US3033632A - Collapsible bar - Google Patents

Description

M FELTEN COLLAPSIBLE BAR 7 May 8, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 25, 1959 INVENTOR.

May 8, 1962 M. FELTEN 3,

COLLAPSIBLE BAR Filed Sept. 25, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,033,632 COLLAPSIBLE BAR Major Felten, Galisteo, N. Mex. (P.O. Box 2233, Santa Fe, N. Mex.) Filed Sept. 25, 1959, Ser. No. 842,369 4 Claims. (Cl. 312-4402) The present invention relates to bar structures suitable for serving beverages and foods, and particularly to collapsible bars.

It is an object of the invention to provide a collapsible but unitary bar structure of the type disclosed in United States Patent No. 2,764,462 and which is characterized by several improvements, including (1) greatly improved appearance in that the structure in use has the appearance of a piece of solid (noncollapsible) cabinet work, (2) marked ease of manual manipulation to effect collapse of the structure, without destroying its unitary character, to exceedingly small compass for storage or transportation and to expand the structure from collapsed to expanded form, (3) provision of means for holding parts of the collapsed structure against relative movement and marring of finished surfaces and (4) low production cost.

Further objects of the invention incidental or ancillary to those already stated include 1) the provision of novel, low cost and nearly invisible hinge structures for connecting together the three upright walls of the bar, and (2) the provision of improved fasteners for disengageably connecting the side walls of the bar to its interior shelf to hold the side walls and shelf in their operative positions in relation to each other and to the bar front wall, the fasteners being susceptible of engagement and disengagement by a simple unidirectional movement of the shelf in relation to the side walls, and the construction of the fasteners being such that their connecting parts, respectively connected to the shelf and side wall elements of the bar, do not necessitate highly accurate location of said elements and such that they are susceptible to low production cost, and (3) provision of simple means for securing the side walls of the collapsed bar against pivotal movement relative to its front wall.

With the foregoing objects in view the invention consists in various features of construction, combination and arrangement which will later hereinafter be specifically set forth in claims following a description of specific preferred embodiments of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a bar embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a right side elevation of the bar.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the bar.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary plan view showing the im proved hinge means attached to the front wall and a side wall-of the bar as used at left top and right bottom front corners of the bar.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to that of FIG. 4 but showing the improved hinges as used at the right top and left bottom front corners of the bar.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the hinge shown in FIG. 4 but showing the bar side wall swung 270 degrees to its collapsed position.

means for securing the collapsed side walls of the bar against movement relative to the front Wall.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary vertical section on the line 1010 of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a right side elevation of the bar in its collapsed state.

FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 are fragmentary front and right side elevations showing a modified form of the hinges for connecting the side Walls to the front wall of the bar, the hinge shown being for the top right corner of the bar.

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing an alternative form of the fastener device shown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 15 is a face view of the headed stud element of the fastener shown in FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is an outer side elevation of the slotted element of the fastener device of FIG. 14.

Referring now in detailto the structures shown in the drawings, and first to FIGS. 1 to 11, inclusive, the bar illustrated has five main parts, namely, front, left side and right side walls designated generally by numerals 1, 2 and 3, respectively, a top or counter generally designated by numeral 4, and an interior shelf 5. As shown, the front and side walls of the bar are of panel construction having strong solid wood rectangular frames 1a, 2a, and 3a, respectively, which are rabbeted on their inner sides to receive relatively thin plywood panels 1b, 2b, and 3b, respectively, so that the inner surfaces of the walls (frame and panel) are desirably flush and smooth. This construction, in addition to having the handsomeness of panel construction, reduces the weight, which is highly desirable in a collapsible and portable structure. The bottom edges of the front wall 1 is relieved at 1c to secure its engagement with a floor-supporting surface only at points adjacent the front corners of the bar.

The counter 4 comprises abody 4a preferably formed of plywood and a solid Wood raised edge member 4b of partially circular cross-section rabbeted to overlie the edges of the body 4a.

