CA1185930A - Adjustable pull-out shelf arrangement - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

An adjustable pull-out shelf arrangement for mounting in a cart, cabinet, refrigerator, oven and like storage compart-ment, the shelf arrangement including a pair of vertical rear support members mounted at the rear of the storage compartment, and a pair of vertical side support members mounted at the opposite sides of the storage compartment. A removable support arm having a bracket secured thereon is horizontally mounted on one cooperating set of rear and side support members on one side of the storage compartment, and a second support arm also having a bracket secured thereon is horizontally mounted on the other cooperating set of rear and side support members on the opposite side of the storage compartment, with the rear ends of the support arms being secured in the rear support members, and with the brackets being hooked onto the side support members. A
shelf is slidably mounted onto the support arms so that side portions of a downwardly extending shelf skirt overlie the out-side portions of the support arms and are also received in receptacles of the brackets. The shelf is of the pull-out type, having stop members provided thereon to enrage the brackets to limit the outward movement of the shelf. The stop members also engage the lower surfaces of the support arms to prevent tipping or pivoting of the shelf When a load is placed on the front end portion of the shelf.

Description

~5~

AD3USTABLE PULl.-OUT SHELF ARRANGEMENT

BACKGROU~ID OF THE INVENTIl)N

Thlls 1nventlon relates to shelv~ng, and more part~cularly to an ad~ustable pu17-ollt shelf arrangement for mountlng ~n a cart, cab~net~ refr1gerator, oven and 1 ~ke storage compartment7 and spec~flcally for a surgtcal case cart.

Pull-out shelves are we11-known ~n the pr~or shelv~ng art for use ln car~s, cablnets, refr~gerators~ oYens and l~ke storage compartments, The shel ves are usual ly removably moilnted on brackets or channel members wh~ch are secured to thQ tnner walls of the storage compartment. However9 to provide the pull-out ~eature of the shelf, the pr~or art she~f arrangements, ln some cases, have compllcated mount~ng arrangements wh1ch are dlff~cult and expens~ve to manufactllre. Further~ore, ln many cases, lt has been found d~ff~Gult to clean the prior art mountlng arrangemenks in order to ma~nta~n them in a ster~le cond~t~on free from contam~natlon, Add~tionally, ln some eases, the construction of the prlor art mounting arrangement ls not sturdy enough for the shelf to carry heavy 10ads~ Furthermore, 20 the prior art shelves and mountlng arrange~ents j in many cases~
are des~gned for a part~cular type of storage compar1;ment9 and therefore, are not ~daptable to be used ~n othe~ types of storage compartnlents.

A simple type of a pull~out shelf has been descr~bed in U. S. Patent No. 2 jl30,279, which d~sc70ses a removable 9)3~

shel f sl ~dably supported ~n a st~rage compart~nent by supportlng bracke~s wh~ch are secured ~o the opposlte s~de walls of the storage compartment.

Other types of pull~out shelving are descr~bed ~n ll. S. Patent No. 2~011 ,18g and No. 2,466,360; where each of these patents d~scloses a shelf removably mounted on channel~
shaped gu~deways Dr ra~ls~ whleh are 1n turn secured to plates or hanger members relnovably mounted on the oppDsite s~de wal 1 s of the storage comp2rtment.

St~ 11 other types of pul 1 -out shel v~ ng are descrl bed ~n U. 5. Patent No. 1"974,983 and No. 2,0~3,859, eaeh of wh~ch d~scloses a remoYable shelf mounted on a fPame member which ~s renlovably secured to the ~nner walls of the storage eompartment.
U. S. Patent No. 1,974"983 teaches the use of rear suppor t lugs to prevent the shelf from t~pp~n~, and V. S. Patent No. 2,033,859 teaches that the shel f can be ~ormed wi th short 1 engths of wire extending outwardly from the rear portion thereof to pro-vide stop me~bers.

