Abstract:
A rotary shelf for use within a cabinet which has first and second mounting brackets spaced apart and opposing each other attached to the bottom and to the top of the inside of the cabinet. The mechanism includes integrally formed shelves, a shelf and post securing mechanism wherein a notched member affixed to a mounting bracket cooperatively receives an engaging member to secure the post and shelves in a stationary position. The mechanism also includes a shelf and cabinet opening adjustment mechanism to permit threadable adjustment of the post and carried shelves with respect to the cabinet opening.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to lazy susan devices and more particularly to a rotary shelf mechanism for use within a cabinet whose post and shelves can be locked positively in a storing position, whose post and shelves can be adjusted with respect to the cabinet opening, and whose shelves are integrally formed. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     It has been common practice to provide in corner kitchen cabinets, shelves of a rotatable or lazy susan type. This shelving has become popular because without it, considerable cabinet space in the corner, either above or below the kitchen counter is wasted due to the inaccessibility of items well back in the corner. A considerable number of rotatable corner shelf units are based on the structure wherein a tubular element forms a vertical rotatable axis attached to the shelves. Since the door formed within the structure of the shelving must align with the cabinet opening for an attractive and professional fit, a number of methods have been employed to secure that appearance, often requiring adjustment means to bring the structure back into proper alignment in the event it becomes altered for whatever reason. 
     Various adjustment devices have been provided to align the shelf mechanism. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,127,994; 4,433,885; 4,486,107 and 4,688,686. 
     Unfortunately, correction of this alignment problem within such prior art assemblies have not been fully successful to enable the components within the cabinet to conform to the opening, and adjustment frequently requires partial disassembly of the shelf assembly which necessitates removal of all or most of the stored goods therein. These adjustments and efforts are troublesome, time-consuming and often laborious. 
     Moreover, prior art means for adjusting the shelf assembly require the use of tools, and often the prior art adjusting mechanism is not easily accessible for adjustment. 
     Finally, all prior shelving formed from plastic-like materials has been made up of numerous components assembled together to fit in a proper manner about the shaft which are joined together by pins or screws in a manner to assure that the shelf is securely attached to the post and moves uniformly when the post is rotated. Shelves formed of numerous components are expensive to assemble and often do not fit properly because of the many components that are joined together to form the completed shelf. 
     Thus, there is still a need for smooth and quiet shelf movement and locking action, adjustments to align the shelves and supporting posts with the cabinet opening, and improvements in the complicated structure of the lazy susan shelving. It is to these needs that the present invention is directed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is an improvement in lazy susan devices and, more particularly, in a rotary shelf mechanism for use within a cabinet which has first and second mounting brackets spaced apart and opposing each other, shelf and post securement means which includes a notched plate affixed to a mounting bracket and post insert means having a bracket engaging element cooperatively received by the mounting bracket plate and operable with a noise absorbing member to quietly secure the post in a stationary position. The shelf and opening adjustment means includes a mounting bracket adjustment plate carrying a threadable insert cooperatively receiving the threaded adjusting member to cause the adjusting plate, when the adjusting member is rotated, to move with respect to the mounting bracket to adjust the post and shelves with respect to the opening. Of significant importance is the provision of an integrally formed (molded one piece) shelf, thus avoiding the problems associated with assembled shelf components that are selectively positioned on the length of the post to received goods for storage or to collapse and provide a more efficient shipping package. 
     From the summary of the invention described, it will be apparent that a primary object of the present invention is to provide a lazy susan assembly having a rotary shelf mechanism for use within a kitchen cabinet that utilizes integrally formed shelves to significantly reduce the cost of shelving previously used. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a rotary shelf mechanism for use within the cabinet that includes a shelf and post securing means to provide an efficient, smooth and silent engagement with a spring biased member and a mounting bracket plate notch to secure the post and sleeves in a stationary position. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide a shelf and opening adjustment means that will enable a single threaded engagement member to align the post and shelves with the cabinet opening. 
     Yet still another object of the present invention is to provide an alternative shelf and post securing means wherein a plate engagement element has a recess therein and an upstanding plate and cooperative flexing member engage the recess and secure the post and shelves in a stationary position. 
     Yet still another further object of the present invention is to provide a noise absorbing member operable with the upstanding plate and flexing member to reduce wear and noise upon movement of the post and shelves. 
