US3620363A

US3620363A - Storage and display device

Info

Publication number: US3620363A
Application number: US856085A
Authority: US
Inventors: William C Donnithorne
Original assignee: Algoma Steel Inc
Current assignee: Algoma Steel Inc
Priority date: 1969-05-30
Filing date: 1969-09-08
Publication date: 1971-11-16
Anticipated expiration: 1988-11-16
Also published as: CA878313A

Abstract

A display and storage device particularly suitable for holding uniformly shaped and sized articles. The device consists of two wheels mounted on a common horizontal axis and provided with split storage tubes which can slide in holes in each of the two wheels. A third wheel or disc is placed on the same axis intermediate the two end wheels to hold the tubes in proper location as one of the split sections of a storage tube is moved relative the other section.

Description

United States Patent Inventor William C. Donnithorne Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario, Canada Appl. No. 856,085 Filed Sept. 8, 1969 Patented Nov. 16, 1971 Assignee The Algoma Steel Corporation, Limited Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario, Canada Priority May 30, 1969 Canada 53,072

STORAGE AND DISPLAY DEVICE 16 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

11.8. CI 206/4515, 206/4531, 211/123, 211/164, 3l2/97.l, 312/135, 312/267 Int. Cl B65d 5/50, A47f 5/02 Field of Search 206/4515,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 791,101 5/1905 Klein 312/135 1,695,618 12/1928 Thompson 211/164 3,254,928 6/1966 Clatterbuck 3 l 2/97.1 2,927,545 3/1960 Hieb 312/267 X FOREIGN PATENTS 462,120 1/1914 France 211/164 Primary ExaminerJOSeph R, Leclair Assistant ExaminerSteven E. Lipman Attorney-Stevens, Davis, Miller and Mosher ABSTRACT: A display and storage device particularly suitable for holding uniformly shaped and sized articles. The device 'consists of two wheels mounted on a common horizontal axis and provided with split storage tubes which can slide in holes in each of the two wheels. A third wheel or disc is placed on the same axis intermediate the two end wheels to hold the tubes in proper location as one of the split sections ofa storage tube is moved relative the other section.

STORAGE AND DISPLAY DEVICE This invention relates to a novel display and storage device particularly suitable for uniformly shaped and sized articles. In particular the invention relates to a storage rack adapted to be rotated about a horizontal axis and provided with a plurality of axially split storage tubes.

The display and storage of small, uniformly shaped articles such as coins, discs and buttons, and in particular cylindrically shaped metallurgical microspecimens has long constituted a problem. In the case of metallurgical specimens which are conventionally mounted in a thermosetting plastic matrix for ease of handling and polishing for microscopic examination, the specimens must be stored in such a way that they do not become scratched, and are readily accessible at any time for further examination or comparison purposes. In many metallurgical operations microspecimens are taken, on a routine basis, of all metal casts for record purposes. It will be appreciated therefore that, although each individual specimen may only measure /x X /-inch and be mounted in a plastic button of about lyrinch diameter and %-inch thick, the storage of many hundreds of such specimens so that they are all readily accessible is relatively difficult and requires a relatively large amount of storage space. Although specific reference has been made to metallurgical specimens, the storage of many other articles presents similar problems and the present invention may easily be adapted to handle such articles as coins, film spools and cassettes, magnetic tape spools, rock core samples, pharmaceuticals and the like.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an efficient storage device for relatively large numbers of regularly shaped articles so that any selected article may be readily identified and removed without disturbing other stored articles. In a preferred embodiment the storage device is adapted to display the stored articles. The invention employs the wellknown ferris wheel" principle in conjunction with a plurality of horizontally mounted and axially split storage tubes. Optionally the storage tubes are at least partially fabricated from a transparent material so that stored articles are visible through the tubes.

The invention will be more fully described with reference to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric sketch of one embodiment showing transparent tubes in the closed or stored position,

FIG. 2 is an isometric sketch of an embodiment similar to FIG. 1 showing several selected tubes which are opaque in the open or article retrieve position,

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a tube for use in the device of FIGS. I and 2 according to a further embodiment ofthe invention, and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary section taken along the lines 44 in FIG. 1 showing the roller bearings.