A surgicat c~se eart haYing re~oYably pull-ou1: shelves ~s descrlbed in U~ S. Patent No. 3p905~662, the shelves beîng mounted in channel-shaped ~u~de members secured to the opposi~e side walls of the storage compartmentO These gu~de members have flat surfacPs whlch tend to collect dir~ and beconle con~am~nated, where the sterilizat~on thereof ~s difficult due to the channel shaped construct~on. Add~t~onally, the shelf ~neludes outwaPdly extending rods at the rear portion thereo~ to provlde catch or stop members for engag~ng pin ~embers wh~ch extend downwardly from the shelf guide members.

Therefore~ it would appear~ that there are many d~fferent types of prior art adjustable pull-ou~ shelv~n~
arran~ements. Ilowever, none of these pr~or art arrangements has successfully prov~ded a construct~on ~/hlch does not really lend itself to contamination, and ~Ihictl ean be steril~zed in a convenient manner~ while providing a s~mple, r~gld construc-tion which can be easily and inexpenslvely manufactured w~th all these features~ and yet st~ll be read11y adapted for d~fferent types of storage compartments.

9~

Accordingly, lt ls an object o~ the present Invention to provide an adjustable pull~out shelf arrangement whlch avs~ds the afore-mentioned problems of the prior art shel~ arrangements.

Another object of the present 1nYent~on is to proYide a shelf arrangement wh~ch does not readily lend ~tself to contaminat~on, and wh~ch can be sanit~zed. in a conven~ent ~anner.

St~ll another object of the present invent~on ~s to prov~de a shelf arrangement wh~ch ~s simple and h~s a r~g~d construct~on, and wh~ch can be eas~ly and ~nexpens~vely manu- ¦
fact~red.

Yet another object of the present ~nvention is to proYide a shelf arrangement wh~ch can be read~ly adapted for different types sf s~ora~e cornpartments.

A further ob~ect of the ~resen~ ~nven~lon ls ~o prov~de a shelf arrangement, where~n the major components thereof ~re read~ly remoYable from the storage compartmen~.

Yet another sb~ect of the present lnvent~on lls to proYlde a shelf arrangement ~ncludlng a removable shellF sl~dably moun~ed on a pa~r of remoYabl~ support arms prov~ded with moun~lng brackets secured thereon" the support arlns be~ng engaged on cooperatlng vertlca~ rear ~nd s~de support m~mb~rs wh~ch are 10 secured on oppos~te s~desof a storage compart1nellt.

A further ob,~ect of the present ~nvent~on ls to provlde a shelf ~rrangement as descr~bed above, which ~ncludes S-shaped ~ounttng bracl~ets for houk~ng onto the s~de support members.

And yet a ~urther object o1' the present 1nvent~on lls to provide a shelf arrangement as descr~bed ab~ve, where1n the rear and slde support members ~ach ~ncludes parallel vertlcal rods connected togethQr by ~ plural~ty of sets of two trans- -Yerse rods.

Br~efly, iln accordance wiîh the present ~nvent~on~ there 20 ~s prov~ded an adJustabllc pull-out shelf arrangement incl~ld~ng a pa~ r of vert~ cal rear support ~e~bers mounted on the rear of a storage cvmpartment, and a palr of vertleal s~de support members mounted on the oppos~te sides of the storage compartment, ~ach support member ~ncludllng a pa~r of parallel ~ert~ca7 rods ~S93~

conneeted together by a pl ural 1 ty of se~s of two transverse rod s .

A remoYable support arn~ hav~ a bracke~ secured ~hereon 1s hor~zontally mounted on one cooperat~rlg set of rear and s~de support members on one slde of the s~orage ~olnpartmen~, an~l second support arm also haY~ng a bracket secured thereon lis hor~zon~ally moun~ed on ~he o~her co-)perat~ng set o~ re~r and s~de support members on the opposite slde of the storage cfDmpart-ment. The rear ends of the support arms are bent for locklng 10 engagement between the transverse rods of the rear supp3rt mem-bers. ~he br~ckets are S-shaped for hook~ng ont3 the tran5verse rods of the s~de su,oport menlbers.