     Thus, there has been outlined the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. 
     It is also to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the concept upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for designing other structures, methods, systems and in carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent methods and products resulting therefrom so long as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The application is neither intended to define the invention which is measured by its claims nor to limit its scope in any way. 
     For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages, and the specific results obtained by its use, reference should be made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like characters of reference designate like parts throughout the several views. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective, fragmentary and partially exploded view of the tubular post and its carried components of the lazy susan system comprising the present inventive concept; 
     FIG. 2 is a schematic and perspective view of the housing within which the tubular post and its carried components reside; 
     FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of the housing shown in FIG. 2 illustrating the cooperative relationship between tubular post, carried shelves and the housing opening; 
     FIG. 4 is a side elevational, schematic and sectional view of a plurality of shelves collapsed upon themselves for compactness when they are to be shipped; 
     FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, enlarged and perspective view of the bottom of one of the shelves and its attachment to the tubular post; 
     FIG.  5 (a) is an enlarged, fragmentary and bottom plan view of the integral shelf support member of the present invention ; 
     FIG.  5 (b) is a side elevational, enlarged and fragmentary view of the supporting hub carrying the metal plate engaging a hub carried protrusion; 
     FIG.  5 (c) is an enlarged, fragmentary and perspective view of the underneath side of a shelf engaging and being supported by the post; 
     FIG.  5 (d) is an enlarged plan view of the plate shown in FIG.  5 (b); 
     FIG.  5 (e) is an enlarged fragmentary and perspective view of the plate shown in FIG.  5 (d) secured to a shelf and the post; 
     FIG. 6 is a plan, fragmentary and enlarged view of the first mounting bracket; 
     FIG. 7 is a end elevational and fragmentary view of the first mounting bracket of FIG. 6; 
     FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the bracket engaging element carrying a spring biased engaging member; 
     FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of the post insert means shown in FIG. 8; 
     FIG. 10 is a plan, enlarged and fragmentary view of the shelf and opening adjustment mechanism; 
     FIG. 11 is a front elevational and fragmentary view of the mechanism shown in FIG. 10; 
     FIG. 12 is a plan, enlarged and fragmentary view of an alternative embodiment of the shelf and post securing means; 
     FIG. 13 is a front elevational and fragmentary view of the mechanism shown in FIG. 12; and 
     FIG. 14 is a plan, enlarged and fragmentary view of yet another embodiment of the shelf and post securing means. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now to the drawings and particularly to FIGS. 2 and 3, a housing shown generally as  20  forming the ninety degree connector between two runs of kitchen cabinets has an upper end  22 , a lower end  24  and an opening  26 . Upper end  22  is closed by cabinet top  28 , and lower end  24  is closed by cabinet bottom  30 . Shelves  32  in the cabinet configuration have a notched 90 degree insert which forms the door  34  for opening  26 . Shelves  32  are affixed to a tubular post  36 . 
     Referring now to FIG. 1, tubular post  36  carries on one end a first mounting bracket  38  and on the other end a second mounting bracket  40 . First mounting bracket  38  is secured to cabinet bottom  30  and second mounting bracket  40  is secured to cabinet top  28 . Shelves  32  are releasably secured to tubular post  36  in a manner to be described subsequently. Shelves  32  will be secured to post  36  so that when door  34  is opened, shelves  32  and post  36  will rotate to provide opening  26 . 
     A shelf and post securing mechanism is shown generally as  42  and includes a plate engagement element  46  with a spring biased engaging member  49  (FIGS. 1 and 8) cooperatively received by notch  48  of vertical member  51  to secure post  36  and shelves  32  in a stationary position when opening  26  is closed by door  34 . A small resilient member  51 a extends through an opening  51 b in engagement element  46  to cushion the engagement of member  49  within notch  48  and eliminate noise. 
     Another embodiment of a shelf and post securing mechanism is shown generally as  50  in FIGS. 10 and 11 where it is attached to the first mounting bracket adjustment plate  52 . Mechanism  52  includes an upstanding backing element  59 a and a resilient locking element  59 b connected to backing element  59 a and formed of resilient material such as plastic or rubber so that it will yield and operate silently with plate engaging element  46 . To ensure sufficient resiliency in response, a spring  59 c is positioned between backing element  59 a and locking element  59 b in the manner best shown in FIG. 10. A post  59 d is affixed to backing element  59 a and within recesses  59 e and  59 f to ensure that spring  59 c stays in position. 
