# Patent

## Title
Clothing and textile system

## Abstract

A storage system for supporting clothing, textiles, or other delicate articles includes a pair of rails and a tray. The tray includes a frame and an inert liner located in the frame. Further, the frame includes guides for sliding engagement with the rails. Optionally, the rails permit unrestricted sliding movement of the tray so that the tray can be moved in opposed directions and removed or inserted from either side of the storage system.

## Background
This application claims priority from U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/796,237, filed Apr. 28, 2006, entitled CLOTHING AND TEXTILE SYSTEM, by Applicant Paul J. Machala, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.


TECHNICAL FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to a storage system and, more particular, to a storage system that is suitable for storing textiles, including clothing, fabrics, and other delicate items.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a storage system and its several components that allow various textiles, such as clothing, fabrics, or other delicate items to be organized and supported in a manner to protect the textiles.
In one form of the invention, a tray, which is suitable for mounting in a stationary shelf or “upright” or in a shelving system, includes a frame and an inert liner. The tray further includes guides for sliding engagement by a pair of rails, which then mount the tray in a shelf or shelving system.
In one aspect, the inert liner is formed form an inert plastic, such as a high impact polypropylene copolymer. For example, a suitable polypropylene copolymer is available under the trademark COROPLAST, which is a corrugated plastic that has an NILH pH factor.
In another aspect, the tray includes a pair of guides and is supported by two rails, with each rail including a channel-shaped member that is adapted to mount in a shelf or shelving system and a track for receiving the guides of the tray. For example, the channel-shaped member may include an intermediate projecting flange and a lower flange, which define the track therebetween.
According to another form of the invention, a drawer, which is also adapted to mount in a shelf or in a shelving system, includes a perimeter frame. The frame includes first and second pairs of opposed sides, with each of the first pair of opposed sides including an upper flange with a plurality of cooperative structures that define a plurality of defined positions along the first pair of opposed sides. Further, the drawer includes at least two brackets with each bracket being supported on the first pair of opposed sides and, further, including at least one cooperative structure for engaging the cooperative structures on the upper flanges of the first pair of opposed sides to provide fixed, defined locations for the brackets along the first pair of opposed sides. Further, extended between the brackets is a rod for hanging objects from the frame.
In one aspect, the upper flanges of the first pair of opposed sides of the frame includes a plurality of openings, and each of the brackets includes at least one projection for engaging a selected opening of the plurality of openings. In a further aspect, the bracket includes a pair of projecting structures for engaging two of the openings to thereby longitudinal fix the position of the brackets along the first pair of sides.
In another aspect, each of the opposed sides of the frame include an inwardly projecting lip for supporting the brackets.
In a further aspect, the rod is releasable supported in the respective brackets. For example, each of the brackets may include a cradle for supporting an end portion of the rod.
In a further aspect, the drawer engages a pair of slide rails for mounting the drawer in a shelf or shelving system.
According to another form of the invention, a shelf includes a base and a pair of upwardly extending side panels, which are interconnected at their upper ends by a generally horizontal panel. Mounted to the side panels are vertical rails with cooperative structures for engagement by horizontal rails that may be selectively positioned in the shelf. At least two of the horizontal rails are positioned on opposed sides of the shelf and with each rail having a cradle for supporting a rod that extends between the opposed rails.
For example, the opposed rails may include a generally J-shaped bracket with first and second legs, with the first leg mounted to the rail and the second leg spaced from the first leg and forming the cradle.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a system and components that are particular suitable for supporting and storing textiles, which can either be laid in the trays of the present invention or suspended from the rods that are provided by the components of the present invention.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the detailed description of the preferred embodiments set forth below, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.



BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shelf of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the shelf of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the shelf of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the shelf of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged detailed view of detail V of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a tray channel and mounting brackets;
FIG. 7 is an elevation view of the tray channel and mounting bracket of FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of detail VIII of FIG. 6;
FIG. 8A is a perspective view of a mounting bracket of FIG. 8;
FIG. 9 is an end view of the tray channel and mounting bracket of FIG. 7;
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a tray of the present invention;
FIG. 10A is an exploded perspective view of the tray of FIG. 10;
FIG. 10B is an enlarged view of detail XB of FIG. 10;
FIG. 10C is an enlarged view of detail XC of FIG. 10;
FIG. 11 is a front elevation view of the tray of FIG. 10;
FIG. 12 is a top plan view of the tray of FIG. 11;
FIG. 13 is a side elevation view of the tray of FIG. 12;
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the weldement of the tray of FIGS. 10-13;
FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of detail XV of FIG. 14;
FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of detail XVI of FIG. 14;
FIG. 17 is an enlarged view of the detail XVII of FIG. 14;
FIG. 18 is a plan view of the weldement of FIG. 14;
FIG. 19 is a front elevation view of the weldement of FIG. 18;
FIG. 20 is a side elevation view of the weldement of FIG. 18;
FIG. 21 is an enlarged view of the detail XXI of FIG. 19;
FIG. 22 is an enlarged view of detail XXII of FIG. 20;
FIG. 23 is an enlarged view of detail XXIII of FIG. 18;
FIG. 24A is a perspective view of a drawer of the present invention;
FIG. 24B is an exploded perspective view of the drawer of FIG. 24A;
FIG. 25 is a top plan view of the drawer of FIG. 24A;
FIG. 26 is a front elevation view of the drawer of FIG. 24A;
FIG. 27 is a perspective view of the frame of the drawer of FIG. 24A;
FIG. 28 is a similar view to FIG. 25 with the brackets and rods removed for clarity;
FIG. 29 is a front elevation view of the frame of FIG. 28;
FIG. 30 is a perspective view of a slide rail for supporting the drawer of FIG. 24;
FIG. 30A is a similar view to FIG. 30 with a drawer mounting bracket shown mounted to the rail;
FIG. 30B is an enlarged perspective view of the rail and bracket of FIG. 30A;
FIG. 31 is a front elevation view of the slide rail of FIG. 30;
FIG. 32 is an end elevation view of the side rail of FIG. 31;
FIG. 33 is a perspective view of a hanger rod support of the present invention;
FIG. 34 is a front elevation view of the support of FIG. 33;
FIG. 35 is an end elevation view of the support of FIG. 34;
FIG. 36 is a perspective view of the shelf of FIG. 1 having several components removed for clarity; and
FIGS. 37A and 37B are side elevation views of the shelf of FIG. 36, in which the tray has been pulled through the shelf from the front and back of the shelf, respectively.



DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIG. 1, the numeral 10 generally designates a shelf of the present invention. Although illustrated as a single upright stationary shelf, otherwise known as an “upright” in the shelving industry, it will be appreciated from the following description that the components of the present invention may be incorporated into a shelving system, including a shelving system that incorporates movable shelf units. As will be more fully described below, shelf 10 incorporates one or more components that facilitate the storage of textiles, such as clothing, fabrics, or other delicate items and, further, stores them in a manner to make them more easily accessible and, further, with some components providing protection from chemical impregnation that may occur when using conventional components.
Shelf 10 includes a base 12 and a pair of vertical side panels 14 that are connected at their upper ends by a horizontal panel 16. Panels 14 and 16 are conventional and are formed from thin sheet metal that is mounted to frame members, which provide rigidity to their respective panels. Mounted at or near the edges of panels 14 are vertical rails 20, 22, which provide mounting surfaces for the several components that may be mounted in shelf 10, as will be more fully described below. In addition, panels 14 are braced by horizontal supports or rails (FIGS. 1 and 5) which are mounted in the vertical rails using conventional hardware. Further, shelf 10 optionally includes one or more shelf elements 18 that are mounted between the respective vertical panels. Preferably, shelf elements 18 are removable and are mounted to vertical rails 20 and 22 using conventional hardware. The horizontal supports, shelf elements 18, and their respective mounting hardware are conventional and commercially available from Borroughs Corporation of Kalamazoo Mich.; therefore, no further details of these components will be provided herein.
Rails 20, 22 are also conventional and are typically channel-shaped rails with mounting openings 24, such as keyhole-shaped openings, provided in their webs 26 for engagement by brackets, which include pins with enlarged heads. The pins extend into the opening and when lowered in the opening secure the respective shelf elements to the rails in a similar manner to that desired in reference to the other components described in more detail below.
As previously noted, shelf 10 may incorporate one or more components that are configured and arranged to facilitate handling of textile products, including clothing, fabric, or the like. Referring to FIGS. 7-9, optionally mounted between vertical rails 20, 22 are a pair of horizontal rails or tray channels 28. Each tray channel 28 may be used as a left-hand or right-hand side tray channel or may be constructed with mirror image to provide left or right-hand tray channels. But in order to take advantage of economies of scale and to reduce cost and inventory, it may be preferable to provide a tray channel that can be used as both the left-hand side and right-hand side tray channel.
Tray channel 28 supports a tray 30, which is illustrated in FIGS. 10-13, in shelf 10. In the illustrated embodiment shelf 10 comprises an open shelf with access through the front or the back of the shelf. Therefore, in the illustrated embodiment, tray channels 28 allow the tray to be pulled through the shelf from either the front or back of the shelf, such as shown in FIGS. 36-37B. As will be more fully described below, tray 30 includes an inert liner, which is particularly suitable for supporting or holding textiles, including clothing or fabric, which are sensitive to chemical impregnation, for example, from conventional plastics and other non-inert materials.
Tray 30 includes a weldment 32, which is shown in FIGS. 14-24, which supports liner 34. Weldment 32 is formed from a plurality of interconnected metal components, which provide support to liner 34 described in more detail in reference to FIGS. 10A-10C. In the illustrated embodiment, weldment 32 is formed from a plurality of side frame members 36, 38, and a plurality of cross-frame members 40, which interconnect frame members 36. Each member 36, 38 includes an inwardly extending lower leg or flange 36a and 38a with an upwardly extending flange or lip 36b and 38b, respectively. Side frame members 36 and 38 are interconnected to each other at their ends by weld tabs 42, which are formed on the web of side frame members 36 and which nest into notches formed in the vertical webs 38c of side frame members 38. In this manner, members 36 and 38 have a flush connection. Similarly, upwardly extending flanges 36b of members 36 are notched to receive channel members 40, which are secured in place, for example, by welding, such as spot welding. In addition, members 38 include inwardly projecting flanges 44 spaced above flanges 38a, which provide support to the liner, more fully described below.
To support tray 30 on tray channels 28, each member 38 also includes an outwardly projecting lower flange 46 on which plastic strips 48, which form tray runners, are mounted, for example by a clip or snap-fit connection. As best seen in FIG. 11, plastic strips 48 project outwardly from either side of the tray 30 for slidingly supporting tray 30 in tray channels 28. Referring again to FIGS. 7-9, tray channels 28 includes a channel-shaped member 50 with a flange provided by an angle member 52, which is secured to the web of member 50, for example by welding. Channel-shaped member 50 mounts to the respective vertical rails 20, 22 in shelf 10 by a pair of brackets 54. Each bracket 54 includes a channel-shaped member 56 in which channel-shaped member 50 is secured, for example by welding, and a flange 58, which includes a pair of locking pins 60 with enlarged heads 62 for engagement in openings 24 of the respective webs 26 of vertical rails 20 and 22 as will be understood by those skilled in the art.
As best understood from FIG. 9, the outwardly projecting leg 52a of angle 52 forms a guide track 64 between leg 52a and lower flange 50a of channel-shaped member 50. Guide track 64 receives plastic runners 48 of tray 30 to thereby slidingly support tray 30 in tray channels 28. Further, track 64 is free of obstruction throughout the entire length of tray channel 28 to thereby permit the tray to be pulled in either direction in track 64 and further pulled from either end of tray channel 28.
