Workroom storage system

• US 7,296,695 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2007
• Issued: 11/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Schmidt, Duane A., Stewart, Brian J., Cline, Wyatt A., Junge, Brent A., Starr, Todd Christopher, Rasche, Kenneth J., Arent, Thomas Wesley, Kendall, James W., Perkins, Travis Michael, Tolliver, Steven Edward, Sampson, Tyree Edward, Stout, Mark Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): NOVOSAD, JENNIFER ELEANORE
• Application Number:
  US11/736,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20070181517A1
• Time in Patent Office: 216 Days
• Field of Search: 211/94.01, 211/87.01, 211/94.02, 211/106.01, 211/85.17, 211/13.1, 211/70.6, 312/249.8, 312/249.9, 312/249.11, 312/330.1, 52/364, 52/365, D25/123, D25/125, D25/138, 248/223.41, 248/224.51, 248/224.61, 248/215, 248/220.43, 248/225.11, 248/225.21
• US Class Current: 211/94.01
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 21/06 characterised by means for holding, fastening or concealing cables
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 31/00 Service or tea tables, trolleys, or wagons serving trays A47G23/06; features relating to running gear or to movement by hand B62B
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 83/001 Office desks or work-stations combined with other pieces of furniture, e.g. work space management systems
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 95/008 Suspension fittings for cabinets to be hung on walls
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 96/067 Horizontal rails as suspension means in a cantilever arrangement suspension fittings for cabinets to be hung on walls A47B95/008
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 5/0018 Display racks with shelves or receptables racks per se A47B; storage devices for warehouses B65G1/02
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 5/0846 Display panels or rails with elongated channels; Sliders, brackets, shelves, or the like, slidably attached therein
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 13/512 Clamping devices for hanging the tools
• CPC Class Codes: B25H 1/02 of table type
• CPC Class Codes: B25H 3/028 by sliding extraction from within a common frame
• CPC Class Codes: B25H 3/04 Racks

Abstract

A space-efficient workroom organization system comprising a slotwall panel and/or slot track storage system with at least one repositionable slotwall or slot track mounted storage cabinet, and a workbench system comprising a workbench having a work surface and defining a storage recess beneath the work surface, with at least one mobile storage cabinet.

Claims

1. A workroom organization system for space-efficient, organized storage of workroom items, such as tools and supplies used in a workroom, comprising:

a plurality of slot tracks mountable on a wall of the workroom each having at least two slots defining at least one slat;

a plurality of removable mounting brackets having a first “

J”

shaped hook on one edge opening in a first direction to hook over an edge of the at least one slat on the slot tracks and a second “

J”

shaped hook opening in the first direction to hook over an edge of a slot adjoining the slat engaging the first “

J”

shaped hook;

at least one wall-mounted storage cabinet having at least one mounting bracket to engage at least one slot track;

a workbench comprising a work surface and multiple legs extending from the work surface to support the work surface above a floor and defining a workbench recess beneath the work surface; and

at least one mobile storage cabinet having a top surface located at a height such that the at least one mobile storage cabinet can be received within the workbench recess with the top surface underlying the work surface and having wheels extending from the mobile storage cabinet to support the mobile storage cabinet on the floor to ease the movement of the mobile storage cabinet into and out of the workbench recess;

wherein the workroom organization system enables a user to mount workroom items on mounting brackets mounted on the plurality of slot tracks and to arrange the at least one wall-mounted storage cabinet, workbench and at least one mobile storage cabinet within the workroom in a manner most space-efficient for a particular workroom while permitting the easy relocation of the workroom items and rearrangement of the at least one wall-mounted storage cabinet, workbench, and at least one mobile storage cabinet as needed over time as the quantity and mix of workroom items changes.

2. The workroom organization system of claim 1 wherein at least two slot tracks are mounted spaced vertically on a wall and the at least one wall-mounted storage cabinet includes at least two vertically spaced mounting brackets mounted to the rear wall of the storage cabinet to engage the vertically spaced slot tracks.

3. The workroom organization system of claim 2 wherein the vertically spaced mounting brackets include a top mounting bracket attached adjacent the top of the cabinet in a fixed vertical position on the cabinet and an additional mounting bracket attached to the cabinet below the top mounting bracket in a position such that the additional mounting bracket rests on the edge of a slot track slot.

