Patent Publication Number: US-2007119806-A1

Title: Cosmetic organizer

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to storage devices, specifically to storage devices for organizing personal items.  
      2. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART  
      In U.S. Pat. No. 6,520,352 to Mondragon et al., there is disclosed A multi-level support stand including an enlarged base member having a central aperture that is dimensioned to receive the closed lower end of an elongated cylindrical support member having an open end and an interior receptacle; wherein, the elongated cylindrical support member is dimensioned to be received through central apertures formed in a plurality of support tray members each having an upper surface provided with a plurality of recesses and downwardly depending stem elements which vertically space the support tray members etc., from the base member and each other in a rotatable relationship with the cylindrical support member.  
      Also, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,736,856 to Alneng et al., there is disclosed A tray stand includes a vertical column and a plurality of circular trays, rotatably carried by the column and situated one above the other. Each such tray includes a plurality of substantially circle sector-shaped sections, which are carried by a common holder or hub rotatably mounted on the column, so that together they form a circular tray. The circle sector-shaped tray sections are arranged on arms radially projecting from the holder so that substantially the whole surface of each section in the tray is accessible without obstruction by the overlying tray.  
      Further, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,775 to Kaine, there is disclosed a rotary device including a center pillar mounted in a pedestal, and rotatable circular plates or shelves mounted to individually freely rotate about the pillar. Vertical partitions are mounted on at least some of the shelves. These partitions extend from the central area of a shelf towards but short of the periphery thereof at which point a perpendicular wing is provided to constitute a guard. The ratio between the length of the partition and that of the wing is adjusted so as to maximize the area of the circular shelf which is used for storing articles and for filing documents, thereby leaving a negligible unused area of the shelf.  
      What is needed is a storage device that solves one or more of the problems described herein and/or one or more problems that may come to the attention of one skilled in the art upon becoming familiar with this specification.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention has been developed in response to the present state of the art, and in particular, in response to the problems and needs in the art that have not yet been fully solved by currently available storage devices. Accordingly, the present invention has been developed to provide a storage device for organizing personal items.  
      In one embodiment, there is a storage device for organizing personal items. The storage device may include a tower, first and second wings, and/or a plurality of shelves. The first and second wings may be coupled to the tower at opposite sides thereof and/or may be extending outward, wherein each of the first and second wings may include: a slanted top surface extending downward and away from the tower; and/or a plurality of vertical storage slots, through the slanted top surface, configured to provide storage for personal items. The plurality of shelves may be slidably coupled to the tower and/or extending substantially orthogonal to the long axis of the tower and/or to the first and second wings.  
      The plurality of shelves may include a first shelf slidably coupled to the tower such that the first shelf may be adjustably disposed at a plurality of heights along the tower. The plurality of shelves may include a second shelf slidably coupled to the tower below the first shelf. The second shelf may extend further outward from the tower than the first shelf. The plurality of shelves may include a width adjusting tab coupled to one of the plurality of shelves substantially orthogonal to a top surface of the one of the plurality of shelves. The tower may include a top compartment coupled to a top of the tower. The top compartment may include a hinged lid.  
      Reference throughout this specification to features, advantages, or similar language does not imply that all of the features and advantages that may be realized with the present invention should be or are in any single embodiment of the invention. Rather, language referring to the features and advantages is understood to mean that a specific feature, advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, discussion of the features and advantages, and similar language, throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, refer to the same embodiment.  
      Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other instances, additional features and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments that may not be present in all embodiments of the invention.  
      These features and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      In order for the advantages of the invention to be readily understood, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments that are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings, in which:  
       FIG. 1  illustrates a front plan view of a storage device according to one embodiment of the invention; and  
       FIG. 2  illustrates a side plan view of a storage device according to one embodiment of the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings, and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. Any alterations and further modifications of the inventive features illustrated herein, and any additional applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated herein, which would occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered within the scope of the invention.  
      Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,”“an embodiment,” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “one embodiment,”“an embodiment,” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment, different embodiments, or component parts of the same or different illustrated invention. Additionally, reference to the wording “an embodiment,” or the like, for two or more features, elements, etc. does not mean that the features are related, dissimilar, the same, etc. The use of the term “an embodiment,” or similar wording, is merely a convenient phrase to indicate optional features, which may or may not be part of the invention as claimed.  
      Each statement of an embodiment is to be considered independent of any other statement of an embodiment despite any use of similar or identical language characterizing each embodiment. Therefore, where one embodiment is identified as “another embodiment,” the identified embodiment is independent of any other embodiments characterized by the language “another embodiment.” The independent embodiments are considered to be able to be combined in whole or in part one with another as the claims and/or art may direct, either directly or indirectly, implicitly or explicitly.  
