Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02582839 2007-03-22
This invention is directed toward a storage locker.
Storage lockers are presently constructed with walls composed of wood or
metal framing covered with panels of material to close in the locker storage
space.
The lockers are usually built against a wall of a building containing the
lockers to
have the building wall form the back wall of the locker. Adjacent lockers have
a
common side wall. The framing is rigid enough to define the shape of the
locker.
Locker construction using framing is however relatively expensive. Locker
construction using framing is also difficult to modify to adapt the locker
walls to
uneven floors and walls and to pipes and ductwork close to the ceiling of the
room
containing the lockers.
It is the purpose of the present invention to provide storage lockers which
are
easier to construct and less expensive to manufacture. It is another purpose
of the
present invention to provide storage lockers which can be easily and
inexpensively
modified during construction to accommodate building construction anomalies
where
the lockers are to be located.
In accordance with the present invention, the lockers are constructed without
the need to provide a rigid frame to define the shape of the locker. Instead,
the
locker walls comprise self-supporting wire mesh panelling mounted on spaced-
apart
posts and, when needed, mounted directly to one or more walls of the building.
The
panelling comprises wire mesh panels which are defined by vertical and
horizontal
wires, the wires joined where they cross. The vertical and horizontal wires
are
spaced apart to form open squares which are generally small enough to prevent
an
adult's hand from passing through a square. The wires are also large enough to
have the panel self-supporting and to retain its flat shape when stood on an
edge.
The locker is constructed by first mounting a number of adjustable length
posts between the floor and ceiling of a storage space in the building. The
posts are
spaced apart and define at least a portion of the perimeter of the storage
area of the
locker, the remainder of the perimeter defined by any portion of the building
walls
which may be used as the back, and even as one side, of the locker. The posts
are
spaced apart along the perimeter of the locker with posts at the corners of
the
perimeter which corners are located away from the building walls.
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Panels of wire mesh are then attached to the posts and to any of the building
walls, if used, to enclose the storage area of the locker. The wire mesh
panels are
rigid enough to be self supporting and are attached to the posts with suitable
fastening means and to the building walls defining part of the perimeter of
the locker
with brackets on the walls and suitable fastening means joining the panels to
the
brackets.
The storage lockers can also be closed with roofs of the same wire mesh
panelling used in the walls if needed. The wire mesh wall panels are normally
made
for roofs eight feet high, the panels sized to leave some space between the
ceiling of
the storage area and the top of the panels when installed but not enough to
provide
entry into the locker over the panels. However, there are storage areas in
buildings
with ceilings ten feet high or even higher that are used for storage locker
locations.
In these areas the lockers can be provided with wire mesh roofs to close off
the top
of the lockers and thus prevent entry into the lockers over the top of the
locker
walls.
The lockers are usually employed in storage areas where there are water
sprinklers for fire protection in the ceiling. To be able to access each water
sprinkler,
each locker roof is preferably comprised of two half roof sections, one roof
section
attached hingedly along one edge to one side wall of the locker and the other
roof
section attached hingedly along one edge to the other side wall. Both roof
sections
are normally horizontal and sized to slightly overlap. They are detachably
secured
together in the overlap area to retain them in a horizontal position closing
the top of
the locker. When servicing of the sprinklers is required, the roof sections
can be
disconnected from each other allowing them to swing down inside the locker
against
the side walls. In this position, the top of the locker is open to provide
access to the
sprinkler.
The invention is particularly directed toward a storage locker for use in a
storage space of a building, the storage space having side walls, a floor and
a
ceiling. The locker comprises a plurality of spaced-apart, vertical posts
defining at
least two adjacent walls of the storage locker, one of the posts at the corner
where
the walls defined by the posts join, the one post common to both walls. The
posts
are fixedly mounted between the floor and ceiling of the storage space.