A shelf is sl~dably mounted onto the support arms so that s~de porlt~ons ol' a downwardly extending shelf sk~rt oYerl~e the outs~de port~ons of the support arms" with the side portions ol~ the shelf skirt a1so be~ng received ~n receptacles defined by the S-shaped bracket~ . The shel f i s of the pul 1 -out typ~, having stop melnbers prov~ded thereon to engage the brackets to 7 im~ t the outward movement of the shel f . The stop members al so 20 en~age the lower ~urlFaces of the suppDrt ~rms to prel~ent tlpping or p~vot~ng of the shelf when a load is placed on the front end portiorl of the shelf. The shelf can be fabr~cated from e~ther w~re rods or from sheet metal3 S~
BRIEF D5GRIP~ION OF TIIE DRAWINGS
..... . .

~ h the above and additional ob~ects and advanta9es in view~ as will here~nafter appear, this ln~en~ion comprlses the devlces, combinations and arrangements of parts hereln-after descrlbed by way o~ example, and illustrated ~n the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodlmen~ ln wh1ch:

F~g~re 1 ~s a perspective v'lew showing the ad~ustable pull out shelf arrangement mounted ~n a fragmen~ed storage compartmentl, lln accordance wtth the present ~nvent~on;

F~gure 2 1 s an exploded perspect~Ye view showlng the components of the shel f arran~ement;

Flgure 3 is a fragmented perspective v~ew showing the supporting arm being mourted on the rear support member;

F~gure 4 is a fragmented perspective view show~ng the support arm being mounted on both the rear and s~de support ~ember;

Figure 5 is a fragmented, partly sectioned, ~op plan vlew showin9 the supportlng ar~ mounted on the rear and slde support members simtlar to F~gure 4;

Figure 6 is a fragmented perspecti~e v~ew showing a shelf slidably mounted on one of the support ar~s;

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5~3~

F~gure 7 ~s a cross-seGt~onal view taken along l~ne 7-7 of Fi ~ure 6; and Figure 8 is ~ perspecti~re v~ew of another émbod~ment of the shetf, show~ng the unders~de of the modlf1ed shelf, ~n aecordance with the present Inven~on.

In the var~ous flgures of the draw~ngsg 11ke reference characters des~gnate l~ke parts.

Re~erring now to the draw~ngs, F~gure 1 show~ the ad~ustable pull-out shelf arrangement 10 accord~ng to the present ~nYent~on, mounted in ~ cart, cab~net, refrlgerator~
oven ~nd 1~ ke stora~e compartment 12 ~ the stora~@ cnmpartment 12 belng cut away for a be~er show~ng of ~he shel f arran~lnent 10. The storage compartment lê lncludes a bottom wall 14~ a rear wall 16, and s~de walls 18 and 20.

As clearly shown ~n F~gures 1 and 2, the shelf arrange-mee~t 10 ~ncludes a shelf ~2, a palr of s~mllar vert~c~l rear support members 243 a pa~r of s~mllar vertical s~âe support members 26, a pa~r of hor~zontal support members or arms 28 and 30~ and a pa~r of s~m~lar brackel;s or hooks 32. Accord~ngly3 the shelf 22 ~s mownted hor~zontally parallel to the bottom wall 14 of the storage compartment 12 for hOr~2011tal pull-out ~ovement w~th respect thereto~ as shown ~n phantom lines ln F~ g~re 1 .

