A rack for storing bottles includes a frame member and a plurality of support arms sized and positioned to support a plurality of bottles extending on each side of the frame member. The rack further includes at least one movable member operably engaged to the frame member to permit the frame member and each of the bottles supported by the support arms extending from each side of the frame member to move from a stowed position into a deployed position.

FIELD

Racks for storing bottles are disclosed herein, and more particularly, racks for efficient storage and retrieval of wine bottles in storage areas where space limitations are present.

BACKGROUND

Racks are commonly used to store bottles (e.g., bottles containing alcoholic beverages such as wine, vodka, cognac, and other consumable beverages). The racks may be located in storage areas such as refrigerators, wine cellars, cabinets, closets, or the like. Racks often include support members in column format that permit the bottles to be stored on the rack two, three, or more bottles deep. Some storage arrangements include identical racks where the support members of adjacent racks are oriented on the same level. Such arrangements necessitate clearance between the end of one bottle in one rack to the end of the other bottle in the second rack and requires adjacent racks to be positioned far enough apart for the adjacent racks to be moved relative to one another.

Such bottle storage arrangements suffer from a disadvantage in that the bottles located in the second, third, or subsequent columns inward are obstructed both physically and from view by the bottles in the front columns. This prevents a person desiring to select one or more bottles to pull from the rack from quickly and easily identifying and reaching a bottle or bottles of interest.

Accordingly, a rack is needed that overcomes the disadvantages associated with the above racks by providing a space-efficient storage of bottles and easy and intuitive selection and retrieval of the bottles from any of the columns in the rack.

SUMMARY

A rack according to one embodiment includes a frame member having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, a top and a bottom, and a height between the top and the bottom. The rack further includes a plurality of support arms extending from each of the first and second sides of the frame member, and the plurality of support arms are sized and positioned to support a plurality of bottles thereon. The rack also includes at least one slide member operably engaged to the frame member. The at least one slide member is configured to permit the frame member and each of the bottles supported by the support arms extending from each of the first and second sides of the frame member to linearly slide from a stowed position into a deployed position.

The first and second sides of the frame member may include at least three pairs of the support arms positioned in one horizontal plane. Each of the three pairs may form a part of one of three vertical columns of support arms and each of the three vertical columns of support arms may be adapted to support a respective column of the bottles. The three vertical columns of the bottles may include a front column, a middle column, and a rear column. When the frame member and each of the bottles slides from the stowed position toward the deployed position, the rear column may slide forward past a position occupied by the front column in the stowed position.

The at least one slide member may include a first slide member operably attached to the frame member at the top and a second slide member operably attached to the frame member at the bottom. In one approach, at least a portion of the at least one slide member telescopes outwardly in a linear direction perpendicular to the height of the frame member when the frame member slides from the stowed position into the deployed position.

A rack according to another embodiment includes a frame member having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, a top and a bottom, and a height between the top and the bottom. The rack further includes a plurality of support arms extending from each of the first and second sides of the frame member and the plurality of support arms is sized and positioned to support a plurality of bottles thereon. The rack also includes at least one rotating member operably engaged to the frame member. The at least one rotating member is configured to permit the frame member and each of the bottles supported by the support arms to rotate about a rotational axis parallel to the height of the frame member from a stowed position into a deployed position.

Each of the first and second sides of the frame member may include at least three pairs of the support arms positioned in one horizontal plane. Each of the three pairs of the support arms may form a part of one of three vertical columns of support arms and each of the three vertical columns of support arms may be adapted to support a respective column of the bottles. The at least one rotating member may include a first rotating member operably attached to the frame member at the top and a second rotating member operably attached to the frame member at the bottom.

In one approach, the rotating member permits the frame member to rotate at least 90 degrees about the rotational axis as the frame member and each of the bottles supported by the support arms rotate about the rotational axis from the stowed position toward the deployed position. In another approach, the rotating member simultaneously permits the plurality of support arms extending from the first side of the frame member to rotate 90 degrees about the rotational axis such that tips of the bottles supported by the support arms extending from the first side of the frame member face toward a user while the plurality of support arms extending from the second side of the frame member rotate 90 degrees about the rotational axis such that tips of the bottles supported by the support arms extending from the second side of the frame member face away from the user.

A rack according to yet another embodiment includes a frame member having a first panel and a second panel, the first and second panels being movably engaged relative to each other, a top and a bottom, and a height between the top and the bottom. The rack further includes a plurality of support arms extending from each of the first and second panels, and the plurality of support arms are sized and positioned to support a plurality of bottles thereon. The rack also includes at least one pivot member operably engaged to the first and second panels and the at least one pivot member is configured to permit at least one of the first and second panels to pivot in a direction away from another of the first and second panels from a stowed position into a deployed position.

The at least one pivot member may include a first hinge operably engaged to at least one of the first and second panels proximate the top of the frame member and a second hinge operably engaged to at least one of the first and second panels proximate the bottom of the frame member.

In one approach, the pivot member permits the first panel to pivot 90 degrees relative to the second panel such that the first panel is perpendicular to the second panel when the first panel pivots into the deployed position.

In another approach, the pivot member permits the first panel to pivot 180 degrees relative to the second panel such that the first panel and the second panels are in one plane when the first panel pivots into the deployed position.