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One wall defined by the posts has a closure mounted therein, the closure
mounted between adjacent posts, including the corner post, defining at least
part of
the one wall. The other wall of the locker includes self-supporting wire mesh
panels
mounted between the posts, the panels extending substantially between the
floor
and ceiling. The other wall includes a panel extending from the post in the
wall
farthest from the corner post to the building wall to be attached to the
building wall.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a storage locker;
Fig. 2 is a side view of the locker;
Fig. 3 is a front view of the locker;
Fig. 4 is a top view of the locker;
Fig. 5 is perspective view of an adjustable length post used in the locker;
Fig. 6 is a perspective view of clips used to fasten wire panels to the posts;
Fig. 7 is a perspective view of brackets used to attach wire panels to a
building wall;
Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing a detail of the transom connection to the
corner post;
Fig. 9 is a plan view of another embodiment of the locker;
Fig. 10 is a plan view of a further embodiment of the locker;
Fig. 11 is a plan view of yet another embodiment showing the start of a set of
lockers;
Fig. 12 is a plan view of still another embodiment of the locker;
Fig. 13 is a cross-section view of a locker with a roof with the roof partly
open;
Fig. 14 is a top view of the locker with the roof;
Fig. 15 is a detail perspective view showing a roof section attached to a wall
panel;
Fig. 16 is a detail perspective view showing one roof section attached to
another;
Fig. 17 is a top view showing a modification of the roof; and
Fig. 18 is cross-section view similar to Fig. 13 but showing a modification of
the roof where it is recessed within the locker walls.
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The locker 1 is adapted to be built in a storage area 3 such as in the
basement of an apartment building. As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the storage area
3 in
the building is defined by a floor 5, a ceiling 7, and walls, two walls 9, 11
of which
are shown. The locker has at least four straight walls 13, 15, 17, and 19
joined to
define a storage space 21. The floor area of the locker 1 defined by the walls
13, 15,
17 and 19 is usually rectangular but it could have a square or irregular shape
as
well.
At least two adjacent walls 13, 15 of the locker 1 have spaced apart posts
23A, 23B, 23C extending between the floor 5 and ceiling 7 of the storage area
3.
The posts are identical. The posts are spaced apart a standard distance, such
as four
feet for example. The posts are preferably adjustable in length as will be
described
and are fastened to both the floor 5 and ceiling 7. The walls 13, 15 are
normally
perpendicular to each other and joined at a first corner 25 where there is a
post 23A
common to both walls. The first wall 13 is an end wall of the locker and the
second
wall 15, which is longer than the first wall 13, is a side wall of the locker.
The first
wall 13 has two spaced apart posts 23A, 23B with a closure 27 mounted to and
between the posts, the closure providing access to the locker storage space
21. The
second post 23B is adjacent the fourth wall 19 of the locker. The second wall
15 also
has two spaced apart posts 23A, 23B with wire mesh panelling 29 extending over
its
length, the panelling joined to the posts including the corner post 23A and
extending
to the third wall 17 of the locker. The third wall 17 of the locker, an end
wall and
opposite the first wall 13, is formed by a portion of the building wall 9. The
fourth
wall 19 of the locker, a side wall and opposite the second wall 15, is formed
by a
portion of the other wall 11 of the building. The third and fourth walls 17,
19 of the
locker join to form a right angle second corner 31 of the locker diagonally
opposite
the right angle first corner 25 formed by the first and second walls 13, 15.
The side
wall 15 of the locker could have more than two posts 23A, 23C if the locker is
made
larger as could the end wall 13.
The closure 27 has a door 35, the door hinged on one side 37 to the corner
post 23A. There are co-operating latch means (not shown) on the other side 39
of
the door 35 and on the second post 23B to be used to close and lock the door.
The
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transom space above the closure 27 is closed by a self-supporting wire panel
40
fastened to the posts 23A, 23B in a manner to be described.
The wire mesh panelling 29 preferably comprises wire mesh panels 41 of
standard width, the width generally matching the standard spacing employed
between the posts 23A, 23C. A first panel 41A extends between the posts 23A,
23C
and is fastened to both posts. A second panel 41B extends between the second
post
23C and the end wall 17. The second panel 41B can be cut to fit the length
between
the second post 23C and the end wall 17 if the distance is less than the
standard
distance. The second panel is fastened to both the second post 23C and the end
wall
17.
