DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Referring now to the drawings in more detail and initially to FIG. 1, numeral 10 generally designates a hanging storage rack constructed according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The storage rack 10 is constructed to be mounted on a door 12 by hanging the unit 10 on the upper edge 14 of the door and against one of the vertical surfaces 16 presented on the door. Alternatively, the storage unit can be mounted against a wall or other vertical surface.

[0023] The hanging storage unit 10 includes a pair of spaced apart side frames 18 which may be constructed identically. Each side frame 18 may include a plurality of rigid frame members. The unit shown in FIG. 1 includes, on each side frame 18, an upper leg 20, a center leg 22, and a lower leg 24. The frame sides 18 can be shorter or longer and can include a different number of legs.

[0024] The legs 20, 22 and 24 are connected end to end. As best shown in FIG. 3, the legs are connected together at joints 26. Each joint 26 may include a socket 28 on the end of one of the frame members and a tongue 30 projecting from the end of the other frame member. The tongues 30 have a size and shape to fit closely in the sockets 28, as shown in FIG. 3, in order to secure the adjacent frame members together. In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, each side frame 18 has two of the joints 26, one between the upper leg 20 and the central leg 22 and another between the central leg 22 and the lower leg 24. However, there may be a different number of joints 26 provided on the frame sides.

[0025] A plurality of shelf units each generally identified by numeral 32 extend between and are supported by the frame sides 18. It should be understood that various types of shelves other than the units 32 can be applied to the frame sides 18, as can other types of storage units such as shoe racks, travel racks and other structures.

[0026] The shelf units 38 may take the form of wire baskets that include a number of interconnected wires that may be coated with plastic or another material. Each of the baskets has a horizontal bottom formed by crisscrossing and interconnected wires 36. The front of each basket is formed by a plurality of short upturned wires 38 that may be integral with the front ends of the bottom wires 36. Wires 38 extend generally upwardly but slightly forwardly from bottom to top. Each basket has opposite sides which are formed by a plurality of spaced apart wires 40 that may be integral with the ends of the bottom wires 36. Wires 40 extend generally upwardly and outwardly from bottom to top. A rim wire 42 is connected with the upper ends of the front wires 38 and side wires 40 to provide a rim extending around the open top of each basket. Each front corner of each rim wire 42 where the side and front portions of the rim wire connect includes an angled wire 43 which is preferably beveled at 45°. This beveled configuration of the corner areas of the baskets allows the basket to clear narrow doorways without hitting the doorway frame when the door 12 is opened and closed. Generally vertical wires 43a extend downwardly from the opposite ends of each corner wire 43 and connect at their lower ends with the bottom of the basket structure.

[0027] The bottom of each basket provides a meshwork surface for holding various types of articles that can be inserted into the basket, and the front and sides of the basket provide confinement for preventing the articles from sliding off of the bottom. Each basket is open at the back, with the adjacent door surface 16 preventing articles from moving off of the back portion of the bottom.

[0028] As best shown in FIG. 7, the rim wire 42 of each basket has an inwardly turned end portion 44 that projects inwardly a short distance from the back end of each side of the basket. The inwardly turned wires 44 are integral with the rim wire 42 and terminate at free ends so that the back of each basket remains open. The open back end of each basket facilitates nesting of the baskets for packaging and storage and also minimizes the amount of material needed to construct the basket. The rim wire 42 has a somewhat larger diameter than the bottom wires 36 or the front and side wires 38 and 40.

[0029] With continued reference to FIG. 7 in particular, the bottom of each basket is provided at its back end with a straight wire 46 which may be approximately the same diameter as the rim wire 42. The opposite end portions 48 of wire 46 extend laterally beyond the side wires 40 and are spaced beneath the in turned wires 44. The end portions 48 are integral with the remainder of wire 46 and terminate in free ends. The end portions 48 are preferably located parallel to and directly below the in turned wires 44.

