Patent Publication Number: US-2007095768-A1

Title: Adjustable storage rack

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      (a) Field of the Invention  
      The invention relates to an adjustable storage rack, and more particularly, to a storage rack having adjustment mechanisms for adjusting a size thereof and thus serving different occasions.  
      (b) Description of the Prior Art  
      A common storage rack for storing objects or hanging objects is generally consisted of an outer frame, and an interwoven net body in the outer frame. The storage rack is positioned to a wall or suspended, with objects being hung or placed at the outer frame or the net body. Such prior storage rack is a fixed body, and may become unsuitable when an occasion to be installed has dimensions inappropriate for the storage rack. In addition, in order to satisfy market demands, manufacturers of such prior storage racks are disadvantaged with increased production costs and lessened competitiveness by being obliged to fabricate storage racks of many sizes.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The primary object of the invention is to provide an adjustable storage rack with adjustability and adjustable structures for coordinating with storage spaces and amount of objects to be stored, thereby elevating practicability of the storage rack.  
      The aforesaid storage rack comprises outer frames in rectangular, semi-circular or quarter-circular shapes, fastening sections at appropriate positions at frame portions of the outer frames, and an interwoven net body connected with the outer frames. Each fastening section at each frame portion is a U-shaped sliding groove or a rectangular loop, such that one end of the frame portion is inserted into the fastening section and is allowed with sliding movements along the fastening section, thereby providing a storage rack having various shapes with adjustability for suiting different occasions when being suspended, located by screwing and placed.  
      The outer frames in various shapes of the aforesaid storage rack are connected with a plurality of parallel length-adjustable tubes for coordinating with size adjustment of the outer frames.  
      The aforesaid storage rack comprises a plurality of hooks each having a vertical notch at an appropriate position thereof, and are hung at the outer frames, the net body or the length-adjustable tubes using the notches thereof.  
      The aforesaid storage rack may combined with another storage rack having a different shape for achieving appearance variations with increase area of an composite storage rack formed.  
      To enable a further understanding of the said objectives and the technological methods of the invention herein, the brief description of the drawings below is followed by the detailed description of the preferred embodiments. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  shows an elevational view according to the invention.  
       FIG. 2  shows an embodiment having adjustability according to the invention.  
       FIG. 3  shows an elevational view of a rectangular storage rack according to the invention.  
       FIG. 4  shows an elevational view of a rectangular storage rack of an embodiment according to the invention.  
       FIG. 5  shows an elevational view of an elliptic storage rack according to the invention.  FIG. 6  shows an assembly of an embodiment according to the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the invention comprises an outer frame  1  and a fastening section  10 . The outer frame  1  has a first frame portion  11 , a second frame portion  12  and an arched frame portion  13 . The frame portion  13  is consisted of two plate bodies  131  and  132 . The fastening section  10  has an accommodating loop  133  and sliding grooves  134  and  135 . The plate body  131  is provided with the accommodating loop  133  for the plate body  132  to insert into. The frame portion  13  has two ends thereof respectively devised with the sliding grooves  134  and  135  for inserting the first frame portion  11  and the second portion  12 , such that the first and second frame portions  11  and  12  are allowed with sliding movements along the sliding grooves  134  and  135 . The outer frame  1  is provided with an interwoven net body  14  therein, and curved locating shaft  15  at a lower edge of the net body  14  and for positioning the storage rack to a wall.  
      Using the aforesaid components, a storage rack according to the invention is composed to be suspended, fastened or placed in different occasions. The net body  14  is for placing objects, or the frame portions  11 ,  12  and  13  are hung by hooks  2  each having a vertical notch  21 , with the hooks  2  being hung by different objects. The frame portion  11  and  12  are moved along the sliding grooves  134  and  134 , and the plate body  132  is moved along the accommodating loop  133 , such that the outer frame  1  becomes an adjustable structure for adjusting a size of the storage rack.  
      Referring to  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , the invention may be devised with a rectangular outer frame  3  having symmetrical U-shaped plate bodies  31  and  32 . Each of the plate bodies  31  and  32  is provided with a fastening section  10  at each end thereof. Each fastening section  10  has accommodating loops  311  and  321  for the plate bodies  31  and  32  to insert through. The outer frame  3  has a plurality of parallel length-adjustable tubes  33  therein for allowing the plate bodies  31  and  32  to move along the accommodating loops  311  and  321 , thereby offering the outer frame  3  with length adjustability. To be more precise, a size of the outer frame  3  becomes adjustable by extending or contracting the length-adjustable tubes  33 . Furthermore, the storage rack is suspended by attaching suspending chains to four corners of the outer frame  3 .  
      Referring to  FIG. 5 , the invention may be devised with an elliptic outer frame  4  similarly having symmetrical arched plate bodies  41  and  42 . Each of the plate bodies  41  and  42  is provided with a fastening section  10  at each end thereof. Each fastening section  10  has accommodating loops  411  and  421  for the plate bodies  41  and  42  to insert through. The outer frame  4  has a plurality of parallel length-adjustable tubes  43  therein for allowing the plate bodies  41  and  42  to move along the accommodating loops  311  and  321 , thereby offering the outer frame  3  with length adjustability and thus a size-adjustable storage rack having a different shape.  
      Referring to  FIG. 6  showing an assembly in an embodiment according to the invention, the invention may also be devised with four quarter-circular outer frames  1  similarly to the outer frame  1  shown in  FIG. 1 . Using connecting members  5  fastened at the frame portions  11  and  12 , the quarter frames  1  are altogether assembled to form a circular storage rack for satisfying different occasions and space requirements. Similarly, various objects are hung or placed at the net body  14  within the outer frames  1 . The quarter-circular outer frames  1  in this embodiment have structures identical to those shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 . That is, the first frame portions  11  and the second frame portions  12  are moved along the sliding grooves  134  and  135 , and the plate bodies  131  and  132  inserted into the accommodating loops  133  are moved along the accommodating loops  133 , thereby accomplishing size adjustability of the storage rack. Sizes of adjacent members of the quarter-circular outer frames  1  are simultaneously adjusted with same ratios of each quarter-circular outer frame  1 , thereby changing an overall area of the circular storage rack when assembled.  
      In addition, as in aforesaid descriptions, the invention may include outer frames having various shapes, such as quarter-circular outer frames  1  shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the rectangular outer frame  3  shown in  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , and the elliptic outer frame  4  shown in  FIG. 5 . Therefore, an actual assembled structure according to the invention is not limited by outer frames having same shapes. For instance, apart from the embodiment shown in  FIG. 6 , the quarter-circular outer frames  1  shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2  connected into a circular storage rack, may also be composite racks having other appearances for a diversity of visual effects and space variations. To be more exact, the quarter-circular outer frames  1  in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2  may be combined with the rectangular outer frame  3  in  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , or the elliptic outer frame  4  in  FIG. 5  to form storage racks having assorted appearances. Such combinations are too numerous to enumerate, and shall not be unnecessarily described.  
      Moreover, a principle of the invention is to offer a storage rack having adjustability and being connected using other storage racks for achieving appearance and size variations. Not only the adjusting structures of the storage rack can be adjusted for suiting storage spaces and stored objects, outer frames having different shapes can be composed according to preferences of users to form storage racks with various appearances. Other physical implementations such as the invention being suspended to a ceiling, fastened or attaching to a wall using screws or placed on the ground using stand pillars are all included in applications according to the invention.  
      It is of course to be understood that the embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention and that a wide variety of modifications thereto may be effected by persons skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.