WALL-MOUNTED STORAGE SYSTEMS

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to and benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 63/665,729 filed Jun. 28, 2024, which is herein incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure is generally in the field of storage systems, and more particularly related to wall-mounted storage systems.

BACKGROUND

Storage systems are often used for storing and organizing items. For example, cabinets, shelves, and other types of storage elements may be provided in the garage of a residential home, and tools and other types of items may be stored within the storage elements. In some instances, some of these storage elements may be mounted on a wall to save floor space within the garage (the garage is merely an example of a location in which a storage system may be provided). However, conventionally, the storage elements may be directly fastened to the wall. If multiple such storage elements are mounted to the wall, difficulties may arise in attempting to accurately align the different storage elements.

SUMMARY

In embodiments, the present disclosure describes a modular cabinet system. The modular cabinet system includes a rail that is configured to be fastened to a wall in a horizontal orientation, the rail including an upwardly extending flange forming a recess in the rail. The modular cabinet system also includes a first cabinet that is configured to be removably mounted to the rail, wherein the first cabinet includes an engagement member that engages with the rail within the recess, wherein the engagement of the engagement member with the rail causes the first cabinet to suspend from the rail, and wherein the first cabinet includes a first top surface and a first bottom surface, the first bottom surface including one or more first apertures for receiving one or more fasteners. The modular cabinet system also includes a second cabinet including a second top surface and a second bottom surface, wherein the second top surface also includes one or more second apertures for receiving the one or more fasteners, wherein the second cabinet is configured to attach to the first bottom surface of the first cabinet via the one or more fasteners provided through the one or more first apertures and the one or more second apertures, wherein the second cabinet is configured to suspend from the first cabinet.

In embodiments, the present disclosure describes a storage system. The storage system includes a primary rail that is configured to be fastened to a wall in a horizontal orientation, the primary rail including a first upwardly extending flange forming a first recess in the primary rail. The storage system also includes a first vertical member and a second vertical member that are configured to be removably mounted to the primary rail, wherein the first vertical member includes a first engagement member that engages with the primary rail within the first recess, wherein the second vertical member includes a second engagement member that engages with the primary rail within the first recess, and wherein the engagement of the first engagement member with the primary rail and the engagement of the second engagement member with the primary rail cause the first vertical member and the second vertical member to suspend from the primary rail. The storage system also includes a first secondary rail that is configured to be removably fastened between the first vertical member and the second vertical member in a horizontal orientation. The storage system also includes a cabinet that is configured to be removably mounted to the first vertical member and the second vertical member below the first secondary rail.

In embodiments, the present disclosure describes an overhead storage system. The overhead storage system includes a rail that is configured to be fastened to a wall in a horizontal orientation, the rail including an upwardly extending flange forming a recess in the rail. The overhead storage system also includes a shelf system that is configured to be removably mounted to the rail, the shelf system. The shelf system includes a shelf. The shelf system also includes a first engagement member and a second engagement member that engage with the rail within the recess, wherein the engagement of the first engagement member and the second engagement member with the rail causes the shelf system to suspend from the rail.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings. The use of the same reference numerals may indicate similar or identical items. Various embodiments may utilize elements and/or components other than those illustrated in the drawings, and some elements and/or components may not be present in various embodiments. Elements and/or components in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. Throughout this disclosure, depending on the context, singular and plural terminology may be used interchangeably.

FIG. 1A shows a storage system, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 1B shows a side view of a cabinet and a close-up view of an engagement element of the cabinet, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 1C shows a close-up perspective view of a rail and an engagement element of a modular cabinet, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 1D shows a rear perspective view of a portion of a modular cabinet, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 2A shows a cross-section perspective view of modular cabinets, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIGS. 2B-2C show close-up views of an interface between the modular cabinets of FIG. 1A, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a sidewall including an exterior storage element, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 shows a close-up view of the exterior storage element of FIG. 3 including a storage accessory, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 5A shows a storage system, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 5B shows a close-up view of the storage system of FIG. 5A, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 5C shows a secondary rail of the storage system of FIG. 5A, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 5D shows a close-up perspective view of modular cabinets of the storage system of FIG. 5A, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 5E shows a close-up front view of modular cabinets of the storage system of FIG. 5A, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 5F shows a close-up view of an upright suspended from a rail, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 5G shows a close-up view of a shelf of the storage system of FIG. 5A, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 shows another storage system, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIGS. 7A-7B show perspective views of an overhead storage system, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIGS. 8A-8B show perspective views of another overhear storage system, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

The present disclosure provides a more detailed and specific description with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings and specific descriptions of the drawings, as well as any specific or other embodiments discussed, are intended to be read in conjunction with the entirety of this disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which example embodiments are shown. The concepts disclosed herein may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the example embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the concepts to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like, but not necessarily the same or identical elements throughout.

