Abstract:
An organizing cabinet for storing relatively small, loose items in sorted fashion configured to facilitate sorting and storing of the items. The organizing cabinet features a cabinet holding a plurality of storage bins and a sorting plate disposed at an upper portion of the cabinet. The sorting plate is pivotally connected to the cabinet at a pivot axis. The sorting plate has a flat sorting surface and a retaining wall extending along the sorting surface. The retaining wall extends generally parallel to or aligned with the pivot axis and has a dispensing port formed through which sorted items are poured either directly into a selected receptacle or into a user&#39;s hand simply by pivoting the sorting plate upwardly about the pivot axis.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates generally to organizers and, more specifically, to organizers that facilitate sorting and storing relatively small, loose items. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Generally, organizers for storing relatively small, loose items such as nuts, bolts, screws, etc. consist of a cabinet housing a number of drawer-type storage bins. When placing items into the storage bins of an organizer of this type, a user sometimes needs to sort the items before they are placed in the bins, for example, if the various items to be stored are intermingled. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention provides an organizing cabinet for storing relatively small, loose items in sorted fashion which is configured to facilitate sorting and storing of the items. The organizing cabinet features a cabinet housing a number of storage bins and a sorting plate disposed at an upper portion of the cabinet. The sorting plate is pivotally connected to the cabinet at a pivot axis located along an upper edge of the cabinet. The sorting plate has a flat sorting surface and a retaining wall extending along the sorting surface, generally along the pivot axis. A dispensing port is formed in the retaining wall. Relatively small, loose items which have been sorted on the sorting surface can then be poured into a receptacle positioned below the dispensing port by pivoting the sorting plate upwardly about the pivot axis such that the items pass through the dispensing port and drop into the receptacle. 
     Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an organizing cabinet according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 1A is a break-away view showing internal details in the area marked  1 A in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the organizing cabinet shown in FIG. 1, with the sorting plate pivoted relative to the cabinet to dispense items on the sorting plate into a storage bin held under the dispensing port; 
     FIG. 2A is a break-away view showing internal details in the area marked  2 A in FIG. 2; and 
     FIG. 3 is a rear view of the organizing cabinet shown in FIGS.  1  and  2 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now more particularly to the drawings, FIGS. 1,  1 A,  2 ,  2 A, and  3  illustrate an organizing cabinet according to the invention, generally indicated at  10 , for sorting and storing small, loose items  12 . The organizing cabinet  10  includes a cabinet  14  housing a number of drawer-type storage bins  16  and a sorting plate, generally indicated at  18 , attached to an upper, frame portion  20  of the cabinet  14 . As described in greater detail below, the sorting plate  18  is pivotally connected to the cabinet  14  by a pair of hinge structures  52  and pivots about a pivot axis  22  located along an upper edge of the upper frame portion  20 . The sorting plate  18  has a flat sorting surface  24  and a retaining wall  26 , which extends along the sorting surface  24 . A dispensing port  28  is formed in the retaining wall  26 , and the sorted items  12  are poured through it when the sorting plate  18  is pivoted upwardly. 
     The cabinet  14  has a pair of metallic side walls  30  formed from stamped sheet metal, which are braced by supports  31  as shown in FIG.  3 . One pair of supports are connected between each side wall  30  and the upper frame portion  20 , and the other pair of supports are connected between each side wall  30  and a molded plastic base portion  32 . The molded plastic base portion  32  has an upper surface  34  at the bottom of the cabinet  14 . Horizontal supporting shelves  36  extend between the side walls  30  of the cabinet  14  in vertically spaced relation, each having an upper surface  38 . As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 2A, the upper frame portion  20  of the cabinet  14  is preferably formed as a frame that extends along the perimeter of the cabinet  14 , with the frame  20  having an upper surface  40 . The frame  20  preferably has a slot or notch  42 , and a plastic label or placard (e.g. with the name of a hardware store, etc.) can be inserted into the slot or notch  42 . In general, the components of the cabinet  14  can be made from plastic or any other suitable material such as metal, wood, or other rugged material. 
     As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the storage bins  16  are arranged within the cabinet  14  in horizontal rows and vertical columns, with the storage bins  16  slidingly supported on the upper surfaces  34 ,  38  of the base portion  32  and supporting shelves  36 , respectively. Alternatively, the cabinet  14  could be configured to house a number of storage bins  16  having different sizes. In such alternative configurations, the storage bins would not necessarily be arranged in precise horizontal rows and vertical columns. 
     Preferably, the storage bins  16  can be removed from the cabinet  14 . That way, after being sorted, the items  12  can be poured (as described in more detail below) directly into a selected storage bin  17  by removing that storage bin from the cabinet  14 , holding it under the dispensing port  28  as shown in FIG. 2, and pivoting the sorting plate  18  upwardly so that the items  12  are discharged through the dispensing port and into the selected storage bin  17 . 
     With respect to the sorting plate  18 , a retaining wall  26  extends from the sorting surface  24  so as to retain a portion of the items  12  which are not to be stored in a particular selected bin when the sorting plate  18  is pivoted upward. Preferably, the retaining wall  26  extends along the entire perimeter of the sorting plate  18 , except for where the dispensing port  28  is formed. All that should be present for proper operation of the invention, however, is some sort of ridge-shaped retaining member extending along or generally aligned with the pivot axis  22  so as to retain the items  12  not being discharged when the sorting plate  18  is pivoted upwardly. 
