Shelf

Oct. 6, 1936.

2,056,808

J. G. L. SKAR

SHELF

Filed Dec. 19, 1935

<img file="US2056808A_D0001.tif" />

attorneys

Patented Oct. 6, 1936

2,056,808

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,056,808

SHELF

John G. L. Skar, Jamestown, N. Y., assignor to Art Metal Construction Company, Jamestown, N. Y.

Application December 19, 1935, Serial No. 55,207 8 Claims. (Cl. 211—135)

This invention relates to improvements in bracket shelves and more particularly to metal shelves such as employed in library bdokstacks of that sort in which the shelves are mounted on 5 the upright columns or shelf supports of the structure by brackets which are attached to the shelves, usually at their , ends, so as to serve also as end pieces or walls for the shelves, and · are detachably or adjustably connected to the shelf 10 supports.

An object of the invention is to provide a bracket shelf of this type of desirable, simple and economical construction, in which the supporting bracket or end piece is connected to the shelf so 15 that it can remain in connection therewith and can be folded from its shelf-supporting position to a position close to or parallel·with the shelf for economizing space in storing or shipping the shelves, and may be releasably retained in one 20 or another of its positions to facilitate handling the shelves or connecting them with the shelf supports.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a shelf which has simple, reliable means for re25 leasably retaining the supporting bracket in either its shelf-supporting or folded position against unintentional movement from such position; in which the hinge or movable connection between the shelf and the supporting bracket and 30 the means for releasably retaining the bracket in its supporting and folded positions are formed by integral parts of the shelf and bracket; and also to provide a bracket self which has the other features of advantage and improvement herein35 after described and set forth in the claims;

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary, front elevation, on a reduced scale, of a library stack or shelving structure having bracket shelves embodying my inven40 tion.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional elevation on an enlarged scale, of one of the bracket shelves, showing the bracket in shelf-supporting position.

Fig. 3 is a similar section showing the bracket 45 shifted to position for folding it toward the shelf.

Fig. 4 is a similar section showing the bracket folded against the shelf.

Fig. 5 is a section similar to Fig. 4, but showing the bracket shifted to the postion in which it is 50 retained in its folded position.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary transverse section, on line 6—6, Fig. 8, showing the same position of the parts as Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6, but showing the 55 parts in the position shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary, longitudinal section on line 8—8, Fig. 7, showing the folded position of the bracket.

Fig. 9 is a similar section but showing the position of the parts when the bracket is in shelf- 5 supporting position.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary, sectional plan view of the shelf as viewed from below.

represents the shelves and 11 the upright columns or supports of a library stack or shelf TO structure, and 12 represents brackets at the opposite ends of each shelf and attached to the shelf and to the columns I 1 so as to support the shelf from the columns. The shelves may be of the usual or any suitable construction and, as 15 shown, each shelf consists of a sheet metal plate bent along its front and rear edges to provide downwardly, inwardly and upwardly-turned stiffening flanges 13, and bent at its ends to provide down-turned stiffening end flanges having in- 20 wardly projecting horizontal flange portions 14.

Each bracket is preferably formed from a sheet metal blank provided with outturned, rounded front and top edges which stiffen the bracket and provide a smooth finish for these edges. Prefer- 25 ably a bracket is provided at each end of the shelf and the bracket is connected or hinged at its lower edge to the shelf by integral hinge lugs 15 which are bent to project inwardly at right angles from one edge of the bracket and 30 extend through narrow slots 16 in the horizontal plate of the shelf parallel with and spaced inwardly somewhat from the adjacent end of the shelf. The lugs are offset from the hinge edge of - the bracket a distance, about equal to the 35 thickness of the shelf plate and are adapted to turn in the slots 16 to permit the bracket to fold or swing from its upright or shelf-supporting position to a position in which it lies flat against or close to the shelf. When the bracket is in its 40 upright position, the hinge lugs will bear against the underface of the shelf plate and thus prevent the bracket from swinging outwardly beyond the intended vertical position. The hinge slots 16 are preferably formed by punching out from the 45 shelf plate narrow tongues or lips 17 which are bent upwardly so as to serve as stops to engage the bracket and cooperate with the hinge lugs to prevent the bracket from being swung outwardly beyond perpendicularity to the shelf. The pro- 50 vision of the stop lips 17 lessens the liability of the hinge lugs being bent out of their intended position by outward pressure on the bracket.

