Collapsible Bookcase

Abstract

A bookcase formed of cardboard-like material creased and folded to provide top, side and bottom walls with separate front wall and shelves, all held in assembled relation by a tubular member.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Various knockdown forms of containers such for instance as drawers, cabinets or the like, have been formed but seldom are these in a form for containing books either for storage or shipment. To ship books or transport them from place to place has heretofore been accomplished by utilizing conventional boxes which would only accommodate one row of library books at a time. This manner of shipping is time consuming and does not provide a temporary bookcase as might be desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A bookcase in the form of a cardboard container having a back wall with top and bottom walls reinforced by doubling the material on itself and locking the side walls in place by means of flaps extending therefrom is provided with shelving resting on the contained books while a front wall when shipping is desired may have a two-sectioned bottom to additionally reinforce the bottom wall and tie the front wall thereto so as to cover the entire open front of the case. Additionally a tube may be telescoped over the top of the case for locking all of the parts together and also reinforcing the package when shipping is desired. Shelves are provided by resting the shelf upon the books as they are stacked into the bookcase, the first shelf being positioned after the first lower row of books is inserted onto the bottom wall by placing a shelf on this row of books and then continuing to load a row of books upon this shelf and then position another shelf thereon and so on until the bookcase is filled.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a blank from which the body part of the bookcase is folded;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the front wall;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of one of the shelves;

FIG. 4 is a central sectional view of the bookcase in assembled position illustrating in dotted lines books which may be located on the shelves of the bookcase; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the tube which telescopes the bookcase shelf shown in FIG. 4 when the front wall is swung up into closed position .

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to the drawings 10 designates generally a blank from which the body part of the bookcase is formed. The blank is formed of cardboard-like material scored along the dotted lines shown to indicate where the folds occur at various parts of the body. The vertical back wall is designated generally 11 with score lines at 12 for the folding of the vertical side walls 13 to extend forwardly from the back wall 11. The side walls 13 are provided at their ends with flaps 14 at the top of the side walls and 15 at the bottom of the side walls. These flaps are folded along score line 16, 17 toward each other and overlap at their center portion where the section of FIG. 4 is taken.

A bottom wall is folded along the score line 20 and is provided in two sections 21 and 22 with a score 23 between them, and this is folded to extend along the lower surface of the two folded-in flaps 15 (FIG. 4) and then over the outer edges of these flaps as at 24 and then inwardly as shown in FIG. 4 at 22. A top wall is folded along the score line 24 and provided with two sections 25 and 26 folded along the score line 27. This top wall embraces the flaps 14, as shown in section in FIG. 4, by first extending over the upper surface of these flaps 14 and then being folded about the edge as at 28 with the section 26 extending inwardly to envelop the two portions or flaps 14. Tabs 29 on the edge of the section 26 may extend through the slots 29' in the back wall 11 so as to lock this portion of the top wall in place.

A front wall shown in FIG. 2 is designated generally 30 and comprises a portion 31 scored as at 32 at its lower edge to provide a bottom flange having sections 33 and 34 on either side of score line 35. These lower two sections are interleaved with the sections 22 and 15 of the bottom wall shown in FIG. 4 so as to hold this front wall in position at its lower edge. Another score line 36 provides a flap 37 which may be tucked in below the section 26 of the top wall to also hold the upper edge in place.

Books such as shown in dotted lines at 40 may be loaded into the bookcase on the assembled bottom wall as shown in FIG. 4 and then a shelf 41 laid on these books and additional books 42 placed in position when a further shelf 41 may be positioned on these books 42 and additional books 43 positioned and a shelf 41 positioned on these books and so on until the case is filled.

It will of course be understood that if the bookcase is to be used in the form shown in FIG. 4 and just described the front wall will be unnecessary. However, in assembling the books in place it may be desirable to have some sort of a support as at 45 positioned along the back wall and in engagement with the bottom wall and the section 26 of the top wall so as to prevent the top wall section 26 from dropping down in position to interfere with the placing of the books in the bookcase.

If it is desired to ship the bookcase with the books therein, a telescoping sheath designated generally 47 of a size to envelop the bookcase and its front wall as a whole may be provided. Thus there will be formed a back wall 48 of the sheath, front wall 49 and side walls 50 which may be formed into a tube and provided with some sort of adhesive tape or the like 51 to hold the same assembled. This may be easily slipped over the bookcase shown in FIG. 4 when the front wall is closed and will be of a size to retain the books in the bookcase and the front in its closed position.

Claims

I claim:

1. A collapsible bookcase comprising a member of cardboard-like foldable material having a one piece back wall, side walls folded from the back wall to extend forwardly therefrom, flaps on the upper and lower edges of the side walls folded therefrom and extending toward each other, top and bottom walls folded from the top and bottom edges of the back wall and each in two sections folded with relation to each other through substantially 180.degree. and extending about and over the outer and inner surfaces of the said side wall flaps and shelves of a length substantially the distance between the side walls for resting on the books contained on the bottom wall and on each shelf above it, a front wall of substantially the size of the back wall with a flap of two sections folded upon itself and interleaved with the sections of the bottom wall.

2. A bookcase as in claim 1 wherein the front wall has a flap at its upper edge to tuck in below the top wall.

3. A bookcase as in claim 1 wherein a tube of substantially the entire length of the structure telescopes the structure.

4. A bookcase as in claim 1 wherein a front wall of substantially the size of the back wall has a flap of two sections folded upon itself and interleaved between a section of the bottom wall and a flap of a side wall.

5. A bookcase as in claim 1 wherein a front wall of substantially the size of the back wall has a flap of two sections folded upon itself and interleaved between a section of the bottom wall and the flaps of the side walls.