US1683228A - Adjustable shelf support - Google Patents

Description

Sep't. 4, 1928.

E. R. ARMSTRONG ADJUSTABLE SHELF SUPPORT Filed Deb. l0, 1926 IIIIIIIlHlHuN IHPhIUINIHIIh HhIHIHhUn" I Patented sept. 4,1928.

UNITED STATES 'incazza PArENTfoFFic-E.

:EDWARD n. ARMSTRONG, or COLUMBUS, crab, AssIGNoR Tor. oscHOEnINGEB, or

l coLUMBUaonIo.

,.'Angrus'mmn s nnnr surron'r. n

Application lled December 10, 1926. Serial No. 153,789.

vrlhis invention relates to an improved adjustable shelf Wherein'is provided al1-improved mounting by which the shelf canbe retained in connection with an associated supporting member `:for swxnglng movement about a substantially horizontal ax1s and also raised and lowered bodily ifor operation in for association with a cabinet or table of they type used particularly in hospitals orv bed rooms, and by means of Whichfthe shell means., when actively positioned, will bel formed to occupy a substantially horizontal Aplane of suiiicient height to extend Aover a bed or the like but independently oi the latf ter, 'and whereby when the sheli2 is inactively r" positioned, the same will be capable of' assuming a folded positionlying contiguous to one of the side walls of the table or cabinet carrying the same in order to occupy but a s minimum oi space when not lin use. 'An-- other object of ^the invention rests 1n the provision of an adjustable shelf otthis charjustment.

acter wherein is provided an improved means for facilitating the vertical adjustment 'of the shelf and Jfor locking automatically the shelie in its various positions of vertical nad- A 'further object of the invention resides inthe provision of a structure which may be operated entirely by the hands of the. attendant and Without resort to the use of foot controls, or other involved mechanical locking' and releasing means.-

With these and other objects in vievv, as

will appear as the description proceeds, the invention, consists in the novel features ofv construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts hereinafter tolbe fully described and pointed out in the appended claims.

n'the accompanying drawing: f

' Figure 1 is a pian viewof a-bed sidev table constructed in accordance With the present 'active orextended position,

.to the lovver end of Figure 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken through the adjustable supporting` means for the shelf member,

' Figure 4: is a horizontal sectional view on theline dell of Figure 3, and Figure 5 is a similar View on the line 5`5 oiFigueg..

Re siding more particularly to' the draw.-

-infg` the numeral l designates the improved 4bed side table in its entirety., The table is preferably formed to includea sheet metal cabinet unit 2, portably mounted upon caster Wheels 3, the cabinet being formed to in clude a substantially plane top d and'similar side. `Walls 5, there being dej'oendingv legs 6 fastened.

Connect/ed With the cabinet unitol a table lisan adjustable shelffjivhich is so mounted that when in active operation thesame will opcupy the horizontal plane disclosed in lull lines in Figures i and 2, and when inactively positioned the same is adapted to be folded and vlovyered so as to occupy substantially the positiondisclosed in broken lines in Figure 2, 1n which the shell: will lie closely adjacent to theside'vvall ofthe cabinet and inP .a folded and out ci the 'Way position.v i

To edect the support of the shellEV and to permit ofi its adjustment as indicatedone which the Wheels d Vare sie of the side Walls 5 isv provided with a pair of vertically spaced and ,aligned bearing yolzes 8, in which is slidably mounted for vertical adjustment a channelmember or support 9; Also secured to the Wall 5 in prominent relationtherewith', and situated between the4 Sti yokesB, isa rack bar i0, with which nis en gaged the 'teeth otra pinion il rotatably a mounted on a horizontal shaft 12,7carried by the supportv 9.

