"Storage unit"

Cross-Reference to Related Applications

The present application claims priority from Australian Innovation Patent No 2005101000 filed on 2 December 2005, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to storage units of the type used to store items on shelves, particularly in offices, factories and the like, and provides a novel arrangement for door assemblies of such units and optionally improved absorption of noise.

Background to the Invention

It is a common requirement to provide storage for small items in workplaces and elsewhere. For example, in office environments, storage is often required for such materials as files, stationery, reference books and magazines, and the like. Many types of storage units have been developed to meet this need. A common type of storage unit comprises a box-like enclosure fitted with one or more horizontal shelves, and having one or more doors for allowing and preventing access to the interior of the enclosure as required. Typically such storage units are also fitted with locks.

A problem that arises with such storage units, however, is that they attract clutter. It is very tempting to put items on the top of a storage unit temporarily or for lengthy periods, and many people yield to the temptation. The results can be ugly collections of material on top of the storage unit, and apart from the unattractive appearance such materials present, they can represent a safety hazard. Moreover, items stored on top of a storage unit are items that are paradoxically likely to be lost, for they are often not in their rightful place.

Sheet metal (especially sheet steel) is widely used for the manufacture of storage units and can be unattractive in appearance, as well as contributing to a noisy environment, as sound can effectively bounce off metal surfaces.

The present innovation addresses the above issues, providing a storage unit that is attractive in appearance, discourages the placement of items on its upper surface, and in ^' a preferred embodiment can help to address the problem of noise.

Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like which has been included in the present specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the present invention. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present invention as it existed before the priority date of each claim of this application.

Throughout this specification the word "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect the present invention provides a storage unit comprising a sliding door, wherein an upper portion of the sliding door is configured to pass over an upper surface of the storage unit upon sliding of the sliding door, in a manner to discourage the placement of items upon the upper surface of the storage unit.

According to a second aspect the present invention provides a storage unit comprising: a fixed part defining an internal space adapted for the storage of items therein; and at least one door means slideable horizontally between open and closed positions so as to respectively provide and deny external access to the internal space through an opening in the fixed part, wherein the door means has first and second door sections, the first door section being substantially upright, and the second door section extending from an upper portion of the first door section at least partially across the fixed part of the storage unit.

In a preferred embodiment, the opening is a side opening of the storage unit fixed part; the fixed part has upper and lower rails along which runners of the door means travel during movement of the door means; the upper and lower rails are positioned respectively adjacent top and bottom boundaries of the opening; and the second door

section is secured to a top edge of the first door section and is cantilevered over the fixed part of the storage unit. Preferably the upper rail is recessed in the side wall of the storage unit, such that a top wall of the storage unit is not interrupted by the upper rail.

The said door means may be one of two such door means whose respective first door sections are on opposite sides of the fixed part of the storage unit with said door means being slideable independently of each other to or between their open and closed positions without contact occurring between their respective second door sections. The or each second door portion or upper portion of the sliding door preferably is of a size and has a range of movement so as to discourage the placement of items on any part of the upper surface of the storage unit.

Storage units are comparatively large and provide an opportunity for sound absorption as an adjunct to their basic storage function. Accordingly, at least a portion of -

(a) a door means; and/or

(b) a panel comprised in the storage unit fixed part, may be formed from perforated sheet metal, and wherein against an inwardly facing surface of said portion is positioned an acoustically absorbent sheet material.

Preferably, the storage unit is manufactured from substantially planar sheet metal. Such embodiments allow the storage unit to be manufactured in separate components, packed flat in a space efficient manner, and to be constructed from such planar components after transport and/or storage. Such embodiments, while presenting a planar top wall of the storage unit, nevertheless discourage the placement of items upon the top wall due to the role of the upper portion of the sliding door.

In alternative embodiments of the invention, movement of the upper portion of the sliding door may be effected by a mechanical linkage, such that the upper portion of the sliding door is not fixedly attached to the sliding door. For example movement of the upper portion of the sliding door may be effected by pulleys and cables connecting the sliding door to the upper portion of the sliding door.

The acoustically absorbent sheet material may comprise an acoustic fabric.

Brief Description of the Drawings

An example of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a storage unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the storage unit shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the storage unit shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an end elevation of the storage unit shown in Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the storage unit as shown in Figure 2, the section being taken at Station "5 - 5";

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail view of that part of Figure 5 encircled in dotted lines;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a set of two storage units according to the invention, placed end-to-end; and Figure 8 is a perspective view of a set of four storage units according to the invention, placed end-to-end.

Legend:

1. Storage unit 2. Cabinet

3. Adjustable feet

4. Shelves

5. Floor

6. Internal spaces 7,8. Sliding doors

9. Sliding direction

10. Locks

11,12. End walls

13,14. Side walls 15,16. Upright door portions

17,18. Top door portions

19,20. Upright door portions upper edges

21. Top wall

22,23. Slide mechanisms 26,27. Inner surfaces of sliding doors.

