US2640599A

US2640599A - Shelf

Info

Publication number: US2640599A
Application number: US199032A
Authority: US
Inventors: Hess Alexander Mcd
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1950-12-04
Filing date: 1950-12-04
Publication date: 1953-06-02
Anticipated expiration: 1970-06-02

Description

A. M D. HESS June 2, 1953 SHELF Filed D80. 4, 1950 FIG.2.

INVENTOR Patented June 2, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHELF Alexander McD. Hess, New York, N. Y. Application December 4, 1950, Serial No. 199,032

Claims.

This invention relates to shelves which are suitable for closets or open wall spaces and is particularly adapted for use by persons of short or medium stature.

An object of the present invention is the provision of a shelf which will bring objects thereupon within easy reach of persons of short or medium stature.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a shelf which may be appropriately laden and thereafter elevated against a wall to provide more head room in closets or narrow passages.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a shelf and hanger support or rod, the shelf portion of which may be lowered to a handy position within easy-reach and elevated against a wall so as to permit easy accessibility to the hanger support or rod.

Theseand other objects and advantages of the immediate invention will become more apparent by reference to the description which follows and the accompanying drawing in which are described and illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a shelf and hanger assembly.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the shelf and hanger assembly.

Fig. 3 is a view in plan of an alternate shelf arrangement.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of one form of hanger support.

In Fig. 1 end brackets I and 2 are fabricated opposite hand i. e. in pairs and preferably each out of a single thin sheet of material such as metal, alloy or a plastic, except sleeve portions 3 and 4 which are individually fabricated of a suitable material and may be secured in any appropriate manner such as by welding or rolling the ends into the brackets I and 2. The brackets I and 2 are off-set in the vertical plane to form supporting ledges 5 and 6 and sections are cut out of and bent upwardly from the ledges 5 and 6, to form vertical panels I and 8, and 9 and II].

A shelf member I5 of any suitable material such as wood, plastic, pressed metal or alloy is provided of appropriate length adapted to be supported upon the ledges 5 and 6 after the brackets I and 2 are secured to opposite walls of a closet space, or to suitable companion brackets (not shown) in the event the shelf assembly i to be secured to a single perpendicular wall at the back of a shelf assembly.

A support member I6 such as a rod of wood or a hollow cylinder of alight metal or alloy is provided having peripheral corrugations on its outer surface, except its ends which preferably are left smooth where it is supported in the sleeves 3 and 4, so as to provide a separation for clothes hangers and thus prevent them from becoming engaged with one another and clinging together in a mass.

Another shelf 20 which preferably is of similar material and construction to shelf I5 is provided which is supported upon brackets 2|. The brackets 2I are made identically, that is not opposite hand nor in'pairs, having single horizontal ledges 22 and

vertical panels

23 and 24, and preferably are fabricated from thin sheet material such as metal, alloy or a plastic.

The panels I and 8, 9 and Ill, and 23 and 24 are provided with pins or gudgeons 25 secured tothe respective panels, which are adapted to be engaged by the ends of

arm members

26, 21, 28 and 29, which are adapted to serve as support and swinging members for the shelf 20. The

arm members

26, 21, 28, and 29 are preferably fabricated in a curved manner and assembled as illustrated so as to permit of being swung in pairs in the same vertical plane without interference with each other.

The lower ends of the

arm members

26, 21, 28 and 29 are provided with

engaging flaps

26a, 21a, 28a and 29a each of which has a small centrally located spherical depression adapted to engage frictionally with spherical protrusions Ia and 8a, and 9a and I 0a, which are provided on the panels I and 8, and 9 and II] respectively. Thus when the shelf 20 is swung upwardly against the back wall in its fully elevated position, there is efiected a suitable anchorage in such position.

When the shelf 20 is freed from such anchorage by mild manually applied force, it may be swung outwardly and downwardly, and held by and upon the

arms

26, 21, 28 and 29 and brought to rest upon the frontal projections of the ledges 5 and 6 from beneath the shelf I5 so as to form a horizontal extension to the shelf I5.

