US1930787A - Shelving - Google Patents

Description

06 17, 1933. zlMMERMAN 1,930,787

SHELVING Filed March 11, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 fzzaevzZ gas-572425666 Fran/Z: f7. Zzwawzemar; M 72M.

Oct. 17, 1933. F. M. ZIMMERMAN 1,930,737

SHELVING Filed March 11, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 2055 7265565 5 ffiarz/ A1. Zarzwzermz. f 2 3 Patented Oct. 17, 1933 UNITED STATES 1P; mtl'ia OFF E SHELVING ank M- mm man, Au ora .11 Application March 11, 1932. Serial No. 598,197 i 2 Glain s, (Cl- 211-7148) This invention relates to shelving and more especially to a system of shelving of a Variety adapted for general display and storage use, particular reference being had to use where conditions call for mobility of shelving and for ready adjustment thereof as to extent and capacity, as for instance in stores, warehouses and the like.

In the general shelving practice heretofore, it has been customary, whenever changes were made, to salvage the old shelving, as in grocery stores, etc., as well. as could be, as when the premises are vacated, or the store location moved. The shelving is then rebuilt again on the new premises and reused. The main objection to this procedure is the depreciation and waste encountered incident to taking out and dismantling the shelving. This is due to the substantial permanency with which the shelving is originally assembled. In the present invention such needless waste is avoided.

The main objects of this invention are toprovide a system of shelving adapted for inexpen sive manufacture, ready assemblage and convenient knockdown salvage, and which shall also be adapted for successive reassemblage and use; to provide such a system adapted for substanielly unitary organization for any desired length; to provide iororganizing and readily assembling the shelving elements in rigid and substantial relation by directly interfitting the various cornponent parts substantially free from accessory fastenings, such as hooks, nails, screws and the like; to provide therefor a system of uprights, shelves, spacers and crossbars, etc., so formed and correlated as to enable ready assemblage, through unskilled labor, by dropping successive members into place in interlocking relation; and to provide for positively interlocking the elements all in rigid relation by tensional setting of the uprights in vertical stringer relation to the other members.

This invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a system of knockdown shelving, adapted for indefinite horizontal extension, the view being broken away at the left.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, the lower medial part of the view being broken away.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2 with parts broken away.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional plan view taken on he 111, 41 o F g, 3 with par s, brslssn away. i

F g.- 5 s a e t cal ec iona V ew of a mod f ed i m o s nstmstion emb dying stee shavi g an W hs eflap s el ,le n s i ead of butt joints.

g 6 is ssc nal plan e batsme th li F g- 7 is e ic l t o l v ew of a med fi il orm o shelvi g. m e ea al mo an 6 tak n abeu a in Fisbu t one sid oi the upr ghts F g -8 i a s ctional plan Vie t en Ion th line 8-8 of g.- 1

Fig. 9 is a irasmsntary pe spe ive isWQ 7o p ht sh wing the m unting of he she ve and o sba s.-

Fi 1.0 is ase tional V ew taken en the line i -10 9i Pie 7.- Y 1 ig- 1 is a ect n ew s a s gh me ii sa on ta n ub a ly as in F gu e and i l t s s b ta in e loc in 9f. t e shelving in d nt t he la wash s, again t es ihl separativeendwise tension efiects.

.In he con tru t on hown in F ure 1 to fl; so i h sh n y tem a a Whole c prises pr ht p ts or b t 1. dis o e a se ie o pai s, one st b hin he o her. and being threaded at e end o serve a t nsio t e strin e s. sh ii spacers 2 t ung 0. sa d ll ig Q$b :3 8 a n d ne ove anothe 9 said sweet vertically spaced shelves a as of wood, resting i sb ape ur s ear n Plats q ers ism-need abov a bslow and tha be a ains sasbspase s s own .F sur Z and ad u t bl lo r bear n 6- These pp rts or; ee 6 .com risssach a -shap he is osed with on am; e e t ot er extendin horizontal th u er b in s cu ed t the wer end at a bol 1 b a V nut 1', and the lower arm being attached to a manually adjustable foot 8 as shown in Figures 1 and 2, for leveling the system as a whole.

