Adaptable horizontal organizer

Abstract

An aesthetically pleasing horizontal organizer that allows a user to individually select the number of shelves and/or drawers received therein is disclosed. The organizer includes one or more component receiving portions therein, with each component-receiving portion being configured to operably receive one of either a component shelf or a component drawer so as to allow a user to individually configure a desired combination of shelves and drawers for the organizer. Preferably, the components include a front lip that extends below the floor of the component and walls extending above the floor along the sides and rear of the component so as to urge items in the component rearward and remain secured within the component when the component is placed on a substantially level horizontal surface.

1 . A horizontal organizer having: 
 a frame    a component receiving portion operably secured to the frame, and,    said component receiving portion adapted to allow one of a shelf component and a drawer component to be operably secured thereto, thereby allowing the horizontal organizer to serve as either a shelf storage device or a drawer storage device.    
   
   
       2 . The horizontal organizer of  claim 1 , further including: 
 a second component receiving portion operably secured to the frame, and, said second component receiving portion adapted to allow one of a shelf component and a drawer component to be operably secured thereto.    
   
   
       3 . The horizontal organizer of  claim 2 , wherein a shelf component is operably secured to said component receiving portion and a drawer component is operably secured to said second component receiving portion.  
   
   
       4 . The horizontal organizer of  claim 2 , wherein said component receiving portion and said second component receiving portion each include a shelf component operably secured thereto.  
   
   
       5 . The horizontal organizer of  claim 2 , wherein said component receiving portion and said second component receiving portion each include a drawer component operably secured thereto.  
   
   
       6 . The horizontal organizer of  claim 1 , wherein said component receiving portion includes an elongate substantially horizontal surface for allowing said one of said shelf component and said drawer component to be slidably secured thereto.  
   
   
       7 . The horizontal organizer of  claim 6 , wherein said component receiving portion includes a pair of substantially horizontally aligned, spaced apart rails, each rail of said spaced rails operably secured to said frame.  
   
   
       8 . The horizontal organizer of  claim 7 , wherein each said rail includes a lip extending below said substantially horizontal surface.  
   
   
       9 . The horizontal organizer of  claim 1 , wherein said drawer component includes a floor and walls extending above said floor on the sides, front, and rear of the drawer.  
   
   
       10 . The horizontal organizer of  claim 9 , further including a front lip extending below the floor from the front of the drawer component thereby urging items placed in the drawer toward the rear of the drawer component when the drawer component is placed on a substantially horizontal surface.  
   
   
       11 . The horizontal organizer of  claim 1 , wherein said one of said shelf component and said drawer component is detachably secured to said component receiving portion.  
   
   
       12 . The horizontal organizer of  claim 1 , wherein said one of said shelf component and said drawer component is slidably secured to said component receiving portion to thereby define an open position and a closed position.  
   
   
       13 . The horizontal organizer of  claim 7 , wherein each said rail includes a lip extending below said substantially horizontal surface.  
   
   
       14 . The horizontal organizer of  claim 1 , wherein said shelf component includes a floor and walls extending above said floor on the sides and rear of the drawer.  
   
   
       15 . The horizontal organizer of  claim 14 , further including a front lip extending below the floor from the front of the shelf component thereby urging items placed in the shelf component toward the rear of the shelf component when the shelf component is placed on a substantially horizontal surface.  
   
   
       16 . The horizontal organizer of  claim 1 , wherein said frame is formed of metal.  
   
   
       17 . The horizontal organizer of  claim 1 , wherein said one of said shelf component and said drawer component is formed of metal.  
   
   
       18 . The horizontal organizer of  claim 1 , further including a plurality of said component receiving portion, defining a stack of vertically spaced-apart component receiving portions.