Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to a liquid storage cabinet and, more particularly, to a safety guard for attachment to a liquid storage cabinet. 
     2. Brief Description of the Related Art 
     Containers of chemicals, paints, and other flammable compounds must be carefully stored. Such storage is required to meet specific requirements and specifications, such as those set forth by the Occupational Safety &amp; Health Administration (OSHA). For example, flammable liquid storage cabinets must comply with OSHA regulations as to the venting of the cabinet, size of the cabinet, materials used to manufacture the cabinet, and the fire resistance qualities of the cabinet, among other requirements. Liquid storage cabinets which comply with OSHA regulations are well-known in the prior art. 
     Many of the prior art liquid storage cabinets are rectangular-shaped cabinets having doors on the front of the cabinet to access the internal storage compartment. Because these prior art cabinets have a flat top surface, from the inventor&#39;s experience, it is common for flammable liquid containers to be placed on top of the cabinet, instead of being properly stored inside the cabinet. The presence of flammable liquid containers on top of the storage cabinet poses a significant risk of the flammable liquids being spilled. This risk of spillage creates the potential for burns or other bodily harm if the liquids come in contact with people in the area. 
     It would therefore be desirable to develop a safety guard for flat top flammable liquid storage cabinets that is effective to prevent the placement of objects, including flammable liquid containers, on its surface. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a safety guard for a liquid storage cabinet having a substantially flat top surface, comprising: (a) a front panel; (b) a pair of side panels, wherein said front panel is joined between said pair of side panels and forms an angle with the horizontal axis in the range of 20-60 degrees; (c) a back panel, wherein said back panel is joined between said pair of side panels; and (d) means for attaching said safety guard to said substantially flat top surface of said liquid storage cabinet. 
     These and other features, objects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood from a consideration of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and appended claims in conjunction with the drawings as described following: 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a detailed cut-away view of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a detailed cut-away view of  FIG. 4 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1-5 , the safety guard  10  comprises a front panel  12 , a back panel  14 , and a pair of side panels  16 . The panels are joined to one another to form the safety guard  10 . The safety guard  10  preferably is wedged-shaped, and has an open bottom and a hollow interior. The front panel  12 , back panel  14 , and side panels  16  are preferably made of 18-gauge galvanized steel or plastic, however, the panels may be made of any material that is durable and substantially rigid (e.g. PLEXIGLASS®). The front panel  12  is a substantially flat plate, preferably square or rectangular in shape. The side panels  16  are triangular-shaped, preferably in the shape of a right triangle. The front panel  12  is joined to the side panels  16  at its left and right sides. Each side panel  16  is joined to the front panel  12  along its longest side  18 . The back panel  14  is a substantially flat plate and is preferably square or rectangular. The back panel  14  is joined to the side panels  16  at its left and right sides, and is joined to the front panel  12  at its top side. Each side panel  16  is joined to the back panel  14  along its shortest side  20 . The third side  22  of each side panel  16  abuts the top surface of a liquid storage cabinet  24  when the safety guard  10  is attached to the cabinet  24 . 
     When joined to the side panels  16 , the front panel  12  is elevated from its front end to its back end at an angle α in the range of 20-60 degrees (23.5-30 degrees is preferable) with respect to the horizontal axis. The front end of the front panel  12  corresponds to the front surface of the cabinet  24 , while the back end of the front panel  12  corresponds to the back surface of the cabinet  24 . Thus, when the safety guard  10  is attached to the cabinet  24 , the front panel  12  of the safety guard  10  slopes from the back of the cabinet  24  to the front of the cabinet  24 . 
     In one embodiment, the front panel  12 , back panel  14 , and side panels  16  are joined by means well-known to those skilled in the art, including, but not limited to, rivets. In another embodiment, the front panel  12 , back panel  14 , and side panels  16  are produced as a single piece (e.g. molded or welded) of steel or plastic. 
     The front panel  12  may be hinged to the back panel  14  to allow access under the safety guard  10 , thus permitting storage of non-flammable materials or other items (e.g. rags and mop heads) on top of the cabinet  24 . 
     In a first embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , the safety guard  10  is releasably attached to the liquid storage cabinet  24 . A front panel lip  26  is joined to the front panel  12  and extends downwardly from the bottom of the front end of the front panel  12 . The lip  26  contacts the front surface of the cabinet  24  when the safety guard  10  is placed on the top of the cabinet  24 . The front panel  12  and the lip  26  may either be joined by means well-known to those skilled in the art (e.g. rivets) or produced as a single piece (e.g. molded or welded) of steel or plastic. The lip  26  preferably extends the entire width of the front panel  12 . While the height of the lip  26  may vary, the lip  26  does not interfere with the opening and closing of the doors on the front of the cabinet  24 . The contact between the lip  26  and the cabinet  24  results in a tight fit of the safety guard  10  to the front surface of the cabinet  24 . 
