FR2639524A1 - Bottle rack made from an insulating foam of cellular plastic - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a rack made from an insulating foam of cellular plastic for storing bottles of wine which by this means are protected from light, dust and sudden temperature changes in the room where the wine is kept. The rack consists of a bottom and identical top 1, flat on one side and forming half cells on the other; modules forming staggered inverted half cells 2; and a system of keys 3 and 4 enabling the different modules to be assembled to form the rack. The introduction of stoppers 6 of an insulating foam of cellular plastic in the front part and of an insulating panel 7 at the back of the rack gives the bottles complete protection from light, dust and sudden temperature changes.

Description

 The present invention relates to a bottle storage rack obtained by cutting from a block of insulating foam of cellular plastic, or by molding of the same material.

 In the cellar, the storage of bottles is generally carried out in metal or plastic racks with skeletons which do not protect the bottles against sudden temperature variations in the room where the storage takes place.

 Because of their design, metal crates with skeletons (bottles held at two points - neck and bottom) do not prevent the accidental falling of a glass bottle from being broken.

 These same metal or plastic racks, with skeletons do not protect the stored bottles from dust and from light when the room is lit.

 The bottle rack according to the invention overcomes these drawbacks.

 It is obtained for example from insulating foam of cellular plastic cut or molded according to a particular configuration.

 It is made up as shown in FIG. 1 in exploded view, of a bottom and of an identical cover (1) -flat on one side and forming half cells on the other, of standard elements forming half cells inverted in staggered (2) and a system of two types of keys (3) and (4) allowing the various elements to be assembled to form the locker.

 Once assembled, the rack is for example in the form of FIG. 2. The cells with a diameter of the order of 70 mm to 120 mm allow the storage, in the lying position, of the majority of commercially available bottles.

 In the rack according to the invention, the bottles rest on a generator.

 The diameter of the cells is generally 2 to 3 mm greater than that of the bottles to be stored.

 The size of these racks, and therefore the number of bottles that can be stored, are not limited.

 According to a preferred embodiment, the rack according to the invention allows the storage of 30 bottles of maximum diameter 85 mm or 25 bottles of maximum diameter 95 mm; in both cases, the outside dimensions of the locker are the same; of the order of 730 mm for the length, 500 mm for the height and a depth of 300 or 400 mm, thus allowing the superposition or juxtaposition of these racks regardless of the type of bottles stored.

 According to a variant, the keys (4) in FIG. 1 can be manufactured with a symmetrical shape (5) to allow keying in the transverse direction of the lockers as shown in FIG. 3.

To obtain a seal in the cells in which the bottles will be stored and therefore a thermal protection and a shelter from light and dust from the bottles, several solutions can be envisaged and represented in FIG. 4
- the installation of plugs (6) of the same diameter as the cells in the front and rear part thereof,
- the installation of a plug (6) in the front part of the cells and a plate 3 to 4 cm thick over the entire surface of the rear face (7) of the rack (s).

 The bottles thus stored away from light and dust are perfectly protected against sudden changes in room temperature.

 The wine rack according to the invention is particularly intended for the storage of wine bottles.

Claims (4)

 1) Bottle rack made of insulating foam of cellular plastic characterized in that it comprises a bottom and a cover of identical shape, flat on one side, the other side forming half cells (1), of elements forming half staggered inverted cells (2) and a system of keys (3) and (4) allowing the various parts to be assembled together to form the rack.  2) bottle rack according to claim 1 characterized in that one of the keys (4) constitutes a part of the cell.  3) Bottle rack according to claims 1 and 2 characterized in that the keys (4) can be replaced by keys (5) of symmetrical shape, allowing the assembly of several racks in the transverse direction.  4) bottle rack according to claims 1 to 3 characterized in that the caps (6) and an insulating plate (7) allow the complete sealing of the cells and thus avoid thermal shock during sudden temperature variations in the room while keeping the bottles away from light and dust.