Storage cabinet with displaceable shelving

A free-standing shelf type cabinet for the storage of articles is constructed of an enclosed cabinet having a polygonal cross-section and on which at least one access door is provided. Within the cabinet, a plurality of shelves are mounted in a ferris wheel relation enabling the shelves to be progressively displaced to and past the access opening. A detent cooperates with the rotational support for the shelves enabling any selected shelf to be positionably retained at the access opening.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The field of art to which the invention relates comprises the art of shelf 
type furniture products for article storage. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Shelf type furniture products for storage of articles are available in an 
abundance of variations and typically are constructed of wood, metal, 
plastic and/or combinations thereof. Depending on the type of article to 
be stored and/or the degree of article care to be afforded, the product 
can be constructed so as to either expose or enclose the shelving. The 
latter is usually contained within an enclosed cabinet of sorts adapted 
for either wall mounting or free standing. In a usual enclosed cabinet 
construction, access to the shelving is provided by doors that hinge, 
slide, fold or roll. 
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the invention to provide a novel shelf type furniture 
product for the storage of articles. 
It is a further object of the invention to effect the previous object with 
shelves mounted for displacement within an enclosed cabinet whereby each 
shelf can be selectively accessed through a single relatively narrow door 
opening. 
It is a still further object of the invention to effect the previous 
objects with a free-standing cabinet construction in which some or all of 
the individual shelves are suitably constructed of compartmentalized trays 
adapted for receipt and storage of audio and/or video cartridge 
collections. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a shelf type furniture product for the storage of 
articles. More specifically, the invention relates to a free-standing 
cabinet structure having displaceable shelves so as to render each shelf 
selectively accessible from a convenient but relatively limited access 
opening in the cabinet. 
The foregoing is achieved in accordance with the invention by an enclosed 
elongated cabinet formed of polygonal cross-section. One face of the 
polygon represents the top of the cabinet and defines an opening with 
which a hinged door cooperates for accessing the internal cavity. Within 
the cabinet are a plurality of longitudinal shelves supported internally 
in a ferris wheel relation for rotational displacement about a 
longitudinal axis. Rotation of the shelves can either be by hand or 
optionally be motor driven while a detent or brake enables securing a 
selected shelf at an access station opposite the door opening. 
The above noted features and advantages of the invention as well as other 
superior aspects thereof will be further appreciated by those skilled in 
the art upon reading the detailed description which follows in conjunction 
with the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
In the description which follows, like parts are marked throughout the 
specification and drawings with the same reference numerals respectively. 
The drawing figures are not necessarily to scale and in certain views 
parts may have been exaggerated for purposes of clarity. 
Referring now to the drawings, the cabinet structure hereof designated 10 
is preferably formed of wood and is comprised of a polygonal cross-section 
of four, six or eight sides. As here shown, the cabinet is octagonal and 
comprises outer face walls 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24 and 26 secured 
between longitudinally spaced apart interfitting end walls 28 and 30. As 
illustrated, underlying face wall 18 in effect constitutes the bottom 
support portion of the free standing cabinet. Face wall 26 at the top 
comprises a displaceable door overlying access opening 37 leading to 
internal cavity 38. Door 26 includes a hand grip opening 32 and is secured 
at one end to end wall 30 via a pair of spring hinges 34 and 36. 
Within internal cavity 38 of the cabinet are disposed a plurality of 
support shelves corresponding in quantity to the number of sides of the 
polygonal cross-section. For the octagonal cross-section illustrated, 
eight shelves are provided generally designated 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 52 
and 54 to be described. The shelves are collectively supported in a 
displaceable ferris wheel relation for enabling rotation of the shelves 
progressively past opening 37. Providing the ferris wheel support is a 
longitudinally extending central dowel shaft 56 mounted for rotation 
through bore 57 of opposite bearing blocks 58 and 60 to a termination 
within recesses 63 in the end walls 28 and 30. Secured on the shaft near 
opposite ends for rotation therewith are spaced apart transverse support 
plates 62 and 64. The support plates, of octagonal configuration, are 
geometrically aligned with each other and to which are secured oppositely 
paired and aligned radial side arms 66, 68, 70, 72, 74, 76, 78 and 80. 
The inner end of each side arm is received and secured in a router mortised 
slot formed in the respective support plates inward from the peripheral 
side faces thereof. Near the distal end of each side arm there is provided 
a laterally secured pin 82 which in cooperation with the mutually 
extending lateral pin 82 on the opposite arm face coaxially engage a shelf 
to define a pivot axis supporting a shelf therebetween in a floating 
relation. It will be appreciated in this arrangement that a rotational 
hand motion applied to a shelf or side arm through access opening 37 will 
urge all of the shelves to be progressively displaced rotationally about 
the axis of shaft 56 past the access opening. 
For securing a selected shelf at the access opening, the back side of each 
of the side arms on support plate 62 (FIG. 5) includes a dimple recess 84. 
The recess is adapted to cooperate with a ball detent 86 biased laterally 
toward the recess by a compressed spring 88 disposed in a recess 90 of a 
block 92. In this manner, the shelves can be rotatably displaced and as 
each shelf reaches an uppermost position at access opening 37, the detent 
86 will extend to engage within a dimple 84 located thereat so as to 
correspond with that position of the ferris wheel. Thereafter, as the arms 
are rotated away from dimple engagement, the detent ball is forced 
inwardly of recess 90. With the foregoing arrangement, the support plate 
can be rotated steppedly past the detent but should it be determined to 
position a selected tray at the access opening, the detent will retain the 
rotatable structure thereat. This also serves against inadvertent rotation 
past that point as might otherwise be caused by any weighted off balance 
imposed on the respective shelves. 
In a preferred embodiment, the individual shelves are compartmentalized to 
receive video and/or audio cassettes 94 shown in phantom. For that 
purpose, each shelf is comprised of a compartmentalized tray-like 
configuration having end walls 96 and 98 joined front, rear and bottom by 
a plurality of transverse longitudinal runners 100. Between the end walls 
are a plurality of uniformly spaced upstanding partitions defining the 
individual juxtaposed storage compartments. 
By the above description there is disclosed a novel shelf type furniture 
cabinet providing an abundance of shelf space in a compact construction. 
By means of the ferris wheel relation of the shelves, a plurality of 
shelves can be selectively brought progressively to the access opening of 
the cabinet beneath the access door 26. The virtues are many in enabling 
an abundance of different articles to be conveniently stored and 
selectively retrieved by a furniture item consuming a minimum of floor 
space particularly in living situations such as an apartment where floor 
space is at a premium. The shelving construction for the cabinet hereof is 
particularly advantageous when utilized for cassette storage in that a 
large number of cassettes can be stored in any convenient arrangement and 
selectively retrieved whenever the occasion arises. By means of the detent 
providing restraint against rotation, unevenly distributed shelf loading 
will not impose any undesired rotation of the shelving such that a 
selected shelf will be retained at the access opening until forcibly 
displaced therefrom. It will be appreciated that the cabinet hereof is 
particularly suited for the storing of cassettes in a highly compact 
arrangement. 
Since many changes could be made in the above construction and many 
apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made 
without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter 
contained in the drawings and specification shall be interpreted as 
illustrative and not in a limiting sense.