Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This application relates to a combination storage system for use in a bathroom, wherein a magazine rack is combined with a toilet paper holder, and a sliding door conceals the toilet paper holder.  
         [0002]     The organization and storage of items within a bathroom environment proves challenging. Typically, toilet paper holders may be placed upon a stand, or mounted within a bathroom wall. In many bathrooms, separate magazine racks are utilized to store reading material. The use of the separate components has sometimes resulted in a cluttered appearance for many modern bathrooms.  
         [0003]     While proposed combination elements have been described in various patents, none of these have been truly practical, or themselves aesthetically pleasing. As an example, one proposed system combines a magazine rack with a storage pin for holding a toilet paper roll. However, it would be desirable to provide a more aesthetically pleasing component.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     In a disclosed embodiment of this invention, a combined storage element includes a magazine rack area, and an area for mounting toilet paper rolls on pins. The toilet paper roll area is selectively concealed by a sliding door. The sliding door makes the combined element more aesthetically pleasing.  
         [0005]     In disclosed additional features of this invention, there are a pair of toilet paper roll mounts concealed by the door. Further, a sliding plate may be placed into the storage element and utilized to support additional elements such as a coffee cup.  
         [0006]     These and other features of the present invention can be best understood from the following specification and drawings, the following of which is a brief description. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]      FIG. 1  shows the inventive storage unit mounted within a wall in a bathroom.  
         [0008]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the inventive element.  
         [0009]      FIG. 3  is a front view of the inventive element.  
         [0010]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view along line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 3 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0011]      FIG. 1  shows a bathroom storage element  20  mounted adjacent to a toilet  22 . As shown, the element  20  is mounted within a wall  24 . A fence  26  holds magazines  28  within a magazine rack space  30 . A sliding door  32  is mounted beneath the fence  26 , and is selectively slidable vertically upwardly and downwardly, as will be explained below.  
         [0012]     A plate  34  is slidable horizontally outwardly of the element  20  to provide an additional support surface as will be explained below.  
         [0013]     As shown in  FIG. 2 , when the door  32  is slid vertically upwardly, toilet paper rolls  38  are exposed. These rolls are stored within spaces  40  beneath the fence  26 . Side walls  36  carry tracks  37  that guide the door  32  for movement vertically upwardly. It should be understood that the guidance of the door  32  within the tracks  37  is such that the door  32  will remain stationary when it has been moved vertically upwardly, until the user moves it back vertically downwardly. As shown, even with the door  32  in its vertically upward position, magazines  28  are still accessible.  
         [0014]     The plate  34  is shown slid horizontally outwardly to provide a support surface. In the disclosed embodiment, the support surface may support a coffee cup  42 . An upper molding  44  is positioned above the plate  34 .  
         [0015]     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the toilet paper rolls  38  are mounted on pins  39  mounted within the storage spaces  40 .  
         [0016]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view showing the combination of elements, and the storage element  20  mounted within the wall  24 .  
         [0017]     The door  32  is shown in  FIG. 4  in a downwardly position, but the track  37  is shown. A worker of ordinary skill in the art would recognize how to provide an appropriate track that will hold the door at its upper position until moved back downwardly by an operator.  
         [0018]     The present invention thus provides a more aesthetically pleasing storage element for use in a bathroom. By selectively concealing the toilet paper rolls, the combined storage element  20  is more aesthetically pleasing. Further, the use of the plate  34  provides additional functional features to a user, such as an ability to support additional component  42 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the plate  34  is slidable within a slot  48 . As can be appreciated, the plate  34  is manufactured to be long enough, such that even when slid outwardly, it still will be able to support an element such as a coffee cup without tipping. Some stop will preferably be placed upon the plate  34  to prevent further movement outwardly.  
         [0019]     While the combined unit  20  is shown mounted within a wall  24 , it should be understood that similar features can be provided for a unit that is to be mounted onto a wall, rather than into a wall. In any configuration, it is preferred that the combined unit be easily mounted within the wall such as by anchors, screws, etc.  
         [0020]     Although a preferred embodiment of this invention has been disclosed, a worker of ordinary skill in this art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of this invention. For that reason, the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this invention.

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