The shelf 5 is preferably formed of plywood.

In order to attain the previously noted objects of the present invention novel means are provided for interconnecting the parts of the bar in a manner permitting collapse of the structure; and these interconnecting means will now be described.

To provide for a swinging movement of the side walls 2 and 3 from their normal positions, extending rearward at right angles to the rear surfaces of the front wall, to positions in which their outer surfaces are parallel and adjacent to the front surface of the front wall, use is made of specially devised hinges which perfectly provide for such movement and have the advantage of being practically invisible when the bar is in use. As shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 these hinges are in two forms which are generally designated by numerals 10 (FIG. 4) and 11 (FIG. 5).

Hinge 10 comprises a pair of elongated .fiat metal leaves 10a and 10b which have counter-sunk holes to receive flat-head securing screws, Each leaf at one end has a lateral extension apertured to receive a pivot pin 10c disposed in suitable laterally offset relation to the longitudinal axis of the leaf. The leaves are preferably of a width equal to the thickness ofthe frame elements of the front and side walls of the bar and these elements, at the four corners of the front Wall and at the two front corners of each side wall, have their top and bottom edges recessed to receive a leaf of one of the hinges. The hinges 11, with their parts 11a, 11b and 110, are like the hinges 10 except that the screw holes are counter sunk on the opposite sides of the leaves. Hinges 10 are applied to the upper left and the lower right front corners of the bar and hinges 11 are applied to the upper right and lower left front corners. As shown in the drawings the hinge leaves attached to the front wall 1 are, at the top corners, below the leaves attached to the side walls and, at the bottom corners, above the side wall leaves. FIG. 6 shows hinge 10 after a swinging movement of the left side wall 3 through 270 degrees from the normal position, at right angles to the rear surface of front wall 1, to a position parallel to the front surface of wall 1.

The counter 4 of the bar is connected to the top of front wall 1 by a plurality of conventional flat leaf hinges 12, 12 which are screw-attached, as shown in FIG. 7, to the under side of the counter and the inner side of front wall 1 with a slight clearance at 13 to permit the counter to swing upward a little from its horizontal position as well as downward to a vertical position.

Shelf is pivotally connected adjacent its two ends to the inner surfaces of the vertical frame members of the front wall by means of conventional hinges 14, 14. The hinges are attached to the shelf in a manner to provide a clearance at 15 (FIG. 7) permitting the shelf to swing upward substantially from its normal horizontal position and downward to a vertical position,

The shelf 5 is normally secured in its horizontal position by a pair of novel fastening means generally designated by numeral 16 and operatively interposed between the ends of the shelf and the adjacent side walls of the bar (FIG. 8). Each of the fasteners 16, 16 comprises an element 17 formed of strap metal apertured for screws which secure it to the under side of the shelf and having a part 17a extending downward below the shelf and formed with an inwardly bent tip 17b. The fastener also comprises an element 18 formed of strap metal and having a part apertured for screws which secure it to the inner side of the adjacent bar side wall which is recessed as shown to receive the apertured portion of the element flush with the inner surface of the wall. The lower part of element 18 is bent upward to form an upwardly open slot 18a designed to receive part 17a of the other fastener element 17 with the horizontal part of the latter resting on the upturned end of element 18 to support the shelf in its horizontal position. The said upturned portion of element 18 is curved outward (toward the bar side wall) at 18b just below its free end so that when shelf 5 is moved downward to its horizontal position the tip 17b of element 17 engages the curved surface 18b causing the upstanding end of element 18 to resiliently yield inward and permit element 17 to move to its closed position shown in FIG. 8. When the fastener is disengaged by upward movement of the shelf the engagement of curved part 18b with tip 17b offers yieldable resistance which tends to prevent accidental disengagement and also normally maintains the fastener elements in tight mutual engagement.

