Patent Document

BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    Many homes utilize cabinets as a means of storage. Cabinets allow people to store items on shelves with opening and closing doors. Cabinets are often placed high along walls and may have deep storage areas. These high locations and deep storage areas often present difficulties for shorter people, such as children, who require assistance to reach items in hard-to-reach areas of the cabinets. It would be useful to have new and innovative way to reach items that may be on high cabinet shelves or deep within cabinet storage systems. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0002]    This invention relates to a device for making cabinet storage easier to access. The device is composed of a base, slideable parts, gyrate brackets, and shelf frames. This device allows shorter people to access cabinet storage that would otherwise be out of reach. 
         [0003]    These as well as other aspects, advantages, and alternatives, will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reading the following detailed description, with reference where appropriate to the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0004]      FIG. 1  is a 3-dimensional view of an embodiment of the device in the folded state. 
           [0005]      FIG. 2  is a 3-dimensional view of an embodiment of the device in the opened state. 
           [0006]      FIG. 3  is a side view of an embodiment of the device in the opened state. 
           [0007]      FIG. 4  is a side view of a base component of an embodiment of the device. 
           [0008]      FIG. 5  is an isometric view of a base component of an embodiment of the device. 
           [0009]      FIG. 6  is a side view of a slideable part component of an embodiment of the device. 
           [0010]      FIG. 7  is an isometric view of a slideable part component of an embodiment of the device. 
           [0011]      FIG. 8  is a side view of gyrate bracket components of an embodiment of the device. 
           [0012]      FIG. 9  is a side view of a shelf frame component of an embodiment of the device. 
           [0013]      FIG. 10  is an isometric view of a shelf component of an embodiment of the device. 
           [0014]      FIG. 11  is a front view of a shelf frame with shelves of an embodiment of the device. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0015]    In the particular embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the device  100  is composed of two bases  110 , two slideable parts  120 , six gyrate brackets  130 , two shelf frames  140 , and three shelves  150 . 
         [0016]    Each base  110  is composed of metal, wood, or another strong material, depending on weight, strength, and cost considerations. Each base  110  is mounted on one side of a cabinet compartment where the device will be installed. The bases  110  are mounted on the cabinet compartment using traditional means, such as mounting brackets, bolts, screws, nails, or other appropriate means. The pair of bases  110  is intended to act as the main support for the device. 
         [0017]    As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , each base  110  has two sets of rails  112 , one near the top and one near the bottom. Rails  112  connect slideable parts  120 . Rails  112  allow slideable parts  120  to slide in and out of the cabinet space via wheels, ball bearings, or other appropriate means. 
         [0018]    Each base  110  has a slot  116  located below top rail  112 . Slot  116  is a shallow, horizontal groove that provides a guide for the sliding action of slideable part  120 . Slot  116  prevents slideable part  120  from sliding all the way out of the cabinet. 
         [0019]    Bases  110  may optionally have grooves  118 . Grooves  118  are areas of thinner material or no material at all that reduce the weight of bases  110 . Grooves  118  may be necessary depending on the material that bases  110  are constructed from, in order to provide sufficient strength without being too heavy. 
         [0020]    Between the bottom of the cabinet and each base  110  are wedges  114 . Wedges  114  are composed of plastic or other lightweight, strong material. Wedges  114  are square shaped, or can be another shape if the space requires it. Wedges  114  lift bases  110  off the bottom of the cabinet so that slideable parts  120  will clear any lip on the bottom of the cabinet. Wedges  114  are sized appropriately to provide enough space as is needed. Wedges  114  may optionally be placed between the sides of bases  110  and the cabinet walls in order to provide enough space for slideable parts  120  to clear any lip on the sides of the cabinet. 
         [0021]    Slideable parts  120  are composed of similar material to the rest of the device, such as wood or metal, depending on strength, weight, and cost considerations. As illustrated in  FIG. 7 , each slideable part  120  has rails  122 . Rails  122  are sized to fit inside of rails  112 . Rails  122  allow slideable part  120  to slide partially out of the cabinet space. Guide  124  is a short protrusion intended to fit in slot  116 . Guide  124  prevents slideable part  120  from sliding all the way out of the cabinet space. 
         [0022]    Each slideable part  120  has at least 3 pins  126 . Pins  126  are short, cylindrical protrusions intended to attach gyrate brackets  130 . Pins  126  are located near the bottom of slideable part  120 , nearly evenly distributed horizontally. One of the pins  126 , typically the pin closest to the rear wall of the cabinet, is located higher than the others. 
