Horizontally supported planar surfaces – With structural installation
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-20
2001-09-11
Chen, Jose V. (Department: 3624)
Horizontally supported planar surfaces
With structural installation
C108S108000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06286439
ABSTRACT:
TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD
The invention relates to supporting hanging furniture and, in particular, to the design and fabrication of a side support for a hanging storage unit, such as a bookshelf, a file cabinet, a file bin, or the like.
BACKGROUND
Many types of furniture, such as modular office furniture, include hanging storage units that are designed specifically to preserve floor and desk space. These storage units include bookshelves, file cabinets, file bins, and the like that typically hang from fixed walls or wall partitions and from standing pieces of furniture. Hanging storage units usually are supported by brackets mounted to the side panels of the storage units. These brackets interlock with a support structure in the wall or the standing furniture.
For many hanging storage units, the side panels or side supports are constructed from particleboard or plywood that is coated with a decorative paper or material, such as FORMICA, paint, or the like. As a result, the storage units are relatively heavy and, to many people, unattractive. The storage units also tend to develop unsightly defects over time, especially as the decorative material chips away, exposing the particleboard or plywood underneath.
Producing side supports for this type of storage unit is both labor and resource intensive. First the particle board or plywood is pre-sanded and processed to remove any surface defects. Then the particle board or plywood is processed to add adhesive for laminate or decorative skins. Some particle board products include paper skins built into the manufacturing of the raw material. In general, the fabrication processes for the large raw stock sheets include hours of high pressure press time to laminate and cure the raw sheet stock sizes. These raw sheet stock sizes vary approximately from 4′×8′ and larger. The particle board or plywood is then cut to size for the smaller raw side panel support sizes. The smaller raw side panel supports are then drilled or routed to accommodate mounting brackets and other mounting components, such as mounting inserts, T-molding, or the like. Some manufacturers route edge shapes onto the side panels and use a lengthy process to paint the edges, which then must be allowed to dry. These applications involve high material costs and rely heavily on human labor, which further increases costs and reduces quality control in producing these types of supports.
In some modular office systems, side supports are formed from sheets of metal or from metal rods that are bent and then welded to form flat plates or hollow frames. In most cases, additional welding of other attaching components or other metal shapes is required to finish the fabricated side panel support. A coat of paint is then applied. The painting process for metal is extensive since the metal must undergo washing, drying, painting, and then baking to solidify the paint. This process is usually carried out in a large, expensive paint booth or tunnel.
Like particleboard or plywood supports, metal supports tend to develop unsightly blemishes as the paint chips and wears over time. Also, over time the mounting brackets tend to pull away from both plywood and metal supports under heavy loads, thus compromising the structural integrity of the supports.
SUMMARY
The inventor has developed side supports for hanging storage units that are more lightweight, more reliable, more aesthetically pleasing, and easier to manufacture than conventional supports. These side supports are formed from materials that can be molded or cast, such as polymer-based materials or lightweight metals and metal alloys. In general, molding and casting techniques allow the side supports to be formed in any color and with virtually any shape and thickness. Molding and casting techniques also allow easy formation of patterns, images, and textures in the side supports. Moreover, molding and casting techniques allow the manufacturer to embed mounting elements and even rigid frames in the side supports during the molding or casting process. No T-molding, screws, or adhesives are needed to affix the mounting elements to the supports.
In one aspect, the invention features a side support for a hanging storage unit. The support includes a rigid panel formed from either a molded polymer-based material or a cast metallic material. A mounting element is embedded in and protrudes from the rigid panel to allow hanging of the side support from a support structure.
In some embodiments, a raised web-like or grid-like pattern is formed on one surface of the rigid panel to improve the strength of the side support. Some of these embodiments include two molded pieces that are bonded together. Other embodiments include mounting elements that are formed from the same polymer-based or metallic material as the rigid panels. In other embodiments, the rigid panel includes at least one attachment element, such as a recess or a cantilevered stud, that allows the side support to attach to another component of the hanging storage unit.
In another aspect, the invention involves the fabrication of a rigid side support for a hanging storage unit. The support is formed by placing a mounting element into a mold that defines the shape of the side support and then injecting a liquefied polymer-based or metallic material into the mold to surround a portion of the mounting element. The polymer-based or metallic material solidifies around the mounting element to form the rigid support. In some embodiments, a rigid frame is placed into the mold before the polymer-based or metallic material is injected into the mold. An alternative fabrication technique involves the use of a mold that forms a mounting element, such as a wall-hanging element, from the same polymer-based or metallic material used to form the side support.
In yet another aspect, the invention features a hanging storage structure that includes two side supports and a horizontal support shelf. Each of the side supports is formed from a molded polymer-based material or a cast metallic material, and each includes at least one embedded mounting element. The horizontal support element connects between the two side supports to allow storage of items such as books and boxes when the unit is hanging.
Other embodiments and advantages will become apparent from the following description and from the claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4040588 (1977-08-01), Papsco et al.
patent: 4984759 (1991-01-01), Perlant
patent: 5097771 (1992-03-01), James, III
patent: 5233930 (1993-08-01), Wang
patent: 5405114 (1995-04-01), Dias
patent: 5429433 (1995-07-01), Bird et al.
patent: 5623882 (1997-04-01), Price
patent: 5706737 (1998-01-01), Whitehead et al.
patent: 5921190 (1999-07-01), Wood
patent: 6019331 (2000-02-01), Hoogland et al.
Chen José V.
Fish & Richardson P.C.
LandOfFree
Side support for a hanging storage unit does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Side support for a hanging storage unit, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Side support for a hanging storage unit will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2512114