US890986A - Portable platform for filing-cases. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED' JUNE 16, 1'908.

A. JONES. PORTABLE. PLATFORM POR FILING CASES.

APPLICATION FILED APB. 1B. 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

wallllllllllfllwlllllfz/l:

v//Iall//l/l/l/A l Ill/11,111,111

M. lla

ms NcmRls PETERS co., wAsnlNGroqf, n, c,

PATE-NTED JUNE 1,6, 1908.

A. JONES.

PORTABLE PLATFORM FOR FILING CASES.

APPLIOATION FILED APR.8. 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET .2.

THE Norms PETERS co., WASH-msnm, n. c4

DUNI'IEIM) STATES .PATENT FFI..

ADDISON JONES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PORTABLE PLATFORM FOR FILING-CASES.

T o all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ADDISON JONES, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Platforms for Filing- Cases, of which the following is a specification.

Records, books and the like are frequently filed away in suitable cases or tiers of shelves which are arranged on opposite sides of an aisle. To econoniize space, the cases are frequently quite high, so that the records or books on the upper shelves cannot be reached from the floor except by climbing on the shelves, or using a ladder or the like. As the aisles are frequently quite narrow in order to economize space, it is inconvenient to employ a ladder between the shelves, and moreover, in order to reach different parts of the shelves the ladder must be constantly changed from one position to another.

The present invention provides an improved portable platform, together with means whereby it may be readily supported from the edges of two shelves on opposite sides of the aisle. r1`wo or more of these platforms may be used to support boards to form a supplemental floor between the top and bottom of the filing cases or tiers of shelves, and which may be changed or located at any desired height, so that ready access is afforded to the material upon the upper shelves. Means are also provided for securely but removably holding the platform in position, so that it may be readily changed about as desired.

The invention consists in the features of construction, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter set forth, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a view in vertical section on bline 1 1 of Fig. 2, of two 'filing cases or tiers of shelves to which the present improvement is applied. Fig. 2 is a plan section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged detail views with parts shown in section on the lines 3 3 and 4 4, respectively, of Fig. 2.

The filing cases or tiers of shelves illustrated, are arranged on opposite sides of an aisle a and comprise the series of shelves t, supported on the lon itudinal partition c and the transverse partitions d. The filing cases are thus divided into suitable storage corn- Speccation of Letters Patent.

Application led April 18, 1908.

Patented .Tune 16, 1908.

Serial No. 427,838.

partments. It will be understood that the invention may be applied to other forms of filing cases, since it may be readily used with any arrangement in which two tiers of shelves are arranged on opposite sides of an aisle. It is only necesary that the shelves on opposite sides of the aisle shall be correspondingly spaced, that is to say, that each two opposite shelves are at substantially the same height.

In accordance with the present invention a transverse portable platform e is employed, which is adapted to span the aisle a, and which is provided with suitable means whereby it may be detachably connected to the edges of two opposite shelves. A set of'two or more of these platforms e will be provided usually for each aisle, so that longitudinally extending floor boards f may be carried thereon, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 to form a supplemental floor intermediate the top and bottom of the filing cases or tiers of shelves. Supplemental flooring will form a temporary but secure sup ort for persons working with the materia on the upper shelves.

The portable platforms e, in the form shown, are formed of pieces of board and are preferably somewhat shorter than the width of the aisle a, so that they may be conveniently handled therein. The hangers which are connected to the opposite ends of each platform, and which are adapted to detachably engage or interlock with suitable parts at the edges of opposite shelves, are preferably in the form of round metal rods 10 bent to a U-shape as shown. These U-shaped hangers preferably extend beneath the opposite ends of each platform and are pivotally connected thereto by U-shaped metal clips 11, that are fastened to the boards by screws 12. The ends of the U-shaped hangers 1() are flattened and bent to form hooks 13, which are adapted to detachably interlock with suitable parts or supports at the edges of opposite shelves. These parts or supports in the construction shown, are in the form of tubular rods or pipes 14, that are secured in position at the edges of the shelves by U- shaped clips 15. The clips 15 are'fastened in place by screws 16, which extend into the edges of the vertical partitions d. The pipes or supporting rods 14 are, as stated, arranged at the edges of the shelves t and are spaced slightly apart therefrom by blocks or abutments 17 arranged within the U-shaped clips 15, and held in place by screws 18. These supporting rods extend the entire length of the aisle, as shown in Fig. 2, and are held against longitudinal movement by set screws 19, which are threaded through one or more of the clips 15, into engagement with the rods, as shown in Fig. 3. Preferably, also, the supporting rods are provided at their ends with cap pieces 20. (See Fig. 2.) It is unnecessary to provide supporting rods opposite the edges of the lowermost shelves in the filing cases, or opposite the edges of the uppermost shelves. The rods are, however, preferably arranged at the edges of all intermediate shelves as shown, so that the platforms e and the floor boards f may be suspended at any desired height.

