BATH SHELVING UNIT WITH STABILIZING BAR

Abstract

Bath shelving units with at least one rear stability bar are disclosed. The bath shelving unit may be installed behind a toilet or any other desired location. The stability bar may be connected between rear vertical leg assemblies, each of which comprises a lower and an upper rear leg section. The stability bar may be oriented horizontally, and may be used to help fasten the lower and upper rear leg sections together.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/540,699 filed Aug. 3, 2017, which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to bath shelving units with improved stabilization.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides bath shelving units with at least one rear stability bar. The bath shelving units may be installed behind a toilet or any other desired location. The stability bar may be connected between rear vertical leg assemblies, each of which comprises a lower and an upper rear leg section. The stability bar may be oriented horizontally, and may span the lower and upper rear leg sections to thereby help fasten them together.

An aspect of the present invention is to provide a bath shelving unit comprising first and second front vertical leg assemblies, first and second rear vertical leg assemblies, at least one shelf extending between the first and second front vertical leg assemblies and extending between the first and second rear vertical leg assemblies, and a stability bar extending between and fastened to the first and second rear vertical leg assemblies, wherein the stability bar has a width and a length, and a ratio of the width to the length is from 1:3 to 1:30.

This and other aspects of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a bath shelving unit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention installed behind a toilet.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a bath shelving unit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a top rear isometric view of a bath shelving unit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3A is a magnified portion of FIG. 3 showing details of a stability bar of the bath shelving.

FIG. 4 is a partially exploded top rear view of a bath shelving unit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention showing details of a stability bar of the bath shelving.

FIG. 4A is a magnified portion of FIG. 4 showing details of a stability bar of the bath shelving.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1-4 illustrate a bath shelving unit 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the bath shelving unit 10 may be installed behind a toilet 5. As used herein, the term “bath shelving unit” includes shelving units that may be installed in a bathroom area, such as behind a toilet as shown in FIG. 1.

The bath shelving unit 10 includes front vertical leg assemblies 12 having lower front leg sections 14 and upper front leg sections 17. Each lower front leg section 14 rests on a front foot 15. A top portion 16 of the lower front leg section 14 fits inside a bottom edge 18 of the upper front leg section 17. A front top cap 19 is installed on the top of each upper front leg section 17. As shown most clearly in FIG. 3, a fastener hole 20 extends through the upper front leg section 17 near its bottom edge 18, and is aligned with a hole through the top portion 16 of the lower front leg section 14. A mechanical fastener such as a bolt or screw (not shown) may be installed in the fastener hole 20 in order to help secure the upper front leg section 17 to the lower front leg section 14.

As shown most clearly shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, the bath shelving unit 10 includes rear vertical leg assemblies 22 comprising lower rear leg sections 24 and upper rear leg sections 27. A rear foot 25 is installed at the bottom of each lower rear leg section 24. Each lower rear leg section 24 includes a top portion 26 that fits into a bottom edge 28 of the upper rear leg section 27. For example, the top portion 26 may be inwardly compressed or deformed to provide a smaller neck portion that fits within the bottom edge 28 of the hollow upper rear leg section 27. A rear top cap 29 is installed on the top of each upper rear leg section 27.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a stability bar 30 is installed at the rear of the bath shelving unit 10 on the rear vertical leg assemblies 22. In the embodiment shown, the stability bar 30 is installed at the intersection of each lower rear leg section 24 and each upper rear leg section 27. The stability bar 30 includes a top edge 31, bottom edge 32, side edge 33, and opposing side edge 34. A stiffening rib 36 runs along the stability bar 30 between the top edge 31 and bottom edge 32. A stiffening rib 36 provides rigidity to the stability bar 30 and reduces unwanted flexing or bending thereof. The stiffening rib 36 may be formed in or on the stability bar 30 by any suitable method such as stamping, welding, mechanical fastening and the like. For example, the stiffening rib 36 may be stamped into a sheet metal stability bar 30 to deform the stiffening rib 36 in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the stability bar a distance at least as great as the thickness of the stability bar, e.g., at least 2 or 3 times the thickness of the stability bar 30.

As shown most clearly in FIGS. 3, 3A, 4 and 4A, the stability bar 30 includes mounting holes 38 that align with mechanical fastener holes 21A and 21B of the rear vertical leg assemblies 22. As shown in FIG. 4A, the fastener hole 21A extends through the upper rear leg section 27, and also extends through the neck portion of the lower rear leg section 24 that is located inside the hollow upper rear leg section 27. Conventional mechanical fasteners (not shown) may be installed in the mounting holes 38 to secure the stability bar 30 to the lower and upper rear leg sections 24 and 27 of the rear vertical leg assembly 22. In the embodiment shown, the stability bar 30 spans the region between a first set of lower and upper rear leg sections 24 and 27 on one side of the bath shelving unit 10, and spans the region between a second set of the lower and upper rear leg sections 24 and 27 on the other side of the shelving unit 10. The stability bar 30 thus includes a first lower mounting hole 38 aligned with a lower mounting hole 21B in the first lower rear leg section 24 structured and arranged to receive a first lower mechanical fastener, a first upper mounting hole 38 aligned with an upper mounting hole 21A in the first upper rear leg section 27 structured and arranged to receive a first upper mechanical fastener, a second lower mounting hole 38 aligned with a lower mounting hole 21B in the second lower leg section 24 structured and arranged to receive a second lower mechanical fastener, and a second upper mounting hole 38 aligned with an upper mounting hole 21A in the second upper rear leg section 27 structured and arranged to receive a second upper mechanical fastener.

