Improvements in Metallic Fittings for Supporting the Shelves and Divisions of Book Cases and other like Shelves and Divisions.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Aug., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 14th May, 1897-Accepted, 19th June, 1897
Improvements in Metallic Fittings for Supporting the Shelves and
Divisions of Book Cases and other like Shelves and Divisions.
I HENRY GATT, of No. 150 King Street, in the City of Aberdeen, Ironmonger's
Manager do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention consists of the improved metallic fittings constructed and applied
as hereinafter described for supporting in their places the removable shelves of
book cases and other shelves, such as show case shelves and the like, the said
metallic fittings being used in place of the wooden strips supports or ledges
ordinarily employed for that purpose.
My improved metallic fittings may also be used for fixing the vertical divisions
between the shelves of book cases and other cases as hereinafter explained.
Metallic fittings constructed according to my invention for the purposes described
consist of trough shaped strips of sheet steel or other ductile sheet metal or alloy
of a length equal or nearly equal to the breadth of the sides or uprights of the
book or other case to which the removable shelves or divisions of the book case
are to be applied. The sides of the trough like strips are parallel and their ends
are preferably rounded or curved. The bottom of the trough is flat.
In using the trough shaped strips for supporting shelves, the said strips are fixed
to the sides of the book or other case by their flat bottoms, their open tops or
fronts being presented outwards so as to form groove like projections at the sides
of the book case into which grooved projections the edges of the shelves, by a
sliding motion, can be introduced. By the use of these fittings the shelves are
very steadily supported in their places and tilting of the shelves is prevented in
consequence of the bearing which the top and bottom edges of the shelves have
upon the fittings.
In using the improved fittings for fixing vertical divisions in book and other
cases, the strips are fixed with their sides vertically instead of horizontally as in
the case of shelves, and the top and bottom edges of the upright divisions are
engaged by a sliding motion with the trough like fittings at the middle or other
part of the two shelves. The trough like fittings may be fixed in their places
either by screws or nails passed through holes in the bottom of the trough or by
V shaped spikes pierced from the bottom and bent outwards at right angles to the
said botton. One or more spikes may be arranged at or near the ends of the
bottom of the trough; or they may be arranged at equidistant points on the bottom
of the trough. I do not however limit myself to the number or position of the
spikes nor to the methods I have described of fixing the metallic fittings in their
places.
I prefer to make the metallic fittings described by a stamping or raising process
but they may be made by a drawing or rolling process. In the latter case a long
strip is drawn or rolled and divided transversely into pieces of the required
ength.
Dated this Twenty-seventh day of August 1896
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Metallic Fittings for Supporting the Shelves and
Divisions of Book Cases and other like Shelves and Divisions.
I, HENRY GATT, of No. 150 King Street, in the City of Aberdeen, Ironmonger's
Manager, do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :--
My invention consists of the improved metallic fittings constructed and applied
as hereinafter described for supporting in their places the removable shelves of
book cases and other shelves, such as show case shelves and the like, the said
metallic fittings being used in place of the wooden strips, supports or ledges
ordinarily employed for that purpose.
My improved metallic fittings may also be used for fixing the vertical divisions
between the shelves of book cases and other cases as hereinafter explained.
Metallic fittings constructed according to my invention for the purposes described
consist of trough shaped strips of sheet steel or other ductile sheet metal or alloy
of a length equal or nearly equal to the breadth of the sides or uprights of the
book or other case to which the removable shelves or divisions of the book case.
are to be applied. The sides of the trough like strips are parallel and their ends
are preferably rounded or curved. The bottom of the trough is flat.
In using the trough shaped strips for supporting shelves, the said strips are fixed
to the sides of the book or other case by their flat bottoms, their open tops or
fronts being presented outwards so as to form groove like projections at the sides
of the book case into which grooved projections the edges of the shelves by a
sliding motion can be introduced. By the use of these fittings the shelves are very
steadily supported in their places and tilting of the shelves is prevented in
consequence of the bearing which the top and bottom edges of the shelves have
upon the fittings.
