Patent Publication Number: US-9849583-B2

Title: Storage apparatus

Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     1. Field of Invention 
     The present invention relates to tools and, more particularly, to a storage apparatus for containing tools. 
     2. Related Prior Art 
     Taiwanese Patent I402148 discloses a storage apparatus that includes several trays rotationally supported on a vertical shaft that is connected to a base element at a lower end. Two lager wheels are attached to the lowermost tray while three smaller wheels are attached to the base element. In a position relative to the vertical shaft, the trays overlap one another so that each of the trays, except for the uppermost tray, is covered by another tray. In use, the lowermost tray is moved to a substantially opposite position relative to the vertical shaft to have the larger and smaller wheels cover a large area to stably support the trays. Then, the other trays are moved to other positions so that none of them is covered by any other tray. 
     The present invention is therefore intended to obviate or at least alleviate the problems encountered in prior art. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     It is the primary objective of the present invention to provide a storage apparatus. 
     To achieve the foregoing objective, the storage apparatus includes trays, a shaft, a base element and two wheel assemblies. Each of the trays includes a supporting plate, a confining plate formed on the supporting plate, and a lug formed on an external side of the confining plate. The shaft is inserted in the lugs of the trays to connect the trays to one another so that each of the trays is rotatable between a withdrawn position and a spread position relative to a lower one of the trays. The base element is attached to a lower end of the shaft. The base element is connected to the confining plate of a second one of the trays by a connecting element. The base element is located below the lowermost tray when the trays overlap one another. The first wheel assembly includes wheels attached to a lower face of the lowermost tray. The second wheel assembly includes wheels attached to a lower face of the base element. The wheels of the first and second wheel assemblies cover a first area when the trays overlap one another and cover a second area when the trays fully spread from one another. The first area is smaller than the second area. 
     Other objectives, advantages and features of the present invention will be apparent from the following description referring to the attached drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will be described via detailed illustration of the preferred embodiment referring to the drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a storage apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the storage apparatus illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the storage apparatus in another position than shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a bottom view of the storage apparatus illustrated in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the storage apparatus in another position than shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the storage apparatus in another position than shown in  FIG. 6 ; and 
         FIG. 8  is another perspective view of the storage apparatus shown in  FIG. 7 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 5 , a storage apparatus includes trays  10 , a shaft assembly  20 , a first wheel assembly  30 , a second wheel assembly  35 , a base element  40 , an angle-retaining assembly  50 , a positioning assembly  60  and a cover  70  according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. Each of the trays  10  includes a supporting plate  12 , a confining plate  11  formed on the supporting plate  12 , and a lug  13  formed on or attached to one of the confining plate  11 . The supporting plate  12  is a polygonal plate that extends horizontally. The confining plate  11  extends from the top of the supporting plate  12  and extends along the edge of the supporting plate  12 . The lug  13  is formed with a vertical tunnel  14 . A limiting fin  15  vertically extends from the bottom of the supporting plate  12 . A reinforcement element  16  is formed on an internal side of the confining plate  11 . A handle  17  is attached to an external side of the confining plate  11  of the uppermost tray  10 . 
     The shaft assembly  20  includes a shaft  21 , several smoothing elements  22  and a fastener  23 . The shaft  21  extends throughout the tunnel  14  of the lug  13  of each of the trays  10  so that each of the trays  10  is rotationally connected to the shaft  21 . The smoothing elements  22  are in an annular shape. The shaft  21  extends throughout each of the smoothing elements  22  while each of the smoothing elements  22  is provided between the lugs  13  of two adjacent ones of the trays  10 . Each of the smoothing elements  22  is adapted for smoothing rotation of the two corresponding trays  10  relative to each another by reducing friction between the lugs  13  of the two corresponding trays  10 . The fastener  23  is preferably a nut engaged with a threaded section  24  of the shaft  21  near an upper end. Thus, the lugs  13  and hence the trays  10  cannot be translated up and down long the shaft  21 . 
     The first wheel assembly  30  includes two wheels  31 . The wheels  31  are connected to the bottom of the supporting plate  12  of the lowermost tray  10 . Each of the wheels  31  is at a proper distance from the lug  13  of the lowermost tray  10 . 
     The base element  40  is a V-shaped element including two prongs  41  extending from a shaft-connecting portion  42 . The shaft-connecting portion  42  preferably includes a tunnel  421 . The shaft  21  extends in the tunnel  421 . One of the prongs  41  includes a connecting element  43  connected to the confining plate  11  of a second one of the trays  10 , counted from the top, so that the base element  40  is connected to and movable together with the second tray  10 . 
     The second wheel assembly  35  includes three wheels  36 . One of the wheels  36  is attached to the bottom of the shaft-connecting portion  42  while each other wheel  35  is connected to the bottom of a corresponding one of the prongs  41 . Each of the wheels  36  is at a proper distance from any other wheel  36 . 
     The angle-retaining assembly  50  includes a pin  51 , an aperture  52  made in the supporting plate  12  of each of the trays  10 , and a hollow stem  53  formed on the top of the supporting plate  12  of each of the uppermost and lowermost trays  10 . The pin  51  includes a crook  54  formed at an upper end. 
