US20140353267A1

US20140353267A1 - Hanging storage device

Info

Publication number: US20140353267A1
Application number: US13/904,465
Authority: US
Inventors: Carrie Knutson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2013-05-29
Filing date: 2013-05-29
Publication date: 2014-12-04

Abstract

Hanging storage devices including at least one support member with a top end constructed for hanging the at least one support member. In one example, a plurality of hanging members protrude from the at least one support member and are integrally formed with the at least one support member. In another example, at least one hanging member is detachably secured to the at least one support member. The at least one support member includes a plurality of attachment portions for securing the at least one hanging member at a location corresponding to an attachment portion.

Description

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to devices for storing objects. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to hanging storage devices.

BACKGROUND

Various space-saving storage solutions have been developed to make better use of space by hanging a storage device from the top of a door. However, ninny of these storage devices are cumbersome and do not allow for easy assembly or packaging of the storage device. Accordingly, there is a need for a simpler hanging storage device that can be easily assembled and save space for packaging the hanging storage device.
In addition, current hanging storage devices are relatively limited in how objects can be stored and tend to be directed toward storing a particular type of object. Accordingly, there is a need for a hanging storage device capable of storing a variety of different types of objects.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the detailed description set forth below when taken in conjunction with the drawings. The drawings and the associated descriptions are provided to illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and not to limit the scope of what is claimed. Reference numbers are reused throughout the drawings to indicate correspondence between referenced elements.

FIG. 1 depicts a hanging storage device according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2A depicts a hanging member according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2B depicts a hanging member according to another embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross section view of the hanging member of FIG. 2A secured to a support member of the hanging storage device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 depicts a hanging member according to an embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a cross section view of the hanging member of FIG. 4 secured to a support member of a hanging storage device according to an embodiment.

FIG. 6 depicts a hanging member according to an embodiment.

FIG. 7 depicts a hanging member according to another embodiment.

FIG. 8 depicts two sections of a support member according to an embodiment.

FIG. 9 depicts two sections of a support member according to another embodiment.

FIG. 10 depicts a hanging storage device including two support members according to an embodiment.

FIG. 11 depicts a hanging storage device constructed to hang from a rod according to an embodiment.

FIG. 12A is a perspective view of a support member with collapsible sections according to an embodiment.