In yet another approach, the pivot member permits each of the first and second panels to simultaneously pivot 90 degrees when the first and second panels pivot from the stowed position into the deployed position such that the first and second panels are positioned in one plane when the first and second panels are in the deployed position.

A kit for assembling at least one rack including a plurality of trays for supporting bottles includes vertical frame member having a first including a plurality of mounting location. Each mounting location includes at least one slot passing through the vertical frame member and at least one clip member located in part in an interior of the vertical frame and in part protruding through the at least one slot. The kit includes a top mounting member adapted to be fixed to one of a wall and a ceiling and including at least one opening for receiving a top portion of the vertical frame member. The kit also includes at least one tray including an opening for receiving at least a portion of the vertical frame member therethrough, the opening including at least one sleeve movably coupled to the vertical frame member and adapted to permit the at least one tray to independently rotate relative to the vertical frame member about a rotational axis parallel to the vertical frame member, the at least one tray including a plurality of support arms extending therefrom, the plurality of support arms being sized and positioned to support a plurality of bottles thereon.

In one approach, the at least one sleeve is movably coupled to the vertical frame member such that the at least one tray is permitted to slide upwardly and downwardly on the vertical frame member.

In one approach, the clip member is adapted to resiliently flex in response to being contacted by at least a portion of the at least one tray during movement of the at least one tray one the slcontacted such that the clip member is entirely located within the interior of the vertical frame.

The kit may further include a bottom mounting member adapted to be fixed to a floor and including at least one opening for receiving a bottom portion of the vertical frame member.

In an approach, the top mounting member is mounted on a vertical wall and includes an intermediate mounting member and the vertical frame member is coupled to the intermediate mounting member.

The aforementioned racks advantageously provide space-efficient storage of multiple columns of bottles, and permit easy and intuitive access to and retrieval of bottles in rear columns that are obstructed by bottles in front columns. Further advantages will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art with reference to the following drawings, detailed description, and claims.

For ease of reference, in the accompanying FIGURES, the aspects of the racks and/or trays that are similar across the different embodiments have been designated with similar reference numbers, prefaced with differing leading numbers in an increasing numerical order.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Generally, racks for storing a plurality of bottles are described herein. The racks store a plurality of bottles in multi-column format and include movable members to facilitate at least a portion of the rack to move from the stowed position where some of the bottles in rearward columns are obstructed by some of the bottles in the forward columns into a deployed position where the bottles in any column are visible and easy to retrieve from the wine rack.

Racks10a,10b, and10caccording to one exemplary embodiment are shown inFIG. 1. The racks10a,10b, and10care illustrated as storing a plurality of bottles80, illustrated in a form typically attributed to wine bottles. It will be appreciated, however, that the racks10a,10b, and10cmay be used advantageously to store other bottles containing non-alcoholic beverages and/or other spirits (e.g., vodka, cognac, champagne, or the like), or containers other than bottles, such jars, cans, or the like.

The bottles80are shown inFIG. 1as being located in an exemplary storage space90suitable for storing the racks10a,10b, and10c. The storage space90shown inFIG. 1includes a first side wall92, a second side wall94, and a rear wall96connecting the first and second side walls92,94. It is to be appreciated that any storage space suitable to accommodate the racks10a,10b, and10cmay be used instead of the storage space90. For example, the racks10a,10b, and10cmay be stored in a storage area such as a refrigerator, wine cellar, pantry, cabinet, or the like. Further, it is to be appreciated that the racks10a,10b, and10chave been shown as being mounted to the first and second side walls92,94and to the rear wall96by way of example only, and that the racks10a,10b, and10cmay be mounted, for example just to the rear wall96, just to a ceiling, just to a floor, or to both the ceiling and the floor, as will be discussed in more detail below with reference to alternative embodiments.

With reference toFIG. 1, each rack10a,10b,10cincludes a frame member12and a plurality of support arms14extending from the frame member12. Each frame member14of the racks10a,10b,10cincludes a first side15and a second side17opposite the first side, and includes support arms14extending from each of the two sides15,17to increase bottle storage efficiency in the storage area90.

FIG. 1shows the racks10a,10b,10cpositioned in a “stowed” or “home” position within the storage space90. With the racks10a,10b,10cbeing in the stowed position, as discussed in more details below, bottles80aand80dof the front two columns obstruct a user's view of bottles80b,80c,80e,80fin the rear columns. Advantageously, the frame member12includes at least slide member16operably engaged to the frame member12to permit the frame member12to slide from the stowed position into a deployed position. For example, as shown inFIG. 1, each of the racks10a,10b,10cincludes a first slide member16proximate a top20of the frame member12and a second slide member18proximate a bottom22of the frame member12. Each of the first and second slide members16and18may be in the form of a single track, a multi-track assembly, a ball-bearings assembly, telescoping assembly, pulley assembly, or the like.

The first and second slide members16,18permit each of the racks10a,10b,10cto move along the slide members16,18from the stowed position shown inFIG. 1into the deployed position shown inFIG. 2.FIG. 2shows the rack10bbeing in the deployed position, where at least a portion of the rack10bis located outside of the storage space90, facilitating a user's ability to view and remove any of the bottles80stored on the rack10b. Each of the slide member16,18includes a front24and a back26, as shown inFIG. 2. As the rack10bis moved from the stowed position to the deployed position, the rack10bmoves linearly (e.g., in a straight line) in a direction from the back26to the front24of the slide members16,18and away from the rear wall96. In the embodiment illustrated inFIGS. 1-2, the direction of movement of the rack10bfrom the stowed position to the deployed position (and vice versa) is perpendicular to the direction of the support arms14and perpendicular to the height of the frame member12, which is defined for purposes of this application as a maximum vertical dimension of the frame member12from the top20of the frame member12to the bottom22of the frame member12.

