Patent Publication Number: US-2011062101-A1

Title: Pivotable shelving system

Description:
This application is based upon provisional application 61/1035,565 filed on Mar. 11, 2008. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The present invention relates to shelves. More particularly, it relates to a slidable and pivotable shelving system to more effectively use the space available in conventional shelves. 
     SUMMARY 
     An embodiment described herein provides a plurality of vertically-hinged shelves both slidably and pivotably mounted to a shelf or a cabinet. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a conventional cabinet fitted with a shelving system made in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view, similar to  FIG. 1 , but with the shelving system pulled out of the cabinet, the first vertical shelf pivoted 180 degrees and out of the way, the second vertical shelf pivoted 90 degrees and also out of the way, to gain access to the third vertical shelf; 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarged, perspective view of the shelving system of  FIG. 2 , with the cabinet omitted for clarity; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view, similar to that of  FIG. 3 , but with the second vertical shelf swung back into position to gain access to items on this second shelf; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view, similar to that of  FIG. 4 , but with the first vertical shelf swung back into position to gain access to items on this first shelf; 
         FIG. 6  is an exploded, perspective view of the shelving system of  FIG. 5 ; and 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a cabinet with three levels of the shelving system of  FIG. 5  installed. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION: 
       FIGS. 1-7  show a shelving system  10 . As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the shelving system  10  may be mounted to fit inside a conventional cabinet  12 , such as a kitchen cabinet or a bathroom cabinet. The cabinet  12  may have a door (not shown) to fully enclose the shelving system  10  inside the cabinet  12 . As explained in more detail below, the shelving system  10  may be pulled out by pulling on the handle  14  (See  FIGS. 5 and 6 ) to pull out one or more of the vertically-hinged shelves  16 ,  18 ,  20  out of the cabinet  12 , and at least some of the vertically-hinged shelves  16 ,  18 ,  20  are able to pivot or swing out of the way to allow access to the shelves behind them. 
     If access to the items on the first shelf  16  only is required, the shelving system  10  may be left inside the cabinet  12  (as shown in  FIG. 1 ), or the shelving system  10  may be pulled forward (as shown in  FIG. 5 ) to bring the items on the first shelf  16  even closer to the user. As will be explained in more detail below, to access items on the second shelf  18 , the first shelf  16  may be pivoted 180 degrees out of the way (as shown in  FIG. 4 ). To access items on the third shelf  20 , the first shelf  16  is pivoted 180 degrees out of the way and the second shelf  18  is pivoted at right angles to its original position (as shown in  FIG. 3 ). 
     Referring now to  FIG. 6 , the shelving system  10  includes first, second, and third shelves  16 ,  18 ,  20 , which are both slidably and pivotably mounted inside the cabinet  12 . The shelves  16 ,  18 ,  20  in this embodiment are wire mesh baskets to minimize the weight of the shelves  16 ,  18 ,  20  while still providing support for the items to be stored on the shelves  16 ,  18 ,  20 . In this embodiment, each of the shelves  16 ,  18 ,  20  has horizontal top and bottom members, and vertical left and right side and back members. These shelves  16 ,  18 ,  20  may be made from any suitable materials in addition to wire mesh, including wood or plastic for instance, and they may be subdivided with additional horizontal and/or vertical members in order to better adapt the storage area to the products being stored, if desired. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 6 , the shelves  16 ,  18 ,  20  are mounted to vertical cross arms  24  via hinges blocks  26 . The cross arms  24  are mounted to horizontal scab plates  28 . The scab plates  28  are mounted to a set of common drawer slides  22 . The drawer slides  22  are mounted to “L” shaped brackets  30  which are mounted to the sidewall  32  and/or the bottom wall  34  of the cabinet  12  in order to support the shelving system  10 . Snap blocks  36  are also mounted to the scab plates  28  (as shown in  FIG. 4 ) such that the snap blocks  36  engage and secure the shelves  16 ,  18 ,  20  when the shelves  16 ,  18 ,  20  are in the stowed position as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 6 . The shelves  16 ,  18 ,  20  are mounted so that each shelf may pivot about its own vertical pivot axis defined by the axially aligned hinge blocks  26  for each shelf. 
     While it is possible to mount the shelves  16 ,  18 ,  20  directly onto the drawer slides  22 , or mount the cross arms  24  directly onto the drawer slides  22 , without using the scab plates  28 , the use of the scab plates  28  allows the mounting of more shelves, and the customizing of the spacing between the shelves, without being limited by the mounting arrangement of the drawer slides  22 . 
     The shelves  16 ,  18 ,  20  may come in a variety of dimensions, as required or desired, to customize the installation. Preferably, the shelves  16 ,  18 ,  20  are available with depth dimensions of 2 inches, 3 inches, or 4 inches, and these shelves may be mixed and matched in an installation as best suited for the application. Also, even though the figures show three identical shelves  16 ,  18 ,  20 , an installation may have one or more shelves, each one with different dimensions. For instance, the shelf which is furthest back (such as shelf  20  in  FIG. 1 ) may be a deeper shelf, such as a 4 inch deep shelf. The next shelf out (shelf  18  in  FIG. 1 ) may be a very shallow shelf, such as a 2 inch deep shelf such that, when it is pivoted away, as shown in  FIG. 2 , it infringes as little as possible on the accessibility to the rearmost shelf  20 . Finally, the outermost shelf (shelf  16  in  FIG. 1 ) may have any desired depth as this shelf swings entirely out of the way, as shown in  FIGS. 2 ,  3  and  4 , posing no restriction to the accessibility of the remaining shelves. 
     To complete an installation, the entire sliding/pivoting assembly, including the drawer slides  22 , the scab plates  28 , the cross arms  24 , the handle  14 , the hinge blocks  26 , and the snap blocks  36  may be preinstalled onto the brackets  30 . The brackets  30  are then mounted inside the cabinet  12 . The hinge blocks  26  are temporarily removed or loosened far enough to allow the shelves  16 ,  18 ,  20  to be mounted to the hinge blocks  26 , and the hinge blocks  26  are then reinstalled or tightened to complete the installation. 
     While the embodiment described above shows one arrangement for a shelving system, various other arrangements are possible. As discussed above, the number and dimensions of the shelves may be varied to meet the degree of customization desired. The number of drawer slides may also be varied depending on the size and quantity of shelves to be used. As also indicated above, the shelves may be mounted directly to the drawer slides, or they may be mounted via the cross arms and/or the scab plates  28 . The drawer slides may be mounted directly onto the side wall of a cabinet, without the need for the mounting brackets. Depending on the size and weight of the shelves and of the items to be stored on the shelves, one or more drawer slides may be needed. In this particular embodiment, as shown, there are two drawer slides  22 . 
       FIG. 7  shows three of the systems  10  of the previous embodiments mounted one above the other. 
     It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the scope of the present invention.