FIG. 12B is a side view of the support member of FIG. 12A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a full understanding of the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, to one of ordinary skill in the art that the various embodiments disclosed may be practiced without some of these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and techniques have not been shown in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the various embodiments.
FIG. 1 shows hanging storage device 100 including support member 101 comprised of sections 102, 104, and 106. Sections 102, 104 and 106 can be made of either a rigid or a flexible material such as different types of plastic. As shown in FIG. 1, top end 108 of support member 101 is constructed for hanging support member 101 from the top portion of door 10. Top end 108 is typically thin enough to allow door 10 to close without interference from top end 108.
In the example of FIG. 1, sections 102, 104, and 106 are detachably connected. As discussed in more detail with reference to FIG. 8 below, the length of support member 101 can be increased or decreased by adding or removing sections. The detachable nature of sections 102, 104 and 106 allows for different arrangements of the sections for a wider variety of storage options. In addition, detachable sections typically allow for a more compact packaging or storage of hanging storage device 100.
In other embodiments, support member 101 may be made of a single material instead of sections as shown in FIG. 1 (e.g., hanging storage device 300 of FIG. 11). In such embodiments, the single material may be relatively rigid or may be flexible. In some embodiments, the single material may be flexible enough to allow the support member to be rolled up along its length for storage or packaging.
In the example configuration of FIG. 1, section 102. is detachably connected to section 104, which in turn is detachably connected to section 106. Section 104 has a longer length than sections 102 and 106 and each of sections 102, 104, and 106 include different types of attachment portions in different positions for securing hanging members. As shown in FIG. 1, section 102 includes attachment portions 116 and 109 for securing hanging members such as hanging members 110 or 111, which can act as different types of hooks for hanging objects such as a bag, belt, or jacket.
Attachment portion 109 provides a location on the side of section 102 for securing a hanging member while attachment portions 116 provide locations on the front of section 102 for securing a hanging member. Although attachment portions 116 and 109 are depicted as cavities, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other types of attachment portions are possible. For example, in one embodiment, attachment portions 116 and 109 can protrude from section 102 for securing hanging members.
Section 104 includes attachment portions 119 and 127, which are horizontal and vertical slotted cavities, respectively. By providing a slotted attachment portion, it is ordinarily possible to provide greater support strengths for securing a hanging member in a direction perpendicular o the length of the slot.
For example, a slotted attachment portion can be used to provide greater support to secure a hanging member such as detachable bin 118 since it may hold heavier items. Detachable bin 118 is open on its top to receive objects for storage such as magazines or notebooks. In other embodiments, bin 118 may be permanently secured to section 104 or may be attached to a hanging member (not shown) secured in an attachment portion.
Section 104 also includes hanging members 112 and 114 which can be used as hooks to hang items such a bag, belt, or jacket.
Section 106 includes attachment portions 125 and 116. In the example of FIG. 1, attachment portions 125 provide off-center locations for securing a hanging member. Attachment portions 125 may also provide extra support for a hanging member that can secure into both attachment portions 125 at the same time. In this regard, hanging member 115 attaches to two attachment portions (not shown) on the front of section 106 to provide more support for hanging member 115 which is a wider style hook than hanging members 110, 111, 112, 119 and 114 discussed above.
As will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific examples of hanging members shown in FIG. 1. Many different shapes and sizes can be used for hanging members without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
FIG. 2A provides a closer view of hanging member 112. As shown in FIG. 2A, hanging member 112 includes split portion 120 and rounded end portion 122. Hanging member 112 can be made of a hard plastic or other suitable material known in the art for supporting weight.
FIG. 2B provides an example of hanging member 133, which is a variation of hanging member 112. Hanging member 133 includes split portion 131 and rounded end portion 135. As shown in FIG. 2B, hanging member 133 differs from hanging member 112 in that it is split into four sections instead of two sections along split portion 131 and end portion 135. These additional sections may provide additional resistance to motion when hanging member 133 is secured to support member 101.
FIG. 3 is a cross section view showing hanging member 112 secured into an attachment portion 116 of section 104, in operation, hanging member 112 is squeezed at split portion 120 while hanging member 112 is inserted into a cavity of attachment portion 116. The rounded end of end portion 122 allows end portion 122 to closely fit into a lip of attachment portion 116. Once pressure is released from split portion 120 and end portion 122 has been inserted past the lip of attachment portion 116, hanging member 112 is secured in attachment portion 116 by outward pressure of end portion 122 against the interior cavity of attachment portion 116. Hanging member 133 of FIG. 2B can be secured in attachment portion 116 in the same manner.
FIG. 4 depicts hanging member 113 which differs from hanging members 112 and 133 in how it is secured to an attachment portion. As shown in FIG. 4, hanging member 113 includes rounded end portion 123, but does not include any split sections.
