Shelfandsupportarmassembly.docx

Shelfandsupportarmassembly.docx

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Shelfandsupportarmassembly

Shelfandsupportarmassembly

BACKGROUNDOFTHEINVENTION

（1）FieldoftheInvention

Thepresentinventionrelatestoawireshelfandsupportarmassembly.Inparticular,thepresentinventionrelatestoawireshelfhavingasupportsurfaceformedbyapluralityofspatiallyarrangedlongitudinalwires,andasupportarmdesignedtobesuspendedbeneaththeshelfmembertofacilitatetheattachmentoftheshelfandsupportarmtoaverticalsurface,anddesignedtobeattachedtodifferentembodimentsoftheshelfmemberhavingdifferentspatialarrangementsoftheirpluralitiesoflongitudinalwires.

（2）DescriptionoftheRelatedArt

Variousdifferenttypesofwireshelfassembliesareknowninthepriorart.Thesepriorartassembliestypicallyincludeashelfmemberconstructedofpluralitiesofcrisscrossingwires.Thetypicalshelfmemberiscomprisedofafirstpluralityofparallel,longitudinallyextendingwireseachhavingoppositefrontandbackendsandeachbeingsubstantiallythesamelength.Thefirstpluralityofwiresarearrangedsidebyside,withasetlateralspacingbetweenadjacentwires.Atleastonebackwireextendslaterallybeneaththebackendsofthelongitudinalwiresandissecuredtoeachofthepluralityofwires.Atleastonefrontwireextendslaterallybeneaththefrontendsofthepluralityoflongitudinalwiresandisalsosecuredtoeachofthefrontendsofthepluralityofwires.Theconnectionbetweenthelaterallyextendingfrontandbackwiresandthepluralityoflongitudinallyextendingwiressecuresthelongitudinallyextendingwiresintheirlaterallyspacedrelationship.

Inmanydifferentpriorartwireshelfmembers,thelateralspacingsbetweentheadjacentlongitudinallyextendingwiresoftheshelfmembersisdifferent.Typicallyhowever,thepluralityoflongitudinallyextendingwiresarespacedlaterallyfromeachotherbyoneinchorone-halfinchspacings.

Theshelfsupportarmsofpriorartshelfassembliesareusuallyformedaselongaterodshavingoneendconfiguredtobeattachedtoaverticalsupportsurface,andanoppositeendconfiguredtobeattachedtoaforwardportionoftheshelfmember.Inassemblingapriorartshelfandsupportarmassemblytoaverticalsupportsurface,therearwardedgeorbackwireoftheshelfmemberisusuallyfirstsecuredtotheverticalsupportsurface.Theshelfmemberisthenheldhorizontalwhilethesupportarmisconnectedbetweenaforwardportionoftheshelfmemberandtheverticalsupportsurface.Intheassembledrelativepositionsoftheshelfmemberandsupportarm,theshelfmemberissecuredtotheverticalsupportsurfacealongitsrearwardedgeorbackwireandprojectshorizontallyoutwardfromtheverticalsupportsurface.Thesupportarmispositionedatananglerelativetotheundersideoftheshelfmember,witharearwardendofthesupportarmbeingsecuredtotheverticalsupportsurfaceandaforwardendofthesupportarmbeingsecuredinsomemannertoaforwardportionoftheshelfmember.

Manypriorartwireshelfandsupportarmassembliesaredisadvantagedinthatthecomponentpartsoftheassembliesarenotinterchangeablewithotherassemblies.Inmanypriorartshelfandsupportarmassembliesthelateralspacingbetweenthepluralityoflongitudinalwiresformingthesupportsurfaceoftheshelfrequiresthatthespecificsupportarmdesignedforusewiththeshelfbeusedinassemblingtheshelfandsupportarmtoaverticalsupportsurface.Inmanyapplications,theforwardendofthesupportarmengagesbetweenapairofthepluralityoflongitudinallyextendingwiresandthereforeisspecificallydimensionedtobeusedwithashelfhavingaspecificlateralspacingbetweenthepluralityoflongitudinallyextendingwires.Inthesetypesofpriorart-shelfassemblies,asupportarmhavingaforwardenddimensionedtoengagebetweenadjacentlongitudinalwiresofoneshelfmaynotworkwithashelfhavingapluralityoflongitudinalwiresspacedatadifferentlateralspacing.Foramanufacturerwhoproduceswireshelvesofvarioussizesandwithvariouslateralspacingsbetweenthelongitudinalwiresofthedifferentshelves,thenecessityofproducingaspecificsupportarmforeachofthedifferentshelvesdrivesupthecostsofproducingthedifferentshelfandsupportarmassemblies.

Manypriorartwireshelfandsupportarmassembliesarealsodisadvantagedinthattheyarerelativelydifficulttoassembletoaverticalsupportsurface.Assemblyoftheshelftothesupportsurfacerequiresthattherearwardedgeorthebackwireofthewireshelffirstbesecuredtothesupportsurface.Theshelfisthenheldinahorizontalorientationwhilethesupportarmissecuredbeneaththeshelfbetweenaforwardportionoftheshelfandtheverticalsupportsurface.Thisusuallyrequiresonepersontoholdtheshelfinitshorizontalorientationwhileasecondpersonpositionsthesupportarmbeneaththeshelf,engagingaforwardendofthesupportarmwithaforwardportionoftheundersideoftheshelfandattachingtherearwardendofthesupportarmtotheverticalsupportsurface.

