1. Field of Invention
The invention related to the system and method of installing shelving within the confines of a standard personal storage locker.
2. Background of the Invention
The present invention is a useful and novel method for improving the functional space within a conventional personal locker. The ubiquitous locker, available at country clubs, sports facilities, educational institutions and work environments is characterized by a vacuous inefficient space. Typical internal configurations are sparse and may include a floor, a single shelf, a rod for hangers, and a double prong hook for outerwear.
Locker are produced into basic opening heights: twenty-four (24) inches, thirty (30) inches, thirty-six (36) inches, sixty (60) inches and seventy-two (72) inches.
Standard lockers width are seven and half (7.5) inches, nine (9) inches, twelve (12) inches, fifteen (15) inches, eighteen (18) inches, and twenty-four (24) inches. Almost all school lockers are only available in three widths: nine (9) inches, twelve (12) inches, fifteen (15) inches.
In addition to the interior dimensions, the locker is constrained by the width of the opening, often referred to as door flange in the prior art, that is generally two (2) to three (3) inches smaller than the interior width of the locker. If the opening is twelve (12) inches or larger, the interior width is fifteen (15) inches. A door width of nine (9) to ten (10) inches indicates the interior width is twelve (12) inches. If the door is only six (6) to seven (7) inches, the locker's interior width is nine (9) inches. A door of less than six (6) inches opens to a locker that is seven and half (7.5) inches in interior width. Clearly, the locker flange defines another restricting constraint for inserting and assembling a shelving assembly.
Lockers typically have a substantially horizontal floor and top connected to a substantially vertical back, parallel sides, and front flange. The flange serves as a frame to the locker door and prevents the door from swinging past the locking position.
Lockers are most commonly constructed with metal or wood. Metal lockers are then painted with a high-sheen coating that produces a slick surface that is easy to clean. However, the smooth nature of the locker makes it difficult to attach legless shelves to the surface. Much of the art for patent shelving attempts to solve the problem with a variety of magnets, bumpers, cranks and tilted shelving.
Wood construction provides its own set of challenges. The wood interior is more susceptible to damage by art that attaches to the sides or back of the locker. Therefore, solutions for wood lockers are limited to leg-based systems.
The challenges for designing a locker shelving assembly include:
Particularly evident in earlier design of the prior art, the user would need to assemble the item using a variety of nuts and bolts that require the use of tool within the confined space. With uprights pressed against the sides and back of the locker, the designs are difficult to assemble and secure.
Reliance on suspension schemes.
Many of the designs in the art attempt to reduce the constructible elements for the benefit of efficient storage, shipment and manufacture. These systems introduce problems such as damaging of the interior of the locker and the challenges of leveling the shelf during installation.
For prior art designs such as rotatable collapsible kits, the design is limited to one or two standardized sizes. This introduces several problems to the practical use of the design. For instance, a locker system that is significantly smaller than the locker interior or flange allows the shelf be accidently pulled out from the locker space while trying to extract stored items.
An invention, which meets the needs stated above, is a system and method to assemble a shelving system within the confines of a locker. The system provides a single panel which may alternately function as the shelving floor, sides, vertical shelves, horizontal shelves, and top of the locker assembly. Additionally, the system may be suspended substantially near the top of the locker or rest on the bottom of the locker.
The system comprises of a panel which may function as both the supports and shelves. The assembly and locking function are integrated into the panels.
The user would use at least two of panel to create the shelf system. In a vertical embodiment the support panel would be placed on the floor of the locker and the shelf would slide through a channel from the locker opening to the forward-facing locker wall. The user then moves the interlocking shelf into the locked position. Additional vertical shelves may be added. The shelves are adjustable to provide customizable spacing between the shelves.
In a horizontal embodiment, interlocking support panels would be placed on facing locker sides and resting on the floor. A shelf is then assembled from the top by sliding the tenons through the channels and locking into the groove lock at the desired location. The user is able to provide both a shelf that rests slightly above the locker floor and an interlocking shelf that acts as a ceiling to the structure.
Accordingly, besides the objects and advantages of the system for Patent Locker Assembly with Interlocking Panels described above, several objects and advantages of the present invention are:
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this invention. In the figures:
FIG. 1A.—Front perspective view of a standard locker in the prior art.
