Storage Organizer System and Means for Installing the Same

This invention relates to a storage organizer system and means for installing the same. This system can be used as a closet organizer or for storing in different places such as a garage, basement, pantry or laundry.

The present day trend for storing articles such as clothing, household articles and tools is to provide a knockdown system which includes a number of upright or vertical panels between which are mounting shelving, clothes rods and frequently drawers The shelves are adjustable and many different arrangements are provided for such as double hanging rods, shelving at the lower portion of the panels and clothes rods over the shelves and single rods mounted at the top of the panels for hanging long items, such as coats, etc. Although the organizing systems have become very popular, many of them are quite expensive and difficult to install within the storage space such as closets. To my knowledge, no inexpensive, easily installed storage system was conceived prior to this present invention.

The above need for a low cost storage organizer system which can be easily installed within a relatively short time as compared to other wall mounted or floor mounted storage organizers is met by this invention. The installation of the organizer of this invention can be done by do-it-yourselfers, contractors or closet contractors in a relatively short time.

In accordance with this invention, I provide a storage organizer system and the means for installing the same which serves the same purpose as other present day organizers but includes a unique construction which can be sold as a knockdown unit and easily installed. This system includes a horizontal rail adapted to be mounted on the wall in the storage space. This rail includes a projection extending upwardly and away from the wall and is mounted horizontally on the wall. The system also includes several panels, the number depending upon the desired storage configuration. Each of the panels have any edge abutting the wall with a cutout shaped to be received by the projection of the horizontal rail. Thus the upright panels are hung on the rail so as to project perpendicular from the wall. The panels are spaced to receive therebetween support members such as shelves, drawers, and rods. The upright panels can be slid along the rail to proper spacing in order to accommodate the previously cut shelves or drawers. The rods can be cut or telescoped to the proper length so as to fit snugly between selected ones of the upright panels.

Preferably, at least three upright panels are provided including two end panels and one or more intermediate panels. The end panels are preferably mounted against the side wall of the storage compartment such as a closet and the intermediate panels are mounted between the two side panels. In using at least three panels, two of the panels are spaced to correspond with the length of the shelves and the width of the drawers. The support rods are cut to just the right length to provide a tight fit between the other two panels so as to hold the panels, shelves, and drawings in place.

In accordance with the method of this invention, the rail is first secured to the wall, the vertical or upright panels are hung on the rail with a spacing to fit the shelf lengths and/or drawer widths The shelves and drawers are mounted between two of the vertical panels The closet rods are then cut to the desired length so as to provide a tight fit to prevent the panels or rods from shifting. In some instances where a shelf is provided above closet rods, the shelf has to be cut to also provide a tight fit.

In accordance with this invention, I have provided a low cost storage organizer system that is simple and easy to install and in which the shelves can be adjusted vertically and horizontally. This system can be removed and reinstalled at another location such as a new home. It is very simple system in which the only fasteners are those which secure the horizontal rail to the wall of the storage space. Other features and advantages of the invention will become evident from the detailed description of the preferred embodiment as described hereinbelow.

FIG. 1 is a elevational, front, perspective view of a storage organizer system illustrating the system of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a front, elevational view of the storage organizer system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, elevational, perspective view of a portion of the system of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is an elevational, perspective view of a portion of the system taken through a cutaway of one of the side walls between which the system is installed;

FIG. 5 is an elevational, perspective view illustrating the step of hanging one of the upright panels on the support rail of the system;

FIG. 6 is a front, elevational view showing the connection of two sections of the support rail forming a part of this invention;

FIG. 7 is a side, elevational view of the support rail;

FIG. 8 is a cutaway or cross section of a portion of the system including the support rail mounted to a wall, the upright panel hung on the support rail and a shelf mounted on the upright panel;

FIG. 9 is a side, elevational view of the rod support and a portion of a rod;

FIG. 10 is a front, elevational view of the rod support and rod; and

FIG. 11 is a partial, side elevational, cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the cutout in the panels.