In more detail, each post 23A, 23B, 23C, as shown in Fig. 5, has a main
tubular member 43 with a top leg 45 and a bottom leg 47 extending out from the
top and bottom ends 49, 51, respectively of the member 43. The legs 45, 47 are
telescopically mounted in the post member 43. The legs 45, 47 are
substantially the
same except for top leg 45 being longer than bottom leg 47 so only one leg
will be
described in detail. Bottom leg 47 has a mounting post 53 sized to snugly fit
within
the post member 43, and a mounting plate 55 extending across one end 57 of the
mounting post 53. The mounting plate 55 has fastening openings 59 at its ends,
one
on either side of the mounting post 53. The tubular post member 43 has a
square
cross-section, as do the mounting posts 53 of the legs 45, 47.
Each post 23 is long enough to extend between the floor 5 and the ceiling 7
of the storage area 3 with the legs 45, 47 telescopically extended from the
ends of
the post member 43. Each post 23 can be mounted in position by first fastening
the
mounting plate 55 of the bottom leg 47 to the floor 5 with suitable fasteners
(not
shown) passing through the openings 57 and then mounting the post member 43,
carrying the top leg 45, on the bottom leg 47. The top leg 45 is then extended
from
the top of the post member 43 to the ceiling 7 and its mounting plate 55 is
attached
to the ceiling with suitable fasteners (not shown). Finally, the post member
43 is
raised several inches from the floor 5, relative to the top and bottom legs
45, 47 and
then fastened in place with a screw 60 inserted through a wall of the post
member
43 into the mounting post 53 of leg 45. The posts are mounted to have their
inner
wall, facing into the storage space, aligned. The post construction permits
solid
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mounting of the posts to the floor and ceiling even if one of the floor or
ceiling
slopes or is otherwise uneven with respect to the other. While one telescopic
post
construction has been described, other constructions could be used. For
example,
the bottom leg 45 could be fixed to the post member43. Then only the top leg
45 is
telescopic. In another example, the screw 60 could be fastened to the bottom
leg
instead of to the top leg.
Each wire mesh panel 41, as shown in Fig. 6, is composed of evenly spaced
apart vertical wires 61 transversely crossing evenly spaced apart horizontal
wires 63,
the wires attached where they cross by spot-welding or the like and forming
squares
65 small enough to prevent a person's hand from passing through. The squares
are
preferably around two inches to a side although they can range from around one
and half to two and half inches to a side. The wires 61, 63 are around six or
eight
gauge in size but can range between four and ten gauge. The wider the spacing
between the posts, the thicker the wire used. The wires are normally
galvanized and
thus do not require painting when cut. The panels 41 are normally constructed
to
have a vertical wire 61A adjacent each side edge 67 of the panel and a
horizontal
wire 63A adjacent each top and bottom edge. The panels are rigid enough to
generally keep their shape during handling and installation.
Wire clips 71 are used to attach the panels 41 to the posts 23A, 23B, etc..
Each clip 71 is generally 'P' shaped, when viewed from the top, with a pair of
flat
adjacent legs 73, 75 forming the stem of the 7, the legs joined at one end by
a loop
77 forming the loop of the 7. The free ends of the legs 73, 75 have aligned
holes
79 there through. The wire clips 71 are attached to each vertical wire 61A at
the
vertical edges 67 of the panels 41 at spaced apart vertical locations,
starting at the
top edge of the panel, and usually about two to three feet apart. There is
usually a
clip at or near the bottom edge of the panel as well. The clips are attached
by
manipulating the clip 71 to place the side edge wire 61A on the panel between
the
legs 73, 75 of the clip and into the loop 77. Each clip 71 is fastened onto
the flat
inner wall 81 of the post member 43 of the posts by a screw fastener 83 passed
through the aligned holes 79 in the legs 73, 75 . The flat wall 81 of the post
member
43 faces into the storage space 21 and the clips 71 are within the storage
space.