The present disclosure describes variations of wall-mounted storage systems. Conventional storage elements (e.g., cabinets, shelves, etc.) are typically mounted to a surface, such as a wall, using fasteners. Accordingly, to install these storage elements on the wall, a user may have to make precise measurements to ensure that the storage elements are appropriately aligned. These conventional systems may also require the different storage elements to be fastened to the wall, which results in a large number of holes being provided in the wall (e.g., where the fasteners are inserted into the wall). For example, if multiple cabinets are mounted to a wall, the cabinets may need to be fastened directly to the wall.

In contrast, the wall-mounted storage systems described herein are modular and only require a rail to be fastened to the wall. Any storage elements included in the wall-mounted storage systems described herein may be suspended from the rail. Additionally, the individual storage elements may be configured such that the storage elements may be removably attached to one another without having to be directly secured to the wall. This provides an improvement over conventional systems in that the storage systems are modular and storage elements may be added and removed from the system as desired, only the rail needs to be fastened into the wall, reducing the number of holes that are provided in the wall, and the storage elements in the storage systems are more easily and accurately aligned with one another. Examples of variations of these storage systems are described below with respect to the figures.

FIG. 1A shows a storage system 100 including modular cabinets (for example, modular cabinet 102 and modular cabinet 120, as well as any other number of modular cabinets). Using modular cabinet 102 as an example (a similar description may apply to any other modular cabinet), the modular cabinet 102 includes a pair of opposed sidewalls 103 and 105 and an opposed top surface 104 and bottom surface 106. The top and bottom surfaces and opposing sidewalls form an internal space (not shown in the figure) suitable for storing and organizing a wide variety of items. The interior space may include shelves or other storage members such as hooks, drawers, or the like. A back wall may be provided to enclose the internal space if desired. Doors (for example, door 108 and door 110) may be provided to enclose the interior space, such as left and right hand opening hinged doors, a single door, sliding doors, removable covers or the like. Modular cabinet 120 is shown as being provided in a similar configuration to modular cabinet 102.

The storage system 100 also includes a rail 130. The rail 130 may be mountable to a surface, such as a wall 140. For example, the rail 130 may be secured to the wall 140 via one or more fasteners, such as screws or any other types of fasteners. Examples of different embodiments of the rail 130 may be found, for example, in at least U.S. Pat. No. 8,444,235, which is incorporated herein by reference. A close-up side view of the rail 130 is shown in FIG. 1B and a close-up perspective view of the rail 130 is shown in FIG. 1C.

As shown in the side view of FIG. 1B, the modular cabinet 102 may be supported on the rail 130 that is mounted on the wall 140. To accommodate the modular cabinet 102, the rail 130 may specifically be mounted in a horizontal orientation on the wall 140. The rail 130 may define an upwardly extending flange 132 and a downwardly extending flange 133 that define longitudinal recesses (for example, recess 134) between the rail 130 and the wall 140 on which the rail is mounted. A perspective view of the rail 130 is also shown in FIG. 1C.

The rail 130 may be configured to receive the modular cabinet 102 (or any other modular cabinet) such that the modular cabinet 102 is suspended from the rail 130 in the air. That is, the modular cabinet 102 may be secured on the wall 140 by suspending from the rail 130 rather than being fastened directly into the wall 140. This provides a more convenient mechanism by which modular cabinets may be added to and removed from the wall 140 for use.

To allow the modular cabinet 102 to be suspended from the rail 130, the modular cabinet 102 may include one or more engagement members (examples of such engagement members are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 8,444,235, however, any other type of engagement member may also be used). The engagement members may be affixed to any portion of the outer surface of the modular cabinet 102. For example, as shown in FIG. 1D, a configuration in which two engagement members 136 are affixed to a rear surface of modular cabinet 102, however, any other number of engagement members 136 may also be provided.

