Horizontally supported planar surfaces – Supporting structure extends upwardly of surface
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-10
2002-03-12
Chen, Jose V. (Department: 3636)
Horizontally supported planar surfaces
Supporting structure extends upwardly of surface
Reexamination Certificate
active
06354232
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)
None.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to hanging shelves suspended from a webbing, and in particular, the present invention relates to hanging shelves wherein the manner in which the shelf and the webbing are attached is adjustable and concealed from view.
Hanging shelves suspended from a support directly overhead are useful as space-savers. They do not need floor space as conventional storage devices such as bookshelves. Hanging shelves may also be used away from walls, giving the user a further flexibility that is not found in the typical shelving arrangement, which is usually directly attached to a wall. Further, a hanging shelf suspended from an overhead support gives a room added dimension when such items such as house plants are placed on display on the shelves.
The Hulke patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,295,432, has been very successful in this market. The adjustability of the shelves makes it highly functional, while at the same time, the manner in which the shelves are suspended from the webbing make it very aesthetically pleasing. Though the shelving system has been successful and sold thousands, certain problems still exist with the shelving apparatus. For instance, adjusting the shelves along the webbing required that the whole unit be taken apart. Also, inserting the webbing back into the shelves requires a tool that is not attached to the shelving unit making it easy to lose the tool. Therefore, there exists a need to improve upon these problems to make a better hanging shelf system.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention includes a hanging shelf having a shelf with a pair of opposing sides, each side having a bore proximate its ends. The bore communicates with a slot which in turn communicates with the exterior of the shelf. A webbing is inserted within the slot and the bore. A key is inserted within the bore and has a first position such that the webbing easily slides back and forth through the slot and bore to adjust the position of the shelf along the webbing. The key also has a second position that locks the webbing in place by frictionally engaging the surface of the bore.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2244887 (1941-06-01), Manley
patent: 3799072 (1974-03-01), Slaboden
patent: 4187787 (1980-02-01), Nakatsu
patent: 4295432 (1981-10-01), Hulke
patent: 5052648 (1991-10-01), Landau
patent: 5427344 (1995-06-01), Beauchemin
patent: 5542530 (1996-08-01), Freelander
patent: 2458246 (1981-02-01), None
patent: 222248 (1924-10-01), None
Chen José V.
Kinney & Lange
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