     Yet another embodiment of a shelf and post securing mechanism is shown generally as  70  in FIGS. 12,  13  and  14 . Plate engagement element  46  has a notch  74  which cooperatively communicates with a flexing member  77  affixed to an upstanding backing element  78  whereby notch  74  and flexing member  77  engage to secure the post and shelves in a stationary position. 
     The previous embodiment is yet still enhanced by the inclusion of a noise absorbing member  81  (FIG. 14) operable with upstanding backing element  78  and flexing member  77  to reduce wear and noise upon movement of the post and shelves. The noise absorbing member can be made of any suitable material such as plastic, rubber, fiberglass or others capable of absorbing noise and reducing wear. It is preferably positioned between upstanding backing element  78  and flexing member  77  as shown in FIG.  14 . 
     A shelf and opening adjustment mechanism is shown generally as  50  in FIGS. 10 and 11. Mechanism  50  includes a first mounting bracket adjustment plate  52  movably secured to mounting bracket  38 , a housing connected to bracket  38 , a threadable insert  56  carried within housing  54 , and a threaded adjusting member  58  secured by a flange  60  to mounting bracket  38  to operably engage threadable insert  56  and cause adjusting plate  52  to move with respect to mounting bracket  38  and adjust post  36  and sleeves  32  with respect to opening  26 . 
     Shelves  32  of the present invention have been, for the first time, integrally formed to avoid the use of numerous separate pieces and components to position the shelf on tubular post  36 . Integrally formed shelves  32  provide significant strength, reliability and economic advantages. Assembly costs are significantly reduced, and structural failures are, for the most part, eliminated. Shelves  32  are molded so that they can be collapsed and stacked together (FIG. 4) to conserve space and resist movement and damage during shipment. When shelves  32  are positioned at the desired location on tubular post  36 , they are maintained in that position by a simple pin  62  (FIG. 5) that fits within a recess (not shown) in the lower integrally formed collar  64  of shelf  32 . 
     The integrally formed shelf in another embodiment is shown with particularity in FIG.  5 (a) where a solid plastic hub, shown generally as  68 , has an enlarged circular support member  70  to encircle the post but is integrally formed with the other elements of the shelf such as struts  72 . The integral shelf has openings  74  to allow the die insert elements to be extended therethrough and retracted therefrom. 
     Another embodiment of the shelf connecting structure is shown in FIGS.  5 (b) and  5 (d) where a metal plate  76 , preferably formed of stainless steel, is inserted over opening  74  to provide an opening  80  sufficient in size to comfortably encompass post  36 . Plate  76  has a recess  82  shaped to accommodate a protrusion  84  (FIG.  5 (b)) on supporting hub  90  therein and thereby cause shelf  32  to be at rest. A pin  88  secures supporting hub  90  to post  36  as shown. 
     Recess  82  cooperatively receives protrusion  84  as previously discussed. When shelf  32  needs to rotate with post  36 , the insertion of a pin  92  as shown in FIG.  5 (c) is sufficient to secure shelf  32  to post  36  and rotate therewith  form a shelf to post securing means and enable this joint rotation. 
     In the pre-molded shelf construction shown in FIG.  5 (a), a single opening  94  is provided to accommodate and cooperatively receive a pin (not shown) that extends through an opening in post  36 . 
     While FIG. 1 shows only the use of shelf and post securing means  42  in connection with first mounting bracket  38 , the shelf and opening adjustment mechanism  50  can also be affixed to first mounting bracket  38  so that both the shelf and post securing function and the shelf and opening adjustment function are incorporated within the same system. They can be used in combination or singularly as desired. 
     If the collapsed shelf feature is used, pin  62  can be used to anchor the collapsed shelves in the shipping position. Once at the installation site, pin  62  can be removed and shelves  32  can be positioned at their normal locations and secured with pin  62  as previously described. 
     The techniques involved in forming the novel combination set forth in the present inventive concept and the components associated therewith are unlimited and are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art. All equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed herein. Consequently, the following is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described. All suitable modifications and equivalents falling within the scope of the appended claims are deemed within the present inventive concept.