Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02437326 2006-05-24
SHELF WITH RETAINING WALL
TECHNICAL FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a shelf with a retaining wall and, more
particularly, to a shelf that is suitable for use as a rotatable shelf, such
as in a Lazy
Susan assembly.
Rotatable shelves are well known and have been in kitchen cabinetry to
provide access to remote spaces, for example in corner cabinets. These
rotatable
shelves have become quite popular because without it, considerable cabinet
space in
the corner either above or below the kitchen counter is wasted due to the
inaccessibility of the space at the back of the cabinet. However, when the
shelves are
rotated, it is not uncommon for the products supported on the shelf to be
jettisoned off
the shelf as a result of the centrifugal forces that occur as a result of the
rotation of the
shelf. Furthermore, in order to accommodate the variations and tolerances of
the
various components forming the shelf assembly, the hub assembly, which are
used to
mount the shelves, often permit play between the center post of the shelf
assembly
and hub assembly. While this play between the hub assembly and the center post
may
appear to be quite minimal at the center post, it results in significant
deflection at the
edge of the respective shelves.
Consequently, there is a need for an improved rotatable shelf assembly, which
will provide better retention of the products on the shelves and, further,
which will
provide reduced deflection of the shelves, while still achieving the easy
access to the
products on the shelf assembly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly one aspect of the present invention is therefore provided with a
shelf
comprising:
a plate member, said plate member having a plurality of openings;
a band; and
a plurality of posts mounted to said plate member, each of said posts
including
a slot, a proximal end, and a distal end, said proximal ends of said posts
positioned in
said openings, said slots extending into said distal ends and receiving and
supporting
said band to form a fence at least a portion of said plate member, wherein
said posts
CA 02437326 2006-05-24
include cups, and said caps mounted on said distal ends over said slots to
thereby
retain said band in said slots of said posts.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
shelf
assembly comprising:
a center post; and
at lease one shelf amounted to said center post, said shelf comprising:
a plate member, said plate member including a plurality of openings;
a band; and
a plurality of posts mounted to said plate member, each of said
posts including a slot, a proximal end, and a distal end, said posts mounted
to said
plate at said proximal ends said slots extending into said distal ends and
receiving and
supporting said band to form a fence around at least a portion of said plate
member,
and wherein said posts include caps, and said caps mounted on said distal ends
over
said slots to thereby retain said band in said slots of said fence posts.
From the forgoing, it can be appreciated that the shelf of the present
invention
is provided with a simple construction and, further, can be used as a
rotatable shelf,
such as in a Lazy Susan assembly. In addition, the rotatable shelf assembly
exhibits
minimal deflection at the outermost portion.
These and other objects, advantages, purposes, and features of the invention
will become more apparent from the study of the following description taken in
conjunction with the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rotatable shelf assembly incorporating a
shelf
of the present invention shown mounted in the cupboard;
FIG. 2 is a similar view to FIG. 1 with the shelf assembly removed from the
_____~_____~ r___ _~___:~__.
2
CA 02437326 2003-08-11
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the rotatable shelf assembly of FIG.
l;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one of the shelvfa of the rotatable shelf
assembly of FIG. l;
FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the shelf of FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is an exploded enlarged perspective view of the post and cap of the
shelf of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a bottom plan view of a hub assembly that mounts a shelf to the
center post of the shelf assembly of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is an exploded view of another embodiment of the hub assembly of the
present invention;
FIG. 9 is a plan view of the hub assembly parts of FIG. 8;
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a rotatable shelf
assembly of the present invention;
I S FIG. I 1 is a side elevation view of one of the shelves of the shelf
assembly of
FIG. 10;
FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the shelf of FIG. 1 l; and
FIG. 13 is a top plan view of the shelf of FIG. I I .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED E1VIBODIIVIENTS
Referring to FIG. l, the numeral 10 generally designates a shelf of the
present
invention. Shelf 10 has particular application as a r°otatable shelf
12, such as in a Lazy Susan
assembly, and, as will be more fully described below, provides a retention
mechanism so that
when the shelf is rotated, items supported on the shelf will remain on the
shelf and not be
jettisoned off the shelf when the shelf is rotated. However, it can be
appreciated that shelf 10
may be used as a stationary shelf. For example, shelf 10 may be particularly
useful in a boat,
such as in the galley of a boat.
As best seen in FIG. 2, rotatable shelf assembly 12 includes a center post 14
and a plurality of hub assemblies l 6, which rotatably mount the respective
shelves 10 to the
center post 14. Hub assemblies 16 are configured to provide stability to the
respective shelf
and, further, to permit vertical adjustment of the shelf along the; center
post. As best seen in
FIG. 2, each hub assembly 16 includes a base 17 with an enlarged flange 18.