By arranging the supporting rods 14 opposite the edges of the shelves l) they do not in any way interfere with the use of the shelves, or interfere with ready access to the material upon the shelves. By spacing the supporting rods a slight distance apart from the edges of the shelves the hooks 13 may be readily engaged and disengaged therefrom, and moreover, the hooks may be so shaped as to securely interlock with the supporting shelves. As clearly indicated in Fig. 3, the points at which the hangers 10 are pivotedto the platform e are closer together than the two opposite supporting rods 14, so that, in the operative position of the hangers, the ends thereof extend upwardly and outwardly from their pivotal points of connection with the platform, into engagement with the supporting rods 14, so that the platforms e and the floor boards j are securely held in position just below one of the shelves of each of the cases on opposite sides of the aisle. By pivotally connecting the hangers 10 to the platforms, the latter may be shorter than the width of the aisle and so conveniently handled and shifted from place to place. Moreover, by employing such pivoted hangers, they may be readily and securely engaged with the supporting rods 14 at any point in the aisle, even though vthe distance between the rods varies to a slight extent. Vhen not in use, the platform or platforms may be readily swung down out of the way against the face of one of the' cases, as indicated in the dotted lines in Fig. 1.

lt is obvious that numerous changes may be made in the details set forth without departure from the essentials of the invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is :H

1. The combination with tiers of shelves arranged on opposite sidesof an aisle, of a transverse platform and means for detachably securing the same to the edges of 0pposite shelves, substantially as described.

2. The combination with tiers of correspondingly spaced shelves arranged on opposite sides of an aisle, of a transverse platform having hooks at its ends, said shelvesv said platforms, substantially as described.

4. The combination with tiers of shelves arranged on opposite sides of an aisle, of a transverse platform having hook-like hangers pivoted to its opposite ends, said shelves Y having parts at their edges with which said hangers detachably interlock, said hangers extending upwardly from said platform into Vengagement with the parts at the edges of said shelves, substantially as described.

5. The combination with tiers of correspondingly spaced shelves arranged on opposite sides of an aisle, of a set of transverse platforms, hangers pivoted to said shelves and extending upwardly therefrom and having hooks at their upper ends, said shelves having parts at their edges with which said hooks detachably interlock, and one or more longitudinally extending floor boards carried on said scribed.

6. The combination with tiers of shelves arranged on op osite sides of an aisle, of a transverse plat orm shorter than the width of said aisle, and hook-like hangers pivoted to the ends of said platform, said shelves having parts at their edges with which said hangers detachably interlock, said hangers in operative position extending upwardly and outwardly from their pivot points into engagement with the parts at the edges of said shelves, substantially as described.

7. The combination with the tiers of correspondingly spaced shelves arranged on 0posite sides of an aisle, of a transverse platorm shorter than the width of said aisle, hangers pivoted to the ends of said platform, said shelves having parts at their edges with which said hooks detachably interlock, said hangers, in operative position extending upwardly and outwardly into engagement with the parts at the edges of said shelves, and one or more longitudinally extending Hoor boards carried by said platforms, substantially as described.

8. The combination with the tiers of correspondingly spaced shelves arranged on oposite sides of an aisle, of a transverse platform, U-shaped hangers pivoted to the ends of said Iplatform and having upwardly projecting ooks at their ends, and parts at the platforms, substantially as de- Atudinally extending Hoor boards carried by edges of opposite shelves with which said hooks interlock, substantially as described.

9. The combination with the tiers of correspondingly spaced shelves arranged on opposite sides of an aisle, of a set of transverse platforms shorter than the width of said aisle, U-shaped hangers pivoted to and extending beneath the ends of said platforms and having hooks at their ends, parts at the edges of opposite shelves with which said hooks interlock, said hooks extending upwardly and outwardly, in operative position, into engagement with said parts, and one or more longitudinally extending floor boards carried on said platforms, substantially as described.

l0. The combination with tiers of shelves arranged on opposite sides of an aisle, of supports secured in position at the edges of opposite shelves and spaced apart therefrom, and a transverse platform having hangers at its ends for detachably engaging said supports, substantially as described.

ll. The combination with tiers of correspondingly spaced shelves arranged on opposite sides of an aisle, of supports secured in position at the edges of opposite shelves and spaced apart therefrom, a set of transverse platforms having hangers at their ends detachably engaging said supports, and one or more longitudinally extending floor boards carried by said platforms, substantially as described.

12. The combination with tiers of correspondingly spaced shelves arranged on opposite sides of an aisle, of sup orting rods secured in position opposite tllfe edges of said shelves and spaced apart therefrom, a transverse platform, and hook-like hangers secured to the ends of said platform and arranged to detachably engage said supporting rods, substantially as described..

13. The combination with tiers of correspondingly spaced 'shelves arranged on opposite sides of an aisle, of supporting rods secured in position opposite the edges of said shelves and spaced apart therefrom, a set of transverse platforms, hook-like hangers pivoted to said platforms and extending upwardly therefrom and detachably engaging said supporting rods, and one or more longitudinally extending Hoor boards carried on said supports, substantially as described.

14. The combination with tiers of correspondingly spaced shelves arranged on opposite sides of an aisle, of supporting rods secured in position opposite the edges of said shelves and spaced apart therefrom, a transverse platform shorter in length than the width of said aisle, and hook-like hangers pivoted to the ends of said platform and extending upwardly and outwardly, in operative position, and detachably engaging with said supporting rods, substantially as described. f

l5. The combination with tiers of correspondingly spaced shelves arranged on opposite sides of an aisle, of supporting rods secured in position opposite the edges of said shelves and spaced apart therefrom, a set of transverse platforms shorter in length than the width of said aisle, U-shaped hangers pivoted to and extending beneath the ends of said platforms and having hooks at their ends extending upwardly and outwardly in operative position, and detachably engaging said supporting rods, and one or more longitudinally extending iioor boards carried by said platforms, substantially as described. ADDISON JONES.

Witnesses:

ELEANOR HAGENow, KATHARINE GERLACH.

Images