The engagement members engage the rail 130 such that the modular cabinet 102 is suspended from the rail adjacent to the wall 140. For example, the engagement member(s) 136 are shown in FIG. 1B. Engagement member(s) 136 may include protrusions that extend downwards into the recess 134 formed between the rail 130 and the wall 140 such that the engagement members “hook” onto the rail 130. The modular cabinet 102 may be suspended such that the lower end of the modular cabinet 102 may be supported against the wall 140. Given that the modular cabinet 102 is supported near its upper end and the center of gravity of the modular cabinet 102 is spaced from the wall 140, the lower end of the modular cabinet 102 may tend to pivot about the rail 130 toward and into engagement with the wall 140.

The storage system 100 is unique in that only one of the modular cabinets (for example, modular cabinet 102) may need to be mounted on the rail 130 such that the modular cabinet 102 is suspended from the rail 130. Other modular cabinets may then be secured to the modular cabinet 102 directly and may be suspended without needing to be fastened directly into the wall 140. This provides the advantage of allowing the modular cabinets to be easily aligned with one another, which may be a more difficult process if the modular cabinets were each fastened directly into the wall 140.

To allow the modular cabinet 120 to be attached to the bottom surface 106 of the modular cabinet 102, both the modular cabinet 102 and the modular cabinet 120 may include one or more apertures that align when top surface 121 of the modular cabinet 120 is aligned with the bottom surface 106 of the modular cabinet 102 (this is shown in further detail in FIGS. 2A-2C). When the apertures are aligned, one or more fasteners may be provided through the apertures to secure the modular cabinet 120 to the modular cabinet 102. That is, the fasteners can only be provided through the apertures on the modular cabinet 102 and the apertures on the modular cabinet 120 when the modular cabinets are aligned as shown in FIG. 1A. This provides a more effective mechanism by which the modular cabinet 120 and the modular cabinet 102 may be aligned, rather than a user having to measure the placement of fasteners if the modular cabinets were fastened to the wall adjacent to one another. The modularity of the storage system 100 may also extend beyond the use of only two modular cabinets and any other number of modular cabinets may also be attached together in a similar way.

The modular cabinet 102 also includes one or more exterior storage elements. For example, FIG. 1A shows that modular cabinet 102 includes an exterior storage element 112 provided on sidewall 105. Although the figure only shows one exterior storage element 112, a similar exterior storage element may also be provided on sidewall 103 (and/or on the doors 108 and 110) as well. Additionally, the exterior storage element 112 may be any other size and may encompass more or less of the sidewall 103 (or any other sidewall).

In some embodiments, the exterior storage element 112 may be an element that is separate from the modular cabinet 102 that is removably attached to the sidewall 105 of the modular cabinet 105. For example, the exterior storage element may be held into place on the sidewall 103 by one or more tabs. The exterior storage element 112 may also be secured to the sidewall 103 using any other type of mechanism (e.g., fasteners, adhesive, etc.). In some embodiments, the portion of the sidewall 103 at which the exterior storage element 112 is provided may otherwise be a void and the exterior storage element 112 may fill the void (such that the exterior storage element may be installed into the void from the interior of the modular cabinet 102 or the exterior of the modular cabinet 102.

In other embodiments, the portion of the sidewall 103 at which the exterior storage element 112 is provided may be a solid material that is a continuation of the remainder of the sidewall 103 and the exterior storage element 112 may be provided over that portion of the sidewall. As shown in FIG. 1A, the exterior storage element may also be integrated into the sidewall 105 as a part of the sidewall 105 itself, rather than being a separate element that is removably attached to the modular cabinet 102.

The exterior storage element 112 may be configured to receive one or more accessories that may provide additional storage on the exterior of the modular cabinet 102. To this end, the exterior storage element 112 may include one or more channels (for example, channel 114 or any other number of channels). Accessories may be removably attached to the exterior storage element 112 by engaging with the one or more channels. Although FIG. 1A shows six channels as being included on each side of the modular cabinets, this is not intended to be limiting and any other number of channels may also be included.