The hinge lugs are of a length to pass through the slots 16, but in order to prevent the disen- 55

2,056,808 gagement of the lugs from, the slots, and thus maintain the bracket in permanent connection with the shelf, each hinge lug is preferably provided at one end with a reduced extension 18 5 which, after the hinge lugs are inserted through the slots 16, are bent laterally out of the plane of the lugs and slots, as best shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 10 so that these bent extensions will engage the edges of the slots and thus prevent removal 10 of the lugs from the slots. These bent parts 18, however, do not interfere with the turning of the hinge lugs in the slots in the swinging movements of the bracket to and from its shelfsupporting and folded positions.

In order to releasably retain the bracket in i1;s shelf-supporting position perpendicularly to the shelf and also in its folded position against the shelf, one of the hinge lugs 15, for instance the lug adjacent the front edge of the bracket, is 20 preferably undercut or notched at 19 at one end of that portion of the lug which occupies the slot 16 so as to permit the lug to shift in its slot 16 lengthwise of the latter or transversely of the shelf, and the shelf is provided with a retaining 25 projection or part 20 with which the notched end of the lug is engaged by shifting the bracket transversely of the shelf. The engagement of the end of the hinge lug with the retaining part 20 will prevent swinging movement of the 30 bracket. As shown, the retaining projection or part 20 is formed by an upbent integral portion of the inturned end flange 14 of the shelf. This retaining projection 20 is spaced inwardly away from the vertical portion of the end flange of the 35 _Shelf and its upper end is also separated from the bottom face of the shelf by a space 21, sd that by shifting the bracket rearwardly or traiisversely of the shelf when the .bracket is in its perpendicular shelf-supporting position, the in40 ner end of the hinge lug 15, which then extends horizontally against the under face of the shelf, will be moved into the space 21 above the top edge of the retaining projection 20, and by engagement therewith, will prevent the bracket 45 from swinging out of its perpendicular position.

Similarly, by shifting the bracket rearwardly or transversely of the shelf when it is in. its folded position, the end of the hinge lug 15, which then depends vertically below the shelf, will be placed 50 behind the upright outer edge 22 of the retaining projection 20 and, by engagement therewith, will prevent the bracket from swinging out of its -folded position unless the bracket .is first shifted forwardly to disengage the hinge lug from the 55 retaining projection. The hinge lugs and hinge slots are so positioned on the bracket and the shelf that when the bracket is swung to its up-, right position and shifted rearwardly to engage the hinge lug with the retaining projection, the 60 bracket will be in its proper shelf-supporting position in which it can be connected with the column or shelf support i I.

The brackets can be removably secured to the columns or supports I f, for supporting the shelf 65 in position in the stack or shelving structure, in any suitable way, the brackets for this purpose being preferably provided at the upper portions of their rear edges with rearwardly and downwardly directed hooks 23 adapted to engage in 70 vertical slots 24 in the columns or shelf supports. As usual, these slots for the reception of the hooks 23 are spaced vertically along the columns or supports so as to permit the brackets to be engaged therewith to support the shelves at difT5 ferent desired elevations, and the brackets are preferably provided at the lower portions of their rear edges with rearwardly extending projections 25, each adapted to enter one of the slots of a column or support to cooperate with the hooks 23 in holding the shelves rigid on the supports 5 or columns. The relation of the parts of the shelf and brackets is such that when the brackets have been shifted rearwardly to engage their hinge lugs 15 with the projections 20 to retain the brackets in shelf-supporting position, the 10 hooks 23 and projections 25 on the rear edges of the brackets will be in position for engagement in the slots in the shelf supports, and when the brackets are engaged with the shelf supports, the rear edge of the shelf will be in a position 15 to engage the front faces of the supports so that the shelves will be stationarily and rigidly held in place on the supports.

In the construction illustrated in the drawing and above described, the bracket is arranged to 20 fold downwardly upon the top of the shelf from a shelf-supporting position in which it extends upwardly from the shelf, but manifestly the bracket could be arrangedto fold upwardly under the shelf from a shelf-supporting position in which it ex- 25 tends downwardly from the shelf. This would require only an obvious reversal of the parts with the slots 16 for the bracket hinge lugs 15 formed in the horizontal end flange 14 of the shelf.