Knockdown, prefabricated sectional bar

Aug. 8, 1961 μ. kobrin 2,995,408

KNOCKDOWN, PREFABRICATED SECTIONAL BAR Filed May 11, 1959

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United States Patent Office

2,995,408

Patented Aug. 8, 1961 tically disposed frames 18 which are arranged parallel as indicated by dotted lines 19 to form a straight bar of a plurality of sections or as shown (FIGURES 4 and 5) angularly to form an angular or circular bar. The frames 5 18 each comprise a pair of spaced posts 20, one forwardly inclined and the rear one vertical, each rabbeted at their upper ends, intermediate portions, and their lower ends to be united with similarly rabbeted portions of an upper cleat 22, an intermediate cleat 24 and a lower cleat 26, 10 the members being secured at their rabbeted connections by nails or screws to form a lightweight, but strong and unusually rigid supporting structure due to the inclination of the forward posts 20.

The upper cleats are provided with bolt holes 28 so that 15 when completely assembled, adjacent sections may be readily detachably connected by means of bolts and thumb nuts 30 (FIGURE 2) which are hidden from external view.

While the sections may be fixed to a separate base, 20 it is preferable that the sections have integral bases as shown, each of which is formed by the pair of lower cleats or side base members 26 fixed to the bottoms of the posts 20 as by nails or screws, and a riser 34 which closes the front of the base while the rear is left open.

An important feature of the invention resides in the automatic alignment of the frames 18 during assembly as to the relative angle between the planes of the frames, this being zero angle and parallelism, or a predetermined angle so that the frames are arranged angularly with re30 spect to each other as shown in full lines. This alignment is effected by the identical shapes and transversely identical sizes of the counter 36, the intermediate shelf 38, and the lower shelf 40, the two shelves including cutout portions 21 for the posts 20, and the front counter 35 edge—which may be round as indicated in dotted lines at 35—includes a lip or bead molding strip 37.

The predetermined transversal dimensions of the counter and shelves are such, as when the sections are assembled, that their lateral edges exactly coincide with the 40 vertical plane of the outer surfaces of the frames 18. Thus, when the counter 36, the shelf 38 and the shelf 40 are respectively placed on the spaced cleats 22, 24 and the base member cleats 26, and secured thereto as by nails or screws, the sides of the sections will be absolutely vertical 45 and flush, and when connected to an adjoining section, the entire joint between the two sections will not be noticeable. It will be noted that the counter and the two shelves thus completely eliminate any need for transverse bracing between the frames 18.

Another important feature of the invention resides in the determination of the angle of the front wall 42 which is preferably inclined for strength and foot room (as will appear) as shown in full lines (FIGURE 3) rather than vertical as shown dotted at 43. The front wall 42 55 may be inclined a given angle to uncover a portion 41 of the lower shelf 40 defined by a slot 45 extending between the front posts 20 to form a footrest by forming the left end of the cleats 22 and 24 at that angle and shortening the length of the shelf 38 and of the cleats 24 in ₆₀ accordance with the projected line of the angle. The front wall 42 is thus strongly mounted by nails or screws flush against the angled ends of the cleats 22 and 24 and the front faces of the inclined posts 20, and braced intermediate thereof by the forward end of the shelf 38 so as _6g to be rigid against any knocks or blows encountered in use. The lower edge of the front wall 42 extends into the slot 45 formed between the front posts thus making a neat joint.

It will now be readily apparent that a portable bar of a single section, or an angular bar of two or three sections (FIGURES 1 and 2) or more (FIGURE 7) can be readily assembled by the novel components disclosed in

2,995,408 KNOCKDOWN, PREFABRICATED SECTIONAL BAR

Maurice Kobrin, 79 Leroy St, Binghamton, N.Y. Filed May 11, 1959, Ser. No. 812,482

Claims. (Cl. 312—140.2)

This invention relates generally to portable bars and more particularly to a knockdown, sectional bar particularly adapted for use in the recreation room, etc. of a home.

The number of “finished” recreation rooms in homes throughout the country has increased tremendously in the last few years due, in large part, to the great emphasis on the “do it yourself” kits, etc. by manufacturers of all types. However, the home owner of average means is often stymied when it comes to a refreshment bar for adults or a “milk” bar for the kids due to a lack of construction “knowhow” or inadequate financial means for a professional installation. The problem is often increased by limitations as to the amount of space available and as to an irregularity in the shape thereof.

The main object of the present invention is to provide an improved portable bar which may be readily built and installed by the average home owner to fit the available space and without the use of special “knowhow” or tools.

An important object of the present invention is to provide an improved portable bar of the knockdown type which is formed of a plurality of identical sections so constructed that when two or more sections are joined in side-by-side relationship, the effect of a unitary, continuous bar is presented.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a portable, sectional bar in which the individual sections are readily connectible and each can be readily assembled from knockdown kits comprising a plurality of correlated parts of predetermined dimensions and configurations a preselected group of which may be varied so as to enable by way of modular building construction principles a variety of bar assemblies such as straight, curved, angular, or combinations thereof with vertical or variably inclined front walls.

A further important object of the present invention is to provide an improved, portable bar of one or more sections formed of strong, lightweight materials, and which is economical in cost, and strong and rugged and of long life in use.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent during the course of the following description.

In the drawings, I have shown one embodiment of the invention. In this showing:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the bar constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a rear elevational view thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view to an enlarged scale of a bar section;

FIGURE 4 is a rear elevational view thereof;

FIGURE 5 is a top plan view thereof;

FIGURE 6 is a plan view of the intermediate bracing shelf of a section; and

FIGURE 7 is a plan view to a reduced scale illustrating how the bar sections may be united to form a circular bar.

Referring to the drawings, the bar comprising the present invention comprises one or a plurality of sections and for purposes of illustration only, FIGURES 1 and 2 show the bar as formed of three sections 10, 12 and 14 which are identical except that the outer sections 10^! and 14 each include a side panel 16 whereas the intermediate section 70 12 does not.

Each of the bar sections includes a pair of spaced, ver2,995,408 the drawings in full lines, that the angular bar may have counters 36 with rounded (35) front edges rather than angular, and that the front panel 42 may be vertical (43) or inclined at a predetermined angle as defined by forming the ends of the key frame members or cleats 22 and 26 and inclining the front posts 20 at that angle, to thus uncover a portion of the lower shelf to form a footrest 41.

Obviously, the outer members of the sections 36, 42, 41, 34 and 16 may be colored or ornamented as desired. For example, the counters 36 may comprise or include game playing areas such as checker board markings, etc. and have special waterproof or bumproof covers or finishes.

Another important aspect of the present invention resides in its adaptability to the practice used in modular building construction of selecting common dimensions in such manner that the units of construction can be assembled in a variety of ways. Thus, if some sections have counters and shelves so dimensioned as to have parallel side edges as indicated at 19 in FIGURE 5, a plurality of joined such sections would form a straight, non-angular bar. If some such sections were combined with the angular sections described, then the resulting bar would be part straight and par angular depending on the particular manner in which the sections are combined. Thus, regardless of the shape or dimensions of the space available, the portable bar comprising the present invention, depending on the proper choice of sections, is readily adaptable thereto. Similarly, the angle of the front wall 42 can be varied from the vertical as desired by varying the key dimensions and angular disposition of parts hereinbefore referred to.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departure from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.