Patent ID: 7395133

Claim:
A storage system having one or more storage modules each comprising: a substantially cylindrical housing having a curved sidewall portion extending between a top wall portion and a bottom wall portion, said housing being disposed about a central axis; a carousel mounted within said housing for rotation about said central axis and having a plurality of storage locations disposed in vertical arrays about said axis to receive articles; one or more door openings formed in said sidewall portion to provide for access from the exterior of the housing to at least one of said vertical arrays adjacent to said one or more door openings; environmental control means for controlling the temperature within said housing; wherein said one or more door openings comprise a first door opening; wherein said first door opening is selectively occluded by a door member mounted on the housing and movable between an open and a closed configuration; wherein the first door opening axially extends between the top and the bottom wall portions of the housing, and the first door member has a curvature complimentary to the curvature of the sidewall portion; wherein the door member moves between said open and said dosed configurations by sliding in circumferential nesting relation relative to said sidewall portion of said storage module; wherein the environmental control means comprises an air flow delivery means positioned within the housing; wherein the housing is mounted atop a base member, and wherein the environmental control means comprises a compressor means and a fan means mounted within said base member.