US2911105A - Wardrobe rack - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 3,1959 0. E. GINGHER ETAL WARDROBE RACK 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed Feb. 15, 1956 INVENTORS CARL E Gl/VGHER CARL E. 6/N6HER,J

r" jW /W lg ATTORNEYS WARDROBE RACK Filed Feb. 15, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS CARL E. Gl/VGHER CARL E. Gl/VG'HER, Jr.

BY 7,4 a

ATTORNEYS- Unitd S es Patch? WARDROBE RACK Carl E. Gingher and Carl E. Gingher, Jr., Scranton, Pa.,

assignors, by mesneassignments, to Gingher Manufactoring Company, Scranton, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application February 15, 1956, Serial No. 565,753

6 Claims. (Cl. 211-62) The present invention relates to clothes valets, more particularly, to a wardrobe rack having an inclined supporting surface for rubber footwear and corresponding umbrella holders and coat hanger positions, and comprising a plurality of vertically spaced shelves supported by a vertical post upstanding from a base section with said several components being readily assembled or disassembled without use of tools in a short period of time.

The principal object of this invention is to provide an improvement in wardrobe racks.

It is another object of this invention to provide a wardrobe rack which will readily accommodate coats, hats, umbrellas and footwear.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a wardrobe rack which may be quickly disassembled into a shelf section, a base section and an interconnecting post, and which components may be similarly assembled in a short period of time without the use of tools and byrelatively unskilled personnel into the rack.

It is an additional object of this invention to provide a wardrobe rack having umbrella holders and cooperating therewith drip trays which may be readily emptied.

It is still another object'of this invention to provide a wardrobe rack having an easily accessible rack for receiving rubber footwear and the like.

It is still a further object of this invention to provide a mounting for racks and the like which is readily adapted toprovide mounting for various types of base supports, including casters and resilient cushion pads.

It is still an additional object of this invention to provide a stable wardrobe rack which will retain its stability regardless of the position of wearing apparel thereon.

-It is yet another object of this invention to provide a wardrobe rack which embodies a simple construction and which may be readily fabricated from various forms of sheet metal.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent upon reference to the accompanying description when taken in conjunction with the following drawings, wherein:

'Fig. 1 is an over-all perspective view of the wardrobe rack disclosed as this invention;

Fig. 2is a three-quarter rear view. from above of the base section;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the base section shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view looking upwardly at the under surface of the base to illustrate the mounting of the base pads upon the base; v

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the lines 55 of Fig. 4 and shows the base mounting plate adapted to retain resilient base pads;

Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of that portion of the base illustrated in Fig. 4 but having a portion of the side wall cut away to show the manner in which a caster is mounted upon the base mounting plate of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 7 is an over-all perspective view fromabove of a ice modification having a greater capacity than the wardrobe rack of this invention shown in Fig. 1.

Returning now to the drawings, more particularly to Fig. 1 wherein like reference symbols indicate the same parts throughout the various views, 1 indicates generally a a wardrobe rack constructed in accordance with the teachings of this invention. The wardrobe rack 1 essentially comprises a shelf section 2, a base section 3 and a vertical post 4 which supports the shelf secton upon the base section. These three components are detachably connected together in a manner which will be later described. 1

The shelf section 2 comprises a plurality of shelves 10, each of which is mounted upon the back member 5 by a bracket 11. As may be seen in Fig. 1, the brackets 11 have a U shaped cross section and are tapered longitudinally. At the deeper end of each of the brackets 11, the sides thereof are extended to straddle the back member 5. The extended sides of each of the brackets are then appropriately attached to the back member 5, such as by spot welding.

The upper edges of each of the brackets 11 are bent outwardly to form flanges 13. These flanges 13 are attached to the lower surfaces of each of the shelves 10 by spot welding.

The shelves 10 are formed from a relatively light sheet metal and are perforated with openings.

Each of the shelf openings have the edges thereof bent downwardly and the extreme portion of the downwardly bent edges are again bent inwardly of the opening so that the general shape of the edges of each of the openings is substantially a Z. t

The front side of each of the shelves are bent downwardly as indicated at 17. The rear edges of each of the shelves 10 are bent upwardly to form a stop to prevent objects being placed upon the shelves from being pushed over the rear edges thereof.

A hanger member 19 depends from the front edge of the lowermost of the shelves 10. The hanger member 19 comprises a strip of sheet metal having a plurality of spaced openings 20 therein. Each of the openings 20 is substantially egg-shaped with the narrow end being directed downwardly. The hangers are self-aligned when the hooked handles of the hangers are inserted within the openings 20. The shape of the openings, together with the weight of the hanger, result in the hanger being positioned in the narrow lower end of each of the openings solid with other cross-sections being used. The post is dimensioned so that the ends thereof may be readily received in either the back member 5 of the shelf section or a socket upon the base section.

Proceeding next to the base section 3, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, this component of the wardrobe rack comprises a T base 21 which has a cross piece 22 and a front piece 23. Both the cross piece 22 and the front piece 23 comprise channel shaped sheet metal members and the extrerne ends of each piece are closed as indicated at 24.

Each of the closed ends 24 of the base has mounted therein a base support member 25 which may be seen in Figs. 4 and 5. The base support member 25 is channel-shaped and comprises a web 26 and flanges 27 and 28. The flange 27 which is directed inwardly of the base has an outwardly bent portion 29. The base support member 25 is mounted on the under surface of the T base by attaching the bent portion 29 to the under surface of the base and by attaching the flange 28 to the closed end 24, as shown in Fig. 5.

Gripping arms 30 are punched from the web 26 along each of the bent edges thereof. The gripping arms 30 are inclined inwardly and are for the purpose of securing a base mount upon the base support member.

Fig. 5 shows a resilient pad 31 mounted on the base support member 25. The resilient pad 31 is squareand of a non-scuffing composition. It-is cup shaped'and thus provides the utmost resistance to collapse with a greater portion of itself forming to the contour of the floor contact area at the extreme outer ends of the T base 21.

In Fig. 6 there is illustrated a caster 32 which is similarly mounted upon the base support member by being gripped by the arms ,30 being bent over the edges of the caster base.

Upstanding from the T base at the intersection of the cross piece 22 and the front piece 23 is a socket 33. As seen in Fig. 2, the socket 33 is channel-shaped and has the edges 34 thereof bent inwardly. The upper ends of the edges 34 are joined by a gusset plate 35 and the lower ends are similarly joined by a gusset plate 36.

An umbrella rack 37 is mounted upon the cross piece 22 of the T base 21. The umbrella rack 37 is made from a single piece of sheet metal bent to form a front plate 38 and then curved as indicated at 39 and 40 to form back plates 41 and 42. The ends of the back plates bend inwardly at 43 and 44 to positions connecting the outer faces of the socket 33. These contacting faces of the umbrella rack and the socket 33 are then suitably connected.

Examination of the umbrella rack of Fig. 2 will reveal that the lower edges of each of the curves 3% and 40 are cut away as shown in 45 to accommodate the cross piece 22 between the front and rear plates of the umbrella rack. The heighth of the cut-away portion 45 is greater than that of the heighth of the cross piece 22 in order to accommodate an aluminum drip tray 46 therein. The drip tray 46 comprises a receptacle 47 and a handle 48. The handle 48 is curved to conform to the outer curvature of the umbrella rack ends 39 and 40. The bottom of the drip tray rests upon the upper surface of the cross piece. This support of the bottom of the drip tray prevents distortion by the points of umbrellas being supported in the umbrella rack.

The top of the umbrella rack 37 is closed by umbrella holders 49. Each of the holders 49 is formed by aluminum and comprises a plurality of spaced umbrella openings 50 therein with the edges thereof bent downwardly. The edges of the holders are bent downwardly to fit about the outer surfaces of the umbrella rack, as indicated at 51. The holders are secured to the umbrella rack by crimping the edges of the umbrella openings 50 to the inner surfaces of the front plate 33 and the back platesv 41 and 42.

An inclined perforated footwear rack 52, which is similar to the shelves, is mounted upon the base forwardly of the umbrella rack 37. The inclined rack is for accommodating rubber footwear and the like. The rear edge of the inclined rack 52 is upturned as indicated at 53 and is fastened to the front plate 33 of the umbrella rack. A triangularly shaped bracket 54 is mounted upon the upper surface of the base stem 23 and is fastened to the lower surface of the inclined rack 52. The front edge of the footwear rack has a flange 55 attached thereto in order to prevent articles placed upon the rack from sliding therefrom. Consequently, not only is the inclined rack 52 firmly supported upon the base, but it also acts as a reinforcing member to impart rigidity to the base section.

With the above description in mind, it can be seen that the wardrobe rack of this invention essentially comprises three components: the shelf section, the vertical post and the base section.

In Fig. 7 there is illustrated another modification of the wardrobe rack 1. The modified rack is indicated at 66 and similarly comprises a shelf section 67, vertical posts 68 and a base section 69. An examination of Fig.

7 will reveal that the shelf section 67 is similar in all respects to the shelf section 2, except that it is longer and has a pair of socket back members 70 thereon. Similarly, the base section 69 is similar to the base section 3 but has an elongated footwear rack supported upon a double T base 71, with umbrella racks 72 and 73 being positioned upon the rear member of the T base opposite each of the front pieces. Since the modified rack, as illustrated in Fig. 7, essentially comprises two of the racks as shown in Fig. '1, the capacity of themodified rack is somewhat more than double the rack'of Fig. 1.

Thus it can be seen that the wardrobe racks of this invention represent a distinct advance over the art. It Will be noted that the umbrella racks are mounted substantially parallel to the coat hanger positions. Each of the umbrella openings will correspond to one of the coat hanger positions to readily identify each umbrella with the coat supported upon the valet. In addition, the position of the umbrella rack eliminates the sandwiching of umbrellas between coats hanging upon the rack.

The wardrobe rack of this invention comprises a simplified construction but is exceptionally stable and rigid. The wardrobe rack in Fig. 1 may readily support a load of up to about 40 pounds suspended from either of the extreme coat hanger positions. Consequently, it is not necessary to evenly distribute the coats upon the rack. Even if a majority of the wearing apparel is grouped upon one end of the wardrobe rack, it will still maintain its stability. Furthermore, the inclined footwear rack is readily accessible to persons availing themselves of the use of this valet. Here, too, it is possible to position the rubber footwear upon the rack in position corresponding to the coat hanger position and to the umbrella holder position. Consequently, the problem of determining which pieces of apparel belong to which person is largely eliminated by the use of this rack.

It will be understood that this invention is susceptible to modification in order to adapt it to different usages and conditions, and, accordingly, it is desired to comprehend such modifications within this invention as may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed as this invention is:

1. A wardrobe rack or the like having an elongated base, said base having members at each end thereof, an umbrella rack mounted on said elongated base, said rack comprising a sheet metal plate having reversed bends therein to form a front face and two rear faces, the lower edge of each reversed bend being notched to receive said elongated base whereby said front face and said rear faces will straddle and closely receive said elongated base to impart rigidity to the structure comprising the umbrella rack and the base, and means on the upper end of said rack for positioning umbrellas within said rack.

2. A wardrobe rack or the like having an elongated base, said base having members at each end thereof, an

umbrella rack mounted upon said elongated base, said rack comprising a sheet metal plate having reversed bends therein to form a front face and two rear'faces, the lower edge of each reversed bend being notched to receive said elongated base whereby said front face and said rear faces will straddle and closely receive said elongated base to provide a secure attachment betwen said umbrella rack and said base so that said base and umbrella rack assembly is rigid, said notches having a greater depth than the heighth of said elongated base to define a space between the bottom of said notch and the top surface of said base, a drip tray slidably received upon said elongated base and passing through said notch, means on said drip tray for positioning said tray within said rack, and means on the upper end of said rack for positioning umbrellas within said rack.

3. A wardrobe rack comprising a T base having a cross piece and a front piece extending perpendicularly from the mid-point thereof, an umbrella rack mounted on said cross piece, said rack comprising a sheet metal. plate having reversed bends therein to form a front face and two rear faces, the lower edge of each reversed bend being notched to receive said cross piece whereby said front face and said rear faces will straddle said cross piece to impart rigidity to the '1" base and umbrella rack assembly, said notches having a greater depth than the heighth of said cross piece to define a space between the bottom of said notch and the top surface of said cross piece, a drip tray slidably received upon said cross piece and passing through said notches, means on said drip tray for positioning said tray within said rack, means on the other end of said rack for positioning umbrellas within said rack, a socket upstanding from the intersection of said cross piece and the front piece of said T base and between the front face and ends of the rear faces ofv said umbrella rack, and a reinforcing member adapted for use as a footwear rack mounted on said T base and secured to the front face of said umbrella rack and said front piece of the T base, said socket being adapted for removably receiving a shelf supporting post; 3 9

4. A wardrobe rack or the like having a T base comprising a cross piece and a front piece extending perpendicularly from the mid-point thereof, an umbrella rack mounted on the cross piece of said T base, said rack comprising a sheet metal plate having two reverse bends therein to form a front face'and two rear faces, the lower edge of each reverse bend being notched to receive said cross piece whereby said front face and said rear faces will closely receive said cross piece to impart rigidity to the structure comprising the umbrella rack and the T base, and means on the upper end of said umbrella rack for positioning umbrellas therein.

5. In a wardrobe rack or the like having an elongated base, said base comprising members at each end thereof, an umbrella rack mounted on said elongated base, said rack comprising a sheet metal plate having reverse bends therein to form a front face and two rear faces, the lower edge of each reverse bend being notched to receive said elongated base so that said front face and said rear faces will closely receive said elongated base to impart rigidity to the structure comprising the umbrella rack and the base, means on the other end of said umbrella rack for positioning umbrellas therein, and an inclined reinforcing member adapted for a footwear rack secured to said base and the front face of said umbrella rack forwardly of said umbrella rack to impart rigidity to said base and umbrella rack.

6. In a wardrobe rack or the like having a base, said base having an elongated base-supporting member and an umbrella rack, said umbrella rack mounted on said elongated member, said umbrella rack comprising a sheet metal plate having reverse bends therein to form a front face and two rear faces, the lower edge of each reverse bend being notched to receive said elongated base member whereby said front face and said rear faces will closely receive said elongated base member to impart rigidity to the structure comprising the umbrella rack and the base, means on the upper end of said umbrella rack for positioning umbrellas therein, and a socket upstanding on said base between said front face and said rear faces and adapted for holding a shelf-supporting vertical column therein.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 462,249 Freer Nov. 3, 1891 584,678 Earle June 15, 1897 1,013,662 Kramer .Tan. 2, 1912 1,231,993 Becker July 3, 1917 1,290,290 Morio Jan. 7, 1919 1,690,754 Rosenthal Nov. 6, 1928 1,824,682 ONeil Sept. 22, 1931 1,824,923 Parsons Sept. 29, 1931 1,961,839 Bales June 5, 1934 2,011,357 Ford Aug. 13, 1935 2,076,099 Smith et al. April 6, 1937 2,107,640 Magnuson Feb. 8, 1938 2,403,164 Ahrens et al. July 2, 1946 Simjian Aug. 26, 1952

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