As best seen in FIGS. 10, 13, and 14, tray 30 includes handles 66 formed by the upper outwardly projecting flanges 66a of members 36. Flanges 66 are preferably hemmed or folded over at their distal ends to provide hand pulls for the front and back of tray 30. In this manner, tray 30 essentially has no front or back and instead is universal in its pull direction. Therefore, when mounted in an open shelf, such as illustrated in FIG. 1, tray 30 can be extended from either the front or the back of the shelf.
As best seen in FIGS. 10A-10C, liner 34 is formed from a sheet 34a of inert material. For example, sheet 34a may comprise an inert plastic, such as a high impact polypropylene copolymer. A suitable material is available under the trademark COROPLAST, which is an extruded twin wall plastic sheet formed from a high impact polypropylene copolymer with a NILH pH factor. Sheet 34a rests on the top edges of channels 40 and on the top edges of the flanges 36b and 38b of frame members 36 and 38. Further, sheet 34a extends between flanges 44 and flanges 38b, which thereby form a guide for sheet 34a. Further, once positioned between flanges 44 and flanges 38b, sheet 34a is secured in place by a pair of angle members 34b. Angle members 34b have their horizontal flanges and a portion of the vertical flanges notched to straddle channel members 40. Angle members 34b are then secured to frame members 36 by fasteners 34c, such as rivets, screws or the like, which extend through lower flanges 36a of members.
Referring to FIGS. 24A, 24B, and 25-29, shelf 10 may optionally include a textile drawer 70, which allows fabrics to be suspended in the shelving. Drawer 70 includes an outer perimeter frame 72, which is similarly formed from rigid members 74, 76. In the illustrated embodiment each member 74, 76 includes an inwardly extending lower flange 74a and 76a and an outwardly extending upper flange 74b and 76b. Flanges 76b include a downwardly depending portion or leg 76c to thereby form handles for drawer 70. Upper flanges 74b provide support and, further, provide cooperative structures that define discrete locations for one or more hangers 78, which may be mounted between members 74 and allow fabrics to be suspended from drawer 70. As would be understood, therefore, members 74 and 76 form an open, bottomless frame that allows fabrics to be suspended through the frame by hangers 78.
As best seen in FIG. 25, upper flanges 74b include a plurality of openings 74c, which form a plurality of defined discrete positions for hangers 78. Each hanger 78 includes a pair of brackets 80 and a rod 82, which is suspended between the respective brackets 80. Brackets 80 each include at least one projecting structure 80a, such as a pin for positioning in openings 74c to thereby fix the position of hanger 78 along the longitudinal axis of angle members 74. In this manner, the position of hangers 78 may be adjusted but also secured in place when the respective pins of the brackets are located in the openings of angle member 74 and engaged with the upper flanges 74b of angle members 74.
As best seen in FIGS. 24A and 24B, rods 82 are supported by a cradle 84 formed by brackets 80. In this illustrated embodiment, brackets 80 comprise channel-shaped members with a vertical web 86 and an upper horizontal flange 88, which includes pins 80a, and a lower flange 90, which rests on flanges 74a of members 74. Lower flange 90 includes an upwardly turned flange or lip 92, which includes a notch to form the cradle for the respective rods. In this manner, the rods may be removed from the brackets to facilitate handling of the fabric that is draped over the respective rods.
Drawer 70 is mounted in shelving 10 by an extendable rail 94. A suitable extendable rail is illustrated in FIGS. 30-32. Rail 94 is commercially available from Accuride of Calif. and includes a plurality of nesting channel members that are supported for horizontal movement on bearings, including an inner-most channel-shaped member 96 to which drawer 70 is mounted by a bracket 97, which mounts to the side of drawer frame 72 by fasteners and to channel-shaped member 96 by fasteners. Rail 94 is mounted between the sides or panels of shelf 10 by a channel-shaped member 94a, which in turn is mounted in vertical rails 20, 22 by brackets 54 described previously.
Referring to FIGS. 33-35, the numeral 98 designates yet another component that may be mounted in shelf 10. Component 98 forms a hanger rod support so that a rod may be suspended between the panels or sides of the shelf for supporting clothing in shelf 10. As best seen in FIG. 33, hanger rod support 98 includes a channel-shaped member 100, which is mounted between the respective panels of shelf 10 by brackets 54, which have been previously described in reference to tray channels 28. Channel-shaped member 100 provides a mounting surface for a second channel member 102, which includes a vertical leg or flange 104, which is secured to web 100a of channel 100, and a second vertical flange or leg 106. Flange 106 is spaced from flange 104 by a horizontal flange 108 and includes a recess 110 for receiving the end portion of a hanger rod. As will be understood, hanger rod supports 98 are mounted in pairs in shelf 10 to provide support for both ends of a hanger rod.
While several forms of the invention have been shown and described, other forms will now be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, in preferred form, the frame members and mounting hardware are all preferably formed from metal, and preferably a light weight metal. However, it should be appreciated that other materials may be used. Further as noted, while the various components of the present invention are illustrated as being mounted in a stationary shelf, they may be used in other applications, including a shelving system, such as a movable shelf system of the type available from Borroughs Corporation. Therefore, it will be understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings and described above are merely for illustrative purposes, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

