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RackRelated Patent Categories: Supports: Racks, Special Article, Receptacle Support, Bottle Or JarRack description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070119802, Rack. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to collapsible and re-expandable modular racks. In particular, the invention relates to modular wine racks and methods to make such racks. [0003] 2. Description Of Related Art [0004] Wine racks have been known for years. However, most wine stores, particularly smaller stores, do not sell wine racks. Wine racks take up too much retail space to be worth the shelf space in a wine store. What is needed is a collapsible and re-expandable wine rack that can be collapsed for shipment and storage in compact form and then expanded for display in the wine store. Then, the wine store would only need to display one or two expanded wine racks since additional racks could be easily expanded as the display models are sold. [0005] Life Style Products of Vermont sells a 12 bottle wine rack that has wooden rails and dowels inserted in bores in the wooden rails. The dowels are inserted in the rails to assemble a rack to various sizes. However, this rack must be disassembled, piece by piece, for compact storage. [0006] Stackable modular wine racks are known. FIG. 16 illustrates a known wine rack assembled from individual bottle holder modules. These individual modules have been assembled into a 12 bottle rack. However, known modular wine racks are not collapsible and re-expandable. There remains a need for expandable and modular wine racks. In particular, there remains a need for an expandable and modular wine rack so that a wine store could display only the smaller formats, for example a 4, 6, 9 or 12 bottle expandable wine rack, but still assemble the a larger format, for example 16, 24, 36 and 48 bottle expandable wine racks, from the modular expandable smaller formats. For example, there is a need for an expandable modular wine rack such that the wine store, or the customer, could expand several, for example four, smaller expandable racks, for example four 6 bottle wine racks, such as might be displayed in the wine store, and then modularly combine the smaller format wine racks into a larger format wine rack, for example a 24 bottle wine rack. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0007] The invention improves the state of the art by providing an expandable modular rack [0008] A first section of the rack, according to an embodiment of the invention, includes a first lower wire bend, a second lower wire bend, a first upper wire bend, and a second upper wire bend. The first section also includes a first pivot coupling into which is received a first end of each of the first and second lower wire bends and into which is received a first end of each of the first and second upper wire bends. The first section also includes a second pivot coupling into which is received a second end of each of the first and second lower wire bends and into which is received a second end of each of the first and second upper wire bends. [0009] In another embodiment of the invention, a method of making a rack includes bending wire, forming a first frame, forming a complementary frame locating the first frame inside of the complementary frame, and inserting first and second pivotal connectors. The bending of wire bends wire into a first lower wire bend, a second lower wire bend, a first upper wire bend and a second upper wire bend. The forming of the first frame includes inserting ends of the first lower wire bend and the second upper wire bend into first and second molds and insert molding the ends into first and second coupling parts. The forming of the complementary frame includes inserting ends of the second lower wire bend and the first upper wire bend into third and fourth molds and insert molding the ends into third and fourth coupling parts. The inserting of pivotal connectors includes inserting a first pivotal connector through apertures in the first and third coupling parts and inserting a second pivotal connector through apertures in the second and fourth coupling parts. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS [0010] The invention will be described in detail in the following description of preferred embodiments with reference to the following figures wherein. [0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary section of a rack according to an embodiment of the invention. [0012] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a wire bend according to an embodiment of the invention. [0013] FIG. 3 is a side view of a pivot coupling according to an embodiment of the invention. [0014] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the pivot coupling of FIG. 3. [0015] FIG. 5 is a front view of a frame that includes two wire bends and two coupling parts according to an embodiment of the invention. [0016] FIG. 6 is a side view of the frame of FIG. 5. [0017] FIG. 7 is an exploded view of an alternative pivot coupling according to another embodiment of the invention. [0018] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an exemplary rack with two modular sections arranged vertically according to an embodiment of the invention. [0019] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a resilient clip according to an embodiment of the invention. [0020] FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the clip of FIG. 9. [0021] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an exemplary rack with two modular sections arranged side by side according to an embodiment of the invention. Continue reading about Rack... Full patent description for Rack Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Rack patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Rack or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Device for holding cutlery Next Patent Application: Eyewear case and display method Industry Class: Supports: racks ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Rack patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.14474 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Medical: Surgery , Surgery(2) , Surgery(3) , Drug , Drug(2) , Prosthesis , Dentistry 174 |
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