The upper end oi? the support 9 is pro-a vided with a-head'l, Which'is permanently tov one side'therof as `indicated at i4.' This vsecured to said support andpr'ojects laterally 'l 95' 'laterally projecting -portion 6i the head is` -f formed iso-include curved edges 15,` in the axis-of which is arranged a stationary Pin: 5

axis of the pin 16 is a forwardly directed1 arm 17,'wh`ich is attachedin any suitable -161 Pivotally mounted to swingQabout the v manner to theI ncer side, ofthe swinging i shelf 7 so as to effect the pivotal support of said shelf and to allow the same tol move in 'arc of substantially 90 degrees and in a vertical lane. 4

' Slidab y mounted in the arm 17 is a latch -rod 18, which has its inner end terminated to provide a transversely extending portion 13, whichextends through slots 20, formed in the inner end of thearln 17, there beingy a spring 21 around the rod- 18v which serves normally to maintain the portion 19 inengagement with or toward the inner end of the slots 20. The portion 19 of the rod extends laterally beyond each side of the arm '17 and is adapted to engage with the curved edg 15 of the head 13. It will be seen that when the shelf has vbeen moved to assume a horizontal position, the portion 19 of the rods 18 will -be forced by the action of the spring 21 into locking recesses 22 provided in the head 13, whereby the shelf is retained in its horizontal position and adapted to rei 'eeive and support articles of any description. When it is desired to lower the shelf the outer end of the rod 18 is grasped and pulled longitudinally, which releases the' portion 19 from engagement with the recesses 22 and allows the shelf to swing downwardly. Y

In addition to -this adjustment and locking means, provision is made for permitting. of the vertical adjustment of the shelf. This is accomplished by providing the support 9 with the pinion 11, which is jin engagement with the rack bar 1 0. Thus,-

ter being to force the lower end of the rod 23 into engagement with and between the teeth ofthe pinion 11, in order to prevent rotation of said pinion and to thereby retain the adjustment of the shelf support. The pinion, however, can be released by elevating the rod 23, and this is accomplished by manually' grasping the projecting handle end 27 of the rod which extends outwardly to the head- 13.

operation, assuming that the shelf is 1n its lowered and collapsed position, as` in-v dicated by dotted lines in Figure V2, it is nry merely in order to extend theshelf, to grasp the upper vend of the lock rod 23. Then, by exerting an upward pull the lower end of said rod is released from engagement with the pinion so as to allow n the latter tov rotate freely on the rock bar 10. This, then, permits 'the shelf .support to be raised to any desired helght within pinion and to thereby retain the support in` its adjusted position. Then, by grasping the outer end of the shelf the latter may be swung about the axis of the pin 16 to assume a substantially horizontal position, and, of course, retained in such position by the engagement of the lateralportions 19 of the rod 18 with the recesses 22.l Of course, in collapsing the table the procedure as` above given is reversed. It will be understood, of course, that the head, 13 is provided with a stationary lifting lhandle 28, which is arranged adjacent to the upper end of the rod 23, so that the operator in raising or lowering the support may conveniently grasp the exposed end of the lock rod,

govern the rotation v 23 so as to conveniently or locking of the pinion 11.

In view of themforegoing it will be seen that the present inventionprovides a table especially adapted for use in hospitals or *for other bed side purposes and one wherein the construction is such as to permit an attendant with the use of one hand to raise or lower the adjustable shplf and adapt the same to the requirements of a patient reclining on an adjoining bed. The construction hasthe advantage of being of strong lightweight construction and capable of being conveniently adjusted and positively retained in adjusted positions. It will of course be understood that various changes may be made in the construction of the table as hereinldisclosed without departing from the scope and substance of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In apparatus of the character set forth, a support, a standard mounted for vertical adjustment in connection with said support, a shelf carried by said standard, a rack bar, stationarily secured to said support adjacent to said standard, a pinion rotatably carried by said standard and engaging the teeth of said rack bar, and manually operated means for controlling the rotation of said inion.

2. n apparatus of the character set forth, a support inclnding'a side wall, a vertically disposed standard, a Vshelf pivotally connected with said standard,A means for retaining said shelf in a plane perpendicular to said standard, a rack carried by. said side wall, a pinion rotatably mounted within said standard in engagement with said rack, and a manually operated latch engagable with said pinion to control the-rotation of the latter.

13. In apparatus of the character set forth, a support including a verticalside wall, a

standard slidably mounted in bearings carne ried by said Wall, a shelf carried by the upper end of said standard, a stationary rack bar carried by the side wall of said support, a pinion carried by the standard and mounted for engagement with said rack bar, a spring (pressed latch engaging with said pinion an having an operating handle located above said standard, and a lifting handle secured to the upper end of said standard located above and adjacent to the 10 operating handle of said spring pressed latch.

- In testimony whereof I affix m signature.

EDWARDAR. VARM TRONG.

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