Supports: racks – Specially mounted – Wall or window
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-30
2001-09-18
Redman, Jerry (Department: 3634)
Supports: racks
Specially mounted
Wall or window
C211S099000, C211S183000, C248S222510
Reexamination Certificate
active
06290075
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to shelves, more particularly, to wall-mounted shelves that can detach from the wall and rotate out of the way when not needed.
2. The Prior Art
A shelf is a horizontal platform that is mounted to a wall and used for holding items. One particular use for a shelf is as a warming shelf mounted to the wall behind and above a range stovetop and beneath the range hood. As the name implies, cooked food items are placed on the warming shelf to keep them warm prior to serving. The rising heat from the range aids in keeping the food items warm. Some range hoods have one or more heat lamps directed downwardly to aid in keeping the food items warm. The warming shelf platform is typically a wire frame, rather than a solid sheet, so that rising heat reaches the items resting on top.
The warming shelf is typically pivotally mounted to the wall so that it can be rotated to an up position that is out of the way when not in use. A pair of brackets with a hole permanently mount to the wall and the shelf platform has a shaft that fits into the hole so that the shaft rotates. A clip may hold the platform in the up position so it does not fall open inadvertently.
The warming shelf may be either permanently or removably attached to the wall. The permanent attachment has the least flexibility. The warming shelf must be cleaned in place by hand, forcing a person to lean over the stovetop. It also hampers cleaning of the wall in the area around the warming shelf. A portion of a popular pivotally and permanently mounted shelf is shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3
. The bracket
100
has a closed slot
102
into which the end of the shaft
104
fits. In the down position, shown in
FIG. 2
, the shaft
104
is at the top
106
of the slot
102
and the platform
108
rests on a pedestal
110
on the inside surface of the bracket
100
. In the up position, shown in
FIG. 3
, the shaft
104
is at the bottom
112
of the slot
102
and the platform
108
is straddled by two bracket surfaces
114
to hold the platform
108
upright.
Some pivotally mounted warming shelves are removable at the pivot. In one design, the wall-mounted bracket has a shallow hemispherical indentation and the platform has a small round nub. The nub snaps into the indentation. The nub must be small so that it can be snapped into the indentation relatively easily. Consequently, the spacing between the two brackets is critical. If the brackets are not spaced properly or are not mounted securely, the platform will not be held securely. Even relatively lightweight items will cause the bracket to fail to hold the platform.
In another removable design, each bracket has a vertical slot, open at the top of the bracket and rounded at the bottom. The ends of the platform shaft are dropped into the slots to the bottom, where the shaft rotates. A clip is needed to hold the platform in the up position and another clip is typically used to hold the platform in the correct down position.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a shelf that can be rotated easily between secure open and closed positions.
Another object is to provide a shelf that can be easily detached from the wall.
The shelf of the present invention has two components, a platform and a pair of brackets. The preferred platform has an upper panel and a lower panel at right angles to each other. The panels may be any size, or may be merely legs without a surface for items, as long as they perform as described below. Each panel is composed of thinner inner bars within a frame of heavier outer bars. The panels may be a single continuous sheet that is bent at a right angle to form the two panels. The bars are impervious to the heat emanating from a range or from heat lamps in the range hood above. They may be chromed or coated with a non-stick or other material allows the platform to be put in an automatic dishwasher.
The upper panel has a shaft approximately parallel to and a distance from the corner of the panels. The ends of the shaft extend beyond the outer frame to form trunnions. It is also contemplated that the platform only has trunnions without the shaft.
The bracket has a groove for the trunnion and the shape of the groove is a unique aspect of the present invention that differentiates it from the prior art. The bracket has a flat mounting surface for mounting to a wall.
The essence of the groove is an upper pocket and a lower trough connected by a 45° slope. The groove has a front wall, a back wall, and an opening in the top surface of the bracket for reception of the trunnion. The back wall extends vertically to the trough. Optionally, center portion of the back wall extends away from the rear of the bracket to form a dam to prevents inadvertent removal of the trunnion from the groove, as described below.
The front wall starts vertically and bends away from the back wall to horizontal, where it continues to the pocket. The pocket is a bend of approximately 135° back toward the back wall. From the pocket, the front wall slopes downwardly at a 45° angle until it is a distance from the back wall that is slightly larger than the diameter of the trunnion. The front wall then drops vertically to the trough. Thus, the width of the trough is slightly larger than the diameter of the trunnion so that the trunnion will fit into the trough. In order to provide a more secure fit, it is preferred, although not required, that the pocket be a curve and the trough be semicircular, both with a radius slightly larger than the radius of the trunnion.
The platform has a down position where the upper panel is horizontal. In this position, the trunnion resides in the groove pocket and the lower panel abuts a vertical retaining wall that is parallel to the groove back wall. Note that this means that the trunnion is not at the corner of panels, but is on the upper panel at a distance from the corner. The platform is retained in the down position because gravity pushes the trunnion against the front wall but the platform is prevented from moving rearwardly by the lower panel abutting the retaining wall.
In the up position, where the lower panel is horizontal, the trunnion resides in the trough and the upper panel abuts the retaining wall. As with the down position, gravity maintains the platform in the up position. While the weight of the platform causes it to try to rotate to the down position, the lower vertical portion of the front wall prevents the trunnion from exiting the trough. Thus the platform remains securely in the up position.
Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in light of the following drawings and detailed description of the invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1476034 (1923-12-01), Banks
patent: 2042517 (1936-06-01), Ellis
patent: 2379975 (1945-07-01), Luger
patent: 2473908 (1949-06-01), Rubin
patent: 2950541 (1960-08-01), Dement
patent: 3598064 (1971-08-01), Stempel
patent: 4858773 (1989-08-01), Zimmerman
patent: 4991722 (1991-02-01), Hight
patent: 5505318 (1996-04-01), Goff
patent: 5513910 (1996-05-01), Ellingwood et al.
Bellocchi Antonello
Cheimets Alex
Morse, Altman & Martin
Novosad Jennifer E.
Redman Jerry
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