Turning briefly to FIG. 3, an exterior storage element 302 (which, in this embodiment, in integrated into the sidewall 308 of the modular cabinet 300) for a modular cabinet 300 including a first channel 304 and a second channel 306 is shown (however, any other number of channels may also be provided). FIG. 4 shows a close-up view of the same exterior storage element 302 with a storage accessory 310 removably attached to the exterior storage element 302 via the first channel 304. Particularly, the storage accessory 310 includes a hoop element 312 that may be used to hang objects from the modular cabinet 300, thereby providing additional storage capabilities to the modular cabinet 300 beyond the interior of the modular cabinet 300. To removably secure the storage accessory 310 to the first channel 304, the storage accessory 310 may include one or more curved protrusions 314. The curved protrusions 314 may be inserted into the first channel 304 and the storage accessory 310 may then be rotated downward such that the curved protrusions 314 engage with the back side of a portion 316 of the exterior storage element 302 that is located between the first channel 304 and the second channel 306 (that is, there may be a hollow region behind the portion 316 of the exterior storage element 302).

The storage accessory 310 shown in FIG. 4 is merely one non-limiting example of such a storage accessory and any other types of accessories in any other shapes and/or sizes (for example, hooks, bins, shelves, etc.) may also be attached to the exterior storage element to provide various types of further storage capabilities to a modular cabinet. Additionally, the use of the curved protrusions to engage with the exterior storage element is merely one non-limiting example of a mechanism by which a storage accessory may be removably attached to the exterior storage element and any other suitable mechanism may also be used.

The modular cabinets shown in FIG. 1A are merely exemplary configurations of cabinets and any other configuration of cabinets may also be provided.

Turning now to FIG. 2A, a cross-section perspective view of an interface 201 between modular cabinets (which may be similar to the modular cabinets shown in FIG. 1A) is shown. Particularly, FIG. 2A shows a first modular cabinet 202 including a top surface 204 and a bottom surface 206 and a second modular cabinet 210 including a top surface 212 and a bottom surface 214. To allow the modular cabinet 210 to suspend from the modular cabinet 202 without needing to be fastened to the surface on which the modular cabinets rest (for example, a wall) while ensuring that the modular cabinets are easily aligned, the modular cabinet 202 may include one or more first apertures located at various intervals around the edge of the bottom surface 206, and the modular cabinet 210 may include one or more second apertures located at various intervals around the edge of the top surface 212.

The one or more first apertures of the bottom surface 206 of the modular cabinet 202 align with the one or more second apertures of the top surface 212 of the modular cabinet 210 when the modular cabinet 202 and the modular cabinet 210 are at least substantially aligned on top of one another. Accordingly, when a fastener is provided through the one or more first apertures and the one or more second apertures, the modular cabinet 202 and the modular cabinet 210 may be precisely aligned on top of one another. This eliminates the need for a user to accurately measure the placement of fasteners on the surface to align the modular cabinet 202 and the modular cabinet 210 as would be necessary in a conventional cabinet system in which the cabinets are fastened to the surface directly.

FIGS. 2B-2C show close-up views of an interface 201 between the modular cabinets shown in FIG. 2A. Particularly, FIG. 2B shows a second cabinet 210 that is attached to a first cabinet 200 at an interface 201 between a top surface 212 of the second cabinet 210 and a bottom surface 202 of the first cabinet 200. As aforementioned, both the top surface 212 of the second cabinet 210 and the bottom surface 202 of the first cabinet 200 may include one or more apertures 220 that are provided at various intervals along the edge of the top surface 212 and the bottom surface 202. The apertures may be positioned such that when the first cabinet 200 and the second cabinet 210 are in alignment (as shown in the figure), the apertures are also aligned such that fasteners 222 may be inserted into both of the apertures, thereby securing the top surface 212 and the bottom surface 202 in alignment.

Although FIGS. 2B-2C show the apertures 220 being provided at specific locations, this is not intended to be limiting and the apertures may also be provided at any other location on the top surface 212 of the second cabinet 210 and the bottom surface 202 of the first cabinet 200. Similarly, the second cabinet 210 may also include similar apertures on a bottom surface of the second cabinet 210 such that a third cabinet may be attached to the second cabinet 210 in a similar manner (this may be repeated for any number of additional cabinets). Additionally, although the cabinets are shown and described as being attached top-to-bottom, in some embodiments, cabinets may also be attached side-to-side as well. In this manner, apertures may also be provided on the sidewalls of the cabinets as well.

