elongate articles in a vertical orientation and in horizontally spaced arrangement such that lower ends of the elongate articles hang freely with the elongate articles in the vertical orientation.

A storage system for suspending elongate articles in a vertical orientation, said storage system comprising:

• a container comprising a top panel, a bottom panel, a pair of side panels, a back panel, and an openable door that cooperate to define an interior;
• a plurality of wheels coupled to said bottom panel;
• a plurality of mounting rails coupled to said top panel in said interior of said container;
• a plurality of cassettes coupled to respective ones of said mounting rails and moveable along said mounting rail between retracted and extended positions, each of said cassettes having a rigid bottom support panel and pair of side plates extending upwardly from said support panel to define a support chamber above said support panel and configured to receive upper portions of a plurality of the elongate articles, said support panel defining a plurality of panel openings in spaced arrangement, wherein said cassettes are independently moveable along said mounting rails between retracted and extended positions relative to said interior when said openable door is open;
• and
• a gripping element supported at each of said support panels, each said gripping element comprising a sheet material defining a plurality of receiving apertures in spaced arrangement, wherein each said gripping element flexes upwardly at said receiving apertures to permit the elongate articles to pass upwardly through respective ones of said receiving apertures in a manner such that said gripping element frictionally engages and supports the elongate articles at said receiving apertures in a vertical orientation and in horizontally spaced arrangement;
• wherein respective ones of said receiving apertures are aligned with respective ones of said panel openings;
• and
• wherein said cassettes and said gripping elements are configured to support a full weight of each of the elongate articles and thereby suspend the elongate articles such that lower ends of the elongate articles hang freely in said interior when said cassettes are in the retracted positions.