As shown inFIG. 2, when the rack10bis in the deployed position, bottles80b,80c,80e,80flocated in the rear columns of the rack10bare positioned flush with, or slightly further away from the rear wall96of the storage space90than bottles80a,80dlocated in the front columns of the adjacent racks10aand10c, permitting a user to easily view the labels on any of the bottles80a,80b,80c,80d,80e,80fon each of the sides15,17of the frame member12of the rack10b. When a user removes one or more bottles80a,80b,80c,80d,80e,80fof interest from either of the sides15,17of the frame member12of the rack10b, the user may then move the rack10bfrom the deployed position ofFIG. 2back to the stowed position ofFIG. 1by sliding the rack10blinearly along the slide members16,18away from the user and toward the rear wall96.

It is to be appreciated that while only one of the racks10bhas been shown inFIG. 2being pulled from the stowed position into the deployed position, two of the racks (e.g.,10aand10c), or all three of the racks10a,10b,10cmay be simultaneously pulled into the deployed position.

FIGS. 3 and 4show racks110a,110b,110caccording to an alternative embodiment in a stowed position within the storage space90. As seen inFIG. 3, with the racks110a,110b,110cbeing in the stowed position, bottles80aand80dof the front two columns obstruct a user's view of bottles80b,80c,80e,80fin the rear columns. Advantageously, the frame member112of each of the racks110a,110b,110cincludes a rotating member121operably engaged to the frame member114. It will be appreciated that while only one rotating member121is shown operably engaged to the frame member114, more than one (e.g., two, three, four, or more) rotating members121may be used, where appropriate, for example, depending on the weight and size of the racks110a,110b,110c. Further, whileFIG. 3has been shown to include only one rotating member121at the top120of the frame member14, where appropriate, the frame member114may include a second rotating member at the bottom122of the frame member114. Similarly, it will be appreciated that the location of the rotating member121at the top of the frame member114is shown for illustration purposes only, and the rotating member121may be positioned proximate to the top120of the frame member114, or positioned midway between the top120and bottom122of the frame member114. The rotating member121may be a swivel, a pivot, a rod, a shaft, or the like.

The rotating member121permits each of the racks110a,110b,110cto rotate about a rotational axis (see dotted lines inFIG. 4) from a stowed position (seeFIG. 3) to a deployed position (seeFIG. 4). In the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 4, the rotational axis is parallel to a height of each of the racks100a,110b,110c, but may be non-parallel as well. As the rack110bmoves from the stowed position into the deployed position, the rotating member121simultaneously permits the support arms114extending from the first side115of the frame member112to rotate 90 degrees about the rotational axis such that tips of the bottles80supported by the support arms114extending from the first side105of the frame member112face toward a user while the plurality of support arms114extending from the second side115of the frame member112rotate 90 degrees about the rotational axis such that tips of the bottles80supported by the support arms114extending from the second side of the frame member112face away from the user, as seen inFIG. 4and discussed in more detail below.

WhileFIG. 4shows the rack110brotated about the rotational axis by 90 degrees relative to the stowed position, it will be appreciated that the rotating member121is adapted to permit the frame member114of each rack110a,110b,100cto rotate, swivel, or pivot by a full range of motion (i.e., 0-360 degrees), as indicated by the circular dotted lines inFIG. 4. More specifically, the rotating member121is adapted to permit the frame member114to rotate at least by 90 degrees, 180 degrees, 270 degrees, and/or 360 degrees in either (clockwise or counterclockwise) direction.

With reference toFIG. 4, when the rack110bis in the deployed position, one side115of the frame member112faces toward the user and the other side117of the frame member112faces away from the user and toward the rear wall96. The deployed position of the rack110borients the bottles80a,80b,80csupported by the support arms114extending from the first side115of the frame member112and the bottles80d,80e,80fsupported by the support arms114extending from the second side117of the frame member112such that a user is permitted to easily view the labels on the bottles80a,80b,80c,80d,80fof the rack110b. If a bottle (e.g.,80e) of interest is not visible to a user with the rack110bbeing in the deployed position, the user may simply rotate the rack110bby 180 degrees about the rotational axis such that the orientation of the rack110bis reversed, i.e., such that the bottles80d,80e,80fsupported by the support arms114extending from the second side117of the frame member112face the user. When the user removes one or more bottles of interest from either of the sides115,117of the rack110b, the user may then rotate the rack110bfrom the deployed position back to the stowed position by rotating the rack110bby 90 degrees in either direction about the rotational axis.

It is to be appreciated that while only one of the racks110bhas been shown inFIG. 4being rotated into the deployed position, two of the racks (e.g.,110aand110c), or all three of the racks110a,110b,110cmay be simultaneously rotated into the deployed position, where appropriate. It is also to be appreciated that the embodiment ofFIGS. 3-4requires that the racks110a,110b,110care positioned at a predetermined distance away from the rear wall96of the storage space90to permit the circumference of motion (see the circular dotted circles inFIG. 4) of the tips of the bottles80a,80b,80c,80d,80e,80fto have clearance away from rear wall96of the storage space90to permit a full 360 range of motion of the racks110a,110b,110c.