In operation, hanging member 113 is inserted into attachment portion 117 of section 105 as shown in FIG. 5. Attachment portion 117 is a rounded cavity with a lip protruding from section 105. When hanging member 113 is inserted into attachment portion 117, the lip of attachment portion 117 flexes around end portion 123 and returns to its un-flexed state once end portion 123 has been inserted past the lip of attachment portion 117, thereby securing hanging member 113 in section 105.
FIG. 6 shows hanging member 140 which can function as a snap-in clip and includes support bar 142, backing 146, joint 144, horizontal portion 150, angled portion 152. and tab 148. Hanging member 140 can fit into a horizontally slotted attachment portion (e.g., attachment portion 119 of FIG. 1) via support bar 142 which is flared on its vertical sides to secure into a horizontally slotted attachment portion. Angled portion 152 can be positioned about joint 144 to form different angles with respect to horizontal portion 150. This can allow for different opening widths between tab 148 and backing 146 for holding objects of varying thickness. In addition, tab 148 can be temporarily attached to backing 146 in the position shown in FIG. 6 so that angled portion 152 is completely closed against backing 146. By completely closing angled portion 152 against backing 146, it may be possible to protect an object hung on hanging member 140 from being pulled down by small children or pets.
In other embodiments, hanging member 140 may include thinner portions or rounded portions for any of horizontal portion 150, angled portion 152, joint 144, and tab 148.
FIG. 7 shows hanging member 141, which like hanging member 140 of FIG. 6, can close around a hanging object to help prevent the object from falling off of hanging member 141. In the example of FIG. 7, hanging member 141 can function as a snap-in clip and includes support bar 143, backing 147, joint 145, horizontal portion 151, vertical portion 153 and movable portion 149. Hanging member 141 can fit into a horizontally slotted attachment portion (e.g., attachment portion 119 of FIG. 1) via support bar 143 which is flared on its vertical sides to secure into a horizontally slotted attachment portion. Movable portion 149 can be positioned about joint 145 to form different angles with respect to vertical portion 153. This can allow for different opening widths between movable portion 149 and backing 147 for holding objects of varying thickness. In addition, movable portion 149 can be temporarily attached to backing 147 in the position shown in FIG. 7 so that movable portion 149 is completely closed against backing 147. By completely closing movable portion 149 against backing 147, it may be possible to protect an object hung on hanging member 141 from being pulled down by small children or pets.
In other embodiments, hanging member 141 may include thinner portions or rounded portions for any of horizontal portion 151, vertical portion 153, joint 145, and movable portion 149.
FIG. 8 depicts first section 160 and second section 162 of a support member such as support member 101 of FIG. 1, Section 160 can be detachably secured to section 162 by inserting tongue 124 into sleeve 126 of section 162. Locking tabs 128 snap into windows 130 to connect sections 160 and 162. To disconnect sections 160 and 162, pressure is placed on locking tabs 128 as sections 160 and 162 are pulled apart.
Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other ways of connecting sections are possible in other embodiments. For example, one embodiment may include inserting a pin through windows 130 and also through corresponding windows (not shown) on tongue 124 where locking tabs 128 are located in FIG. 8.
FIG. 9 shows another embodiment thr connecting sections of a support member.
As shown in FIG. 9, section 161 includes button hole 134 and section 163 includes button 132. In operation, button 132 fits through the larger top portion of button hole 134 and gravity pulls section 163 and button 132 down, thereby securing button 132 into the smaller lower portion of button hole 134. Other embodiments may include multiple buttons and corresponding button holes for connecting two sections of a hanging member. For example, a pair of buttons may be arranged side by side or one above another for securing into a corresponding pair of button holes on another section.
FIG. 10 shows hanging storage device 200 with two support members arranged substantially parallel to each other. First support member 201 includes top end 222 constructed to hang from atop portion of door 10 and second support member 203 includes top end 224 constructed to hang from the top portion of door 10. Top ends 222 and 224 are typically thin enough to allow door 10 to completely close.
As shown in FIG. 10, first support member 201 includes sections 202, 204, 206, 208 and 210 with hanging members 232 and 228 which can be described as a hook and a peg, respectively: Second support member 203 includes sections 212, 214, 216, 218, and 220 with hanging members 230 and 228. Each of first support member 201 and second support member 203 include attachment portions 226 for securing a hanging member.
Hanging storage device 200 also includes detachable bin 234 which is open along its top to store objects. Detachable bin 234 can include protrusions (not shown) to secure detachable bin 234 into one or more attachment portions on each of first support member 201 and second support member 203. Such protrusions may, for example, be similar to end portions 122, 135, 123 or support tab 142 discussed above with reference to FIGS. 2A, 2B, 4, and 6, respectively.
In addition to detachable bin 234, the example of FIG. 10 includes detachable bin 235 which can serve as more of a shelf than detachable bin 234. In this regard, detachable bin 235 has a flat bottom with shallow side walls. Detachable bin 235 can include protrusions (not shown) for securing the bin to first support member 201 and second support member 203.
In other embodiments, bin 234 andor bin 235 may be permanently secured to first support member 201 and second support member 203, or attached to hanging members (not shown) secured in attachment portions of first support member 201 and second support member 203.
