US2940600A

US2940600A - Combined shelf and hanger means and improved support therefor

Info

Publication number: US2940600A
Application number: US761320A
Authority: US
Inventors: Bonia Vincent La; John W Platt
Original assignee: Platt and LaBonia Co
Current assignee: Platt and LaBonia Co
Priority date: 1956-06-05
Filing date: 1958-09-16
Publication date: 1960-06-14
Anticipated expiration: 1977-06-14

Description

June 14, 1960 v. LA BONIA ETAL 2,940,600

COMBINED SHELF AND HANGER MEANS AND IMPROVED SUPPORT THEREFOR Original Filed June 5, 1956 INVENTORS Wnceni' LaBoru'a EOh/Z W- P84 1 Z A T'TORNE Y6 COMBINED SHELF AND HANGER MEANS AND IMPROVED SUPPORT THEREFOR Vincent La Bonia', North Haven, and John W. Platt, West Haven, Conn, assignors to The Platt 8; Labonia Company, North Haven, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut Original application June 5, 1956, Ser. No. 589,542, now Patent No. 2,870,916, dated Jan. 27, 195 9. Divided and this application Sept. 16, 1958, Set. No. 761,320

Claims. (Cl. 211-90) This invention relates to an improved shelf construction and more specifically to a combined shelf and hanger means and improved supporting means for removably and rigidly supporting the combined shelf structure to suitable supporting surfaces.

This application is a division of our copending application Serial No. 589,542, filed June 5, 1956, now US. Patent No. 2,870,916, dated Jan. 27, 1959.

Heretofore, shelves having dependingly connected clothes hangers were directly secured to a supporting surface, and as a result, had the disadvantage of not being readily removable therefrom as for cleaning, storing or the like.

Another disadvantage common to a combined shelving and hanging means heretofore known was that the clothes hanging portion of the shelf depended below the mounting portion and was simply suspended in space. As a result, the load capacity of the hanging means of the prior construction was greatly reduced, the capacity load capable of being carried thereby being limited solely to the ability of the suspended hanger means to resist the turning moment of the same about its point of connection to the shelf when a load was applied thereto as by supporting a plurality of weighted hangers thereon. For this reason the clothes hanging portion of the shelf of prior constructions was readily susceptible to deformation and damage when excessive loads were applied thereto.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved shelving construction whereby a combined shelf and hanger means is supported on a suitable supporting surface by novel brackets so that the combined shelf construction is rendered readily removable without the use of any tool of any kind.

Another object of this invention is to provide a combined shelf and hanger means having improved supporting brackets therefor provided with means for supporting the hanger means so as to resist deformation thereof in the event excessive loads are applied to the hanger means.

A feature of this invention resides in the provision that the improved combined shelf of this invention is relatively simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and positive in operation.

Another feature of this invention resides in the provision that the components of the improved combined shelf construction are formed of sheet metal parts which are easily fabricated as by blanking and stamping.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter be apparent from the specification and claims when considered with the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a detail perspective view having a portion thereof broken away.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4- of Fig. l.

nite states atent ice In the form'of the invention shown in'Figs. 1 to 4, the combined shelf and hanger means comprises a pair of slidably nested

complementary sections

81 and 82 which are adapted to be telescopically adjusted between a minimum and maximum range. While the shelf may be a full width shelf, i.e. one extending for the full width of the support therefor, the partciular form of theinvention illustrated herein is directed to a half-shelf construction.

Accordingly, the hanger means 83 of each section is formed integral therewith along the forward longitudinal edge with the hanger means of one section being adapted to be slidably received within the hanger means of its complementary section. Also, along the rear longitudinal edge, each

section

81, 82 is provided with cooperating, complementary, inwardly turned depending flange portions 31a, 82a. Thus the hanger means and rear flanges of one section form the rail means for slidably receiving the cooperating portions of its complementary section. While only two such sections are illustrated, it will be understood that more than two sections may be so telescopically connected together.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the outer end portions of the adjustable shelf are provided with a depending flange 84 which extends slightly beyond the end portion of the hanger means 83 and

rear flanges

81a, 82a.