FIGS. 5-8shows racks210a,210b,210caccording to yet another embodiment in a stowed position within the storage space90. As seen inFIG. 5, with the racks210a,210b,210cbeing in the stowed position, bottles80aand80dof the front two columns obstruct a user's view of bottles80b,80c,80e,80fin the rear columns. Advantageously, each of the racks210a,210b,210cincludes a frame member212with a first panel211and a second panel213that are movably engaged relative to each other. In particular, in the embodiment shown inFIGS. 5-8, each of the racks210a,210b,210cincludes a hinge member250proximate a top220of the frame member212and a second hinge member252proximate a bottom222of the frame member212. It will be appreciated that while the two hinge members250and252have been shown inFIGS. 5-8, less than two (i.e., one), or more than two (e.g., three four, or more) hinge members250,252may be used, where appropriate, depending, for example, on the size and weight of racks210a,210b,210c. The hinge members250and252may be in the form of a hinge, a latch, a pin, a shaft, or any other connection or operable engagement that permits pivoting, swiveling, or rotational movement of the first and second panels211,213of the frame member212relative to each other.

The hinge members250,252permit the first and second panels211and213of each of the racks210a,210b,210cto separately or simultaneously rotate in a direction away from each other (indicated by the arrows inFIG. 7) from a stowed position (seeFIG. 7) to a deployed position (seeFIG. 8) such that at least some of the bottles80are at least in part positioned external to the storage space90, as shown inFIG. 6. WhileFIG. 6shows the second panel213of the rack210bin a deployed position, i.e., pivoted about the hinge members250,252by 90 degrees relative to the stowed position, it will be appreciated that hinge members250,252of the rack210bpermit the panels211,213of the racks210a,210b,210cto rotate, swivel, or pivot by a range of motion of 180 degrees.

In the deployed position shown inFIGS. 6 and 8, one panel213of the frame member212faces toward the user and the other panel211of the frame member212faces away from the user and toward the rear wall96. The deployed position in this embodiment provides the user visual access to the bottles80d,80e,80fsupported by the support arms214extending from the panel213of the frame member212. If a bottle of interest (e.g.,80b) is not visible to a user with the rack210bbeing in the deployed position, the user may simply rotate the panel211of the rack210bby 90 degrees about the hinge members250,252such that the panel211also faces the user and the bottles80a,80b,80csupported by the support arms214extending from the panel211of the frame member212face the user. When a user removes one or more bottles80of interest from either of the panels211,213of the rack210b, the user may then move the panels211,213of the rack210babout the hinge members250,252from the deployed position back to the stowed position.

It is to be appreciated that while only one panel213of one of the racks210bhas been shown inFIG. 6being rotated into the deployed position, one or both panels211,213of two of the racks (e.g.,210aand210c), or selected non-adjacent panels211,213of all three of the racks210a,210b,210cmay be simultaneously moved into the deployed position, where appropriate.

It is also to be appreciated that while the racks110a,110b,110cof the embodiment ofFIGS. 3 and 4, which cannot be placed flush against the rear wall96of the storage space90, and require being positioned a predetermined distance away from the rear wall96of the storage space90as indicated by the dotted lines inFIG. 4, the racks210a,210b,210cofFIGS. 5-8may be positioned flush against the back wall96of the storage space90. This is so because one or both of the panels211,213pivot to the deployed position without requiring the other of the panels211,213to correspondingly rotate in a rearward direction towards the rear wall96.

FIG. 9shows three racks310a,310b,310cgenerically representing the exemplary racks10a,10b, and10c,110a,110b, and110c,210a,210b, and210cwithout regard to their specific features (e.g., slide members, rotating members, hinge members) for purposes of a more detailed illustration of the relative orientation of the frame members312and the support arms314. The exemplary racks310a,310b,310care each adapted for storing bottles80a,80b,80c,80d,80e,80fin two sets of three vertical columns to provide for increased storage efficiency.

FIG. 10shows an enlarged fragmentary view of two adjacent racks310aand310bwhileFIG. 11shows a close-up of a portion of one of the racks310bto illustrate the structure and orientation of the support arms14relative to the frame member12. In the illustrated exemplary embodiments, the support arms314are oriented in multiple horizontal sets330(e.g.,FIG. 11) having a predetermined number of support arms314for holding a predetermined number of bottles80c. In particular, as shown inFIG. 11, one horizontal set330of support arms314includes a first pair of support arms314a,314bspaced apart a distance sized to accommodate a first bottle80a, a second pair of support arms314c,314dspaced apart a distance sized to accommodate a second bottle80b, and a third pair of support arms314e,314fspaced apart a distance sized to accommodate a third bottle80c.

FIG. 11also shows a second horizontal set340of support arms314that includes a first pair of support arms314g,314hspaced apart a distance sized to accommodate a first bottle80a(which has been removed), a second pair of support arms14i,14jspaced apart a distance sized to accommodate a second bottle80b, and a third pair of support arms14k,14lspaced apart a distance sized to accommodate a third bottle80c. The exemplary horizontal sets330and340of support arms314are oriented vertically to form a column (e.g.,FIGS. 1 and 10) permitting a three-deep storage of the bottles80to provide for space-efficient storage of the bottles80on each of the racks310a,310b,310c, as shown, for example, inFIGS. 1,3, and5.