Turning now to FIGS. 5A-5E, another storage system 500 is shown. Similar to the storage system 100 shown in FIG. 1A, the storage system 500 may also include one or more rails that are mountable to a surface, such as a wall 560. The rails may include a primary rail 508 that is fastened to the wall 560. Any of the rails (including the primary rail 508) may be of similar structure to the rail 130 of FIG. 1A. That is, any of the rails may define an upwardly extending flange and a downwardly extending flange that define longitudinal recesses and between the rails and the wall 560 on which any of the rails are mounted.

To form the structure of the storage system 500 as shown in FIG. 5A, one or more uprights (also referred to here as “vertical members”) may be suspended from the primary rail 508 such that the primary rail 508 supports the one or more uprights (that is, the one or more uprights do not necessarily need to be fastened into the wall 560). In the configuration shown in FIG. 5A, the one or more uprights specifically includes three uprights (a first upright 502, a second upright 504, and a third upright 506), however, any other number of uprights may also be provided, depending on the desired configuration of the storage system 500.

The one or more uprights may be suspended from the primary 508 rail using a similar mechanism by which the modular cabinet 102 suspends from the rail 130 in FIG. 1A. For example, the one or more uprights may also include an engagement element including one or more protrusions that extend downwards into the recess formed between the primary rail 508 and the wall 560 such that the engagement members “hook” onto the rail 508. Any of the uprights may also be removably affixed to the wall 560 as well once the entire system 500 is aligned and in place. For example, the uprights may be affixed to the wall using fasteners, adhesives, etc.

FIG. 5F shows a close-up view of an engagement of an upright 502 (however, any other upright may be applicable) with the primary rail 508. Similar to the manner in which the modular cabinet 102 (or any other modular cabinet) engages with the rail 130 as shown in FIGS. 1B-1C, the upright 502 (or any other upright) may engage with the primary rail 508 via an engagement element 560.

In some embodiments, rather than using a single primary rail 508, multiple primary rails 508 may be provided in combination. For example, if it is desired for the width of the storage system 500 to be increased, another primary rail may be provided adjacent to the primary rail 508 to form a combined primary rail that is greater in length than the primary rail 508. This allows for even further uprights to be provided to form a larger storage system 500 to accommodate additional items for storage.

In addition to the primary rail 508 that is used to suspend the one or more uprights, one or more secondary rails may also be provided at various intervals between the uprights. For example, FIG. 5A shows first secondary rail 512, second secondary rail 514, third secondary rail 516, and fourth secondary rail 518 as provided between the three uprights (however, any other number of secondary rails may also be provided at various intervals). A close-up view of these secondary rails is also shown in FIG. 5B.

While the primary rail 508 serves as the structure from which the one or more uprights suspend, the secondary rails instead serve as structures for attaching various storage accessories. For example, FIG. 5A shows various types of accessories that have been removably attached to the one or more secondary rails, such as a first storage accessory 517 that includes two hooks for hanging items and a second storage accessory 518 that includes a single hook for hanging items. These are merely non-limiting examples of types of accessories that may be suspended from the one or more secondary rails and any other accessories providing any other types of storage capabilities may also be provided. The secondary rails may also serve the dual purpose of providing additional structural rigidity to the storage system 500.

As shown in FIG. 5C, secondary rail 512 (while reference is made to a single secondary rail 512, the same may be applicable to any other secondary rail) includes brackets (for example, first bracket 560 and second bracket 562) provided on both ends of the secondary rail 512. The brackets may be permanently affixed to the ends of the secondary rail 512 through welding or in any other manner. The brackets may also be removably affixed to the secondary rail 512 using fasteners or through any other type of mechanism. The brackets may secure the secondary rail 512 between any two uprights by providing fasteners through apertures provided on the brackets and corresponding apertures provided on the uprights. Apertures may be provided along the length of the uprights at various intervals such that the secondary rail 512 may be secured between the uprights at various heights depending on the configuration desired by the user. Securing the secondary rails to the uprights directly rather than securing the secondary rails only to the wall 560 provides an easier mechanism by which the secondary rails may be aligned with the uprights at various heights within the storage system 500. This also removes the need to provide fasteners into the wall 560, which reduces the number of holes that would otherwise be produced in the halls to accommodate the fasteners. When it is desired for a secondary rail to be moved to another location to adjust the configuration of the storage system 500, the fasteners may be removed from the brackets and the secondary rail may be adjusted to a different location. Once the secondary rail is positioned at the new location, the brackets may again be fastened to the uprights.