~ ~5~

The shelf 22 ls preferably of wire construction, ~ncluding a plural~ty of rearwardly extendlng rods 34, wh~ch are secure, such as by weld~n~, onto transversely extendlng support rods 36~ including a rearmost support rod 37, and a supporting rectangular rod frame 3~ to prov~de a substantl~lly planar shelf structure 40. A skir~ or flange 42 depends downwardly from the support Frame 389 and extends across one s~de of the shelf, across the front, and across the other slde of the shelf 22~ be~ng disposed along the bottom of the support lo frame 38. The reanmost support rod 37 ls shorter than the other support rods 36 and ~s dls~osed ~nwardly from the sklrt 42 on the opposite s~des of the sl~elf 22, It being noted~ that the rear rod 44 of the support frame 3B is spaced from the rearmost support rod 37 across the back of the shelf 22, so that the skirt 42 does not extend to the rearmo~t port~on of the sh*lf 22, thereby pro~id~ng a space therebetween at the rear corners thereo~ the reason for which w~ll be set forth hereinafter below, The sk~rt 42 includes a U-shaped rod 46~ wh~ch is jo~ned by a serpentine rod 48 to the support frame 38~ where the U-shaped rod 46, the serpent1ne rod 48 and the support frame 38 are secured together by conventional means, such as by weld~ng.
Add~t~onally, an upstanding rod 50 extends horlzontally across th2 back of the shelf 22 and is secured to ~he rearmost support rod 37, preferably by welding, to def~ne the ~helf's rear wall 5?, The length o~ the rear wall 52 ~s less than the d~stance between the side portions of the skirt so that the rear wall 52 ~s dl~posed therebetween to be ~nwardly spaeed from the oppos~te s~des of the shelf 22 at the rear corners thereof. A serpentine rod ~3 is secured~ preferably by welding, between the rod 50 and the rearmost rod 37 for support thereof. The opposlte en(ls 54, 56 of the rod 50 extend vert~cally downwardly to a poslt~on below the ~klrt 42, and then horizontally outwardly ~n oppos~te directions at the rear corners to prov~de skop members 5~ and ~0" the functlon of wh~ch w~ll be set forth herelna~ter belo ~ he horizontal support ar~s 28, 30 each lncludes an elongated U-shaped rod 62, 64 having a serpent~ne rod 66~, 6~
secured between the legs thereof3 preferably by weld~ng,. ~he ends 70, 72 of each U~shaped rod 62, 64 are bent ln~ardly kowards each other, lthe funct~on of wh~ch will be expla~ned here~nafter below. It ~s noted, that the support arms 28, 30 c~n be made s~m~lar to each other, whereby one of the slJpport arms coul d be turned 180 de~rees so that the free ends thereof are d i rected towards the free ends of the other support ~rm 9 as shs)wn ~n the draw~ngs, The brackets 32 each ~nclude a pa~r of S-shaped rods 74, wh~ch are Jolned together by a blght portion 76 to define an ~ntegral one-piece S-shaped hook . The curved port lions 77 of the 20 rods 74 ad~acent to the b~ht port~on 76 are bent sl~ghtly lnwardly towards each other. Accordingly, each S-shaped hook 32 prov~des a space or r~ceptacle 78 between the b~ght port~on 76 and the intermed~ate bars~ and another space or receptaele 80 between the ~ntermed~ate bars and the free ends thereof. The space 80 ~s w~der than the sp~ce 78, the funct~on of eaeh w~ll be set forth here~nafter below.

Each S-shaped hook 32 i s secured to an assoc~ ated one of the support arms 28, 30, be~ng secured preferably by weld~ng, Accord~ngly, the end ~ortions of ~he rods 74 havlng ~he free ends thereon, are secured to approx~mately the rn1dpo~nts of the support arms 28 D 30 9 ~he free ~nds be~ ng secured on ~he same side of the support arms, the par t~cular s~de be~ng determ~ned by the turned ~n ends 70~ 72 of ~h~ support ~rms, so that bol;h the turned ~ n 2nds 70, 72 and the free ends of the S~shaped hooks 32 are nn the ~ame s~de.

The vert~cal slde support members 26 each lnclud~s a parallel pair of rods 82 ~olned to~ether by pa~rs of trallsverse lO rods 84; 86 preferably by welding, whereby each pair of ~ods 84, 86 deflnes a set 88. The ends 90 of the parallel rods 82 are offset, the functllon of wh~ch will be set forth here1nafter bel ow . Furthermore ~ the space between each set 88 ~ s greater than the space between the rods 84 ~ 86 of eaoh set 88, the funct~on of wh~ch w~ll be set forth hereinafter below.

