Abstract:
A storage cylinder within an enclosed storage unit that secures stored items and inhibits shelf repositioning during normal operation. The design allows shelf reconfiguration during maintenance and restocking. The storage cylinder contains rectangular-shaped and triangular-shaped storage areas. Most importantly, all storage areas (including those with a generally triangular-shape) have parallel faces with horizontal slots that are used for shelf support. Such a design requires radial movement to reposition the shelves. In its closed position the maintenance door or baffle mechanism restricts shelf removal. Therefore, during normal operation, when the maintenance door or baffle is closed, shelf repositioning is not possible. However, access panels still allow removal of stored objects. During maintenance or restocking, the maintenance door or baffle mechanism allows removal and installation of shelves.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable. 
     FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH 
     Not Applicable. 
     SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM 
     Not Applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of Invention 
     This invention relates to the secure storage and easy retrieval of objects of various vertical dimensions in an enclosed storage cylinder. 
     Storage machines that use rotating storage cylinders are well known (e.g. sandwich machines). In such machines the storage cylinder has a group of storage areas that run vertically along one segment of the cylinder. The cylinder rotates until the desired segment faces the access opening. The access opening is blocked by a vertical stack of doors, where the doors are usually of uniform height. One of the doors opens to provide access to a stored item. 
     Most of these storage machines have the storage areas configured at the factory. The mix of sizes of storage areas is determined when the machine is ordered. This requires a careful analysis of storage needs before the machine is configured. A better system would allow the configuration of storage areas using readily available tools after receiving the machine. The best system would allow reconfiguration without tools. 
     What sets this invention apart from the prior art is:
         1. Both the rectangular-shaped and the triangular-shaped storage areas of the storage cylinder have drawer style shelves that require radial motion for removal and installation.   2. Drawer-style shelves, combined with a properly designed enclosure, prohibit shelf repositioning during normal operation but provide access to the shelves for their easy removal and repositioning during maintenance and restocking.   3. This invention provides variable vertical spacing between shelves. This attribute is especially useful when adding new items of different heights to the storage cylinder.   4. Since many stored objects are rectangular in shape and do not fit well into the pie-slice partitions of a typical storage cylinder, this invention uses H-shaped partitioning, eliminating the unused portion of the pie-slice and increasing storage efficiency for rectangular objects.   5. This invention allows for various partitioning arrangements to meet a variety of storage requirements.   6. All partitions share common walls to provide efficient use of partitioning material.   7. An enclosure, which surrounds the storage cylinder, ensures the secure storage of stored objects.       

     2. Prior Art 
     Other inventors have created storage cylinders with rectangular shelving, but none has incorporated all of the benefits of this invention. 
     Only Peckenpaugh (U.S. Pat. No. 3,807,826: April 1974) and Stromgren (U.S. Pat. No. 827,761: August 1906) provide secure storage for stored objects. 
     Rosenthal (U.S. Pat. No. 4,269,124: May 1981) does not provide rectangular storage or partitioning. Further, he does not make full use of the center area around the axis of rotation. 
     Barrows (U.S. Pat. No. 383,551: May 1888), Porter (U.S. Pat. No. 2,158,085: May 1939), Axhamre (U.S. Pat. No. 3,641,950: February 1972), Potter (U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,549: July 1990), and Bliek (U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,528: September 1998) have shelves with adjustable heights in a cylindrical cylinder but do not provide rectangular storage areas. 
     Stromgren (U.S. Pat. No. 827,761: August 1906), Schauer (U.S. Pat. No. 2,663,608: December 1953), Brownlee (U.S. Pat. No. 4,239,311: December 1980) and Caldwell (U.S. Pat. No. 6,419,332: July 2002, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,588,865: July 2003) provide rectangular storage drawers but do not allow the user to adjust the shelf height. 
     Rosenthal (U.S. Pat. No. 1,763,724: June 1930) and Handler (U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,366: November 1978) have rectangular adjustable-height shelves within a cylindrical space but omit partitioning the storage areas. Further, they do not use the center area around the axis of rotation, resulting in an inefficient use of space. 
     Radek (U.S. Pat. No. 3,957,159: May 1976) has adjustable vertical shelving but without rectangular storage areas. In addition, he wastes storage area around the axis of rotation. 
     Peckenpaugh (U.S. Pat. No. 3,807,826: April 1974) has adjustable vertical shelving and parallel sides for rectangular storage areas, but he wastes much of the space between his shelving and the rectangular-section within which his shelving is inscribed. In addition, shelving in the corners of his invention are not usable for rectangular objects, and his triangular shelving does not have parallel sides. 
     Clausen (U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,920: August 1994) provides rectangular storage drawers and uses a large part of the central circular area for storage. However, one can not adjust the shelf height. His corner storage areas are triangularly shaped and do not have parallel sides. 
     Carroll (U.S. Pat. No. 5,702,011: December 1997) has adjustable rectangular shelving but his invention wastes much available space between the storage shelves and the circular area within which it is inscribed. 
     Table 1 contrasts the prior art with this invention. 
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
             
