Horizontally supported planar surfaces – Plural related horizontal surfaces – Separable component
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-16
2003-02-11
Chen, Jose V. (Department: 3637)
Horizontally supported planar surfaces
Plural related horizontal surfaces
Separable component
C108S153100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06516732
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to shelving for the storage or display of goods, items, boxes or the like, and, in particular, is directed to a storage shelving module that is expandable and contractible to accommodate varying storage and display requirements.
Most conventional storage and display shelving has vertical posts or sides that are of a fixed length to which shelves of a fixed size are attached. The shelves may be movable vertically for accommodating items of different heights. Conventionally, if the storage or display shelving requires expansion in heighth, width or depth, the vertical posts or sides must be replaced or additional posts or sides added and new shelves are added or replace the existing shelves for accommodating the new size of the shelving module. It would be desirable to provide a storage shelving module which is expandable in one or more directions, and preferably in three dimensions, so that the size and capacity of the shelving could be significantly varied without the need to supplement or replace the components thereof The storage shelving module of the present invention obtains this result.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly, the storage shelving module of the present invention is expandable in its preferred embodiment in all three dimensions without the need to add or replace any of the component parts. The module contains two frame sub-assemblies wherein each sub-assembly includes four telescoping elements. Each of the elements defines a pair of horizontally extending legs and a vertically extending leg. Each horizontally extending leg in one of the sub-assemblies is disposed in a telescopic relationship with another horizontally extending leg in the same sub-assembly. Each vertically extending leg defined by a telescoping element in one of the sub-assemblies is disposed in a telescopic relationship with a vertically extending leg defined by a telescoping element in the other frame sub-assembly. A leg locking mechanism is operatively connected to each pair of legs disposed in a telescopic relationship to secure each such pair of telescoping legs together in a fixed disposition at selective locations along the legs such that the collective length of each pair of legs is adjustable to vary the size and capacity of the storage shelving module.
The storage shelving module of the present invention preferably includes an expandable shelf support assembly which is comprised of four telescoping corner elements and a pair of cross members. Each of the corner elements defines a pair of horizontally extending legs and a vertically extending open ended channel. The cross members are axially aligned in a telescopic relationship and extend horizontally across the support assembly with each cross member defining a horizontally extending open ended channel adjacent its extended end. Each of the horizontally extending legs defined by one of the corner elements is disposed in a telescopic relationship with another horizontally extending leg defined by another of the corner elements. At least one of the horizontally extending legs defined by one of the corner elements extends through one of the horizontally extending channels in one of the cross members and at least one of the vertically extending legs defined by one of the telescoping members extends through one of the vertically extending channels defined by one of the corner elements such that the storage support shelf assembly is expandable in width and depth to replicate variations in such dimension in the storage shelving module.
An expandable shelf assembly is also preferably provided for use with the storage module. The shelf assembly is also expandable in width and depth and is adapted to be supported by the shelf support assembly to accommodate variations in size of the shelf support assembly. The shelf assembly is comprised of four substantially planar elements each of which defines a substantially square upper surface and has a pair of guide flanges extending downwardly and inwardly from adjacent perimeter portions of the support surface. The shelf elements are slidably disposed in a stacked configuration such that each of the flanges on the shelf elements overlap a portion of one of the flanges on another of the shelf elements such that each of the shelf elements is disposed in a telescoping relationship with the other shelf elements allowing the elements to be slided between square and rectangular configurations of varying size.
The principle object of the present invention is to provide a storage shelving module that is expandable in at least one dimension and preferably in all three dimensions, i.e. heighth, width and depth, to expand the size and capacity of the storage shelving module without the need to add or replace the component parts or the shelves. Other objects and advantages of this invention will appear from the detailed description of the preferred embodiment and the accompanying drawings.
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Clifford Christopher M.
LaCombe John A.
Chen José V.
Dolland & Knight LLP
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