Adjustable food shield with detents
AssigneeBrass Smith, LLC
InventorsScott Atkins, Andrew Padden
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An adjustable food shield includes a pair of support columns, a pair of rotation and detent mechanisms, a top shelf resting on and attached to the top ends of the support columns, a pair of rotation arms. One of the rotation arms is coupled respectively to each of the rotation and detent mechanisms, such that the rotation arms are rotatable about an axis generally parallel with a lengthwise dimension of the adjustable food shield. The rotation and detent mechanisms provide detents at a number of angular positions of the rotation arms. The adjustable food shield further comprises a shield panel fixed to the rotation arms.
Claims10
An adjustable food shield, comprising:
- a pair of support columns, one at each end of the adjustable food shield, each support column having a top end and a bottom end and including features for affixing the support column to a surface at the bottom end of the support column, and each support column defining an integral pocket formed in a side of the support column and positioned between the top and bottom ends for coupling to a rotation and detent mechanism;
- a pair of rotation and detent mechanisms, one of the rotation and detent mechanisms being at least partially housed within the integral pocket of each support column;
- a top shelf resting on and attached to the top ends of the support columns, the top shelf having a front edge and a back edge;
- a pair of rotation arms, one of the rotation arms coupled respectively to each of the rotation and detent mechanisms, such that the rotation arms are rotatable about an axis essentially parallel with a lengthwise dimension of the adjustable food shield, the rotation and detent mechanisms providing detents at a number of angular positions of the rotation arms;
- and
- a shield panel fixed to the rotation arms.
A rotation and detent mechanism, comprising:
- a body having first side and a second side and an essentially rectangular axial protrusion extending from the first side, the protrusion of a size and shape to nest within a pocket formed in a column of a food shield, wherein the body defines a cavity in the second side, the body further having a travel limiter protruding inwardly into the cavity from a perimeter of the cavity, the travel limiter having two fixed faces;
- a detent plate of a shape and size to nest and rotate within the cavity of the body, the detent plate having an essentially flat portion and two limiting surfaces between which the travel limiter of the body is disposed, wherein the two limiting surfaces are portions of a perimeter of the essentially flat portion of the detent plate, the perimeter surrounding an axis of rotation of the detent plate, and wherein one of the two limiting surfaces engages a respective one of the fixed travel limiting faces of the body at each extreme of angular rotation of the detent plate, and the detent plate includes a plurality of recesses on a face perpendicular to the axis of the rotation of the detent plate;
- one or more spring loaded ball plungers mounted in the body and aligned with the axis of rotation of the detent plate, each ball plunger positioned to engage a recess in the detent plate at each of certain angular positions of the detent plate within the body, such that the certain angular positions are detent positions;
- and
- an axle on which the detent plate rotates, the axle defining an axis of rotation of the detent plate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.