STORAGE SYSTEM FOR SUPPLYING ARTICLES
The present invention relates to storage systems and apparatuses for supplying articles.
Their use in stock control systems is well-known, for example in manufacturing facilities
and medical facilities. They are also suitable for use as vending machines.
In typical automated stock control systems, a housing comprises a plurality of latched
drawers. Articles to be supplied to users are provided in the drawers or compartments
of the drawers. Examples of such articles include cutting tools and the like used with
machine tools; other manufacturing tools and components; drugs, needles and other
medical items; and legal documents. A control system allows a user to access the
required article by unlatching the drawer containing the required article. The drawer is
then pulled out from the home position (where no compartments are exposed) to the
extent that the compartment containing the article is exposed, when the drawer is
latched again to prevent further opening of the drawer. Such systems require
complicated mechanisms for locking drawers closed in their home position, for
unlocking the correct drawer and for allowing only that drawer to be opened , and then
only to the extent that the required article is accessible.
In a known system, several trays are provided above one another in a housing, with
each tray extending in the width direction of the housing. One or a number of drawers
are provided on top of each tray, and a separate latch mechanism with separate control
circuitry is provided in each tray for each drawer in that tray. In this system, it is not
possible to remove individual drawers without removing the whole tray. Thus,
restocking is generally carried out by opening the drawers and refilling the individual
compartments. Moreover, modification of the layout of the drawers is often not easily
practicable, with modified systems requiring the trays and housings to be redesigned
and then built from scratch.
n other systems, drawers can only be removed by accessing the rear of the housing to
release the drawers. In still other systems, drawers are removably dropped into
movable carriers, with the movable carriers holding control electronics. Again, access
to the rear of the housing is required to release drawers from carriers.
In general, improvements in the art have concentrated on the trays and drawer carriers.
The prior art systems suffer the common problem that modification to meet particular
customer needs, for example by resizing and reconfiguring drawers, is difficult and
expensive. Moreover, the drawers cannot easily be removed for restocking or
replacement. A further common problem is that the requirement to provide trays or
movable carriers takes a large amount of space so that the systems have low storage
density - in other words, the ratio of the usable storage volume to the volume of the
apparatus as a whole is low. A yet further common problem is that current systems are
expensive to manufacture.
The present invention has been made to address the problems of the prior art systems.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cartridge for
holding a plurality of drawers above one another, said cartridge comprising:
an upright; and, provided on one side of the upright for each of the drawers:
a guide block for mounting a respective drawer to one side of the
cartridge;
drawer information means for providing information on at least one of
position and movement of the drawer; and
a latch mechanism, which is electronically controllable, for engaging with a
respective drawer,
whereby access to the drawers can be controlled.
Preferably, the cartridge further comprises a circuit board mounted to the upright, each
said drawer information means and each said latch mechanism being connected to
circuitry on the circuit board.
Preferably, the circuitry is adapted to control opening and closing of each said latch
mechanism based on information from the respective drawer information means.
Preferably, the drawer information means comprises sensing means for sensing an
index member provided on the respective drawer.
Preferably, the guide block comprises an upper rail and a lower rail extending in a depth
direction of the cartridge for engaging with corresponding rail-engaging means of the
respective drawer for holding the respective drawer, and the drawer information means
is disposed between said upper and lower rails.
In this case, it is preferred that the drawer information means is disposed adjacent the
upper rail.
It is further preferred that the upper rail comprises a first portion extending away from
upright and second portion extending orthogonal to the first portion, and the lower rail
comprises a third portion extending away from the upright and a fourth portion
extending orthogonally to the third portion in the opposite direction to the second
portion.
It is yet further preferred that the upper and lower rails are disposed at different
distances from the upright.
Preferably, the latch mechanism comprises a solenoid, a solenoid flap, and biasing
means for biasing the solenoid flap away from the solenoid to engage with one or more
stops provided on the respective drawer.
Preferably, the cartridge further comprises an over-ride system, by means of which all
the latch mechanisms can be manually opened together.
It is preferred that the over-ride system comprises:
a finger bar; and
an over-ride bar pivotally connected to the finger bar,
whereby movement of the finger bar moves the over-ride bar to open each latch
mechanism.
It is further preferred that the over-ride bar comprises a chamfered portion provided for
each latch mechanism, whereby movement of the over-ride bar causes the chamfered
portion to move a flap of the respective latch mechanism against the action of
respective biasing means.
Preferably, a drawer guide is mounted on the side of the upright opposite to the side on
which the guide block, drawer information means and latch mechanism are mounted.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided drawer
comprising:
at least one compartment open at the top of the drawer;
upper and lower rail-engaging means extending in a depth direction of the drawer
for mounting a first side of the drawer adjacent a holding apparatus; and
drawer information means disposed between the upper and lower rail-engaging
means.
Preferably, the drawer information means is disposed adjacent the upper rail-engaging
means.
Preferably, the drawer information means comprises an index member.
Preferably, the upper rail-engaging means is provided on the first side of the drawer and
comprises a first portion extending away from the first side and a second portion
extending orthogonally to the first portion; and
the lower rail-engaging portion comprises a groove formed in the bottom of the
drawer.
Preferably, each compartment comprises a cut out at the top of a second side opposite
to the first side, whereby articles can be removed with a finger
Preferably, a second side of at least one compartment opposite to the first side is
curved whereby articles can be slid up the second side.
Preferably, the drawer includes a drawer release lever disposed at the back of drawer,
the release lever being biased for latching the drawer to the holding apparatus.
It is preferred that the drawer release lever is provided on the bottom of the drawer.
Preferably, the drawer also comprise a stop corresponding to each said compartment
on the first side of the adapted to engage with a latch provided by the holding apparatus
for controlling access to the respective compartment.
Preferably, the drawer also includes a lifting portion adapted to engage with lifting
means provided by the holding apparatus to lift a back portion of the drawer.
It is preferred that the lifting portion comprises a chamfer.
Preferably, the drawer further comprises a guide notch extending longitudinally along
the top of the drawer and disposed towards a second side opposite the first side; and
a guide protrusion extending longitudinally along bottom of drawer under the
guide protrusion,
whereby the guide protrusion of an upper drawer is adapted to engage with the
guide notch of a lower drawer.
Preferably, the drawer has a plurality of compartments separated by respective
compartment walls, the guide notch being formed in the top of compartment walls.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of
making a drawer, the drawer comprising at least one compartment open at the top of
the drawer; upper and lower rail-engaging means extending in a depth direction of the
drawer for mounting a first side of the drawer adjacent a holding apparatus, the upper
rail-engaging means being provided on the first side of the drawer and comprising a first
portion extending away from the first side and a second portion extending orthogonally
to the first portion and the lower rail-engaging portion comprising a groove formed in the
bottom of the drawer; and a plurality of stops on the first side of the drawer, said stops
corresponding to respective ones of the compartments 2 15 and being adapted to
engage with a latch apparatus for controlling access to the respective compartments,
the method comprising:
providing a mould for the drawer, and
forming the drawer in one piece using injection-moulding without side action.
Preferably, the method further comprises mounting an index member adjacent the
upper rail-engaging means.
Preferably, the method further comprises disposing the mould so that each
compartment comprises a cut out at the top of a second side opposite to the first side,
whereby articles can be removed with a finger.
Preferably, the method further comprises disposing the mould so that a second side of
at least one compartment opposite to the first side is curved whereby articles can be slid
up the second side.
Preferably, the method further comprises disposing the mould so that a guide notch
extends longitudinally along the top of the drawer and is disposed towards a second
side opposite the first side, and a guide protrusion extends longitudinally along bottom
of drawer under the guide protrusion, whereby the guide protrusion of an upper drawer
is adapted to engage with the guide notch of a lower drawer.
According to a yet further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage
system comprising:
a cartridge, said cartridge including an upright having mounted on one side
a plurality of guide blocks;
a plurality of first drawer information means; and
a plurality of latch mechanisms,
said system further comprising a plurality of drawers, each said drawer including
guide block engaging means extending in a depth direction of the drawer
for mounting a first side of the drawer adjacent a respective guide block;
second drawer information means disposed adjacent the first drawer
information means, said first and second information means for providing information on
at least one of position and movement of said drawer; and
at least one stop on the first side of the drawer for engaging with a said
latch mechanism,
wherein the latch mechanisms are electronically controllable for regulating
access to the drawers.