Flange 18
mounts to the underside I Oa of a respective shelf by fasteners. Further, each
hub assembly 16
includes a central collar 20 which is dimensioned to receive shaft 14 and
further is mounted
3
CA 02437326 2003-08-11
on the center post by a pin 15 that extends through shaft 14 and on which
collar 20 rests.
Flange 18 and collar 20 are reinforced by concentric annular flanges 21 a,
2Ib, and 21 c that
may include one or more interconnecting webs 22a to further stiffen flange I8
and collar 20.
When pin I S is extended through shaft 14, both collar 20 and flange 21 a rest
on pin I5. In
addition, collar 20 and flange 2Ia have grooves 23 formed therein, which
provide a home
position for the shelf. In this manner, when a person rotates a shelf, the
shelf will be free to
rotate about shaft I4; however, when shelf 14 is moved to its home position,
pin 15 will rest
in grooves 23 so that it will be releasably fixed in the home position until a
sufficient force is
applied at the shelf to cause pin 15 to be guided out or recesses 23. As will
be understood,
recesses 23 preferably have angled side walls that provide a camrr3ing action
on pin 15. In
addition, flange 21b includes opposed abutments 23a and 23b, which center pin
15 in its
extended position through shaft I4 and, further, provide a more stable mount,
especially
when the respective shelf is in its home position.
Center post 14 is mounted at its opposed ends in upper and lower brackets 22
and 24, which mount the rotatable shelf assembly in a cupboard or the like.
Lower end I4a
of post 14 includes a projecting shaft or pin 26, which is received by lower
bracket 24 to
thereby mount lower end 14a of post 14 in bracket 24. Upper end I4b of center
post I4
includes a sleeve 28, which includes a cylindrical body 30 that extends into
upper opening
I4c of upper end 14b of center post 14 to provide vertical adjustment to the
length of post 14.
Upper portion 32 of sleeve 28 is cylindrical and engages a cylindrical flange
24 provided on
upper bracket 22 to thereby rotateably mount upper end 14b of center post 14
to upper
bracket 22.
As best seen in FIG. 3, each shelf 10 includes a plate member 40 and a fence
42, which forms a wall or retaining mechanism to retain producas or articles
supported on the
support surface 40a of plate member 40. In the illustrated embodiment, plate
member 40
comprises a circular wood plate member with a plurality of openings 40b, which
receive a
corresponding plurality of posts 44. It should be understood that posts 44 may
be mounted to
plate member 40 by other conventional means, for example a flanged socket,
which is
mounted to the surface of the plate member. Posts 44 are preferably metal
posts, though
posts 44 may be formed from other materials, such as plastic, wood, or a
composite material.
Posts 44 support a band 46 to form fence 42. Band 46 preferably comprises a
metal band,
such as stainless steel; though it should be understood that band 46 may be
formed from
wood, plastic, or a composite material.
4
CA 02437326 2003-08-11
In the illustrated embodiment, openings 40b are substantially evenly spaced
around the perimeter of plate member 40, but is should be understood that the
openings may
extend only around a portion of plate member 40 and/or may be spaced unevenly.
In
addition, plate member 40 may have a second set of openings to form, for
example, an inner
fence or dvall. Furthermore, though illustrated as following the perimeter of
plate member 40,
openings 40a may be arranged in an alternate pattern.
Each post 44 includes a base portion 48 and a projecting portion 50. Base
portion 48 is sized to be inserted into openings 40b of plate 40 and,
preferably, sized to form
a friction fit with the respective openings of plate member 40. Projecting
portion 50 has a
I O larger diameter than base portion 48 and optionally rests on the upper
surface 40a of plate 40
at its lower surface 50a when base portion 48 is inserted into a respective
opening. Upper
portion 50 includes an elongate slotted opening 52, which receives band 46 to
support band
46 and to form fence 42. Optionally, each slotted opening 52 extends to distal
end 44a of
post 44 so that band 46 can be inserted into the respective post;> through
their distal ends. In
addition, posts 44 include caps 54 that extends over the distal ends 44a of
posts 44 to thereby
capture band 46 in the respective post 44. Optionally and preferably, one or
more caps 54
include a recess 54a that is sized to receive a distal end 44a of post 44 and,
further, which is
sized to compress opposed halves 50a and 50b of projecting portion 50 (formed
by slotted
opening 52) to thereby frictionally retain band 46 in the respective groove
52. For ease of
manufacture, each cap may be adapted to compress the opposed halves 50a, SOb
of the posts.
