Shelf organizer with fence

A modular shelf organizer for partitioning a shelf. The organizer includes a plurality of trays each having a floor and four short upright walls, and a fence for spanning adjacent trays. The fence forms a storage compartment between two trays, and prevents stored items from rolling off the shelf. The fence comprises one or more fence members further comprising a short wall having a plurality of slots. Corresponding slots are formed in right and left lateral walls of the tray. Fence members can therefore attach to a tray by friction and gravity, and are manually removable therefrom. Supports are provided to support otherwise unsupported fence members where fence members are arranged in series between two adjacent trays. A support has a slot for receiving one or two fence members, and a flared opening for guiding a fence member into the slot. Each tray has interior subdividers which interconnect in a manner similar to that attaching fence members to trays. Both trays and fence member supports have fastening material, such as adhesive or hook and loop material for securing trays and fence member supports permanently to a shelf.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to apparatus for subdividing horizontal 
storage and display shelves into compartments having vertical walls. More 
particularly, the invention includes both trays of fixed, predetermined 
dimensions and also members for spanning adjacent trays and securing the 
same at selective, fixed intervals. The spanning members are arranged to 
form a front wall or fence for preventing stored items from rolling off 
the subdivided shelf. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Storage and display shelving is usually designed and manufactured for 
general purposes, rather than being dedicated to a single purpose. For 
this reason, it is not feasible to provide structure subdividing each 
shelf into suitable or appropriate compartments for any one particular 
situation. Shelving and storage devices may be provided with integral, 
permanent partitions for subdividing the shelf or an equivalent horizontal 
supporting surface into compartments. However, in most instances, such 
partitions are either not adjustable, or are arranged to subdivide the 
shelf into compartments which are excessively small. 
A principal example of shelves which are frequently susceptible to the need 
for selective partitioning is found in medicine cabinets. Unlike parts 
storage bins utilized to organize and store small fasteners and other 
small articles, medicine cabinets may be required to store articles of 
vastly differing dimensions, configurations, and purposes. Personal care 
articles such as brushes, fluid containers, and generally cylindrical 
medication and other containers are frequently stored together in medicine 
cabinets. 
Organizing, separating, and grouping such articles enables ready retrieval 
of each particular item or type of item. The prior art has suggested 
various devices for installing in a pre-existing medicine cabinet for 
subdividing the various shelves. In most cases, each prior art device 
includes a frame insertable into an opening of a medicine cabinet and 
capable of receiving drawers or shelves. Examples are seen in U.S. Pat. 
Nos. 2,450,337, issued to Frank T. Hearst on Sep. 28, 1948, 5,255,971, 
issued to William J. Aisley on Oct. 26, 1993, 5,405,196, issued to Curtis 
C. Shoup et al. on Apr. 11, 1995, and 5,524,980, issued to Terry A. Carter 
et al. on Jun. 11, 1996. In each case, a surrounding frame is provided, 
the frame accommodating shelves or drawers which slidably interfit 
therewith. By contrast, the present invention provides an arrangement of 
shelves and interfitting connecting vertical walls which are attached to 
pre-existing shelves. Unlike the prior art, the present invention 
subdivides each shelf, and is not dependent upon cooperation with slots or 
grooves for receiving shelves, vertical walls, and other pre-existing 
structure. In particular, no surrounding frame is necessary in the present 
invention. 
U.S. Pat. No. 2,359,797, issued to Morris Schnider on Oct. 10, 1944, 
illustrates a holder or tray which is attachable to a vertical surface. 
This device exemplifies drawers or trays which could be placed onto 
shelves for subdividing the same. However, even if Schnider's holder were 
so utilized, it lacks structure for adjustable configuration and also 
lacks means for attachment to the shelf. By contrast, both features are 
found in the present invention. 
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in 
combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention subdivides pre-existing medicine cabinets and similar 
storage and display devices provided with horizontal shelves in ways which 
better cooperate with pre-existing structure than prior art devices. In 
particular, the novel shelf organizer has members for connecting trays at 
selective intervals. 
These members provide a further function. They form vertical walls only 
towards the front of the shelf, or that portion nearest a person facing 
the medicine cabinet. Vertical walls so oriented provide the function of 
preventing small objects from rolling off the shelf. Therefore, they 
create, in effect, a partitioned space or area between two adjacent trays. 
