US3464648A

US3464648A - Spool holder assembly

Info

Publication number: US3464648A
Application number: US732725A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harold W Fuhriman
Original assignee: HAROLD W FUHRIMAN
Current assignee: HAROLD W FUHRIMAN
Priority date: 1968-05-28
Filing date: 1968-05-28
Publication date: 1969-09-02
Anticipated expiration: 1986-09-02

Description

P 1969 H-. w. FUHRIMAN Y 3,464,648

SPOOL HOLDER ASSEMBLY Filed May 28, 1968 United States Patent M US. Cl. 242-139 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A stackable lazy-Susan tray storage means having rotatable trays disposed thereon. The apparatus includes a base pedestal having a vertically disclosed center post and a plurality of vertically mounted bearing support posts equally spaced circumferentially on the base pedestal. The storage means is provided with a multiplicity of storage trays journaled on the center post of the base pedestal and carried by the bearing support posts. Each of the trays may also be provided with a plurality of bearing support posts to provide means by which successive trays may be carried thereby. Therefore, any number of trays may be stacked one upon the other to provide storage means.

Background of the invention Field of the invention Description of the prior art Lazy-Susans formerly known in the art generally comprise a revolving tray carried by a central bearing member which is mounted to a pedestal base. These may also be provided with a plurality of trays one mounted above a preceding tray on a bearing member mounted upon a central post. In either type of lazy-Susan structure the trays are generally not removable. Therefore, condiments or goods sotred upon the several trays can only be removed from the trays in place.

The trays, being suspended on a central bearing member, tend to become unevenly balanced on the bearing member and tend to bind upon the post, thus making it diflicult for them to revolve on the bearing when condiments or goods are not evenly distributed on the tray. It is for this reason that the diameter of a given tray is limited.

Summary of the invention Accordingly, it is an extremely important object of the present invention to provide in a lazy-Susan apparatus, bearing means equally spaced outwardly from the centermost portion of the lazy-Susan operable to support a tray of any diameter. In this connection, it is an important aim of the invention to provide mechanism for positively maintaining equal support for the tray of the lazy-Susan regardless of loading upon the tray, and to provide means whereby the tray may be revolved upon support means without binding. A further object of the instant invention is to provide in a lazy-Susan apparatus means carrying any number of lazy-Susan trays one upon another in which the trays are individually removable from the lazy-Susan.

Broadly and in one aspect, the apparatus of the instant invention comprises a pedestal base portion having a guidepost in the centermost portion of the base and a plurality of vertically mounted bearing support means equally spaced circumferentially on the pedestal base operable to support lazy-Susan trays. Similar bearing support posts may also be provided and disposed on trays of the lazy- 3,464,648 Patented Sept. 2, 1969 Susan and hence, provide means by which a plurality of trays may be stacked one upon another. Each of the trays is provided with a hole in the centermost portion thereof therby providing means by which the trays may be journaled on the centermost guidepost.

And another aspect of the present invention a plurality of storage bins perpendicularly mounted to the pedestal base and to the several trays of the lazy-Susan may be provided for the storage of spools of thread commonly used for sewing.

Brief description of the drawings FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of an apparatus embodying the concept and principles of the instant invention and showing a plurality of trays mounted one upon another the trays being cross-sectioned to that bearing support means may be seen;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary view to a larger scale of a bearing support post of this invention;

FIGURE 3 is an isometric view taken from the lower underportion of a tray or disc of the present invention.

Description of the preferred embodiment Referring now to the drawings, the preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown to advantage as a spool and bobbin holder 10 in FIGURE 1. It is to be understood that the holder 10 may comprise any of a variety of lazy-Susan type holders functionally similar to lazy-Susans known in the art such as dish or tray discs. The holder 10 is provided with a pedestal base portion 11 having a guidepost 12 suitably mounted in the centermost portion of base 11. A plurality of bearing supports 13, more than two in number are equally spaced circumferentially on the base 11 near its terminal edge. Supports 13 are perpendicularly mounted in the base 11 and are each provided with a substantially non-frictional bearing portion 14 at their respective uppermost terminal ends. The bearing portions 14 may comprise a polished portion of the wood, metal or other material which may have been selected for the supports 13, and may be pointed to reduce the frictional area when the respective bearing portions 14 are in engagement with a storage tray 15 as hereinafter later described. In order to make clear the understanding of bearing portions 14, a cap 16 which issues into a pointed rise portion at its uppermost terminal end at the area of intended engagement with a storage tray 15 is shown to advantage in FIGURE 2. The cap 16 may be suitably fastened to the support 14. In practice it has been found that coatings of commonly known lubricants and silicons are also suitable to provide a substantially non-fictional surface, and particularly so when the area of engagement of bearing portion 14 is reduced such as by pointing the portion 14.