Preferably, the length of guide block engaging means in the depth direction of the
drawer is greater than the length of the guide block in the depth direction of the drawer.
Preferably, when the drawer is mounted the upper rail-engaging means is disposed
adjacent to and between the upper rail and the first drawer information means, and the
second drawer information means is disposed adjacent to the first drawer information
means.
Preferably, the storage system further comprises a lockable cover plate for preventing
access to the over-ride system.
Preferably, the drawer release lever is accessible only when all the latch mechanisms
have been opened.
Preferably, when a said drawer is mounted to the cartridge, the bottom of the drawer
and the bottom of the respective guide block are substantially adjacent.
Preferably, the storage system further comprises a housing for mounting the cartridge.
Preferably, the storage system comprises a plurality of cartridges.
Preferably, a width of a drawer mounted to a first cartridge is different from a width of a
drawer mounted to a second cartridge.
Preferably, the drawer further comprises a lifting portion and the housing comprises a
lifting means, wherein the lifting portion and the lifting means engage with one another
when the drawer is in a home position in the housing to lift a back portion of the drawer.
Preferably, the storage system comprises a plurality of cartridge mounting brackets, the
cartridge mounting brackets extending in a width direction of the housing and being
disposed above one another, wherein a plurality of cartridges is mounted to each
cartridge mounting bracket.
Preferably, the storage system comprises centralised control means for controlling the
circuitry of each said cartridge to control access to the content of each the drawers in
the housing.
Preferably, when closed, none of the drawers touch each other and, during movement,
a said drawer engages with the drawers above and below to constrain the movement
vertically and laterally.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage system
comprising a cartridge as set above and a drawer as set out above.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a modular storage
system comprising:
a housing;
a plurality of cartridge mounting brackets extending in a width direction of the
housing and being disposed substantially in parallel above one another;
a plurality of cartridges mountable to each cartridge mounting bracket, each
cartridge comprising an upright extending in a height direction of the housing; and
a plurality of drawers mountable above one another to the cartridges.
Preferably, each cartridge mounting bracket comprises a plurality of cartridge alignment
brackets, wherein the cartridges can be selectively mounted to the cartridge mounting
brackets at selected alignment brackets.
Preferably, a first drawer mounted to a first cartridge has a different width to a second
drawer mounted to a second cartridge. It is preferred that the width of the first drawer is
substantially an integral multiple of a width of the second drawer.
Preferably, a first drawer mounted to a first cartridge has a different height to a second
drawer mounted to a second cartridge.
Preferably, a first drawer mounted to a first cartridge has a different height to a second
drawer mounted to the first cartridge.
Preferably, the cartridges do not extend as far in the depth direction as the drawers.
Preferably, each cartridge comprises:
at least one detector associated with each drawer with the detector being
adapted and arranged to monitor when the drawer is in its fully closed position, to
monitor the distance the drawer moves, and to monitor the direction of movement of the
drawer; and
a respective latch mechanism for each drawer so as to latch the drawer in the
fully closed position and at respective open positions corresponding to the
compartment to which access is allowed by the control means;
the detector comprising an index member provided on the respective drawer and
a sensor for interacting with the index member, and
the system further comprising control means for controlling access to the content
of the drawers, wherein one or more drawers is divided into a plurality of compartments
and the control means controls access to the compartments.
Preferably, the control means includes a respective distributed processor for each
cartridge.
Preferably, the modular storage system comprises an over-ride system for each
cartridge, by means of which all the latch mechanisms of a respective cartridge can be
manually opened together.
Preferably, a single lockable cover plate is mounted to a respective cartridge mounting
bracket for preventing access to the over-ride system of each cartridge mounted to the
respective cartridge mounting bracket.
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only
and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a modular supply system according to the present
invention;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a cartridge and drawers according to the present
invention with one of the drawer handles removed;
Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the cartridge and drawers shown in Fig. 2 with two of the
drawer handles removed;
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a cartridge according to the present invention, with one
guide block removed;
Fig. 5 is another perspective view of a cartridge according to the present invention, with
all the guide blocks removed;
Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a cartridge circuit board according to the present
invention;
Fig. 7 is a perspective view of latch mechanisms and an over-ride system according to
the present invention;
Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a guide block shown in Fig. 4;
Fig. 9A is a front elevation of a guide block shown in Fig. 4 ;
Fig. 9B is a rear elevation of a guide block shown in Fig. 4 ;
Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a drawer according to the present invention;
Fig. 11 is another perspective view of the drawer shown in Fig. 10;
Fig. 12 is a perspective sectional view of the drawer shown in Fig. 10;
Fig. 13 is a front sectional view of the drawer shown in Fig. 10;
Fig. 14 is a view of the bottom of the drawer shown in Fig. 10;
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a cartridge mounting bracket shown in Fig. 1;
Fig. 16 is a perspective view of the cartridge mounting bracket shown in Fig. 15 with a
locking cover plate fitted;
Fig. 17 is a side view of a cartridge, a drawer and a lifting beam according to the
present invention;
Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the cartridge, the drawer and the lifting beam shown in
Fig. 17; and
Fig. 19 illustrates an exemplary control system.
In the following specification, the terms front, back, rear, left, right, top, bottom, upper,
lower and like terms will be used consistently with the arrangement shown in Fig. 1. In
particular, the expression height corresponds to a dimension from top to bottom, width
corresponds to a dimension from left to right and depth corresponds to a dimension
from front to back.
Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a modular supply system 1 according to the present
invention. In the system 1, a housing 100 is provided with a frame comprising a base
105 and four uprights 110 extending from respective corners of the base 105. Cartridge
mounting brackets 700 (described in more detail below) are mounted to extend between
the front uprights 110 and lifting beam 130 (described in more detail below) are
mounted to extend between the rear uprights 110.
In Fig. 1, six cartridges 300 each holding four drawers 200 are mounted between the
cartridge mounting bracket 700 on the base 105 and the cartridge mounting bracket 700
disposed directly above it. However, in practice cartridges 300 would also be mounted
on the other cartridge mounting brackets 700 to fill the empty space in the housing 100
with drawers 200. Although not shown, side and back plates would also be mounted to
the housing 100 to prevent unauthorised access to the drawers 200 and any
electronics.
The housing 100 also has a system circuit board 145 with a system control circuit 140
mounted thereto. Wiring extends from the circuit board 145 down channels provided in
the front uprights 110, along the cartridge mounting brackets 700 to circuitry provided in
each of the cartridges 300 (described in more detail below).
As shown in more detail in Fig. 2 , each cartridge 300 comprises an upright 310, which is
substantially L-shaped in cross-section and is formed by a front plate 312 extending in
the width direction and back plate 3 1 extending in the depth direction (see Fig. 5). In
the present embodiment, each cartridge 300 holds four drawers 200 arranged above
one another, each drawer 200 comprising a drawer body 210 and a drawer handle 259.
The drawer handle 259 of the bottom drawer 200 has been removed in Fig. 2 for ease
of reference.
Fig. 3 shows a front elevation of the cartridge 300 and drawers 200 shown in Fig. 2 , but
in this case the drawer handle 259 of the lower two drawers 200 has been removed. As
the figure illustrates and as will become apparent from the following description, the
cartridge 300 includes guide blocks 500 for holding the drawers 200 n a stacked
arrangement with the drawers 200 stacked above one another. The drawers 200 and
the guide blocks 500 are provided with a one-to-one correspondence.
