Shelf divider

A sliding shelf divider comprises a generally U-shaped channel and a divider slidable along the channel. The channel has steps at the intersections of the side and bottom walls. The divider comprises a base member having a plate portion with a tab depending therefrom. The base member also has an upstanding ridge with a portion that overhangs the plate portion bottom edge. The tab and overhanging ridge portion form a slot for receiving a channel wall. The tab free end contacts the interior surface of the channel step for supporting the base member, and the free end of the overhanging ridge has a hook that engages the step exterior surface. The base member is thus retained on and slidable along the channel. A wire frame is received within a groove in the ridge. Tilting the base member disengages the hook from the channel for easy disassembly of the base member from the channel.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention pertains to document management, and more particularly to 
apparatus for controlling the placement of stored files. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Various equipment has been developed to organize and file documents. A 
popular design includes horizontal shelves together with horizontally 
spaced and vertically oriented dividers. The shelves provide vertical 
support for the documents, and the dividers separate the documents and 
maintain them in a vertical attitude. In some systems, the dividers are 
slidable along the shelves to thereby suit changing storage requirements. 
A typical prior sliding file support is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 
4,673,091, wherein a slider, to which is mounted a wire-like file support, 
is hooked to and slides along a U-shaped channel. The file support of the 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,673,091 patent is somewhat awkward to remove the channel. 
Other known file supports also possess various shortcomings. 
Thus, a need exists for an improved sliding document holder. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In accordance with the present invention, an inexpensive sliding shelf 
divider is provided that is easily positionable along and removable from a 
horizontal shelf. This is accomplished by apparatus that includes a base 
member that snugly but releasably slides along a support member. 
The base member is preferably comprised of a generally flat plate having a 
front face. A grooved ridge is joined to and upstands from the plate front 
face. The ridge may be considerably narrower than the plate. The grooved 
ridge overhangs the bottom edge of the plate. The free end of the 
overhanging ridge is formed with a backwardly facing hook. Also extending 
from the plate bottom edge and parallel to the overhanging ridge is a 
flexible tab. The tab is offset backwardly across the thickness of the 
plate from the overhanging ridge, such that the tab and overhanging ridge 
form a slot therebetween. The tab free end is adjacent the hook on the 
free end of the overhanging ridge. The tab is preferably as wide as the 
plate. However, a notch may be cut out in the tab approximately in line 
with the overhanging ridge, thereby creating two tabs that straddle the 
overhanging ridge. 
The support member of the sliding shelf divider is preferably an elongated 
generally U-shaped channel having parallel side walls and a bottom wall. 
The channel is formed with a short step in the side walls near their 
respective intersections with the bottom wall. The channel is normally 
placed on a horizontal shelf, with the channel side walls projecting 
upwardly. 
The base member is placed over a channel side wall such that the side wall 
is received within the slot between the base member tabs and overhanging 
ridge. The base member tab, the overhanging ridge, and the channel side 
walls are dimensioned such that when the base member is assembled to the 
channel, the tab free end rests on a channel step inferior surface, the 
base member hook on the overhanging ridge engages the exterior surface of 
the channel step, and a clearance exists between the free end of the 
channel wall and the bottom edge of the base member plate, and the base 
member fits snugly on the channel wall. Accordingly, the overhanging ridge 
hook retains the base member on the channel, but the base member is 
slidable longitudinally along the channel. 
The ridge groove is designed to hold the ends of a document positioning 
frame, which may be made of an appropriately bent wire rod. When inserted 
in the ridge groove, the document frame is generally perpendicular to the 
plane of the base member plate. With the base member in place on the 
channel, the frame is in a vertical orientation, wherein it can function 
to contact and control vertical documents filed on the horizontal shelf 
adjacent the channel. 
To remove the base member from the channel, it is necessary merely to tilt 
the base member such that the overhanging ridge hook is pivoted away from 
the channel stepped surface. The base member is then simply pulled 
straight off the channel wall. 
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those 
skilled in the art upon reading the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Although the disclosure hereof is detailed and exact to enable those 
skilled in the art to practice the invention, the physical embodiments 
herein disclosed merely exemplify the invention which may be embodied in 
other specific structure. The scope of the invention is defined in the 
claims appended hereto. 
Referring to FIG. 1, a sliding shelf divider 1 is illustrated that includes 
the present invention. The sliding shelf divider is particularly useful in 
conjunction with horizontal shelves 3 for separating and restraining 
vertical stored files (not shown). However, it will be understood that the 
invention is not limited to document storage applications. 