The supporting means 85 by which the adjustable shelf illustrated is supported to a suitable planar supporting surface 86 comprises an elongate bracket 87 substantially longer than the width of the shelf 80 comprising a mounting portion 88 provided with apertures 89 for receiving suitable fastening means 90. The upper portion 91 of the bracket is provided with a laterally offset portion spaced from the supporting surface 86 as shown in Fig. 3. Extending along the lower marginal portion of the bracket there is provided an inturned flange 92. Thus, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, the shelf is removably supported on the brackets by simply positioning the end flanges 84 in the space formed between the laterally offset portion 91 of the bracket and the supporting wall 86, the end portion of the hanging means 83 adapted to be supported on the flange 92 of the bracket. Consequently the flange 92 supports the bottom portion 83a of the hanging means which tends to resist the turning movement of the hanger 83 when a weight is applied thereto, thereby preventing deformation of the same when an excessive load is applied thereto.

With the construction of the present invention, the shelf 80 is rendered readily removable simply by lifting the shelf vertically so as to free the end flanges 84 from the upper end of the brackets. Also it will be noted that the combined shelf and hanger means 80 may be readily moved transversely along the bracket members so that it may be positioned transversely thereof as desired.

The combined shelving, hanger and 'supports herein described is relatively simple in construction, consisting of relatively very few, simply and easily fabricated parts and arranged so that the shelf can be readily removed for purposes of cleaning or storing without the use of any tools, and furthermore the novel bracket means cooperate with the combined shelving and hanger means to resist the tendency of the hanging means from turning about its point of connection to the shelf when a load is applied thereto. Further, it will be noted that the supporting flanges of the brackets are provided with apertures 93 for removably receiving auxiliary garment hooks (not shown).

Variations and medications may be made within the scope of the claims and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

We claim:

1. A combination shelving and hanging means and suptherefor; comprising an adjustable shelf consisting of a pair of slidably nested sheet metal sections adapted to be telescopically adjustable between the minimummaximum range thereof, said seetion having hanging means dependingly connected thereto adapted to support a; plurality of garment hangers thereon, "said depending h a nging m eans being nested so as to be coextensivefwith' the adjustment of said shelving sections, and supporting rneansincluding'a;paii of elongate brackets having a mounting portion atthe'top' thereof for supporting said adjustable shelf between jplanar supporting surfaces of 'the shelf disposed at and perpendicular to the ends of. said shelves, said supporting means having an inturned flange surface disposed at and perpendicularto the ends of said shelves, saidmounting portion having an upper portion thereof laterally oifset to spacesaid upper portiontfrom 1 spaeed below the mounting portion for engaging and supunder and supporting the ends of said depending hanging 7 means so as to prevent turning of said hanging means when a load is applied thereto as by hanging a number of Weighted garments thereon.

3. vAn improved bracketior removably supporting a combined shelf and depending clothes hanger contiguous therewith comprising an elongated 'mountingportion adapted to be supported-to a suitable supporting surface, said mounting portion having an upper portion laterally ofiset to space said upper portion from said supporting surfacetand an inwardlytturned flangei adjacent the lower edge coextensive therewith and projecting therefrom a distance to form a supporting flange for supporting thereon said contiguous, depending clothes hangerwhen said shelf is supported on said lateral offset portion of said bracket. 7 i V v l 4. The invention as defined inclaim 1 wherein said hanging means comprises J-shaped channel members.

said supporting surface so that said downturned flange'of 1 said shelfmay .be received in said space for removably supporting the shelf on said ofiset upper portion, said mounting portion having an inturned flange extending a 1 5. The invention as defined in claimz2 wherein the hanging means comprises a J-shaped member integral with said shelf and located along one edge of said shelf.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED ST ATES PATENTS i 617,164 Iev vett 'Jan. 3, 1899 1,996,515 Howell Apr. 2, 1935 2,005,5 93 Onions, June 18, 1935 2,527,216 Harris Cd. 24, 1950 2,678,793 Brochstein .Q May 18, 1954 2,720,316 7 Glascott Oct. 11, 1955