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The free end of the last panel 41B in the side wall 15 is attached to the
second end wall 17 formed by part of the building wall 9 by brackets 85 and
clips 71
as shown in Fig. 7. The brackets 85 are sections of angle members having a
first leg
87 for attachment to the end wall 17 and a second leg 89 at right angles to
the first
leg 87 for attachment to the panel 41B with the clips 71. A vertical line of
brackets
85 are attached to the end wall 17 by fasteners 91, such as screw fasteners,
passing
through fastener openings 93 in the first leg 87, the first leg 87 being flush
against
the wall 17. The brackets 85 are attached to have the second legs 89 aligned
with
the inner wall 81 of the posts 23A, 23C in the side wall 15, the brackets 85
being
inside the locker when the locker is completed. The last vertical wire 67B in
the free
end of the panel 41B is held by clips 71 to the brackets 85 and thus to the
end wall
17. The clips 71 are attached, via their legs 73, 75, to the second bracket
leg 89 by
fasteners 95, such as carriage bolts, passed through the aligned holes 79 in
the clip
legs 73, 75 and fastener openings 97 in the leg 89.
The transom panel 40 is attached to the posts 23A, 23B in the end wall 13
using the clips 71A. As shown in Fig. 8, the clips 71A are the same as clips
71 but
can have longer legs 73A, 75A if needed. The clips 71A are attached to sides
of the
panel 40 by the loops 77, the loops 77 encircling the vertical end wire 95 in
the sides
of the panel 40. The legs 73A, 75A of the transom clips 71A pass under the
side
edge wire 61A of the panel 41 attached to post 23A and are attached to the
flat
inner wall 81 of the post member 43 of post 23A by suitable screw fasteners
83. The
clips 71A on the post 23A are vertically spaced from the clips 71 fastening
panel 41
to the post 23A. The other side of the transom panel 40 is attached to the
flat inner
wall of post 23B in a similar manner. It will be seen that the clips 71, 71A
on the
corner post 23A are inside the wire panel 41 and the transom 40.
The locker described is relatively small and narrow. The locker can be made
larger by widening the end wall and by lengthening the side wall. As shown in
the
Fig. 9, the locker 101 has an end wall 113 that includes a panel section 141C
extending from the second post 123B in the wall to the other sidewall 119 of
the
locker formed by the other building wall 111. The panel section 141C is cut to
the
length needed to span the distance between the second post 123B and the
sidewall
119 and is fastened to the second post 123B by clips and to the second
sidewall 119
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by brackets 185 fastened to the sidewall and clips fastening the panel 141C to
the
brackets 185. The panel section 141C is aligned with the closure 127. The
panel
section 141C could be a standard width and the end wall 113 could terminate
with a
third post member (not shown) aligned with the first and second post members
123A, 123B and fastened directly adjacent the second sidewall. The first
sidewall
115 could be lengthened by adding one or more additional posts aligned with
the
posts 123A, 123C.
The locker has been described as being mounted in a corner of a building.
The locker could also be constructed to be mounted against one wall only of
the
building. As shown in Fig. 10 the locker 201 has second and third parallel
side walls
215, 219 extending transversely out from the building wall 209, a portion of
which
forms an end wall 217 of the locker. The side walls 215, 219 are joined by an
end
wall 213 having a closure 227 therein. The sidewalls 215, 219 are constructed
the
same as the sidewall 15 in the first embodiment shown in Fig. 1, with the
posts 223
in the side walls 215, 219 attached to the floor 205 and ceiling of the
bulding
storage space and the wire mesh panels 241 attached to the posts 223 with
clips
and with the last panel 241B in each side wall 215, 219 attached to the
building wall
209 with brackets 285 and clips. The end wall 213 could be as wide as the end
wall
13 shown in the first embodiment in Fig. 1 or could be wider as shown by the
end
wall 113 in the second embodiment shown in Fig. 9.