             
               
                   
               
               
                 Comparing the Prior Art to This Invention. 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Attributes 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Radial Motion 
                   
                 Space  
                   
                   
                 Efficient 
               
               
                   
                 Required for Removal 
                 Secure 
                 Efficient for 
                 Has 
                 Fully Uses 
                 Use of  
               
               
                 Name, Date 
                 and Insertion  
                 Access to 
                 rectangular 
                 Adjustable 
                 Inscribed 
                 Partitioning 
               
               
                 Patent No. 
                 of Shelving 
                 Stored Objects 
                 objects 
                 Shelving 
                 Storage Area 
                 Material 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Clausen, M: (This Invention) 
                 X 
                 X 
                 X 
                 X 
                 X 
                 X 
               
               
                 Axhamre, F. L.: Feb. 15, 1972 
                   
                   
                   
                 X 
                 X 
                 X 
               
               
                 No. 3,641,950 
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                 Barrows, A.: May 29, 1888 
                 X 
                   
                   
                 X 
                 X 
                   
               
               
                 No. 383,551 
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                 Bliek, K.: Sep. 29, 1998 
                   
                   
                   
                   
                 X 
                 X 
               
               
                 No. 5,813,528 
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                 Brownlee, S. S.: Dec. 16, 1980 
                   
                   
                 X 
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                 No. 4,239,311 
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                 Caldwell, R. C. Jr.: Jul. 16, 2002 
                   
                   
                 X 
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                 No. 6,419,332 
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                 Caldwell, R. C., Jr.: Jul. 8, 2003 
                   
                   
                 X 
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                 No. 6,588,865 B2 
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                 Carroll, F. A.: Dec. 30, 1997 
                 X 
                   
                 X 
                 X 
                   
                   
               
               
                 No. 5,702,011 
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                 Clausen, M. K.: Aug. 16, 1994 
                   
                   
                 X 
                   
                 X 
                   
               
               
                 No. 5,337,920 
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                 Handler, M. E.: Nov. 21, 1978 
                   
                   
                 X 
                 X 
                   
                   
               
               
                 No. 4,126,366 
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                 Peckenpaugh, T. L.: Feb. 20, 1972 
                   
                 X 
                 X 
                 X 
                 X 
                   
               
               
                 No. 3,807,826 
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                 Porter, S. B. C.: Jun. 25, 1935 
                 X 
                   
                   
                 X 
                 X 
                 X 
               
               
                 No. 2,158,085 
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                 Potter, F.: Jul. 3, 1990 
                 X 
                   
                 X 
                 X 
                 X 
                   
               
               
                 No. 4,938,549 
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                 Radek, J. R.: May 18, 1976 
                   
                   
                   
