AU463576B2

AU463576B2 - Adjustable shelving

Info

Publication number: AU463576B2
Application number: AU48780/72A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Maslow Louis
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1972-01-05
Filing date: 1972-11-13
Publication date: 1975-07-31
Also published as: SE399813B; ES215456U; NL149366B; US3757705A; NL7215423A; AU4878072A; IT974446B; ES215456Y; CH541943A; BE791731A

Description

48.780 72

The present invention relates generally to adjustable shelv-

ing, and more particularly to adjustable shelving which compen-

sates for discrepancies in tolerance differences between certain

interfitting portions so that each of the shelves when supported

properly will extend such that each of the respective corner por-

tions thereof are at a common elevation in a horizontal plane.

As is well known, adjustable shelving of the so called

"knock-down" variety often utilize thumb screws and the like for

permitting adjustment of the shelves relative to supporting posts

-on which the shelves are mounted. Clearly, the disadvantage

of using thumb screws for fastening the shelves to the appropriate

posts .therefore, lies in the fact that the thumb screws often cause a disfiguration of the posts as the thumb screws are often

overtightened against the posts thereby leaving the latter with

many dimpled portions which are of unsightly nature.

The utilization of thumb screws has been obviated by an

arrangement wherein shelves incorporate frusto-conical inter-

fitting members such as a frusto-conical sleeve and mating frusto-

conical insert elements interpositionable between the sleeves

and the posts which support the shelves. However, as those skil-

led in the art well understand, during the manufacture of frusto-

conical elements which are to be associated with one another in

interfitting relation, there often results tolerance differences between the interfitting members, and therefore, although there

is a partial interfit between the frusto-conical members, the tolerance differences

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may prevent full penetration of an inner frusto-conical assembly,

within an outer frusto-conical assembly and thereby prevent the

shelf from being positioned into a truly horizontal plane. Ob-

viously, unless the'shelf is in a horizontal plane, the contents

supported upon the shelf will not be reliably maintained thereon.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to

provide adjustable shelving which obviates the need for thumb screws and the like.

It is another object of the present invention to provided adjustable shelving which incorporates inter-fitting frusto- conical members.

It is still another object of the present invention to pro-

vide adjustable shel imng having interfitting frusto-conical

elements which may be slidably adjusted elastically relative to one another at least partially such that each shelf will be posi-

tioned in a horizontal plane.

To this end, the present invention relates generally to

adjustable shelving comprising a plurality of posts, at least

one shelf including a plurality of sleeves for association with said posts respectively, and support means detachably inter-

positionable between associated posts and sleeves for restaining

said sleeves against axial movement downwardly relative to said

posts, each of said support means and sleeves including mutually

abutting tapered surfaces, each of said sleeves including a split

wall for permitting partially elastic lateral expansion thereof

such that said mutually abutting tapered surfaces of each of said

sleeves and associated support means are partially slidably po-

sitionable opposite

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one another at a common eleyation along said posts.

With the above and additional objects and advantages in view as will hereinafter appear, this invention comprises the devices,

combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of a preferred em-

bodiment in which:

FIGURE 1 illustrates a perspective view of the assembled adjustable shelving pursuant to the present invention;

FIGURE 2 illustrates an enlarged fragmentary assembled view

of the operative elements onone portion of the shelving unit pursuant to the present invention; FIGURE 3 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the

eleme .nts of the invention illustrated in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 illustrates an enlarged vertical cross-sectional

view of the elements pursuant to the invention illustrated in

FIGUFtE 3;

FIGURE 5 illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along the

line 5-5 in FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 6 illustrates a C-ring for association with structure

illus trated in FIGURE 4. Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to

FIGURE 1 thereof, the present invention relates generally to adjustable '-shelving denoted by the reference character 10. The

shelving 10 includes four vertical generally hollow posts 12,

each of the posts 12 provided with a plurality of generally

-equally spaced annular grooves 14 axially separated from one

another. The vertical posts 12 act to support a plurality of

shelves, a typical shelf 16 illustrated in FIGURE i. Each shelf

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may be of completely solid extent or may include a plurality of

longitudinally extending members 18 and a plurality of transver-

sely extending members 20, all generally welded to one another or the like into a rigid shelf having a rectangularly surrounding

snake-like frame 100 and supporting at the corner portions there-

of respectively frusto-conical sleeves 22 which at least par- tially surround the respective posts 12 and are axially shift- able relative to the latter in a manner as will be clarified

below. Moreover, each of the vertical posts 12 may be provided with an adjustable foot 24 threadedly associated therewith, or

otherwise, for permitting adjusting the elevation of each of

the posts relative to one another independently.