As shown in FIG. 1, two wheels 1 and 2 are mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis on a stand 3. For convenience, stand 3 is provided with

vertical sides

4 and 5 adapted to receive wheels 1 and 2 on bearing surfaces 6 and 7. Wheels 1 and 2 and stand 3 may be of any suitable material such as wood, metal or plastics, bearing surfaces 6 and 7 of

uprights

4 and 5 may be coated with a low friction material, such as polytetrafluoroethylene, or with a lubricant such as paraffin wax or a mineral oil. Alternatively,

uprights

4 and 5 may be provided with roller bearings (as shown in FIG. 4) to ensure smooth and easy rotation of wheels 1 and 2 about a common horizontal axis. Preferably wheels I and 2 are rigidly and axially interconnected to ensure there is no relative movement between them. Alternatively wheels 1 and 2 would be mounted on a common horizontal axle.

In the preferred embodiment, wheels 1 and 2 are provided with a plurality of relatively

small holes

8 and 8 equidistantly spaced around each of the wheels adjacent to, but not touching, the periphery of the wheels, at a common distance from the axis of rotation adapted to receive rigid, longitudinally split tubes 9 which extend between holes 8 and 8'. It will, of course, be appreciated that a double circle of holes could equally well be provided if increased load capacity is required. Preferably, but not essentially, the tubes are of a transparent plastics material (as shown in FIG. 1) such as polystyrene or that sold under the trade mark PERSPEX, or glass. If the device is to be usedsolely for storage and not display, the split tubes may be fabricated from an opaque plastic or other material (as shown in FIG. 2) such as steel or other metal. Metal tubes with a clear plastic longitudinal insert for ease of identification of the contents may be employed, or opaque tubes may be provided with a longitudinal slit so that a part of the contents of the tube are visible for identification (as shown in FIG. 3). If opaque tubes are employed, it may be necessary to provide a numbering system on the inside of the split tubes with a corresponding key outside the tube in order to provide for rapid identification of a selected object stored in the tube. The reason for longitudinal splitting of the tubes will be more apparent hereinafter.

The device is also provided with a third wheel or disc 10 having corresponding holes 8" and located midway between wheels I and 2. Wheel 10 may be provided with a bearing corresponding to

uprights

4 and 5, but this is not essential and is not shown in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Wheel 10 is provided to maintain split tubes 9 in parallel longitudinal relationship to each other both when the two halves of each tube are in abutting relationship and when one half of the tube is slid away from the other half to expose the contents of the tube.

As seen in FIG. 2, the wheels 1 and 2 can be rotated to any selected position so that a selected tube 9 is uppermost. Either half of the selected tube 9 can be slid in relation-to the other half to expose the interior of the tube. Either the top half tube 11 can be withdrawn to the center disc 10 thus exposing the contents 12 resting on lower half tube 13, or the lower half tube 14 can be withdrawn, with contents 15, leaving the top half tube 16 in place. It will be noted that in no case is a half tube withdrawn past center disc 10, in order that proper alignment of the tubes may be maintained.

Thus, by either visual inspection of the stored articles through a transparent, or partially transparent tube, or by reference to a numbered key to articles in an opaque tube, any desired tube can be selected, rotated to the most convenient position for opening and either the upper or lower half tube withdrawn through an appropriate wheel, thus exposing any selected stored article for removal and examination or sale as the case may be.

The novel device may be of any convenient size depending on the type of articles stored therein, and although the device is particularly suitable for the storage of solid objects having a circular cross section, it may also be employed to store solid objects having noncircular cross sections, such as hexagonal, square, rectangular and the like. For storage of noncircular section objects it may be desirable to employ similarly noncircular storage tubes, and therefore in this specification the term tube is not to be construed as limited only to circular cross section elongated bodies having an internal cavity but to include all regular cross section bodies having the accepted characteristics of tubes. Similarly a tube which is axially split into two equal sections has been described, but it will be appreciated that the tubes could equally well be split into three or even more sections with equal effect. The device could also be employed to store phials of both solid and liquid phar maceuticals.

In certain circumstances it may be desirable that the articles in the tubes are stored out of contact with the atmosphere, for example, to prevent corrosion, deposition of dust and the like. In these cases it is necessary to cap the ends of the tubes or provide a closure disc on the outer sides of wheels I and 2. The closure disc may be provided with a single hole and it may be rotated, independently of its associated wheel, to a desired position so that the selected tube may be withdrawn through the single hole.

