US2455682A - Shelving - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 7, 194s. A, F. KRN 2,455,682

l SHELVING l Filed Dec. 26, 1945 Z TTORNEYQS n Patented Dec. 7, 1948 fi. 'vz l fr UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE i SHELVING Albert F. Kern, san Francisco, Calif. Application December 26, 1945, 4Serial No. 637,209

, Claims. (Cl. 21h-1147) rl'his invention relates to shelving, an object being to provide new and novel means whereby supporting metal posts located in convenientl positions can be utilized for supporting shelves in o any desired `relationship.

It is a further object to provide shelf-support ing meanswhich is simple, durable and elilcient in construction and can be set up readily.

Another objectisyto provide a supportl which can utilize ordinary pipe sections as supporting posts, the present improvement being such that it maybe mounted readily on thepipes.`

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention 'consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims, it being `understood that changes may be .made inthe construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit ofthe invention as claimed. i l

In the accompanying drawing, the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

VIn said drawing,

Figure l is a front elevation of someshelves mounted on a supporting structure such as constitutes the present invention.

Figure 2 is a view partly in plan and partly in section showing several shelves and their-connections with a post.

Figure3 is a` section on line 33, Figure 2.

1 Figure 4 is a top plan View of one of the supporting collars of g the apparatus.

Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of one of the collar engaging or coupling units. l

Referring to the figures by charactersof reference, I designates one or more posts which can be in the form of pipes and each of these posts is extended through one or more collars 2 which can be held in any desired positions by means of set screws 3.

Each collar is provided with a flared annular portion l which cooperates with the post to define circular recess 5. Notches 5 are formed in the top edge of the collar and are preferably spaced apart equal distances as shown in Figure 4, it being preferred to make the notches with downwardly converging sidewalls 1.

In connection with each collar there are used one or more coupling elements. Each of these elements comprises a plate 8 which can have one corner portion removed to deiine an arcuate edge 9 so proportioned as to snugly embrace a portion of the post I with which it is to be assembled. An arcuate flange I Il is extended downwardly 2 from said edge and is adapted to be seated in` a portion of the recess 5 and, in order to hold the flange against longitudinalmovement within said recess, it `haslan outwardly or laterally extended lug I I proportioned to t in one of the notches 6. Extending from the respective ends lof `thefiange I0 are connecting flanges I2 located at the adjacent edges of the plate 8 and each of these connecting flanges is cut away along its bottom portion, as indicated at I3 so as to clear the upper edge of the collar 2 when fiange IIJ is mounted in the recess 5. l This is clearly disclosedin Figure `3.`A tongue I4 is extended from each of the flanges I2 and these tongues areoffset laterally relative to `said flanges so that when the two l 'flanges I2` and plates 8 are assembled one beside the other, the tongues M at the meeting edges of the plateswill cooperate to define a slot I5.

` `It is to be` understood that the plate 8 can be ofany desired size and outline. In the structure illustrated, these plates are so proportioned that four of them can be extended in the saine plane about a supporting post, the flanges Ill being l extended through 90 degrees. Obviously, however, the shapes of theplates and the lengths oftheir depending flanges IU can be so modified that `the number of plates which can be arranged around a post at a given point can be increased orreduced. l l

"In practice, a pair of plates 8 can be positioned .withopposite tongues in engagement with oppo site faces of a pair of opposed angle strips I5 `and, by means of rivets" I6 o-r the like these parallel contacting angle strips I5 can `be held jtogether andto the-tongues I4 within the slot I5' defined by the tongues. `See Figure 2.

Another pair of coupling elements, one of which has been shown in Figure 5, is then assembled with the other ends of the strips I5 as before explained so that a bridging unit comprising two pairs of coupling elements and a connection between said elements thus is produced. Any desired number of these bridging units can be assembled, depending upon the number of shelves to be mounted between the posts I. After the various bridging elements have been assembled with the collars on the posts, the shelves to be supported and which have been indicated at S, are placed on the an gle strips and on the plates 8 at the ends of the shelves. If preferred, the strips I5 and the plates B can, in themselves, constitute shelves. Obviously the shelves and/or their bridging elements can be quickly assembled with the co1- lars 2 simply by lowering the flanges I0 into the adjacent grooves 5 and they can easily be removed simply by reversing that operation. When the bridging elements are in engagement with the supporting collars they serve as rig-id connections between the posts so that the posts thus connected can be supported on end without requiring any special fastening means at the bases. Thus, the shelf arrangement is particularly useful in show cases, show windows and wherever it is desired to provide support for merchandise or the like'to be displayed. It will be understood that it is not necessary always t0)y completely encircle a post with coupling units such as shown in Figure 5. If preferred, these.

units can be mounted singly, in pairs, etc., so

l"ments arranged in pairs, each element including a plate having a cut out at one corner adapted to that it is thus possible to set up yvarious -combi' shelves on each post.

The parts are inexpensive to manufacture,

can be made of a light metal and are easily handied because of the interchanseabilitv of .the parts as well as the other advantages pointed out, and the invention has many applications not possible with the usual types ofv knockdow shelving. y What is claimed is: 1. In a shelving structure a post, a collar Aadjustably mounted thereon providing an annular recess in its upper end, plates each having a cut out at one corner adapted to embrace the post, a flange depending from each plate adjacent the cut out portion and adapted for insertion into the recess, tongues extending from the bottoms of the plates and cooperating to 'form s1otsbei tween tongues on adjacent plates, and shelf en gagi-ng means secured within the slots.

2. In shelving a post, a collar thereon provid ing an annular recess in its upper surface and having a notched wall, vcoupling elements each including a plate having a cutout at one corner adapted to embrace the post, means depending from the plate adjacent the cut out portions and adapted for seating in the recess and engagement in said notched wall, and a pair of spaced tongues extending laterally from the plate cooperating to form a slot between tongues of adjacent coupling elements, for attachment of bridging elements to the cooperating tongues.

3. Shelving including posts, collars mounted thereon each having an annular recess in the upper end and provided with a notched wall, coupling elements having cut out portions adapted to embrace the post' arranged in pairs, the elements .of each pair overlying one of the collars, flanges depending .from the elements afdjacent the cut out portions of each pair` and embrace the post, an arcuate iiange depending Ifromth'e plate vadjacent the cut out and adapted to be seated inthe recess in one of the -collars and a lug on the flange for insertion into one of the notches, a pair of tongues on the coupling elements cooperating to lprovide a slot between tongues on adjacent coupling elements, and bridging elements connectiong the pairs of coupling elements, said bridging elements being extended into and secured withinthe slots dened by the tongues of the respective pairs,

5. In shelving, a post,y a collar adjustably mounted thereon and having its Wall :dared to de. une an annular recess between the post and said wallthere being spaced notches formed in the wall, anda plurality of coupling elements mount- .able on the collar, each including a plate having a cut out at one .corner adapted to embrace the post, an arcuate flange depending from the plate adjacent the ,out Vout and adapted for seating in theannular recess, a lug on the flange engage able in one ofthe notches, anda pair of spaced tongues laterally veXinded from the plate co,- operating to provide a slot betweentongues on `adjacent coupling elements, for attachment to adjacent coupling elements of bridging means insertable into the slots. l l ALBERT F, KERN.

` REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 383,551 Barrows May 29, 1888 835,884 Gray Nov. 13, 1906 1,824,682 Oneil v Sept. 22, 51931 N FOREIGN PATENTS y Number Country l Date

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