GB2349560A - Table mounted storage unit - Google Patents

Abstract

A storage unit for gambling chips, mountable on a roulette table, has sides, a roof and a back (10,12,14,16) which form a housing, and a door (8) which closes the housing. The door comprises a larger upper and a smaller lower panel 8A,8B joined by a piano hinge 20. The upper panel has a lock with a tongue 28 engageable in the roof in which position (Fig 6) the panels are coplanar. When unlocked, panel 8A folds down to lie alongside panel 8A (Fig 7) and the folded panels are then slid to lie immediately underneath the roof (Fig 8) by means of pins 34 in panel 8A which slide in appropriately shaped grooves 40 in the side panels. The side panels are mounted to the table top by brackets (22,24) which may be inside or outside the housing.

Description

STORAGE UNIT The present inventions relates to storage units and, in particular but not exclusively, to storage units for storing gambling chips.

In the game of roulette, there is a requirement to provide a store of gambling chips in a location on the table from which the croupier can dispense to customers as required.

When the croupier leaves the table, the store of gambling chips need to be secured.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved lockable storage unit to house a supply of gambling chips.

According to the present invention there is provided an enclosure securable to the surface of a table, the enclosure having a pair of generally parallel side walls defining a front opening, a roof spanning the side walls, a rear wall extending between the side walls and the roof to define the rear of the enclosure, and a door for closing the front opening, the door comprising a lower laminar portion and an upper laminar portion hingedly interconnected to each other so that the upper portion can be pivoted between a first position in which the two portions are coplanar and a second position in which the two portions lie face to face, guide means constraining said lower portion with respect to the side walls for movement along a path from a third position which the lower portion extends vertically and occupies the lower portion of the opening to a fourth position in which the lower portion extends substantially horizontally close to and facing, the inner face of the roof, locking means providing cooperation between the said upper portion and the roof to lock the upper and lower portions when in said first and third positions to close the opening, and releasable to allow the upper and lower portions to move to said second and fourth positions in which said upper portion lies between the lower portion and the roof to allow access to the interior of the enclosure via the opening.

Preferably a piano hinge hingedly interconnects the first and second portions.

Advantageously, the upper portion is larger than the lower portion.

The guide means preferably comprises a guide groove in the innerface of each said side walls and a plurality of spaced studs extending laterally from each side of the lower portion and engages respective guide grooves.

Advantageously, each side of said lower portion carriers two spaced studs.

The locking means comprises a key operated tongue mounted on said upper wall, arranged to engage a recess in the inner face of said roof. The roof and walls of the storage unit may be transparent.

A gambling chip storage unit embodying the present invention, will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a roulette table; Figure 2 is a plan view of the storage unit; Figure 3 is a front elevation of the unit of Figure 2 with the door closed; Figure 4 is a front elevation of the unit of Figure 2 with the door open; Figure 5 is section take along the line 5-5 of Figure 3; Figure 6 is a side view of the door when closed; Figure 7 is a side view of the door when open; and Figure 8 is a side view of the door in an intermediate position.

The roulette table shown in Figure 1 comprises a roulette wheel 2, a marked stake area 4 and a chip storage unit 6, all mounted on the surface of the roulette table.

The storage unit 6, as shown in Figure 2, has a lockable access door 8 and is profiled to match the profile of the portion of the table in which it is located. The unit 6 has two generally parallel side walls 10 and 12, a roof 14 and a curved rear wall 16. The door 8 fills the opening. L-shaped brackets 22 and 24 secure the side walls 10 and 12 to the table.

The brackets 22 and 24 may be secured to the outer faces of the side walls 10 and 12 or instead to the inner face of the side walls 10 and 12 for greater security.

The door 8 is divided horizontally into two parts or panels 8A and 8B which are hingedly counterconnected by a horizontally extending piano hinge 20. The larger upper part 8A carries a lock 26 which has a key operated tongue 28 that can be operated to engage a recess 30 in the underside of the roof 14. The lower part 8B carries on each side a pair of spaced laterally extending studs 32 and 34 which are arranged to engage respective guide grooves 40 in respective side walls 10 and 12 (see Figure 5).

The guide grooves 40 guide the lower part 8A of the door between a vertical position, in which it occupies the lower portion of the opening, and a horizontal position, in which it faces the inner face of the roof 14 lying slight spaced therefrom (see Figure 4).

When the lower part 8A is in its vertical position and the upper part 8B is coplanar with the lower part (see Figure 3 and Figure 6), the lock 26 can be operated to lock the upper part 8A to the roof which, in turn, locks the lower part 8B to the floor. In this position, the door 8 closes the opening to deny access to the interior of the storage unit.

When the lock 26 is released, the upper part 8A can be pivoted about the hinge 20 towards a position in which the upper and lower parts face one another (see Figure 8). The lower part 8B can then be raised to follow the guide grooves 40 until the lower part has turned into the horizontal attitude and lies just below the roof 14, within the storage unit 16.

In this position, the upper and lower parts 8A and 8B lie in face to face relationship with each other and are stored inside the storage unit, close to the roof, and do not impede access to the contents (eg gambling chips) within the unit. The upper part effectively rests on and is supported by the lower part.

RTM The walls, door and roof are of clear Perspeallowing full visibility of the contents within the unit.

Although a key operated tongue is described as being mounted on the door, it can instead be mounted on the roof and engage a recess in the upper edge of the upper part 8B.

Other locking devices may be used instead.

Claims (8)

1. CLAIMS 1. An enclosure securable to the surface of a table, the enclosure having a pair of generally parallel side walls defining a front opening, a roof spanning the side walls, a rear wall extending between the side walls and the roof to define the rear of the enclosure, and a door for closing the front opening, the door comprising a lower laminar portion and an upper laminar portion hingedly interconnected to each other so that the upper portion can be pivoted between a first position in which the two portions are coplanar and a second position in which the two portions lie face to face, guide means constraining said lower portion with respect to the side walls for movement along a path from a third position which the lower portion extends vertically and occupies the lower portion of the opening to a fourth position in which the lower portion extends substantially horizontally close to and facing, the inner face of the roof, locking means providing cooperation between the said upper portion and the roof to lock the upper and lower portions when in said first and third positions to close the opening, and releasable to allow the upper and lower portions to move to said second and fourth positions in which said upper portion lies between the lower portion and the roof to allow access to the interior of the enclosure via the opening.
2. 2. An enclosure according to Claim 1, wherein a piano hinge hingedly interconnects the first and second portions.
3. 3. An enclosure according to Claim 1 or to Claim 2, wherein the upper portion is larger than the lower portion.
4. 4. An enclosure according to any preceding claim, wherein the guide means comprises a guide groove in the innerface of each said side walls and a plurality of spaced studs extending laterally from each side of the lower portion and engages respective guide grooves.
5. 5. An enclosure according to Claim 5, wherein each side of said lower portion carries two spaced studs.
6. 6. An enclosure according to any preceding claim, wherein the locking means comprises a key operated tongue mounted on said upper wall, arranged to engage a recess in the inner face of said roof.
7. 7. An enclosure according to any preceding claim, wherein the roof and walls of the storage unit are transparent.
8. 8. A gambling chip storage unit, substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.