With reference toFIGS. 9 and 10, in one approach, the support arms314of adjacent columns are oriented such that their elevations and the bottles80are positioned in a staggered orientation such that portions of bottles80overlie one another. The staggered elevation of the support arms314permits adjacent racks310a,310b,310cto be positioned closer to one another, providing a more space-efficient arrangement as compared to conventional racks where the bottles are spaced apart and do not overlie one another. It will be appreciated that the staggered elevation of the support arms314is optional, and where space permits, the support arms314of adjacent racks310a,310b,310cmay be located at identical elevations with the racks310a,310b,310cbeing spaced further apart.

It is to be appreciated that the configuration shown inFIGS. 1-11has been shown by way of example only, and the racks ofFIGS. 1-11may include less or more than three columns (e.g, two, four, five, or more columns) of bottles80. It will also be appreciated that the racks shown inFIGS. 1-11are shown as being separate from one another and not as one interconnected structure, the racks may be removably or non-removably attached to one another, and may include one or more mounting member that permits the racks to be removably or non-removably attached to a corresponding structure of the storage area90.

FIG. 12shows racks410a,410baccording to an alternative embodiment located in the exemplary storage space90. By way of example only, unlike the racks10,110,210,310discussed above, which store the bottles80three-deep (80a,80b,80c), the racks410a,410bare illustrated inFIG. 12as storing the bottles80four-deep (80a,80b,80c,80d), providing the racks410a,410bwith more storage capacity as compared to the racks10,110,210,310. While the racks10aand110adescribed above are constructed and mounted such that the frame members12a,112arotate in their entirety to simultaneously move all of the bottles80stored on the racks10a,110a, the racks410a,410bare different from the racks10and110also in that each rack410a,410bincludes a rotationally fixed vertical frame member421a,421beach including a plurality of independently rotatable trays470a,470brotatably mounted on a respective vertical frame member421a,421b.

As shown inFIG. 15, a tray470b(which is identical to the tray470aofFIG. 12) includes a plurality of support arms414bfor supporting a predetermined number of bottles. The exemplary tray470bofFIG. 15includes eight support arms414bthat are positioned and spaced to support eight typically-sized bottles80a-80h, as shown inFIG. 12. As discussed in more detail below, the trays470a,470bare independently rotatable about the vertical frame members, permitting any one of the trays470band eight bottles to be moved at one time, instead of moving all of the bottles on a rack when a single bottle in a rear column is intended to be accessed and removed.

As can be seen inFIG. 12, when the trays470a,470bof the racks410a,410bare in the stowed position, the bottles80aand80eof the front two columns obstruct a user's view of, and restrict the user's access to, the bottles80b,80c,80d,80f,80g,80hlocated in the rear columns. The vertical frame members421a,421bpermit the trays470a,470bof the racks410a,410bto rotate about a rotational axis parallel to the vertical frame members421a,421bfrom a stowed position (see rack470ainFIG. 12) to a deployed position (see second from the top rack470binFIG. 12) such that each of the bottles80b,80c,80dof the three rear vertical columns are all unobstructed and accessible to the user as much as the bottle80aof the front vertical column.

WhileFIG. 12shows the tray470bof the rack410brotated into the deployed position by 90 degrees about the rotational axis relative to the stowed position, it will be appreciated that the vertical frame member421bis adapted to permit the trays470a,470bof each rack410a,410bto rotate, swivel, or pivot by a full range of motion (i.e., 0-360 degrees), as indicated by the circular dotted lines inFIG. 12. More specifically, the vertical frame member421bis coupled to the trays470bsuch that each of the trays470bis permitted to swivel or rotate independently at least by 90 degrees, 180 degrees, 270 degrees, and/or 360 degrees in either (clockwise or counterclockwise) direction. For example, the tray470bmay be rotated 180 degrees about the vertical frame member421bsuch that the bottles80a-80dare obstructed and face away from the user while the bottles80e-80hare brought in to a position formerly occupied by the bottles80a-80d(as inFIG. 12) to face the user and permit easy access for viewing and removal of any of the bottles80e-80h.

The racks410a,410bare shown inFIG. 12as being mounted to a top wall or ceiling97via a top mounting member420and to a bottom wall or floor98via a bottom mounting member422. In the exemplary embodiment shown inFIG. 12, the top and bottom mounting members420,422may be fixedly attached to the ceiling97and the floor98, respectively, via fasteners (e.g., screws429shownFIGS. 14A-14B) that pass through the top and bottom mounting members420,422and into the respective one of the ceiling97and the floor98. While the top and bottom members420,422have been shown with pre-drilled holes419for accommodating the fasteners429, it is to be appreciated that the pre-drilled holes419may be omitted and the fasteners429may be in the form of self-tapping screws that may be used to attach the top and bottom members420,422to the ceiling97and floor98, respectively.

