US3100099A

US3100099A - Support for display rack or the like

Info

Publication number: US3100099A
Application number: US77212A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edward E Schaefer
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1960-12-20
Filing date: 1960-12-20
Publication date: 1963-08-06
Anticipated expiration: 1980-08-06

Description

E. E. SCHAEFER SUPPORT FOR DISPLAY RACK OR THE LIKE Filed Deo. 20, 1960 Aug. 6, 1963 5E/wafer Park, a

NVENTOR u 1 I w l l of being temporarily anchored in 3,100,999 Patented Aug. 6, 1363 ice 3,106,099 SUPPURT FOR DISPLAY RACK R THE LIKE Edward E. Schaefer, 1534 Park Ave., River Forest, Ill. Filed Dec. 20, 1960, Ser. No. 77,212 4 Claims. (Cl. 248-194) For optimum use of the available space, such racks should be capable of being arranged in various locations and position to meet varying display requirements. In particular, it is important that the upright posts or other upright structural members of the racks be capable of being mounted in exact vertical relation regardless of whether the door or other supporting surface is level.

Accordingly, a broad object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved support structure for an upright member which insures vertical disposition of the upright member for varying degrees of levelness of i the supporting surface.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved support for the upright portion of a display rack or the like, said support having adjustable leveling means accessible for adjustment wholly from the i .l

upper side of the support.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved support of the aforementioned character having means for anchoring the same in a desired location on a iloor or the like.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. l is a perspective view of a floor rack embodying the features of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged scale sectional view taken along the line 2 2 of FIG. 1 showing the base portion of the rack in plan;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken along the line '3 3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 4 4 of FIG. 2.

Referring first to FIG. l of the drawing, a display rack is illustrated comprising a pair of upright supports 10 and 11 with a telescoping crossbar y12 extending between their upper ends for suspending garments by means of coat hangers or the like. Each of the supports 10l and 11 includes a three-legged base 13 or 14, the base being anchored to a floor 16 by means of an anchor screw cooperating between the base and a threaded socket member 17 in the floor 16, as more fully described below. The floor 16 is preferably provided with a plurality of sockets 17 spaced at equal distances from each other over the entire display area of the iloor in order that a plurality of racks may be utilized in different positions, as may be required.

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, the structure and operation of the support 10 will be described in detail but it will be understood that the description applies equally to the support 11. The base I13 of the support 10 comprises three angularly related leg portions, which for convenience and economy of manufacture are preferably arranged in a generally T-shaped conguration. In the illustrated embodiment, the T-shaped base 13 is made up of a pair of inverted

U-shaped channels

18 and 19 which are welded together, as at 21, the channel 19 providing the central leg portion of the T and the opposite ends of the channel 18 providing the other two leg portions. An upright tubular post or vertical member 22 is secured at its lower end, as by welding 23, to the upper surface of the channel 18 substantially at the juncture between the

channels

18 and 19. The post 22 may have an upright extension 24 telescopically connected therewith as illus- ,trated in FIGS. 1 and 3, but it will be understood that a one-piece post construction may also be used where vertical adjustability is not required.

The outer ends of each of the

channels

18 and 19 constituting the three leg portions of the base 13 are each provided with leveling means adapted to engage the floor :16. Thus, a block 26 is rigidly secured in the open end of each channel and is provided with a threaded vertical bore 27 aligned with an aperture 28 (FIG. 4) in the upper surface of the channel member. A vertically adjustable leveling screw 29 is threadedly engaged in the bore 27 and is provided at its lower end with a rounded contact portion 31 which engages the oor 16. The upper end of the leveling screw 29 has a slot 32 which is accessible by means of a screw driver or other tool through the aligned bore 27 and aperture 28. Thus, the base 13 is supported on the floor 16 at three spaced points by means of the leveling screws 29, and each screw 29 is independently adjustable so that regardless of degree of levelness of the Hoor 16 the base 13 may be adjusted to insure vertical disposition of the post 22-24.

As will be evident, the adjustment of the leveling screws .29* may be readily accomplished because the upper adjusting end 32 of each screw 29 is entirely accessible from the upper side of the base 1'3. It is necessary that the base `13 be disposed in slightly spaced relation above the u floor 16 in order to allow proper clearance for leveling adjustment of the base, but it will be understood that the space between the base 13 and the floor 16 should be no greater than necessary for this purpose. It is, therefore, an important advantage of the invention that the leveling screws 29 are accessible for adjustment entirely from the upper side of the base thereby avoiding the inconvenience and difficulty of manipulations in the relatively small space between the underside of the base and the floor.

Inasmuch as the leveling screws 29 are independently adjustable, the lower ends of the screws which engage the floor surface must be self-adjusting in order to accommodate a reasonable degree of angularity between the base 13 -and the floor 16. In the illustrated embodiment, this is accomplished by means of the rounded contact portions 31, but it will be appreciated that conventional at contact members having a swivel connection with the lower ends of the screws 29 could also be employed.

In order to anchor the support 1@ at any desired location on the floor 16, an anchor screw is provided to connect the base 13 to any selected one of the sockets 17 in the floor. As best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, a block 33 is rigidly mounted within the channel 19 at the inner end thereof closely adjacent the juncture Ibetween .the

chaunels

18 and 19. A recess 34 is provided in the upper surface of tlhe block 33 in alignment with an opening 36 in the upper wall of the channel 19. The anchor screw, designated at 37, extends 'downwardly through an unthreaded -bore 38 in Ithe block 33 and has an enlarged head portion 39 adapted to seat in countersunk relation in the recess 34 and the opening 36. The lower threaded end lof the screw 37 extends into a r-eaded bore 41 in a tubular element 42 mounted in the floor 16 and constitutin-g the socket 17. rIlhe upper end of the screw head 39 has a suitably shaped non-circular recess 43l (FIG. 2)

for manipulation of the screw 37 by a suitable tool. The upper or inlet end of the threaded bore 41 of the socket member `42 preferably has a dared opening 44 to facilitate engagement of the screw 37 in the socket. Socket members 17 which are not in use may be concealed, if desired, by suitable closures (not shown) for the sake of appearance and to prevent the bore 41 trom becoming lled -with dirt or the like.