[0030] As best shown in FIG. 3, the frame sides 18 are each provided with an upper notch 50 and a lower notch 52 located respectively above and below each joint 26. Each of the upper notches 50 includes an entry slot 54 which leads to a groove 56 located at the lower portion of each upper notch immediately behind a lip 58 formed on the frame member at a location immediately in front of the groove 56. The upper in turned wires 44 can be fitted through the slots 54 and may be closely received in the grooves 56, as shown in FIG. 3. The lower notch 52 has a size and shape to closely receive the wire end portions 48 which, when fully inserted into the notch 52, are located immediately behind and retained by a small bead 60 projecting downwardly into the notch 52. The end portions 48 preferably fit in notches 52 in a snap fit behind the beads 60.

[0031] Each of the joints 26 has an upper notch 50 a short distance above it and a lower notch 52 a short distance below it. As shown in FIG. 2, each of the center legs 22 is provided near its midpoint with an upper notch 50 and a lower notch 52 located below the upper notch. In addition, each bottom leg 24 may be provided near its lower end with an upper notch 50 and a lower notch 52 spaced below the upper notch.

[0032] The shelf units 32 may be connected with the side frames 18 by first inserting the in turned wires 44 through the slots 54 and into the cavities 56 with the rim wire 42 inclined upwardly from back to front. Then, the front of the shelf unit can be pivoted downwardly such that the lower wire ends 48 enter the lower notches 52 and snap into place therein behind the beads 60.

[0033] As best shown in FIG. 3, the rigid construction of the shelf units 32 is utilized to strengthen and reinforce each of the joints 26. In particular, each of the joints 26 is spanned or bridged by the back end portion of the basket side which includes the in turned wires 44, the adjacent portion of the integral rim wire 42, the adjacent side wire 40, the adjacent bottom wire 36, and the relatively large wire 46 and its integral end portions 48. These portions of the baskets bridge the joints 26, and the basket structure spans the two side frames 18 at the joint locations so that the frame construction is strengthened and rigidified and the joints 26 do not present the areas of weakness that they would otherwise present.

[0034] The storage unit 10 is hung on the upper edge 14 of door 12 by a pair of special hanger brackets which are generally identified by numeral 62 and are best shown in FIG. 4. Each hanger bracket 62 is preferably constructed of a suitable metal and includes a horizontal top plate 64 having a length to span the thickness of a standard size door. The back end of plate 54 is provided with a down turned flange 66 (see FIG. 2 in particular). A front leg 68 of each bracket 62 extends downwardly from the front edge of plate 64 and is provided with a V-shaped bent portion 70 near its lower end. The top end of each of the upper legs 20 has a hook shaped configuration that terminates in a down turned finger 72 that is extended through aligned openings formed in the arms of the V portion 70, thereby suspending the frame sides 18 on the brackets 62. The fit of the flange 66 against the rear surface of the door and the front leg 68 against the front surface of the door assures that the storage unit 10 is suspended in a stable manner on the upper edge 14 of the door. Preferably, the openings in the V-shaped portion 70 of the hanger bracket are oriented in a manner to urge the frame sides 18 against the front door surface 16. In this manner, the brackets 62 are used to hang the storage unit 10 on a door having a standard thickness.

[0035] The brackets 62 are specially constructed to accommodate doors that are thicker than standard. With continued reference to FIG. 4 in particular, the top plate 64 of each bracket is provided with a row of perforations 74 that provide a weakened line of detachment. If the storage unit needs to be hung on a door that is too thick for the plate 64 to span, the flange 66 can be grasped with pliers or another tool and bent upwardly about the line of weakness provided by the row of perforations 74. The bracket can be bent repeatedly back and forth to sever the flange 66 and the back end portion of plate 64 from the remainder of the bracket at the perforation line 74. Forwardly of the perforations 74, the plate 64 is provided with a small opening 76. As shown in FIG. 5, after the back portion of the bracket has been detached along the perforations 74, a screw 78 or another type of fastener can be extended through the opening 76 and into the upper edge 14 of the door in order to secure the bracket 62 to the top edge of the door. The storage unit 10 can then be hung on the brackets 66 in the same manner described previously. The fastener 78 is extended into the top edge of the door where it is invisible and thus inconspicuous so that there is no problem created with respect to aesthetics.