With reference toFIG. 12, in one approach, the support arms414a,414bof the adjacent columns of the racks410a,410bare oriented such that their elevations and the bottles80a-80hare positioned in a staggered orientation such that portions (e.g., necks) of the bottles80a-80hoverlie one another. The staggered elevation of the support arms414a,414bpermits adjacent racks410a,410bto be positioned closer to one another, providing a more space-efficient arrangement as compared to conventional racks where the bottles are spaced apart and do not overlie one another. It will be appreciated that the staggered elevation of the support arms414a,414bis optional, and where space permits, the support arms414a,414bof adjacent racks410a,410bmay be located at identical elevations and the racks410a,410bmay be spaced further apart.

FIG. 13illustrates racks510a,510baccording to an alternative embodiment located in the exemplary storage space90. The racks510,510bare substantially similar to the racks410a,410b, with one difference being that the racks510a,510bare mounted to the rear wall96and the floor98of the storage space90instead of being mounted to the ceiling97and the floor98as the racks410a,410b. Specifically, the racks510a,510bare mounted to a bottom wall or floor98of the storage space90via a bottom mounting member522substantially the same way as described above in reference to the bottom mounting member422inFIG. 12above. Unlike the top mounting member420ofFIG. 12, which overlies the vertical frame members421a,421b, the top mounting member522is mounted to the rear wall96of the storage space and does not overlie the vertical frame members521a,521b. As such, the vertical frame members521a,521are rotatably coupled to intermediate mounting members525a,525b, respectively, which may be unitary parts of the top frame member520, or may be fixedly attached to the top frame member520, as shown inFIG. 13. The intermediate mounting members525a,525bhave been shown inFIG. 13as extending away from the top frame member520in a direction generally perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the top frame member520and are oriented generally horizontally and perpendicularly relative to the vertical frame members521a,521b. It will be appreciated that the intermediate mounting members525a,525bmay be oriented non-horizontally, and may be non-perpendicular to one or both of the top frame member520and the vertical frame members521a,521b.

With reference toFIGS. 14A-14C, varying alternative configurations of the top and bottom mounting members420and422are shown to illustrate possible ways to restrict rotation of the vertical frame members421a,421bwhen one or more of the trays470a,470bare independently rotated from the stowed position into the deployed position.

FIG. 14Ashows one exemplary configuration where the top mounting member420includes two openings435and the bottom mounting member422includes two openings437opposite the openings435. Since the exemplary vertical mounting members421a,421bare generally straight as shown inFIG. 12, the openings435and437of the top and bottom mounting members420,422may be aligned using a plumb line86which may include a plumb bob88, as shown inFIG. 14A. While the openings435of the top mounting member420have been shown inFIG. 14Aas being circular and hollow (to receive a top portion423aof the circular vertical frame members421a,421b) and not passing completely through the top mounting member420, the openings435may alternatively pass completely through the top mounting member420.

The openings437of the bottom mounting member422are shown inFIG. 14Aas being circular and hollow (to receive a corresponding bottom portion423bof the vertical frame members421a,421b) and also not passing completely through the bottom mounting member420, and including a slot439sized and shaped to receive a matching peg at the bottom portion423of the vertical frame members421a,421b. When the vertical frame members421a,421bare coupled to the top and bottom mounting members420,422, the pegs of the openings437act as a stop to prevent rotational movement of the circular vertical frame members421a,421bduring rotation of any one of the trays470a,470b, allowing any one of the trays470a,470bto be independently rotated from the stowed position into the deployed position without requiring associated rotational movement of the vertical frame members421a,421b.

FIG. 14Bshows another exemplary configuration where the top mounting member620includes two openings635and the bottom mounting member622includes two openings637opposite the circular openings635, which may be aligned as described above in reference toFIG. 14A. The openings635of the top mounting member620are shown inFIG. 14Bas being circular and hollow (to receive a corresponding top portion423aof the vertical frame members421a,421b) and completely passing through the top mounting member620, but may alternatively only partially through the top mounting member620. The openings637of the bottom mounting member622are shown inFIG. 14Bas being hollow (to receive a corresponding bottom portion423bof the vertical frame member421a) and also passing completely through the bottom mounting member620, and being square-shaped and sized to receive a correspondingly sized and shaped bottom portion423a,423bof the vertical frame members421a,421b. When the vertical frame members421a,421bare coupled to the top and bottom mounting members620,622, the square-shaped bottom portion of the vertical frame members421a,421bis at least in part positioned in the square shaped openings637of the bottom mounting member622and acts as a stop to prevent rotational movement of the vertical frame members421a,421bduring the rotation of any one of the trays470a,470b, allowing any one of the trays470a,470bto be independently rotated about the vertical frame members421a,421bfrom the stowed position into the deployed position.

FIG. 14Cshows another exemplary configuration where the top mounting member720is identical to the top mounting member620and the bottom mounting member622is substantially similar to the bottom mounting member622, but instead of having a one-piece monolithic construction as the bottom mounting member622, the bottom mounting member722includes two identical halves, which may be brought into contact to form the mounting member722that, aside from being formed from two separable pieces, would be identical to the bottom mounting member622.

