Patent Publication Number: US-6907999-B1

Title: Storage rack with easily installable retainer loops

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Storage racks for small articles, ranging from pencils and pens to other items such as paint brushes, cassettes and small containers are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,936,469; 5,570,794 and 5,718,342. The racks of these patents are not specifically intended to support thin, planar objects such as business calling cards, index cards and file folders of the type which are usually stored in an upright or upstanding orientation in offices but instead were designed to support such articles in a hanging or vertical orientation although such racks could be used for storage of business calling cards, index cards and file folders if desired. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a storage rack or container for thin, planar objects such as business calling cards, index cards and even file folders that can handily be located on a desk, credenza, file cabinet or table where the storage rack supports the planar objects in an upstanding or upright orientation. 
   Another object of this invention is a storage rack or container for thin, planar objects such as cards and file folders which securely supports the objects regardless of their size or thickness. 
   An additional object of this invention is a storage rack or container for cards or file folders in which the retainer loops can be easily installed on or removed from a support bar. 
   Another object of this invention is a storage rack or container in which the retainer loops are positively retained on the support bar without the necessity of separately installed fasteners. 
   Yet another object of this invention is a storage rack or container in which all of the components of the storage rack, except for the retainer loops, can be injection molded. 
   Yet another object of this invention is a storage rack or container having a carrier which adds stability to the rack when used on a supporting surface such as a desk top. 
   Other objects of this invention may be found in the following specification, claims and drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention is illustrated more less diagrammatically in the following drawings wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is an orthographic view of a storage rack or container embodying the novel aspects of this invention; 
       FIG. 2  is an orthographic exploded view of the storage rack or container of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a side elevational view of the storage rack or container of  FIG. 1  with some parts broken away, others shown in dashed lines and some shown in cross-section for clarity of illustration; and 
       FIG. 4  is an enlarged partially exploded view of a portion of the storage rack with some parts shown in a moved position. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   The container or storage rack  11  embodying the novel aspects of this invention is shown in  FIGS. 1-4  of the drawings. A rectangular shaped carrier  13  includes a bottom wall  15 , side wall  17  and end walls  19 . The end walls  19  rise above the side walls and are formed with arcuate top surfaces  21 . These walls define an open top  23  for the carrier. The end walls  19  each have an inwardly located, inwardly facing projection  25  which includes an upwardly facing ledge  27  and an inclined side wall  29 . 
   A support bar holder  31  is formed with a flat rectangular base  33  and end walls  35  and  37 . End wall  35  includes an integral hinge connection  39  to the base  33  as is shown most clearly in  FIG. 4  of the drawings wherein the end wall  35  is shown in its open or moved position. A rib  41  is formed integrally with the end wall  35  and extends inwardly thereof. An inwardly located ledge  43  is formed on the inside of each end wall  35  and  37 . An outwardly facing triangular notch  45  is formed in the outer surface of each end wall  35  and  37 . 
   An elongated support bar  51  is formed with a non-circular transverse cross-section to provide better support for the retainer loops and to prevent the retainer loops from pivoting around the support bar from a horizontal orientation which will be hereinafter described. The support bar is connected at one end  53  to end wall  37  and is supported on the end wall  37  by a notch  57  which rests on the ledge  43  formed as part of the end wall  37 . At the opposite end  59  of the support bar, a slot  61  is provided which receives the rib  41  of the pivotal end wall  35  to support this end of the support bar when the end wall  37  is in its closed position as shown most clearly in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . 
   The storage holder further includes a plurality of retainer loops  71 . Each retainer loop is formed of a strip of a tough, resilient, abrasive-resistant resin, preferably a polyester resin or a laminate thereof. The preferred construction for each retainer loop is two layers of oriented polyethylene terephthalate laminated with a central layer of polyethylene, the same basic construction as is used is commercial identification cards and similar articles. 
   Each retainer loop  71  is formed with a bight portion  73  joining a pair of legs  75 , 77 . A passage  79  is formed in each leg  75  and  77  with each passage being located near the distal end of its leg. The passages may be formed by stamping, cutting or in any other conventional manner suitable for forming a passage in a laminate strip of plastic. The passages are similar in shape to the transverse cross-section of the support bar  51  being only slightly larger than the transverse cross-section of the support bar for ease of installing the retainer loops on the support bar. 
   In order to install the retainer loop  71  on the support rod  53 , the support bar holder  31  is removed from the carrier  13  as shown in the exploded view of FIG.  2  and the end wall  35  is moved to its open position as shown in  FIG. 4  of the drawings to permit the passages  79  in the legs  75 , 77  of the retainer loops to be slid over the support bar  51 . When the desired complement of retainer loops are mounted on the support bar  51 , the end wall  35  is moved to its closed position wherein the rib  41  seats in the slot  61  at the end of the support bar  51  securing the retainer loops  71  in position. The support bar holder  31  is reinserted into the carrier  13  so that the outwardly facing triangular notches  45  in the outer surfaces of the end walls  35  and  37  engage and rest on the upwardly facing ledges  27  formed on the interiors of the end walls  19  of the carrier  13 .