First in, first out, gravity-feed can organizer

Abstract

A first in, first out, gravity-feed can organizer is assembled from a plurality of support panels and spacer dowels which interconnect the support panels in a spaced-apart, parallel relationship. Each support panel has right and left faces, and each face is equipped with at least one supply rail which slopes downward from the front to the back of the panel, and a retrieval rail beneath the supply rail, from which it is fed, and which slopes downward from back to front. Two adjacent, spaced-apart support panels provide sets of opposed rails, which form at least one supply track and one retrieval track for storing cans. At least three spacer dowels interconnect each adjacent pair of support panels. The end of each dowel is inserted into an interconnection aperture in a support panel and rotated 90 degrees to lock it in place.

1 . A first in, first out, gravity-feed can organizer comprising: 
 at least two support panels, each support panel having at least one supply rail and one retrieval rail on each of two opposed major faces, each support panel also having at least six interconnection apertures arranged in spaced-apart sets of two; and    at least three spacer dowels for securing said at least two support panels in a parallel, spaced-apart relationship, each spacer dowel having a locking head at each end thereof, each locking head being insertable within an interconnection aperture and locking the dowel within the interconnection aperture when the spacer dowel is axially rotated.    
   
   
       2 . The first in, first out, gravity-feed can organizer of  claim 1 , wherein each interconnection aperture and each locking head is shaped generally like an irregular hexagon that is symmetrical about a pair of intersecting, perpendicular axes.  
   
   
       3 . The first in, first out, gravity-feed can organizer of  claim 1 , wherein a spacer dowel may be inserted from either side of an interconnection apertures so that the spacer dowel protrudes from either of the major faces of the support panel, thereby allowing assembly of can organizers employing any number of support panels.  
   
   
       4 . The first in, first out, gravity-feed can organizer of  claim 1 , which comprises x number of support panels, and 3(x-1) number of spacer dowels.  
   
   
       5 . The first in, first out, gravity-feed can organizer of  claim 1 , wherein each of said support panels and each of said spacer dowels is injection molded from a tough, semi-rigid, polymeric thermoplastic material.  
   
   
       6 . The first in, first out, gravity-feed can organizer of  claim 5 , wherein said thermoplastic material is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinylchloride (PVC), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate (PC), and polystyrene (PS).  
   
   
       7 . The first in, first out, gravity-feed can organizer of  claim 1 , wherein each major face of a support panel has two supply rails, which are downwardly inclined from a front edge of the support panel toward a rear edge, and one retrieval rail which is downwardly inclined from an upper portion of said rear edge to a bottom portion of said front edge.  
   
   
       8 . The first in, first out, gravity-feed can organizer of  claim 1 , wherein each interconnection aperture is surrounded on both major faces by a crenelated circular wall.  
   
   
       9 . The first in, first out, gravity-feed can organizer of  claim 8 , wherein each spacer dowel comprises: 
 a locking head at each end thereof that, when rotated, is secured against one major face of a support panel and locks the spacer dowel within an interconnection aperture;    an inner retainer disc inboard of each locking head, said retainer disc being secured against an opposite face of the support panel, with the support panel sandwiched between it and the adjacent locking head;    a cylindrical coupler coupling each locking head to its adjacent retainer disc, said cylindrical coupler having a width that is equal to or just slightly greater than the thickness of the support panel in the interconnection aperture region; a ribbed center portion which spans a distance between the retainer discs at opposite ends of the spacer dowel; and    a domed projection inboard and immediately adjacent each retainer disc, said domed projection being perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the spacer dowel, said domed projection having a radius that is greater than an inner radius of each crenelated wall.    
   
   
       10 . The first in, first out, gravity-feed can organizer of  claim 9 , wherein each domed projection distorts said crenelated circular wall after the locking head most near thereto is inserted in an interconnection aperture and the spacer dowel is axially rotated, said domed projection being positioned in a notch of the crenelated circular wall when said locking head is axially rotated to a locked position.  
   
   
       11 . A first in, first out, gravity-feed can organizer comprising: 
 x number of support panels, each support panel having one retrieval rail and upper and lower supply rails on each of two opposed major faces, each support panel also having an even number y of interconnection apertures arranged in spaced-apart sets of two; and    y/2(x-1) number of spacer dowels for securing said support panels in a parallel, spaced-apart relationship, each spacer dowel having a locking head at each end thereof, each locking head being insertable within an interconnection aperture and locking the dowel within the interconnection aperture when the spacer dowel is axially rotated.    
   
   
       12 . The first in, first out, gravity-feed can organizer of  claim 11 , wherein x is an integer greater than 1, and y/2 is an integer equal to 2, 3 or 4.  
   
   
       13 . The first in, first out, gravity-feed can organizer of  claim 11 , wherein each interconnection aperture and each locking head is selected from the group consisting, generally, of irregular hexagons that are symmetrical about a pair of intersecting, perpendicular axes, rectangles, and crosses.  
   
   
       14 . The first in, first out, gravity-feed can organizer of  claim 11 , wherein a spacer dowel may be inserted from either side of an interconnection apertures so that the spacer dowel protrudes from either of the major faces of the support panel, thereby allowing assembly of can organizers employing any number of support panels.  
   
   
       15 . The first in, first out, gravity-feed can organizer of  claim 11 , wherein each of said support panels and each of said spacer dowels is injection molded from a tough, semi-rigid, polymeric thermoplastic material.  
   
   
       16 . The first in, first out, gravity-feed can organizer of  claim 15 , wherein said thermoplastic material is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinylchloride (PVC), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate (PC), and polystyrene (PS).  
   
   
       17 . The first in, first out, gravity-feed can organizer of  claim 11 , wherein each major face of a support panel has two supply rails, which are downwardly inclined from a front edge of the support panel toward a rear edge, and one retrieval rail which is downwardly inclined from an upper portion of said rear edge to a bottom portion of said front edge.  
   
   
       18 . The first in, first out, gravity-feed can organizer of  claim 11 , wherein each interconnection aperture is surrounded on both major faces by a crenelated circular wall.  
   
   
       19 . The first in, first out, gravity-feed can organizer of  claim 18 , wherein each spacer dowel comprises: 
 a locking head at each end thereof that, when rotated, is secured against one major face of a support panel and locks the spacer dowel within an interconnection aperture;    an inner retainer disc inboard of each locking head, said retainer disc being secured against an opposite face of the support panel, with the support panel sandwiched between it and the adjacent locking head;    a cylindrical coupler coupling each locking head to its adjacent retainer disc, said cylindrical coupler having a width that is equal to or just slightly greater than the thickness of the support panel in the interconnection aperture region; a ribbed center portion which spans a distance between the retainer discs at opposite ends of the spacer dowel; and    a domed projection inboard and immediately adjacent each retainer disc, said domed projection being perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the spacer dowel, said domed projection having a radius that is greater than an inner radius of each crenelated wall, so that each domed projection distorts said crenelated circular wall after the locking head most near thereto is inserted in an interconnection aperture and the spacer dowel is axially rotated, said domed projection being positioned in a notch of the crenelated circular wall when said locking head is axially rotated to a locked position.    
   
   
       20 . The first in, first out, gravity-feed can organizer of  claim 11 , wherein spacer dowels of different lengths are provided to accommodate cans of different heights.