Patent Publication Number: US-7216773-B2

Title: Quick assembly storage cabinet

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates generally to units for storage. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved compartment bin that is easily and quickly assembled. 
   Metal compartment bins and cabinets are some of the most versatile pieces of furniture available. The cabinets can be hung in work areas such as metal or woodworking shops, garages, as well as many other places. Cabinets and compartment bins can also provide storage in vehicles such as trucks and vans. Metal cabinets also provide versatility in what they store. For example, metal cabinets and compartment bins have been used to store threaded rod, wire, brake line, welding rods, as well as more common items such as tools and fasteners. 
   Bins or cabinets having a plurality of compartments are usually assembled with numerous amounts of attachments between the components. For example, shelves can be mechanically fastened or welded to dividers. As the number of shelves and dividers increase the manufacturing process becomes both more costly and timely. 
   Also, conventional storage cabinets are typically first assembled at the manufacturing location and then shipped to the end buyer or consumer. Any reduction in time of assembly of the cabinet results in a lower cost for the assembled cabinet. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a storage cabinet that is quicker and more economical to assemble. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   According to an embodiment of the invention, a metal cabinet includes a plurality of shelf members and a plurality of dividers. Preferably, the shelf members are horizontally oriented in the cabinet and the dividers are vertically oriented. Each shelf member includes a plurality of slits extending from a first edge of the shelf member towards a second opposite edge of the shelf member. Each divider also includes a plurality of slits extending from a first edge towards a second opposite edge of the divider. A shelf member slit receives divider and a divider slit receives a shelf member. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention takes form in certain parts and arrangements of parts, preferred embodiments of which will be described in detail in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a compartment bin according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a side perspective view of the compartment bin of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a plan view of a shelf member of the compartment bin of  FIG. 1  prior to final forming; 
       FIG. 4  is a top perspective view of the shelf member of  FIG. 3  after final forming; 
       FIG. 5  is a bottom perspective view of the shelf member of  FIG. 4 ; 
       FIG. 6  is a rear perspective view of the shelf member of  FIG. 4 ; 
       FIG. 7  is a plan view of a divider of the compartment bin of  FIG. 1  after final forming; 
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the divider of  FIG. 7  after final forming; 
       FIG. 9  is a plan view of a corner of the divider of  FIG. 7 ; 
       FIG. 10  is a rear perspective view of an alternative shelf member; 
       FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the alternative shelf member of  FIG. 10  engaging an alternative divider; 
       FIG. 12  is a side perspective view of the alternative divider of  FIG. 11 ; 
       FIG. 13  is an enlarged view of raised portions on the alternative divider of  FIG. 12 ; and 
       FIG. 14  is a side elevational view of an alternative compartment bin with a breakaway view of ramped shelves in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Referring now to the Figures, the showings are for purposes of illustrating the preferred embodiments of the invention only and are not for purposes of limiting same. Directional terms such as “left,” “right,” “front,” “rear,” and the like will be used to simplify the description of the Figures only, and should not be construed as limiting the components to those directional terms. 
     FIG. 1  shows a compartment bin  10 . The compartment bin includes a first or left side wall  12  and a second or right side wall  14  spaced from wall  12 . A third or top panel  16  and a fourth or bottom panel  18  spaced from the top panel interconnect the two side walls. A fifth or rear panel  22  interconnects with the top and bottom panels and the two side walls. 
   With reference now to  FIG. 2 , wall  12  includes a front tab  24  that interconnects with a front tab  26  of the top panel  16  and a front tab  28  of the bottom panel  18  via welding  30  or other suitable fastening means. The term “front” refers to the portion of the compartment bin that is open to allow the user access to compartments  32 . The left side wall can interconnect with the top and bottom panel by other means, such as rivets, screws or any other conventional fastening techniques. Also, the mechanical connection can be a lance type connection that is described in commonly owned U.S. nonprovisional patent application Ser. No. 10/812,148, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
   Wall  14  includes a front tab  34  that interconnects with tab  26  of panel  16  and tab  28  of panel  18  via welding  36  or other suitable fastening means. Similar to wall  12 , wall  14  can interconnect with the top and bottom panel by other conventional fastening means. The side walls can further include additional tabs to connect to the rear panel  22 . Furthermore, the top and bottom panels can include additional tabs to connect to both the side walls and the rear panel. In an alternative embodiment, the side walls and panels can interconnect without using the tabs disclosed, but can interconnect in any conventional manner. 
   With continued reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the compartment bin includes a plurality of shelf members  40  and dividers  42  that define the compartments  32 . The shelf members are horizontally positioned within the bin. The dividers are vertically oriented in the bin at approximately 90 degrees with respect to the shelf members. With reference now to  FIG. 3 , a shelf member  40  can be made from a piece of flat metal stock  44  that has portions cut out to define tabs and slits. The shelf member includes a side tab  46  defined at a rear end thereof by a square-shaped cut-out  48  and at a front end by a substantially C-shaped cut-out  52 . On an opposite side of the stock  44 , a side tab  54  is defined at a rear end by a square-shaped cut-out  56  and at a front end by a substantially C-shaped cut-out  58 . The side tabs  46  and  54  provide a surface to mount the shelf member  40  to the side walls  12  and  14 . The shelf member can mount to the side wall via any conventional technique as well as via the lance type connection. 