28. Anti friction strip

30,31. Storage unit bank

39. Storage units

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

Figures 1 to 4 are views of a storage unit 1 according to the invention. Storage unit 1 comprises a cabinet 2 provided with adjustable feet 3 and adapted to be placed on a floor or other horizontal surface (not shown). Cabinet 2 is fitted with shelves 4 and a floor 5 and defines internal spaces 6 for the storage of objects.

Also provided are two sliding doors 7 and 8, that can slide in the direction shown by arrows 9 in Figure 2. Door 7 is shown in a half-open position and door 8 is shown in a fully closed position. When open, door 7 provides access to the left half of the cabinet 2 (as seen in Figure 1). When open, door 8 provides access to the right half of cabinet 2 (as seen in Figure 1) from the opposite side of storage unit 1 to door 7. Door's 7 and 8 can be locked closed by suitable locks 10 fitted to them in known manner.

Cabinet 2 has end walls 11 and 12 and two side walls 13 and 14. Side walls 13 and 14 each extend only about halfway along the length of storage unit 1 and are substantially covered by doors 7 and 8 respectively when in their open positions.

Doors 7 and 8 comprise upright portions 15 and 16 respectively, and top portions 17 and 18 respectively that extend inwardly (i.e. away from side walls 13 and 14) from upper edges 19 and 20 of the upright portions 15 and 16. Top portions are positioned above top wall 21 of cabinet 2. Top portions 17 and 18 are so proportioned that each of doors 7 and 8 can be placed in its closed or open position or any, position in between, without interfering with the other. Top portions 17 and 18 are positioned and always remain slightly above top wall 21 of cabinet 2.

Sliding door track-and-runner mechanisms 22 and 23 are provided for each of doors 7 and 8 and can be of any suitable type. Lower mechanisms 22 are positioned on or close to floor 5 of cabinet 2 and upper mechanisms 23 are positioned close to the top wall 21 of cabinet 2.

It will be recognized that the presence of top portions 17 and 18 on doors 7 and 8 is a disincentive to place any item on top wall 21 of cabinet 2, or on either top portion 17 or

18, for such an item would likely be dislodged by the opening of at least one of doors 7 and 8. In this way, storage unit 1 addresses the ugliness and safety problems of clutter being left on top.

A door such as door 7 can be conveniently made, at least in part, by bending a sheet of sheet metal (or other suitable material) into an L-shape to define edge 19 and the upright and top portions 15 and 17.

A particular form of construction with important advantages will now be described.

In Figures 1 to 6, the doors 7 and 8, end walls 11 and 12 and side walls 13 and 14 are formed from perforated sheet metal, having in a rectangular array a large number of holes. On the respective internal surfaces of these components, there is secured a layer (not shown) of an acoustic absorbent material, such as for example an acoustic cloth. For example, such a layer may be provided on the inner surfaces 26 and 27 of the top door portions 17, 18 and upright door portions 15, 16 of doors 7 and 8. The result is to provide a useful sound deadening effect. As the cabinet 2 will generally contain an assortment of items, the use of such perforated sheet metal and optically acoustic cloth allows the internal contents of the cabinet 2 to act as sound deadening components.

The use of perforated metal and an internal acoustic absorbent can also provide an attractive appearance. Any suitable pattern of perforations can be chosen.

Perforated metal also has the advantage of reduced weight, by comparison to imperforated metal. Of course non-metallic sheet materials (eg suitable plastics) may be used instead of metals if required in construction of storage unit 1.

Acoustic absorbent material may be omitted in some possible applications, eg industrial stores.

It is of course not essential to use perforated sheet metal in the construction of storage unit 1 at all, or on any particular combination of doors and walls. Many choices can be made. For example, imperforated sheet metal or melamine-faced particle board could be used for some walls of cabinet 2.

It is of course possible although undesirable to place a weight on a door top portion 17 or 18. Since these are cantilevered inwardly from edges 19, and could thus deflect significantly, a nylon (or other suitable anti-friction) strip 28 may be placed under each of top portions 17 and 18, to avoid excessive deflection and prevent jamming of doors 7 or 8.

Storage units such as storage unit 1 can be used in a number of ways and in particular may be combined end-to-end to form a bank of multiple storage units. Figure 7 and 8 show such banks 30 and 31 of storage units, comprising respectively two and four units 39, each unit 39 being similar to storage unit 1.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. As one example, instead of storage unit 1 being of the side access type, it could also have top access. Instead of upper runner mechanisms 23 being positioned near edges 19, they (or similar types) could be positioned near the longitudinal centerline of top wall 21, with top wall 21 being cut away over about half its length so as to allow top access when the doors 7 and 8 are opened.

Moreover the principle of a door that has an inverted "L" shape in cross section can be applied to a storage unit (not shown) that is accessible from one side only. In such embodiments of the present invention the top portion of the door may extend substantially entirely across a top wall of the cabinet to discourage placement of items anywhere upon the cabinet top wall.

The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.