Multiple-shelf storage container for thin flexible stackable articles

A multiple-shelf storage container disclosed has a pair of opposed shelf-supporting, lightweight inner side panels with each made of a thin, molded plastic, one-piece body and a plurality of lightweight shelves made of a material similar to the side panels and supported by shelf-supporting wall portions of the side panels to slide between retracted and extended positions. The inner side panels are preferably mounted to the inside of side walls of a box-like outer shell. Each shelf has a recessed portion in the shape of the article being supported to enable a stack of the articles to be supported thereon. The shelves move to an extended position for displaying and access to the supported articles such as thin film balloons.

TECHNICAL FIELD 
This invention relates to a novel and improved storage container, that is 
particularly suitable for storing and readily accessing a plurality of 
thin flexible stackable articles such as film balloons and the like. 
BACKGROUND ART 
There are numerous thin flexible articles such as film balloons that are 
relatively thin and have no rigidity and are hard to store in such a way 
as to be readily accessed, viewed and delivered to a customer are a point 
of sale. Currently available storage containers have the disadvantage of 
being too heavy, too costly, too cumbersome and have shelves with planar 
top surfaces that do not prevent a plurality of stacked articles supported 
thereon from sliding from side to side relative to one another. 
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 
A lightweight multi-shelf storage container has a pair of opposed, 
shelf-supporting inner side panels with sets of shelf support portions 
slidably supporting a plurality of vertically spaced shelves. Each shelf 
has a recessed portion in the shape of an article being stored to receive 
and retain in place a plurality of stacked articles. The inner side panels 
and shelves preferably are made of a thin, substantially rigid, molded, 
one-piece plastic body such as PVC, ABS or the like.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
Referring now to the drawing, there is shown a container 11 embodying 
features of the present invention including a box-shaped outer shell 12 
having a flat top panel 13, a flat bottom panel 14, a flat back panel 15 
and opposed, spaced outer side panels 16 with the shell being open at the 
front. The panels 13, 14, and 15 are preferably made of a thin, flat, 
lightweight sheet material such as plastic, pressed board, wood or the 
like and may have a grain and/or selected color for a good appearance. A 
top corner molding 17 of a molded plastic or the like is shown provided 
around the top of the outer shell and a bottom corner molding 18 is 
provided around the bottom of the outer shell. An edge molding 19 is shown 
fitted over each front and rear edge of the side panels. 
A pair of oppositely disposed and spaced apart inner side panels 23 are 
mounted on the inside of associated of the outer side panels 16 and are 
held a fixed distance apart by a pair of front and rear transverse top 
braces 25 and a pair of front and rear transverse bottom braces 26. The 
braces may be fastened as by an adhesive or by screws threaded through 
from the outside of the outer side panels of shell 12. 
Referring now to FIG. 5, the inner side panels 23 have a substantially flat 
or planar main body portion 31 that butts against the inside of an 
associated outer side panel 16 and a series of elongated, vertically 
spaced, inwardly extending, channel-like protruding wall portions 32. Each 
channel-like protruding wall portion 32 has a horizontal inner wall 
section 34 serving as a shelf support portion, an inner sidewall section 
35 that is the base of the channel shape and a horizontal lower wall 
section 36 opposite and spaced from the upper wall section 34. As seen in 
FIG. 8 an intermediate length segment 37 of each protruding wall portion 
midway between the ends has the lower wall section 36 horizontal disposed 
and wall section 35 parallel to portion 31 which serves to hold the next 
lower shelf to prevent undue tilting of the shelf when the self is moved 
to an extendend position as seen in FIG. 2. 
The channel-like protruding wall portions 32 are further shaped with 
tapered or beveled front and rear end portion 39 and are further shaped 
with tapered sidewall sections 35a (FIG. 9) between the end portions 39 
and intermediated segment 37. Intermediate segment 37 is also seen to have 
beveled or tapered front and rear end portions 37a. Each channel-like 
protruding wall portion 32 is further seen to have one or more 
longitudinally spaced recessed portions 42 which may received staples 43 
to fasten each inner side panel 23 to the associated outer side panel 16. 
It is understood that alternative fasteners may be used including the use 
of an adhesive. 
A plurality of shelves 51 are slidably supported by oppositely disposed 
sets of the shelf support portions 34 of the inner side panels. Each shelf 
51 shown is of a generally square shape having a generally flat, main body 
portion 52, a recessed article support portion 53 within the main body 
portion and a pair of guide rail portions 54 along two opposite outer 
sides of the main body portion. Each recessed article support portion 53 
has side wall extending down from portion 52 and a flat bottom wall. Each 
guide rail surface portion 54 is provided by a vertical segment depending 
down from the outer of the main body portion, a horizontal rail segment 
extending out from the bottom end of the vertical segment and an upturned 
curved end segment extending up from the outer end of the horizontal rail 
segment. The vertical segment extends to a point about midway between the 
ends of the sidewall of the recessed portion 53 to locate the horizontal 
rail segment approximately midway between the ends of the recessed portion 
53. The shape of the recessed portion 53 shown is specifically adapted to 
accommodate a stack of thin film balloons 55. The recessed portion 53 
shown is generally circular and has an outwardly extending ear-like 
projection 57 at each corner of the square shape which receives the 
inflating valve portion 55a of the flat balloon 55. 
Each shelf further has ribs 59 of a generally rectangular cross section in 
the main body portion and ribs 61 of a generally triangular shaped cross 
section in the recessed portion. The ribs 59 are provided from the 
midpoint of the front of the shelf to the ear projections at substantially 
equal intervals for added strength while there are not as many along the 
side or back wherein the main body portion is narrower. The ribs 61 are in 
the shape of a 6 pointed star and there are ribs 62 in the sidewall of the 
recessed portion for additional strength. Each shelf further has a 
downturned lip 64 along the front edge on which there is a molding 65 for 
gripping by the user. 
The side support panels and each shelf preferably are made of a rigid 
elastomeric material such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or acrylonitrile 
butadiene styrene (ABS) having a thickness of about 0.03 inches. These 
parts are preferably made using a vacuum mold process. 
Although the present invention has been described with a certain degree of 
particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made 
by way of example and that changes in details of structure may be made 
without departing from the spirit thereof.