Stackable or nestable shelf with reinforced platform
A particularly styled shelf of a simplified design has a unique structure and appearance from a minimum of components. The shelf may be both stackable, one shelf upon the other, for the storage of goods, and can be easily nested into a compact state, when shelves are desired to be stored or shipped. Each of the shelves has a platform with spaced apart planks upon transverse ribs, and the platform provides a smooth transition for ready storage of goods. Each shelf has two closed loop wire legs, at each end, and the legs elevate the shelf when upon another shelf or a surface. The downward end of each leg has a foot portion of less width than the handle. The foot portions may be inserted through the handle to furnish interconnection of stacked shelves, even when subject to a lifting force.
This non-provisional patent application claims priority to the design patent application having Ser. No. 29/255,646, which was filed on Mar. 10, 2006.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe stackable and nestable shelf with reinforced platform relates to light duty shelving in general, and more specifically, to stackable racks with interlocking legs. Unique aspects of the present invention are legs with feet that rest upon a platform and within the handle of a leg below when two adjacent shelves are stacked vertically.
Various styles of racks are available in the prior art and many of them relate to types of racks that have industrial applications, such as for holding bottles, letters, or other components in a stacked relationship. Domestically, stackable and nestable racks have been available of a particular design, such as can be seen in the U.S. patents to Massoudnia, et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,035,335 and 5,152,407. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 6,318,570 shows related structure. These patents are owned by an assignee affiliated with the applicant herein.
In these prior patents, the shown racks are stackable and nestable. One on top of the other, the racks can be erected into multiple heights. When not in use, the racks nest, one on top of the other, so as to reduce their size when undergoing shipment, placement in storage, or display for sale. The essence of these previous racks is to provide an upstanding handle, proximate each end of the rack, that furnishes clearance between the upper part of the handle, and the platform or surface formed of the rack, so that the turned foot of the supra-adjacent rack may engage in some manner with the raised handle, to secure the racks while holding fast, when two or more spaced apart racks are lifted, but likewise, to secure the racks together, when stacked.
More particularly, the U.S. Pat. No. 5,035,335 patent shows a shelf with a wire grid bounded by a perimeter wire. The grid is generally located upon the upper edge of the perimeter wire. And the U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,407 patent describes a shelf of a wire grid bounded by a perimeter wire. The grid is generally located upon the upper edge of the perimeter wire. And the U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,407 patent describes a shelf of a wire grid where the racks can be stacked together.
Various other prior art embodiments for miscellaneous types of racks are available in the art, to provide for stacking of one rack upon the other, such as can be seen in the previous United States patents to Barbier, U.S. Pat. No. 2,814,390; von Stein, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,079,836; Beach, U.S. Pat. No. 2,600,191; Pfeifer, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,785; Ondrasick, U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,885; Cassel, U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,238; Chesley, U.S. Pat. No. 3,435,958; and, vanDerTog, U.S. Pat. No. 2,975,906. The shelves and racks in these prior patents exceed the complexity of construction of this current invention, and in many instances, were designed for specific industrial purposes, and just do not serve well for domestic storage, for use in dormitories, stacking of household goods, or for organizing closets.
The United States patent to Chap, U.S. Pat. No. 4,444,320, discloses a stackable shelf unit, not identified as a nestable type shelf, but it discloses how the bottom of the legs unit are bent inwardly, and downwardly, so as to locate through the surface of the shown shelf. But, while this shelf unit may stack, it is not identified as one which may be nested, and furthermore, even when a plurality of such shelf units are stacked, they will not hold together, because the bent leg portions will simply separate from any subjacent unit, by sliding free of the same when lifted.
Thus, prior art devices do not provide for both stacking and nesting of platforms for installation and shipping respectively.
The present art overcomes the limitations of the prior art. The present invention has a platform with two parallel and spaced apart legs on the ends of the platform. The legs have a handle above the platform and an opposite foot. Between the bar and the foot, the legs taper in width, narrowing in the direction of the foot. Differing from the prior art, the present invention, a stackable and/or nestable shelf with reinforced platform, provides legs that nest between each other when a plurality of shelves are stacked and legs that rest upon a platform in a spaced relationship.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThis invention contemplates the formation of a particularly styled shelf, formed of a simplified design, but yet is quite unique in structure, appearance, and in affording a minimum of components to provide for its fabrication. The shelf furnishes an attractive appearance and may be both stackable, one shelf upon the other, for assistance in organizing the storage of household or other goods, and at the same time, can be easily nested into a compact state, when a plurality of the shelves are desired to be stored or shipped. Each of the shelves is formed having a platform, of uniform planar dimension with spaced apart planks supported upon transverse ribs, and the platform provides a smooth transition from end to end, and likewise widthwise, without any further elevated components or protrusion, so as to assure that goods may be easily moved upon and stored thereon, as desired.
