US2484021A

US2484021A - Bracket

Info

Publication number: US2484021A
Application number: US694868A
Authority: US
Inventors: William C Eaves
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1946-09-05
Filing date: 1946-09-05
Publication date: 1949-10-11
Anticipated expiration: 1966-10-11

Description

Oct, 11, 1949.

w. c. EAVES BRACKET Filed Sept. 5, 1946 INVENTOR. WILLIAM C. EAVES.

Patented Oct. 11, 1949 BRACKET William C. Eaves, =Elyria, Ohio Application September 5, 1946, Serial 'No."694,-8'68 ,fifllai-ms. (01. 248- -1 The present invention vrelates (generally :to supporting means and is particularly :ooncernedw-ith a novel bracket having a movable arm, and with a ;novel rack including such a bracket.

There has long been a demand for supporting means of smallsizeisuitable for .use in passenger automobiles and similar places of limited space, which means would have .a large load capacit and when notrinpsercould :loecollapsed-or otherwise :moved out :of the way for safety and space conserving reasons. :To the best of ?my knowledge, no satisfactory means responding to this demand has ever been ,conceived or used, and any event, none or presently available on the open market.

The bracketsandracks pithisdnvention fully meet this demand and are inexpensive because their manufacture requires neither expensive materials nor complicated or numerous :operations. Furthermore, the devicesof thisinvention comprise a minimum Q'f.;s'imp1e"parts which inlay be assembled and installed easily. addition. :because of the 'fact that-the parts rofsthe brackets or hooks 50f this invention :are movablewith respect to each other, ztwo-orimore such hooks may be employed together with .one or nmre rods-to make a strong but easily :assemblcd irank. .Another advantage due to the design :.of these brackets is that .a bracket collapsible by;mo.v.emerit of .the arm to :the right or collapsible by movement tothe left :mayzhermade .trom the same parts to meet space limitations in :the :places where the brackets are to be employed.

Those skilled in the-art Willgainaifurtheriunderstanding of this invention by referring -.to :the drawings accompanying and storming .a :part :of this specification, in'which ure 1 is an edge view of abracket embody n this .invention;

Figure 2 is .an edge view partly in section :of the bracket of Fig. .zlwith the parts disposed in alternative position;

Figure 3 :is a perspective view :of :the :same bracket with the parts disposed as illustrated in Fig. 1;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the same bracket with :the parts zdisposed :as shown in Fig.

Figure15 is a peispe'ctive view of zthe bracketih lustrating the manner inwhichthe ypartsareiassembled; and,

Figure 6 is a perspective vlewrofaxaqkzemboilying this invention.

The brackets of thisinvenfioniin general 30.!!

' prise a phtePandanza-rmhearried :byithe plate .2 .ior limited motionrelative to said plate. The -racks in general comprise two or more such brackets and one v:or more .rods R extending bertween .and supported by arms A :of adjacent brackets.

The illustrated plate ;P is .formed from :a sub- .stantia'lly .flat plate by cutting :a :U-shaped slit :between the edges of the-plate, and folding the :pla'te :to define a hollow :rib :IEO extending from :edge to edge of :the plate and having a longitudinally extending slot ll intermediate of said .edges. The slot 1! l :isaproduced by maintaining a tongue-like portion 1 2 defined :by the slot in substantially its original position while the plate is :lfolded. The rib Ill is thus open at the back --of :the \plate and is defined by substantially parallel side walls :13 and M which-extend upwardly from ithe iface-of -the plate, :andby an arcuate top wall 4% joining the side walls. These side walls are so spaced that they may constitute frictional means to -engage a portion of the arm A and-oppose-movement of said arm relative to plate P. The lower portion of wall [4 :carries a lug 1 6 which also constitutes frictional arm retaining means and is disposed between the walls to engageand lock *the arm -A in'predetermined'closed position as will-be described. "The tongue 12 ex- -tends partially across the open back of the rib Ill "and defines a slot 1-8 with the opposed side wall 14. The slot 18 is slightly wider than the thickness of the arm A, while slot H is of substantially greater width-extending the full width oi-walls13and 15. The plate is further provided with-two apertures 29 disposed on "opposite sides of the rib ID to receive screws 2 for securing the plate to a supporting -member.

The arm A of the illustrated bracket is an elongated, relatively thin member having hookj'like notches '25 cut into an edge surface and having also aperturesZS. The arm is provided with end portion 2] .of greater width than 'the'length of .slot H and another .end portion 28 and central portion 2.9 of ,less width than the length of said .slot and .less thickness .than the width .of

said slot. The relation of the thickness of the portions 28 and .29 to the slot M issuchthatarcuate movement of the arm with respect to :the ihl'ate through substantially is possible.

By length, width and thickness, in 5178ference to the arm A, I mean, respectively, the dimension from the end .21 to endZS, the dimen- .sion ibetweentthe :edgesof the arm (the vertical idimfinsion)e,.and :the dimensionbetweenth sides diriaces of the arm. :In the illustrated iarm,

length is the greatest and width is the smallest dimension.

The illustrated rack comprises a pair of brackets of the type described and two rods 30 and 3|, each of which extends through a pair of registered apertures 26 in the arms A. Rod 30 is a relatively long and thin element having a diameter substantially equal to that of the apertures 26, through which it extends. Rod 3| is likewise relatively long, but has a central portion 32 of enlarged diameter and end portions of reduced diameter substantially equal to that of the apertures 26, through which said ends extend. The length of portion 32 is substantially equal to the distance separating the opposed surfaces of the arms A of adjacent pockets with which rod 3| is engaged. The ends of the rod, however, are relatively short portions so that the over-all length of the rod is only slightly greater than the length of the space between the arms.