Referring now to FIGURES 2-5, the adjustable shelving pursuant to the present invention furthermore includes a support arrangement 26 (denoted in FIGURES 4 and 5) which is of frusto-

conical nature when assembled. In this respect, the support arrangement 26 includes a pair of semi-annular segments or in-

sert elements 28 each provided with interfitting tongue and

grooves 30 and 32 respectively such that when assembled will

mate with one another so as to provide the aforementioned frusto-

conical support arrangement 26.

Each of the semi-annular insert elements 28 is provided with an inner semi-annular rib 34 which may be readily received in a

selected one of the spaced annular grooves 14 of the vertical posts 12 so as to prevent axial shifting of the semi-annular

insert elements 28 relative to the posts 12. Moreover, each of

the semi-

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annular insert elements 28 is provided with a lowermost outer

semi-annular ledge 36 upon which may rest the lowermost portion

of an associated one of the frusto-conical sleeves 22 in a manner illustrated in.FIGURE 4.

Thus, the adjustable shelving 10 may be assembled and adjusted

selectively simply by positioning the mating semi-annular insert

elements 28 opposite one another such that the respective inner

semi-annular ribs 34 thereof are confined within within the se- lected one of the spaced annular grooves 14 of the vertical posts

12. The mating semi-annular insert element 28 each have a gen-

erally semi-circular extent which exceeds 1800 and are prefer- ably constituted of plastic or metal which is at least partially

laterally expandable so that the opposite free edges in which

are provided the tongue and grooves 30 and 32 respectively, will act to snap onto the posts 12 and will self-secure themselves

opposite one another without the necessity for being held ma-

nually or by other means on the posts 12. Thus, a selected one

of the frusto-conical sleeves 22, which are fixed to the shelf

16, may be disposed above the associated post 12 and brought downwardly so as to capture the mating semi-annular insert ele-

ments 28.

As illustrated in FIGURE 4, each of the semi-annular insert

elements 28 in longitudinal cross-section is generally frusto-

conical such that the upper portion thereof has a lesser thick-

ness than the lower portion thereof adjacent the lower outer

semi-annular ledges 36 thereof respectively. Thus, the mating

semi-annular insert elements 28 present a frusto-conical appear- ance

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when interpositioned between the selected sleeves 22, which are

likewise complementary frusto-conical, and therefore, the support

arrangement 26 acts as a wedge, as interpositioned between the

post 12 and the sleeve 22, permitting the selected sleeve 22 to be brought downwardly thereupon in one direction and prevents

downward movement of the sleeves 22 upon contact of the inner

sleeve surface with that of the outer frusto-conical surface 26.

Accordingly, the support arrangement 26 and the inner

frusto-conical surface of the sleeves 22 are provided with what

may be characterized as mutually abutting tapered surfaces for

adjustably restraining the sleeves against shifting axially along

the posts in a downward direction.

As those skilled in the art will readily understand, during

the manufacture of the frusto-conical sleeves 22 and the semi- annular insert elements 28, which in longitudinal cross-section

are frusto-conical, there often results tolerance differences

between the contour of the interfitting frusto-conical members

the maximum inner diameter of the lowermost portion of the

sleeves 22 being less than the maximum outer diameter of the lower portion of the frusto-conical support arrangement 26.

Thus, when there is an attempt to bring the lowermost portion of a particular sleeve 22 into engagement with the semi-annular led-

ges 36, provided on the semi-annular insert elements 28 respec- tively, the combined diametral extent of the support arrangement

26, when improperly of greater extent than that of the inner

maximum diameter

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of the sleeve 22, because of tolerance differences, may in fact

prevent the sleeve or sleeves 22 from actually contacting or

abutting against the semi-annular ledge 36.

Should this happen, it is quite possible that the shelves 16 may not lie in a true horizontal plane, since the corner

portions thereof, to which the sleeves 22 are fixedly connected,

may be slightly out of alignment with the horizontal plane as

specifically defined by the semi-annular ledges 36 of the support arrangements 26.

Accordingly, it is a feature of the present invention to provide each of the sleeves 22 with means for permitting at least partial internal elastic lateral expansion thereof such

that the mutually abutting tapered surfaces of the inner portion

of the sleeves 22 and outer portions of the semi-annular insert

elements 28 respectively will be at least partially slidable relative to one another, after contact, such that each of the

sleeves 22 will be brought into a position of common elevation

along the posts, namely in contact with the semi-annular ledges

36 of each of the insert elements 28.

