US3008680A

US3008680A - Swing-out cabinet shelf hardware assembly

Info

Publication number: US3008680A
Application number: US4382A
Authority: US
Inventors: Alfred R Hoffman
Original assignee: Ekco Products Co
Current assignee: Ekco Products Co
Priority date: 1960-01-25
Filing date: 1960-01-25
Publication date: 1961-11-14
Anticipated expiration: 1978-11-14

Description

1961 A. R. HOFFMAN SWING-OUT CABINET SHELF HARDWARE ASSEMBLY Filed Jan. 25, 1960 INVENTOR United States Patent 3,008,680 SWING-OUT CABINET SHELF HARDWARE ASSEMBLY Alfred R. flail-man, Gig Harbor, Wash, assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Ekco Products Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 25, 1960, Ser. No. 4,382

4Claims. (Cl. 248-243) This invention relates to hardware assemblies of the class employed for mounting swing-out shelves in cabinets and similar installations.

As is well known, the remote areas of kitchen and other cabinets often are of limited utility because they are so difiicul-t of access. This is particularly true where the remote areas are located in the corners of cabinets built at a 90 angle to each other.

A substantial measure of utility may be imparted to such areas by installing a revolving shelf of the Lazy- Susan type which may be rotated to present the shelf areas. However, where the rotating shelves all are fixed to a common shaft and turn together, an appreciable amount of useful storage space is wasted because of the necessity of allowing clearance between the shelves as required to load them and unload them.

It is the general object of the present invention to provide a swing-out cabinet shelf hardware assembly for use in the manufacture of shelves which are mounted independently on a supporting post and which accordingly may be spaced closely together to afford maxi-mum storage density.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a hardware assembly of the indicated class useful in the construction of cabinet shelves which may be installed and removed easily, which are easily adjustable vertically to accommodate storage items of different height, which are adaptable for use in a diversity of installations, and which will carry a substantial load without failure.

The manner in which the foregoing and other objects of the invention are accomplished will be apparent from the accompanying specification and claims considered to- 3,008,680 Patented Nov. 14 1961 As seen in FIG. 2, each plate is provided with screws 20 or other means for aflixing it to the cabinet floor. and

' is formed with an upwardly extending fl-at projection 22.

The latter is designed for insertion in a slot 24 in the base of post 14, thus removably mounting the same.

Mounted on post 14 are one or more vertically spaced apart set collars 26 adjustably secured to the postlby set screws 28. The collars are located in positions designed to afford a spacing between the shelves calculated to accommodate the items which are to be stored on the shelves.

The shelves, indicated at 30, may be of any selected contour. They normally are cut to size by the carpenter at the site of installation.

Each shelf is mounted in a bracket which preferably is formed in two

interchangeable sections

32, 34.

Each bracket section comprises a flat plate 36 suitably reinforced by web members and of sufficient extent to afiord the desired support. It 'is provided with terminal openings 38 and a central opening 40. A skirt 42, preferably semi-circular in configuration, extends downwardly from the central portion of the bracket which also is formed with an arcuate vertical wall 44 and vertical shoulders 46.

Key members

48, 50 project upwardly from the bracket, preferably adjacent wall 44.

Thus when one of the segments 34 is inverted and placed over the other segment 32 registry will be obtained between

openings

38, 40,

key members

48, 50, projections gether with the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals of reference indicate like parts and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a foreshortened sectional view of a swing-out cabinet shelf utilizing the hardware of my invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 22 of FIG. 1 and illustrating the manner of mounting the post supporting the shelf assembly of that figure; and

FIGS. 3 and 4 are perspective views of the lower and upper segments respectively of a bracket used in the shelf assembly of FIG. 1.

Generally stated, the swing-out cabinet shelf hardware assembly of my invention comprises in combination a post, post-mounting means for mounting the post vertically in a cabinet, a set collar adjustably secured to the post, and bracket means adapted to mount a shelf. The bracket means has therein a guideway and a socket communicating with each other in vertically spaced relation. The guideway is dimensioned to receive the set collar and the socket to seat the same in bearing engagement. As a result, each shelf may be installed, rotated and removed independently of other shelves which may be mounted on the same post.

As indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the presently described hardware assembly is designed for use in a kitchen or other cabinet, the ceiling of which is indicated at 10 and the floor of which is shown at 12. The installation normally is made toward the front of the cabinet, or in the corner of a corner cabinet, so that the shelves may be swung outwardly for loading or unloading and then swung inwardly for storage.

42, arcuate walls 44, and shoulders 46. As a consequence, shelf 30 may be mounted between the two segments and the entire assembly releasa-bly clamped together by means of

bolts

52, 54 as is shown in 'FIG. 1.

The final assembly thus will provide a guideway or recess 56, defined by registering walls 44 and a socket 58, defined by the same walls and also by shoulders 46. The guideway and socket communicate with each other in vertically spaced relation and are so sized that the bracket may be slipped over set collar 26 and then dropped downwardly along the guidew-ay until the set collar seats in socket 58. When this is accomplished, the assembly has substantial bearing area afforded by the socket and also by the downwardly extending skirt 42 so that it will rotate freely and at the same time support a substantial storage load placed on shelf 30.

Thus it will be apparent that by the present invention I have provided a swing-out cabinet shelf hardware assembly which may be employed in the construction of cabinet shelves useful in areas of restricted access and swingable independently of each other, as required for loading and unloading as well as :for cleaning. Since the shelves operate independently of each other, they may be spaced closely together to obtain maximum storage density. In addition, the entire assembly is stable, adaptable to various types of installations and easily mounted and demounted.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herein shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A swing-out cabinet shelf hardware assembly comprising in combination a post, post-mounting means for mounting the post vertically in the cabinet, a set collar,

nicating with each other in vertically spaced relation, the recess being dimensioned freely to receive the set collar by relative lateral movement of the bracket means and the qollar and the socket being dimensioned to confinev and seat, the set collar in bearing rel-ationshig.

2. The swing out cabinet shelf hardware assembly of claim 1, wherein th e post mounting means comprises a pair of'plates, means for securing the plates one to the qabinet ceiling and; the other to the cabinet floor, and means rernpvab ly interlocking the plates and the respec tive ends of the post;

3. swing 'out cabinet shelf hardware, assembly of,

q laim 1 whereih the bracket comprises two verticallyspaced; r eleasably interlockable segments, one adapted tolbei mountedabpye the shelf'and the other below the same, and bothadapted to receive the shelf between them, one of the segments having the recess and socket therein, and means for interlocking the segments and the shelf whereby to form a unitary assembly for mounting on the post.

4. The swing-out cabinet shelf hardware assembly of claim, 1 wherein: the-bracket is provided? with an integral downwardly extending semi-circular skirt providing a bearingsurface-for supporting loads-placed on the-shelf.

ReferenceseGitedr in the: file of 'th'is' patent UNITED- STATES RATEN FS 274,087 Danner .Mar. 13,. 1883 613,986 Gadbury Nov.. 8, 1898 1,525,461" Moors Feb. 10,1925 2,933,361 Von der Lancken Apr. 19, 1960