Perspective views of the cartridge 300 and its components from the left side are shown
in Figs. 4-8. It should be noted that in Fig. 4 , one guide block 500 has been removed
for ease of reference and in Fig. 5 all the guide blocks 500 have been removed. As
shown in the figures, each cartridge 300 comprises a cartridge circuit board 350 and, for
each of the drawers 200 to be mounted to the cartridge 300, a guide block 500, a
solenoid 340 and a solenoid flap 345, the solenoid 340 and the solenoid flap 345
together forming a latch mechanism 347. As shown in Fig. 6 , the cartridge circuit board
350 has mounted thereto a cartridge control circuit 355 and input/output (I/O)
connectors 357 for connecting the cartridge circuit board 350 to the system circuit board
145. For each drawer 200 that can be mounted to the cartridge 300 there is also
provided a solenoid connector 352 and a group of three sensors 330. The sensors 330
are arranged in a row extending from front to back. Each sensor 330 comprises a light
emitting diode (LED) 331 , 332, 333 and a light receiving means 334, 335, 336, with the
LED being mounted directly above the corresponding light receiving means. Thus, the
three LEDs 331 , 332, 333 form an upper row and the three light receivers 334, 335, 336
form a lower row, with a channel between the two rows.
As shown in Fig. 5, the cartridge circuit board 350 and the solenoids 340 are mounted
to one wall of the upright 3 10 so that each solenoid 350 is adjacent a respective sensor
group 300. As shown in Fig. 7, each solenoid 340 is provided with a solenoid flap 345
mounted by pivot 349, which together form a latch 347. The solenoid 340 is provided
with a solenoid tab 3400 and the flap 345 is provided with a corresponding tab 3450,
both the tabs 3400 and 3450 being provided on the opposite side of the pivot 349 to the
solenoid main body and the flap main body. A spring 348 is provided between the tabs
3400 and 3450 to bias the main body of the flap 345 away from the solenoid 340.
Accordingly, when the solenoid 340 is not activated, the solenoid flap 345 is disposed
away from the solenoid and the latch 347 is closed. However, when the solenoid is
activated, the resulting magnetic force attracts the flap 345 towards the solenoid 340 to
open the latch 347.
As shown in Figs. 5 and 7, the cartridge 300 is also provided with a manual latch over¬
ride system (solenoid over-ride system) 400. The over-ride system 400 comprises a
finger bar 4 10 pivotaily mounted to an over-ride bar 420. The finger bar 4 0 is mounted
to the cartridge 300 upright 310 at pivot 4 5. The pivot 415 is preferably sprung so that
the back side of the finger bar, attached to the over-ride bar 420 is biased downwards
and the front side of the finger bar is biased upwards.
The over-ride bar 420 is provided with projections 430 disposed along its length, each
projection 420 being disposed at least in part during operation of the over-ride system
400 between the solenoid tab 3400 and the solenoid flap tab 3450. Each projection 430
is provided with a chamfered portion 435, such that the projection 430 projects further
from the over-ride bar 420 with increasing distance from the top of the bar. Thus, when
front portion of the finger bar is pressed downward and the over-ride bar 420 moves
upwards, the thicker parts of the projections 420 move between the respective solenoid
and solenoid flap tabs 3400 and 3450 to move the main bodies of the flaps 345 towards
the solenoids 340. In this way, all of the latches on the cartridge 300 can be opened
simultaneously.
As shown in Fig. 4 , a guide block 500 is mounted over each sensor group 330 and latch
mechanism 347. However, the guide block 500 is provided with windows 530, 535 (see
Fig. 8) to allow the solenoid flap 345 and the LEDs 331 , 332, 333 to protrude (see Fig.
3).
As illustrated in Figs. 8, 9A and 9B, each guide block 500 includes a stepped body in
which the lower portion 501 of the body is thicker than the upper portion 502.
Accordingly, there is a substantially horizontal, upward-facing surface 540 between the
upper and lower portions 501 , 502. An upper rail 520 and a lower rail 510 are provided
and are adapted to engage with corresponding portions of the drawer (described later).
The upper rail 520 comprises a leftward projecting portion 522, projecting substantially
horizontally from the upper portion 502, and a downward projecting portion 524 to form
a U-shaped groove. Similarly, the lower rail 510 comprises a leftward projecting portion
512, projecting substantially horizontally from the lower portion 501 and an upward
projecting portion 51 to form a U-shaped groove. Both the upper and lower rails 510,
520 extend in the depth direction. It should be noted that since the lower portion 501 of
the guide block 500 is thicker than the upper portion 502, when the guide block 500 is
mounted to the rear plate 3 11 of the upright 310, the upper rail 520 is closer than the
lower rail 5 10 to the rear plate 3 11.
The upper portion 502 is itself stepped, and comprises a thicker upper portion 5021 and
thinner lower portion 5022 (see Figs. 8 and 9B). Accordingly, there is a substantially
horizontal, downward-facing surface 565 between the thicker upper portion 5021 and
the thinner lower portion 5022 and a cavity 560 formed between the upward-facing
surface 540 and the downward-facing surface 565. The downward-facing surface 565
extends from the rear of the guide block 500 almost to the front wall. However, a front
wall portion 556 is formed at an upper part of the cavity 560 to extend downwards from
downward-facing surface 565. Accordingly, a corner is formed by the downward-facing
surface 565 and the rear surface of the front wall portion 556.
The front wall portion 556 does not extend downwards as far as the upward-facing
surface 540. Accordingly, there is a notch 550 formed between the upward-facing
surface 540, the inner surface 545 of the lower thinner portion 5022 and the lower
surface 555 of the front wall portion 556. This notch 550 extends in a depth direction
from the front of the guide block 500, and conceptually through the cavity 560 to the
back of the guide block 500.
When the guide block 500 is mounted to the upright 310, the solenoid flap 345
protrudes through window 530 so that it is able to latch the drawer mounted to the guide
block 500, as explained below. In addition, each of the sensors 530 is exposed
through window 535. More particularly, the front-most LED 333 is disposed in the
corner formed by the downward-facing surface 565 and the rear surface of the front wall
portion 556, so that it is protected by the front wall portion 556 from tampering or
accidental damage. The next two LEDs 331 , 332 are disposed in the row behind the
front LED 333 in the cavity 560. In addition, the three light receiving means 334, 335,
336 are disposed within the block below the respective LEDs, with their upper surfaces
exposed through the window 535 and preferably substantially flush with the upwardfacing
surface 540. Accordingly, the channel between the upper row of LEDs 331 , 332,
333 and the lower row of light receivers 334, 335, 336 is aligned with the notch 550.
As shown in Figs. 10-14, each of the drawers 200 comprises a main body 210 with a
handle 259 and an index member 260 mounted thereto. The drawer main body 210 is
formed as a single piece from a hard plastic material by injection moulding without side
action. In particular, the drawer main body 210 comprises a plurality of compartments
215 open to the top, the compartments 2 5 being separated by compartment walls 240.
A latch stop 270 is formed for each compartment 2 15 on the right-hand side wall 230 of
the main body 210, which is the side that is mounted adjacent the cartridge 300. On the
opposite side, a finger-sized cut-out 255 is formed at the top of the left-hand side wall
250 corresponding to each compartment 215 (see Fig. 11).
As shown in the perspective cross-section of Fig. 12 and the front cross-section of Fig.
13, the side wall 250 comprises an outer surface 257 and an inner surface 256. The
inner surface 256 is curved from the top of the side wall 250 to smoothly blend with the
bottom of the compartments 2 15. In addition, the corners between the inner surface
256 of the left-hand side wall 250 and the compartment walls 240, and the corners
between the bottom of each compartment 2 15 and the compartment walls 240 are
rounded. The combination of the cut-outs 255, the curved left-hand side and bottom
walls within each compartment 2 5, and the rounded corners with each compartment
215 allows a user to place his finger in the cut-out 255 and slide an article within the
compartment 2 15 up the side wall 250 and out of the compartment 215. Such an
arrangement is particularly advantageous when the articles stored in the compartments
215 are small and fiddly, such as medicinal tablets or small components such as
screws, washers and so forth.
The main body 210 also includes an upper rail-engaging portion 220 adapted to engage
with the upper guide rail 520 of the guide block 500. The upper rail-engaging portion
220 comprises a rightward projecting portion 222, projecting substantially horizontally
from an upper portion of the side wall 230, and a upward projecting portion 224 to form
a U-shaped groove. In addition, a groove 229 is formed on the bottom of the drawer
200 adjacent the right-hand side wall 230 as a lower rail-engaging portion.