In this respect, although the entire adjustable shelving

is constituted preferably of metallic content, the sleeves

22 may be provided with a split wall portion 38 as illustrated

in FIGURES 2, 3 and 5, and therefore because of the provision

of the split wall portion 38 in each of the sleeves 22, although the sleeves 22 are of metallic nature, the split wall portion

38 permits a partial lateral expansion of the inner diameter

thereof so that, when necessary, when

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the maximum inner diameter of the sleeve 22, because of tolerance discrepancies is less than the maximumr.-ter

diameter of the support arrangement 26 proximate the semi-

annular ledges 36 thereof, the sleeve 22 may be slidably

moved along the support arrangement 26 downwardly while expan-

ding partially such that the sleeves 22 will contact the

semi-annular ledges 36 and permit the.shelves 16 to be

positioned in a horizontal plane defined by the semi-annular ledges 36.

Another feature of the present invention is the provision of a semi-annular groove 50 externally of each

of the elements 28, as illustrated in FIGURE 3, which semi-annular grooves 50 extend above or are exposed rela-

tive to the uppermost portion of the sleeves 22 respectively

for effectively receiving a C-ring 52 illustrated in FIGURE 6. The C-ring, as is well known, is partially elastic laterally

and may be snapped into the semi-annular grooves 50, as

illustrated in FIGURE 4 and, thereby, resist inadvertent uplift of the sleeves 22 relative to the cooperating elements

28 such as may be necessary when the entire shelving unit is moved from one location to the next. Thus, the C-ring 52 acts to most effectively lock the sleeves 22 relative to the posts 12 respectively.

As those skilled in the art will readily understand, the split wall portion 38 in each of the sleeves 22 will permit

the sleeves 22 to be moved or slid relative to the cooperating

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elements 28, whenever necessary, because of the tolerance differ- ences, so as to fully expose the semi-annular grooves 50 and

permit the latter to receive the C-ring 52.

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Claims

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THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:-

i. Adjustable shelving comprising a plurality of shelf- support posts, at least one shelf detachably supportable by said

posts, said shelf including corner portions adjustably associated with said posts respectively, said corner portions including res- pective sleeves for at least partially surrounding said posts

and shiftable axially relative to the latter, and sleeve-support

insert means for being detachably interpositioned respectively between each of said posts and respective sleeves associated

with said posts, each of said insert means and posts including inter-fitting portions for adjustably restraining interpositioned

inserts against shifting axially of said posts respectively, said

insert means and sleeves including mutually abutting tapered surfaces for adjustably restraining said sleeves against shifting

axially of said posts respectively in one direction, said sleeves

each including means for permitting at least partial internal

elastic lateral expansion thereof such that said mutually abut- ting tapered surfaces of said sleeves and associated insert means

are partially slidably positionable opposite one another at a

common elevation along said posts.

2. Adjustable shelving as claimed in claim 1 wherein each said insert means includes a pair of semi-annular segments

cooperatively associated with one another for embracing each of

said posts.

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shelving as claimed in claim 2 3. .Adjustable of each of said posts is provided with a plurality wherein each of said semi-annular segments soaced annular grooves, rib receivable in said annular grooves. including a semi-annular

shelving as claimed in claim 3 4. Adjustable

segments is generally wherein each of said semi-annular

frusto-conical in longitudinal cross-section.

shelving as claimed in claim 4 Adjustable lateral expansion of each wherein said means which permits' of is a split frusto-conical wall of each of said sleeves

said sleeves.

in claim 4 6. Adjustable shelving as claimed segments includes a wherein each of said semi-annular for being engaged by an semi-annular transverse ledge

associated sleeve.

in claim 4 7. Adjustable shelving as claimed of each pair. includes wherein said semi-annular segments with one another. mutually interfitting surfaces

a plurality of S8. Adjustable shelving comprising plurality of sleeves posts, at least one shelf including a

with said posts respectively, and support for association

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means detachably interpositionable between associated posts and

sleeves for restraining said sleeves against axial movement down-

wardly relative to said posts, each of said support means and

sleeves including mutually abutting tapered surfaces, each of

said sleeves including a split wall for permitting partially elas-

tic lateral expansion thereof such that said mutually abutting

tapered surfaces of each of said sleeves and associated support means are partially slidably positionable opposite one another

at a common elevation along said posts.

9. Adjustable shelving as claimed in claim 8 wherein said support means is provided with an upper-most externally exposed

annular groove, and including respective C-rings for snap-fit insertion into the latter said annular groove of each said sup-

port means for overlying said sleeves and resisting uplift of

the latter along said posts respectively.

DATED: 10th November, 1972. PHILLIPS, ORMONDE FITZPATRICK, Attorneys for: LOUIS IASLOW

48. 78 in

FI G. 4. 52

FIG. 1.

FI G.

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F IG. 2.

28

33

32

36

U~ 52

FIG. 6.

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