Each of the shelves is formed having two closed loop wire legs, at each end, and generally opposite one another. The legs of the formed platform provide elevation for the shelf when stood upon a surface. The downward end of each shelf incorporates an out turned foot portion, that has width less than the width of the handle opposite the foot. The foot portions may be inserted through the handle of another proximate leg of a lower shelf, to furnish interconnection of stacked shelves together, even when a plurality of them are stacked, and are subject to a lifting force.
Another unique aspect of this invention is the method for formation of the described shelves. The shelves may generally be fabricated as two components, a platform and adjacent legs, where the platform has spaced apart planks upon at least two transverse ribs with a perimeter frame enclosing the platform, similar to a grill, and where the handles of each pair of legs are welded in place upon the narrow ends of the platform. The platform may have the ribs extending below the planks and below the edge of the ribs. Alternatively, the ribs and planks are located within the height of the frame.
Where the surface of the platform for the shelf includes longitudinal wires or planks, the shelves, when stacked one upon the other, may not remain elevated, because the legs will simply flare out and then slide outwards from the upper edge of the platform and the shelf will not remain suspended in its desired elevated position, when stacked one upon the other. Hence, it is intended that various types of protrusions, particularly a handle, may be provided proximate the upper end of the leg portions of each shelf, and these protrusions may either be configured from an integral bending of the wires forming the legs, or have welded components fabricated thereto. The protrusions extend laterally and then engage the sides of the legs, forming the sides for the elevated surface platform, for the shelf, and contain a foot from an upper leg within the handle of a lower leg, thus preventing the further descent of the legs once they are inserted and installed as when a pair of shelves are stacked one upon the other.
This particular method and style for manufacture and assembly of shelves of this design, particularly because of the simplified design with a minimum of components is especially suited for initial fabrication by a manufacturer overseas, then shipped to a final assembly plant at another destination, and then finally welded, coated, painted, or otherwise treated for final appearance, and then shipped nested in bulk to a vendor for display, marketing, and sale to customers.
Therefore, it is the principal object of this invention to provide a stackable and nestable shelf, which affords a partially open platform, similar to a grill, entirely across the top of the formed shelf, and at the same time, providing interlocking means that hold one or more of the shelves together, when stacked one upon the other, so that all of the shelves may be lifted simultaneously, without separation.
It is another object of this invention to provide a shelf of the foregoing design, and which may be also nestable.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a shelf which is both stackable and nestable, and fabricated from a minimum of components.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a shelf that is of simplified design, but yet very sturdy of structure, providing components that inter-engage, when a pair or more of the shelves are stacked vertically, but yet can be easily disassembled, and nested together, into a minimum of space.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a shelf that has a surface platform that has few if any elevated or protruding components upon its upper platform within the legs and handles, thus the shelf is ready for placement of goods thereon.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a shelf, which is both stackable and nestable, and which is inexpensive of manufacture, and easy of usage, thereby allowing the owner to assemble the shelves in minutes, and to use the shelves of this design for domestic usage, for organizing closets, or the like.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a stackable and nestable shelf that can easily be used commercially, at a business, in a student's room, or even in industrial plants.
Another object of this invention is to provide a stackable and nestable shelf wherein its reinforced platform includes a series of parallel aligned and longitudinally arranged bars, rods, or planks, to add reinforcement to the shelf.
These and other objects may become more apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the invention as described herein, and upon undertaking a study of the description of its preferred embodiment, when viewed in conjunction with the drawings.
In referring to the drawings,
the opposite side view being a mirror image thereof;
The same reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the various figures.
The present art overcomes the prior art limitations by providing a stackable and nestable shelf 1 with a grill like platform 5. The platform has interior planks 3 surrounded by a perimeter frame 2 with two spaced apart opposite legs 6. One platform of this invention stacks upon another by engaging the legs.