As just described, the shelf 20 may be lowered into a position in the same horizontal plan as the shelf I5, as illustrated by broken lines in Fig. 2, for convenient accessibility of articles thereupon, or to place articles thereupon, and thereafter be elevated to the position above the shelf I5 as shown in full lines in Fig. 2 and left there during storag periods so as to furnish more room in usually crowded closet spaces or narrow passages where articles customarily are stored.

An alternative embodiment of a shelf peculiarly adapted to varying widths of available shelf construction spaces is shown in-Fig. 3 inwhich end members 30 of identical fabrication are provided with pin members 3| rigidly secured thereinto and upon which sleeve members 32 are slidably mounted. The pin members 3| are of sufficient length and taken with snuggly fitting sleeve members 32 are of sufficient strength to form a substantial shelf structure, which may be extended or closed within reasonable limits, controlled by the length of the sleeve members 32 which are chosen within workable limits for varying spaces available, and employed in conjunction with the supporting brackets l and 2, and 21, instead of the shelf structures l and 20 which are shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2.

While there have been shown and described herein certain preferred embodiments of my invention, it will be apparent to those well versed in the art that other embodiments of the invention may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, which is set forth more precisely in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A shelf structure comprising end brackets adapted for securing to walls opposite each other, a. shelf member supported upon said end brackets, another shelf member, a pair of curved arms pivotally secured in the same vertical plane to each of said end brackets, and brackets secured pivotally to the opposite ends of said curved arms and to the second shelf member adapted to swingably support said second shelf above said first shelf member.

2. .A shelf structure comprising end brackets adapted for securing to walls opposite each other, a shelf member supported upon said end brackets, another shelf member, a pair of curved swingable arms pivotally secured in the same vertical plane to each of said end brackets, brackets secured pivotally to the opposite ends of said curved arms and to the second shelf members adapted to support said second shelf above said first shelf, and friction contact elements on said end brackets cooperating with companion elements on said arms tohold said second shelf above said first shelf.

3. A shelf structure comprising end brackets adapted for securing to walls opposite each other, a shelf member supported upon said end brackets, another shelf member, and brackets pivotally secured to pairs of curved swingable arms whose opposite ends are pivotally secured to said end brackets, said pairs of arms adapted to be swung in the same vertical plane and to swing said second shelf into vertical and horizontal relationship with said first shelf and hold it in the vertical position.

4. A shelf structure comprising end brackets adapted for securing to walls opposite each other, a shelf member supported upon said end brackets, another shelf member, brackets pivotally secured to pairs of curved swingable arms whose opposite ends are pivotally secured to said end brackets, said pairs of arms adapted to be swung in the same vertical plane and to swing said second shelf into vertical and horizontal relationship with said first shelf, and engaging elements on said curved swingable arms adapted to engage companion elements on said end brackets to hold said second shelf in a relatively vertical position.

5. A shelf structure comprising end brackets adapted for securing to walls, a shelf member loosely supported upon said end brackets, another shelf member, a pair of curved swingable arms pivotally attached in the same vertical plane toeach end of said second shelf, pivoted to said end brackets and adapted to be swung in the same vertical plane and to swing said second shelf into vertical and horizontal relationship with said first shelf, engaging elements on said curved swingable arms adapted to engage companion elements on said end brackets to hold said second shelf in a relatively vertical position and ledge elements on said end brackets adapted to support said second shelf when swung into a relatively horizontal position.

ALEXANDER MCD. I-ESS.

Number Name Date 876,159 Erickson Jan. 7, 1908 905,452 Peters Dec. 1, 1908 1,153,929 Kearns Sept. 21, 1915 1,867,676 Mueller July 19, 1932 2,085,781 Alexander July 6, 1937 2,235,574 Derman e Mar. 18, 1941 2,374,023 Levy Apr. 17, 1945 2,549,984 Miller Apr. 24, 1951