Patent Publication Number: US-8528873-B2

Title: Rotary shelf system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 11/677,753 filed Feb. 22, 2007 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,922,016, which claims benefit to provisional application Ser. No. 60/775,717 filed Feb. 23, 2006. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a rotary shelf construction and assembly and, more particularly, to a fixed-post rotary shelf construction and assembly. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to improving the rotation and stability of fixed-post rotary shelf systems. 
     RELATED ART 
     Corner cabinets, e.g., corner kitchen cabinets, are common features in most houses or businesses. These cabinets offer significant storage space that is commonly difficult to access because of the depth or shape of the cabinet. Rotary shelving or “Lazy Susan” type shelving is often utilized to enhance access to the space contained within corner cabinets. Rotary shelves typically come in two types, rotating-post types and fixed-post types. With rotating-post types of rotary shelves, the shelf is fixedly attached to the rotating post to achieve shelf rotation within the cabinet. With fixed-post types of rotary shelves, the shelf is allowed to rotate around the fixed post to achieve shelf rotation. Each of these types of rotary shelves also commonly has a desired rest-position for the shelf. For example, a rest-position may be a position along the rotation of the shelf that is somewhat resistant to rotation and used to maintain the shelf at a particular location. Rest-positions are desirable, for example, for proper cabinet door positioning or simply to allow for a reference point for positioning or locating items on a shelf. 
     The fixed-post type of rotary shelf has historically had drawbacks. For example, they are either unable to rotate a full 360 degrees smoothly or without a bump at 180 degrees from the rest-position, or they are unable to adequately distribute the load of the shelf. Some, for example, in an effort to distribute the load of the shelf evenly, have constructed shelves that rotate on dual contact points. With this type of construction, shelves have a desired first rest-position, e.g., at 0 degrees, and an undesirable second rest-position or bump, e.g., at 180 degrees. This second “bump” disrupts operation and can cause items stored on shelves to topple during rotation. To address this problem, others have constructed shelves that rotate on a single contact point, which allows for only a single rest-position. These shelves, however, fail to evenly distribute the shelf load on both sides of the post, and thus lead to an unstable or un-level shelf. 
     It is to these, and other, problems that the present invention is directed. 
     SUMMARY 
     An object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide a rotary shelf that can rotate a full 360 degrees with only a single rest-position; 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a rotary shelf that rotates smoothly and in a substantially level position; 
     Still another object of the present invention is to provide a rotary shelf that rotates on dual contact points; 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide a fixed-post type of rotary shelf that rotates on dual contact points and that can rotate a full 360 degrees with only a single rest-position; 
     Still another object of the present invention is to provide a rotary shelf system that is easy to manufacture and install. 
     To summarize, one embodiment of the invention includes a shelf system for use with a post having an aperture. The system includes a pin having a head having a first circumference, and a body having a second circumference smaller than the first circumference. The body of the pin includes a portion configured to extend through the aperture of the post. The system also includes a collar configured to encircle the post and rest on the pin head and on the portion of the pin body extended through the post. 
     Certain embodiments of the invention are set forth in more detail below. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of one embodiment of the shelf system of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a partially exploded perspective view of the system shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a close-up exploded perspective view of part of the system shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is another close-up exploded perspective view of part of the system shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a close-up perspective view of the underneath side of the collar shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a close-up perspective view of the pin shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a close-up perspective view of a collar resting on a pin inserted into a post; 
         FIG. 8  is another close-up perspective view of a collar resting on a pin inserted into a post; 
         FIG. 9  is a close-up perspective view of the top of the collar shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a close-up perspective view of a shelf including a shelf hub; and 
         FIG. 11  is a close-up perspective view of another embodiment of a pin. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  show perspective views of one embodiment of a fixed-post type of rotary shelf. Rotary shelf  1  includes a base plate  4  configured to be mounted to the floor of a cabinet through mounting apertures  4   a  defined by base plate  4 . Post  12  is fixedly mounted to base plate  4 . A pair of shelf systems  2   a  and  2   b  are also shown. 