         [0023]    Each slideable part  120  has a groove  128 . Groove  128  is a shallow curved groove intended to provide stability to the operation of gyrate brackets  130 . Groove  128  is located and shaped such that it forms an arc with center pin  126  as the anchor. 
         [0024]    Each slideable part has a spring hole  127 . Spring hole  127  is a small hole which allows a spring to be mounted. 
         [0025]    Slideable parts  120  may optionally have grooves  129 . Grooves  129  are areas of thinner material or no material at all that reduce the weight of slideable parts  120 . Grooves  129  may be necessary depending on the material that slideable parts  120  are constructed from, in order to provide sufficient strength without being too heavy. 
         [0026]    The particular embodiment described uses three gyrate brackets  130  for each side, as shown in  FIG. 8 . Each gyrate bracket  130  is composed of a strong material such as metal. Each gyrate bracket  130  is shaped as a long, thin rectangle with rounded corners. Each gyrate bracket  130  has two pinholes  138 , located near either end of gyrate bracket  130 . Pinholes  138  are sized and shaped such that pins  126  will fit inside. Center gyrate bracket  134  has an additional protrusion which contains spring hole  137 . Center gyrate bracket  134  also has pin  139 . Pin  139  is a protruding pin sized to fit in groove  128 . Center gyrate bracket  134  has a thinner top section with less material, which corresponds to a similar bottom section of bottom gyrate bracket  136 . 
         [0027]    When assembled, top gyrate bracket  132  connects to slideable part  120  via rear pin  126 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . Top gyrate bracket  132  also connects to shelf frame  140  via pin  142 . Center gyrate bracket  134  connects to slideable part  120  via center pin  126 , while pin  139  fits into groove  128  to provide additional stability when opening and closing the device. Center gyrate bracket  134  connects to spring  135  via spring hole  137 . The other end of spring  135  connects to slideable part  120  via spring hole  127 . Spring  135  assists in closing operations by providing additional force from the tension in the spring  135 . Center gyrate bracket  134  also connects to shelf frame  140  via pin  142 . Bottom gyrate bracket  136  connects to slideable part  120  via bottom pin  126 . Bottom gyrate bracket  136  also connects to shelf frame  140  via pin  142 . Though not pictured, a washer is typically placed between gyrate brackets  132 ,  134 , and  136 , and slideable part  120  to prevent friction damage. 
         [0028]    Shelf frames  140  are composed of similar material to the rest of the device, such as wood or metal, depending on strength, weight, and cost considerations. As shown in  FIG. 9 , each shelf frame  140  has pins  142 , grooves  144 , and slideable wedges  148 . Pins  142  are sized to fit gyrate brackets  130 . Pins  142  are positioned such that when gyrate brackets  130  are connected, each shelf frame  140  is in a level position. Slideable wedges  148  are composed of plastic or similar material that allow sliding with little friction. Slideable wedges  148  are attached to each shelf frame  140  by glue or other appropriate means. Slideable wedges  148  allow for easier opening and closing and prevent the shelf frames  140  from contacting the surface of bases  110 . 
         [0029]    Shelf frames  140  may optionally have grooves  146 . Grooves  146  are areas of thinner material or no material at all that reduce the weight of shelf frames  140 . Grooves  146  may be necessary depending on the material that shelf frames  140  are constructed from, in order to provide sufficient strength without being too heavy. 
         [0030]    Shelves  150  are composed of wood, plastic, metal, or other material appropriate for shelves. As shown in  FIG. 10 , each shelf  150  has a basic shelf  152 , and optionally side holders  156 , and optionally mounting brackets  154 . Basic shelf  152  is a rectangular piece of material that functions as a typical shelf. Optional side holders  156  are lips placed at the front and back of shelves  150  in order to prevent items from falling off during opening and closing operations. Optional side holders  156  are attached to each basic shelf  152  by appropriate means such as brackets, bolts, screws, nails, pins, or glue. Optional mounting brackets  154  are attached to each basic shelf  152  using bolts, screws, or other typical means. Optional mounting brackets  154  are then placed into grooves  144  at whatever location is appropriate to achieve the desired shelf height. Other means of mounting the shelves  150  to the shelf frames  140  may also be used, such as bolts, screws, nails, pins, or glue. 
         [0031]    While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims. Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented herein. It will be readily understood that the aspects of the present disclosure, as generally described herein and illustrated in the figures, can be arranged, substituted, combined, separated, and designed in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which are contemplated herein.

Technology Category: a