When the drawer 200 is mounted to the guide block 500 (see Fig. 3), the upward
projecting portion 224 of the rail-engaging portion 220 is disposed in the U-shaped
groove formed by the upper rail 520 of the guide block 500. Similarly, the downward
projecting portion 524 of the upper rail 520 is disposed in the U-shaped groove formed
by the upper rail-engaging portion 220. Moreover, the upward projecting portion 2 4 of
the lower rail 210 is disposed in the groove 229 formed on the bottom of the drawer
200. Since the upper and lower rail-engaging portions 220, 229 extend substantially
longitudinally along substantially the entire depth of the drawer 200, and the upper and
lower rails 510, 520 of the guide block 500 also extend in the depth direction, the abovedescribed
arrangement allows the drawer 200 to be held entirely by the guide block
500, with one side wall 230 held adjacent the guide block 500. As shown in Fig. 3 , for
example, no additional support is needed to hold the drawer 200 in place. Moreover,
the drawer 200 is able to slide along the rails 510, 520 from its home position (the
closed position of all the drawers 200 shown in Fig. 1) to an extended position in which
the drawer 200 is pulled out.
As shown in Figs. 3, 10 and 12-14, the index member 260 is a raster strip fitted to the
drawer main body 210 by means of screws 265. In the embodiment, the raster strip 260
is a metal bar with holes cut out at predetermined intervals. The holes are all the same
size and are shorter than the row of sensors 330, except for the front hole, which is
longer than the row of sensors 330. The raster strip 260 is mounted to the drawer main
body 210 adjacent the upper rail-engaging portion 520 at a height such that, when the
drawer 200 is mounted to the cartridge 300, the raster strip 260 is disposed in the
channel between the row of LEDs 331 , 332, 333 and the row of light receivers 334,
335,336. In this way, as the drawer 200 is opened and closed, the raster strip 260
slides through this channel, the cavity 560 and the notch 550. As the drawer 200
moves, the solid portions of the raster strip 260 occlude light and the holes pass light
emitted by the LEDs 331 , 332, 333 so that the light received by the light receivers 334,
335, 336 changes with movement of the drawer 200. The front hole is longer than the
row of sensors 330 so that none of the light from any of the LEDs 331 , 332, 333 is
occluded from the raster strip 260 when the drawer 200 is closed (that is, in the home
position). Since the front hole is the only hole longer than the row of sensors, it can
therefore be used to detect whether the drawer 200 is in the home position. The holes
and the sensors 330 are sized and spaced so that the pattern of occlusion as the
drawer 200 is moved allows the control circuitry (either the system control circuit 140 or
more preferably the cartridge control circuit 355) to determine whether the drawer 200 is
in the home position and, if not, how far from the home position it has moved, how fast it
is moving and in which direction it is moving.
In some embodiments, the guide block 500 is sufficiently long, the tolerances of the
guide block 500 and the drawer 200 are sufficiently small and the gaps between the
rails 510, 520 and the rail-engaging portions 220, 229 are small enough that no other
guidance or support for the drawers 200 in a cartridge 300 is required. However, in the
present embodiment each of the drawers 200 is further provided with a guidance notch
245 in the top of and to the left-hand side of each of the compartment walls 240 and the
drawer handle 259. A corresponding projection is formed to extend substantially
longitudinally along the bottom of the drawer 200 directly below the notches 245,
thereby forming a guidance rail 247. The guidance rail 247 is sized to fit in the notches
245. Accordingly, when the drawers 200 are mounted to the cartridge 300 in the
stacked arrangement, the guidance rail 247 of an upper drawer 200 is disposed in the
guidance notches 245 of a lower drawer 200 (see Fig. 3). This arrangement provides
guidance for the drawers 200 as they are opened and closed and stops them from
becoming skewed.
In the preferred embodiment, the bottom of an upper drawer 200 rests on the top of a
lower drawer 200 and/or the bottom of the guidance rail 247 rests on the bottom of the
notches as the drawer 200 is pulled out. Alternatively, upper draws may rest on lower
drawers 200 at all times. However, neither case is essential and the full weight of the
drawers 200 may always be supported by the guide block 500 alone, for example.
Contact between upper and lower drawers 200 presents the potential problem that the
weight of a number of upper drawers 200 may make it difficult to open a lower drawer
200. This potential problem is addressed in two ways in the present embodiment,
although both are optional in other embodiments.
First, each drawer 200 is provided with a lifting tab 280 extending backwards from the
back wall of the main body 210. The lifting tab comprises a chamfer on its underside
(see Figs. 12, 17 and 8). When the drawer 200 is moved back to its home position,
engagement of the chamfer with the respective lifting beam 30 at the back of the
housing 100 lifts the back end of the drawer 200 upwards to ensure that it does not rest
on the drawer 200 below it. The guidance rail 247 can still be maintained in position in
the notches 245, although it need not be.
Second, the upright 310 of the cartridge 300 is provided on the side opposite the guide
blocks 500 with a drawer guide 380 for each drawer 200. In addition, the lower left
corner of the drawer main body 210 is formed with a cut-away extending longitudinally
along the substantially the entire depth of the drawer 200. When the drawer 200 is
mounted to a first cartridge 300, the downward facing surface 290 of the cut-away rests
on the respective drawer guide 380 provided on an adjacent cartridge 300. In this
manner, at least a part of the drawer 200 can be supported on the drawer guide 380
both in the home position and when the drawer 200 is partially or fully open.
Accordingly, when the drawer 200 is in the home position, it is held by the lifting tab
280, the guide block 500 and the drawer guide 380 on an adjacent cartridge 300. In this
manner, its weight does not bear on lower drawers 200, making the lower drawers 200
easy to open, irrespective of the weight of the articles stored in the drawers 200 or the
number of drawers 200 above. However, the guiding function of the upper and lower
rails 510, 520 of the guide block 500 and of the guidance rail 247in the notches 245 is
maintained. Preferably, the lower left-hand corner cut-away of the drawer 200 and the
drawer guide 380 are also sized to provide an additional guiding function.
It should be noted that the guiding and supporting function of the guide block 500 can
be improved by increasing its depth relative to the depth of the drawers 200. However,
there is a trade-off in additional cost versus improved stability.
Returning to the description of the latch mechanism 247, the tab 3450 of each solenoid
flap 345 is disposed toward the front side of the cartridge 300. In this way, the
backward facing edge 3451 of each flap 345 protrudes slightly out of the guide block
500 (see Figs. 5 & 18). When the drawer 200 is mounted to the guide block 500 from
the front and slid to its home position, each of the stops 270 provided on the right-hand
side wall 230 of the drawer 200 slides over the flap against the biasing force of the
spring 348. However, when a user attempts to pull a drawer 200 out of the housing to
access an article in a compartment 2 5, the backward facing edge 3451 of the flap 345
abuts a respective stop 270 to prevent the drawer 200 from being withdrawn. Thus, the
drawer 200 is latched. However, the solenoid 340 may be activated by the control
circuit 355 to attract the flap 345 towards it. This has the effect of preventing abutment
of the backwards facing edge 3451 with the stops 270, to unlatch the drawer 200 and
allow it to be pulled out.
The materials selected for the manufacture of the flap 345 and drawer 200 are also
important. If both the flap 345 and the drawer 200 or drawer stop 270 are made of
steel, the solenoid 340 may not always activate. However, if the solenoid flap 345 is
made of steel and the drawer 200 or drawer stop 270 of plastic (or even copper), the
resultant break in the electromagnetic field ensures the correct operation of the solenoid
flap 345 with a smaller solenoid 340. Thus, a solenoid 340 with fewer windings, a
smaller excitation current, or both can be used, thereby saving on cost of manufacture
and/or running whilst improving operability.
It will be recollected that the sensors 330 and the index member 260 can be used to
detect whether the drawer 200 is in the home position, as well as the direction and
speed of movement of the drawer 200, or the distance travelled by the drawer 200.
