US3052362A

US3052362A - Soap dish-engageable utility shelf

Info

Publication number: US3052362A
Application number: US50941A
Authority: US
Inventors: Bischoff Anton
Original assignee: Gadget of the Month Club Inc
Current assignee: Gadget of the Month Club Inc
Priority date: 1960-08-22
Filing date: 1960-08-22
Publication date: 1962-09-04
Anticipated expiration: 1979-09-04

Description

Se t. 4, 1962 A. BISCHOFF 3,052,362

SOAP DISH-ENGAGEABLE UTILITY SHELF Filed Aug. 22, 1960 INVENTOR. 50 H6. 4 ANTON BISCHOFF nitccl The present invention consists of a combination utility shelf and mounting means removably engageable with a soap dish carried by a vertical wall whereby to support the utility shelf closely adjacent to and horizontally outwardly projecting from the wall; said utility shelf being adapted to support various utilitarian objects such as soap, shampoo, brushes, and various toiletry and personal grooming articles. Furthermore, one portion of the outwardly directed utility shelf may be provided with upwardly projecting spacer means adapted to support a cake of soap in spaced relationship above the surface of the shelf member so that it will not lie in moisture.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a soap dish-engageable utility shelf of the character referred to above which is of extremely simple, cheap, foolproof construction such as to be conducive to widespread use of the device.

Further objects are implicit in the detailed description which follows and will be apparent to persons skilled in the art after a careful study thereof.

For the purpose of clarifying the nature of the present invention, one exemplary embodiment of the device is illustrated in the hereinbelow-described figures of the accompanying single drawing sheet and is described in detail hereinafter. However, the device is shown in cooperation with two different types of wall-mounted soap dishes.

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary oblique view showing one exemplary embodiment of the present invention in mounted relationship with respect to a soap dish of the wallrecess type and with the outwardly projecting utility shelf carrying a plurality of toiletry objects shown in broken lines.

FIG. 2 is a reduced-size top plan view of the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 1, but shown exclusively of the wall and the wall-recess type of soap dish adapted to support the device as shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of FIG. 2 with the left front edge Wall partly broken away to show in elevation the upwardly projecting spacer means adapted to support a cake of soap.

PEG. 4 is a rear elevational view of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a right side elevational view of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows 6-6 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a reduced-size oblique view generally similar to FIG. 1 but shows the utility shelf of the present invention engaged with respect to a soap dish of the projecting wall-mounted type rather than the wall-recess type as illustrated in FIG. 1.

Referring to the figures for exemplary purposes, one illustrative embodiment of the invention takes a typical exemplary form wherein it comprises a substantially fiat, substantially horizontal shelf means, indicated generally at 14}, which is of substantially rectangular configuration, as seen in plan View, and which is defined by two parallel longitudinal edges 11 and 12 and two parallel transverse or

end edges

13 and 14 perpendicular to the longitudinal edges 11 and 12. The

edges

11, 12, 13, and 14 are rectangularly connected at the ends thereof and are carried by a fiat bottom member 15 which has two intermediate upstanding walls 16 and 17 whereby to divide the interior of the shelf member into three compartments comprising a left compartment 18, a right com- 3,52,3fi2 l 'atented Sept. 4, 1962 partment 19, and an intermediate compartment 20, each adapted to support appropriate toiletry or other personal grooming articles, or the like.

In the specific example illustrated, the left compartment 18 of the shelf member 10 is provided with upwardly projecting spacer means, indicated generally at 21, adapted to support a cake of soap, such as is shown in broken lines at 22 in FIG. 1, thereupon in spaced and ventilated relationship above the surface of the bottom member 15 underlying the compartment 18 of the shelf member 1%. In the specific example illustrated, the spacer means 21 consists of a plurality of inverted channel members 23 connected between opposed end members 24 and each carrying thereabove a plurality of upwardly directed projections 25. The entire spacer means 21 may be of molded plastic construction or of any other suitable material and/ or mode of construction, as desired.

It should be noted that the bottom wall 15 in each of the

compartments

18, 19, and 20 is apertured by a plurality of apertures A in order to provide efiective drainage.

The shelf member 10 is provided with mounting means adapted to effectively engage a wall-mounted soap dish for mounting the shelf member horizontally outwardly thereof. In the specific form of the invention illustrated the resilient mounting means is indicated generally at 26 and comprises a curved flat resilient engaging member 27 of substantially C-shaped configuration having opposed spaced spring finger portions 28 at the top thereof separated by an open region 29 therebetween and with the bottom portion of the engaging member 27 firmly connected to the shelf member 10 by means of a panel 30 underlying and connected to the central portion of the bottom wall 15, although the invention is not specifically limited to this mode of connection. The arrangement is such that the resilient mounting means 26 is effectively carried by and positioned centrally rear wardly adjacent to the longitudinal rear edge 12 of the shelf member 10 in a manner such that the spring members 28 may be resiliently forcibly moved toward each other to allow insertion thereof into a wall-recess type of soap dish, as indicated at 31 in FIG. 1 whereby the entire shelf member 10 will be firmly held immediately outwardly adjacent to the wall 32 carrying the soap dish 31 in the manner best shown in FIG. 1.

On the other hand, the resilient mounting means 26 may be resiliently engaged with the exterior of a soap dish 31 of the wall-mounted projecting type as shown in FIG. 7, which is mounted in outwardly projecting relationship on the wall 32'. This arrangement will effectively mount the soap dish 10 outwardly of the wall 32 in the manner best shown in FIG. 7.

Either of the two mounting arrangements may be employed in appropriate areas such as kitchen, bathroom, shower, or wherever such types of wall-mounted soap dishes are found, and the purpose of the utility shelf of the present invention is to provide a greater storage shelf area than is provided by the conventional soap dish, thus allowing a variety of toiletry and/or personal grooming articles to be carried thereby.

It should be understood that the figures and the specific description thereof set forth in this application are for the purpose of illustrating the present invention and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention to the precise and detailed specific structure shown in the figures and specifically described hereinbefore. Rather, the real invention is intended to include substantially equivalent constructions embodying the basic teachings and inventive concept of the present invention.

I claim:

1. A soap dish-engageable utility shelf, comprising: a substantially fiat substantially horizontal shelf means of 53 substantially rectangular configuration defined by two parallel longitudinal edges and two parallel transverse edges perpendicular to said longitudinal edges; resilient mounting means carried by said shelf means projecting substantially centrally rearwardly therefrom and including a wide curved resilient engaging member having edges lying in planes parallel to the vertical planes containing said parallel edges and of substantially upwardly open C- shaped configuration removably resiliently enga-geable Within a soap dish of the Wall-recess type for firmly mount- 10 ing the shelf means immediately outwardly adjacent thereto and along and against a vertical wall carrying the soap dish.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 12.8,779 Hallenscheid Aug. 12, 1941 1,703,090 Ashfield Feb. 26, 1929 2,359,797 Schnider Oct. 10, 1944 2,472,058 Artley June 7, 1949 2,633,996 Litchfield Apr. 7, 1953 2,839,201 Auster June 17, 1958