   The oppositely disposed cut-outs  52  and  58  define a front tab  62  between them which includes a crimping portion  64  defined at its longitudinal ends by an end of each of the cut-outs  52  and  58 . The front tab also includes a first projection  66  defined as the remaining portion of cut-out  52  and a second projection  68  defined as the remaining portion of cut-out  58 . 
   When mounted in the compartment bin, the front tab is bent so that it is substantially orthogonal to the remainder of the stock  44 , as best seen in  FIG. 4 . The crimping portion is bent over the front tab to provide a rounded lower edge for the shelf member  40 . As seen in  FIG. 5 , the first projection  66  protrudes outwardly from the front tab  62 . The first projection provides a surface to attach the shelf member to tab  24  of wall  12  ( FIG. 1 ). The attachment between tab  24  and the first projection can be made via welding  72  or other suitable fastening means. Similarly, the second projection  68  provides a surface to attach the shelf member to the front tab  34  of wall  14  via welding  74  or other suitable fastening means. The projections can also be attached to the first panels by way of other conventional fastening techniques such as by lances. 
   The shelf member  40  also includes a plurality of rear tabs  76  spaced apart by cut-outs  78  and on the ends by cut-outs  48  and  56 . The rear tabs provide a surface so that the shelf member can mount to the rear panel  22 . 
   The shelf member also includes a plurality of slits  82  aligned with an edge  84  of the rear tabs. The alignment between slit  82  and edge  84  can be clearly seen in  FIG. 6 . The slits  82  run from the rear of the stock  44  towards the front about halfway through the stock. The slits receive the dividers when the compartment bin is assembled. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 7 , the dividers are made from a piece of flat metal stock  90  which has portions that are cut out to define tabs. An upper tab  92  is defined at a rear end by a cut-out  94  and at a front end by a cut-out  96 . Likewise, a lower tab  98  is defined at a rear end by a cut-out  102  and at a front end by a cut-out  104 . The cut-outs  94 ,  96 ,  102 , and  104  can be substantially square-shaped. However, they can also be other configurations without departing from the scope of the invention. 
   A plurality of front tabs  106  are defined at opposite ends of the stock  90  by cut-outs  96  and  104 . The front tabs are also separated by notches  108  evenly spaced along the front edge. A rear tab  112  is defined by rear cut-outs  94  and  102 . 
   As seen in  FIG. 8 , the tabs  92 ,  98  and  112  are bent such that they are substantially orthogonal to the remainder of the stock  90 . The upper tab  92  provides a surface for the divider to attach to the top panel  16 . The lower tab  98  provides a surface to attach to the bottom panel  18 . The rear tab  112  provides a surface to attach to the rear panel  22 . The divider can attach to the panels via any conventional fastening techniques, i.e. welding, riveting or via lances. The front tabs  106  are crimped to provide a rounded surface in the front of the compartment bin. 
   The dividers also include slits  114  aligned with edges  116  of the front tabs  106 . The slits receive a portion of the shelf members  40 . The notches  108  that separate the front tabs  106  are slightly larger than the slits so that the shelf members can easily slide into the slits, as seen in  FIG. 9 . 
   The dividers also include a first corrugation  118  disposed adjacent the front tabs  106  of the stock  90 . More particularly, the first corrugation is disposed towards the front third of the stock  90  and intersects the slits. A second plurality of corrugations  122  are disposed midway between the first corrugation  118  and a third plurality of corrugations  124 . The second corrugations are positioned along a longitudinal center of the stock and the third corrugations are positioned towards the rear position of the stock. The corrugations provide rigidity to the dividers, especially since they will be substantially vertically situated in the compartment bin. 
   The assembly of the compartment bin will now be described. The compartment bin is assembled by attaching panels  16  and  18  to walls  12  and  14 . The connection can be made by welds, or by other fastening means such as a lance/dimple type connection. The plurality of shelf members  40  and dividers are formed with the tabs bent as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 8 . The slits  82  of the shelf member  40  are aligned with slits  114  of the divider  42  or vice versa. The shelf members are then pushed rearward so that a portion of each shelf member is received in the slit  114  of the divider and a portion of each divider is received in the slit  82 . Also, the divider can be pushed rearward into the slit  82  of the shelf member. The remaining dividers can then be attached to the top panel and the bottom panel and the shelf members can be attached to the side wall. The rear panel can then be attached to the dividers and the shelf members. 