4. The workroom organization system according to claim 3, wherein the at least one mobile storage cabinet comprises one of:

a general storage cabinet comprising an open-face cabinet defining a storage recess and at least one door moveable between an opened position and a closed position for selectively closing the open face;

a drawer storage cabinet comprising an open-faced cabinet defining a storage recess and at least one drawer slidably mounted to the open-faced cabinet for movement through the open face between a stored position, where the drawer is received within the storage recess, and a use position, where at least a portion of the drawer extends beyond the open face to permit access to the drawer; and

a refrigerated cabinet having a refrigeration system for cooling the interior of the refrigerated cabinet.

5. The workroom storage system of claim 4 further comprising multiple mobile storage cabinets.

6. A workroom organization system for space-efficient, organized storage for workroom items, such as tools and supplies used in a workroom, comprising:

at least one slotwall panel mountable on a wall of the workroom having multiple slots defining a plurality of slats;

a least one slot track mountable on a wall of the workroom having two slots defining a slat;

a plurality of removable mounting brackets having a first “

J”

shaped hook on one edge opening in a first direction to hook over an edge of a slat on the at least one slotwall panel or the at least one slot track and a second “

J”

shaped hook opening in the first direction to hook over an edge of a slot adjoining the slat engaging the first “

J”

shaped hook;

at least one wall-mounted storage cabinet having at least one mounting bracket having a “

J”

shaped hook to hook over the edge of a slat on the at least one slotwall panel or the at least one slot track;

a workbench comprising a work surface and multiple legs extending from the work surface to support the work surface above a floor and defining a workbench recess beneath the work surface; and

at least one mobile storage cabinet having a top surface located at a height such that the at least one mobile storage cabinet can be received within the workbench recess with the top surface underlying the work surface and having wheels extending from the mobile storage cabinet to support the mobile storage cabinet on the floor to ease the movement of the mobile storage cabinet into and out of the workbench recess;

wherein the workroom organization system enables a user to mount workroom items on removable mounting brackets on the at least one slotwall panel or the at least one slot track and arrange the at least one wall-mounted storage cabinet, workbench and at least one mobile storage cabinet within the workroom in a manner most space-efficient for a particular workroom while permitting the easy relocation of the workroom items and rearrangement of the at least one wall-mounted storage cabinet, workbench, and at least one mobile storage cabinet as needed over time as the quantity and mix of workroom items changes.

7. The workroom organization system of claim 6 wherein a plurality of slotwall panels are mounted on at least a portion of at least one wall of the workroom and a plurality of slot tracks are mounted on a portion of at least one wall of the workroom and at least two of the slot tracks are mounted spaced vertically on a portion of a wall and the at least one wall-mounted storage cabinet includes at least two vertically spaced mounting brackets mounted to the rear wall of the storage cabinet to engage and mount the storage cabinet on the vertically spaced slot tracks or on one or more of the slotwall panels.

8. The workroom organization system of claim 6 wherein two or more slot tracks are mounted vertically spaced adjacent one or more slotwall panels such that the slots in the slot tracks align with the slots in the slotwall panel and the at least one wall-mounted storage cabinet includes at least two vertically spaced mounting brackets mounted to the rear wall of the storage cabinet to engage and mount the storage cabinet on the vertically spaced slot tracks and on one or more of the slotwall panels.

9. The workroom organization system according to claim 6, wherein the at least one mobile storage cabinet comprises one of:

a general storage cabinet comprising an open-face cabinet defining a storage recess and at least one door moveable between an opened position and a closed position for selectively closing the open face;

a drawer storage cabinet comprising an open-faced cabinet defining a storage recess and at least one drawer slidably mounted to the open-faced cabinet for movement through the open face between a stored position, where the drawer is received within the storage recess, and a use position, where at least a portion of the drawer extends beyond the open face to permit access to the drawer; and

a refrigerated cabinet having a refrigeration system for cooling the interior of the refrigerated cabinet.

10. The workroom storage system of claim 9 further comprising multiple mobile storage cabinets.