Adhesively mountable angled wall shelf

A wall mountable shelf for storing items in a shower or bath enclosure includes a frame, a base member connected with the frame, a back plate connected with the frame and arranged to support the frame on the wall, and adhesive arranged between the back plate and the wall for securing the shelf to the wall surface. The frame includes a top rail portion, a front rail portion, and a pair of side rail portions connecting the top rail portion and the front rail portion. Each side rail portion includes a back portion extending downwardly from the top rail portion and a bottom portion extending from the back portion to the front rail portion arranged at an angle of less than 90°.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to storage articles and, more particularly, to a storage shelf that can be adhesively mounted to the interior surface of a bath or shower enclosure to hold a variety of items commonly used in the bath or shower.

BACKGROUND

Shower and bath storage devices, often referred to as shower or bath caddies, are commonly used to hold and/or store items such as soap, shampoo, and other bath items in shower and bath enclosures. Because of the weight of the stored items and because it is generally not practical to mount such items in shower or bath enclosures using mechanical fasteners, such as nails and screws, such devices are typically hung from the shower nozzle fixture. Such devices are known in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,580 (Mikhail Essatt), U.S. Pat. No. 4,108,314 (Racca), U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,401 (Sambrookes et al.), and U.S. Pat. No. 6,520,351 (Zadro), for example, disclose such devices. It is also known to mount such devices using suction cups as disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,927 (Emery).

Such devices, however, suffer from certain drawbacks and shortcomings. Devices that hang from the shower nozzle fixture, for example, tend to be large and cumbersome and because such devices must hang down from the shower nozzle fixture below the shower head so the items in the caddy can be accessed by a user, they are unstable and tend to swing sideways or slide off of the shower nozzle fixture. In addition, the mounting location is limited by the location of the shower nozzle fixture such that they cannot be moved, and, because they must be mounted immediately below the shower head, they tend to interfere with the use of the shower. Devices mounted with suction cups, on the other hand, have limited holding capacity and tend to lose their holding ability over time. As a result, devices mounted with suction cups frequently fail, thereby causing the device and its contents to fall off the wall.

The need therefore exists for a storage device that can be adhesively mounted to the wall surface of a shower or bath enclosure that is inexpensive, easy to install, and holds strongly enough to support items commonly stored in such devices.

SUMMARY

The invention overcomes the above-identified limitations in the field by providing a storage device that can be adhesively mounted to the wall surface of a shower or bath enclosure that is inexpensive, easy to install, and holds strongly enough to support items commonly stored in such devices.

In one embodiment, the present invention provides a wall mountable shelf for mounting on the wall surface of a shower or bath enclosure including a frame having a top rail portion, a front rail portion, and a pair of side rail portions connecting the top rail portion and the front rail portion. Each side rail portion includes a back portion extending downwardly from the top rail portion, and includes a bottom portion extending from the back portion to the front rail portion. In one aspect of the invention, the side rail back portion and the side rail bottom portion are generally arranged at an angle of no greater than about 90 degrees. The shelf further includes a base removably connected with the frame and extending between at least the side rail bottom portions, at least one back plate connected with the frame and arranged to support the frame on the wall, and at least one stretch removable adhesive strip arranged between the back plate and the wall for securing the shelf to the wall surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views,FIGS. 1-3, show a wall mountable shelf2for storing items in a shower or bath enclosure. The shelf2includes a frame4, a base member6removably connected with the frame4, a pair of back plates8,10removably connected with the frame4and arranged to support the frame4, and adhesive strips14arranged between the back plates8,10and a wall surface12(FIG. 3) for securing the shelf2to the wall surface12. The back plates8,10may be removably connected with the frame4or the back plates may be affixed relatively permanently to the frame4, for example, by welding.

Adhesive strips14well suited for mounting the back plates8,10to the wall surface12are the double-sided stretch releasable adhesive strips available from 3M Company, St. Paul, Minn. under the COMMAND trade designation. Commercially available COMMAND adhesive strips are currently manufactured as discrete strips with one end of the strip including a non-adhesive pull tab to facilitate stretching of the strip during removal.

Stretch releasing adhesives are high performance pressure-sensitive adhesives that combine strong holding power with clean removal and no surface damage. The double-sided adhesive strips14may be any conventionally known stretch releasing adhesive tape including a stretch releasing adhesive tape with an elastic backing, a stretch releasing adhesive tape with a highly extensible and substantially inelastic backing, or a stretch releasing adhesive tape comprising a solid elastic pressure sensitive adhesive, but are preferably stretch releasable adhesive strips that are moisture resistant (i.e. they maintain their holding power in the presence of water and/or in high humidity environments).

Specific tapes suitable for use in the various embodiments of the present invention include the pressure sensitive adhesive strips with elastic backings described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,024,312 (Korpman), the pressure sensitive adhesive strips with highly extensible and substantially inelastic backings described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,516,581 (Kreckel et al.) and 6,231,962 (Bries et al.), 6,569,521 (Sheridan et al.), 7,078,093 (Sheridan et al.), and the solid elastic pressure sensitive adhesive strips described in German Patent No. 33 31 016. Another suitable stretch releasing adhesive construction is the stretch removable adhesive tape laminate including a separable fastener described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,972,141 (Bries et al.).