In some embodiments, the one or more secondary rails may also be secured into the wall 560 using fasteners to provide further anchoring points for the storage system 500. However, in other embodiments, the one or more secondary rails may instead only be secured to the one or more uprights.

The storage system 500 may also include one or more cabinets to provide another type of storage capability for the storage system 500. The top surface 538 of the first cabinet 526 and the top surface 540 of the second cabinet 528 may also serve as a bench seat for a user as well.

FIG. 5D shows a close-up perspective view of the cabinets and FIG. 5E shows a close-up front view of the cabinets. As shown in FIG. 5D, each of the cabinets may include a door provided on a front end of the cabinet (for example, cabinet 526 includes door 550 and cabinet 528 includes door 552. Although the cabinets are shown as including a hinge on a bottom edge of the front of the cabinet such that the doors open downward, this is not intended to be limiting and the doors may also open in any other direction (for example, the doors may open left to right, right to left, up to down, etc.). Opening the doors reveals an interior space within the cabinets that may be used to store various items. For example, FIG. 5D shows interior 554 of cabinet 528.

Similar to other components of the storage system 500, the cabinets may be removably attached to the one or more uprights. To provide further support to the cabinets (which may be useful if a user desired to use the cabinets as a bench), one or more standoffs are provided on the bottom surfaces of the cabinets. For example, FIG. 5D shows standoffs 530-536 as being provided underneath cabinets 526 and 528. However, the standoffs 530-536 are not necessarily required and, in some embodiments, the cabinets 526 and 528 may be provided without standoffs (this applies to any other standoffs described herein).

The storage system 500 may also include one or more dividers (for example, divider 520, divider 522, divider 524, and/or any other number of dividers). The one or more dividers may be removably attached to the one or more uprights to provide distinct regions in the storage system 500 for organizational purposes, for example.

Any of the dividers may be removably attached to any of the uprights. To this end, the one or more uprights may include one or more brackets that extend outward from the one or more uprights. As one example, the first upright 502 in FIG. 5A is shown as including a first bracket 570 and a second bracket 572 (any other number of brackets may also be provided). The first bracket 570 and the second bracket 572 may include apertures through which fasteners may be provided. To install the first divider 520 on the first upright 502, the first divider 520 is aligned with the first upright 502 and the fasteners are provided through the apertures of the first bracket 570 and the second bracket 572 and into the first divider 520. In some embodiments, however, the brackets may instead be provided on the dividers and the fasteners may be provided through the brackets attached to the dividers and into apertures on the one or more uprights. The dividers may also be permanent structures included on the one or more uprights in some instances as well.

The storage system 500 may also include one or more shelves 542. As shown in FIG. 5G, the one or more shelves 542 may be affixed to one or more dividers of the storage system, however, the one or more shelves 542 may also be secured to the storage system 500 in any other manner.

While FIG. 5A shows that the dividers extend down the length of the uprights to the top surfaces of the cabinets provided at the bottom of the storage system 500, this is only one example configuration of the dividers. For example, the storage system 600 shown in FIG. 6 includes similar components as the storage system 500 in FIG. 5 (for example, primary rail 608 may be similar to primary rail 508, first upright 602 may be similar to first upright 502, cabinet 626 may be similar to cabinet 526, etc.). However, rather than including dividers that extend down the length of the uprights, the storage system 600 instead includes multiple, smaller dividers (first divider 620 and second divider 621 are provided on first upright 602, third divider 622 and fourth divider 623 are provided on second upright 604 and fifth divider 624 and sixth divider 625 are provided on third upright 606).

FIGS. 7A-7B show perspective views of another type of storage system (specifically, an overhead storage system 700). Similar to the storage systems shown in FIGS. 1-6, the overhead storage system 700 may also include a rail 702 that is mountable to a surface, such as a wall 730 or any other type of surface. The rail 702 may be mounted to the wall 730 in a horizontal orientation as shown in FIGS. 7A-7B.