     A retaining wall extension  44  extends from a portion of the retaining wall  26 , generally adjacent to the dispensing port  28  and partially across the sorting surface  24  toward an opposite portion of the retaining wall  26 . The retaining wall extension  44  generally separates the sorting surface  24  into a discharge region  46  and a retention region  48 . Additionally, a guiding portion  50  of the retaining wall is formed in the discharge region  46 . Guiding surfaces  45  and  51  of the retaining wall extension and the guiding portion  50 , respectively, are configured to guide or “funnel” the desired items toward the dispensing port  28 . The retention region  48  retains items  12  disposed therein when the sorting plate  18  is pivoted upwardly, whereas the discharge region  46 , together with the guiding portion  50 , permits items  12  disposed therein to be guided into the dispensing port  28  for discharge into a receptacle positioned below it. Alternatively, in a configuration not shown, the retaining wall extension  44  could extend completely across the sorting surface  24  to the opposite portion of the retaining wall  26  such that the retention region  48  is completely bounded and separated from the discharge region  46 . 
     As noted above, the sorting cabinet  10  has hinge structures  52  which permit the sorting plate  18  to pivot with respect to the cabinet  14 , about the axis  22 . As shown in greater detail in FIGS. 1A and 2A, each hinge structure  52  consists of a cylindrical shaft member  54  extending from an associated extension member  56  extending from wall  58  of the sorting plate  18 , and each shaft member  54  is supported in a journaling opening  60  formed in an outwardly facing surface of the frame portion  20 . Thus, the cylindrical shaft members  54  form the pivot axis  22 . (It should be noted that FIG. 2A shows a break-away view of the cylindrical shaft member  54  and its journaling opening  60 . The journaling opening  60  is actually circular and completely surrounds the associated shaft member  54 .) The shaft members  54  are positioned relative to the bottom, front edge  62  of the sorting plate  18  so as to allow the sorting plate  18  to pivot about the pivot axis  22  without obstruction. 
     The cylindrical shaft members  54  are inserted into the journaling openings  60  by a spring type deflection. For example, one shaft member  54  would be inserted into its journaling opening  60  and the extension member  56  carrying the other shaft member  54  would be flexed away from the frame portion  20  such that the associated shaft member  54  could be inserted into its journaling opening to pivotally attach the sorting tray  18  to the cabinet  14 . 
     Alternatively, in a configuration not shown, the hinge structure could consist of a series of aligned journaling members extending from the sorting plate and the upper frame portion  20 . A pin-type axle member would pass through the journaling members and be retained therein by suitable securing means. 
     Operation 
     The organizing cabinet of the invention is used as follows. A user places a number of small, loose, intermingled items  12  on the sorting surface  24 , either in the discharge region  46  or the retention region  48 . The items may be, for example, different sizes of nuts, bolts, screws, etc., or a variety of each. The user then counts out or sorts out a desired number of the specific items to be stored in the selected storage bin  17 , thereby dividing the group of items  12  into first and second groups  64 ,  66  (FIG.  2 ), with the first group  64  disposed on the discharge region  46  of the sorting surface  24  and the second group  66  disposed on the retention region  48 . The user may either place the original group of items in discharge region  46  and remove (e.g. slide) items not to be discharged into the selected receptacle to the retention region  48  or, alternatively, the user may place the original group of items in the retention region  48  and transfer the items to be stored in the selected receptacle over to the discharge region  46 . 
     After the items are separated into the first and second groups  64 ,  66 , the selected storage bin  17  is removed from the cabinet  14  and held below the discharge spout  28 , as shown in FIG.  2 . The user then pivots the sorting plate  18  upward relative to the cabinet  14  so as to discharge the first group of items  64  through the dispensing port  28  and directly into the selected storage bin  17 . The second group of items  66  is automatically retained on the retention region  48  of the sorting surface  24 . The selected storage bin  17  would then be replaced in the cabinet  14 . Alternatively, the user could hold his or her hand under the dispensing port  28  and discharge the items into his or her hand, then manually place the items in the selected storage bin  17 . 
     While the principles of the invention have been made clear in the illustrative embodiments set forth above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made to the structure, arrangement, proportion, elements, materials, and components used in the practice of the invention. For example, the sorting plate could be provided as a retrofit for an existing organizing cabinet. In that case, the sorting plate  18  would be attached to its own individual support frame, and that support frame would rest on the upper surface of a pre-existing organizing cabinet. The sorting plate  18  would be pivotally attached to an upper portion of the support frame by hinge structures at a pivot axis located along an upper edge of the support frame. 
     In another contemplated embodiment, the sorting plate could be configured to slide laterally so as to move the dispensing port into position over any given desired storage bin  16 . Such an embodiment could be constructed by, for example, providing a rail along the upper front edge of the cabinet  14  and mounting the sorting plate to that rail by means of sliding, pivoting clips. That way, the desired storage bin  16  (especially those positioned in the upper row of the cabinet  14 ) could be partially withdrawn from the cabinet  14  and the sorting plate could be slid along the rail to position the dispensing port into position over the desired storage bin  16 , then the items could be dispensed directly into the storage bin without removing it completely from the cabinet. Thus, the foregoing preferred specific embodiments have been shown and described for the purpose of illustrating the functional and structural principles of this invention and are subject to change without departure from such principles. Therefore, this invention includes all modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the following claims.