As shown in FIG. 2, the stability bar 30 has a width W that is selected in accordance with the present invention to provide the desired amount of stability and rigidity to the bath shelving unit 10. The width W of the stability bar 30 may be selected based upon various dimensions, such as the overall height of the bath shelving unit 10. In certain embodiments, the width W of the stability bar 30 may be at least 0.5 inch, for example at least 1 inch or at least 1.5 inches. The overall height of the shelving unit 10 may typically range from 2 to 8 feet, or from 3 to 7 feet, or from 4 to 6 feet.

In certain embodiments, the width W of the stability bar 30 may be less than 6 inches, for example, less than 4 inches, or less than 3 inches. In certain embodiments, the width W of the stability bar 30 may range from 1 to 4 inches, for example, from 1.5 to 3 inches, or may be about 2 inches.

The length of the stability bar 30 measured between the opposing side edges 33 and 34 may typically range from 12 to 42 inches, for example, from 15 to 30 inches, or from 18 to 24 inches. In accordance with certain embodiments, the ratio of the width W of the stability bar 30 to the length of the stability bar 30 may typically range from 1:3 to 1:30, for example, from 1:5 to 1:20, or from 1:7 to 1:15, or from 1:8 to 1:12.

The stability bar 30 has a typical thickness of from 0.02 to 0.3 inch, or from 0.04 to 0.2 inch, or from 0.06 to 0.1 inch.

As further shown in FIGS. 1-3, the bath shelving unit 10 includes an intermediate rear horizontal support bar 41 and an intermediate rear horizontal shelf bar 42, each of which extends horizontally between the upper rear leg sections 27. A top rear horizontal support bar 43 and a top rear horizontal shelf bar 44 extend between the upper rear leg sections 27 near the tops thereof. A bottom rear horizontal support bar 45 extends between the lower rear leg sections 24.

Top side horizontal support bars 50 extend between the upper front leg sections 17 and the upper rear leg sections 27. In the embodiment shown, the top side horizontal support bars 50 are at the same level as the top rear horizontal support bar 43, to form a three-sided railing. A top front horizontal shelf bar 51 extends between the upper front leg sections 17. Top shelf slats 52 extend between the top front horizontal shelf bar 51 and the top rear horizontal shelf bar 44 to provide a top shelf for the bath shelving until 10. An intermediate front horizontal shelf bar 53 extends between the upper front leg sections 17. Intermediate shelf slats 54 extend between the intermediate front horizontal shelf bar 53 and the intermediate rear horizontal shelf bar 42 to provide an intermediate shelf for the bath shelving unit 10.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the bath shelving unit 10 may be provided with additional side support brackets that help prevent unwanted front-to-back movement of the shelving unit 10. The support brackets include a first lower side support bracket 61, a second lower side support bracket 62, a first upper side support bracket 63 and a second upper side support bracket 64.

The various components of the bath shelving unit 10 may be secured together by any suitable means such as screws, bolts or other types of known mechanical fasteners.

The components of the bath shelving unit 10 may be made from any suitable materials including metals and plastics known to those skilled in the art. For example, the components may comprise metals such as aluminum, steel and the like.

The present invention provides a relatively wide stability bar between the back legs, allowing the use of two or more screws or other types of mechanical fasteners on each side of the stability bar. This double attachment reduces or prevents movement, holding the legs rigidly in place. The stability bar may accommodate at least two screws or other mechanical fasteners per side. In order to allow flexibility for installation, the user may have two or more sets of options as to where to position the stability bar on the back legs.

As used herein, “including,” “containing” and like terms are understood in the context of this application to be synonymous with “comprising” and are therefore open-ended and do not exclude the presence of additional undescribed or unrecited elements, materials, phases or method steps. As used herein, “consisting of” is understood in the context of this application to exclude the presence of any unspecified element, material, phase or method step. As used herein, “consisting essentially of” is understood in the context of this application to include the specified elements, materials, phases, or method steps, where applicable, and to also include any unspecified elements, materials, phases, or method steps that do not materially affect the basic or novel characteristics of the invention.

In this application, the use of the singular includes the plural and plural encompasses singular, unless specifically stated otherwise. In addition, in this application, the use of“or” means “and/or” unless specifically stated otherwise, even though “and/or” may be explicitly used in certain instances. In this application and the appended claims, the articles “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless expressly and unequivocally limited to one referent.