It will be appreciated that whileFIGS. 14A-14Cshow a top mounting member420,620,720and a bottom mounting member422,622,722, it will be appreciated that the vertical frame members421a,421bmay be mounted using only the top mounting member420,620,720or only the bottom mounting member

The configuration of the bottom mounting member722in two separable halves may facilitate the coupling of the vertical frame members421a,421bto the bottom mounting member722in situations where lifting the vertical frame members421a,421boff the floor98and into the openings737is not desirable, for example, due to a limitation in height. Similarly to the configuration ofFIG. 14B, when the vertical frame member421ais coupled to the top and bottom mounting members720,722, the square-shaped bottom portions423a,423bof the vertical frame members421a,421bare at least in part positioned in the square shaped openings637of the bottom mounting member622and act as stops to prevent rotational movement of the vertical frame members421a,421bduring rotation of any one of the trays470a,470b, allowing any one of the trays470a,470bto be independently rotated about the vertical frame members421a,421bfrom the stowed position into the deployed position.

With reference toFIG. 15, each tray470bincludes an upper surface471and an opening472passing through the upper surface471. A flanged collar portion473protruding from the upper surface471surrounds the opening472, as shown inFIG. 15, and extends in part into the opening472, as shown inFIGS. 18A-18B. In one approach, the flanged collar portion473may be fixedly attached, i.e., by welding to an interior surface of the opening472. The opening472is located centrally to the tray470, but the opening472may also be off-center. The opening472of the tray470is sized and shaped to receive the vertical frame members421a,421bsuch that the vertical frame members421a,421bmay be insertable into the opening472of the tray470and such that the tray470may be slid up or down the vertical frame members421a,421b.

Preferably, the tray470is sized and shaped to be in a friction-fit around the vertical frame members421a,421b. In an approach shown inFIG. 15, the opening472includes a sleeve or bushing474inserted into and coupled to the flanged collar portion473, and one or more ball bearings475to permit rotational movement of the tray470babout the vertical frame member421b. It will be appreciated that the ball bearings475are shown by way of example only, and may be optionally omitted such that the sleeve or bushing474slides and rotates without the ball bearings475. The sleeve or bushing474, when not including the ball bearings475, may be made of a material that provides for sliding and rotation of the bushing474relative to the vertical frame members, for example, Nylon, Delrin, and UHMW The sleeve or bushing474may be separable from the flanged collar473and may be inserted into the portion of flanged collar473located within the opening472, for example, by sliding. The sleeve or bushing474may be made of a metallic or plastic material and is discussed in more detail below. As discussed above, the trays470aand470bare identical in the illustrated embodiments, but it will be appreciated that the trays470aand470bmay be different from each other in size and bottle capacity.

With reference toFIG. 16, the vertical frame members421a,421bof the racks510a,510band the trays470a,470bare adapted to have a modular relationship. Specifically, the vertical frame members421a,421binclude a predetermined number of mounting locations where the trays470a,470bmay be mounted onto the vertical frame members421a,421b. As shown inFIG. 16, the rotatable frame members421a,421beach include 14 mounting locations such that 14 independently rotatable trays470a,470bare mounted onto a respective one of the vertical frame members421a,421b. As shown inFIGS. 14 and 17, withFIG. 17showing a single mounting location of one tray470bon the vertical frame member421b, each of the mounting locations on the rotatable frame member421bincludes a first slot431band second, larger, slot433b. The vertical frame member421bhas a hollow interior454, and includes, at each of the mounting locations, a clip member460, as shown inFIGS. 18A-18C.

With reference toFIG. 19, the exemplary clip member460includes a bottom portion461, a first leg portion462, and a second leg portion463opposite the first leg portion462. The first and second leg portions462,463each include a foot portion464,465, respectively, with the first foot portion464terminating in a hook portion466and the second foot portion465terminating in a hook portion467. The first leg portion462and the bottom portion461are joined by a first notch portion468, and the second leg portion463and the bottom portion461are joined by a second notch portion469. As can be seen inFIG. 19, the bottom portion461is entirely curved and U-shaped or dome-shaped, depending on how the clip member460is oriented. It is to be appreciated that the bottom portion461does not have to be entirely curved and may include one or more straight portions. The first and second notch portions468,469are generally V-shaped but may be alternatively U-shaped. The foot portions464,465are in the form of flanges and extend inwardly from their respective leg portions462,463. The foot portion464intersects the leg portion462forming a first corner469a, while the foot portion465intersects the leg portion463, forming a second corner469b, as shown inFIG. 19. The hook portions466,467are generally linear (although may be J-shaped, C-shaped, etc.).

The clip member460is preferably made from a metallic, plastic, or synthetic resin material that permits the clip member460to both be flexible enough to permit the leg portions462,463to flex inward as shown inFIG. 18Band outward as shown inFIG. 18Cmultiple times without the clip member460developing kinks and/or breaking. For example, the clip member460may be formed from aluminum or a thermoformed polymer material.

FIG. 18Ashows the clip member460positioned in its initial position prior to being coupled to the tray470b, which is permitted to slide in frictional contact along the vertical frame member421b, as shown by the directional arrow inFIG. 18A. In this initial position, the clip member460is mounted at least in part within the hollow interior454of the vertical frame member421b. Specifically, the bottom portion461of the clip member460is located fully within the hollow interior454of the vertical frame member421b, the notch portions468,469are inserted into the slots431bof the vertical frame member421bso as to form a snap fit, the leg portions462,463and the foot portions464,465at least in part protrude through the slots433bof the vertical frame member421band are positioned outside of the hollow interior454of the vertical frame member421b, the corners469a,469bare both positioned outside of the hollow interior454, while the hook portions468,469are positioned at least in part within the hollow interior454of the vertical frame member421b. Specifically, the hook portion468abuts an inner surface456of the hollow interior454and the hook portion469abuts an inner surface457of the hollow interior454such that the hook portions468,469are restricted from moving away from each other past the slots433b.