The verti ral rear support members 24 each ~ ncl udes a parallel pa1r of rods 92 ~o~ned together by pairs of transverse rods 94" 96~ preferably by welding~ whereby each palr of rods 94~, 96 def~nes a set 98~ The ends lO0 of the parallel rods 92 20 are offset~ the functlon of wh~ch will be set forth here~nafter below. Furthermore, the SpaCQ between each set 98~ is greater than the space between the rods 94, 96 o~ eacil set 98" the funct~on of wh~ch w~ll be set forth here~nafter beîow. It is further noted~ the spacing between the rods 84, between the rods 86, between the rods 94 and be tween the rods 96 ~ s the same for cooperat~on thereof, but the spacin~ between the rods 84, 86 of eaeh set 88 is less than the spacing between the rods 94, ~6 of eaeh set 98.

~ 10 -~ ~ ~ 5 ~ ~

The mounting and assembly of the shelf arrangemen~ 10 w~ll now be set forth. As shown in Figure 1, the rear support members 24 are secured to the rear wall 16, preferably by weld~ng the ends 100 of the rods 92 to the rear wall 16.
Accordfngly, the rods 92 are sp~ced from the rear wall 16 because of the offset ends 100. Furthermore, the opposite bottom ends of the rods 92 are secured3 preferably by welding, to the bottom wall 14~ so that th~ bottom ends of the rods 92 are also spaced from the rear wall 16 as shown.

lo Addltionally, the s~de support ~embers 26 are secured to the side walls 18, 20~ preferably by weld~ng the ends 90 of the rods 82 to the respeet~ve side wall 18D 20. Here aga~n, the rods 82 are spaced from the side walls 189 20 due to the offset ends ~0. The oppos~te bottom ends of the rod 82 are also seeured. preferably by weldin9, to the bottom wall 14 so that the bottom ends of the rods 82 are spaced from the side walls 18, 20. It ~s ncted, that the horizonta7 d~stance between the s~de support members 26 and the rear support me~bers 24 ~s determined by the posftion of the hooks 32 on the support arms 28, 30, whereby these distances should be comparable to perm~t the mount~n~ of the hooks 32 onto the side support members ?6, as set forth hereinafter belo~O

With the support members 24, 26 1n posit~on as shown ~n Fi~ure 1, the support arms 2B, 30 are now ready to be mounted thereon. The mounting of the support arms 289 30, are sim~lar, so that the mountlng of only the support arm 28 w111 be descr~bed here~nafter below.

As shown in F19ure 3D the ~rst step is to select the ~ ~ 5 ~ ~

height of the shelf 22 by select~nn a part~cular set 98 of the rods 949 96. The sup~ort ar~ ls first pos~t~oned at an angle to the support member 24~ and the bent nr turned ends 70 of the support arm 28 are lnserted between ~he selected pa~r of rods 94~ 96 as shown ln Figure 3. The support arm 28 is now rotated or turned to a pos~tion ~erpend~cular t~ the rods 94, 96 to loek the bent ends 70 between th~ rods 94, 96 w~th~n ~he rear support member 24 ~s shown ~n F1~ure 4~ so that support arm 28 can not be pulled out. It is noked~ that lo the spacing between the rods 92 of the rear support members 24 ~s about equal to the th~ckness ~f the rod 62 of ~ts support ar~s 28~ 30 for a secure enga~ement therebe~ween as best shown in F~gure 5.

The hook 32 1 s now hooked onto the rods 84, 86 of a corresponding cooperating set 88 on the associated s~de support member 26, SQ that the rods 84~ 86 are received ~n the space or receptacle 78 of the hook 32, as shnwn ln F~gures fl~ 5. It ls further noted, that the spacin~ between the rods 82 of the s~de support members 25 ls larger than the spaclng between the rods 92 of the rearsupport members ~n order to receive the hooks 32, so that the rods 84, 86 are longer than the rods 94, 96.

