Abstract:
A shelving system for supporting and storing cylindrical objects, such as canned goods, is disclosed. The shelving system is made up of two or more bilaterally symmetrical rails coupled together in a side-by-side orientation by at least two rods. The rails form a track on which the cylinders are placed such that the cylinders roll on a top track section from front to back and then drop to a lower track section where they roll from back to front. The distance between the paired rails can be adjusted by the depth that the rods are inserted into receiving structures. The rails can also be stacked on each other to provide for storage of additional cylinders. This shelving system provides for storage of different sizes of cylinders and for rotation of cylinders, such as would be advantageous for rotation of canned food.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional application Ser. No. 60/194,792, filed Apr. 5, 2000. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    This invention relates to storing cylindrical objects. More particularly, the invention relates to shelving for use in supporting and storing cans and other generally cylindrical objects.  
           [0003]    There is a need for apparatus for supporting and storing cans and other generally cylindrical objects. For example, many foods, such as carbonated and uncarbonated drinks, soups, meats, vegetables, fruits, doughs, and other foods, are stored in cans or generally cylindrical containers. In a home, such cans or generally cylindrical containers are often difficult to store efficiently in a refrigerator, freezer, pantry, cupboard, or the like. Moreover, some people store food and other canned goods in preparation for an emergency. Since canned foods have a shelf life, it is prudent to rotate stored foods such that the oldest foods are used before the shelf life expires and new purchases are saved for later use. On conventional shelves it is inconvenient to move the older canned goods to the front of the shelf and stock newer canned goods at the back. Frequently, canned goods that are pushed to the back of the shelf are later overlooked or forgotten.  
           [0004]    Further, canned goods come in many different sizes of containers. For example, Table 1 shows the sizes of containers used with a variety of common canned or similarly packaged foods. Therefore, it is difficult to make efficient use of space with permanent or adjustable shelves. Moreover, such shelves are expensive.  
                                                 TABLE 1                                   Food Product   Diameter (cm)   Height (cm)                                        Biscuit dough, 7.5 oz.   5.1   13.3           Tomato paste, 6 oz.   5.4   8.6           Vienna sausages, 5 oz.   6.4   7.6           Carbonated drink, 12 oz.   6.4   12.4           Tomato sauce, 8 oz.   6.7   6.4           Soup, 11 oz.   6.7   10.2           Frozen orange juice, 12 oz.   6.7   12.7           Pork and beans, 1 lb.   7.6   11.4           Tuna, 6 oz.   8.6   3.8           Spaghetti sauce, 1 lb. 10.5 oz.   8.6   14.6           Crushed tomatoes, 1 lb. 12 oz.   10.2   11.7                      
 
         Table 1  
         [0005]    Food Product Diameter (cm) Height (cm)  
           [0006]    Biscuit dough, 7.5 oz. 5.1 13.3  
           [0007]    Tomato paste, 6 oz. 5.4 8.6  
           [0008]    Vienna sausages, 5 oz. 6.4 7.6  
           [0009]    Carbonated drink, 12 oz. 6.4 12.4  
           [0010]    Tomato sauce, 8 oz. 6.7 6.4  
           [0011]    Soup, 11 oz. 6.7 10.2  
           [0012]    Frozen orange juice, 12 oz. 6.7 12.7  
           [0013]    Pork and beans, 1 lb. 7.6 11.4  
           [0014]    Tuna, 6 oz. 8.6 3.8  
           [0015]    Spaghetti sauce, 1 lb. 10.5 oz. 8.6 14.6  
           [0016]    Crushed tomatoes, 1 lb. 12 oz. 10.2 11.7  
           [0017]    In view of the foregoing, it will be appreciated that providing a shelving system for use in supporting and storing cans and other generally cylindrical objects, wherein the shelving system is adjustable to accommodate different sizes of containers, inexpensive, durable, easy to use, and facilitates rotation of canned goods, would be a significant advancement in the art. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
           [0018]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a shelving system for supporting and storing cans and other generally cylindrical objects wherein the system is adjustable to accommodate different sizes of containers.  
           [0019]    It is also an object of the invention to provide a shelving system that is inexpensive to make and use.  
           [0020]    It is another object of the invention to provide a shelving system that is durable when used under ambient, refrigerated, or freezing conditions.  
           [0021]    It is still another object of the invention to provide a shelving system that facilitates rotating of canned goods.  
           [0022]    These and other objects can be addressed by providing a rail member configured for being coupled to at least one other rail member for forming a shelving system for holding cylindrical objects comprising:  
           [0023]    (a) a base comprising a pair of base track members that are generally planar and sloping from back-to-front, and at least one pair of horizontally disposed receiving members configured for receiving an end of a rod;  
           [0024]    (b) a back section disposed in a generally upright orientation on the base, the base comprising a pair of back track members that are generally planar and generally vertical in a vertical section thereof and arcuate in a lower section thereof, wherein the arcuate lower sections are contiguous with the base track members of the base, and at least one pair of horizontally disposed receiving members configured for receiving an end of a rod; and  
           [0025]    (c) a top section disposed in a generally horizontal orientation on the back section, the top section comprising a pair of top track members that are generally planar and sloping from front-to-back, and at least one pair of horizontally disposed receiving members configured for receiving an end of a rod;  
           [0026]    wherein the rail member exhibits bilateral symmetry such that each of the pair of base track members, back track members, top track members, and receiving members are mirror images of each other.  