This information can be used to control timing of activation of the solenoid 340 and
thereby control a user's access to a particular compartment 2 15 in the drawer 200. For
example, if the drawer 200 is in the home position and it is decided to grant a user
access to the third compartment 2 15 from the front of a drawer 200, information derived
from the sensors 330 can be used to control the solenoid 340 to retract the flap 345 until
the drawer 200 is pulled out to the extent that the stop 270 corresponding to the second
compartment 215 has passed the backward facing edge 3451 of the flap 345, and then
to release the flap 345; alternatively, the flap 345 may also be released earlier if it is
determined that the drawer 200 is being opened at a sufficient speed. The spring 348
then biases the backward facing edge 3451 to protrude out (or further out) of the guide
block 500 window 530 so that as the drawer 200 is pulled out further the stop 270
corresponding to the third compartment 2 15 abuts the backward facing edge 3451 of
the flap 345. In this way, the user can remove any article(s) stored in the third
compartment 215 (as well as the first and second compartments 215). However, since
he cannot pull the drawer 200 out further, he cannot access the compartments 215 that
are further back.
Each drawer 200 is further provided with a drawer release lever 600 attached by pivot
610 to its underside (see Fig. 14) with a front portion 620 in front of the pivot 610 and a
rear portion 630 behind the pivot 6 10 when the drawer 200 is mounted. An integral
resilient arm 605 projects sideways out of the front portion 620 and abuts on the side
surface of a downwardly extending wall 2 11 of the drawer main body 210. The resilient
arm 605 biases the front portion 620 away from the guide block 500 and consequently
biases the rear portion 630 towards the guide block 500. The rear portion 630 extends
past the back end of the drawer 200 and includes a hook portion 635 at its distal end.
When the drawer 200 is pulled out to the extent that all the stops 270 have passed the
backward facing edge 3451 of the flap 345, the hook 635 engages with the back face of
the guide block 500 (the face shown in Fig. 9B) to prevent the drawer 200 from being
removed from the guide block 500. However, a user may use his finger to press the
front portion 620 of the drawer release lever 600 against the biasing action of the
resilient arm 605 to move hook 635 leftwards away from the cartridge 300 so that it no
longer engages with the back face of the guide block 500. In this way, the drawer 200
can be fully removed from the cartridge 300.
In use, a plurality of cartridges 300 are mounted to the cartridge mounting brackets 700,
an example of which is shown in more detail in Fig. 15. The bracket 700 comprises a
horizontal base plate 710 with an upright back wall 7 15 and upright side walls 716.
Location members 730 project inwards from the back wall 715 at predetermined
intervals. At corresponding intervals, fixing tabs 720 project upwards from the front
edge of the base plate 710. Each of the fixing tabs 720 is provided with two holes 791 ,
792.
The cartridge mounting bracket 700 is fixed to the front two uprights 110 of the housing
100 frame at desired locations by the use of screws or bolts in the mounting holes
provided in the respective side walls 716 and corresponding mounting holes provided in
the uprights 10.
A cartridge 300 is mounted to the cartridge mounting bracket 700 by locating a fixing
portion 390 at the bottom of its back surface (see Fig. 2) against a respective location
member 730 and by fixing the two together using bolts or screws in the respective
mounting holes 790 on the upright back wall 7 15 of the mounting bracket 700. In
addition, a screw or a bolt is passed through the mounting hole 391 at the bottom front
of the cartridge 300 and the upper mounting hole 791 of the corresponding fixing tab
720. The top of the cartridge 300 is fixed to an upper cartridge mounting bracket 700 by
passing a screw or a bolt through the mounting hole 392 at the top front of the cartridge
300 and the lower mounting hole 792 of the corresponding fixing tab 720 of the upper
bracket 700.
As shown in Fig. 16 a lockable cover plate 800 is fitted to the front of the cartridge
mounting bracket 700. The lockable cover plate 800 comprises a fixed plate 810 with a
cut-out portion 8 15 provided for each cartridge 300, together with a sliding plate 820.
The sliding plate 820 is mounted behind the fixed plate 810 and includes corresponding
cut-out portions. The sliding plate 820 can be slid behind the fixed plate 810 so that the
respective cut-out portions are co-located, thereby allowing access of a user's finger
behind the cover plate 800, or so that the sliding plate 820 covers the cut-out portions
815 of the fixed plate 810, thereby preventing access behind the cover plate 800. The
sliding plate 820 can be locked at least in a position that prevents access by means of
the lock 830.
In the present embodiment, six mounting brackets 700 are provided in the housing, so
that five rows of cartridges 300 can be fitted. Moreover, six cartridges 300 are mounted
to the mounting brackets 700 in each row, and four drawers 200 are provided in each
cartridge 300. A single cartridge and the drawers mounted to it may be termed a pod.
Accordingly, up to 6 x 5 = 30 pods with a total of 30 x 4 = 120 drawers 200 can be
provided in the housing. In the present embodiment, each drawer has 12
compartments. Thus, the machine 1 provides controlled access to 1440 separate
items.
In practice, the apparatus is assembled by first assembling the individual cartridges 300
by fitting the circuit board 350, the latch mechanisms 347, the over-ride system 400 and
the drawer guides 380 to the rear plate 3 1 of the cartridge 300 upright 310, and
connecting the solenoids 340 to the circuit board 350 using the connectors 352. The
guide blocks 500 are then mounted on to the rear plate 3 11 of the upright 3 0 as
discussed above. After assembly of the cartridges 300 and fixing of the cartridge
mounting brackets 700 to the frame, the cartridges 300 are fixed to cartridge mounting
brackets 700. Alternatively, it is possible to make up an assembly of cartridge mounting
brackets 700 and cartridges 300 and then fix one or more such assemblies to the frame.
Once the cartridges 300 are mounted to the housing 100, they are electronically
connected to the system circuit board 145 by means of I/O pins 357.
In addition, the drawers 200 are assembled by attaching the drawer handle 259, the
index member 260 and the drawer release lever 600 to the drawer main body 2 0. The
drawers 200 are slid into the correct positions in the cartridges 300 in the manner
described above until they reach their home position so that the latch mechanism 347
prevents them from being opened. Assembly is then complete. The drawers can
optionally be pre-stocked with articles before being slid into the correct positions,
although this is certainly not essential.
Fig. 9 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a computer system 1100 that may be
used as the system control circuit 140 and system control circuit board 145. Computer
system 1 00 may form part of a desktop computer or a laptop computer, or any similar
computer device, but is preferably permanently mounted to the housing 100.
The computer system 1100 may interface to external systems through a modem or
network interface 1102, such as an analogue modem, ISDN modem, cable modem,
token ring interface, or satellite transmission interface. As shown in Fig. 19, the
computer system 140 includes a processing unit 1104, which may be a conventional
microprocessor, such as an Intel Pentium microprocessor, an Intel Core Duo
microprocessor, or a Motorola Power PC microprocessor, which are known to one of
ordinary skill in the computer art. System memory 1106 is coupled to the processing
unit 1104 by a system bus 08. System memory 1106 may be a DRAM, RAM, static
RAM (SRAM) or any combination thereof. Bus 1108 couples processing unit 1104 to
system memory 1106, to non-volatile storage 110, to graphics subsystem 1112 and to
input/output (I/O) controller 1114. Graphics subsystem 1 2 controls a display device
1116, such as a liquid crystal display, which may be part of the graphics subsystem
1112. The I/O devices 1118 may include one or more of a keyboard, disk drives,
printers, a mouse, a touch screen and the like as known to one of ordinary skill in the
computer art.
Where the described computer system 140 is employed as the system controller,
control software will normally be stored on the non-volatile storage 1110. Thus, it may
be stored on the machine's hard drive, or possibly on an externally connectable storage
medium, such as a USB memory stick or a CD. These two devices would then
constitute part of the I/O devices shown as item 1118 in Fig. 19. It should be noted that
the non-volatile storage also stores a record of which are articles are stored in which
drawers 200 (and optionally in which compartments 2 15 of which drawers 200), and
preferably which articles have been released, to whom and at what time.
The cartridge control circuit board 350 and cartridge control circuit 355 is similar in
layout. However, the network interface is adapted to provide networking with the
system control circuit 140. The I/O devices comprise the sensors 300 and the solenoids
340. The non-volatile storage of the cartridge control circuit 355 also stores software for
calculating the position of the drawers 200 based on the sensors 330 and outputting
solenoid activation/de-activation signals based on the results and input from the system
control circuit 140.