FIG. 1B.—Top view of the interior dimension of the locker in the prior art.
FIG. 2B.—Exploded front perspective view of interlocking shelf.
FIG. 3A.—Top front perspective of one interlocking shelf being assembled into another interlocking shelf.
FIG. 3B.—Top front perspective view of shelving assembly with interlocking support resting on the locker floor to support an interlocking shelf in the vertical position.
FIG. 4.—Top perspective view of the shelving assembly with an interlocking support holding an interlocking shelf in the horizontal position.
FIG. 5.—Top perspective view of the shelving assembly with an interlocking support holding an interlocking shelf in the top horizontal position in the C-channels.
Locker opening—the shortest distance from one vertical locker flange to the parallel locker flange. Generally equal to the width of the locker door.
Locker interior—space inside the locker as defined by the locker sides, locker floor, interior locker top, flange and locker door. The width of the locker interior is the dimension from one locker side to the opposite parallel locker side. The depth of the locker interior is the shortest distance between the locker flange and the forward facing locker wall.
Groove locks—short grooves within the interlocking support that run perpendicular to the sliding channel bar.
H-channel groove locks—In a preferred embodiment, formation of groove lock that form the pattern of the letter “H” perpendicular to the sliding channel bar.
C-channel groove locks—In another preferred embodiment, a formation of groove lock that form the pattern of the letter “C” from the sliding channel bar.
Referring to the drawings, in which like numerals represent like elements,
Turning to
1B presents a top view of the interior dimension of the locker 10 in the prior art. The space inside the locker 10 as defined by the locker sides 60, locker floor 50, interior locker top 40, flange 20 and locker door 30.
The width 16 of the locker interior 15 is the dimension from one locker side 60 to the opposite parallel locker side 60. The depth 17 of the locker interior 15 is the shortest distance between the locker flange 20 and the locker back 65. The distance between the facing flanges 20 is the opening 25.
Referring now to
The shelves may be comprised of plastic, metal, wood or any suitable material for manufacture.
The tenon 100, of the interlocking shelf 90, rests on the tenon sleeve 110 and glides through the sliding channel bar 120 before resting in the groove locks 130 of the interlocking support 95. This allows the shelves 90 to be supported in either the vertical or horizontal position.
The interlocking support 95 may be comprised of more than one type of groove locks 130. In one embodiment, the C channel groove locks 134 are in the shape of “C” and only point in one perpendicular direction as the sliding channel bar 120. When used on the edge of the interlocking support 95, the groove locks 130 allow for an interlocking shelf 90 to be used as either a floor or ceiling to the shelving unit 140. In another embodiment, the C channel groove locks 134 may be used to secure vertical interlocking shelves 90.
In a second preferred embodiment, the H channel groove locks 132 are in the shape of an “H” and point in both perpendicular directions from sliding channel bar 120. They may be located on the centermost sliding channel bars 120 or may comprise all sliding channel bars 120. These allow the interlocking support 95 to hold a shelf 90 no matter which side of the support 95 is vertically resting on the locker floor 50. In another embodiment, it permits the vertical shelves 90 to be locked to either the right or left of the channel bar 120.
Once the shelf 90 is slid into the desired groove 120, the user locks the shelf 90 into place by tapping the shelf into the groove locks 130. This allows the tenon 100 and tenon sleeve 110 to secure in the groove locks 130. The groove locks 130 are either in the shape of a “C” or “H.” The open mortise 150 allows stacking of the interlocking supports 95 such that the tenons 100 of one support 95 rests in the mortise 150 of the adjacent support 95.
Turning our focus to
Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described herein with regard to specific embodiments. However, the advantages, associated benefits, specific solutions to problems, and any element(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as critical, required, or essential features or elements of any or all the claims of the invention. As used herein, the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus composed of a list of elements that may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.
From the description above, a number of advantages become evident for the “Locker Assembly with Interlocking Panels.” The present invention provides all new benefits for participating parties including manufacturers, users, and locker owners:
A claim of priority is made in this application based on Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/992,726 filed on May 13, 2014 and entitled “Locker Assembly with Interlocking Shelves” the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61992726 | May 2014 | US |