Abstract:
A mechanical stand for vertically supporting objects is disclosed which includes an upper base section comprised of a tubular structure, having a telescopically movable upper support member, which in the preferred embodiment of the invention could be used as a rack member or a shelf structure. The upper support member is comprised of a tubular member cooperatively profile with the tubular structure of the upper base section to be slidably received therein. The upper support member includes a pushbutton actuator which is operatively connected to a linkage member, which in turn is connected to a locking jaw, whereby actuation of the pushbutton member disengages the locking jaw from the inner surface of the upper base member, allowing various incremental telescopic locations of the upper support member.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The field of the invention is related to telescopically extendable, vertical weight bearing members, and more particularly to a vertical holding member such as for clothing or garments. 
     2. Prior Art 
     It is common in the clothing industry to have a plurality of racks arranged in various areas with clothes such as shirt, pants and coats arranged on opposite sides of the clothing rack. Generally these racks are comprised of tubular structural members which upstand from the floor and include adjustable means such as a spring-loaded pin which can be depressed to move an upper bracket upwardly or downwardly to another pre-drilled aperture in an outside tubular structure to main the rack in a predetermined position. 
     While not specifically disclosed for such an application, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,892,647; 2,952,485 and 2,415,663 show various mechanisms for retaining a structural upper section relative to a support portion which is typically sitting on the floor. U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,846 also shows a device for a hospital table. 
     What is desired in the marketplace, is a vertically adjustable support member, which can be telescopically movable to infinite incremental positions, yet is simple in construction, has the ability to maintain a great deal of vertical load, and is easily adjustable between the various vertical heights. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The objects of the invention have been accomplished by providing a mechanical stand assembly for supporting objects, where the stand comprises an upper base section and a support member. The support member includes a telescopic tube projecting therefrom and within the upper base section and further comprises a locking mechanism for maintaining the support member at various incremental heights. The locking mechanism includes a locking jaw which is pivotably mounted within the stand, and has a frictional surface for engagement with a locking surface within the upper base section. The locking jaw and the locking surface are vertically offset so as to form an over center locking arrangement when downward vertical force is applied to the support member, yet with free upward vertical movement to adjust the vertical height. 
     In another aspect of the invention, the objects were accomplished by providing a mechanical stand assembly for supporting objects, where the stand comprises an upper base section, a support member, and an actuator assembly. The support member is cooperably attached to the upper base section allowing vertical movement there between. The actuator assembly comprises a locking member which is mounted to the stand assembly and which fixes the support member in various vertical positions, and an actuator member which moves the jaw into and out of locked engagement, thereby allowing for an infinite number of incremental vertical height positions for the support member. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional perspective view of a typical double-sided rack, which could be used for hanging clothing articles for display purposes. 
     FIG. 2 is a side view of the rack shown in FIG. 1, partially broken away, where the upper section is shown in the locked position. 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the locking mechanism shown when in the fully open uninhibited position. 
     FIG. 4 is a side view of the locking mechanism shown in FIG. 3 
     FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the locking mechanism when in the locked position. 
     FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the locking mechanism shown when in an unlocked position. 
     FIG. 7 is a side-view of a clothing rack showing the bracket sections at different vertical heights. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     With reference first to FIG. 1, the clothing rack assembly is shown generally by reference  10  as including a base section  12 , which upstands from a lower base section or floor support member, shown generally at  16 , which is used to stabilize the clothing rack assembly  10  in the vertically upright position. It should be appreciated that the floor support member  16 , could include any configuration of a base, but as depicted herein, is comprised of a plurality of individual floor feet sections, shown at  18 , having floor pad sections  20 . The clothing rack assembly  10  further includes independently movable upper support members such as  24  and  26 , which include bracket support members  28  and  30 . 
     With respect now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper base section  12  and upper support member  24 ,  26  will be described in greater detail. The upper base member  12  is comprised of two side by side tubular members  40  and  42  which are identical in nature, and therefore only one such article will be described in detail. The tubular member  40  is preferably constructed from a metal extruded member such as a rectangular tube and includes a lower end section at  44  which can be attached to the floor base section  16  by known means such as through fasteners, brackets or by a welded structure. At the opposite end of the tubular member  40  is an opening  46  profiled to receive one of the upper support members such as  26 , as will be described in further detail herein. Finally, the upper base section  40  includes an inner contour such as at  50  which is profiled to slidably receive either of the upper base members  24  or  26 , as will be described in greater detail herein. The upper base member  12  further includes a strap or band section  48  to rigidify the two tubular members  40  and  42  together. 
     With respect now to FIG. 2, the upper support member such as  24  will be described in greater detail. It should be understood that as both members  24  and  26  are identical, only one such devise will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the upper support member  24  is comprised of a tubular section  52 , an upper pushbutton actuator  54 , a linkage member  56 , and a locking jaw  58 . Extending from the upper support member  24  is the lateral support bar  28 , as described above to hang garments. 