The sliding shelf divider 1 includes an elongated support member 5 and at 
least one divider 6. Each divider 6 comprises a base member 7 and a frame 
9. The support member 5 is preferably formed as a generally U-shaped 
channel having laterally spaced side walls 11 upstanding from a bottom 
wall 13. Also see FIGS. 3 and 4. At the junction of the two side walls 11 
and the bottom wall 13, the channel has respective steps 15. The channel 
is fastened to the shelf 3 at any desired location thereon and by any 
suitable means. 
Slidingly received on the channel 5 are the dividers 6. In the illustrated 
construction, the divider base member 7 is fabricated with a plate portion 
17 bounded by stiffening ribs 19, as is best shown in FIG. 2. Projecting 
from the front face 20 of the plate portion 17 is a ridge 21. The ridge 21 
has a groove 27 that extends through the ridge and the plate. Referring 
again to FIGS. 3 and 4, a top panel 29 extends between the lateral sides 
of the groove 27 and blocks a portion of the ridge groove near the base 
member upper end 31. A lower panel 33, offset backwardly from the top 
panel 29, blocks a portion of the groove 27 near the plate bottom edge 25. 
A hole 35 is formed in the ridge near the upper end thereof. The ridge has 
a portion 23 that overhangs the bottom edge 25 of the base. The lower or 
free end of the ridge overhanging portion 23 is formed with a backwardly 
facing hook 37. 
The base member 7 further comprises a tab 39 that is joined to and extends 
from the plate bottom edge 25. If, desired, the tab 39 may be cut out 
behind the ridge overhanging portion 23, as along lines 45 in FIG. 2, to 
thereby form two tabs 39a and 39b. The tab has a front surface 41 that is 
spaced a predetermined distance from the back surface 43 of the 
overhanging ridge portion 23. The tab front surface 41 and the overhanging 
ridge portion back surface 43 define a slot 47. The width of the slot 47 
is equal to or slightly less than the thickness of the wall 11 of the 
channel 5. The base member 7 is assembled to the channel by pushing the 
base member slot over the channel wall 11. To facilitate assembly, the 
free ends of the tab 39 and channel wall 11 are formed with chamfers 49 
and 51, respectively. The channel and base member are dimensioned such 
that when the tab lower edge 52 contacts the interior surface 54 of the 
channel step 15, the hook 37 engages the exterior surface 56 of the 
channel step. Thus, the tab and hook cooperate to retain the base member 
on the channel wall. The chamfer 49 serves to provide clearance between 
the tab and the inner radius 50 of the channel step 15 at the junction of 
the side wall and the horizontal interior surface 54. The snug fit of the 
channel wall between the tab 39 and the overhanging ridge portion 23 
prevents the divider from moving laterally on the channel wall until a 
force is applied to do so. With the base member assembled to the channel, 
a clearance 59 exists between the upper end 61 of the channel wall and the 
bottom edge 25 of the base member plate portion 17. Thus, the tab free end 
52 serves as the vertical support for the divider 6 on the channel. 
The frame 9 is preferably fabricated as a single piece of wire bent into a 
planar configuration. A first end 53 of the frame is inserted into the 
base member hole 35. The frame second end 55 has an upright leg 58 that 
fits in the ridge groove 27 between the panels 29 and 33. A second leg 57 
of the frame is located adjacent the groove lower end and projects out the 
front of the ridge. 
With the divider 6 in place on a channel wall 11, the divider will move 
when a force is applied to the base member 7 to slide the divider 
longitudinally on the channel 5 to the desired location along the shelf 3. 
As shown in FIG. 1, one or more dividers can be assembled to both channel 
walls 11, with the respective frames 9 facing oppositely. 
To disassemble a divider 6 from the channel 5, a simple two-step procedure 
is sufficient. The base member 7 is pushed backward, i.e., in the 
direction of arrow 63 in FIG. 4, near thebase member top end 31. Such 
tipping causes the hook 37 at the free end of the ridge overhanging 
portion 23 to disengage from the channel step exterior surface 56. The 
relatively limber tabs 39a and 39b bend to permit the plate portion 17 and 
ridge to tilt and the hook to disengage. With the base member in the 
position of FIG. 4, it is adequate to merely pull it vertically upwardly 
with respect to FIG. 4 for simple removal of the base member slot 47 from 
over the channel wall 11. 
Thus, it is apparent that there has been provided, in accordance with the 
invention, a sliding shelf divider that fully satisfies the aims and 
advantages set forth above. While the invention has been described in 
conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many 
alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those 
skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it 
is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and 
variations as fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended 
claims.