It will be appreciated that tube caps of many conventional varieties may be employed and need not be described in detail herein. in those instances where low humidity storage is desired, a dessicant may be placed in a tube and the ends capped. To prevent leakage along the length of the slit tubes 9, longitudinal rubber or the like seals may be provided, or alternatively a silicone-grease-type seal could be used.

A further embodiment of the present invention includes a brake on one or both wheels I and 2 so that the device may be rapidly stopped and locked at a desired position. Any conventional frictional or band brake could be employed. Many other modifications will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A device for storing articles comprising:

a plurality of rigid tubes, each of which is longitudinally split along its length into at least two sections adapted to slide relative to each other; a pair of wheels mounted on a stand for rotation about a common horizontal axis and being adapted to accommodate said plurality of rigid tubes in sliding parallel relationship therebetween; and a disc mounted along said common horizontal axis between said wheels and adapted to maintain said tubes in parallel relationship when one of said sections slides relative to another section.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said wheels are rigidly interconnected to prevent relative movement between them.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said tubes are evenly distributed adjacent the periphery of said wheels.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said tubes have a circular cross section.

5. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said tubes are split into two sections.

6. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said tubes are split into two equal semicircular sections.

7. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said tubes are fabricated from a transparent material.

8. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said tubes are fabricated from an opaque material.

9. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said tubes are fabricated substantially from an opaque material and include a longitudinal section fabricated from a transparent material.

10. A storage device comprising:

a plurality of rigid tubes of circular cross section. each of which is longitudinally split into a pair of semicircular sections adapted to slide relative to each other; a pair of rigidly interconnected wheels mounted on a stand for rotation about a common horizontal axis, said wheels being adapted to hold between them said tubes in horizontal, sliding and parallel relationship to each other; and a disc mounted on said common horizontal axis midway between said wheels and adapted to permit said tubes to slide through a plurality of locating holes therein, whereby to maintain said sections of said tubes in parallel relationship as a preselected one of said sections of a preselected tube slides relative to the other.

11. A device as claimed in claim 10 wherein said tubes are fabricated from a transparent plastic material.

12. A device as claimed in claim 10 wherein said tubes are substantially the same length as the horizontal distance between said wheels.

13. A device as claimed in claim 10 wherein said tubes have a length greater than the horizontal distance between said wheels, whereby to facilitate sliding of a preselected one of said sections of a preselected tube relative to the other section of said preselected tube.

14. A device as claimed in claim 10 wherein said wheels are each mounted on a plurality of roller bearings.

15. A device as claimed in claim 10 wherein said wheels are mounted on bearings, and said device includes means to prevent longitudinal movement of said wheels relative to said bearin s.

l6. device as claimed m claim 11 wherein the longitudinal axes of said tubes are equidistantly disposed around said wheels adjacent the periphery thereof.

* t I! I 1

Claims

1. A device for storing articles comprising: a plurality of rigid tubes, each of which is longitudinally split along its length into at least two sections adapted to slide relative to each other; a pair of wheels mounted on a stand for rotation about a common horizontal axis and being adapted to accommodate said plurality of rigid tubes in sliding parallel relationship therebetween; and a disc mounted along said common horizontal axis between said wheels and adapted to maintain said tubes in parallel relationship when one of said sections slides relative to another section.

10. A storage device comprising: a plurality of rigid tubes of Circular cross section, each of which is longitudinally split into a pair of semicircular sections adapted to slide relative to each other; a pair of rigidly interconnected wheels mounted on a stand for rotation about a common horizontal axis, said wheels being adapted to hold between them said tubes in horizontal, sliding and parallel relationship to each other; and a disc mounted on said common horizontal axis midway between said wheels and adapted to permit said tubes to slide through a plurality of locating holes therein, whereby to maintain said sections of said tubes in parallel relationship as a preselected one of said sections of a preselected tube slides relative to the other.

15. A device as claimed in claim 10 wherein said wheels are mounted on bearings, and said device includes means to prevent longitudinal movement of said wheels relative to said bearings.

16. A device as claimed in claim 11 wherein the longitudinal axes of said tubes are equidistantly disposed around said wheels adjacent the periphery thereof.