Patent ID: 11872353
Assignee: RASPBERRY MED, INC.
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 9:
10. 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 an enclosed 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 enclosed 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 the 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.