      Finally, the fact that the wording “an embodiment,” or the like, does not appear at the beginning of every sentence in the specification, such as is the practice of some practitioners, is merely a convenience for the reader&#39;s clarity. However, it is the intention of this application to incorporate by reference the phrasing “an embodiment,” and the like, at the beginning of every sentence herein where logically possible and appropriate.  
      Turning to the figures, there is shown a storage device  100  for organizing personal items according to one embodiment of the invention. The illustrated storage device  100  includes a tower  110 , first and second wings  120  and a plurality of shelves  140 . There is also shown a base  150  coupled to the tower  110 . The base  150  may be rotatably coupled to the tower such as but not limited to the base of what is known in the art as a “Lazy Susan.” The illustrated storage device  100  is configured to store, organize, and/or contain a plurality of personal items, such as but not limited to make-up containers, brushes, combs, mirrors, deodorant, powders, liquids, creams, lotions, and personal care products.  
      The tower  110  is a central portion of the illustrated storage device  100 . The tower is preferably an oblong shaped cylinder, having a vertical cross-section similar to a rectangle or an ellipse. The tower  110  provides a connection locus for additional portions of the storage device  100 . The tower  110  includes a long axis that is a vertical axis of the tower. The illustrated tower  110  further includes a top compartment  130  coupled to a top of the tower  110 . The top compartment  130  may include a hinged lid. There may also be a handle  132  coupled to the top compartment  130 .  
      The illustrated first and second wings  120  are coupled to the tower  110  at opposite sides thereof and each extend outward. Each of the first and second wings include: a slanted top surface extending downward and away from the tower  110 ; and a plurality of vertical storage slots  122  bounded by dividers  124 . The plurality of vertical storage slots  122  extend through the slanted top surface and are configured to provide storage for personal items. The slanted top surface is preferably a diagonal extending from the tower to the bottom of the storage device  100  as shown in the figures.  
      The illustrated plurality of shelves  140  are slidably coupled to the tower  110  and extend substantially orthogonal to the long axis of the tower  110  and to the first and second wings  120 . The plurality of shelves  140  includes a first shelf  140  slidably coupled to the tower  110  such that the first shelf  140  may be adjustably disposed at a plurality of heights along the tower  110 . In one non-limiting example, there are tracks (not shown) on the sides of the tower  110  to which the shelves  140  may slidably and/or adjustably couple. It is considered that the ways in which the shelves  140  may adjustably couple to the tower are plethoric.  
      Further, there is shown a second shelf  140  slidably coupled to the tower  110  below the first shelf  140  and the second shelf  140  extends further outward from the tower  110  than the first shelf  140 . It is preferred that the plurality of shelves  140  are longer or shorter in relation to height order on the tower as exemplified in the figures. The plurality of shelves  140  further includes one or more width adjusting tabs  146  coupled to one of the plurality of shelves  140  substantially orthogonal to a top surface of the one of the plurality of shelves  140 . There may be a lip  144  and a floor  142  included in one or more shelves  140 . The lip  144  may extend above the floor  142  and may substantially circumscribe a portion of the shelf  140  such that the lip  144  may prevent an item from rolling off the shelf  140 .  
      A width adjusting tab  146  may extend higher than a lip  144  and/or may not extend higher than a lip  144 . In one non-limiting example, a width adjusting tab  146  may fit into one or more slots (not shown) through a shelf  140 . In another non-limiting example, a width adjusting tab  146  may be adjustably coupled to a shelf  140  by a friction fit that may be adjustable such as but not limited to by a screw, clamp, clasp, pin, lever, and/or wedge. It is envisioned that the ways in which a width adjusting tab  1   46  may couple to a shelf  140  are plethoric.  
      In operation, a user may store personal items, such as the illustrated make-up containers  148  and the illustrated brush  128  in portions of the storage device  100 . In particular, items may be stored in a tiered fashion, wherein items stored higher and/or closer to the tower  110  may be accessible and/or visible at locations higher and/or closer to the tower  110 . Thereby a user may have simultaneous access to all portions of the storage device  100 . Additionally, wherein the base  150  may permit the storage device  100  to spin freely, a user may have simple and easy access to all sides of the storage device  100 . In one embodiment, the storage device  100  may primarily comprise substantially clear or translucent plastic.  
      It is understood that the above-described preferred embodiments are only illustrative of the application of the principles of the present invention. The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiment is to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claim rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.  
      Thus, while the present invention has been fully described above with particularity and detail in connection with what is presently deemed to be the most practical and preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that numerous modifications, including, but not limited to, variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use may be made, without departing from the principles and concepts of the invention as set forth in the claims.