The construction could be used to provide a set of adjacent lockers. After the
first corner locker 1 has been built, as shown in Fig. 1, additional lockers
can be
added. The first addtional locker 301, as shown in Fig. 11 , is added by
merely
building two additional walls 313, 315 onto the first locker 1. The first
additional wall
313 is built as an extension of the first wall 13 in the first locker 1 using
one
additional post 323A and a closure 327 which extends between the one
additional
post 323A and the first corner post 23A in the first locker 1. The one
additional post
323A itself forms a first corner post in the second locker 301. The second
wall 315
is built the same as the first wall 15 in the first locker 1 with post 323
including the
corner post 323A and wire mesh panels 341 and is parallel to the second wall
15 of
the first locker. The second wall 315 abuts the building wall 9 and is
attached
thereto with brackets 385 and clips. A portion of the building wall 9 forms
the third
8
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wall 317 of the second locker opposite the first wall 313. The second wall 15
of the
first locker 1 forms the fourth wall 319 of the second locker 301, parallel to
the
second wall 315 of the second locker 301. Additional lockers are added in the
same
manner one after the other using two additional walls for each additional
locker,
incorporating one wall of the previoius locker as a wall of the new locker and
using a
new portion of the building wall as the fourth wall of the new locker.
The additional lockers can have a width the same as the width of the locker
shown in Fig. 1 or the same as the width of the locker shown in Fig. 9. The
additional lockers can be added to the corner locker shown in Fig. 1 or to the
building wall backed locker shown in Fig. 10.
The locker could also be built free of the building walls if desired or if
needed
with all the walls of the locker solely formed of posts and wire mesh panels,
there
being a post at each corner of the locker common to two adjacent walls. As
shown
in Fig. 12, the locker 401 has side walls 415, 419 joined by end walls 413,
417. The
end wall 413 has a closure 427 therein. The side walls 415, 419 have spaced-
apart
posts 423 attached to the floor 405 and ceiling of the storage space, with a
corner
post 423A and 423B at each end of each side wall and one or more intermediate
posts 423C between the corner posts depending on the length of the side walls.
The
corner posts 423A, 423B of each side wall 415, 419 are common with the end
walls
413, 417. The side walls 415, 419 each have wire mesh panels 441 extending
between the posts 423 in each side wall, the wire panels being the same as the
wire
panels used in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1. The wire panels 441 extend
between adjacent posts 423 and are attached to the inner wall of the posts 423
with
clips as in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1. The end walls 413, 417 are also
each
composed of posts and wire mesh panels. If the locker is narrow, the end walls
may
each have only two spaced apart posts, the posts in the end wall 417 being the
corner posts 423A in both side walls 415, 419 and the posts in the end wall
413
being the corner posts 423B in the side walls 415, 419. The closure 427 in the
end
wall 413 extends between the two common corner posts 423B. A transom (not
shown) is provided above the closure 427, and attached to the corner posts
423B in
the same manner the transom 40 is attached to the posts 23A, 23B as shown in
Fig.
8, to complete the end wall 413. A wire panel 443 can extend between the
common
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corner posts 423A in the side walls 415, 419 to form the end wall 417. The
wire
mesh panel 443 is attached to the posts 423A with clips in the same manner
that the
transom 40 is attached to the corner posts 23A, 23B as shown in Fig. 8. The
clips
attaching the wire panels and the transom to the posts are all located within
the
storage space. The locker could be made wider if desired with the end panels
having
one or more intermediate posts between their corner posts.
The locker 401 can have a width the same as the width of the locker shown in
Fig. 1 or the same as the width of the locker shown in Fig. 9. A set of the
free
standing lockers can be made in generally the same manner as the set of
lockers
shown in Fig. 11 are made with the exception that an additional end wall 417
is
needed for each locker.
Any of the lockers described above can be provided with roofs if needed. As
shown in Figs. 13 to 16, a locker 401 by way of example, as described in Fig.
12,
can be provided with a roof 449. The roof 449 is shown closd in Fig. 13. The
roof is
made of the same wire mesh panelling as the side walls 415, 419 of the locker.
The
roof 449 is in two half sections 451, 453. One half section 451 is hingedly
mounted
by hinge means 455 along one long side 457 to the top 459 of the side wall 415
as
shown in Figs. 13 and 15. The other half section 453 is hingedly mounted by
hinge
means 461 along one long side 463 to the top 465 of the other side wall 419.