Whereas particular embodiments of this invention have been described above for purposes of illustration, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that numerous variations of the details of the present invention may be made without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A bath shelving unit comprising:

first and second front vertical leg assemblies;

first and second rear vertical leg assemblies;

at least one shelf extending between the first and second front vertical leg assemblies and extending between the first and second rear vertical leg assemblies; and

a stability bar extending between and fastened to the first and second rear vertical leg assemblies, wherein the stability bar has a width and a length, and a ratio of the width to the length is from 1:3 to 1:30.

2. The bath shelving unit of claim 1, wherein the first rear vertical leg assembly comprises a first lower rear leg section and a first upper rear leg section connected to the first lower rear leg section, the second rear vertical leg assembly comprises a second lower rear leg section and a second upper rear leg section connected to the second lower rear leg section, and the stability bar is fastened to the first lower and upper rear leg sections and is fastened to the second lower and upper rear leg sections.

3. The bath shelving unit of claim 2, wherein the stability bar comprises:

a first lower mounting hole aligned with a lower mounting hole in the first lower rear leg section structured and arranged to receive a first lower mechanical fastener;

a first upper mounting hole aligned with an upper mounting hole in the first upper rear leg section structured and arranged to receive a first upper mechanical fastener;

a second lower mounting hole aligned with a lower mounting hole in the second lower leg section structured and arranged to receive a second lower mechanical fastener; and

a second upper mounting hole aligned with an upper mounting hole in the second upper rear leg section structured and arranged to receive a second upper mechanical fastener.

4. The bath shelving unit of claim 3, wherein the first lower rear leg section extends into the first upper rear leg section and has an additional hole aligned with the upper mounting hole in the first upper rear leg section structured and arranged to receive the first upper mechanical fastener, and the second lower rear leg section extends into the second upper rear leg section and has an additional hole aligned with the upper hole in the second upper rear leg section structured and arranged to receive the second upper mechanical fastener.

5. The bath shelving unit of claim 1, wherein the stability bar is horizontal.

6. The bath shelving unit of claim 1, wherein the stability bar has a width of at least 1 inch.

7. The bath shelving unit of claim 1, wherein the width of the stability bar is from 1.5 to 4 inches.

8. The bath shelving unit of claim 7, wherein the length of the stability bar is from 15 to 30 inches.

9. The bath shelving unit of claim 1, wherein the ratio of the width to the length of the stability bar is from 1:7 to 1:15.

10. The bath shelving unit of claim 1, wherein the stability bar has a thickness of from 0.04 to 0.2 inch.

11. The bath shelving unit of claim 1, wherein the stability bar comprises at least one stiffening rib running along the length thereof.

12. The bath shelving unit of claim 1, further comprising at least one rear horizontal support bar extending between the first and second rear vertical leg assemblies vertically above or below the stability bar.

13. The bath shelving unit of claim 1, further comprising:

a top rear horizontal support bar extending between the first and second rear vertical leg assemblies vertically above the stability bar; and

a bottom rear horizontal support bar extending between the first and second rear vertical leg assemblies vertically below the stability bar.

14. The bath shelving unit of claim 13, further comprising an intermediate rear horizontal support bar extending between the first and second rear vertical leg assemblies vertically below the top rear horizontal support bar and vertically above the bottom rear horizontal support bar.

15. The bath shelving unit of claim 14, wherein the intermediate rear horizontal support bar is vertically above the stability bar.

16. The bath shelving unit of claim 1, wherein the at least one shelf comprises:

a top shelf extending between the first and second front vertical leg assemblies and extending between the first and second rear vertical leg assemblies; and

an intermediate shelf vertically below the top shelf extending between the first and second front vertical leg assemblies and extending between the first and second rear vertical leg assemblies.

17. The bath shelving unit of claim 16, wherein the intermediate shelf is vertically above the stability bar.

18. The bath shelving unit of claim 1, further comprising:

a first top side horizontal support bar extending between the first front vertical leg assembly and the first rear vertical leg assembly; and

a second top side horizontal support bar extending between the second front vertical leg assembly and the second rear vertical leg assembly.

19. The bath shelving unit of claim 18, wherein the first and second top side horizontal support bars are vertically above the stability bar.

20. The bath shelving unit of claim 1, further comprising:

a side support bracket extending between the first front vertical leg assembly and the first rear vertical leg assembly; and

another side support bracket extending between the second front vertical leg assembly and the second rear vertical leg assembly.

21. The bath shelving unit of claim 20, wherein the side support brackets are vertically below the stability bar.

22. The bath shelving unit of claim 20, wherein the side support brackets are vertically above the stability bar.

23. The bath shelving unit of claim 1, wherein the bath shelving unit has a width measured between the first and second front vertical leg assemblies of from 18 to 24 inches, and is structured and arranged to allow a toilet to be located between the first and second front leg assemblies.