In using the improved fittings for fixing vertical divisions in book and other
cases, the strips are fixed with their sides vertical instead of horizontal as in the
case of shelves, and the top and bottom edges of the upright divisions are engaged
by a sliding motion with the trough like fittings at the middle or other part of the
two shelves. The trough like fittings may be fixed in their places either by screws
or nails passed through holes in the bottom of the trough or by V shaped spikes
pierced from the bottom and bent outwards at right angles to the said bottom.
One or more spikes may be arranged at or near the ends of the bottom of the
trough; or they may be arranged at equi-distant points on the bottom of the
trough. I do not however limit myself to the number or position of the spikes nor
to the methods I have described of fixing the metallic fittings in their places..
Figure of the accompanying drawing represents in isometric perspective a
book or other case provided with metallic shelf and division fittings constructed
according to my invention.
Figures 2 and 3 represent respectively in elevation and plan, a portion of a
metallic shelf or division fitting constructed according to my invention detached,
the said shelf or division fitting being provided with countersunk holes for the
fixing screws to pass through; Figure 4 represents a cross section of the same
taken on the line x, x Figure 2.
Figures 5 and 6 represent respectively in elevation and plan a portion of a shelf
or division fitting to be fixed by nails; Figure 7 is a section of the same the said
section being taken on the line y, y Figure 5.
Figures 8 and 9 represent respectively in back elevation and cross section a
metallic shelf or division fitting with spikes fixed thereto by riveting.

page_text: Figures 10 and 11 represent in front elevation and cross section respectively a
metallic shelf or division fitting the spikes of which are formed by a piercing aud
pressing operation.
Figure 12 represents in front elevation, Figure 13 in plan and Figure 14 in end
elevation a shelf or division fitting the fixing spikes of which are formed in one
piece with the shelf or division fitting and at the ends of the said fitting.
In carrying my invention into effect I form from strips of thin sheet metal,
preferably iron or steel, either by a stamping or raising process or by a drawing or
rolling operation, a channel or trough of the sectional figure represented in
Figure 4, the said channel or trough being made of the length of the fitting in
course of manufacture or being in a long continuous length which may afterwards
be divided transversely into pieces of the desired length. The ends of the side
webs are preferably rounded as is best seen in Figures 3, 6 and 13.
When the fittings are to be fixed by screws, countersunk holes a, a are made in
them as is represented in Figures 2 and 4, but when the said fittings are to be
fixed by nails small plain holes b, b are made in the strip as is represented in
Figures 5 and 7.
Or the strips may be provided with fixing spikes c, c, c, c (see Figures 8 and 9)
by riveting detached spikes thereto; or by piercing and pressing V shaped or
pointed pieces d, d, d, d from the bottom of the channeled strips as is represented in
Figures 10 and 11.
Or pointed ear pieces e, e (see Figures 12, 13 and 14) may be made at each end
of the channeled strip which ear pieces when bent back at right angles to the back
of the strip as is represented in Figure 13, constitute spikes by which the strip
may be fixed.
The channeled or trough shaped fittings are fixed to the vertical sides of book
and like cases when shelves are to be supported by the said fittings as is represented
at h, h, h, h. Figure 1, and when vertical divisions are to be retained in position the
said fittings are fixed to the top and bottom of the case or to the underside of one
of the shelves and to the bottoin of the case as is shown at i Figure 1.
The shelves or divisions are passed by a sliding motion between the two sides or
webs of the fitting as will be understood by reference to Figure 1.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declaro that I claim
as my invention :-
The improvements in metallic fittings for supporting the shelves and divisions of
book cases and other like shelves and divisions herein before described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawing, the said improvements consisting in
forming the said metallic fittings by a stamping or raising process or by a rolling
or drawing process of a trough or channel shaped figure for receiving the edges of
the shelves or vertical divisions the said channel or trough shaped fittings having
holes for fixing screws or nails to pass through or having spikes fixed on or formed
in one piece with the backs or ends of the said fittings substantially as described
and illustrated.