Hanging storage device 200 also includes detachable rod 236 which is secured into attachment portions on each of first support member 201 and second support member 203. Detachable rod 236 can be used for hanging items such as a towel or ties, for example.
FIG. 11 shows hanging storage device 300, which is constructed to hang from rod 12 instead of the top portion of a door. More specifically, top end 304 of support member 302 is a hook constructed to hang from rod 12. Top end 304 can also allow the orientation of support member 302 to rotate so that support member 302 can face different directions such as having the front of support member 302 face a direction perpendicular to the length of rod 12. In this regard, support member 302 may include attachment portions (e.g., attachment portions 116 in FIG. 1) andor hanging members on both a front and a back side (not shown) of support member 302. In some embodiments, support member 302 may not be capable of rotating about top end 304, but may be fixed facing a direction as shown in FIG. 11 or in a different direction.
Hanging storage device 300 includes fixed bin 308 which is open along its top to receive items. Bin 308 is fixed in that it is not detachable from support member 302. In other embodiments, bin 308 may he detachable as described above with reference to detachable bin 118 of FIG. 1.
Support member 302 is formed of one flexible material such as a flexible plastic and is not formed of sections. By virtue of being formed of a single flexible material, it is ordinarily possible to roll support member 302 along its length for storage or for packaging.
In addition, hanging storage device 300 includes hanging members 306 which each have the same shape. Hanging members 306 protrude from support member 302 and are integrally formed with support member 302. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other arrangements or varieties of hanging members are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
FIGS. 12A and 12B are a perspective view and a side view, respectively, of support member 400 which includes sections 402, 404, 406 and 408. Support member 400 includes top end 410 constructed to hang from a top portion of a door and attachment portions 416 for securing hanging members.
In the example of FIGS. 12A and 12B, support member 400 can be collapsed along its length by folding together sections 402, 404, 406 and 408. FIG. 12A shows a partially collapsed state of support member 400 and FIG. 12B shows support member 400 in a fully extended state. As shown in FIG. 12B, sections 402 and 404 rotate relative to each other when folded about pin 418. Similarly, sections 404 and 406 rotate relative to each other when folded about pin 420, and sections 406 and 408 rotate relative to each other when folded about pin 422.
As shown in FIG. 12B, sections 402, 404, 406 and 408 are arranged in a stacked configuration. In more detail, section 404 is stacked on section 402 so that section 402 can be folded beneath section 404. Section 406 is stacked on section 404 so that sections 402 and 404 can be folded beneath section 406. In addition, section 408 is stacked on section 406 so that sections 406, 404 and 402 can be folded beneath section 408. By arranging the sections of support member 400 in such a stacked configuration, it is ordinarily possible to reduce a storage andlor packaging size for support member 400 and the corresponding hanging storage device. In addition, the collapsible configuration of support member 400 typically simplifies assembly of the corresponding hanging storage device.
Although FIGS. 12A and 12B depict a support member with collapsible sections that are folded along its length, other embodiments can include a support member with collapsible sections that fold along its width.
The foregoing description of the disclosed example embodiments is provided to enable any person of ordinary skill in the art to make or use the embodiments in the present disclosure. Various modifications to these examples will he readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, and the principles disclosed herein may he applied to other examples without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. The described embodiments are to he considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive and the scope of the disclosure is, therefore, indicated by the following claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. A hanging storage device, comprising:

a first support member including a first top end constructed for hanging the first support member;

a second support member including a second top end constructed for hanging the second support member, wherein the second support member is arranged substantially parallel to the first support member;

wherein each of the first support member and the second support member includes a plurality of attachment portions;

a detachable rod constructed to secure into a first attachment portion of the first support member and into a second attachment portion of the second support member; and

at least one detachable hanging member constructed to secure into an attachment portion of the plurality of attachment portions.

12. The hanging storage device of claim 11, further comprising a detachable bin constructed to attach to the at least one detachable hanging member.

13. The hanging storage device of claim 11, wherein the at least one detachable hanging member includes hanging members of different shapes andor sizes.

14. The hanging storage device of claim 11, wherein the first support member includes a first section including the first top end, the first section detachably connected to a second section such that the second section extends along a length of the first support member.

15. The hanging storage device of claim 14, wherein each of the first section and the second section includes at least one attachment portion for securing the at least one detachable hanging member at a location corresponding to the at least one attachment portion.

16. The hanging storage device of claim 11, wherein the first top end and the second top end are constructed to hang the first and second support members from a top portion of a door.

17-21. (canceled)

22. The hanging storage device of claim 11, further comprising a detachable bin constructed to attach to an attachment portion of the plurality of attachment portions.