Referring to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2, disclose a specific storage organizer which illustrates the system of this invention. This storage organizer includes a plurality of upright panels including the end panels 1 and 2 between which are located intermediate panels 3, 4 and 5. All of these upright panels are mounted on the support rail 6 attached to the wall as specifically disclosed in FIGS. 1 and 2. The two side panels 1 and 2 are mounted immediately adjacent and abutting the side walls 8 and 9, respectively. The upright panel 3 is mounted on rail 6 a distance from panel 1 to accommodate the shelf or top 10a and shelves 10b, 10c, 10d and 10e. Top or shelf 11a and shelves 11b, 11c, 11d and 11e are mounted between the upright panels 4 and 5. Mounted between upright panels 2 and 5 is the shelf or top 12a, shelf 12 and the rod 13. The last compartment in this system is located between the upright panels 3 and 4. This compartment includes the two rods 14a and 14b.

The system provides storage for clothing or other items on the shelving 10b, 10c, 10d and 10e above the floor, the hanging of clothes on rods 14a and 14b above the floor, the storage of clothing on shelving 11b, 11c, 11d and 11e also above the floor and the storage of clothing on the shelving 12 and the hanging of clothing on rod 13. It is important that this entire unit is entirely supported by the rail 6 as will be described hereinafter.

Referring to each of the components forming up this system, rail 6, as disclosed more specifically in FIGS. 6, 7, and 8, includes an elongated, metal rail having two legs 16 and 17 arranged at an angle approximately 50.degree. from each other. The leg 16 has a plurality of spaced openings 18 through which screws 19 are inserted for securing the rail to the studs of the wall 7. There are a sufficient number of these openings so that at least one of them can be aligned with each of the studs in the wall. The mounting or support rails 6 are generally 4 or 8 feet in length and in order to use several rails to accommodate greater lengths of organizer systems, one end of the rail has a truncated shaped extension 20 while the other end has a correspondingly shaped cutout or recess 21 for receiving an extension 20 of an adjacent end of the rail as disclosed in FIG. 6. The mounting rail is constructed of 12 gauge steel 1 1/2" wide and bent at its longitudinal center to produce the two legs 16 and 17.

The vertical panels are identical. They are preferably 48" long, 12" wide and 5/8" thick laminated panels, although the panels could be made of solid wood or any other material and be of different lengths and widths. Two vertical rows of 32 mm holes 22 are provided on each side of the panels, as disclosed in FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 5. These holes are provided to receive rod end supports 23 and shelf pins 24 which will be described in greater detail hereinafter.

Of extreme importance to this invention is the cutout 25 in the edge 26 of each panel that abuts against the wall 7. This cutout 25, as disclosed in FIGS. 1-10, is substantially triangular in shape and has the two elongated sides 27 and 28. The angles between these two sides are such as to accommodate and receive the leg 17 of rail 6. Thus, the side 27 of cutout 25 approximates the angle between the legs 16 and 17 of rail 6 which is approximately 50.degree.. The side 28 of cutout 25 is such as to eliminate any interference between the side 28 and the rail 6. Thus, as will be seen in FIG. 8, it extends approximately from the end of leg 17 to just below the end of leg 16 of rail 6. The cutout 25 can take many different configurations without departing from the spirit of this invention. One example of a different configuration is shown in FIG. 11 wherein the cutout 25a is formed by a router so as to provide the side 27a supported by leg 17 of the rail 6.

It will be seen from this description and particularly from FIGS. 8 and 11 that each of the panels 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are hung on the leg 17 of rail 6 in the manner as disclosed in FIG. 5 so that, as disclosed in FIG. 8, the edge 26 of the panels abut against the wall 7.

The shelves 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 10e, 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, 11e, 12 and 15 are mounted between their respective panels in a conventional way. These shelves are constructed of laminated wood, solid wood or any other material. They are mounted on the panels and can be adjustable vertically thereon by changing the position of shelf pins 30 which are also conventional elements that are supported in the openings 22 by pin 31 (FIG. 8). As best disclosed in FIG. 3, the shelf pins are mounted in horizontally-aligned holes or openings 22.