A multiplicity of storage pins 17 may be perpendicularly mounted in base 11 to provide storage holders for spools 18 of thread commonly used for sewing. The pins 17, when concentrically annularly spaced about the base 11, provides means for separately storing a multiplicity of individual spools '18 which be may easily observed and selected without the requirement of removing them or the trays 15. It should be understood that bearing supports 13 may also be employed to store spools 18. The pins 16 may be of a substantially lesser length than bearing supports 13 in order to facilitate the removal of spools and bobbins stored thereon without the requirement of first removing a storage tray 15 suspended on bearing supports 13 above base 11 as hereinafter later described. It has been found in practice that pins 17 may also be of a substantially lesser length than the height of the spool 18 stored thereon to facilitate removal of the spool and at the same time provide adequate storage holding means for the individual spool 18, rather than as shown 3 in FIGURE 1. It should be emphasized that to practice other teachings of this invention the base 11 may have the configuration of a commonly known dish or the like not including pins 17 disposed thereon. That is to say that elements of this invention have utility apart from the particular combinations here shown and described.

A typical storage tray 15 is shown to advantage in FIGURES 1 and 3. As will become apparent from the description following, any number of trays 15, one tray suspended upon a preceding tray, may be employed in connection with this invention. The tray 15 shown in FIGURE 1 is cut to illustrate the manner of engagement of tray 15 with hearing supports 13, wherein two supports 13 may be observed, while a third support 13 is hidden by the tray 15 as shown. The under portion 19 of tray 15 may be polished or coated with a commonly known lubricant or silicone material to provide a substantially non-frictional surface when in engagement with bearing portion 14 of supports 13 in base 11. The under portion 19 of tray 15 is shown with a race 20 in FIGURE 3. The race 20 may comprise a polished or coated portion in the under portion 19, thereby providing a substantially non-frictional surface coincident with the bearing portion 14 of supports 13. The tray 15 is journaled on perpendicular post 12 and is carried by supports 13. Therefore, trays 15 may be rotated on the post 12 and on the supports 13.

The trays 15 are provided with a plurality of bearing supports 21, more than two in number, which are circumferential equally spaced and perpendicularly mounted in trays 15. Preferably, the supports 21 are spaced inwardly with respect to the centermost portion of the tray 15 from the outer peripheral terminal edge of the tray 15 so as to coincide with a race 20 of a succeeding tray 15 or a race in a bobbin storage tray 22 hereinafter later described. Bearing supports 21 are similar to supports 13 and include a bearing portion 23 similar to that hereinabove more fully described for bearing portion 14.

A multiplicity of storage pins 24 similar to pins 17 may be perpendicularly mounted in trays 15 to provide storage holders for spools such as shown in 19. The pins 24 are annularly and concentrically spaced on the trays 15. Since the pins 17 and pins 24 are identical, the description of pins 17 shall suffice for pins 24 as well.

A bobbin storage tray as shown generally at 22 may be journaled on post 12 and be carried by supports 21 in the manner hereinbefore set out in the description of trays 15. The tray 22 differs from the tray 15 only in size and the fact that supports such as 13 on base 11 50 and supports 21 on trays 15 may not be required unless more than one tray 22 is employed in a given structure. That is to say that in the event a plurality of trays 22 are used in a given lazy-Susan or a spool and bobbin holder 10, then and in that event the trays 22 may be provided with bearing supports similar to supports 13 and 21. Similarly, the tray 22 may be provided with a multiplicty of pins 25 perpendicularly mounted and concentrically annularly spaced on tray 22 to provide storage means for bobbins such as shown at 26. It is, of course, understood that pins 25 may also be employed to store spools such as shown at 18. The pins 25 are identical to

pins

17 and 25 earlier described.

I claim:

. 1. A lazy-Susan storage means, said means comprismg:

a pedestal base;

a guidepost perpendicularly disposed and mounted in the centermost portion of said pedestal base;

a plurality of bearing support posts perpendicularly mounted in said pedestal base said bearing support posts being equally spaced outwardly from the centermost portion of said pedestal base and from each other;

a tray portion journaled for rotation on said guidepost and carried by said bearing support posts.

-2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said bearing support posts include a polished terminal end portion issuing upwardly to a point operable to provide a substantially non-frictional bearing portion on said hearing support posts.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said tray portion includes a plurality of bearing support posts perpendicularly mounted in said tray, said bearing support posts being equally outwardly from the centermost portion of said tray and from each other.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 including a plurality of tray portions, said tray portions being journaled for r0- tation on said guidepost and carried by said bearing support posts of a preceding portion.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 including a plurality of spool storage pins perpendicularly mounted in said base pedestal and a plurality of spool storage pins perpendicularly mounted in said trays.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 634,000 10/1899 Hromas 242l 39 760,365 5/1904 Yates 242139 1,037,148 8/1912 Karnp et a1 242139 1,244,373 10/1917 Rice 108142 2,330,702 9/1943 Goldschmidt 242-139 LEONARD D. CHRISTIAN, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.