The lnwardly bent curved port~ons 77 of the hook 3~
easily rest on the rod 84 without forc~ng same. It ~s noted that the sets 88 of rods on the side support member 26 correspond to associated sets 98 of rods on the rear support member ~4 so that the sup~ort arms 28, 30 can be mounted horl zontally with respect thereto. Furthermore, the le~s of the bight 76 of the hook 32 enga~e both rods 84, 86 of the selected set 88 to prevent any p~votin~ or rotatlonal moYement of th~ hook 32 relat~ve to the s~de support me~ber 26. Aceord~ngly, the support arm 30 ~s also mounted on the other set of cooperat~ng support members 241 26 so that the support arms 28, 30 are now re3dy to reoeive the shelf 22~ as set forth below.

In order to mount the shelf 22 Dn the support arms 28, 30, the side portions of sk~rt 42 are posi~oned on the bight ends of the support arms 28, 30 so that ~he s~de portlons lo of the sk1rt 4? are on the ~uts~de thereoP with the shelf structure 40 rest~ng on the support arms 28, 30. The shelf 22 is now p~shed ~nwardly, and slides on the upper surfaces o~
the rods 62, 64 of the support arms 24, 30 until the stop members 58~ 60 of the rod 50 en~age the outer faeinq s~des of the S-sh~ped hooks 32. At this pointi the front 2nd of the shelf 22 ~s l~fted sl~ghtly upwardly to p~vot th~ shelf about the rear rod 44 of the support frame 38~ so that only the rear rod 44 rests on the support arms 28, 30, Because of the above~mentioned ~orner space between the rear rcd 44 and the rear~ost suppnrt rod 37, there ls no ~ 13 -~nterference wlth the S-shaped hooks 32 as the shelf ~s being p~voted. Accordingly, as ~ re~ult ~f the shelf ~v-)t1ng, the stop rnembers 58~ 60 are pivoted do~"nwardly below the S-shaped hooks 32 and out o~ con~act therewi ~h . tli th the front end st~ll ra~sed, the sllelf 22 is nnw pushed fur~her ~nwardly ~o sl~de on the support arms 28~, 30 unt~l the stoD members 58 6n move llnwardly beyond the ~-shaped hooks 3Z. ûnce the stop rnelnbers 58, 60 have passed the S-shaped hooks 32, ~he front end of the shelf ~s lowered onto ~he support members 28, 30, ~s 10 shown ~n ~gures 1, 6 and 7. Accord~n~ly, the s~de port~ons of th2 sklrt 42 are nolq rece~ved ~n the space or receptacle 80 of the S-shaped hooks 32~ as clearly shown in F~gure 7~ Further~
nore~ the engagemen~ between the side port~ons of the skirt 42 and the support arms ~89 30 prevents any transYerse nr s~de-to-s1de movement between the shelf 22 and the support arms 2B, 30.

The stop members 58, 60 w~ll now l~m~t the hor~20ntat sl1ding movement ln and out of the shelf 22 on the support arms 28, 30, to the distance between the rear support ~embers 24 and khe S-shaped hooks 32 which are en~aged by the stop members 58, 60. It is further noted~ khat in the mounted pos~tton, the stop ~embers are enga~ed on the bottom surfaces of the rod 62~ 64 of the support arms 28, 30 to prevent the shelf 22 from t~pp~n~ or pivot~ng when a load is placed on the front port~on of the shel~ 22, Accordin~ly3 to remove the shelf 22, the above procedure ~s reversed, It ~s noted~ that the structure of the present ~nYent~on permits the shelf ~2 to be selQctively positioned at a plurality ~s~