[0036] In accordance with the present invention, the storage unit 10 may be equipped with a plurality of hooks which are generally identified by numeral 80 and which have identical constructions. The hooks 80 can be applied to the rim wires 42 of the baskets as well as to a hanger bar 82 (see FIGS. 1 and 9 in particular) which extends between the lower ends of the side frames 18. The construction of the hooks is best illustrated in FIGS. 6-8. Each hook 80 has an S-shaped configuration and includes a curved upper portion 84 that is connected with a curved lower portion 86 by a center portion 88. The upper portion 84 of each hook has a down turned end that terminates in a free edge. The lower portion 86 of each hook is larger than the upper portion and is turned upwardly to provide a hook on which articles such as garments, umbrellas, caps, belts, and other articles can be hung.

[0037] With particular reference to FIG. 8, the center portion 88 of each hook is equipped with a clip that includes upper and lower fingers 90 and 92 on one side and a center finger 94 on the other side. The upper and lower fingers 90 and 92 are spaced vertically apart, while the center finger 94 is spaced laterally from fingers 90 and 92 and is located substantially midway between them vertically. The fingers 90 and 92 are located on one side of the clip and oppose the finger 94 which is on the opposite side. Each of the fingers is provided with an inwardly projecting lug 96.

[0038] The hooks 80 can be applied to any of the shelf units 32 and secured in place at a selected location on the front or side of the shelf unit. The hook can be applied by hooking the upper portion 84 on the rim wire 42 of the selected basket at the desired location and then swinging the body of the hook downwardly so that one of the front wires 38 or side wires 40 is gripped between the upper and lower fingers 90 and 92 on one side and the center finger 94 on the other side. The projecting lugs 96 provide a snap fit to assure that the clip remains firmly gripped on the wire 38 or 40. When the hook is secured in place in a position such as that shown in FIG. 8, the large bottom hook portion 86 provides a hook that is readily accessible to receive garments or other articles that are hung on the hook. The construction of the hooks 80 allows them to be hung at the desired elevation on the selected shelf unit 32 and at any desired location along its side or front, and to be detachably secured in place through the clip construction provided by the fingers 90, 92 and 94.

[0039] As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 9, the hanger bar 82 may take the form of a cylindrical rod that is fitted at its opposite ends into sockets 98 formed in the bottom ends of the lower legs 24. The hanger bar 82 has a larger diameter than the rim wires 42 and preferably has a diameter to closely fit within the upper portions 84 of the hooks 80. The hooks 80 can be applied to the hanger bar 82 and can be slid along it to the desired lateral position. In addition, the projecting fingers 90, 92 and 94 provide a standoff and engage the surface 18 of the door in order to hold the hooks in a position where the lower hook end portions 86 are properly located to receive hanging articles.

[0040] The bottom ends of the lower legs 84 may be equipped with integral hooks 100 located below the lowermost shelf unit 32 generally in line with the hooks 88 that are detachably applied to the hanger bar 82.

[0041] It is a particular feature of the invention that the construction of the side frames 18 allows them to accommodate a plurality of shelf units 32, and to also accommodate shoe rack tiers of the type disclosed in pending application Ser. No. 649,305, filed on Aug. 28, 2000 in the name of Richard B. Klein et al., which application is incorporated herein by reference. As disclosed in the cited application, a shoe rack tier can be mounted on the outer ends of a pair of support arms which are provided on their inner ends with tongue structures that can be fitted closely in the upper notches 50. Consequently, the frame sides 18 of the present invention can be used to support all shelf units 32, all shoe rack tiers of the type disclosed in the cited application, or a combination of shelf units 32 and shoe racks that may be arranged in any desired configuration and any desired number. Further, towel racks (not shown) and other storage structures can be used interchangeably on the frame, alone or together with shelves, baskets, shoe racks and other types of storage units in various combinations, all taking advantage of the construction of the frame sides 18 and reinforcement of the joints provided by the storage units. Thus, the construction of the frame sides 18 of the hanging storage unit of the present invention provides considerable versatility in the types of storage arrangements that can be used.

[0042] From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all ends and objects hereinabove set forth together with the other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the structure.

[0043] It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims.

[0044] Since many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.