Horizontally supported planar surfaces – Attached laterally of support
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-20
2003-09-09
Mai, Lanna (Department: 3637)
Horizontally supported planar surfaces
Attached laterally of support
C108S157100, C211S090010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06615745
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to shelving and support means therefor, and more particularly to built-up shelves having the support or wall attachment means concealed therein when the shelves are installed. The present shelves may be removably or permanently installed stand alone units supported by one or more adjacent wall or panel surfaces, or may comprise built in, plural shelves forming an entertainment system, book shelves, or other shelf systems, as desired.
2. Description of the Related Art
The general concept of using a wall or other generally vertical surface to support an outwardly extending shelf for placement of various articles thereon, is of course well known. Typically, such shelves and shelf systems are supported by two or more exposed brackets or the like, which are secured to the wall and extend outwardly therefrom beneath the shelf. While attempts have been made to beautify such brackets, they are generally unsightly when compared to the remainder of the shelf structure and greatly detract from the appearance of what might otherwise be an attractive article of furniture or shelf installation.
The present inventor is aware of only one previously developed shelf support system for supporting a shelf from a vertical surface and which provides complete concealment for the shelf support means (U.S. Pat. No. 3,718,101 issued to Francis G. Sacks, discussed in detail further below). All other shelf support systems of which the present inventor is aware, either (1) leave the shelf supports exposed in some manner, (2) support the shelf from some other surface than a generally vertical wall(s), or (3) provide concealed wall attachment for an article other than a relatively thin, planar shelf (e.g., wall mounted cabinets, etc.).
Accordingly, a need will be seen for a means of removably or permanently attaching shelving to one or more generally vertical surfaces, while simultaneously completely concealing the shelf attachment means. Such a shelf attachment system must provide sufficient versatility to provide for attachment to one or more walls or panels, either as a single, stand alone shelf or as a group of two or more shelves in an article of furniture or the like (book cases, entertainment centers, etc.). Moreover, the shelf attachment system must also provide for temporarily installable, removable shelving as well as permanently installed shelves, while providing an attractive yet sturdy shelf installation.
A discussion of the related art of which the present inventor is aware, and its differences and distinctions from the present invention, is provided below.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,683,168 issued on Sep. 4, 1928 to Ralph A. Dambach, titled “Adjustable Mantel Shelf,” describes a mantel top shelf which is supported by the underlying mantel structure, rather than being supported by one or more cleats extending from the adjacent walls or other vertical panels, as in the present invention. Dambach does not disclose any means of securing his mantel shelf to a generally vertical wall structure, but states only that his shelf “may be fastened upon the mantel or fireplace in the usual manner . . . ” (page two, lines 37-39). All of the external edges of the Dambach mantel shelf are finished, and cannot be used to fit over laterally spaced cleats secured to opposed facing walls or panels, as provided by at least one embodiment of the present invention. Moreover, Dambach permanently secures his mantel shelf to the underlying mantel structure and has no motivation to provide for a removable embodiment, as provided by at least one embodiment of the present shelf system invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,649,350 issued on Aug. 18, 1953 to Edward D. Backus et al., titled “Foldable Cabinet,” describes a box-like cabinet structure having pivotally attached arms at various points and slidably mounted panels at other points, enabling the cabinet to be partially disassembled and folded for storage or transport. This patent also discloses a means of removably attaching the cabinet to a rear wall structure, comprising a vertically spaced apart pair of beveled cleats permanently attached to the wall, with a mating pair of spaced apart cleats having complementary bevels being permanently attached to the back of the cabinet. The cabinet may be lifted slightly to “hook” the cabinet cleats over the wall mounted cleats to support the cabinet on the wall, or may be lifted to remove the cabinet from the wall attached cleats. Such a removable mounting system cannot be used with a relatively thin shelf having only a single cleat attachment pair, as it relies upon the depth of the cabinet or other article to provide the required vertical bracing from below to prevent the article from falling from the upper cleat attachment. While the present invention may make use of complementary beveled cleats for attachment, additional attachment means are also provided to prevent the shelves of the present invention from falling from a single angled cleat attachment.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,113,358 issued on Dec. 10, 1963 to William Zell et al., titled “Supporting Clips,” describes a pair of mating clips, with one clip being attached to the mounting structure (wall, etc.) and the other clip being attached to the article to be secured to the mounting structure (shelf, etc.) However, Zell et al. disclose only a single thickness of material to which their clip is attached. That is, they do not show any means of concealing their clips within the interior of a hollow, closed shelf structure, as provided by the present shelf structure invention. Moreover, the Zell et al. wall clip comprises only a pair of relatively thin metal tabs which provide support from only a relatively thin plane defined by the tabs, rather than from the upper and lower edges of a relatively wide cleat, as in the present shelf system invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,347,187 issued on Oct. 17, 1967 to Edward F. Khoury, titled “Demountable Shelf,” describes a means of mounting cabinets or other relatively vertically deep structures (not relatively thin shelves) on a pair of exposed wall supports. Each wall support includes a series of angled slots, with the cabinets having four laterally spaced brackets with lateral pins extending therefrom, for engaging two vertically separated slots in each wall support. The Khoury system differs substantially from the present invention, in that Khoury requires two laterally spaced, vertically disposed wall supports, whereas the present invention requires only a single horizontal wall cleat, or a series of horizontally coplanar wall cleats on adjacent walls. Moreover, the Khoury wall supports are clearly visible beyond the vertical dimensions of the suspended cabinets, whereas all wall attachments of the present shelves are completely concealed by the shelves.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,563,626 issued on Feb. 16, 1971 to Irwin J. Ferdinand et al., titled “Modular Adjustable Wall Shelving,” describes a system similar to the Khoury cabinet support system described immediately above. The Ferdinand et al. system differs in that the vertical supports each have a series of slots therein, into which mating ears or tabs of relatively thin, planar horizontally disposed shelf support arms are secured. The shelves are built up of upper and lower sheets of material, creating a hollow core, into which the horizontal support arms are inserted. While the Ferdinand et al. support arms themselves are concealed, the vertical wall attachments remain exposed.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,645,486 issued on Feb. 29, 1972 to Irwin J. Ferdinand et al., titled “Modular Wall Shelving,” describes another system having a pair of vertically disposed, spaced apart tracks providing for the adjustable positioning of one or more shelves thereon. The '486 Ferdinand et al. disclosure differs from the '626 patent to the same inventors, in that a pair of intermediate tracks is removably secured to the vertical structure which is permanently attached to the wall, with shelf supports then being adjustably secured to the removab
Litman Richard C.
Mai Lanna
Tran Hanh Van
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