The shelf frame4includes a top rail portion4a, a front rail portion4b, and a pair of side rail portions4cconnecting the top rail portion4aand the front rail portion4b. Each side rail portion4cincludes a back portion4c′ extending downwardly from the top rail portion4aand a bottom portion4c″ extending from the back portion4c′ to the front rail portion4b. The base member6includes a generally flat support surface6athat extends between the side rail bottom portions4c″ and includes an inclined back surface6bthat extends between a lower portion of the side rail back portions4c′. Because the base member6does not extend all the way to the top rail portion4awhen the shelf2is fully assembled, the back plates8,10remain visible through the back of the shelf2as shown inFIG. 1.

The side rail back portions4c′ and the side rail bottom portion4c″ are arranged at an angle of no greater than about 90°. Arranged in this manner, the base member6slopes downwardly in the direction toward the wall surface12as shown most clearly inFIG. 3, thereby causing items arranged on the support surface6aof the base member6, such as the container16shown inFIG. 3, to tip backward toward the wall surface12. While not wishing to be limited by theory, it is believed that having items, such as container16, lean backward toward the top rail portion4acreates a more stable storage device compared to a purely horizontal shelf arrangement because items are captured more securely by the shelf2. That is, the container16is supported along both its bottom surface and along a side surface, whereas a horizontal shelf would support the container only along its bottom surface. In addition, this arrangement is believed to increase the holding capacity of the shelf2.

An optional abutment member28(FIG. 3) may be provided along the bottom of the shelf2adjacent the wall surface12. The abutment28is arranged to contact the wall surface12as items are placed on the shelf2. Arranged in this manner, the abutment28reduces the tensile force on the adhesive strip (i.e. the force in the direction normal to the wall surface12) that would otherwise be placed on the top of the adhesive strips14as the back plates8,10pivot toward the wall surface12along the bottom of the shelf2and away from the wall surface12along the top of the shelf2. In this manner, the peel force at the top of the adhesive strips14is reduced and the overall holding capacity of the shelf2is further increased.

In the illustrated embodiment, the frame4is a continuous rigid rod. To allow the shelf2to be transported or stored more compactly, the frame4may include a hinged construction that would allow the side rails4cto be folded such that the top rail portion4aand front rail portion4bof the frame are arranged adjacent to each other.

To allow water to drain through the base member6, the base member6optionally contains openings18. Because the base6is arranged at an angle and water will tend to collect along the bottom of the base member6(i.e. where the support surface6ameets the back surface6b), the base member6may also include holes or slots where the bottom surface6ameets the back surface6bto facilitate water drainage along the bottom of the base member6.

The shelf2may also include optional side walls22(FIG. 1) arranged between each side rail back portion4c′ and each side rail bottom portion4c″, or may include rails extending from the side rail back portion and the side rail bottom portion.

A support bar24(FIG. 2) extends between the side rail portions4cadjacent the back plates8,10, and the base member6includes a lip26arranged for mating engagement with the support bar24. The support bar24and lip26allow the base member6to be quickly and easily connected with, and removed from, the back plates8,10. In addition, because the back of the frame is open (i.e. because the base member6does not extend up to the top rail portion4aof the frame4when the base member6is connected with the frame4), and because the back plates8,10serve to space the frame4from the wall surface12, a user can easily connect and disconnect the base member6from the frame4.

The stretch releasing adhesive strips14include an adhesive portion14a, which is concealed by the back plates8,10inFIGS. 1 and 2, and a non-adhesive pull tab portion14bthat extends outwardly beyond the bottom the back plates8,10as shown most clearly inFIG. 2. Arranged in this manner, when the base member6is connected to the frame4, the base member6serves to conceal the non-adhesive pull tab portions14b, but when the base member6is removed from the frame2, the non-adhesive pull tabs14bare visible and can be readily accessed by a user wishing to stretch remove the adhesive strips14from the wall surface12.

In the case where the adhesive strips14include a separable fastener, such as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,972,141 (Bries et al.), the adhesive strips14may be arranged such that both the adhesive portion14aand the non-adhesive pull tab portion14bof the adhesive strip are concealed by the back plates8,10. This is possible because the adhesive strips can be removed by first separating each adhesive strip via the separable fastener and then stretch removing each remaining half of each adhesive strip from its respective surface.

The shelf2, including the frame4, the base6, and the back plates8,10may be formed of any suitable material such as, for example, metals and synthetic plastic materials. A particularly suitable material for the frame4is vinyl coated wire.

Persons of ordinary skill in the art may appreciate that various changes and modifications may be made to the invention described above without deviating from the inventive concept. Thus, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the structures described in this application, but only by the structures described by the language of the claims and the equivalents of those structures.