of different heights wlthin the stor~e compartment 12, depending upon the pos~t~on of the support arm~ 28, 30 on the rear and s~de suppor~ ~e~bers 24, 26. Furthermore, more than one shelf 22 can be ~ounted in the s~ora~e compdrtment 12 at one time~ using the same rear and slde su~port members 24~ 26, where all that is necessary ls tn provide an addition-al pa~r of support arms 28, 30 for each add1~onal shelf 22.
Accordingly~ the present ~nvention provides a unique she1f arrangement, ~hich permits the shelf 22 or shelves to be eas~ly removed from the storage compartment 12 fnr cleanin~ such as by wash~ng9 or replace~ent thereof~ ~Ihereby even the supporg arms 28, 30 or add~tional ~airs th~reof can also easily be removed for cleanin~ or replacelnent thereof. Thus, for sleaning purposes, the stDra~e comp~rtment can remain w~th only the rear and s~de support me~bers 24, 2~ there;n, which could then be easily and thorou~hly cleaned. ~.(3ditionall~, the shelf arran~e-ment 10 of the present ~nvention can be used for an entirely open storage co~p~tment or uni t, wi th the re~r support members be~n~ mounted at the rear thereof, and khe side support me~bers 20 26 be~n~ mounted at the s~des thereolF.

Flgure 8 shows the underside of a modif~ed shelf 110, fabricated fro~ sheet metal, which can be used in l~lace of the above mentioned shelf 22. A flanoe ~sr sk~rt 112 depends down-wardly when positioned right-side up~ from the bottom surfaee 11~ of the shelf 110, extending al1most completely across one side of the shelfD across the ent~re front, and almos~ eompletely across the other side of the she?f llû. It ls noted, that the rear ends of the opposite sides nf the sk~rt 172 are s,oaced from the rear portion 176 lncludes an up~ardly extendin~ flange 120 when pos~t~aned ri~ht-s~de up, which extends across the entlre rear port~on therenf and into the eut-outs 118. It ~s noted, that the front portion of the skirt 112S like the front pnrt~on of the above ~entioned sk~rt 42, can be used to pull-out and push-~n the shelf 110, or shelf 22, along the support arms 289 Bracket members 122 are secured to the bo~to~ sur~ace 114 near the rear pont~on 116 thereof~ preferably by weld~ng.
Each brac~et ~ember 122 ~ncludes a V-shaped portion 124~ wh~ch lo fs secured to the botto~ surf~ce 114; and a vert~cally do~/nwardly extend~ng port~on 126 when pos~tioned right-s~de up connected to the V~shaped port~on 124 at the cut-out 118~ and 3 hor~zontally outwardly extending portion 128 definlng a stop ~ember.

Thus~ the sk~rt 11~ ~s funct~onally s~m~lar to the above-ment~oned skirt 42 of the shelf 22, and ~he stop members 128 are similar to the stop members 58, 60 at the ends of the rod ~0 on the shelf's rear wall 52. Because these parts on the shelf 110 have simllar functions as the parts on the shelf 22, a further explanat~on thereof is not thought necessary. Accord-20 ingly, the shelf 110 ~s used w~th the above-mentioned support arms 28, 30 and S shaped hooks 3Z thereon, and wi th the rear and side support members 249 269 ~n the same manner a~ the above-mentioned shelf 22. FurthermoreD l;he cut-outs 718 at the opposite corners of the rear portion 116 of the shelf 110 are provided for the mount~ng and removal of the shel~ 110 from the support arms 28, 30, in the same manner as set forth above w~th respeot to the p1 vot~ ng of the shel f 2~ about the rea~ rod 44 of the support frame 38, where~n the cut outs 118 proY~de clearance for the S-shaped br~ckets 32 dur~n9 the pivot~ng of the shelf 110.

~ ~S~

There has been descr~ bed heretobe~ore the best emboâiments of the ~n~rentlon presently contemp1~ted. Ilow-ever, it is to be unders~ood ~hat var~ous chang~s ~nd mod~ficat~ons may be made thereto without departlng from l~he sp~r~t o~ the inven~lon.