                 X 
                 X 
                   
               
               
                 No. 3,957,159 
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                 Rosenthal, A. H.: Jun. 17, 1930 
                 X 
                   
                 X 
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                 No. 1,763,724 
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                 Rosenthal, Stanley H.: May 26, 1981 
                   
                   
                   
                 X 
                 X 
                   
               
               
                 No. 4,269,124 
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                 Schauer, W. E.: Dec. 22, 1953 
                   
                   
                 X 
                   
                 X 
                   
               
               
                 No. 2,663,608 
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                 Stromgren, G. A.: Aug. 7, 1906 
                   
                 X 
                 X 
                   
                 X 
                   
               
               
                 No. 827,761 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES 
     The storage unit of this invention provides easy, secure retrieval of stored objects while providing space-efficient storage for rectangular objects within a storage cylinder. Because this invention allows one to install shelving at different vertical elevations, it accommodates objects of different heights without wasting valuable storage space. During maintenance or refilling operations, one can easily remove and reposition shelving without the use of tools; but, during normal operation, shelving cannot be adjusted or removed. Lastly, this invention uses less partitioning material than an equivalent storage column of non-cylindrical design. 
     Although the storage unit of this invention may be used with a single storage cylinder, the design provides additional advantages when several storage cylinders are grouped together. Such machines allow storage cylinders to be placed close together and rotated without interference. In contrast, square or rectangular storage columns are less space-efficient and must be placed far enough apart so that, when rotated, their outer turning edges do not collide. 
     SUMMARY 
     With its cylindrical design, this invention efficiently uses the available storage area; plus, its H-pattern partitioning provides storage for rectangular objects. In addition, adjustable-height shelving accommodates stored objects with various vertical dimensions. Furthermore, one may select various partitioning arrangements to meet storage needs. And, by sharing common walls, minimal partitioning material is used. Most importantly, all shelving (including those with a generally triangular shape) is supported with horizontal slots and has parallel faces. Such a design requires radial movement to reposition the shelves. A maintenance door or baffle mechanism restricts shelf radial motion during normal operation while access panels provide secure retrieval of desired objects. When open (during maintenance or restocking), the maintenance door or baffle mechanism allows shelves to be removed and installed radially, allowing easy repositioning of the shelves. 
    
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
       Figures 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a storage cylinder with parallel partitions, an inner partition, and slots to support shelving. 
         FIG. 2  shows a top view of the storage cylinder of  FIG. 1 , revealing H-pattern partitioning and parallel faces. 
         FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of an alternative storage cylinder with a different method for attaching shelves. 
         FIG. 4  shows the storage cylinder of  FIG. 1  in an enclosure with an access opening and hinged access panels that provide access to the storage areas. 
         FIG. 5   a  reveals a removed sectional view of the storage unit of  FIG. 4  showing a corner shelf partially removed but blocked from full removal by the maintenance door. 
         FIG. 5   b  is the storage unit of  FIG. 5   a  with the maintenance door open and a corner shelf fully removed. 
         FIGS. 6   a  and  6   b  show the storage unit of  FIGS. 5   a  and  5   b  where the maintenance door has been replaced with a baffle mechanism. 
     
    
    
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 DRAWINGS - REFERENCE NUMERALS: 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 2 
                 storage cylinder 
               