In particular
As can be seen in
Rotating the invention from
Similar to
Turning the alternate embodiment,
Similar to
In use,
The connection of an upper shelf to a lower shelf appears in
For shipment between locations or storage at the owner's location,
From the aforementioned description, a stackable and nestable shelf with a reinforced platform has been described. The stackable and nestable shelf is uniquely capable of engaging the feet and the handles of legs for stacking and separating the feet and handles of the legs for nesting a plurality of shelves vertically, or, optionally, certain of the shelves may be stacked, but may be made so that they will not necessarily nest. The stackable and nestable shelf and its various components may be manufactured from many materials including but not limited to polymers, high density polyethylene HDPE, polypropylene PP, polyethylene terephalate ethylene PETE, polyvinyl chloride PVC, polystyrene PS, nylon, steel, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, their alloys, and composites.
Claims
1. A device for separating and storing items vertically, a plurality of said devices being capable of stacking, comprising:
- a generally planar platform, horizontal, having a perimeter frame and a grill within said frame;
- said perimeter frame having a height substantially greater than its thickness to add to its strength; and
- two spaced apart and opposed legs, each of said legs joining to said frame,
- each of said legs having a handle proximate and above said platform, an opposite foot, and at least one side connecting said handle to said foot.
2. The storing device of claim 1 wherein the plurality of devices are nested.
3. The storing device of claim 2 further comprising:
- said handle of each of said legs being inclined towards said frame, the incline of which terminating at a shoulder where said handle connects to said side;
- said side of each of said legs continuing downwardly from said shoulder, generally perpendicular to said frame;
- said foot of each of said legs extending perpendicular to said side and generally outwardly from said frame.
4. The storing device of claim 3 further comprising:
- each of said legs forming a closed loop having said handle integral with two of said shoulders, said shoulders integral with two of said sides, said sides integral with said foot.
5. The storing device of claim 4 wherein each of said sides bends inwardly, said foot of each leg has less width than said handle, and said handle of each leg is located above an end of said platform.
6. The storing device of claim 3 further comprising: each of said legs forming a closed loop having said handle integral with two of said shoulders, said shoulders integral with two of said sides, said sides integral with said foot and said sides bent inwardly, said foot of each leg has less width than said handle, and said handle of each leg is located above an end of said platform;
- said foot of each leg of an upper device fitting into a gap between said handle of each leg of a lower device and said frame of a lower device, thus locating the upper device in a spaced apart stacked relationship with the lower device as during usage; and,
- said foot of each leg of the upper device passing said handle of each leg of the lower device and within said sides of each leg of the lower device so said feet of the upper device and the lower device are spaced apart and parallel, thus locating the upper device in a compact nesting relationship with the lower device as during non-usage.
7. The storing device of claim 3 further comprising: said grill having planks extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of said device and a plurality of ribs laterally beneath said planks;
- said perimeter frame having sufficient thickness to conceal said planks; and,
- said ribs connecting beneath said perimeter frame.
8. The storing device of claim 3 further comprising: said grill having planks extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of said device and a plurality of ribs laterally beneath said planks;
- said ribs connecting within said perimeter frame; and,
- said perimeter frame having sufficient thickness to conceal said planks and said ribs.
9. The storing device of claim 3 wherein said ribs have a height substantially greater than their thickness to add to their strength.
10. A stackable and nestable shelf for use for temporarily stacking and storing items, vertically, a plurality of said shelves being capable of stacking, one on top of the other, comprising:
- a generally planer platform, horizontally disposed, and including a series of longitudinally and parallel arranged bars along it length; two spaced apart opposed legs;
- a pair of horizontal ribs, one being arranged at least at each end of the platform, and securing the longitudinal bars thereon;
- the legs been secured to a respective horizontal rib to complete the integrated structure of each shelf; and
- each of the legs having a handle proximate and above said platform, and an opposite foot arranged downwardly thereof, and a pair of sides connecting said handle to each foot, to complete the leg structure for each shelf.
11. The shelf of claim 10 wherein a series of said shelves may be stacked one upon the other, with the foot of one shelf locating within the handle of the shelf arranged therebelow.
12. The shelf of claim 11 wherein a series of said shelves may be nested, for storage.
Type: Application
Filed: May 5, 2008
Publication Date: Nov 5, 2009
Inventor: Michael L. Gusdorf (Creve Coeur, MO)
Application Number: 12/151,232
International Classification: A47F 5/16 (20060101);