The cartridge circuit board 350 has mounted thereon an LED indicator 360 for each
drawer 200 as a further I/O device. Since the display comprises only indicator LEDs
360, the graphics subsystem shown in Fig. 19 is not required. The cartridge control
circuit 355 causes the LED indicator 360 corresponding to the unlatched drawer 200 to
emit light, which is visible to a user through a hole in the upright 310 and a
corresponding hole in the drawer handle 350. In this way, the user is able to more
easily see which drawer 200 s/he is able to open.
Although not shown, the modular supply system 1 further comprises a further user
interface for control of access to the drawers 200. Exemplary user interfaces include
display means and input means, such as a display screen, touch screen, push buttons,
swipe card reader, keyboard, RFID reader and so forth, all of which may be I/O devices
1118 of the of the computer system 100 (system circuit board 140 and system control
circuit 145). The computer system 100 is programmed with information concerning
which articles are stored in which drawers 200 and preferably which compartments 2 5
of which drawers 200, together with information concerning which users are allowed
what access to the articles and, in some embodiments, with what degree of frequency.
The system control circuit 140 allows predetermined users access to particular
compartments 215 of drawers 200 based on this information.
Although not preferred, it would be possible for the non-volatile storage of the cartridge
control circuit 355 to store some or all of the information described above concerning
which are articles are stored in which drawers 200 (and optionally in which
compartments 215 of which drawers 200), and preferably which articles have been
released, to whom and at what time, instead of or in addition to the system control
circuit. Moreover, the stock information may be held by a drawer, for example in an
RFID tag, so that when the drawer 200 is first inserted, if it contains pre-loaded stock,
the stock contents can be automatically updated in the control software.
Typically, each compartment 215 in a single drawer 200 will contain the same articles
and drawers 200 containing the same articles will be grouped together, although the
skilled addressee will recognise that other arrangements are also possible.
For example, all the compartments 2 15 of a predetermined drawer 200 may contain a
dose of medication in tablet form, and the other drawers 200 may contain different
articles, such as different medications, syringes, bandages, surgical equipment and so
forth. Access to the medication in the predetermined drawer 200 is restricted to doctors
and senior nurses.
If a doctor requires a dose of the medication, he presents his RFID badge to the RFID
reader of the system and uses an input mechanism (for example, touch screen menu
system) to request access to the medication. The system control circuit 145 then
causes the display device (I/O device 1118) to display to the doctor which drawer 200
the medication is stored in and causes the appropriate cartridge control circuit 355 to
activate the appropriate solenoid 340 to unlatch the correct drawer 200 and to illuminate
the appropriate LED 360. Once the drawer 200 has been drawn out a predetermined
amount, the solenoid 340 is deactivated to cause the flap 345 to latch the stop 270 for
the first compartment 2 15. Thus, the doctor can only pull out the drawer 200 far enough
to expose the first compartment 215. He can then retrieve the tablets stored in the first
compartment 215 by putting his finger in the finger-sized cut-out 255 and scooping the
tablets out. The doctor then closes the drawer 200. The latch flap 345 will slide over
the stops if the drawer 200 is pushed back in so there is no need to activate the
solenoid. This has the further advantage that any person can push the drawer 200 back
in if the doctor forgets. The system control circuitry 140 records that one dose of the
medication has been released, and may record that the release was made to that
particular doctor.
If a junior nurse then presents his RFID badge and requests access to the medication,
the request is refused and the drawer 200 remains latched.
If a senior nurse then presents his RFID badge and requests access to the medication,
the display device displays to the nurse which drawer 200 the medication is stored in
and causes the appropriate cartridge control circuit 355 to activate the appropriate
solenoid 340 to unlatch the correct drawer 200. Once the drawer 200 has been drawn
out to the extent that the first cartridge 300 stop has passed the edge 3451 of the
solenoid flap 345, the solenoid 340 is deactivated to cause the flap 345 to latch the stop
270 for the second compartment 2 15 . Thus, the nurse can pull out the drawer 200 far
enough to expose both the first and second compartments 215 and retrieve the tablets
stored in the second compartment 215. The system control circuit 140 then records that
another dose of the medication has been released, and may record that the release was
made to that particular nurse.
Restocking of items within the drawer 200 can be implemented by either replacing the
drawer 200 with an entirely new drawer 200, preloaded with stock (possibly with stock
information exchanged to the machine via a non-contact read head mounted in the
cartridge) or by the reverse of the dispense procedure. In this case, the machine allows
an individual with sufficient access privileges to expose the rearmost compartment 215
in which no stock is contained, and thereby exposing all compartments 215 forward of
the aforesaid compartment 2 15. The individual then loads stock into all the empty
compartments 2 15... Preferably, stock is loaded into the drawer 200 from the back
compartment 215 forwards with any empty compartments 215 located at the front of the
drawer 200.
Those skilled in the art will recognise that the modular supply system of the present
invention has a wide variety of different applications, from medical and manufacturing
facilities of all different sizes to simple coin-operated vending machines.
A particularly advantageous feature of the system is the provision of a three point
protection system that allows the drawers 200 to be securely fastened in the cartridges
300 but nonetheless allows individual drawers 200 to be easily removed from the front
of the cartridge 300 without requiring special tools, without accessing the rear of the
housing 100 and without affecting the control electronics of other drawers 200 or the
cartridge 300. In particular, to remove a drawer 200 from the cartridge 300, a user
provided with a suitable key unlocks the lock 830 on the cover plate 800 and moves the
sliding plate 820 so that its cut-outs are aligned with those 815 of the fixed plate 810.
This provides access for the user to insert his finger through the cut-out 8 15 and
depress the finger bar 410 of the over-ride system 400, thereby lifting the over-ride bar
420 and unlatching all the latch mechanisms 347 mounted to the cartridge 300. This
allows a selected drawer 200 to be pulled out along the guide block 500 without
electronic control of the respective solenoid 340 until the hook 635 of the drawer release
lever 600 abuts the guide block 500, which prevents the drawer 200 from being pulled
out further.
It should be noted that the cartridge control circuit 355 is programmed never to allow
unlatching past the stop 270 corresponding to the back-most compartment 2 15 in
normal use, so that it is not possible to pull the drawer 200 out further than the last
compartment 2 15 in normal use. The drawer 200 and the drawer release lever 600 are
sized such that the front portion 620 cannot be reached by a user when the drawer 200
is pulled out to the last compartment 215 in normal use. However, when the over-ride
system is operated to allow unlatching past the back compartment 2 15, the drawer 200
can be slid a predetermined distance forward until the hook 635 abuts the guide block
500. This predetermined distance is sufficient to bring the front portion 620 of the
release lever 600 forward so that it can be reached by the user's finger. Thus,
unlatching of the latch mechanism 347 using the over-ride system 400 allows the user
to activate the release lever 600 and thereby fully remove the drawer 200 from the
guide block 500.
Once all the intended drawers 200 have been removed from the guide blocks 500, the
lockable cover plate can be re-locked, and newly-stocked drawers 200 can be simply
slid into place. The newly-stocked drawers 200 can be the same as the drawers 200
that have just been removed or entirely new drawers 200 can be used in their place.
This has the particular advantage that drawers 200 can be filled off-site and brought onsite
for a particularly fast, trouble-free re-stocking operation, which is a very significant
advantage over existing systems.
A further advantage is that the drawers 200 can be stocked off-site in a sterile
environment and covered with a thin film wrap after stocking to maintain sterility and
cleanliness of the drawers 200 and articles within the drawers 200. Where the guide
notches are not provided in the compartment walls, it becomes particularly easy to
maintain sterility in individual compartments 2 15 , irrespective of whether articles have
been removed from neighbouring compartments 2 15. Drawers 200 can also be easily
removed for cleaning and/or sterilisation prior to re-use, and in the unlikely event of
damage, drawers 200 can easily be replaced.
