US 6,976,598 B2Granted

Shelving system

OwnerZackary Engelinventor

Life of this patent

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Abstract

The present disclosure provides enhanced storage systems that facilitate efficient storage of, and access to, a variety of items and products. Exemplary systems according to the present disclosure include Mechanisms that permit reliable and efficient repositioning of one or more shelves, thereby enhancing utilization and efficiencies associated therewith. Shelving systems facilitate synchronized vertical motion of shelving units, e.g., based on coordinated pulley/cable systems, and advantageously include spring designs that facilitate controlled vertical motion of shelving units, e.g., based on fluid movement and/or discharge from the spring design. Shelves and/or shelving units may be readily repositioned at elbow or eye level, and repositioned at their respective initial positions in an efficient and advantageous manner. The shelving systems may be original manufacture units or may be designed for use in retrofitting existing shelving systems.

Claims36

Dependent claims

A shelving system comprising:

(a) a first upright support and a second upright support positioned in a spaced side-by-side relation;
(b) a first shelf support member movably mounted with respect to said first and second upright supports, said first shelf support member being horizontally slidable and vertically translatable with respect to said first and second upright supports;
(c) a second shelf support member movably mounted with respect to said first and second upright supports, said second shelf support member being vertically translatable with respect to said first and second shelf support members;
(d) first shelves supported by said first shelf support member;
and
(e) second shelves supported by said second shelf support member;
(f) first and second spring members mounted with respect to said first and second upright support members, respectively;
wherein said first shelf support member is adapted to be horizontally slidable such that said first shelves move out of a vertically stacked orientation with respect to said second shelves;
wherein movement of said first shelves along a vertical axis is automatically translated to an opposite movement of said second shelves along said vertical axis;
and
wherein said first and second spring members include at least three spring segments separated by interpositioned box elements, and wherein said spring segments include an inner spring structure and an outer sleeve element that is adapted to control the rate of air passage therethrough.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/371,719Filed 21 Feb 2003 · us provisional application
Priority: 21 Feb 2002
Published: US 2003/0189021 A19 Oct 2003
Granted: 20 Dec 2005
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

A47B 57/06
Cabinets, racks or shelf units, characterised by features for adjusting shelves or partitions: with means for adjusting the height of the shelves
A47B 46/005
Cabinets, racks or shelf units, having one or more surfaces adapted to be brought into position for use by extending or pivoting: by displacement…
A47B 51/00
Cabinets with means for moving compartments up and down
A47B
Tables

Family

Application60/359,037Us provisional application · filed 21 Feb 2002
Application60/391,381Us provisional application · filed 26 Jun 2002
Application60/418,270Us provisional application · filed 14 Oct 2002
US 2003/0189021 A1Pre-grant publication · published 9 Oct 2003
US 6,976,598 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.