US2953255A - Article holder - Google Patents

Description

S pt 20, 1960 H. G. HIGGINS 2,953,255

Y ARTICLE HOLDER Filed April 29, 1958 1 INVENTOR.

HENRY GRAHAM H/66/N5 BY fiff/tajum ATTORNEY Un tedstat s Paten 0.

ARTICLE HOLDER U Henry Graham 506 Georgetown, San -Mateo, 1 1

Filed Apr. 29, 1958, Ser. No. 731,764 .2 Claims. 01.21140) This invention relates .to improvements in article holders of the type adapted to support knives, bladed tools, brooms, shovels, and various other implements in suspended positions. I v, q

The primary object of the presentinvention is to pro vide a novel holder or rack for supporting-various types of tools orimplernents, the holder having a .plurality of in 2,953,255, .1 Patented Sept. 20, 1960 Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the channeled blocks which holds a gripping member of spherical shape.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates a substantially straight, elongated plate of uniform width throughout its length, having upper and lower forwardly protruding parallel flanges 2 and 3, the upperflange having a downwardly curved forward edgeand thelower flange lying in a plane substantially at right angles to the plate. The plate 1 may be of any suitable length depending upon the number of articles it is intended to hold, and in normal practice it .is secured to a side wall or other supporting medium by means of screws, an adhesive, or other suitable device. When in a supporting position, the plate 1 preferably is arranged against a side wall with the lower flange 3 extending horizontally to provide a narrow shelf for supporting a number of independently adjustable blocks 4 of suitable shape and size. The blocks are preferably made of a fairly hard plastic or rubber material which is somewhat rigid butatthe same time slightly flexible so as to make it possible to mount them on the supporting plate 1, or to detach them, as will be later described. The blocks 4 are of uniform height, corresponding substantially to the width of the plate 1, but their widths may vary, and each has parallel front and rear sides Sand 6, upper and lower parllel sides 7 and 8, and parallel lateral sides 9 and 10. Each block blades, or other devices, certain of the blocks having adjustable gripping balls confined within inclined channels in the blocks which commimieate at their lower ends with the slots, thereby permitting "the'balls to fall into gripping engagement with the devices then positioned in the slots. The adjustable blocks are separately detachable from the flanged supporting member, and their relative positions on the supporting member may be easily changed to increase or decrease the widths of the intervening slots to accommodate tool handles, blades, or other objects of various sizes.

The article holder embodying the present invention may have a suflicient length to provide means for supporting any number of knives, tools, and other objects in suspended positions in which any one of them may be easily removed without displacing the others.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide an article holder of the kind characterized, having a plurality of relatively adjustable gripping elements which makes it possible to support a number of knife blades, tool handles, or other devices having varying widths in positions permitting their selective removal.

Other and further objects of my invention will be pointed out hereinafter or will be indicated in the appended claims or will be obvious to one skilled in the art upon an understanding of the present disclosure. For the purpose of this application, I have elected to show herein certain forms and details of an article holder representative of my invention; it is to be understood, however, that the embodiment of my invention herein shown and described is for the purpose of illustration only and that therefore it is not to be regarded as exhaustive of the variations of the invention in the art.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an article holder embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the article holder;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a bottom view-of the article holder; and

is formed at its upper rear corner with a horizontal groove 11 within which the forwardly disposed upper flange 2 is adapted tofit. When mounting a block on the supporting plate, such block is first placed a slightly inclined position with the horizontal groove 11 arranged "to receive the upper flange .12, and when so positioned the lower .portion of the block is forced rearwardly; until its lower l-side 8 rests on and is positioned above the lower flange? and its rear side 6 is against the plate. The

' blocks are so proportioned that they will normally remain in fixed positions on the supporting plate when once mounted thereon. It is evident that the plate 1 may be so arranged on a supporting structure that the positions of the upper and lower flanges 2 and 3 are reversed, but in such an event the grooves 11 would then be positioned at the lower rear corners of the blocks 4. The blocks are so arranged with respect to one another that slots 12 of suitable widths are positioned therebetween, such slots being adapted to receive a tool handle A or a knife blade or other object. The block 4a at the left end of the plate 1 may be solid throughout if so desired.

Each of the blocks 4 is provided with an inclined channel 13 which extends through the lateral side 9 and communicates at its lower end and side with an adjacent slot 12, such channel being open at its upper end. The channel 13 of each block is partially closed at its lower end by a substantially horizontal shelf 14 which is adapted to support a globular member or spherical ball 15 which is loosely held in the channel. The lower ends of the channels .13 are so positioned with respect to the slots 12 that the globular members 15 extend into the slots or engage with the sides 10 of the blocks to the left, depending upon the spacing of such blocks or the widths of the slots. Thus, if two of the blocks are sufliciently close together to form a narrow slot which will be adapted to receive slidably but fairly snugly a knife blade, the globular member .15 will normally engage with the side 10 of the parslots 12 of different widths. The outer sides of the channels 13 are inclined outwardly from the slots -1-2,"thereby allowing the globular members 15 to recede freely from the slots as theyare moved upwardly. Thus, when a handle A, knife blade or other object is inserted into a s1ot'12 from below and pushed upwardly, the engaged globular member 15 will be retracted from the slot and moved upwardly, thereby allowing such object to extend well into the slot. Upon releasing the object so inserted into-the slot, such object drops downwardly while still engaging with the globular member, and the-latter also dropping downwardly in its channel 13 exerts a sufficient pressure upon the object to hold it in a suspended position; By pushing the handle, knife blade, or object upwardly and at the same time moving it outwardly through the front opening in the slot, the clamping action of the globular member thereon is discontinued, thereby permitting the release of such handle, knife blade, or object.

The globular member may be made from any'suitable material which does not provide a smooth surface, such as certain kinds of plastic, fairly hard rubber, or the like.

What I claim is:

1. In an article holder, an elongated supporting plate having upper and lower substantially horizontal flanges extending forwardly and arranged in substantially parallel relationship, the upper flange having a downwardly extending longitudinal forward edge portion, a plurality of individually adjustable blocks, detachably supported on the plate between the upper and lower flanges and having horizontally aligned grooves at their upper rear sides for receiving the downwardly extending'edge portion of the upper flange, the blocks resting on the lower flange, the blocks being spaced from one another to form communicating with the intervening slots, the channels i to provide intervening slots of varying widths between the blocks, inclined channels in the blocks, the channels being open at their upper ends and having their lower end portions opening into and communicating with the slots, the channels having supporting shelves atv their lower ends, and a plurality of globular members movably positioned in the channels, and the globular members being normally supported on the shelves and positioned A with portions thereof extending into adjacent slots, whereby articles positioned in the slots may be held in suspended positions between sides of certain blocks and article receiving intervening slots and the blocks being :3

relatively adjustable longitudinally along the supporting plate to provide intervening slots of varying widths, in clined channels in the blocks, the channels being open at their upper ends and having their lower end portions the globular members carried by other blocks.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 481,455 Worden Aug. 23, 1892 669,142 Love Mar. 5, 1901 1,516,521 Day Nov. 25, 1924 2,051,541 Chanik Aug. 18, 1936 2,371,433 Davis Mar. 13, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS 5,647 Great Britain May 17, 1890 |l,049 ,697 France Aug. 19, 1953

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