     The back panel  14  is joined to a back panel lip  28  that extends downwardly from the bottom of the back panel  14 . The lip  28  contacts the back surface of the cabinet  24  when the safety guard  10  is placed on the top of the cabinet  24 . The back panel  14  and the lip  28  may either be joined by means well-known to those skilled in the art (e.g. rivets) or produced as a single piece (e.g. molded or welded) of steel or plastic. The lip  28  preferably extends the entire width of the back panel  12 . The contact between the lip  28  and the cabinet  24  results in a tight fit of the safety guard  10  to the back surface of the cabinet  24 . 
     Each of the two side panels  16  are joined to a side panel lip  30  that extends downwardly from the third side  22  of each side panel  16 . The lip  30  contacts the side surface of the cabinet  24  when the safety guard  10  is placed on the top of the cabinet  24 . The side panel lip  30  and the side panel  16  may either be joined by means well-known to those skilled in art (e.g. rivets) or produced as a single piece (e.g. molded or welded) of steel or plastic. The lip  30  preferably extends the entire width of the side panel  16 . The contact between the lip  30  and the cabinet  24  results in a tight fit of the safety guard  10  to the side surface of the cabinet  24 . 
     To provide further support, the front panel  12 , side panels  16 , and back panel  14  may each be joined to a support plate  32 . The support plate  32  is joined to the front panel  12  at its front end and is joined to the side panels  16  at their third sides. The support plate  32  is joined to the back panel  14  at its bottom end. The support plate  32  is preferably joined to the side panels  16  and the back panel  14  at a 90 degree angle, while it is joined to the front panel at an angle in the range of 20-60 degrees (23.5-30 degrees is preferable). Each support plate  32  extends horizontally under the covering provided by the guard  10  when it is attached to the cabinet. The support plate  32  preferably extends the entire length of each panel and is one inch in width. When the safety guard  10  is attached to the cabinet  24 , each plate  32  contacts and rests on the top surface of the cabinet  24 . The support plate  32  aids in providing a sturdy connection between the safety guard  10  and the cabinet  24 . In combination, the lips  26 ,  28 ,  30  and the support plates  32  provide stability when the guard  10  is attached to the cabinet  24 , including preventing the guard  10  from sliding off of the top surface of the cabinet  24 . 
     Each panel  12 ,  14 ,  16  of the safety guard  10  may be joined to its associated lip ( 26  or  28  or  30 ) and support plate  32  by means well-known to those skilled in the art (e.g. rivets) or produced as a single piece (e.g. molded or welded) of steel or plastic. For example, the steel sheet that preferably comprises the back panel  14  is capable of forming a hairpin loop at one end by folding back on itself. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the folding over forms both the lip  28  and the support plate  32 . The double-layer of steel creates additional stability for the lip  30  and the support plate  32 . The lips  26 ,  30  and the support plates  32  associated with the front panel  12  and side panels  16  may also be formed similarly from a single piece of metal. 
     In the first embodiment, the safety guard  10  can only be removed by pulling the safety guard  10  vertically from the top of the cabinet  24 , thus disengaging the safety guard from the cabinet. This causes an interference with the contact points between front panel lip  26  and cabinet  24 , the back panel lip  28  and cabinet  24 , and the side panel lips  30  and cabinet  24 . The safety guard  10  may also have two handles  34  of the kind well-known to those skilled in the art. The handles  34  may be grasped to remove the guard from the cabinet  24 . 
     In a second embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 4-5 , the safety guard  10  is permanently attached to the cabinet  24 . In this embodiment, a hinge  36  connects the back panel  14  and the back surface of the cabinet  24 . In this embodiment, the safety guard  10  has an open and closed position. When the safety guard  10  is resting on the top surface of the cabinet  24 , the safety guard  10  is in the closed position. Alternatively, when the safety guard  10  is lifted from the surface of the cabinet  24  and pivots via the hinge, the safety guard  10  is in the open position. When the safety guard  10  is in the open position, a person may easily place or remove non-flammable liquids or other items (e.g. rags and mop heads) on the top of the cabinet  24  for safe storage. The safety guard  10  may have a buckle  38  attached to each of the side panels  16 . The buckle is preferably attached to the side panel two inches from the front end of the front panel  12 . A keeper  40  is attached to the two side surfaces of the cabinet  24  to engage the buckle  38  and secure the safety guard  10  to the cabinet  24 . The buckle  38  and keeper  40  are preferably of the kind well-known to those skilled in the art. 
     The attachment of the safety guard  10  to the top surface of the cabinet  24  prevents objects, including flammable liquid storage containers, from being placed directly on the top surface of the cabinet  24 . The slope of the safety guard  10  also prevents objects from being placed on the front panel  12  of the safety guard  10 . 
     The present invention has been described with reference to certain preferred and alternative embodiments that are intended to be exemplary only and not limiting to the full scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Technology Category: 7