Whatisneededtoovercometheabovesetforthdisadvantagesofpriorartwireshelfandsupportarmassembliesisawireshelfandsupportarmassemblywheretheforwardendofthesupportarmisspecificallyconfiguredtobeusedwithavarietyofdifferentwireshelveshavingdifferentlateralspacingsbetweenthepluralitiesoflongitudinalwiresoftheshelves.Whatisalsoneededisasupportarmhavingaforwardendthatcanbereleasablyattachedtotheforwardportionofthewireshelfandsuspendedfromtheshelfastherearwardendofthesupportarmispivotedbacktowardtheverticalsupportsurfaceandattachedtothesupportsurface,therebyfacilitatingtheattachmentoftheshelfandsupportarmassemblytothesupportsurface.

SUMMARYOFTHEINVENTION

Thepresentinventionprovidesashelfandsupportarmassemblycomprisingawireshelfandasupportarm,wherethesupportarmisspecificallyconfiguredtofacilitatetheattachmentoftheassemblytoaverticalsupportsurface,andtoenablethearmtobeusedwithdifferentwireshelfmembers.

Theshelfmemberoftheassemblyisconstructedofpluralitiesofcrisscrossingwires.Theshelfmemberincludesafirstpluralityofparallel,spatiallyarrangedlongitudinalwires.Eachofthepluralityoflongitudinalwireshasoppositefrontandbackends,andeachhassubstantiallythesamelongitudinallength.Thepluralityoflongitudinalwiresarearrangedwithasetlateralspacingbetweenadjacentwires.Thelateralspacingisafirstgivendistanceforoneembodimentoftheshelfmemberandasecondgivendistance,onehalfthefirstdistance,forasecondembodimentoftheshelfmember.

Atleastonesupportarmisemployedintheassemblytosecureandsupporttheshelfmembertoaverticalsupportsurface.Thesupportarmisanelongatememberhavingoppositeforwardandrearwardends,withtherearwardendbeingconfiguredtobeattachedtotheverticalsupportsurface.Theforwardendofthesupportarmisformedwithapairofprojectinghookmembersspacedlaterallyfromeachother.Supportshouldersurfacesareformedontheforwardendofthesupportarmonoppositesidesofthepairofhookmembers,andonesupportshouldersurfaceisformedbetweenandseparatesthepairofhookmembers.Together,thepairofhookmembershaveaoverallwidthdimensionthatenablesthepairofhookmemberstobeinsertedbetweenadjacentlongitudinalwiresofthefirstembodimentoftheshelfmemberwhereadjacentlongitudinalwiresareseparatedbythefirstgivendistance.Eachoftheindividualhookmembershasawidthdimensionchosentoenabletheindividualhookmemberstobeinsertedbetweenadjacentlongitudinalwiresoftheshelfmemberinthesecondembodimentoftheshelfmemberwherethewiresareseparatedbythesecondgivendistance,onehalfthefirstgivendistance.

BRIEFDESCRIPTIONOFTHEDRAWINGS

Furtherobjectsandfeaturesofthepresentinventionarerevealedinthefollowingdetaileddescriptionofthepreferredembodimentoftheinventionandinthedrawingfigureswherein:

FIG.1isasideelevationviewoftheshelfandsupportarmassemblyofthepresentinvention;

FIG.2isapartialfrontelevationviewofafirstembodimentoftheshelfandsupportarmassemblytakenalongtheline2--2ofFIG.1;

FIG.3isapartialsideelevationviewoftheshelfandsupportarmassemblytakenalongtheline3--3ofFIG.2;

FIG.4isapartialsideelevationview,insection,oftheshelfandsupportarmassemblytakenalongtheline4--4ofFIG.2;

FIG.5isapartialsideelevationviewoftheshelfandsupportarmassembly;

FIG.6isapartialperspectiveviewshowingtheforwardendofthesupportarmoftheshelfandsupportarmassembly;and

FIG.7isapartialfrontelevationviewofasecondembodimentoftheshelfandsupportarmassembly.

DESCRIPTIONOFTHEPREFERREDEMBODIMENTS

Theshelfandsupportarmassembly10ofthepresentinventionisshowninFIG.1.Theassemblyisbasicallycomprisedofawireshelf12andasupportarm14employedinsupportingtheshelfinahorizontalorientationfromaverticalsupportsurface16.Inthepreferredembodimentsoftheinvention,theshelf12andsupportarm14arebothconstructedofmetalbutmaybeconstructedofothermaterials.

Theshelf12isgenerallycomprisedofpluralitiesofcrisscrossingwires.Atopsupportsurfaceoftheshelfisformedbyapluralityofparallel,spatiallyarrangedlongitudinalwires18.Eachofthelongitudinalwires18hasarearwardend20andaforwardend22.AsseeninFIG.1,theforwardends22ofthelongitudinalwires18are