GB2333224A

GB2333224A - Folding shelf

Info

Publication number: GB2333224A
Application number: GB9800993A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Crawford
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1998-01-16
Filing date: 1998-01-16
Publication date: 1999-07-21
Anticipated expiration: 2018-01-16
Also published as: GB9800993D0; GB2333224B

Abstract

A shelf 1 has a main centre portion 2 and two smaller end portions 3, 3a pivoted to it at 5. The shelf can be folded flat for transportation and is fastened to a wall with the ends folded upright by way of keyhole sockets (not shown) in the wall-facing sides of the ends which engage screws or the like in the wall.

Description

Shelf The present application related to a shelf.

The invendtion provides a shelf comprising a centre piece and two end pieces, wherein the end pieces are pivotally attached to the centre piece so that they may be pivoted out of the plane of the centre piece into an upright position for mounting the shelf on a wall.

Preferably, the end pieces have means for attachment to a wall. Thus, the shelf may be transported or stored in a flat position, and the end pieces may be easily pivoted into the upright position for mounting on a wall.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a shelf according to the invention showing the end pieces in the plane of the centre-piece, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the shelf of Fig. 1 showing the end pieces in an upright position, and Fig. 3 is a front view of part of the shelf of Fig. 2.

In the drawing, a shelf 1 comprises three main parts, ie a centre-piece 2 and two end pieces 3, 3a. The end pieces 3 and 3a are pivotably attached by means of a hinge joint 4 to respective ends of the centre-piece 2.

The hinge joint 4 is a mortice and tenon joint held together by a hinge pin 5.

The shelf 1 may be manufactured from any suitable material such as wood, metal or plastics material, and the hinge pin 5 may be formed from the same material as the shelf, or from any other suitable material.

As can be seen in Fig. 1 the shelf 1 is flat in non-use to facilitate easy storage and/or transportation; ie the centre-piece 2 and the end pieces 3, 3a lie in the same plane.

When the shelf 1 is to be used, the end pieces 3, 3a are pivoted upwardly out of the plane of the centre-piece 2 into an upright position for mounting the shelf on a wall.

This upright position is shown in Fig. 2.

As can be seen in Fig. 2, the end pieces 3, 3a rest in the upright position against the ends of the centre-piece 2 so that any further pivoting movement of the end pieces 3, 3a beyond the upright position is prevented (see Fig. 3).

In order to mount the shelf 1 on a wall the end pieces 3, 3a have attachment means (not shown). The attachment means may be in any suitable form, but are preferably sockets, for example keyhole sockets, which would be located within a wall-engaging side of each end piece. Mounting screws (not shown) would be inserted into the wall at the same distances apart as the end pieces 3, 3a so that they protrude slightly from the wall.

The shelf 1 would be aligned with the screws so that the screw heads enter and engage with the keyhole sockets. The shelf 1 may easily be dismounted by reversing these steps. As shown in the drawing, the end pieces 3, 3a are the same length as each other but significantly shorter than the centre-piece 2.

Various modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims. Thus, the hinge joint 4 could be replaced by any other suitable hinge, eg a piano hinge, or separate spaced hinges.

Claims

Claims: 1. A shelf comprising a centre piece and two end pieces, wherein the end pieces are pivotally attached to the centre piece so that they may be pivoted out of the plane of the centre piece into an upright position for mounting the shelf on a wall.
2. A shelf as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the end pieces rest against the ends of the centre piece in the upright position thereby preventing further pivoting movement of the end pieces beyond the upright position.
3. A shelf as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein the end pieces have means for attachment to a wall.
4. A shelf as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the mounting means comprises a socket on a wall-engaging side of each end piece.
5. A shelf as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the sockets are key-hole sockets.
6. A shelf as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the end pieces are substantially the same length and significantly shorter than the centre piece.
7. A shelf substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawing.