Wall rack with pivoting extensions

Abstract

A wall rack includes first and second mountable brackets, each including a plurality of spaced arms extending outwardly from the bracket for supporting items thereon. One or more arms of each bracket include a pivotable extension deployable to support wider items and storable when not needed.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This subject invention relates to wall racks.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Various configurations of wall racks are known including some which are extendible. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,465,198, and 2,655,268 incorporated herein by this reference.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Featured is a wall rack with spaced arms including an extension deployable to support wider items and movable to a stored position in the arm to support narrower items.

Featured is a wall rack comprising first and second mountable brackets wherein each bracket includes a plurality of spaced arms extending outwardly from the bracket for supporting items thereon. At least one said arm of each bracket includes a pivotable extension. Preferably there are at least two arms per bracket and each includes a pivotable extension. In one design, the at least one said arm terminates in a yoke section and the pivotable extension is received in the yoke section. The yoke section may include a pair of spaced ears each with an orifice and the pivotable extension then includes outwardly extending posts each received in a said orifice. Preferably, the pivotable extension includes a stop surface engaging the at least one arm prohibiting the pivotable extension from pivoting more than about 180° with respect to the arm. The pivoting extension may have a first surface and a second opposing surface and a proximate end curving from the first surface to a right angle edge with the second surface and the right angle edge then constitutes the stop surface.

Preferably, the at least one arm includes a top channel therein for storing the pivotable extension. The channel may include a floor terminating in an edge engaging the pivotable extension when the pivotable extension is deployed. In one design, the pivotable extension is triangular in shape. The pivotable extension may include a channel therethrough. The plurality of spaced arms may also each include a channel therethrough.

Also featured is a wall rack comprising first and second mountable brackets, a plurality of spaced arms extending outwardly from each bracket for supporting items thereon, and at least one said arm of each bracket including an extension deployable to support an item and moveable to a stored position in a channel in said arm. The at least one arm includes a top surface and the extension includes a corresponding first surface for supporting items thereon in a deployed position and an opposite surface for supporting items thereon in the stored position when the extension is stored in the arm channel.

The subject invention, however, in other embodiments, need not achieve all these objectives and the claims hereof should not be limited to structures or methods capable of achieving these objectives.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects, features and advantages will occur to those skilled in the art from the following description of a preferred embodiment and the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an example of how the wall rack can support narrower and wider items;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a portion of the wall rack of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing an example of one bracket of the wall rack;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a wall rack bracket arm with the extension deployed to support wider items;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing how the wall rack bracket arm extension pivots relative to the arm;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing the extension now stored with respect to the arm for supporting narrower items;

FIG. 7 shows a wall rack bracket arm configured for a pivotable extension;

FIGS. 8-9 are schematic views showing an example of an extension;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing an example of a channel in the wall rack bracket arm for storing the extension therein; and

FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing the rear side of the wall rack bracket.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Aside from the preferred embodiment or embodiments disclosed below, this invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways. Thus, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. If only one embodiment is described herein, the claims hereof are not to be limited to that embodiment. Moreover, the claims hereof are not to be read restrictively unless there is clear and convincing evidence manifesting a certain exclusion, restriction, or disclaimer,

FIG. 1 shows a wall rack with first and second wall mountable brackets 10a, 10b each preferably including a plurality of spaced outwardly extending arms 12, FIG. 3 fixed to the bracket for supporting items thereon or therein as shown in FIGS. 1-2. Preferably, each arm 12 includes a pivotable extension 14 deployable to support an item and also movable to a stored position. Preferably, as shown in FIGS. 4-6, surface 16 of pivotable extension 14 forms a support surface for items placed thereon when the pivotable extension is deployed and opposing surface 18 of the pivotable extension forms a part of the top support surface 20 of arm 12 when pivotable extension 14 is folded and stored in arm 12. Thus, pivotable extension surface 18, FIG. 6 is flush with top surface 20 of arm 12 when pivotable extension 14 is stowed and pivotable extension 14 surface 18 lies in the same plane as top surface 20 of arm 12 when pivotable extension 14 is stowed. Also, opposing surface 16 of pivotable extension 14 is co-extensive with arm 12 top support surface 20 when pivotable extension 14 is deployed as shown in FIG. 4.

The arms 12 preferably terminate in yoke section 30, FIG. 7 including, in this embodiment, spaced ears 32a, 32b each with a respective orifice 34a, 34b and pivotable extension 14, FIGS. 8-9 includes outwardly extending proximal posts 36a, 36b, each received in a respective orifice 34c, 34b, FIG. 7 of arm yoke section 30. As shown in FIG. 10, each arm 12 preferably includes a top channel 40 therein for storing the pivotable extension. Floor 42 of channel 40 terminates in edge 44 which engages right angled edge 46 (FIGS. 6, 8, and 9) of the extension and acting as a stop for the pivoting extension 14 to limit rotation of the pivotable extension to 180° as shown in FIG. 4.

Thus, in this preferred design, triangular pivoting extension 14, FIGS. 8-9 has opposing surfaces 16 and 18 and proximal end 50 curves from surface 16 to surface 18 to form a right angle edge 46 acting as a stop for when the pivotable extension is deployed and edge 46 engages channel floor terminal surface 44, FIG. 10.

As shown in FIG. 3, the arms and/or the pivotable extensions preferably include channels 60, 62 crosswise therethrough for items such as fishing poles or the like.

FIG. 11 shows rear surface 70 of bracket 10 with holes 72a, 72b for securing the bracket to a wall or other surface using mechanical fasteners such as screws.

The bracket and its arms may be molded plastic as is the extension.

Although specific features of the invention are shown in some drawings and not in others, this is for convenience only as each feature may be combined with any or all of the other features in accordance with the invention. The words “including”, “comprising”, “having”, and “with” as used herein are to be interpreted broadly and comprehensively and are not limited to any physical interconnection. Moreover, any embodiments disclosed in the subject application are not to be taken as the only possible embodiments. Other embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art and are within the following claims.

In addition, any amendment presented during the prosecution of the patent application for this patent is not a disclaimer of any claim element presented in the application as filed: those skilled in the art cannot reasonably be expected to draft a claim that would literally encompass all possible equivalents, many equivalents will be unforeseeable at the time of the amendment and are beyond a fair interpretation of what is to be surrendered (if anything), the rationale underlying the amendment may bear no more than a tangential relation to many equivalents, and/or there are many other reasons the applicant cannot be expected to describe certain insubstantial substitutes for any claim element amended.

Claims

1. A wall rack comprising: first and second mountable brackets;each bracket including a plurality of spaced arms extending outwardly from the bracket for supporting items thereon;at least one arm of said plurality of arms of each bracket including an extension deployable to support an item and moveable to a stored position in a channel in said at least one arm;said arm including a top surface and said extension including a corresponding first surface for supporting items thereon in a deployed position and an opposite surface for supporting items thereon in the stored position when the extension is stored in the channel; andthe opposite surface of the extension lies in the same plane as the arm top surface with the extension is stored in the channel.

2. The wall rack of claim 1 in which the extension pivots relative to said arm.

3. The wall rack of claim 1 in which there are at least two arms per bracket and each includes a pivotable extension.

4. The wall rack of claim 1 in which said arm terminates in a yoke section and the extension is received in the yoke section.

5. The wall rack of claim 4 in which the yoke section includes a pair of spaced ears each with an orifice and the extension includes outwardly extending posts each received in a said orifice.

6. The wall rack of claim 4 in which the extension includes a stop surface engaging said arm prohibiting the extension from pivoting more than about 180° with respect to said arm.

7. The wall rack of claim 1 in which the channel includes a floor terminating in an edge engaging the extension when the extension is deployed.

8. The wall rack of claim 1 in which said extension includes a channel therethrough.

9. The wall rack of claim 1 in which the plurality of spaced arms each include a channel therethrough.

10. The wall rack of claim 1 in which the extension first surface, in the deployed position, is co-extensive with the arm top surface.