## Claims

1. A storage system comprising:
a pair of rails;
a tray, said tray including a frame and an inert liner removably supported in said frame, and said frame including guides for sliding engagement with said rails, a pair of first side frame members, a pair of second side frame members, and a pair of cross frame members;
said cross frame members and said second side frame members being disposed between and interconnecting said first side frame members to thereby form said frame, each of said first and second side frame members including an inwardly extending lower flange, and each of said second side frame members including an inwardly extending leg spaced upwardly from said inwardly extending lower flanges;
said inert liner being removably supported by said cross frame members and said first and second side frame members and inserted between said inwardly extending legs and said lower flanges of said second side frame members;
at least one angle member configured to secure said inert liner to said frame, said angle member being securable to said frame via at least one fastener; and
wherein said pair of rails provide unrestricted sliding movement of said tray relative to said rails wherein said tray may be moved relative to said rails in opposed directions to permit said tray to be removed or inserted into the storage system from either side of the storage system.

2. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein said inert liner comprises an inert plastic liner.

3. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein each of said rails comprises a channel-shaped member, each of said channel-shaped members including an upper flange, a lower flange, and an intermediate flange, said intermediate flange and said lower flange defining a track therebetween for receiving said guides of said tray.

4. The storage system according to claim 1, further comprising a pair of panels, and one or more braces that interconnect said panels, said rails extending along said panels and providing support for said guides of said tray, and said rails permitting said tray to move between said panels.

5. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein said cross frame members comprise channel-shaped members, said inwardly extending lower flanges of said first side frame members having an upwardly extending lip with a plurality of notches, each of said upwardly extending lips and said channel-shaped members having an upper edge, said notches being configured to receive said cross frame members such that said upper edges of the cross frame members are generally coplanar with said upper edges of said upwardly extending lips.

6. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein said guides comprise outwardly projecting flanges extending from opposed sides of said tray, further comprising a plastic strip mounted to each of said outwardly projecting lower flanges to thereby form tray runners.

7. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein said storage system comprises a pair of panels and at least one brace interconnecting said panels, and said rails extending along said panels.

8. The storage system according to claim 1, further comprising:
a second pair of rails;
a drawer, said drawer supported by said second pair of rails, said drawer comprising an open frame, said open frame including a pair of opposed side frame members, each of said side frame members having a plurality of cooperative structures defining a plurality of discrete locations; and
at least one hanger mounted between said side frame members at one of said discrete locations, said hanger being removably mounted at one of said discrete locations wherein said hanger may be removed from said frame to facilitate handling of a fabric that may be draped over the respective hanger.

9. The storage system according to claim 8, wherein said hanger includes a rod and a pair of brackets, said brackets supporting said rod, said brackets releasably engaging said opposed side frame members at said discrete locations to permit said brackets and said rod to be moved to another discrete location along said side frame members.

10. The storage system according to claim 8, wherein said cooperative structures comprise recesses.

11. The storage system according to claim 10, wherein each of said side frame members includes an upper flange, said upper flanges including said plurality of cooperative structures.

12. The storage system according to claim 11, wherein said cooperative structures comprise openings through said flanges, said openings forming said recesses.

13. The storage system according to claim 12, wherein said hanger includes a rod and a pair of brackets, said brackets supporting said rod, and wherein said brackets include a pair of structures for engaging two of said openings to thereby fix the position of the brackets along said flanges of said opposed side frame members.

14. The storage system according to claim 13, wherein each of said side frame members includes an inwardly projecting lip for supporting said brackets.

15. The storage system according to claim 13, wherein each of said brackets includes a cradle for supporting a respective end of said rod wherein said rod can be removed from said brackets.