With reference toFIG. 18B, as the tray470bslides up along the vertical frame member421, the flanged collar473of the tray470bcomes into contact with segments of the leg portions462,463protruding through the slots433b. The protruding segments of the leg portions462,463are angled so as to form a ramped surface along which the flanged collar473, as well as the interior surface of the opening472of the tray470bcan travel, pushing the leg portions462,463as well as the foot portions464,465of the clip member460in a direction shown by the directional arrows in18B. Since the clip member460is formed from a flexible resilient material, the leg portions462,463and the foot portions464,465of the clip member460move toward each other in a direction shown by the directional arrows inFIG. 18Band into the interior454of the vertical frame member421bto permit the tray470bto slide past the corners469a,469b(as inFIG. 18B) and into a mounted position where the clip member460snaps back into initial position as shown inFIG. 18C.

In the mounted position shown inFIG. 18C, the tray470bis supported on the protruding flange-like segments of the foot portions464,465of the tray470b, and is permitted to rotate about the vertical frame member421bas shown, for example, inFIGS. 12 and 13. During rotation of the tray470bby a user, the tray470bmay rotate in one plane, or may shift upward or downward relative to the mounted position shown inFIG. 18Cas described in more detail below.

In a preferred embodiment, the sleeve or bushing474is configured to facilitate the tray470bto be stably positioned preferentially and/or locked and/or snapped into place when the tray470bis in the mounted position ofFIG. 18C. For example, the bushing474may have a bottom end comprised of two sloped edges476a,476bthat meet at an apex477, as shown inFIG. 20A. When the tray470bis in the mounted and stowed position as shown inFIGS. 17 and 18C, the apex477provides a seat for the for the foot portions464,465of the tray, preferentially retaining the tray470bin the position shown inFIG. 17.

When the tray470bis rotated by a user from the stowed to the deployed position, the tray470shifts slightly upward as the foot portions464,465slide down the edges476a,476buntil the tray470breaches its deployed position, where the foot portions464,465of the clip member460snap into a seat formed by an indent479as shown inFIG. 20B. The indent479retains the foot portions464,465of the clip member460in place and restricts undesirable rotation of the tray470bwhile the user views and/or removes bottles from the tray470b. When a user rotates the tray470bfrom the deployed position back to the stowed position, the tray470bshifts slightly downward as the foot portions464,465slide back up the edges476a,476buntil the tray470breaches its deployed position, where the foot portions464,465of the clip member460snap back into the seat formed by the apex477, as shown inFIG. 17.

FIGS. 21A and 21Bshow alternative configurations of the bushing474. In particular, instead of having two sloped edges476a,476bthat meet at an apex477, as shown inFIG. 20A, the alternative bushing474has a bottom end including substantially horizontal edges476a,476band an indent479between the horizontal edges476a,476b, as shown inFIG. 21A. When the tray470bis in the mounted and stowed position as shown inFIGS. 17 and 18C, the indent479provides a seat for the for the foot portions464,465of the tray, preferentially retaining the tray470bin the stowed position shown.

When the tray470bis rotated by a user from the stowed to the deployed position, the tray470shifts slightly upward as the foot portions464,465slide out of the indent479and along the edges476a,476buntil the tray470breaches its deployed position, where the foot portions464,465of the clip member460snap into a seat formed by another indent479as shown inFIG. 21B. The indent479retains the foot portions464,465of the clip member460in place and restricts undesirable rotation of the tray470bwhile the user views and/or removes bottles from the tray470b. When a user rotates the tray470bfrom the deployed position back to the stowed position, the tray470shifts slightly downward as the foot portions464,465slide along the edges476a,476buntil the tray470breaches its deployed position, where the foot portions464,465of the clip member460snap back into the seat formed by the indent479.

Since the tray470bhas a full range of motion of 360 degrees as described above, the bushing474may include four predetermined seats such as477and479to preferentially retain the tray470bin both the stowed position and the deployed position. For example, since the tray470bis preferably moved from the stowed position to the deployed position by a range of motion of 90 degrees, the bushing474could include four seats477or479ninety degrees apart.

The frame members of the racks described above may be manufactured from material such as wood, plastic, metal (e.g., steel, aluminum, iron), or the like. The support arms of the racks inFIGS. 1-13may be manufactured from a metallic (e.g., aluminum) or plastic material having sufficient strength to support full glass bottle (e.g., a wine bottle). Each of the support arms of the racks inFIGS. 1-13may be cantilevered (as shown, for example, inFIGS. 1,10, and11-13), but it will be appreciated that instead of being positioned on a pair of adjacent cantilevered support arms, a bottle may be securely stored on the illustrated racks via, for example, U-shaped support arm having each of its ends attached to the frame member. The support arms of the racks inFIGS. 1-13have been illustrated as being linear or straight, but may alternatively be curved to closely match a shape of particular bottles. In addition, while each of the support arms of the racks inFIGS. 1-13has been illustrated as being perpendicular to the height of the frame members, the support arms may be oriented at any suitable obtuse and/or acute angle relative to the height of the frame members.

The racks described herein advantageously provide space-efficient storage and intuitive and easy selection and removal of the bottles from the racks in any storage area.