Modular assembly and components therefor

• US 5,400,719 A
• Filed: 10/04/1993
• Issued: 03/28/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SELFIX, Inc. (Storage Acquisition Co. LLC)
• Original Assignee: SELFIX, Inc. (Storage Acquisition Co. LLC)
• Inventors: Santapa, Frank J., Munoz, Raul
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Jose V.
• Application Number:
  US08/131,779
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 108/64, 108/180, 108/182, 108/185, 108/190, 108/91, 108/92, 108/96, 108/101
• US Class Current: 108/64
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 87/0223 Shelves stackable by means of poles or tubular members as distance-holders therebetween

Abstract

A modular assembly comprised of a plurality of shelf members, each having a plurality of equally spaced sockets for selectively receiving a plurality of legs insertable therein to facilitate a variety of arrangements of interconnected shelf members. Cap members can be inserted into said sockets to provide a smooth surface.

Claims

1. A modular assembly comprising:

a first shelf member defining a first generally planar surface;

a plurality of leg members engageable with and supporting said shelf member;

said shelf member being configured at each of a plurality of discrete locations to interact with and retain said leg members in engagement therewith;

each of said locations being equally spaced from the closest immediately adjacent locations, at least some of said locations being at the corners of said shelf member and with at least one additional location being disposed intermediate a pair of said corner locations,

said shelf member being engageable with said leg members at selected ones of said locations from both sides thereof to retain said leg members in place and interconnect a plurality of said shelf members in a stacked arrangement with said leg members engaging a pair of said shelf members at any two of said closest immediately adjacent locations in one of said members disposed above any two of said closest immediately adjacent locations in a second of said members for permitting various configurations of stacked arrangements in which said shelf members are not stacked in alignment one above the other.

2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of said locations defines a socket extending through said shelf member from the top to the bottom thereof for receiving an end of a leg member inserted therein.

3. An assembly as claimed in claim 2 wherein each said socket defines top and bottom recesses separated by a stop member located intermediate the ends of said socket.

4. An assembly as claimed in claim 3 wherein

each said socket selectively receives an end of a leg member inserted into said top recess with the end of said leg member engageable with said stop member to prevent passage of said leg member completely through said socket.

5. An assembly as claimed in claim 3 wherein

each said socket selectively receives an end of a leg member inserted into said bottom recess with the end of said leg member engageable with said stop member to prevent passage of said leg member completely through said socket.

6. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein at each of said locations defines a socket for receiving a leg member inserted therein;

and including

a cap member insertable into the top of said socket and engageable with a stop member formed therein, the upper surface of said cap member being flush with the surface of said shelf member.

7. An assembly as claimed in claim 6 wherein said socket extends through said shelf member, said cap member being ejectable from said socket by application of force from the bottom thereof.

8. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein said shelf member is generally rectangular and includes at each of said locations a socket extending transverse to the plane of said surface, there being at least one socket at each corner of said shelf member, and at least one additional socket disposed intermediate said corner sockets on at least one pair of opposed sides of said generally rectangular shelf member, each of said sockets defining top and bottom recesses separated by a stop member disposed within each said socket intermediate the ends thereof, a leg member being insertable into the bottom recesses of selected ones of said sockets with an end of said leg member engaging said stop member for supporting said shelf member on said leg members, and additional leg members insertable into the top recesses of selected ones of said sockets to interconnect a plurality of said shelf members in a selected arrangement with said leg members inserted into any pair of said closest immediately adjacent ones of said sockets being insertable into any pair of said closest immediately adjacent apertures in another like shelf member.

9. An assembly as claimed in claim 8 wherein said additional sockets and said corner sockets are equally spaced from the closest immediately adjacent sockets.

10. An assembly as claimed in claim 9 wherein each of said additional socket disposed intermediate said corner sockets on each side of said generally rectangular shelf member is equally spaced from the immediately adjacent sockets disposed on said side.

11. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 including:

a plurality of said additional locations disposed intermediate a pair of said corner locations along at least one side of said shelf member, said plurality of said additional locations along said one side comprising said closest immediately adjacent locations with respect to each other to permit interconnection of a plurality of said shelf members in a stacked arrangement in which said leg members engage at least one of said shelf members at two of said plurality of additional locations to orient one of said shelf members transverse to another.

12. A modular assembly comprised of a shelf member defining an upper surface, said shelf member including a plurality of sockets formed therein at spaced locations along the peripheral edge thereof, at least some of said locations being at the corners of said shelf member and additional locations being disposed intermediate said corner locations, each of said sockets being equally spaced from each of the closest adjacent sockets;

a stop member formed in each of said sockets intermediate the ends thereof to form top and bottom recesses therein;

a plurality of legs insertable into said bottom recesses of said sockets to support said shelf member on said legs, said top recesses of said sockets adapted to receive additional leg members inserted therein for supporting additional like shelf members connected to said additional leg members in a selected arrangement of components wherein each pair of leg members inserted into two of the closest adjacent apertures of one such shelf member can be inserted into any pair of said closest adjacent sockets in another like shelf member for permitting various configurations of stacked arrangements in which said shelf members are not stacked in alignment one above the other.

13. An assembly as claimed in claim 12 wherein each pair of leg members inserted into a pair of the closest adjacent sockets of one such shelf member and inserted into any pair of said closest adjacent sockets in another like shelf member are all inserted into additional sockets intermediate sockets located at said corners.