The
hinge means 455 comprises the outer wire 467 defining the one long side 457 of
the
half roof section 451, the top wire 469 defining the top 459 of the side wall
415, and
a plurality of longitudinally spaced apart clips 471 which are the same as the
clips 71
previously described. The loop 473 of each clip receives the wires 467, 469
and the
legs 475, 477 of the clip are joined by a nut and bolt fastener 479 to retain
the wires
in the loop. The wires 467, 469 are loosely held in the loops 473 allowing the
roof
section 451 to pivot about the top wire 469 of the side wall 415. The hinge
means
461 is the same as the hinge means 455 using clips 471 to join the outer wire
in the
other roof section 453 to the top wire in the other side wall 419.
The roof sections 451, 453 can abut when pivoted to a horizontal position but
preferably one section is slightly wider than the other so they slightly
overlap when
pivoted to a horizontal position as shown in Fig. 16. Clips 471 join adjacent
wires
481, 483 from the roof sections 451, 453 respectively in the overlapping
section to
CA 02582839 2007-03-22
have the roof sections form the roof 449. The clips 471 extend over the length
of the
roof sections 415, 453 at predetermined intervals in the overlapped section.
Normally, the roof 449 of the locker is located some distance below the
ceiling 481
of the storage space to provide clearance for any sprinkler head 483 located
over
the locker as shown in Fig. 13. If there is sprinkler head 483 above the roof
449 of
the locker and it needs to be serviced, the clips 471 joining the roof
sections 451,
453 together are removed allowing both roof sections to swing down inside the
locker, as shown by their dotted line position and arrows 'A' in Fig. 13. to
rest
against the side walls 415, 419 thus opening up the top of the locker.
Where a roof is to be provided for a locker having a side wall provided by a
building wall, the roof section is hinged to the building wall with brackets
similar to
the brackets 85 employed to fasten the wire mesh panels of the side wall to
the
building wall as shown in Fig. 1. The hinge clips are attached to the
outermost wire
of the roof section and then bolted to the brackets which extend across the
length of
the locker on the building wall at spaced apart intervals.
To make it easier to mount and to open and close the roof 449, each roof
section 451, 453 can be composed of two or more individual roof panels. Roof
sections 451', 453' of roof 449' are each composed of two roof panels 491, 492
and
493, 494 respectively as shown in Fig. 17. Each panel 491, 492 in roof section
451' is
opposite a similar panel 493, 494 in roof section 453'. Panels 491 and 493
overlap as
do panels 492 and 494 when the roof 449' is closed, the overlapping panels
joined
to each other by clips 471' the same as clips 471 used to join roof sections
451, 453.
Panels 491, 492 are hingedly connected along an outer side to the top of a
sidewall
415' of a locker by hinge means 459' in the same manner that roof section 451
was
connected to sidewall 415. Similarly panels 493, 494 are hingedly connected
along
an outer side to the top of a sidewall 419' by hinge means 461' in the same
manner
that the roof section 453 was connected to sidewall 419. The hinge means 459',
461'
are the same as the hinge means 459, 461 used for the roof sections 451, 453
just
not as long. The individual panels are easier to move than the half roof
sections, and
if there is a sprinkler head within the locker perimeter that needs servicing
only the
panels under the head need be moved to provide access to it and not the entire
roof.
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In some cases where the lockers are built in storage areas with say eight foot
six ceilings, the locker roof may have to be recessed within the locker to
provide
clearance for any sprinkler heads. As shown in Fig. 18, in such a low storage
area,
the roof sections 451", 453", or the panels making up the roof sections, of
the roof
449" are hingedly mounted to the side walls 415", 419" of the locker 410"
below,
the top 459" of the side walls and probably level with the top of the door.
The
recessed roof 449" would prevent the person using the locker 410" from piling
goods
and possessions close to the sprinkler head 483". Building codes normally
require a
suitable clearance for the sprinkler head.
The wire mesh panels in the side walls of the lockers make it very easy to
accommodate piping or ducts in or near the ceiling of the building storage
space.
Openings are easily cut in the mesh from the top of the panel down to
accommodate
any pipes or ducts entering or leaving or traversing the lockers.
12