The overhead storage system 700 may also include one or more vertical members (for example, first vertical member 704, second vertical member 706, and/or any other number of vertical members). In some embodiments, rather than the vertical members being fastened directly into the wall 730 the first vertical member 704 and the second vertical member 706 may removably mount to the rail 702 such that the first vertical member 704 and the second vertical member 706 suspend from the rail 702. However, in other embodiments, the vertical members may also be fastened to the wall 730 in addition to being suspended from the rail 702.

The overhead storage system 700 may also include a shelf 712, which may be formed from a wire mesh material. However, the shelf 712 may also be a solid material or any other type of material as well. The shelf may be used to hold various types of items for storage.

FIGS. 8A-8B show perspective views of another overhead storage system 800. Similar to the overhead storage system 700, the overhead storage system may include a shelf 812. In some embodiments, the shelf 812 may be made from a wire mesh, however, the shelf 812 may also be a solid material as well. The overhead storage system 800 may also include a rail 802 that is mounted to a wall 830, however, rather than the overhead storage system 800 being suspended from the rail 802 via vertical members (as is the case in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7A-7B), in FIGS. 8A-8B the shelf 812 itself includes one or more brackets (for example, a first bracket 808 and a second bracket 810 that engage with the rail 802 to suspend the overhead storage system 800 from the rail 802.

Also similar to the overhead storage system 700 of FIGS. 7A-7B, the overhead storage system 800 of FIGS. 8A-8B includes one or more supporting members (for example, supporting member 804 and supporting member 806). Similar to the one or more supporting members shown in FIGS. 7A-7B, the one or more supporting members shown in FIGS. 8A-8B may be attached to the shelf 812 (for example, the one or more supporting members may be fastened to the shelf 812 or may be attached to the shelf 812 using any other mechanism). However, in contrast, with the one or more supporting members shown in FIGS. 7A-8B, the one or more supporting members shown in FIGS. 8A-8B are anchored to the wall 830 at a second end (for example, using fasteners or any other suitable mechanism). Similar to the one or more supporting members shown in FIGS. 7A-7B, the one or more supporting members shown in FIGS. 8A-8B also provide further support for the shelf 812 and further resist rotation of the shelf 812 about an imaginary axis passing through the length of the rail 802.

Although certain product features, functions, components, and parts have been described herein in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure, the scope of coverage of this patent is not limited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all embodiments of the teachings of the disclosure that fairly fall within the scope of permissible equivalents.

Unless otherwise noted, the terms used herein are to be understood according to conventional usage by those of ordinary skill in the relevant art. In addition to the definitions of terms provided below, it is to be understood that as used in the specification and in the claims, “a” or “an” may mean one or more, depending upon the context in which it is used.

Throughout this application, the term “include,” “include(s)” or “including” means “including but not limited to.” Note that certain embodiments may be described relating to a single glass, but the corresponding description should be read to include embodiments of two or more glasses. Different features, variations, and multiple different embodiments are shown and described herein with various details. What has been described in this application at times in terms of specific embodiments is done for illustrative purposes only and without the intent to limit or suggest that what has been conceived is only one particular embodiment or specific embodiments. It is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to any single specific embodiments or enumerated variations. Many modifications, variations and other embodiments will come to mind of those skilled in the art, and which are intended to be and are in fact covered by this disclosure. It is indeed intended that the scope of this disclosure should be determined by a proper legal interpretation and construction of the disclosure, including equivalents, as understood by those of skill in the art relying upon the complete disclosure present at the time of filing.

Conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain implementations could include, while other implementations do not include, certain features, elements, and/or operations. Thus, such conditional language generally is not intended to imply that features, elements, and/or operations are in any way required for one or more implementations or that one or more implementations necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements, and/or operations are included or are to be performed in any particular implementation.

What has been described herein in the present specification and drawings includes examples of systems, apparatuses, methods, devices, and/or techniques. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components and/or methods for purposes of describing the various elements of the disclosure, but it may be recognized that many further combinations and permutations of the disclosed elements are possible. Accordingly, it may be apparent that various modifications may be made to the disclosure without departing from the scope thereof. In addition, or as an alternative, other embodiments of the disclosure may be apparent from consideration of the specification and annexed drawings, and practice of the disclosure as presented herein. It is intended that the examples put forth in the specification and annexed drawings be considered, in all respects, as illustrative and not limiting. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.