               
                 3 
                 alternative storage cylinder 
               
               
                 5 
                 bottom support 
               
               
                 6 
                 inner partition 
               
               
                 8 
                 left partition 
               
               
                 10 
                 right partition 
               
               
                 12 
                 main partition 
               
               
                 13 
                 parallel face 
               
               
                 14 
                 horizontal slot 
               
               
                 18 
                 vertical slot 
               
               
                 22 
                 large shelf 
               
               
                 24 
                 small shelf 
               
               
                 26 
                 corner shelf 
               
               
                 28 
                 retaining lip 
               
               
                 38 
                 outside face 
               
               
                 40 
                 inside face 
               
               
                 42 
                 large rectangular area 
               
               
                 44 
                 small rectangular area 
               
               
                 46 
                 triangular area 
               
               
                 50 
                 storage unit 
               
               
                 60 
                 access opening 
               
               
                 62 
                 enclosure 
               
               
                 64 
                 access panel 
               
               
                 66 
                 maintenance door 
               
               
                 68 
                 baffle 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  depicts a storage cylinder  2  consisting of two left partitions  8 , two right partitions  10 , two main partitions  12 , and a inner partition  6 . All partitions have the same height. Partitions  8 ,  10 , and  12  have an inside face  40  and an outside face  38 . These partitions form two mirror-image subassemblies, where each subassembly consists of one left partition  8  and one right partition  10  attached to the outside face  38  of one main partition  12 . Partitions  6 ,  8 ,  10 ,  12  are fastened together with screws, rivets, or other methods, such as welding or gluing. 
       FIG. 2  shows how the partitioning arrangement defines the storage areas  42 ,  44 ,  46 . The inside face  40  of partitions  8  and  10  along with the outside face  38  of partition  12  form a small rectangular area  44 . The outside face  38  of main partition  12  and the outside face  38  of left partition  8  form a triangular area  46 . Similarly, the outside faces  38  of partitions  12  and  10  also form a triangular space  46 . 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  depict two mirror-image subassemblies attached to the narrow vertical edges of inner partition  6  so that the inside face  40  of the main partitions  12  face each other. The inside faces  40  of the two partitions  12  and the two wide vertical faces of inner partition  6  form two large rectangular areas  42  arranged in an H-pattern. The H-pattern opens up the center area to provide more useful storage capacity than the pie-piece or wedged-shaped areas common in most cylindrically shaped storage columns (e.g. lazy Susan&#39;s). By adding right and left side partitions  8  and  10  to the “H”, one forms two smaller rectangular areas  44  and four triangular areas  46  ( FIG. 2 ). 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , partitions  8 ,  10 , and  12  have horizontal slots  14  to position shelving. One installs a storage surface or shelf  22 ,  24 ,  26  in the storage cylinder  2  by horizontally aligning the edges of the shelf with a pair of slots  14  and moving the shelf radially inward toward the center of the cylinder. Similarly, the shelf can be removed by moving the shelf radially outward away from the center of the cylinder. 
       FIG. 3  shows an alternative storage cylinder  3  with a different method of shelf attachment. Here, both the rectangular  22 ,  24  and triangular  26  shelves are supported by horizontal slots  14  at their corners. As with storage cylinder  2 , shelves can be removed or inserted only with radial motion. In addition, vertical slots  18  allow the use of shelf retaining lips  28 . 
       FIG. 4  shows an enclosed storage cylinder  2  rotatably mounted in an enclosure  62 . The enclosure has an access opening  60  equipped with several hinged panels  64  to provide access to various vertical storage areas of storage cylinder  2 . One of the access panels  64  is shown in its open position, allowing access to a selected storage area above shelf  26 . The other access panels  64  are shown in their closed positions. A hinged maintenance door  66 , which contains the access opening  60  and access panels  64 , is shown in its closed position. When in its open position (see  FIG. 5   b ), the maintenance door  66  allows access to the entire storage cylinder  2  for maintenance and restocking. 
