Wire basket construction for storage rack

Abstract

A wire basket useful in an over-the-door storage rack or a wall mounted application has wire front and side panels and criss-crossing wires forming a bottom. The wires in the front and side panels lie in vertical planes but are inclined from vertical within those planes to enable the baskets to nest for compact packaging. A short back panel occupies a vertical plane and is formed by inclined wires to accommodate nesting. The basket can be used with like baskets hung on frames mounted on a door to readily store thin, flat articles due to the vertical wall panels.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A storage basket comprising: 
 an upper rim;    a pair of opposite side panels each including a plurality of spaced apart side wires extending from said rim with the side wires on said opposite side panels contained in substantially parallel planes, each of said side wires having a slanted orientation offset from vertical;    a front panel extending between said side panels and including a plurality of spaced apart front wires extending from said rim and contained in a plane substantially perpendicular to said planes of the side panels, each of said front wires having a slanted orientation offset from vertical; and    a bottom connected with said side panels and said front panel.    
     
     
         2 . A storage basket as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said bottom includes a plurality of crisscrossing bottom wires connected with said side wires and with said front wires.  
     
     
         3 . A storage basket as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 said front panel presents a pair of opposite side portions; and    said front wires in one of said side portions are slanted oppositely to said front wires in the other of said side portions.    
     
     
         4 . A storage basket as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 said rim has an inside surface and an outside surface; and    each of said side wires and front wires is connected with said inside surface of said rim.    
     
     
         5 . A storage basket as set forth in  claim 1 , including a back panel extending upwardly from said bottom and including a plurality of spaced apart back wires contained in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of said front panel, each of said back wires having a slanted orientation offset from vertical.  
     
     
         6 . A storage basket as set forth in  claim 5 , wherein said bottom includes a plurality of criss-crossing bottom wires connected with said side wires and with said front and back wires.  
     
     
         7 . A storage basket as set forth in  claim 5 , wherein said back panel terminates at a location below said rim.  
     
     
         8 . A storage basket as set forth in  claim 7 , including a substantially horizontal top wire on said back panel extending between upper ends of said back wires.  
     
     
         9 . A storage basket as set forth in  claim 8 , including: 
 a pair of free ends on said top wire; and    a pair of in-turned ends on said rim spaced above and substantially parallel to said free ends, said free ends and in-turned ends being adapted for hanging the basket on a support.    
     
     
         10 . A basket adapted to nest within a like basket, comprising: 
 an upper rim having a pair of opposite side rim portions and a front rim portion;    a pair of opposite side panels extending downwardly from said side rim portions in substantially parallel planes, each side panel including a plurality of spaced apart side wires extending in one of said planes at a slanted orientation offset from vertical;    a front panel extending downwardly from said front rim portion in a front plane substantially perpendicular to said planes of the side panels, said front panel including a plurality of spaced-apart front wires extending in said front plane at a slanted orientation offset from vertical; and    a bottom extending between said side panels.    
     
     
         11 . A basket as set forth in  claim 10 , wherein said bottom includes a plurality of criss-crossing bottom wires connected with said side wires and with said front wires.  
     
     
         12 . A basket as set forth in  claim 10 , wherein: 
 each side rim portion has an inside surface and an outside surface, said side wires being connected to said inside surface of each side rim portion; and    said front rim portion has an inside surface and an outside surface, said front wires being connected to said inside surface of said front rim portion.    
     
     
         13 . A basket as set forth in  claim 10 , including a back panel extending upwardly from said bottom and including a plurality of spaced apart back wires contained in a plane substantially parallel to said front plane, each of said back wires having a slanted orientation offset from vertical.  
     
     
         14 . A basket as set forth in  claim 13 , wherein said back panel terminates at a location below said upper rim.  
     
     
         15 . A storage rack for hanging on a door, comprising: 
 a pair of spaced apart side frames adapted to be hung on a door; and    a plurality of baskets connected to extend between said side frames at vertically spaced positions, each basket including: 
 (a) a pair of opposite side panels each including a plurality of spaced apart side wires contained in a substantially vertical plane, each side wire having a slanted attitude offset from vertical;  
 (b) a front panel extending between said side panels and including a plurality of spaced apart front wires contained in a plane substantially perpendicular to the planes of said side panels, each front wire having a slanted attitude offset from vertical;  
 (c) a bottom connected with said side and front panels; and  
 (d) a back end portion of each side panel having a detachable connection to one of said side frames.  
   
     
     
         16 . A storage rack as set forth in  claim 15 , including a back panel extending upwardly from said bottom and including a plurality of spaced apart back wires contained in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of said front panel, each of said back wires having a slanted orientation offset from vertical.  
     
     
         17 . A storage rack as set forth in  claim 16 , including: 
 a rim extending along upper ends of said side panels and said front panel; and    a substantially horizontal top wire on said back panel extending on an upper end thereof at a location below the level of said rim.    
     
     
         18 . A storage rack as set forth in  claim 17 , including: 
 a pair of free ends on said top wire; and    a pair of in-turned ends on said rim spaced above and substantially parallel to said free ends, said free ends and in-turned ends being applicable to said side frames to releaseably secure each basket to said side frames.    
     
     
         19 . A storage rack as set forth in  claim 15 , wherein said bottom includes a plurality of criss-crossing bottom wires connected with said side wires and with said front wires.  
     
     
         20 . A storage rack as set forth in  claim 15 , including a rim extending along upper ends of said side panels and front panels and having inside and outside surfaces, said side wires and front wires being connected with said inside surface of said rim.