US 2019/0098995 A1Published application

Vertically and Horizontally Expandable Shoe Rack

OwnerTia L.A. Browninventor

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Abstract

The present invention is a shelving system for consumer goods that maximizes available storage space by being adjustable both horizontally and vertically. This system allows stacking of multiple units, and permits internal storage of adjustable shelf members, eliminating the need to separately store removed members. Nesting hollow rods or their equivalent are used to adjust the shelves horizontally. A malleable ring is used to prevent the shelves from sagging in the center once the rods are extended, and to lock the shelves into a new horizontal orientation. Spring clips in the standing poles of this rack allow a consumer to raise or lower shelves, an inch at a time, to accommodate consumer goods, such as shoes, with taller or shorter vertical dimensions than can be accommodated with existing racks.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A shelving system, comprising:

two or more external horizontal nesting rods;
an equal number of internal horizontal nesting rods;
the internal horizontal nesting rods of sufficient diameter to fit within the external horizontal nesting rods when each horizontal nesting rod is slideably inserted into a corresponding external nesting rod, where each combined internal nesting rod and external nesting rod form a horizontal spacing rod;
a number of malleable gaskets equal to the number of horizontal spacing rods, where said malleable gaskets serve to variably set the combined length of each of the horizontal spacing rods;
a plurality of flexible retaining clips;
a plurality of vertical members, the vertical members configured to permit the vertical stacking of a first vertical member with a second vertical member to increase the vertical height of said shelving system;
each vertical member having an adjustment collar disposed substantially at the midpoint of said each vertical member into which a top portion of the vertical member and a bottom portion of the vertical member may be inserted to separately adjust the length of said top portion of the vertical member and said bottom portion of the vertical member;
the retaining clips inserted between each of the stacked first vertical members and second vertical members to lockably connect said vertical members, where the combined height of said vertical members is variably set by placement of one or more of said retaining clips;
the horizontal spacing rods connected to said vertical members at a 90 degree angle;
connecting at least one vertical member at a distal end of said horizontal spacing rods with at least one vertical member at a proximal end of said horizontal spacing rods;
and changing the vertical dimension and the horizontal dimension of the shelving system by adjusting the insertion position of each internal horizontal nesting rod within each external nesting rod and adjusting the placement of the one or more of said retaining clips.

8 more elements

A shelving apparatus, comprising:

two or more first elongated horizontal rods;
an equal number of second elongated horizontal rods;
a number of connectors equal to said first elongated horizontal rods disposed to position and hold the long axes of the first elongated horizontal rods and second elongated horizontal rods in substantially collinear fashion along an imaginary axis, creating horizontal spacing rods, the equal number of connectors permitting adjustable positioning of the first elongated horizontal rods and second elongated horizontal rods relative to each other;
a plurality of flexible retaining clips;
a plurality of vertical members, the vertical members configured to permit the vertical stacking of a first vertical member with a second vertical member to increase the vertical height of said shelving apparatus;
each vertical member having an adjustment collar disposed substantially at the midpoint of said each vertical member into which a top portion of the vertical member and a bottom portion of the vertical member may be inserted to separately adjust the length of said top portion of the vertical member and said bottom portion of the vertical member;
the retaining clips inserted between each of the stacked first vertical members and second vertical members to lockably connect said vertical members, where the combined height of said vertical members is variably set by placement of one or more of said retaining clips;
the horizontal spacing rods connected to said vertical members at a 90 degree angle;
connecting at least one vertical member at a distal end of said horizontal spacing rods with at least one vertical member at a proximal end of said horizontal spacing rods;
and changing the horizontal dimension and the vertical dimension of the shelving system by adjusting the position at a middle point of each horizontal member and varying the position of each horizontal member relative to its companion horizontal member along the imaginary axis and adjusting the placement of the one or more of said retaining clips.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/724,620Filed 4 Oct 2017
Published: 4 Apr 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

A47B 45/00
Cabinets, racks or shelf units, characterised by features enabling enlarging in height
A47B 47/0083
Cabinets, racks or shelf units, characterised by features related to dismountability or building-up from elements: with four vertical uprights
A47B 57/265
Consisting of clamping means, e.g. with sliding bolts or sliding wedges: clamped in discrete positions, e.g. on tubes with grooves or holes
A47B 57/545
Consisting of clamping means, e.g. with sliding bolts or sliding wedges: clamped in discrete positions, e.g. on tubes with grooves or holes