US 5,458,248 · Granted 1995-10-17
The Modular Shelf Rack That Lets You Rearrange Everything
Imagine a shelf system where the base is made of separate pieces that can slide around to hold items of different sizes. Instead of being stuck with fixed shelves, you can adjust sliding rims that rest in grooves on each piece, letting you customize the storage space to fit whatever you're displaying.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a display rack with a base made of multiple side-by-side elements, each with specially shaped edges designed to hold at least one sliding rim. What's protected here is the specific design of how these elements fit together and how the rim slides along them to create adjustable storage compartments for objects of varying widths.
Why it matters
This patent protects a practical solution to one of retail and home storage's oldest problems: rigid shelves waste space when you need to display items of different sizes. By making the rim sliding rather than the shelf itself, the design simplifies manufacturing and allows retailers and consumers to reconfigure the display without tools or expertise, potentially reducing waste and increasing shelf life.
Real-world use
You'd encounter this system in retail displays holding everything from shoes to books, or in home shelving units where you want to adjust compartments without removing everything and starting over.
Original USPTO abstract
Display rack for shelves comprising a base designed to constitute a storage plane for objects of various widths. The base is composed of a plurality of juxtaposed elements and at least one sliding rim. Each of the juxtaposed elements comprises a first edge and a second edge formed in such a way that they can accommodate the sliding rim.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 5,458,248
- Filing date
- 1993-12-13
- Grant date
- 1995-10-17
- Assignee
- George S.A.
- Inventor(s)
- ALAIN; FRANCOIS
- CPC class
- A47F5/005
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