This both increases the number of partitioned spaces without requiring 
additional trays, and also enables selective dimensioning of such spaces. 
The floor area of a tray is fixed. However, distance spanned by the 
vertical members, or fence, between two adjacent trays is adjustable. 
Adjustment is provided by forming a series of spaced apart slots in each 
vertical or fence member. The fence member may engage a tray at any one 
selected slot. Therefore, the novel shelf organizer may be utilized with 
any pre-existing medicine cabinet including those having permanent or 
integral, non-removable shelves. The organizer need not anticipate 
dimensions of the medicine cabinet since it adjusts in width. 
In a further adjustment, individual trays may be subdivided by short 
partitions. In a manner similar to fence members, short partitions also 
have plural slots for interlocking at selected locations. Thus, individual 
compartments formed within any one tray are selectively variable in 
dimension. 
The fence member may extend a considerable length along the shelf by 
arranging several fence members in series. posts for supporting fence 
members are provided to accommodate serial extension of the fence member. 
The organizer is optionally adhered to a shelf permanently by adhesive 
backing or removably by hook and loop fastener. This feature resists 
inadvertent displacement of the novel organizer. 
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a shelf 
organizer for subdividing or partitioning a pre-existing medicine cabinet. 
It is another object of the invention to cooperate with pre-existing 
cabinet dimensions. 
It is a further object of the invention to cooperate with cabinet shelves 
which are permanent. 
Still another object of the invention is to enable adjustment of width of 
the shelf organizer. 
An additional object of the invention is to define additional compartments 
on a shelf without requiring additional trays. 
It is still a further object to subdivide individual trays of the novel 
organizer. 
It is again an object of the invention to extend the fence member by 
arranging plural fence members in series. 
Yet another object of the invention is to adhere the novel organizer to its 
shelf. 
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and 
arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is 
inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended 
purposes. 
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily 
apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
FIG. 1 of the drawings shows novel shelf organizer generally designated at 
10 assembled on a shelf 2. Organizer 10 is preferably employed with a 
structure such as a medicine cabinet (not shown in its entirety), which 
typically includes a rear wall and right and left lateral walls, in 
addition to one or more horizontal storage shelves or similar 
environmental surfaces disposed beneath and abutting components of 
organizer 10. These walls would restrain objects from falling from shelf 2 
in the respective directions. Organizer 10 provides the function of 
subdividing or partitioning shelf 2 into compartments 12, 14, 16. 
Organizer 10 in the embodiment depicted includes trays 18, 20 and a fence 
22. Compartments 12 and 16 are defined within trays 18 and 20, 
respectively. Compartment 14 is defined between trays 18 and 20. 
Each tray 18 or 20 has a floor 24 and four short upright walls 26, 28, 30, 
32. At the junctures of wall 28 and adjacent walls 26 and 30 are located 
slots 34. Slots 34 have the function of engaging fence 22 and maintaining 
the same in a vertical orientation, projecting outwardly from tray 12 or 
16. Fence 22 is supported by tray 18 or 20 such that more than half of 
fence 22 is located exteriorly of upright walls 26, 28, 30, 32 of tray 18 
or 20. Cooperating slots 36 are formed in fence 22 to accomplish 
attachment and support of fence 22. Slots 34 and 36 correspond to one 
another both in dimensions, thereby allowing interfitting as shown in FIG. 
1, and also in orientation. That is, slots 34 are open upwardly and slots 
36 open downwardly, so that they may be assembled to one another such that 
the upper surfaces of wall 30 of each tray 12 or 16 and of fence 22 are 
flush after fence 22 is fully seated or assembled to a tray 12 or 16. 
After assembly, fence 22 is removably secured to a tray 12 or 16 by 
gravity. If desired, slots 34 and 36 may be dimensioned to maintain 
assembly by friction. 