     The apertures  52  are located along a vertical line when the trays  10  overlap one another. The pin  51  can be inserted in the apertures  52  of the trays  10  to prevent the trays  10  from rotation relative to one another, thereby keeping the trays  10  overlapping one another. In that case, the crook  54  of the pin  51  can be laid on the confining plate  11  of the uppermost tray  10  to retain the elevation of the pin  51 . 
     The hollow stems  53  extend along a vertical line as the uppermost tray  10  is angularly biased from the lowermost tray  10 . The pin  51  can be inserted in the hollow stems  53  to prevent the uppermost tray  10  from rotation relative to the lowermost tray  10 , thereby keeping the uppermost tray  10  annularly biased from the lowermost trays  10 . 
     The positioning assembly  60  is connected to the lowermost tray  10 . The positioning assembly  60  includes a positioning ring  62  formed on or attached to the lowermost tray  10 , a post  61  connected to the positioning ring  62 , a pad  63  connected to a lower end of the post  61 , and a knob  64  connected to an upper end of the post  61 . In an alternative embodiment, the positioning ring  62  is formed or connected to a portion of the first wheel assembly  30 , which is connected to the lowermost tray  10 . 
     The post  61  is vertically movable relative to the positioning ring  62  between an upper position and a lower position. As the post  61  is in the upper position, the pad  63  is located away from a floor to allow the wheel assembly  30  to roll on the floor. As the post  61  is in the lower position, the pad  63  is laid on the floor to prevent the wheel assembly  30  from rolling on the floor. To this end, the pad  63  is preferably made of a skid-proof material. Preferably, the post  61  is a threaded bolt and the positioning ring  62  is a nut engaged with the threaded bolt. The knob  64  is operable to rotate the post  61  relative to the positioning ring  62  to move the post  61  relative to the positioning ring  62 . 
     The cover  70  is pivotally connected to the confining plate  11  of the uppermost tray  10  by two hinges  71 . The cover  70  can be pivoted between a closing position and an opening position. In the closing position, the cover  70  closes the uppermost tray  10 . The cover  70  includes a cutout  72  for receiving the crook  54  of the pin  51  so that the crook  54  of the pin  51  does not interfere with the pivoting of the cover  70  to the closing position. A buckle  73  is provided for locking the cover  70  to the uppermost tray  10 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 through 5 , the trays  10  overlap one another. The pin  51  is inserted in the aperture  52  of each of the trays  10  to keep the trays  10  from rotation relative to one another. The cutout  72  of the cover  70  receives the crook  54  of the pin  51  so that the cover  70  does not interfere with the pin  51 . The limiting fin  15  of each of the trays  10  is placed against an internal side of the confining plate  11  of a lower one of the trays  10 . The base element  40  is connected to the confining plate  11  of the second tray  10  by the connecting element  43  so that the base element  40  is located below the lowermost tray  10 . The wheels  31  of the first wheel assembly  30  and the wheels  36  of the second wheel assembly  35  are located below the lowermost tray  10 . The first wheel assembly  30  and the second wheel assembly  35  cover an area BOS- 1 . The pads  63  of the posts  61  are laid on the floor. 
     The posts  61  can be moved to the upper position to move the pads  63  from the floor. Then, a user can carry the storage apparatus by the handle  17 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , the pin  51  is removed from the apertures  52 . The uppermost tray  10  is rotated about the shaft  21 . The limiting fin  15  of the uppermost tray  10  abuts against the confining plate  11  of the second tray  10  so that the uppermost tray  10  and the second tray  10  rotate together after the uppermost tray  10  is rotated for 90° in the preferred embodiment. The limiting fin  15  of the second tray  10  abuts against the confining plate  11  of the third tray  10  so that the second and third trays  10  rotate together after the second tray  10  is rotated for 90° in the preferred embodiment. The limiting fin  15  of the third tray  10  abuts against the confining plate  11  of the lowermost tray  10  so that the third tray  10  and the lowermost tray  10  rotate together after the third tray  10  is rotated for 90° in the preferred embodiment. The base element  40  is rotated together with the second  10  because of their interconnection by the connecting element  43 . Now, the first wheel assembly  30  and the second wheel assembly  35  cover another area BOS- 2  that expands or shrinks as the trays  10  are spread or withdrawn. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the uppermost tray  10  is rotated for 270°, and the second tray  10  is rotated for 180°, and the third tray  10  is rotated for 90°. The lowermost tray  10  and the first wheel assembly  30  are kept in position because the post  61  abuts against the floor. Thus, none of the trays  10  is located on any other tray  10 . To keep the trays  10  spread, the pin  51  is inserted in the hollow stems  53 . With the trays  10  spread, the base element  40  is located below the second tray  10 . 
     The present invention has been described via the detailed illustration of the preferred embodiment. Those skilled in the art can derive variations from the preferred embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the preferred embodiment shall not limit the scope of the present invention defined in the claims.