In the illustrated embodiment, band 46 is suppo~~tod above support surface 40a
of plate 40. However, it can be appreciated that elongate groove 52 may be
extended to
position band 46 at or near the upper surface 40a of plate 40. ~~ltemately,
though band 46 is
illustrated as having a generally uniform height, band 46 may have enlarged
portions between
posts 44 to extend to the upper surface of the plate to thereby close the gap
between the posts.
Furthermore, while posts 44 are illustrated as having a generally cylindrical
body with a
circular cross-section, it can be appreciated that posts 44 may assume other
configurations
including a mufti-faceted cross-section including a rectangular, square, or
hexagonal or the
like cross-section. Furthermore, base portion 48 of the respective posts may
be slotted to
provide a spring like engagement with the plate 40. In addition, as noted
above the height of
the band may vary and may, for example, extend up between the posts to
increase the height
of the fence. It should also be understood that band 46 may comprise a band
with openings
and may, for example, be formed from a wire mesh.. In marine applications, the
metal
5
CA 02437326 2003-08-11
components would preferably be formed from stainless steel; though is should
be understood
that other materials can be used.
Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, hub assembly I6' of the present invention is
similar to hub assembly I6 and includes a base 17' with an enlarged flange
18', which
mounts to the underside of a respective shelf. Base 17' further includes a
plurality of
concentric annular flanges similar to the previous embodiment (only outer
concentric flange
21c' is illustrated) and a projecting collar 20' which extends through base
1'~' for mounting
the respective shelf to the shaft or center post of the shelf assembly. In the
illustrated
embodiment, projecting collar 20' includes a threaded portion 2 Oa' and,
further, a threaded
ring or collar 20b' that mounts on threaded portion 20a'. In addition, collar
20' includes one
or more slotted grooves or notches 20c' to form two or more cellar portions so
that when
threaded ring 20b' is threaded on to threaded portion 20a', the collar
portions of collar 20'
will be compressed to provide a closer fit with the center post of the shelf
assembly. in this
manner, ring 20b' acts as a means to tighten collar 20' about the center post.
By tightening
the space between the collar and the center post, the space that rnay allow a
conventional
Lazy Susan to rock side to side will be significantly reduced while
accommodating a greater
range of center post tolerances. i%Vith this closer fit, the deflection of the
respective shelf is
also reduced. This eliminates vibration when the rotatable shelf is turned on
the center post
and thus makes the operation smoother. 1~s a result, items stored on the shelf
are even further
less likely to be moved or vibrated off the shelf.
Referring to Figure 4, another embodiment 1 I O of the shelf of the present
invention is illustrated. Shelf 110 is of similar construction to shelf 10 and
includes a plate
member 140 and a fence 142, which is formed from a plurality of posts 144 and
a band 146.
However, in the illustrated embodiment, plate member 140 comprised a pie
shaped plate
member, which permits the size of the respective shelves to be increased but
also typically
necessitates the respective shelves to be rotated to their home positions far
the cupboard door
to be closed.
Similar to shelf 10, shelf I I O may be mounted to a rotatable center post 114
by
a hub assembly 116, which rotatably mounts the shelf to the center post in a
similar manner
to hub assembly 16 or 16' to form a rotatable shelf assembly 1 I2 similar to
shelf assembly
12.
While several forms of the invention have been showed and described, it can
be appreciated that other modifications and changes can be made. For example,
though
6
CA 02437326 2003-08-11
described as wood plate members, other materials may be used to form the
respective plate
members of the shelves. Furthermore, as noted, bands 46 and 14~ and posts 44
and 144 may
be made from other materials including wood, plastic, or composite materials.
Furthermore,
the respective fences may be formed from a plurality of band sections. For
example, the ends
of the respective band sections could overlap in the slotted openings of the
respective posts.
Furthermore, though illustrated with a single fence forming a perimeter wall,
multiple fences
may be used and/or the fence may be located elsewhere on the respective plate
members and,
further, may encompass or encircle only a portion of the respective plate
members. In
addition, though illustrated as generally following a perimeter of the plate
member, the fence
may assume different configurations, for example, a square periimeter fence or
a circulate
plate member.
While several forms of the invention have been shown and described, other
forms will now be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefor, it will be
understood that
the embodiments shown in the drawings and described above are merely for
illustrative
purposes, and are not intended to Limit the scope of the invention which is
defined by the
claims which follow as interpreted under the principles of patent law
including the doctrine of
equivalents.
7