Although for the salse `of illustration the invention has been illustrated in FIG. 1 in connection with a pair of supports and 11 having a hanger -bar 12 extending therebetween, it will be understood that any desired type of supporting structu-re may be mounted on the uprights, e.g. shelves, counters, wall panels, etc., and as many different support units as desired may be utilized in conjunction with each other. However, in every instance it will be extremely important that cooperating uprights be maintained in exact vertical relation regardless of whether the floor 16 is uniformly level or irregular. The threepoint support and leveling means of the present invention insures that each upright can be independently regulated to obtain vertical alignment in a very rapid and simple manner. Furthermore, once the desired leveling adjustment of the base =13 has been accomplished by means of the leveling screws 39, the anchor screw 37 may then be tightened so that the ent-ire support is securely iixed in position. In this connection, it will be recognized that the location of .the anchor screw 37 in the central leg portion of the T-shaped base and closely adjacent the juncture between the leg portions of the Ibase insures maxirnum stability of the support structure. Although the three-legged channel member construction herein illustrated is preferred, it will be recognized that the base construction may be modied as long as it incorporates at least three spaced points of support which are accessible `for leveling adjustment entirely -frorn the upper side of the base together with an anchor device for securing the base at a predetermined location on the display iloor or surface.

provement which com-prises a rigid base adapted to be supported :in generally horizontal relation above a generally horizontal supporting surface such as a floor, said base having three triangulariy spaced threaded bores adapted to extend generally vertically relative to .the supporting surface, adjustable screw members threadedly engaged in said bores and projecting downwardly from said base, said screw members having means at the lower ends thereof -for self-adjusting substantially rigid engagement with the supporting sur-face and the upper ends `of said screw members being accessible from the upper side of said base and the upper ends of said bores tor effecting leveling of the base, and an anchor element extending downwardly and loosely through said base, said anchor element having a threaded lower end portion engageable with a cooperating threaded `opening in said surface and an upper lend portion engageable in abutting relation with said base and-accessible :from the upper side of said base, whereby, after leveling of the lbase has been eiected by said adjustable screw members, said anclhor element can be tightened yfor clamping the leveled base to said surface.

2. The structure of claim l further characterized inV leg portions extending outwardly from a central por-- tion, each of said leg portions being provided with a threaded bore adjacent its outer end with the threaded portions of ysaid adjustable members being mounted in said bores, and said anchor element extending through one of said leg portions at the inner end thereof adjacent said central portion.

3. The structure of claim 2 further characterized in that said base is generally T-shaped and said anchor element extends through 4the central leg portion of the T- shaped base.

4. In combination, a generally horizontal supporting surface having a plurality of threaded sockets mounted therein, and a support as set forth lin clairn 1 with the threaded lower end portion of said anchor element being receivable in one of said sockets.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS '1,123,960 Von der Lin Jan. 5, 1915 1,496,206 Burlin June 3, 1924 1,843,054 Weinstein Ian. 26, 1932 2,205,545 Schmitt Iune 25, 1940 2,283,324 Faber May 19, 1942 2,525,008 Zalcariaseu Oct. 10, 1950 2,885,090 Forman May 5, 1959 2,964,202 Gingher Dec. 13, 1960

Claims

1. IN A SUPPORT OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES A RIGID BASE ADAPTED TO BE SUPPORTED IN GENERALLY HORIZONTAL RELATION ABOVE A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL SUPPORTING SURFACE SUCH AS A FLOOR, SAID BASE HAVING THREE TRIANGULARLY SPACED THREADED BORES ADAPTED TO EXTEND GENERALLY VERTICALLY RELATIVE TO THE SUPPORTING SURFACE, ADJUSTABLE SCREW MEMBERS THREADEDLY ENGAGED IN SAID BORES AND PROJECTING DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID BASE, SAID SCREW MEMBERS HAVING MEANS AT THE LOWER ENDS THEREOF FOR SELF-ADJUSTING SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SUPPORTING SURFACE AND THE UPPER ENDS OF SAID SCREW MEMBERS BEING ACCESSIBLE FROM THE UPPER SIDE OF SAID BASE AND THE UPPER ENDS OF SAID BORES FOR EFFECTING LEVELING OF THE BASE, AND AN ANCHOR ELEMENT EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY AND LOOSELY THROUGH SAID BASE, SAID ANCHOR ELEMENT HAVING A THREADED LOWER END PORTION ENGAGEABLE WITH A COOPERATING THREADED OPENING IN SAID SURFACE AND AN UPPER END PORTION ENGAGEABLE IN ABUTTING RELATION WITH SAID BASE AND ACCESSIBLE FROM THE UPPER SIDE OF SAID BASE, WHEREBY, AFTER LEVELING OF THE BASE HAS BEEN EFFECTED BY SAID ADJUSTABLE SCREW MEMBERS, SAID ANCHOR ELEMENT CAN BE TIGHTENED FOR CLAMPING THE LEVELED BASE TO SAID SURFACE.