           [0027]    A shelving system for holding cylindrical objects comprises at least two rail members as described above, wherein the at least two rail members are coupled in a side-by-side configuration by a plurality of rods wherein a first end of each of said plurality of rods is inserted in a top receiving member, back receiving member, or base receiving member of one of the at least two rail members, and a second end of each of said plurality of rods is inserted in a corresponding top receiving member, back receiving member, or base receiving member of the other of the at least two rail members. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0028]    [0028]FIGS. 1A, 1B, and  1 C show side, top, and end views of a rail member of an illustrative embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the shelving system of the present invention configured in an illustrative embodiment.  
         [0030]    [0030]FIGS. 3A and 3B show cross sectional views of a rod inserted into a receiving member according to the present invention.  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of an illustrative rod according to the present invention.  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a wrench that can be used for rotating the rod shown in FIG. 4 when it is inserted in a receiving member.  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 6 shows a clamp that can be disposed on the rod shown in FIG. 6 for restricting the depth that the rod is inserted into a receiving member. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0034]    Before the present shelving system is disclosed and described, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular configurations, process steps, and materials disclosed herein as such configurations, process steps, and materials may vary somewhat. It is also to be understood that the terminology employed herein is used for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting since the scope of the present invention will be limited only by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.  
         [0035]    In describing and claiming the present invention, the following terminology will be used in accordance with the definitions set out below.  
         [0036]    As used herein, “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” “characterized by,” and grammatical equivalents thereof are inclusive or open-ended terms that do not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps. “Comprising” is to be interpreted as including the more restrictive terms “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of.” As used herein, “consisting of” and grammatical equivalents thereof exclude any element, step, or ingredient not specified in the claim.  
         [0037]    As used herein, “consisting essentially of” and grammatical equivalents thereof limit the scope of a claim to the specified materials or steps and those that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristic or characteristics of the claimed invention.  
         [0038]    In its most basic configuration, the present invention comprises two rail members coupled together side-by-side by a plurality of rods or pins. When pinned together, the two rail members cooperate to form an upper track and a lower track on which the cylinders are disposed such that the longitudinal axis of the cylinder is generally horizontal. The upper track slopes from front-to- back, and the lower track slopes from back-to-front such that a cylinder placed at the front of the upper track will roll toward the back, drop down to the lower track through a space provided for that purpose, and then roll on the lower track to the front thereof. Additional cylinders placed on the upper track will line up behind the first cylinder. When the first cylinder is removed from the shelving system, the remaining cylinders roll into the positions vacated by the cylinders ahead in line.  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 1A shows a side view of an illustrative rail member  10  according to the present invention. The rail member  10  exhibits bilateral symmetry (shown in FIG. 1B and FIG. 1C) such that the side of the rail member  10  not seen in FIG. 1A is a mirror image of the side shown in FIG. 1A. This rail member  10  comprises a base  12 , a back section  14  coupled to the base  12  in a generally upright orientation, and a top section  16  coupled to the back section  14 . Front, middle, id and back upright supports  18 ,  20 ,  22  are also disposed on the base  12  to connect it with the top section  16 . An support arm  24  is disposed generally horizontally for connecting the front, middle, and back upright supports  18 ,  20 ,  22  for providing strength to the rail member  10 . Disposed on the top section  16  and extending generally horizontally therefrom is a top track member  26  comprising a generally planar strip sloping from front-to-back. Near the back of the top section  16 , there are positioned a plurality of break-off tabs  30  positioned in the same plane as the top track member  26 . The break-off tabs  30  are set apart from the back section  14 , thereby creating a space such that a can or other generally cylindrical object can drop from the top track member  26  down to the base  12 . One or more of the break-off tabs  30  can be removed to make the space larger, as selected by the user.  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 1A also shows that the back section  14  comprises a back track member  32  extending therefrom that is generally vertically disposed in its upper section  33 . Base  12  also comprises a base track member  34  that extends generally horizontally therefrom and is generally planar and slopes from back-to-front. The back track member  32  and the base track member  34  are contiguous with each other, being connected by an arcuate track section  36 . As a cylinder drops from the top track member  26 , the cylinder contacts the back track member  32 , thus preventing the cylinder from falling out the back of the apparatus. The back track member  32  feeds the cylinder onto the arcuate track section  36 , which in turn feeds the cylinder onto the base track member.  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 1A also shows a plurality of receiving members  38 , each configured to form a generally horizontally oriented cavity for receiving a rod or pin  39  (FIG. 2). One end of the rod is inserted into a selected receiving member, and the other end of the rod is inserted into a corresponding receiving member in a second rail member, thus coupling two rail members together in a side-by-side arrangement (FIG. 2). The depth that the rods are inserted into the receiving members controls the distance between the two rail members. It will be appreciated, therefore, that the distance between the two rail members can be selected by how deeply the rods are inserted into the receiving members. Preferably, a plurality of rods are used to connect the two rail members, thus providing strength to the resulting structure. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the rods are elliptical in cross section, and the cavities formed in the receiving members are also elliptical in cross section. Once the rods have been inserted into the receiving members to the selected depth, the rods can then be rotated about  900  about the longitudinal axis of the rods to lock the rods into position, further strengthening the structure of the apparatus as described in more detail below. Additional receiving members  40 ,  42  are also formed in the top section  16  and the base  12 . These receiving members  40 ,  42  are configured to form a generally vertically oriented cavity for receiving the rods. It will be appreciated that inserting one end of a rod into a receiving member  42  formed in the base  12  of a first rail member and the other end of the rod into a receiving member  40  formed in the top section  16  of a second rail member will link the two rail members in a vertical stack. It will be further appreciated that a side-by-side pair of rail members coupled together with a plurality of rods can be stacked on top of and ID coupled to another side-by-side pair of rail members by inserting rods into appropriate receiving members  40 ,  42  in the top sections  16  and bases  12  (FIG. 2). The vertical distance between the stacked pairs of rail members can also be adjusted by the depth that the rods are inserted into the receiving members, as will be described in more detail below. An illustrative stacked structure is shown in FIG. 2.  