       FIG. 1  shows systems  2   a  and  2   b  as exploded along post  12 , while  FIG. 2  only shows system  2   b  as exploded. As seen, system  2  includes shelf hub  10  (shelf surface not shown to facilitate illustration of other components), collar  16 , and pin  18 . In some embodiments, the shelf system may also be considered to include post  12 . 
     In terms of assembly, post  12  may be mounted to a cabinet (not shown) through mounting plate  4 . Pin  18  may be inserted into an aperture (see  FIG. 3 ), and be secured simply by its own design. Collar  16  may be inserted into shelf hub  10 , and the combination may be inserted onto post  12 . Alternatively, collar  16  may be placed on post  12  and shelf hub  10  may be lowered down post  12  to engage collar  16 . After assembly, the shelf system will rest on pin  18  and resemble system  2   a  as shown in  FIG. 2 . Those of ordinary skill will recognize that mounting plate  4  will preferably be mounted to the interior floor of a cabinet, yet other embodiments of the present invention will work equally as well if mounting plate  4  is mounted, for example, to the interior top of the cabinet. Additionally, while one of the benefits of the present invention is its ability to operate smoothly with only one mounting plate, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other embodiments may use two mounting plates, e.g., a plate to attach to the internal floor of a cabinet and a plate to attach to the internal top of a cabinet. 
       FIGS. 3 and 4  show close-up perspective views of shelf system  2 . Shelf hub  10  is slidably and rotatably positionable on post  12  and defines recess  14  configured to receive and engage collar  16 . Collar  16  is slidably and rotatably configured to encircle post  12 , and is further configured to mount within recess  14  of hub  10 . While collar  16  is shown as separate from shelf hub  10 , those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that collar  16  could be integral with shelf hub  10 . 
     Pin  18  is configured to extend through aperture  12   a  of post  12 . Pin  18  has head  22 , body  24 , and body portion  24   a , which extends through post  12 . In this embodiment, pin  18  is configured to be self-securing by, for example, having at least one wing  26 , and preferably, as shown, a pair of wings  26 . Applicants have found that single wing embodiments can be self securing and provide some level of stability. These embodiments may, however, be difficult to insert into the aperture because torque generated by the single wing may disrupt the motion of the pin as it moves within the aperture. Applicants prefer a pair of wings because they have discovered that a pair of wings provides greater reduction of pin rotation within the post, provides greater stability during the rotation of the shelf, and allows for easy pin insertion into the post. Wings  26  attach at one end to pin  18  near or on head  22 . Wings  26  engage post  12 , for example, by being shaped to at least partially encircle post  12  when pin  18  is fully received by post  12 . The flexing nature of wings  26  may further secure pin  18  frictionally to post  12 . 
     In other embodiments, others may prefer non-self securing pins or may wish to secure their pins in other ways, or use a pin made of multiple parts. For example, some may desire to thread a pin head into a threaded aperture on one side of the post and thread a separate pin body portion onto another hole on the opposite side of the post or at another location on the post. Such embodiments are considered to be within the scope of the present invention. 
     Collar  16  is configured to rest on head  22  and portion  24   a  of pin  18 , preferably in a substantially level position, and even more preferably in an essentially level position.  FIG. 5  shows a close-up perspective view of the bottom or underneath side of collar  16 , and  FIG. 6  shows a close-up perspective view of pin  18 . As shown, collar  16  is substantially annularly shaped and includes an inner portion  16   a  configured to engage head  22  of pin  18 , and outer rim  16   b  offset from inner portion  16   a  and configured to engage portion  24   a  of pin  18 . Preferably, inner portion  16   a  includes an inner indent  17   a , and outer rim  16   b  includes an outer indent  17   b . Preferably, inner indent  17   a  is configured to engage head  22 , and outer indent  17   b  is configured to engage portion  24   a  of pin  18 . In the present embodiment, the outer indent is substantially opposite of the inner indent and is offset from the inner indent. As mentioned, the portion configured to engage the pin head is an inner portion of the collar, yet others may prefer other configurations. For example, others may prefer a collar having an inner portion configured to engage pin portion  24   a  and an outer portion configured to engage the pin head. Further, inner and outer indents, in some embodiments need not be positioned substantially opposite each other. The positioning of the indents may depend, for example, on the type, shape, or number of components of the pin used. All such variations are considered to be within the scope of the present invention. 