The system is assembled by starting at the bottom and building it up. The bolts 1 are at- 1 0,0 tached to the supports 6 in vertical position as shown. The lowermost washer 5 may be tight fitted on the threaded end of bolt 1. The crossbars 3 have end apertures 9 to receive said bolts on which they are assembled or strung. The shelves 4, in order to accommodate the bolts 1, are apertured medially as at 10, and are endwise slotted complementally as at 10'. The end apertures 10 are arranged thus so that the abutting shelves will accommodate the bolts 1 at the joints. The shelves are how placed on top of the crossbars 3, the bolts 1 serving as tie stringers. Washers 5 are now placed on top of the shelves, one for each upright 1. Tubular spacing elements 2, preferably of metal, are next added, being strung on the uprights 1 and seated on the washers 5. 7

Additional washers 5 are next placed on top of the spacers 2, then similar crossbars, shelves, etc., until the construction reachesthe predetermined height for which it is to be built. Washers 5 and top nuts 11 are now placed on the tips of the uprights 1 and tightly set, making the construction rigid and obviating the need of nails or screws, etc.

This stringer bolt feature of construction, it

' may be seen, enables readyassembly and salvage without any loss whatsoever.

The crossbars 3 may be secured to the shelves 4before assemblage of the shelving if desired, for greater convenience, especially for all wood shelving. For instance, referring to Figure 3, the bar 3a may be pre-fastened to an end of one of the shelf boards, as by glue or nails, and the bar 3b may be pre-fastened likewise to a medial part of a shelf board.

In the modified construction shown in Figures 5 and 6, steel shelving is used instead of the thicker material wood, and the only substantial difference is that the ends of the shelves 4 overlap and no crossbars are ordinarily necessary, but such may be added wherever extra strength is necessary. As will be apparent from the drawings, the ends have relatively deep slots 10", so that when the shelves overlap they combine to form a round aperture. Holes may be used in place of the end slots 10'', as will be apparent, whenever preferred or where a more secure fastening is desired, adapted to more positively resist endwise separation of shelving sections.

With a view to providing for an appearance of simple, all-Wood construction, a further modified form is shown in Figures 7 to 10, in which the stringer bolts are concealed in wooden shelf spacer casing members. Here are shown rearwardly facing U-shaped wood pilasters or channel members 12, which extend from the lower shelf to the top shelf in front, with the bolts 1 extending through the troughs 12 thereof. These uprights 12 are secured to the upper and lower shelves (and also to feet members) in the same manner as hereinbefore described, that is to say, by the bolt and nut setting feature. The rear spacers 13'are of the same general description as'the pilasters 12, but are cut in predetermined short lengths according to the height of the space between the shelves 4a.

The ends of the crossbars 3 are slotted as at 14 and14 and have semi-dovetail tongues 15 formed thereon in front. The pilasters 12 are provided with corresponding semi-dovetail grooves 16 to admit the crossbar tongues 15.

The top bar 3" is perforated rather than slotted at its ends. The top shelf or cover 41) is wider than shelves 4a and is perforated for the tie bolts 1 at its front and back.

In assembling this form of shelving, the bolts 1 are set in place on the bottom bars 3 and then shelf 4 is applied. The pilasters 12 are added and the lower spacers 13 are inserted. Then tongued bars 3' are set in place, left end first and then moving to the right as viewed in Figure 7. Then shelf 4a is added, left edge first and then by rightward movement it seats in the upper part of notch 16 and locks the bar 3 in place, and so on. Then the top bars 3" are added and the top board 41) set in place. Then the top nuts are applied to bolts 1 and the assemblage is thus ;set rigidly as an interlocked structure.

Indicia holding means or label holders 17 are provided at the front side of each shelf in all embodiments for receiving price tags and the like.

Whenever the system of shelving, whatever length of shelf sections is used, is so long as to require an endwise series of shelf. sections, the upwardly successive shelf sections are mutually staggered so as to break joints. This is illustrated in Figure 1.

Although several specific embodiments of this invention are herein shownand described, it is to be understood that details of the constructions shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a knockdown systemof vertically multiple shelving, an upright having an inwardly facing semidovetail notch, the lower side of which is inclined, a crossbar having a semidovetailed end fitting downwardly in the said upright notch with a superjacent part of said notch unoccupied by said crossbar, and a shelf resting on said crossbar and extending into and substantially occupying said superjacent notch part and securing the crossbar in its semidovetail joint position.

2. In a systemof shelving of the class described, an upright having an inwardly facing semidovetail notch, the lower side of which is inclined, a crossbar having a semidovetailed end fitting downwardly in the said upright notch with a superjacent part of said notch unoccupied by said crossbar, a shelf resting on said crossbar and extending into and substantially occupying said superjacent notch part, and means securing said shelf against receding from its said position of occupancy.

FRANK M. ZIMMERMAN.

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