The use of cartridges 300 to mount drawers 200 in a stacked arrangement in this
manner provides significant advantages in terms of modularity. For example, if it is
desired to use drawers 200 of a different width in the modular storage system 1, all that
is required is to space the cartridges 300 further apart and slide the drawers 200 of
different widths into the cartridges 300. In particular, the system lends itself to the use
of drawers 200 of different widths where the width of all the wider drawers 200 is an
integral multiple of the width of the narrowest drawer 200. For example, Fig. 1 shows
that in the lowest row the cartridges 300 are spaced to provide six cartridges 300 in the
row, drawers 200 of the narrowest width being fitted in each cartridge 300. However, it
would be possible to mount only two cartridges 300 in the row and use drawers 200 that
are three times wider. Alternatively, a single cartridge 300 could be provided for use
with a drawer 200 having six times the width, or the cartridges 300 could be spaced to
provide: three drawers 200 having double the narrowest width; or one drawer 200
having three times the narrowest width, one drawer 200 having double the narrowest
width and one drawer 200 having the narrowest width and so on. The skilled addressee
will recognise that many permutations are possible.
In a similar fashion, the number of compartments 2 15 in each drawer 200 can be
adjusted as desired, with the only further modification required being the positioning and
number of stops on the side of the cartridge 300. Again, no modifications to the
cartridge 300 are required.
Furthermore, the heights of the drawers 200 can also be modified without difficulty and
without changing the guide blocks 500, preferably so that the height of each drawer 200
is an integral multiple of the height of the drawer 200 having the lowest profile. The
cartridges 300 can then be assembled to provide only one guide block 500, latch
mechanism 347, and drawer guide 380 for each drawer 200. Preferably, the drawer
main body 2 0 of double- (or more-)height drawers 200 would be moulded so that when
the drawer 200 is mounted to the guide block 500, the bottom of the guide block 500
continues to be substantially flush with the bottom of the drawer 200, such that the top
of the drawer 200 extends above the top of the guide block 500. In this way simple
moulding of the drawer main body 210 (which is discussed in more detail below)
remains possible, without changing the shape of the guide blocks 500 or otherwise
adjusting the configuration of the cartridges 300.
In practice, drawers of triple width and double height have been found to be particularly
useful. In such cases, the additional support provided by drawer guide 380 and by the
guidance notches 245 and the guidance rails 247 may be especially advantageous,
especially if what is stored in a drawer is heavy. In this case, it is convenient but not
essential to provide a support bar or plate (not shown) on which the guidance rail 247 of
the bottom drawer 200 in a cartridge can run. Such a support bar or plate extends
parallel to the guidance rail 247 from the cartridge mounting bracket at the front of the
housing 100 to the rear of the housing 100. The support bar or plate may be supported
at its rear end by a further strut (not shown) provided between the rear uprights and
parallel to the lifting beams 30.
Of course, it would also be possible to redesign the drawers 200 so that the guide railengaging
portions 2 0, 220 are disposed towards the top of the drawer 200, without
changing the guide blocks 500. However, this would complicate design of the drawers
200 in that it would become difficult to mould them, thereby increasing their expense. In
addition, the guide block 500 itself could be redesigned to accommodate taller drawers
200.
It can therefore be seen that the present invention allows a single storage system 1 to
be very easily modified to provide a plurality of drawers 200 of different widths or
heights or both. In the case of different width drawers 200, it is necessary only to
remove some of the cartridges 300 from the frame. For different height drawers 200, it
is necessary only to remove excess guide blocks 500 from the cartridge 300, unclip the
solenoid 340 wiring leads of excess solenoids and remove the excess solenoids 500
from the cartridge 300. No other modifications are necessary. Consequently, the
present invention provides a very significant improvement on the flexibility in design
over existing storage systems.
The use of cartridges 300 to hold groups of drawers 200 in a stacked arrangement is
also particularly advantageous. Specifically, the cartridges 300 assist in providing the
modularity and flexibility of the present invention. The use of a single circuit board 350
for each cartridge 300 with a cartridge control circuit 355 allows distributed control of
latching of the drawers 200 and significantly improves flexibility compared to the prior
art.
Moreover, the use of the cartridges 300 to hold the drawers 200 in a stacked
arrangement, with each drawer 200 being supported so that one side is adjacent the
cartridge 300 represents a significant improvement. Specifically, this arrangement
avoids the need to provide drawer runners extending from the front to the back of the
housing 00 on both sides of every drawer 200. Rather the use of the guide blocks 500
to support the drawers 200 and guide them as they are opened and closed provides an
exceptionally lightweight and compact means of containing the drawers 200 in the
housing 1. This results in a very lightweight housing compared to the prior art, which is
easy to install and comparatively easy to move once installed. Importantly, it results in
a very much improved storage density in relation to comparable prior art storage
systems whilst maintaining full control of access to individual compartments 215.
Indeed, it has been found that storage density is improved by between 50% and 100%.
These advantages are further assisted by the drawers 200 sliding on lower drawers 200
when pulled out from the home position and the use of the drawer guide 380, the lifting
tab 280 and lifting beam 130.
The use of the upper and lower rails 510, 520 on the guide block 500 has proved to be
a very effective means to support and guide the drawers 200. Since the upper and
lower rails 510, 520 extend in the depth direction of the housing, but only a short
distance compared to the drawers 200, they act to provide effect support and guidance
to the drawers 200, without significantly increasing the weight and volume of the
cartridge 300. Preferred maximum dimensions of the drawers 200 are approximately
00mm wide x 80mm high x 400mm deep and preferred maximum dimensions of the
guide blocks 500 are 40mm wide x 80mm high x 120mm deep. However, the ratio of
the depth of the guide block 500 to the depth of the drawer 200 may be in the range 0.1
to 0.5, and is more preferably in the range 0.2 to 0.4.
The arrangement in which, when the drawer 200 is mounted to the guide block 500, the
sensors 330 and the index member 260 are disposed between the upper and lower rails
is advantageous in providing consistently accurate determination of the position of the
drawer 200.
More specifically, since the upper rail-engaging portion 220 of the drawer 200 is
disposed adjacent to and between the upper rail 320 and the sensors 330, and the
index member 260 is disposed adjacent to the sensors 330, accuracy of detection is
improved.
In particular, the guide block 500 is mounted over the sensors 300, with the sensors 300
being positioned in the cavity 560 and the index member 260 being positioned to run
through the notch 550, preferably very close to or abutting the downward-facing surface
555 of the front wall portion 556. This means that the index member 260 is consistently
guided to be positioned directly adjacent the sensors 330 so that the position and
movement of the drawer 200 can be detected with a high degree of accuracy.
Importantly then, the guiding function of the guide block 500 ensures accurate control of
latching.
In addition, since the lower rail 5 0 is disposed further from the cartridge upright 310
than the upper rail 220, and since the upwardly extending portion 514 of the lower rail
runs in the groove 229 formed on the bottom wall of the drawer 200, the drawer 200 is
particularly well supported and guided. This is because the guide block 500 supports
and guides the drawer 200 both at its side surface and its bottom surface. Moreover,
this positioning of the lower rail 520 and the groove 229 effectively counters the moment
caused by the weight of the drawer 200 about the upper guide rail, so that the drawer
200 can be smoothly and easily pulled out from the home position without skewing.
In short, the upper rail 520 advantageously positions the index member 260 close to the
sensors 330 and the lower rail 510 advantageously supports the bottom of the drawer
200, and together they hold the drawer 200 so that its side is adjacent the cartridge 300,
with consequent advantages in modularity, and guide it during movement for smooth,
easy and accurate use.
A further advantage of the specific arrangement of the various features of the drawer
main body 210 is that the drawer main body 210 can be easily formed by using an
injection moulding process without side action. Specifically, the provision of the
downward-facing groove 229 on the bottom wall and the upward-facing U-shape of the
upper rail-engaging portion 220 on the side wall means that there are no undercuts in
the design, so that the drawer main body 210 can be injection-moulded as one piece
without the use of side action. It should be noted that the provision of the compartments
215, compartment walls 240, side wall cut-outs 255, guidance protrusion 247,
compartment stops 270, downward-facing surface 290, curved inner compartment side
walls 256, guidance notch 245, lifting tab 280 and index member fixing portion are all
designed so that one-piece moulding without side action is possible. Accordingly,
despite the relative complexity and high degree of functionality of the drawer main body
210, it can be manufactured cheaply and accurately with low tooling set-up and
maintenance costs. This provides a significant competitive advantage.
