Media storage device

• US 4,401,216 A
• Filed: 01/15/1981
• Issued: 08/30/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/1979
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Richard C. Koch
• Original Assignee: Richard C. Koch
• Inventors: Koch, Richard C.
• Primary Examiner(s): MOY, JOSEPH MAN
• Application Number:
  US06/225,412
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• Field of Search: 206/387, 206/445, 206/309, 312/12, 312/14, 312/350, 312/107, 220/23.4, 220/23.6, 220/345, 220/351
• US Class Current: 206/759
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 23/02 Containers; Storing means both adapted to cooperate with the recording or reproducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/04 modified to store record carriers containers, storing means adapted for cooperation with the recording or reproducing apparatus G11B23/02

Abstract

A device adapted for storing items, in particular, magnetic information media, said device including a hollow exterior rectangular box having depressions and ridges such that the box may be stacked efficiently with other identical boxes to have lateral interlocks both on the vertical and horizontal surfaces and including in the interior thereof guide rails for receiving a drawer. The drawer is designed to be usable in either of two orientations, the second orientation being a 90° rotation from the first, the drawer further including walls for enclosing the media and a hinged gate for allowing the media to tilt forward for ready access while restraining the media within the drawer.

Claims

1. A device for storing items comprising:

a hollow box of rectangular configuration including opposing right-side and left-side walls, opposing top and bottom walls and a back wall to frame an elongated rectangular front opening and including in the interior thereof means for receiving and guiding a drawer; and

a drawer for slidably fitting into the box in either a first or a second planar orientation, said second planar orientation being substantially perpendicular to said first orientation, the drawer including;

a base panel, a first wall, a second wall, a third wall opposing said first wall and a fourth wall, said first, second, third and fourth walls extending substantially perpendicularly from and upon said base panel to form, with said base panel, an open rectangular container, the height of said first and fourth walls being slightly less than the height of said second and third walls, gate means extending across between opposing points on said first and third walls to restrain the contents of the drawer, and slide means for engaging the interior of the box such that the drawer slides smoothly in and out of the box in said first and second orientations.

2. A device for storing items as recited in claim 1 wherein:

said first wall enters the box first in said first orientation and said fourth wall enters the box first in said second orientation and said second and third walls are displaced inward from the outward edges of the back base such that the back base forms a pair of flanges respectively adjacent to said second and third walls and said second and third walls further include a pair of respective dust guards forming perpendicular projections of height equal to that of said second and third walls extending therefrom to the edge of said flange.

3. A device for storing items as recited in claim 2 wherein:

said gate means includes a rectangular plate of length slightly less than said second wall and a width of between one-fourth and one-half the length of said first wall, a pair of side members extending perpendicularly into the drawer from the ends of said plate, a pair of stops situated on the interior of said first and third walls for slidably receiving said side members and restricting the motion thereof to a desired range, and a free hinge attaching said rectangular plate to the edge of said fourth wall furthest removed from said back base.

4. A device for storing items as recited in claim 1 wherein:

said means for receiving and guiding a drawer include a channel formed on the interior of said opposing top and bottom walls, said channel being formed such that the drawer may be manipulated so as to be completely removable from the box.

10. A device for storing items as recited in claim 1 or 5 wherein:

the hollow box includes interlocking means on said walls by which a plurality of the boxes may be stacked vertically and horizontally relative to one another with each box being interlocked with each adjacent box.

11. A device for storing items as recited in claim 10 wherein:

said right-side and left-side walls are of approximately square shape and include means situated on the exterior surfaces thereof such that said interlocking means on said right-side wall of one such box will engage said interlocking means on said left-side wall of an adjacent box so as to restrain relative motion between the adjacent boxes in at least one dimension;

said top and bottom walls are elongated rectangles having widths selected to accommodate a desired thickness of items within the box and further include means of the exterior surfaces thereof such that the means situated on said top wall of one such box engage said interlocking means situated on said bottom wall of an adjacent box so as to restrain relative motion between adjacent boxes in at least one dimension.

12. A device for storing items as recited in claim 11 wherein:

said interlocking means siutated on the exterior of said left-side wall is a wide, shallow "U-shaped" depression having undercut side walls in said left-side wall and opening towards said back wall and closed toward said front wall and said interlocking means situated on the exterior of said right-side wall is a first pair of parallel rails perpendicular to said back wall, the outside edges thereof being undercut so as to mate with the side walls of said depression, being separated by a distance slightly less than the width of said "U-shaped" depression and having a height of slightly less than the depth of said "U-shaped" depression on an adjacent box and being adapted to prevent sliding motion between said boxes except in the direction of the axis of said rails; and

said means situated on the exterior of said top wall is a second pair of parallel rails perpendicular to said back wall extending the length of said top wall and including a cross rail, undercut to the back, at the back ends thereof and said interlocking means situated on the exterior of said bottom wall includes a third pair of parallel rails having an exterior separation distance slightly less than the interior separation distance between said second parallel rails and a cross-catch, undercut to the front, situated at the back ends thereof for engaging said cross rail such that said third pair of rails fits slidably between said second pair of rails of an adjacent box and said cross-catch mates with said cross rail so as to prevent relative motion between such adjacent boxes except within a segment along the axis of said second and third pairs of parallel rails.

5. A device for storing items comprising:

a hollow box of rectangular configuration including opposing right-side and left-side walls, opposing top and bottom walls and a back wall to frame an elongated rectangular front opening and including in the interior thereof means for retaining and guiding a drawer; and

a drawer for slideably fitting into the box, the drawer including a front piece, a bottom side wall, a back side wall, a top side wall and a right side panel framing a substantially square left side opening, said front piece being attached only to said right side panel and set forward of the front edges of said bottom and top side walls, said bottom and said top side walls each including a gate post aperture formed therethrough at opposing points near the intersection of said back side wall and said right side panel for receiving a pivot post of a gate means, and said back wall includes a gate post aperture formed therethrough at a point near the intersection of said bottom side wall and said right side panel, said drawer being adapted to receive gate means for restraining the contents of the drawer, said gate means being mountable in the drawer in either of two mutually perpendicular orientations.

6. A device for storing items as recited in claim 5 wherein:

said gate means includes a partially flexible planar front panel and a pair of opposing side panels, each of said opposing side panels including a pivot post extending perpendicularly outward therefrom, said pivot posts being adapted for mating with either two sets of pivot post apertures in the drawer such that said gate means may extend across the drawer either from back to front or from bottom to top.

7. A device for storing items as recited in claim 5 and further including:

a front gate support wall extension extending into the interior of the drawer from the front edge of said bottom side wall, said front gate support wall extension having a gate post aperture formed therethrough near the right side thereof opposing said gate post aperture on said back side wall.

8. A device for storing items as recited in claim 7 wherein:

said gate means includes a partially flexible planar front panel and a pair of opposing side panels, each of said opposing side panels including a pivot post extending perpendicularly outward therefrom, said pivot posts being adapted for mating with either of two sets of pivot post apertures in the drawer such that said gate means may extend across the drawer either from back to front or from bottom to top.

9. A device for storing items as recited in claim 8 wherein:

said right side panel further includes leg apertures formed therethrough at points near the bottom front, bottom back and top back corners thereof; and

said gate means further includes legs formed on said side gate panels for extending through said leg apertures when said gate means is inclined leftward.