The closet rods 13, 14a and 14b are supported on the upright panels by the rod end supports 32, shown in greater detail in FIGS. 9 and 10. Rod end supports 32 include the base 33 having the pins 34 extending from one side thereof and a rod support flange 35 extending from the opposite side thereof. Flange 35 is U-shaped to receive a rod such as rod 13. Rod end support 32 is mounted on the panels by the two pins 34 extending into spaced openings or holes 22 and the rod 13 is supported in the saddle portion of the U-shaped flange 35.

Having described all the components of my invention, the method of installation of my organizer system will now be described.

The installation of my organizer system is extremely simple as compared to other systems of this type. It starts by establishing the height at which the entire system is to be hung above the floor. Once this distance has been established (which is suggested to be 80"), by the use of a level, a line is drawn on the closet wall 80" above the floor, and the rail 6 is then mounted to the studs of the wall 7 above the line making sure that the screws are secured in the studs. In most instances, two or more sections of the rail are utilized and they are connected together as disclosed in FIG. 6, the projection 20 of one end or one rail extending into the recess 21 of an adjacent rail. However, if 8 foot rails are used generally only one is required The vertical panels 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are then hung on the mounting rail 6. Preferably the end panels 1 and 2 are mounted adjacent the sidewalls 8 and 9. Panel 3 is hung on the rail at a predetermined distance established by the length of the shelves 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d and 10e . These shelves can then be mounted between panels 1 and 3 by means of the shelf pins 24 inserted into the desired openings to give the desired spacing between the shelves which can be varied by time to time. Next, panel 5 is spaced a distance from panel 2 as determined by the length of shelves 12 and 12a and these shelves can be mounted between the panels 2 and 5 by means of shelf pins 24. The rod 13 is also supported between the panels 2 and 5 by means of the rod end supports 32. Care should be taken that the rod 13 is of proper length to correspond with the lengths of the shelves 12 and 12a so that the panels 2 and 5 are parallel to each other.

Panel 4 is next adjusted along the rail 6 so as to be spaced from panel 5 a distance determined by the length of the shelves 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d and 11e. The shelf pins 24 are then inserted in appropriate openings 22 and shelves 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d and 11e are supported thereon.

The last and final installation steps in the configuration as disclosed is to insert the rod end support pins 34 into openings near the top and bottom of the panels 3 and 4. The rods 14a and 14b are then carefully cut to the proper length so that there will be a snug fit within the rod end supports between the panels 3 and 4. This snug or tight fit exerts a force on the panels 3 and 4 so as to prevent shifting of the panels. It should be understood that with such a tight fit, the force exerted on panel 4 is transmitted to panel 5 and in turn is transmitted to panel 2 and the sidewall 9. Correspondingly, the force exerted on panel 3 is exerted on panel 1 and the sidewall 8. This provides a very sturdy and secure organizer system because of the tight fit left to right which holds the horizontal members in place.

It should be clear from the above description that my storage organizer system, particularly useful in closets, has a low initial cost because of the lack of any requirement for any expensive brackets or other support elements. It is less expensive because of the low installation time as compared to the wall mounted or floor mounted organizer panels. It is so simple to install that it can be done by do-it-yourselfers as well as contractors or closet contractors. All the parts can be assembled very easily in a relatively small package. Further, it provides fully adjustable vertical and horizontal storage depending upon the components selected. It can be removed very easily by disassembling and reinstalling in another location.

It should be understood that although I have described my invention in conjunction with a clothes closet, my system can be used for storage organization in garages, basements, pantries, linen closets and laundries.

Although I have described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it should be understood that several different embodiments and modifications can be made without departing from the real spirit of this invention. Therefore, this invention should be limited only as set forth in the following appended claims.