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Reconfigurable storage system and method

Reconfigurable storage system and method description/claims

This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/922,235 which was filed Apr. 6, 2007, entitled RECONFIGURABLE STORAGE SYSTEM AND METHOD, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.

The present invention relates generally to a storage system and method and more particularly to an improved tool/item storage system and method that allows both horizontal and vertical adjustment of the tool/item attachment components.

Current residential and industrial tool storage typically involves a dedicated wall placement commitment, wherein a tool is assigned to a specific mounting location or locations on the wall, utilizing one or more accompanying mounting holes and fasteners into the wall. This location-specific storage arrangement tends to take on a haphazard appearance or a random look that lacks optimum organization and is deficient in reconfiguration flexibility. At best, current storage systems may provide a row of various hook assemblies, which may be relocated anywhere along the row, but must still be mounted at a dedicated height off the floor. One prior art system has a horizontal mounting rail with holes for anchoring the rail to the wall, preferably into multiple vertical studs, concrete, concrete block and the like. To accommodate more wall storage in unused areas of the wall, however, additional mounting rails and/or hook assemblies must be purchased and mounted at new secondary dedicated heights, once again limiting a sense of optimum organization or reconfiguration flexibility and further damaging the wall or requiring new mounting holes that are left behind if the rails are removed, for example.

Shelving and storage cabinets provide another storage solution for smaller or stackable items in a home garage, for example, but may not provide suitable storage for larger or bulky items such as shovels, weed-eaters, bikes, rakes, or a diversity of sports equipment. In addition, shelving and storage cabinets may not provide adequate visibility and easy accessibility with items or products behind other items on a shelf or inside a closed cabinet.

Peg-board or perforated board type mounting systems provide some incremental reconfiguration flexibility in the limited spaces occupied by the peg-board hooks, but may often be restrictive in the tool weights allowed to avoid tear-thru of the peg board and the suitability of hook sizes for larger items. Peg-boards may also require many additional mounting holes and stand-off's spaced across the length and height of the board to accommodate larger peg-board dimensions. Humid environments may cause warping damage or weakness in Masonite based peg-boards or rusting of steel perforated boards.

There has been an increased demand for residential, commercial and industrial storage systems, and the like, that utilize space efficiently and keep pace with the increased demand for an improved general appearance in those storage systems and easier reconfigurability. In addition, there are a greater, per capita number of houses being purchased or leased in the housing market to satisfy a growing segment of business people on the go, as well as those transitioning into or out from retirement. In any of these and other segments of the housing market, for example, the occupants of the home must often relocate to a new residence. Facing relocation the owner that has a conventional residential storage system must make a decision: whether to leave all or at least some of the brackets, supports, and hangers behind, or to remove all the wall mounted paraphernalia and leave dozens of holes and dings or gouges visibly left behind by the tools or items impacting the wall, for example. Either choice is not optimum from the perspective of either the vacating party or the new occupant. In particular, if the vacating party chooses to leave the “storage system” behind storage system pieces and parts are lost, while leaving behind a potentially cluttered random looking array of used brackets, supports and hangers; this may reduce the appeal, the value and the salability of the home. On the other hand, if the vacating party invests the effort of taking down his storage paraphernalia, he is then faced with another set of options; of whether to leave dozens of holes, dings and gouges in the wall along with the accompanying reduced salability of the home, or to invest still more effort and expense into patching and repainting the entire wall or garage, for example.

Moreover, organization trends in present day housing, commercial and industrial markets leads to an increased need for a more efficient and more flexible tool storage system. In addition, tool storage owners that invest in a storage system often want to take the system with them when they move without having to damage the walls. Also, people want to be able to easily reconfigure the storage system when new items are purchased or old ones are thrown away.

Accordingly, there is a need for an improved household, commercial and industrial tool and item storage system for home, garage, shop, and commercial application areas that provides a greater degree of storage organization and reconfiguration flexibility without additional wall penetrations or damage to the wall.

The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of one or more aspects of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention, and is neither intended to identify key or critical elements of the invention, nor to delineate the scope thereof. Rather, the primary purpose of the summary is to present some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. While the following discussion involves mainly the use of tools, it applies equally to household items, commercial items, industrial items and the like.

The present invention is directed to a storage system, operable to provide horizontal and vertical adjustment of attachment assemblies. The storage system comprises a rail fixedly mounted to a surface and being mounted in a substantially horizontal fashion, at least one vertical support suspended from the rail by an upper end assembly attached to the upper end of the at least one vertical support, wherein the at least one vertical support is configured to translate horizontally along a useable length of the rail to an infinite number of positions.

The at least one vertical support is suspended away from the surface so that the at least one vertical support does not come into contact with the surface. The attachment assemblies are configured to slidably attach to the at least one vertical support and are configured to support at least one item (not shown) therefrom. The one or more attachment assemblies are further configured to translate vertically along an infinite number of positions along the useable length of the at least one vertical support, wherein the attachment assemblies may be infinitely positioned within a defined two-dimensional space. The attachment assemblies mounting device can be infinitely positioned within the two-dimensional space defined by the usable length of the rail and the usable length of the at least one vertical support.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the one or more attachment assemblies and a variety of storage items may be stored at any horizontal and vertical location within the confines of the usable length of the rail and the usable length of the vertical support. Thus the storage system provides an infinitely adjustable 2D (two-dimensional) storage capability.

In another embodiment of the storage system, a pair of ceiling rails fixedly mounted to a ceiling and spatially arranged substantially parallel to each other and configured to non-fixedly suspend and translate the rail in a third dimension along the pair of ceiling rails. Thus, the one or more attachment assemblies may be infinitely positioned within a 3D (three-dimensional) space defined by the length of the rail in the first dimension, the length of the vertical support in the second dimension, and a length of the ceiling rails in the third dimension.

In yet another aspect of the invention, the vertical supports further comprise a wheel assembly affixed near the lower end of the vertical support to space the vertical support away from the wall and to protect the wall. In addition, only the rail need be mounted on the surface. This feature is recognized by the inventors as particularly advantageous when one wishes to leave a residence undamaged, for renters, for example.

The horizontal attachment rail and the vertical support may be fabricated from a variety of relatively strong and rigid materials such as steel or aluminum, for example, and may be configured of formed sheet metal, extrusions, stampings, rod or bar stock, for example. However, many other materials and fabrication techniques are anticipated in the context and spirit of the present invention, including molded or cast products.

In another aspect of the present invention, the vertical supports may further comprise an array of holes for fixed attachment of one or more attachment assemblies therefrom. This arrangement may resemble a narrow section of peg-board fabricated within the vertical support.

In yet another aspect of the present invention, the vertical supports may be attached to the rails using a roller such as like a closet door roller that may be used for easy and flexible storage and providing an easy means to roll the vertical support and the one or more attachment assemblies off to one side of the assembly.

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

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