It will be noted that the two elements 17, 18 of the fasteners 16 are of very simple construction and susceptible of production at low cost. Also, since the only mutually engaging surfaces of the two elements are perpendicular to the front wall of the bar it is not necessary that the elements be accurately mounted at the same distance from the front wall. This further reduces production cost.

To secure the side walls 2 and 3 fixedly in their folded positions in relation to the front wall 1, the latter has its upper edge recessed at 1d and 1e and the side walls 2 and 3 are correspondingly recessed at 20 and 30 (FIG. 9) to receive the hooks 19 and 20 which are pivotally secured by screws 21 and 22 to wall 1 and can be moved from their normal positions (exemplified by hook 19) to their active positions (exemplified by hook 20) engaging screws 23 and 24, respectively, mounted in walls 2 and 3. The screws 21 and 22 are set to frictionally hold the hooks rather firmly in any position to which they may be moved, and the parts of the hooks engaging screws 23 and 24 are shaped to resist movement of walls 2 and 42 3 both toward and away from wall 1. These hook devices thus serve to hold the side walls in their folded positions approximately parallel and closely adjacent to, but out of contact with, the front wall of the bar and thus prevent marring of the normally exterior surfaces of the three walls.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the bar can readily be collapsed from its normal state shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 7 to its compactly folded state, which is shown in FIG. 11. The person. doing this, standing at the back of the bar, first lifts the rear edge of shelf to disengage fasteners 16. This permits the side walls to be swung outward a little so that the shelf can be lowered to a vertical position. Then, with the rear edge of the counter 4 lifted slightly, the side walls, first one and then the other, are swung further outward into alignment with the front wall, whereupon the operator lowers the counter to its vertical position. The side walls are then moved into their fully collapsed positions and secured by hooks 19 and 20. The entire operation is easily performed'by one person without moving the position of the front wall on the floor and without leaving his position at the rear of the bar. The unfolding of the bar also is easily performed. The operator, again standing to the rear of the front wall, first swings the side walls in succession to positions in alignment with the front wall. The counter is then lifted slightly above its horizontal position while the side walls are swung backward to positions a little short of perpendicular to the front wall. Then, with the counter supported on the side walls, the operator lifts the shelf somewhat higher than its normal horizontal position and, while holding it in such upwardly inclined position, first by one hand and then the other, he successively moves the end Walls into contact with the element 17 of the fasteners 16 and can then, by a pure downward swinging movement of the shelf from any position above its horizontal position, effect simultaneous engagements of the two fasteners 16, 16.

It will be apparent that the hinges 10 and 11 connected to the top and bottom edges of the front and side walls not only constitute strong and effective pivotal connections between the walls but also are practically invisible when the bar is in use. This is due partly to the slender edge lines of the hinge elements closely paralleling the edges of the walls but also, in the case of the top hinges, the overhang of the counter makes the hinges less visible. In the case of the bottom hinges the slight projection of the pivot parts of hinge structures have the effect of metal floor-engaging supports and do not suggest their hinge function.

It is believed that the foregoing description of the construction and functioning of the shelf and side wall fasteners 16 sufficiently indicates the advantages secured by them both as to their ease of functioning and their low cost.

The panel type of wall construction preferably used in the bar is particularly advantageous because, in addition to enhanced appearance, its lower weight is very advantageous in a collapsible and portable structure. The collapsed bar with a 19" x 45" counter and height of 41",

even when made with solid mahogany frames and mahogany veneer panels can be carried by a man under one arm by grasping the bottom (rear) edge of the counter.

While the embodiment of the invention is such as is presently preferred, it should be understood that substantial advantages of the invention can be ealized by use of modified forms of the construction or parts thereof. For example, the form of the edge-attached hinges connecting the walls of the bar can be modified as in FIGS. 12 and 13. Here, with a hinge generally designated by numeral 25 and suitable for top right and bottom left corners of the wall structure, the top (or bottom) edge of the front wall 1 is recessed to receive a leaf 25a bent as shown in FIG. 12, while the adjacent vertical edge of side wall 2 is recessed to receive the upright arm of a leaf 25b bent at right angles and having its horizontal arm connected by pivot pin 26 to leaf 25a.