   Referring to  FIG. 10 , in an alternative embodiment, a shelf member  140  includes a sheet  144 , side tabs  146  and  148 , a front tab  152  and a plurality of rear tabs  154 . The side tabs  146 ,  148  extend orthogonally from the sheet  144  and provide a surface to mount the shelf member  140  to the side wall of a metal cabinet (not shown). The front tab  152  also extends orthogonally from the sheet  144 . The front tab  152  can include a crimped portion  156  that is crimped over the front tab to provide a rounded or curved surface for the bottom of each front tab. The front tab also includes two projections  158  and  162 , one at each longitudinal end of the front tab. The projections  158  and  162  extend outwardly from the front tab and are not connected to the sheet  144 . The projections provide a surface to attach the front tab to a tab (such as tabs  24  and  34  in  FIG. 1 ) of a side wall of a cabinet. 
   The shelf member also includes a plurality of slits  164  formed in the sheet  144 . Each slit is positioned at a longitudinal end of a corresponding rear tab  154 . The slits  164  receive a divider  142  ( FIG. 11 ), which will be described in more detail below. The slits run from the rear of the sheet  144  towards the front about halfway through the sheet. The plurality of rear tabs  154  are spaced apart from one another by a plurality of cut-outs  166  in the sheet  144 . The cut-outs receive a portion of the divider, which will be described in more detail below. 
   Each shelf member also includes a plurality of raised portions or dimples aligned with a corresponding slit. With reference to  FIG. 11 , dimples  168  and  172  project from the shelf in the same direction as the tabs  146 ,  148 ,  152  and  154 . The dimples  168  and  172  define a slot  174  (shown in phantom) that receives the divider  142 . Dimples  176  and  178  are spaced from and aligned with the dimples  168  and  172  and project from the sheet in an opposite direction to the dimples  168  and  172 . The dimples  176  and  178  also define a slot  182  that receives the divider  142 . In an alternative embodiment, the dimples can extend all in the same direction. The dimples serve to align the divider walls and keep them rigid and stationary. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 12 , the divider  142  includes a sheet  190 , a plurality of front crimped portions  192 , an upper tab  194 , a lower tab  196  and a rear tab  198 . The front crimped portions  192  are separated by notches  202 . The front crimped portions provide a rounded or curved edge at the front of the cabinet. The front crimped portions  192  are also divided by a plurality of slits  204 . The slits receive the shelf members  140  and the notches provide a larger opening at the front of each slit to facilitate placement of the shelf members inside the slits. 
   The upper tab  194  extends substantially orthogonally from the sheet  190 . The upper tab includes an aperture  206  that can receive a raised portion or dimple (not shown) in the top wall of the cabinet to secure the divider to the top wall. Similar to the upper tab, the lower tab  196  extends substantially orthogonally from the sheet  190 . The lower tab provides a surface to attach the lower tab to the lower wall of the cabinet. The rear tab  198  also extends substantially orthogonally from the sheet  190 . The rear tab is received in the notch  166  of the shelf member  140  ( FIG. 10 ) and provide a surface to attach the divider  142  to the rear wall of the cabinet. 
   The divider  142  also includes dimples similar to the dimples found on the shelf member. Referring to  FIG. 13 , dimples  208  and  212  project from the sheet  190  in the same direction as the tabs  194 ,  196  and  198 . Dimples  208  and  212  define a slot  214  that receives the shelf member  140 . Dimples  216  and  218  are aligned with and spaced from the dimples  208  and  212 . These dimples project from the sheet  190  in an opposite direction as the dimples  208  and  212 . Dimples  216  and  218  define a slot  222  (shown in phantom) aligned with the slot  214  that also receives the shelf member  140 . 
   As seen in  FIG. 11 , the shelf member  140  is received in one of the slits  204  in the divider  142  and the divider is received in one of the slits  164  in the shelf member. Also, the divider is received in the corresponding slots  174 ,  182  in the shelf member  140 . Shelf member  140  is received in the corresponding slots  214 ,  222  in the divider. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 14 , an alternative embodiment of the compartment bin can include ramped portions  300  formed on a tab or front end  302  of each shelf. The ramped portion has an angled member  304  and a straight or vertical member  306  forming a substantially triangular shaped edge for the shelf. The ramped portions enable the user to more easily obtain items from within the bin by scooping or moving the items against the ramp without spilling or dropping the items as they are removed from the compartment bin. The remaining components of the bin are the same as shown in  FIGS. 1–9 , and  10 – 13 . 
   The compartment bin can be quickly and easily assembled using the shelf members and dividers. The slits found in the shelf members and dividers enable quick assembly and disassembly of the shelf members and dividers. Furthermore, the bin can be manufactured economically and quickly. Various size bins with different sizes and numbers of compartments are further contemplated by the invention. That is, the number of compartments found may be increased or decreased by changing the number of slits in the shelf members and dividers or by changing the number of shelf members and dividers used. 
   The invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment. Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur to others upon the reading and understanding of this specification. It is intended to include all such modifications and alterations.