In the foregoing, it was mentioned that in use the display means indicates which drawer
200 the user is allowed to access. In practice, the display means is the LED 360
provided for each drawer 200 on the cartridge 300. However, the display means may
also or instead comprise an LCD monitor on which is displayed an image of the housing
1 with the correct drawer 200 highlighted.
Alternatively or in addition, a spring may be provided on the housing back plate (not
shown) in correspondence to each drawer 200. The spring may act on the back face of
the drawer 200 to bias it against the latching action of the solenoid flap 345, so that
when the latch is released the drawer 200 automatically moves out from the home
position at least a short distance. In this way, the user can immediately see which
drawer 200 has been unlatched.
The foregoing description has been given by way of example only and it will be
appreciated by a person skilled in the art that modifications can be made without
departing from the scope of the present invention.
In particular, the number of compartments 215 in each drawer 200, the number of
drawers 200, the number of rows of drawers 200, the number of cartridges 300, the
number of drawers 200 per cartridge 300 and the relative dimensions of the cartridges
300, the drawers 200 and the housing 100 are not limited. Indeed, a particular
advantage of the present invention is the high degree of modularity and adaptability it
affords.
In the foregoing description, the drawers 200 are supported by the cartridge 300 in
combination with the drawer guide 380 and the lifting beam 130. However neither the
drawer guide nor the lifting beam 130, nor the corresponding features of the drawer 200
are essential features of the invention. Similarly, it is possible for the guide block 500 to
fully support the drawers 200 without them contacting one another when they are pulled
out from the home position. The use of the guidance rail 247 and the guidance notch
245 are likewise optional, as are the cut-outs 255 and the curved internal compartment
walls 256.
The latching mechanism 247 described above uses a solenoid 340 and a solenoid flap
345. However, the person skilled in the art will recognise that many other latching
mechanisms could be used, whether with or without a solenoid. Where a solenoid 340
is used, the particular arrangement described is not necessary. For example, there is
no need to provide the solenoid tab 3400 and the spring 348 can be attached to the
upright 310 directly or to the guide block 500.
The arrangement described above for detecting the drawers 200 comprises three
sensors, each comprising an LED emitter and a light receiver, acting in concert with a
metal bar provided with holes acting as a raster strip. However, other arrangements are
envisioned, including the use of different numbers and types of sensors. For example,
the sensors could comprise light emitting means and receivers adapted to detect light
reflected from a raster strip on the drawers 200. Alternatively, mechanical/electrical
switch means opened or closed as the drawers 200 slide past, or RFID sensing means,
could be used. The raster strip need not be metal and need not have holes in. Any
suitable index member could be used. Moreover, the sensors could be disposed on the
drawer 200 and the index member on the guide block 500.
The sensing arrangement has been described as detecting the home position of the
drawer 200 directly, as well the speed and the direction of movement of the drawer 200
based on the speed and pattern of detection signals output by the light receivers 334,
335, 336. In this way, the position of the drawers 200 can be detected. However, other
arrangements are also possible. For example, the sensing arrangement may be able to
directly detect a position of each compartment 215 in the same way as the home
position, or by detecting the number of times the or each light receiver is activated. It
will be clear that different numbers of sensors and different layouts of index member
may become appropriate depending on the precise implementation.
The circuitry described above includes a system control circuit 140 acting in concert
with a plurality of cartridge control circuits 355. The processing functions carried
between these controllers can be distributed in any way to provide the appropriate
functionality. In addition, it is not necessary to provide a separate control circuit for
each cartridge 300 - rather, all process control could be carried out by the centralised
system controller. Conversely, a separate control circuit could be provided for each
drawer 200.
The precise arrangements of the upper and lower rails and the upper and lower railengagement
portions can also be varied. For example, both the upper and lower railengagement
portions can be provided on the side of the drawer 200. Also the upper
and lower rail-engagement portions can be provided on the guide block 500 and the
upper and lower rails can be provided on the drawers 200. Different numbers of these
parts can also be provided. Similarly, the positional relationship between the sensors,
rails, rail-engagement portions and index members can also be varied.
It is further noted that the guidance notches 245 on the top of the compartment wall 240
and the guidance rail 247 on the bottom are not essential features of the invention.
Moreover, their respective positions in the width direction can be varied. The notches
245 may be provided on the bottom of the drawer 200 and the guidance rail 247 on the
top.
The foregoing description of illustrated embodiments of the present invention, including
what is described in the abstract, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the
invention to the precise forms disclosed herein. While specific embodiments of the
invention are described herein for illustrative purposes only, various equivalent
modifications are possible within the spirit and scope of the present invention, as those
skilled in the relevant art will recognize and appreciate. As indicated, these
modifications may be made to the present invention in light of the foregoing description
of illustrated embodiments of the present invention and are to be included within the
spirit and scope of the present invention.

We CLAIM:
1 A drawer comprising:
- at least one compartment open at the top of the drawer;
- upper and lower rail-engaging means extending in a depth direction of the
drawer for mounting a first side of the drawer adjacent a holding apparatus;
and
- drawer information means disposed between the upper and lower railengaging
means.
2. A drawer according to claim 1, wherein corresponding upper and lower railengaging
means for mounting an opposite, second side of the drawer are
absent.
3. A drawer according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the drawer information
means is disposed adjacent the upper rail-engaging means.
4. A drawer according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein:
- the upper rail-engaging means is provided on the first side of the drawer;
and
- the lower rail-engaging portion is formed at a corner of the drawer between
the first side and the bottom of the drawer.
5. A drawer according to claim 4, wherein:
- the upper rail-engaging means comprises a first portion extending away
from the first side and a second portion extending orthogonally to the first
portion; and
- the lower rail-engaging portion comprises a groove formed in the bottom of
the drawer.
6. A drawer according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a
drawer release lever disposed at the back of drawer, the release lever being
biased for latching the drawer to the holding apparatus.
7. A drawer according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a
lifting portion adapted to engage with lifting means provided by the holding
apparatus to lift a back portion of the drawer.
A drawer according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising:
- a guide notch or a guide protrusion extending longitudinally along'the top of
the drawer and disposed towards a second side opposite the first side; and
- a guide protrusion or a guide notch extending longitudinally along bottom of
drawer under the guide protrusion,
- whereby the guide protrusion or guide notch of an upper drawer is adapted
to engage with the guide notch or guide protrusion of a lower drawer.
A cartridge for holding a drawer or a plurality of drawers above one another,
said cartridge comprising:
- an upright; and, provided on one side of the upright for the or each drawer:
- a guide block for mounting the drawer to one side of the cartridge;
- cartridge information means for providing information on at least one of
position and movement of the drawer; and
- a latch mechanism, which is electronically controllable, for engaging with the
drawer,
- whereby access to the or each drawer can be controlled.
A cartridge according to claim 9, adapted to control opening and closing of the
or each said latch mechanism based on information from the respective
cartridge information means.
A cartridge according to claim 9 or claim 10, further comprising an over-ride
system, by means of which the or each latch mechanism can be manually
opened together.
A cartridge according to claim 11, wherein the over-ride system comprises:
- a finger bar; and
- an over-ride bar pivotally connected to the finger bar,
- whereby movement of the finger bar moves the over-ride bar to open the or
each latch mechanism.
A storage system comprising:
- a cartridge, said cartridge including an upright having mounted on one side
a plurality of guide blocks;
a plurality of first drawer information means; and
a plurality of latch mechanisms,
said system further comprising a plurality of drawers, each said drawer
including
guide block engaging means extending in a depth direction of the drawer for
mounting a first side of the drawer adjacent a respective guide block;
second drawer information means disposed adjacent the first drawer
information means, said first and second information means for providing
information on at least one of position and movement of said drawer; and
at least one stop on the first side of the drawer for engaging with a said latch
mechanism,
wherein the latch mechanisms are electronically controllable for regulating
access to the drawers.
14. A storage system according to claim 13, further comprising a lockable cover
plate for preventing access to an over-ride system.
15. A storage system according to claim 13 or claim 14, wherein a first drawer
mounted to a first cartridge has a different height to a second drawer
mounted to the first cartridge or to a second cartridge.