Sliding drawer storage rack for cold storage units
AssigneeThermo Fisher Scientific (Asheville) LLC
InventorsDennis D. Ward, John P. Hutchinson, Steven A. George
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sliding drawer storage rack for cold storage units includes a rack body and a plurality of shelves operatively coupled to the rack body. A drawer defines a storage cavity and is configured to be supported for sliding movement by at least one of the plurality of shelves. A plurality of divider lips extends upwardly from the drawer to divide the storage cavity into a plurality of box receptacles sized to receive a storage box. At least some of the plurality of shelves are defined by opposing first and second L-shaped supports laterally spaced from each other and coupled to the rack body, thereby reducing material use and weight of the storage rack.
Claims20
A storage rack for holding a plurality of storage boxes within a cold storage unit, comprising:
- a rack body including a bottom wall and first and second opposed sidewalls extending upwardly from the bottom wall, with each of the bottom wall and the first and second sidewalls extending between a front end and a rear end;
- a plurality of shelves, at least one of the shelves being defined by a first L-shaped support operatively coupled to the first sidewall and a second L-shaped support operatively coupled to the second sidewall and opposing the first L-shaped support, wherein each of the first and second L-shaped supports consists of a first planar leg coupled to the respective first or second sidewall and a second planar leg extending towards the second planar leg of the opposing L-shaped support, the second planar legs of the first and second L-shaped supports each defining an elongate terminal edge extending at least partially between the front and rear ends of the rack body and facing towards the second planar leg of the opposing L-shaped support, the first and second L-shaped supports being laterally spaced from each other such that a gap is defined between the elongate terminal edges of the second planar legs without any connections formed between the second planar legs across the gap;
- and
- a drawer being supported for sliding movement on at least one of the plurality of shelves and configured to hold the plurality of storage boxes.
A cold storage unit for storing a plurality of storage boxes, comprising;
- a housing defining an interior volume;
- a door adjacent to the housing, the door being configured to open to provide access to the interior volume;
- and
- a storage rack positioned within the interior volume, the storage rack including:
- a rack body including a bottom wall and first and second opposed sidewalls extending upwardly from the bottom wall, with each of the bottom wall and the first and second sidewalls extending between a front end and a rear end;
- a plurality of shelves, at least one of the shelves being defined by a first L-shaped support operatively coupled to the first sidewall and a second L-shaped support operatively coupled to the second sidewall and opposing the first L-shaped support, wherein each of the first and second L-shaped supports consists of a first planar leg coupled to the respective first or second sidewall and a second planar leg extending towards the second planar leg of the opposing L-shaped support, the second planar legs of the first and second L-shaped supports each defining an elongate terminal edge extending at least partially between the front and rear ends of the rack body and facing towards the second planar leg of the opposing L-shaped support, the first and second L-shaped supports being laterally spaced from each other such that a gap is defined between the elongate terminal edges of the second planar legs without any connections formed between the second planar legs across the gap;
- and
- a drawer being supported for sliding movement on at least one of the plurality of shelves and configured to hold the plurality of storage boxes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.