Fence 22 comprises one or more fence members 38, which may be utilized 
individually, as depicted in FIG. 1, or in series (see FIG. 4). Fence 
member 38 is a vertical wall having slots 36. The principal purpose of 
fence 22 is to establish a barrier preventing items such as cylindrical 
container 4 from rolling off shelf 2 at the front of the associated 
medicine cabinet. Since medicine cabinets typically have a rear wall and 
side walls, escape of items in those directions is not a problem. However, 
the front of each shelf of a medicine cabinet affords opportunity for 
items such as container 4 to escape. 
organizer 10 is modular, in that individual elements are readily manually 
assembled and disassembled. Any desired number of trays 12 or 16 and fence 
members 38 may be assembled as desired. They may be assembled in any 
selected order so as to offer many different configurations. It would be 
possible, for example, to utilize a single tray 12 or 16, and to assemble 
one fence member 38 to each lateral side of the tray 12 or 16, although 
this arrangement is not shown. It would be further possible to modify the 
arrangement of FIG. 1 to include additional fence members 38, one fence 
member 38 projecting to the left of tray 12 and another fence member 38 
projecting to the right of tray 16. Thus it will be seen that organizer 10 
is quite versatile in subdividing shelves of different widths. 
It may further be desired to position fence members in series, so that 
fence 22 spans a greater distance than the length of one fence member 38. 
As shown in FIG. 2, this arrangement is accommodated by utilizing a 
support member or post 40. Post 40 sits on shelf 2 (see FIG. 1) at a 
predetermined distance from tray 16. A groove 42 formed between first and 
second walls 44, 46 (respectively) of post 40 receives support member 38. 
Fence member 38 is inserted into groove 42 until downwardly directed 
projection 48 of fence member 38 seats in a bore or opening (see FIG. 3) 
formed at the bottom of groove 42 for partially interlocking fence member 
38 to post 40. 
Bore 50 is clearly seen in FIG. 3. It will further be seen that bore 50 is 
sufficiently long to accommodate simultaneous insertion of abutting fence 
members 38 disposed in series, as shown in FIG. 4. The ends of the two 
fence members 38 not shown in FIG. 4 may be supported either at an 
additional tray 12 or 16, in the manner illustrated in FIG. 1, or at 
another post 40 (not shown) in a manner similar to that illustrated in 
FIG. 2 or FIG. 4. 
Post 40 may take other forms. As seen in FIG. 5, post 52 has a groove 54 of 
greater width than that of post 40. Greater width accommodates assembly of 
two fence members 38 abreast of one another, as seen in FIG. 6. Walls 56 
and 58 each have an inclined section 60 or 62 (respectively) which 
collectively form a flared opening for guiding fence members 38 into 
groove 54. 
It is possible to place trays 12, 16 and fence members 38 onto shelf 2 
without adhering these components in place. However, it is greatly 
preferred to adhere organizer 10 to shelf 2. To this end, each post 40 has 
a lower surface lined with adhesive 64, as seen in FIG. 7. Adhesive may be 
provided by double sided foam tape having a release liner provided on each 
side. A product available from 3M Consumer Stationery Division of St. 
Paul, Minnesota, and identified as Cat. 111, has proved satisfactory for 
permanent mounting to shelf 2. 
In an alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 8, post 40 has a lower surface 
lined with hook and loop material 66. A patch of material 68 bearing 
corresponding hook and loop material 70 is permanently adhered to shelf 2. 
The embodiment of FIG. 8 enables periodic removal and cleaning of trays 12 
and 16 and shelf 2. 
Of course, trays 12 and 16 and posts 52 are also provided with either 
adhesive or hook and loop material for adhering to shelf 2. As seen in 
FIG. 9, the bottom surface 72 of floor 24 of each tray 12 or 16 is 
provided with an adhering member 74 which could be adhesive, hook and loop 
material, or any other suitable fastening material. 
Organizer 10 may be utilized in the forms described above. However, it is 
also possible to further subdivide or partition each tray 12 or 16. 
Referring again to FIG. 1, at least two tray subdividers 76 are provided. 
Subdividers 76 function similarly to fence members 38, having a vertical 
wall and slots 78. When assembled together, one subdivider 76 is inverted 
relative to the other, so that respective slots 78 correspond in the 
manner of slots 34 of tray 12 or 16 and slots 36 of fence member 38. When 
two subdividers 76 are assembled together, they will support one another 
with their respective walls upright or vertical. 
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the 
embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments 
within the scope of the following claims.