Patent Publication Number: US-9888772-B2

Title: Storage rack system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIE THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM. 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (1) Field of the Invention 
     (2) Description of Related Art including information disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98. 
     The disclosure and prior art relates to rack devices and more particularly pertains to a new rack device for storing fishing rods on a ceiling. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a horizontal support surface. A rack is hingedly coupled to the horizontal support surface. The rack is selectively positioned in a stored position having the rack being coextensive with the horizontal support surface. The rack is positioned in a deployed position having the rack extending downwardly from the horizontal support surface. Thus, the rack is accessible. Thee rack stores a plurality of fishing rods. A pulley unit is coupled between the horizontal support surface and the rack. Thus, the pulley unit may be manipulated. The pulley unit selectively urges the rack between the stored position and the deployed position. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
       The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of a storage rack system according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a top view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a pulley unit of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 5  thereof, a new rack device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 5 , the storage rack system  10  generally comprises a horizontal support surface  12 . The horizontal support surface  12  may be a ceiling that is spaced from a floor. The ceiling may be a ceiling in a room or the like. 
     A rack  14  is hingedly coupled to the horizontal support surface  12  and the rack  14  is selectively positioned in a stored position. Thus, the rack  14  is coextensive with the horizontal support surface  12 . The rack  14  is positioned in a deployed position to extend downwardly from the horizontal support surface  12 . The rack  14  is accessible to a user when the rack  14  is in the deployed position. The rack  14  may store a plurality of fishing rods  16 . The rack  14  has a first edge  18  and the first edge  18  abuts the horizontal support surface  12  when the rack  14  is positioned in the stored position. 
     The rack  14  comprises a first member  20  that has a first surface  22  and a second surface  24 . The first member  20  has a plurality of apertures  26  extending therethrough. Thus, each of the apertures  26  may receive a handle  28  of an associated one of the fishing rods  16 . The apertures  26  are spaced apart from each other and are distributed along the first member  20 . 
     A second member  29  is provided that has a primary surface  30 . A pair of third members  32  is provided. Each of the third members  32  is coupled to and extends between the first member  20  and the second member  29 . The third members  32  are spaced apart from each other such that the rack  14  has a rectangular shape. 
     A pair of first fasteners  34  is provided. Each of the first fasteners  34  engages the first member  20  and an associated one of the third members  32 . Thus, the first member  20  is retained on each of the third members  32 . A pair of second fasteners  36  is provided. Each of the second fasteners  36  engages the second member  29  and an associated one of the third members  32 . Thus, the second member  29  is retained on each of the third members  32 . Each of the first fasteners  34  and the second fasteners  36  may comprise an L-bracket or the like. 
     A medial member  38  is provided. The medial member  38  is coupled to and extends between each of the third members  32 . The medial member  38  is centrally positioned between the third members  32 . The first edge  18  corresponding to the medial member  38  has a plurality of channels  39  extending downwardly therein. Each of the channels  39  may receive an associated one of the fishing rods  16 . The channels  39  are spaced apart from each other and are distributed along the medial member  38 . Moreover, each of the channels  39  is aligned with an associated one of the apertures  26  in the first member  20 . 
     A pair of third fasteners  40  is provided. Each of the third fasteners  40  engages the medial member  38  and an associated one of the third members  32 . Thus, the medial member  38  is retained on the third members  32 . Each of the third fasteners  40  may comprise a T-bracket or the like. 
     A hinge  42  is provided. The hinge  42  is coupled to the first edge  18  corresponding to the second member  29 . The hinge  42  is coupled to the horizontal support surface  12 . Thus, the rack  14  is hingedly coupled to the horizontal support surface  12 . 
     A pulley unit  44  is provided. The pulley unit  44  is coupled between the horizontal support surface  12  and the rack  14 . Thus, the pulley unit  44  may be manipulated. The pulley unit  44  selectively urges the rack  14  between the stored position and the deployed position. 
     The pulley unit  44  comprises a plate  46  that has a first surface  48 , a second surface  50  and a peripheral edge  52 . The first surface  48  is coupled to the horizontal support surface  12 . A pair of first pulleys  54  is provided. Each of the first pulleys  54  is coupled to the second surface  50  of the plate  46 . The first pulleys  54  are aligned with each other. A second pulley  56  is provided. The second pulley  56  is coupled to the first surface  22  of the first member  20 . The second pulley  56  is aligned with each of the first pulleys  54  when the rack  14  is in the stored position. 
     A rope  58  is coupled to the peripheral edge of the plate  46 . The rope  58  has a distal end  60  with respect to the plate  46 . The rope  58  extends through the second pulley  56  and each of the first pulleys  54 . Thus, the distal end  60  may be manipulated thereby facilitating the rack  14  to be urged between the stored position and the deployed position. 
     In use, the rack  14  is positioned in the deployed positioned. Each of the fishing rods  16  is positioned in the rack  14 . Thus, the rack  14  organizes the fishing rods  16  and inhibits the fishing rods  16  from becoming tangled together. The rope  58  is pulled to urge the rack  14  in to the deployed position. The rope  58  is secured to an anchor to retain the rack  14  in the deployed position. Thus, the rack  14  does not occupy floor space when the fishing rods  16  are stored. The rope  58  is released from the anchor and the rack  14  is lowered into the deployed position to access the fishing rods  16 . 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, system and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.