       FIGS. 5   a  and  5   b  depict a removed sectional view of storage unit  50  of  FIG. 4 . In  FIG. 5   a  the maintenance door  66  is closed and the access panel  64  is open. As can be seen, parallel faces  13  and slots  14  ( FIG. 1 ) restrict shelf  26  to radial movement, and the amount of radial movement is restricted by door  66  so that the shelf cannot be removed from the cylinder  2 . In  FIG. 5   b  maintenance door  66  is in its open position. Now shelf  26  can be moved radially outward beyond the parallel faces  13  and removed from the storage cylinder  2 . Together  FIGS. 5   a  and  5   b  show how the parallel faces  13  and slots  14  in conjunction with maintenance door  66  restrict removal of shelf  26  during normal operation ( FIG. 5   a ) but allow easy shelf removal ( FIG. 5   b ) during restocking operations. Similarly, inside parallel faces  40  of rectangular areas  42  and  44  and horizontal slots  14  restrict removal of shelves  22 ,  24  during normal operation but allow easy removal of shelves when door  66  is open. 
       FIGS. 6   a  and  6   b  also depict a removed sectional view of storage unit  50  of  FIG. 4 ; however, in this figure the maintenance door  66  has been replaced by baffle  68  and a reshaped enclosure  62 . The baffle  68  consists of two vertical panels that run the full length of storage cylinder  2 . The panel motion is controlled by tracks (not shown) that allow the panels to move towards each other to narrow access opening  60  or away from each other to widen the opening. When the two baffle panels  68  are in a closed position as shown in  FIG. 6   a , they block the removal of shelf  26 . When the baffle panels are in an open position as shown in  FIG. 6   b , they no longer restrict the removal or insertion of shelf  26 . 
     OPERATION 
     When the maintenance door  66  or baffle  68  is open ( FIGS. 5   b  and  6   b ), one may configure storage cylinder  2  as follows: A stored object is placed on bottom support  5 , and a shelf ( 22 , 24 , 26 ) is then radially installed directly above it. One then places another object on this shelf and installs another shelf above it. One continues this process until the storage cylinder is filled. 
     During normal operation the storage cylinder  2  rotates until a selected item is brought to the access opening  60  ( FIGS. 4 ,  5   a  and  6   a ). Then, one or more access panels  64  open to provide access to the desired item(s). 
     In some situations, it may be desirable to use a retaining lip  28  in addition to the shelves  22 ,  24 ,  26  to more securely hold the stored object. 
     CONCLUSION, RAMIFICATIONS, AND SCOPE 
     The most important feature of this invention is the radial motion of shelving  22 ,  24 ,  26  combined with a maintenance door  66  or baffle  68 . The parallel faces  13  and  40 , horizontal slots  14 , and maintenance door  66  or baffle  68  prohibit reconfiguration of shelving during normal operation. When the maintenance door  66  or baffle  68  is open, one can move the shelving radially outward (to remove a shelf) or radially inward (to install a shelf). 
     In addition, while most storage cylinders do not provide efficient storage space for rectangular objects and waste space at their center, this invention eliminates these problems through the use of H-shaped partitioning and also provides the user with the flexibility to store objects of various heights. Also, since H-shaped partitions share storage walls, one also obtains savings in material. 
     Further, when one compares a rotatable square-shaped storage column (e.g. book display) with a turning radius equal to that of the cylindrical storage column of  FIG. 2 , one sees immediately that a rotatable square storage column provides less usable storage than the circular column. In fact, calculations show that a circular storage column provides more than 50% additional storage area than the equivalent rotatable square storage column. 
     Adjustable shelving allows one to install shelves at any desired vertical location and to reposition the shelving whenever required. 
     Although not shown, one may select various partitioning layouts depending upon storage requirements. 
     Finally, a user may group several storage cylinders to create a storage machine with even greater flexibility and space savings. 
     Although the description above contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention. For example:
         Partitions may be held together by various fastening methods, i.e. riveting, bolting, gluing, welding, or they may be created as a single extrusion.   Partitions may be constructed to serve a variety of storage needs. For example, inner partition  6  may be moved off-center.   Shelves need not be exactly rectangular in shape. The back dimension of the rectangular space may be shorter or longer than the front dimension (trapezoidal).   Shelving may be held in place using any number of methods, e.g. slots, ridges, screws, dowels, etc.   Shelving may require tools for installation and removal.