     The combination of inner indent  17   a , outer indent  17   b , and the configuration of pin head  22  and body  24   a  allow for a single rest-position for hub  16  as shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 . From the rest-position shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , collar  16  supported by pin  18  (and any attached shelf) can rotate around post  12  a full 360 degrees and return to the displayed rest-position without encountering a second rest-position or bump. Preferably collar  16  is supported at two points during substantially the entire rotation, and the entire rotation from the rest position is smooth, stable and level. Further, through the configuration of inner and outer indents, entry into the rest position and exit from the rest position are both smooth and stable 
     Referring back to  FIG. 5 , inner indent  17   a  has a first slope ma and outer indent  17   b  has a second slope nab. In the present embodiment, the two slopes are configured to allow collar  16  to smoothly and evenly exit, and return to, the rest position (e.g., as shown in  FIG. 7 ). Slopes of the indents may be different and may be selected, for example, to account for the difference in circumference of head  22  and pin portion  24   a . First and second slopes are preferably selected to allow hub  16  to move into and out of the rest position (e.g., as shown in  FIG. 7 ) with one uniform and level motion. For example, collar may lower or rotate into the rest position by allowing inner indent  17   a  to receive head  22  of pin  18 , which has a first circumference, at substantially the same time outer indent  17   b  receives portion  24   a  of pin  18 , which has a smaller circumference. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that slopes and indent depth may be varied, for example, depending on the various circumferences of pins used or depending on the desired stability of the rest position or amount of force required to rotate out of the rest position. All such variations are considered to be within the scope of the present invention. 
       FIG. 9  shows a close-up perspective view of the top of collar  16  of the present invention. Collar  16  includes various slots  30  defined in the collar or top surface of the collar.  FIG. 10  shows a perspective view of an underside portion of shelf  40  of the present invention. Shelf  40  includes shelf hub  10  (illustrated previously in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ) having recess  14  configured to receive and engage collar  16 . Fingers  14   a  are positioned within recess  14  and configured to engage slots  30  located on the top surface of collar  16 . In some embodiments, it may be preferable to position slots and fingers at irregular intervals or by staggering, such that collar  16  will only engage hub  10  in one orientation. In other embodiments, such positioning may not be desired. Further, while applicants prefer to construct the shelf and collar as separate pieces for reasons relating to molding and shipping, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that they could be a single piece within the context of the present invention. 
       FIG. 11  shows another embodiment of a pin  118  of the present invention. In this embodiment, pin head  122  includes a roller  122   a  configured to rotate with respect to pin body  124 . Wings  126  are fixedly attached at one end to body  124  and prevent pin-body rotation when pin  118  is inserted into the post. Portion of body  124   a  also includes another roller  124   b , which is also configured to rotate with respect to pin body  124 . Some may prefer rollers to reduce friction between the pin and the collar of the present invention. While two rollers are shown, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other embodiments of the present invention may include either roller  122   a  or roller  124   b.    
     From the preceding description, it can be seen that the present invention provides a system that meets all the advantages of related systems and offers additional advantages not heretofore achievable. With respect to the foregoing invention, the optimum dimensional relationship to the parts of the invention including variations in size, materials, shape, form, function, and manner of operation, use and assembly are deemed readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed herein. 
     The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of certain embodiments of the present invention. Numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, and it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described. The present invention is intended to be limited only by the broad scope of the appended claims.