Patent Publication Number: US-2019174916-A1

Title: Shelf divider

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to an organizer for objects on a shelf and more particularly to a shelf divider which can be place on a shelf wherever objects can be arranged most conveniently on the shelf. 
     CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PRIOR APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority pursuant to 35 USC 119 of Canadian application no. 2,988,400 filed Dec. 8, 2017 in the Canadian Intellectual Property Office which application is incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Objects on a shelf normally relate to various subject matter and it is useful to be able to arrange the objects so that those relating to the same subject matter are located together and those relating to different subject matter are located elsewhere. Dividers consisting of upright panels of wood or plastic are commonly used for this purpose but they often lack the flexibility necessary to be very useful. Some are permanently attached to a shelf so that they cannot be moved to a location where objects on the shelf can be arranged more conveniently. The location of others while movable is often restricted to fixed locations and those locations may not be very convenient. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     I have invented a divider which can be located anywhere on a flat shelf. The divider can be attached to a shelf having any thickness within a given range and can be attached and detached quickly without any tools. The divider of my invention includes: a panel for separating objects on the shelf. The panel is attached to the shelf by means of a clamp and is provided with upper and lower jaws, the upper jaw being adapted to rest on top of the shelf while the lower jaw being disposed beneath the shelf. The lower jaw is provided with horizontal and vertical segments. The horizontal segment has inner and outer sections, the inner section being sloped downward toward the outer section and being adapted to contact the shelf while the outer section is disposed below and out of contact with the shelf and pivots upward about the upper jaw when a force is applied to it. The lower jaw is provided with a vertical segment having an upwardly extending groove. A row of teeth is movable upwardly and downwardly in the groove. Movement of the teeth causes the space between the upper and lower jaws of the clamp to increase and decrease. A detent is provided which is normally out of engagement with the row of teeth until an upward force is applied to the outer section of the lower jaw. The force causes upward movement of the outer section and resulting pivotal movement of the detent toward and into engagement with the row of teeth and resulting locking of the clamp to the shelf. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The adjustable divider of my invention is described below in conjunction with the ac-companying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the shelf divider; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the divider in conjunction with a pair of shelves spaced vertically apart; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a vertical segment of a lower jaw of a clamp and a row of teeth adapted to slide in a groove in the jaw; 
         FIG. 4  is an elevation of a the clamp and a portion of a shelf; 
         FIG. 5  is another elevation of the clamp in an inoperative position detached from a shelf; 
         FIG. 6  is an elevation of the clamp in an operative position; 
         FIG. 7  is an elevation of the clamp in the process of being disengaged from a shelf; and 
         FIG. 8  is an elevation of the clamp fully disengaged from a shelf. 
     
    
    
     Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the description of the drawings. 
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the adjustable shelf divider of the invention, generally  10 , is composed of an upstanding panel  12  for separating objects on a shelf  14 . At the outer edge of the panel, generally  12   a  the shelf divider is provided with a clamp, generally  16  for attaching the shelf divider to the shelf. 
     The clamp is comprised of upper and lower jaws  18 ,  20  respectively. Panel  12  is seated on the upper wall  18   a  of the upper jaw while on the lower wall  18 b of the jaw a pair of pads composed of soft material is provided for protecting the upper surface  14   a  of the shelf on which the jaw is seated. The outer end of the jaw is bent downward at  18   c  and serves as fulcrum for the lower jaw  20 , described below. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1 and 3 , the lower jaw  20  is composed of two segments, an upwardly extending so-called vertical segment  20   a  and a laterally extending so-called horizontal segment  20   b . The terms vertical and horizontal in this context are intended to indicate how these components of the lower jaw are oriented when the clamp is in normal use however should the shelf be tilted out of a horizontal position, these components will obviously not be oriented horizontally and vertically. 
     A raised wall  28  is formed on the vertical segment in which a groove  28   a  is formed. The groove serves as a passageway for a row of teeth  26  which is formed on the outer edge of panel  12 . The teeth are free to slide upwardly and downwardly in the groove unless they engage with a detent  30  on the inside wall of the groove. The detent functions to immobilize the teeth in the groove. 
     A stop  31  is provided at the upper end of the vertical segment of the lower jaw. The stop engages with the upper jaw for preventing the lower jaw from separating from the upper jaw. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 4 to 6 , the horizontal segment  20   a  of the lower jaw has inward and outward sections  21   a ,  21   b , respectively. The inner section  21   a  is adapted to contact the shelf as illustrated in  FIGS. 5 and 6  whereas the outer section does not, being prevented from doing so by the inner section. The outer section is accordingly below and out of contact with the shelf. 
     Operation of the Shelf Divider 
     The operation of the adjustable divider is illustrated in  FIGS. 3 to 7 . With reference first to  FIG. 3 , the two jaws are interconnected by inserting the row of teeth into the upper opening of the groove as indicated by the arrows and lowering the row of teeth in the groove. Next, the shelf divider is positioned adjacent to the outer edge of a shelf  14  as illustrated in  FIG. 4  and the lower jaw is pushed by hand upward in the direction of the arrow A until the inner section  21   a  contacts the lower surface of the shelf as illustrated in  FIG. 5 . 
     The outer section  21   b  of the lower jaw is then pushed further upwardly in the direction of arrow B in  FIG. 6 . As the vertical section rises the lower jaw being flexible pivots clockwise about fulcrum  18   c  of the upper jaw. The pivotal movement is in the direction of arrow C and as the jaw pivots, detent  30  moves into engagement with the teeth  26  as illustrated in  FIG. 6  and remains in engagement or is locked there because of friction and the downward pressure exerted by the detent on the teeth caused by the downward resilient bias of the lower jaw. The shelf divider is then firmly clamped to the shelf by virtue of the pressure on the shelf by the upper and lower jaws of the clamp. 
     With reference to  FIG. 7 , the adjustable shelf divider is removed from the shelf by grasping the vertical segment  20   a  of the lower jaw by pinching it. The vertical segment is then pulled outward and away in the direction of arrow D. The lower jaw being flexible yields to the pull and allows the detent to withdraw from engagement with the teeth. The vertical segment can then be separated from the teeth and lowered relative to the teeth to relieve the pressure on the shelf by the lower jaw. The shelf divider can then be removed from the shelf. 
     It should be noted that once the detent is engaged to the teeth, the bias of the lower jaw causes the detent to remain in engagement. It is only when an outward force is applied to the vertical segment of the lower jaw opposed to the bias that the detent will separate from the teeth. That force is applied in the direction of arrow D in  FIG. 7 . 
     The position of the detent and the row of teeth can be reversed from that in the previous figures as illustrated in  FIG. 8 . As illustrated, the teeth  40  are located in the groove in the vertical segment  42  of the lower jaw while detent  46  is formed in the outer edge of panel  12 . In that Figure, the teeth have been separated from the detent by pulling the outer vertical segment outward in the manner described above with reference to  FIG. 7  so that the lower jaw can be separated from the shelf. 
     It will be understood, of course, that modifications can be made in the adjustable shelf divider of the invention without departing from the scope and purview of the invention as set out in the attached claims.