By way of further example, FIGS. 14, and 16 show a modified form of the fasteners interposed between the shelf 5 and the two side walls 2 and 3 of the bar. In the modification, designated generally by numeral 27, the element 28 screw-attached to the side Wall comprises a base plate 28a and a headed stud 28b rigidly attached to the plate, while the other element 29 screw-attached to the end of the shelf is a strap metal body having a fiat part 29a underlying the shelf and an upstanding part 29b of inverted-U form with one arm abutting the end of the shelf and the other arm formed with a key-hole slot 290, open at its lower end to receive the neck of stud 28b. The slot is made with a minimum width a little less than the diameter of the stud and flaring to greater width at its upper end and at its lower open end, as shown in FIG. 16. Thus when the fastener is engaged, in the manner explained in connection with the operation of erecting the bar, the engagement of the stud 28b with the slightly narrower slot 290 necessitates resilient yielding of the metal of element 29 and offers yielding resistance to the engagement of the fastener; and a similar action occurs when the fastener is disengaged. Thus the action of fastener 27 is similar to that of fastener 16, but the latter is preferred because of its lower cost of manufacture and mounting.

Without further particularization, it will be understood that the claims which follow are not limited to the structures herein disclosed but also cover all equivalents thereof to which their language is applicable.

What is claimed is:

1. A collapsible bar comprising normally upright front, left side and right side floor-engaging walls; a normally horizontal counter; hinge means connecting the left side wall and the right side wall to the front Wall adjacent its left and right edges, respectively, the said hinge means for each side wall consisting of a pair of hinges respectively positioned at the tops and bottoms of the two walls they connect and each hinge comprising an elongated leaf attached to a horizontal edge of the front Wall, an elongated leaf attached to an adjacent edge of the side wall with adjacent horizontal end parts of the two leaves disposed in mutually overlapping relation and, in the case of the bottom hinge, at substantially the level of the floor-engaging bottom edges of the front and side Walls, and an upright pivot pin extending through and connecting the overlapping leaves of each hinge and disposed to permit the side wall to swing around the pin axis from its normal position back of and at right angles to the front wall to a position parallel and adjacent to the front surface of the front wall; a counter hinged to the front wall in position to overlie fully the top edges of the front and side walls and their top connecting hinges and, when the side walls are swung from their normal positions as aforesaid, being swingable from its normal horizontal position to a position parallel and adjacent to the rear surface of the front wall; and means for disengageably securing the two side walls of the bar in their normal right-angle relation to its front wall.

2. A bar as claimed in claim 1 of which the hinges connecting the front and side walls have all of their leaves connected to the normally horizontal edges of the said walls. I

3. A bar as claimed in claim 1 in which each of the hinges has its leaf which is attached to a bar side wall bent transversely at right angles with one arm of the angle attached to the adjacent front edge of the side wall and its other arm overlapping the other leaf of the hinge and pivotally connected to it.

4. A bar as claimed in claim 1 in which the means for securing the two side walls of the bar in position at right angles to its front wall comprise a normally horizontal shelf hingedly connected directly to the rear surface of the front wall well below the top edge of said wall in position to swing upward from its said normal position and also downward to a position parallel to the front wall of the bar together with fastening means operable when the shelf is in its horizontal position to secure the left and right walls of the bar to the left and right ends, respectively, of the shelf.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,118,170 Zaweracz Nov. 24, 1914 1,151,781 Goddard Aug. 31, 1915 1,891,157 Heuer Dec. 13, 1932 2,411,620 English Nov. 26, 1946 2,527,403 Davis Oct, 24, 1950 2,764,462 McDonald Sept. 25, 1956 2,806,754 Abeles Sept. 17, 1957 2,808,305 Jackson Oct. 1, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 9,550 Switzerland Jan. 14, 1895 604,344 Great Britain July 1, 1948

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