         [0042]    [0042]FIGS. 3A and 3B show cross sections of a rod  100  inserted into a receiving member  104 . The cross sections of the rod and of the cavity in the receiving member are preferably elliptical. As shown in FIG. 3A, when the long axis  108  of the elliptical cross section of the rod is substantially parallel to the long axis  112  of the elliptical cross section of the cavity, there is a space  116  between the rod  100  and the wall  120  of the receiving member such that the rod  100  can slide in the cavity. As shown in FIG. 3B, when the rod  100  is rotated approximately 90°, then the rod  100  is cammed against the wall  120  of the receiving member such that the rod  100  does not slide in the cavity.  
         [0043]    [0043]FIG. 4 shows another illustrative embodiment of a rod  130  according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the rod  130  has an elliptical cross section as described above. In addition, an annular member  132  is disposed near one end of the rod. This annular structure  132  prevents the rod  130  from sliding into a receiving member past the annular structure, and thus restricts the depth that the rod can be inserted in the receiving member. The other end of the rod preferably lacks such an annular structure. According to this arrangement, the end of the rod having the annular structure can be inserted into the receiving structure to a fixed depth, whereas the end of the rod lacking such an annular structure can be inserted to a selected or variable depth. FIG. 4 also shows a wrench receiving structure  134  formed in the side of the rod  130  configured for receiving the jaws  138  of a wrench  142  (FIG. 5). The wrench receiving structure  134  comprises two flattened areas on opposite sides of the rod, only one of which is shown in FIG. 4, and preferably the flattened areas are substantially parallel to one another. The jaws of the wrench are placed over the wrench receiving structure and then by applying torque to the handle of the wrench the rod is rotated about its longitudinal axis. Also shown in FIG. 4 is a clamp receiving structure  146  for receiving a clamp  150 . The clamp receiving structure  146  also comprises a pair of flattened areas on opposite sides of the rod, only one of which is shown in FIG. 4. The flattened areas are preferably substantially parallel to each other. When the clamp  150  is clamped on the clamp receiving structure  146 , the clamp  150  forms a stop with respect to the sliding of the rod into a receiving member. Preferably, the rod contains a plurality of such clamp receiving structures spaced apart along the length of the rod. By placing the clamp at a selected clamp receiving structure, the depth that the rod can be inserted into a receiving member is selected. FIG. 6 shows an illustrative clamp  150  for use in connection with the rod  130  shown in FIG. 4, the clamp  150  comprising opposed first and second jaw members  154 ,  158  configured for being received by the clamp receiving structure  146  on the rod  130 . The clamp  150  also comprises a locking mechanism such that the clamp can be locked in a closed position (as shown in FIG. 4) or can be opened (as shown in FIG. 6). The locking mechanism for the illustrative clamp shown in FIG. 6 comprises a peg  162  disposed on the first jaw member  154 , and a peg receiving structure  166  disposed on the second jaw member  158 . Inserting the peg  162  into the peg receiving structure  166  locks the clamp, and withdrawing the peg  162  from the peg receiving structure  166  unlocks the clamp. Alternatively, an E-clip or similar clip device well known in the art can be used instead of clamp  150 .  
         [0044]    It will be further appreciated by a person of ordinary skill in the art that three or more rail members can be coupled together in a side-by-side-by-side arrangement. It will be still further appreciated that vertical stacks of the side-by-side coupled rail members can be configured two or more levels high.  
         [0045]    The rails and rods can be made of any suitable materials, such as various plastics, metals, wood, and the like. Preferably, the rails and rods are fabricated by injection molding processes well known in the art. Preferred materials for the injection molding process include polypropylene, polyethylene, polycarbonate, DELRIN, polyethylene terephthalate, and the like.