Claims (17)

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A shelf arrangement for a storage unit having a rear and opposite sides, said shelf arrangement comprising:
first and second rear support members for positioning at the rear of the storage unit;
first and second side support members for posi-tioning at the opposite sides of the storage unit;
said first rear support member and said first side support member defining a first set of support members on one side of the storage unit, and said second rear support member and said second side support member defining a second set of support members on the other side of the storage unit;
first and second support arms each having one of first and second brackets respectively secured thereon, said first support arm being mounted on said first set of support members with a rear end of said first support arm being secured in said first rear support member and with said first bracket being hooked onto said first side support member, said second support arm being mounted on said second set of support members with a rear end of said second support arm being secured in said second rear support member and with said second bracket being hooked onto said second side support member;
a shelf slidably mounted onto said first and second support arms, said shelf being provided with downwardly extending first and second side skirt portions, said first side skirt portion overlying an outer surface of said first support arm and said second side skirt portion overlying an opposite outer surface of said second support arm to prevent side-to-side movement of said shelf relative to said support arms; and said shelf including stop means for engaging said first and second brackets to limit outward movement of said shelf when said shelf is pulled out to an outward position, said stop means slidably engaging lower surfaces of said first and second support arms to prevent tipping of said shelf when said shelf is in said outward position and a load is placed on a front portion thereof.

2. A shelf arrangement as in claim 1, wherein said shelf is fabricated from wire rods including front to back rods and side to side rods in an overlying relationship.

3. A shelf arrangement as in claim 2, wherein said shelf further includes a wire frame providing a front and sides thereof, with a rear of said wire frame being spaced from a rear portion of said shelf.

4. A shelf arrangement as in claim 2, wherein said stop means includes two wire stop rods at a rear portion of said shelf and extending outwardly in opposite directions from rear corners thereof, said wire stop rods being disposed below said side to side rods and said front to back rods.

5. A shelf arrangement as in claim 1, wherein said shelf is fabricated from sheet metal.

6. A shelf arrangement as in claim 5, wherein said stop means includes two V-shaped rods secured to opposite rear underneath portions of said shelf, and wire stop rods connected to said V-shaped rods and extending downwardly from said shelf and having end stop portions extending outwardly in opposite directions from said rear underneath portions of said shelf.

7. A shelf arrangement as in claim 1, wherein each of said rear support members includes a pair of spaced apart parallel vertical rods connected together by sets of two spaced apart transverse rods, each set of rods providing a different vertical position for said shelf, said rear ends of said support arms being disposed respectively between said vertical rods and between said transverse rods of a select set of rods for secure-ment thereof.

8. A shelf arrangement as in claim 7, wherein said rear end of each of said support arms is bent to prevent said support arms from being pulled out from said rear support members when mounted thereon.

9. A shelf arrangement as in claim 7, wherein upper ends of said vertical rods are off-set to space said rear support members from the rear of the storage unit.

10. A shelf arrangement as in claim 7, wherein each of said side support members includes a pair of spaced apart parallel vertical rods connected together by sets of two spaced apart transverse rods.

11. A shelf arrangement as in claim 10, wherein upper ends of said vertical rods of said rear and side support members are offset to space said support members from the rear and opposite sides of the storage unit.

12. A shelf arrangement as in claim 1, wherein each of said side support members includes a pair of spaced apart parallel vertical rods connected together by sets of two spaced apart transverse bars, said brackets being hooked onto said transverse rods.

13. A shelf arrangement as in claim 12, wherein each of said brackets has an S-shaped configuration including two S-shaped rods joined together at one end by a bight portion with the opposite ends thereof being free from each other, said free opposite ends being secured to said support arms respectively.

14. A shelf arrangement as in claim 13, wherein each of said side support members includes transverse rods for receiving said brackets respectively, said bracket bight portions being hooked over said transverse rods, each of said brackets including receptacle means for slidably receiving said side skirt portions respectively therein.

15. A shelf arrangement as in claim 1, wherein each of said support arms includes an elongated U-shaped rod having its legs secured together by a serpentine wire.

16. A shelf arrangement as in claim 15, wherein said rear ends of said support arms are free ends of said U-shaped rods, said rod free ends being bent for securement in said rear support members.

17. A shelf arrangement as in claim 1, wherein opposite rear corner portions of said shelf are disposed inwardly from said side skirt portions to permit the front portion of said shelf to be pivoted upwardly without interfering with either of said brackets, so that said stop means at the same time are pivoted downwardly to permit mounting and removal of said shelf with respect to said support arms.