Supports: racks – Shelf type – Knockdown
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-14
2002-04-30
Gibson, Jr., Robert W. (Department: 3634)
Supports: racks
Shelf type
Knockdown
C211S187000, C108S107000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06378712
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a whatnot according to the preamble of claim
1
.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
FR 2,525,664 A discloses a whatnot provided with upright posts of a square section that have on either side a dovetailed groove. Fasteners interconnecting the upright posts are inserted in the groove. Additionally, the groove may also take hold of a rear wall on one side of the whatnot. The shelves are just resting on the fasteners and do not serve any static purposes. When embodied in an appropriate manner, such a whatnot is stable and easy to dismantle, its disadvantage however is that the useful height of the shelf is considerably restricted by the necessary fasteners. Depending on the required height of the different compartments, between 20% and 50% of the structure's volume is thus left unused.
FR 2,629,150 A describes a whatnot with upright posts that are also held together by crossbeams. In order to achieve a sufficient stability of the whatnot, it requires in any case a closed rear wall at the back or at least a broad fastener arranged in longitudinal direction. In many cases, a rear wall is unwanted, in order for example to permit free sight through the whatnot, and in addition, a fastener arranged in longitudinal direction restricts the access to the different shelves.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,721 discloses a procedure by which shelves are positioned in a whatnot by means of dowel connections. In this case however, the whatnot is stable in itself thanks to bonding connections, the dowel connections only serving to prevent the shelves from getting displaced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a whatnot that may be assembled easily and without any special skills and that may be dismantled again just as easily. It aims at getting along with mainly patch plugs and the like, i.e., at avoiding the use of screws, nails or glues. The whatnot has thereby to be stable and to yield free access to the different compartments.
According to the invention, the shelves are removably connected to the crossbeams by means of dowels.
The solution according to the invention makes it possible to use the shelves as static elements, which are conferring stability on the whatnot. Since neither screw connections nor bonding connections have been thought of, easy assembly of the whatnot can be assured, its dismantling also turning out to be fast and free of trouble. The whatnot according to the invention may be erected in warehouses, in offices, in rooms, in public buildings, and so on, in order to store objects in a clearly arranged and space-saving way. To assemble the whatnot, no tools or technical instruments are required and, since wood has been used for all component parts, disposal is no problem.
Access to the shelves can be particularly free when the crossbeams are arranged on the narrow sides of the whatnot.
Stability of the whatnot may be increased in particular by having each shelf provided at either end with two crossbeams, one of them being arranged underneath the shelf and the other one above the shelf.
Particularly easy assembly of the whatnot according to the invention is achieved by having the upright posts connected in pairs by crossbeams and by having the pairs of upright posts interconnected by crossbeams exclusively connected to each other by the shelves. Thus, a minimum of component parts may be sufficient.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1411260 (1922-04-01), Baker et al.
patent: 3179257 (1965-04-01), Tassell
patent: 3207322 (1965-09-01), Pederson
patent: 3280527 (1966-10-01), Faust
patent: 3587483 (1971-06-01), Konstaut
patent: 3589746 (1971-06-01), Inglis
patent: 3654887 (1972-04-01), Iwami
patent: 3724678 (1973-04-01), Challier
patent: 4173934 (1979-11-01), Searley
patent: 5022721 (1991-06-01), Melgers
patent: 5054404 (1991-10-01), Melgers
patent: 5842586 (1998-12-01), Melby
patent: 5911180 (1999-06-01), Mullens
patent: 2525664 (1983-10-01), None
patent: 2629150 (1989-09-01), None
Dykema Gossett PLLC
Gibson , Jr. Robert W.
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