In assembling the'illustrated brackets, the end 28 of the arm is inserted in slot l8 and the arm is urged through the slot and through slot ll until the enlarged end portion 21 is disposed within rib ID. The arm is then moved into a position either substantially at right angles to the plate for use as a hook or as part of a rack, or substantially parallel to the plate, where the arm is locked in closed position by forcing the edge of end portion 21 opposed to the lug it upon the lug.

When the bracket is to be secured to a wall or other supporting means, the plate is placed against the surface of the wall and with apertures 20 of the plate arm disposed out of the way the screws 2| are inserted in apertures 20 of the plate and are screwed into the Wall.

Disassembly is accomplished by reversing the foregoing steps and removing the plate from the wall, ejecting the end 21 of the arm from within the rib through slot l6, and urging the arm in such direction that the remaining portions of the arm are disengaged from the plate.

If a hook or bracket collapsible by arcuate movement of the arm to the right with respect to the plate is desired, the slot II is disposed to the right prior to insertion of the arm into the slots II and IS with hook portions of the arm disposed upright, as described above. A left hand hook can be made from the same parts by disposing the slot I6 to the leftbefore the arm is engaged with the plate as described.

In assembling the rack of Fig. 5, two brackets of the type described were assembled so that the arm A of each bracket could be moved toward the other bracket to collapse or close the bracket. With the arms each being disposed in the open position at substantially right angles to the plate, and with the plates P each being secured by screws 2| to a supporting wall, rods 30 and 3| were inserted in opposed pairs of registered apertures 26. Because rod 3| is slightly longer than the distance between arms A, the arms must be temporarily sprung to a small extent to enable insertion of the ends of rod 3| into apertures 26. Such springing, however, is not diflicult to accomplish nor suflicient in extent to deform the arms permanently.

In the open position the arms of these brackets engage tongues l2 and are braced against the tongues so that soft backing surface of the supporting structure for the bracket will not be torn or damaged as a result of loads being applied to the arms and causing the edges and corners of ends 21 of the arms to bear directly against said ..may, for instance, comprise a plurality of lugs IE, or a rib, disposed along the lower edge of wall IS. A lug, or lugs, or a rib, likewise may be til carried by tongue l2 to engage arm A in predetermined open position, or in partially open position, as desired.

Having thus described the present invention so that those skilled in the art may be able to understand and practice the same, I state that what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is defined in what is claimed.

I claim:

1. A bracket'comprisin a plate having a slotted hollow rib provided with substantially parallel side walls and an arcuate top wall, an arm engaged with the plate for limited motion relative to said plate, and frictional means including a lug carried by one of the side walls and disposed between said walls for locking the arm in predetermined position relative to the plate, said arm having an enlarged end portion retained within said walls and a central portion extending through the slot in the rib.

2. A bracket comprising a plate having a hollow ri-b extending substantially across the plate, and an arm engaged with said plate for arcuate motion in an arcuate path relative to the plate through substantially said rib being provided with a slot, and said arm having an end portion of greater width than length of said slot and disposed Within said rib, and having another end portion and a central portion of less width than the length of the slot and of less thickness than the width of the slot, said central and end portion of reduced width being disposed outside of said rib.

3. A bracket comprising a plate having a hollow rib extending substantially across the plate and own on the back of said plate, and an arm engaged with the plate for movement through substantially 90 relative to the plate, said rib being provided with a, longitudinally extending slot and having a lug carried by an inside surface portion of the rib, and said arm having an end portion of greater width than the length of said slot and disposed within said rib, and having a central'portion and another end portion of less width than the length of the slot, said central and end portion of reduced width being disposed outside of said rib and said enlarged end portion engaging the lug and being locked against ready movement relative to the plate.

4. A bracket comprising a plate having a hol low rib extending substantially across the plate and open on the back of the plate, and having a tongue extending partially across the back of the rib and defining a slot, and an arm engaged with the plate for arcuate movement through substantially 90 relative to the plate, said rib being provided with a longitudinally extending slot in the top surface of the plate and having a lug carried by an inside surface portion of the rib to engage said arm in predetermined position and oppose movement from said position of said arm relative to said plate, said arm having end portion adapted to be disposed in said rib while the remaining part of the arm extends through the slot in the top surface of the plate, and said tongue being disposed to engage the enlarged end portion of the arm and oppose movement of the arm relative to the plates when the arm is disposed in another predetermined position.

5. A supporting device comprising a pair of plates each having a hollow rib provided with a slot and each having an arm provided with an aperture and extending through said slot, and a rod having opposite end portions disposed in the apertures of said arms, said arms each being substantially parallel to each other and perpendicular to the plates, and a rod extending between said brackets and having end portions of reduced thickness extending through said transverse apertures, said rod having shoulders adjacent the reduced end portions engaging said arms and substantially preventing motion of the arms toward each other.

WM. C. EAVES.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 542,515 Boyer July 9, 1895 573,985 Kunz Dec. 29, 1896 796,676 Rogers Aug. 8, 1905 870,008 Bedell Nov. 5, 1907 1,216,277 Brunner Feb. 20, 1917 1,703,872 Engelson Mar. 5, 1929