     With respect now to the linkage mechanism, the pushbutton member  54 , is comprised of a body member  62  having an outer peripheral surface  64  profiled to be received within an inner contour  66  of the tubular column, with an upper lip  68  to prevent over-actuation of the pushbutton actuator  54 . The pushbutton actuator  54  further includes an opening at  70  extending upwardly through a lower face  72  of the pushbutton member, which is profiled to receive the linkage rod  56 . It should be appreciated to one of ordinary skill in the art that the pushbutton actuator and the linkage member could be attached by known means, such as by threading or by press-fit or through an epoxy. 
     Meanwhile, the linkage rod  56  includes a press or sweat fit collar at  74  which is opposed from a fixed inner wall  76  having a compression spring  78  positioned between the collar  74  and the inner wall  76 . It should also be appreciated that an aperture is positioned at  80  through the inner wall  76  allowing the uninhibited extension and movement of the linkage rod through the upper plate  76 . As should be appreciated, the compression spring  78  spring-loads the collar  74  upwardly, and therefore the linkage rod  56  and resultantly, the push-button actuator  54 , are in a normally spring-loaded position upwardly. 
     With reference now to FIGS. 3-6, the locking jaw  58  is shown as a metallic cylindrical shaped member, having side surfaces  82  and  84 , where a reduced thickness section  86  is provided to received the linkage rod  56  as will be described herein. The locking jaw  58  further includes a pin-receiving aperture at  90  and a further pin-receiving aperture at  92 . Preferably, the outer circumferential surface  94  of the locking jaw is proved with a frictional surface and in the preferred embodiment of the invention, has been knurled as at  96  and has been hardened through a subsequent heat-treating process. For ease of process, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the entire circumferential surface is knurled. As shown in FIG. 3, assembly of the locking jaw  58  to the tube member is as follows. 
     The locking jaw  58  is attached to an inner section of the tube member  52  by way of a spring point  98 , which is interferingly positioned through apertures  100  in the tube member  52 . It should be appreciated that opposite ends of the sporing pin  98  will be interferingly fit in apertures  100  in opposite sides of the tube member  52 , yet will be profiled relative to the aperture  90  on the locking jaw, to allow the locking jaw to freely rotate about the pin member  98 . The linkage rod  56  extends through the entire length of the tube member  52  and includes a lower end section at  104  having a pin member  102  which is interference fit within aperture  92  of the locking jaw  58 . Once again, it should be understood that the pin  102  be profiled to allow rotation of the linkage rod relative to the pin yet be interference fit within the aperture  92  of the locking jaw  58 . This could be accomplished by a number of means known within the art, that is by including an interference fit pin member having an outer head which is larger than the aperture at the end of the linkage rod, or could include a threaded member including a headed section to retain the linkage rod  56  to the locking jaw  58 . As shown, a peripheral section  94  of the locking jaw  58  is positioned adjacent to an opening  106  in the tubular member  52  so it can be moved from a position extending outside the periphery of the tubular member  52 , (FIG. 3) to a position extending inside the tubular member  52  by way of actuation of the pushbutton actuator  54  (FIG.  6 ). 
     With reference now to FIGS. 5 and 6, the operation of the telescopic device will be described in greater detail. With respect first to the open position shown in FIG. 6, it should be appreciated that with the push-button actuator  54  in the activated state, that is when the push-button is engaged such that the linkage rod  56  is fully extended, the locking jaw  58  rotates in a clockwise sense about the pivot pin  98  as viewed in the position of FIG.  4 . It should be appreciated that the locking jaw  58 , in this position, is not in engagement with the inside wall  50  of the outer tube member  40  and therefore due to the sliding fit between the inner and outer tubular members,  40  and  52 , of the upper support member and the vertical base portion  40 , the upper support member  26  can be moved to virtually any incremental vertical position telescopically, only being limited by the overlapping length of the tubular members  40  and  52 . However, with reference to FIG. 5, when the pushbutton  54  is disengaged, that is when the spring is allowed to move the pushbutton upwardly, thereby retracting the linkage rod  56  also upwardly, the locking jaw  58  rotates in a counter-clockwise sense, thereby bringing the outer peripheral surface  96  into engagement with the inner surface  50  of the outer tubular member  40 . It should be appreciated that due to the over-centered nature of the pin  98  and frictional engagement contact surface, that is the offset Y 1 , (FIG. 5) a downward vertical load on the bracket  28 , will cause the locking jaw  58  to tend to bite in further into the inner surface  50  thereby tightening the inner  52  and outer  40  tubular members together. It should be appreciated that the device as shown herein, shows an easy mechanism for adjusting the height of such support structures which can be moved through any virtual incremental number of vertical locations. 
     Also advantageously, shown in FIG. 7, the rack of the present invention can be positioned at different vertical heights for different articles of clothing, for example one side could be at one vertical height for such clothing articles as topcoats or raincoats while the opposite side could be used for short jackets, or shirts. So is the case even when fully loaded, as the actuator  54  is easily accessible to the user. The user can simply grasp the support member  24  with one hand, and depress the button  54 , and move the support member  54  upwardly or downwardly as is required for the display. To ensure that the hangers, and the clothing which they hold, does not slip off the brackets  28 , end caps  110  prevent such slippage.