Mirror And Stand Assembly

Abstract

This assembly comprises a rectangular framed article such as a glass-less mirror and a stand therefor comprising a pair of similar, symmetrical stand members having parallel bases with upstanding vertical stanchions slidably received in vertical guides attached by fasteners to opposite sides of the framed article, whereby the height of said article may be adjusted on the stand. The stand members may be pulled down and removed from the guides to disassemble the assembly for compact shipment or storage.

Description

This invention relates to a sliding article and stand assemblies.

An object of this invention is to provide an assembly of the character described comprising a stand having a pair of similar, symmetrically disposed stand members provided with parallel bases and upstanding vertical stanchions, and an article having vertical guides attached, by means of fasteners, to the lower ends of the outer side edges thereof to slidably engage said stanchions, whereby said article may be slidably adjusted in height on the stand member.

Another object of this invention is to provide an assembly of the character described in which said article is a rectangular frame member to which said guides are attached.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an assembly of the character described in which said framed member is a glass-less mirror.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an assembly of the character described in which each stand member has means to support said article in vertical selfstanding position to facilitate assembly.

A further object of this invention is to provide a strong and durable assembly of the character described which shall be relatively inexpensive to manufacture, which shall be easy to assemble and to disassemble, light in weight, easy to adjust for height and which shall yet be practical and efficient to a high degree in use.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope of invention will be indicated in the following claims.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembly embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 3--3 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a partial, vertical view perpendicular to the framed article showing said article in full lines in its lowermost position and in somewhat raised position, in dotted lines.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, 10 designates an assembly embodying the invention, comprising an article 11 removably supported in a stand 12 composed of a pair of similar, symmetrically disposed stand members 13. The article 10 is here shown in the form of a glass-less mirror having parallel side edges. Said glass-less mirror comprises a metal frame 15 of rectangular shape, each side having an outer wall 16 from which parallel front and rear flanges 17, 18, respectively, extend inwardly of the outer wall. The outer wall 16 has a continuous outer groove 18a formed with parallel side undercuts 19. Extending forwardly from the wall 16, at each side of the frame, is an overhang flange 20. A flexible plastic sheet 21 is attached to the frame 15, by means of a flexible strip 22 which presses the sheet into the groove 18a and into the undercuts 19 thereof, so that parts of the sheet contact the outer surface of wall 16 to provide a front sheet portion 25 in stretched condition. The sheet 21 may be a glass-less mirror with a layer of metal mirroring material at its inner surface. The sheet may be stretched by heat shrinking process. Glass-less mirrors of this type are disclosed in my copending U.S. Pat. applications Ser. No. 104,241 filed Jan. 6, 1971 and Ser. No. 212,066 filed Dec. 27, 1971.

A stiffening board 30 of polyurethane or other stiffening material may be received in the frame 15 between the flanges 17, 18 thereof.

Attached to the rear flanges 18 at each of the sides of the frame, and adjacent the lower end thereof, as by screws 31, are a pair of similar symmetrical guides 35. Each guide 35 comprises a single member preferably made as an extrusion and comprising a channel shaped portion 36 composed of a web 37 from the sides of which, curved outwardly bent-back flanges 38 extend, forming semi-cylindrical parallel vertical inwardly opening opposed grooves 39. Extending from web 37 at right angle thereto and offset from the middle of web 37 is a flange 40 formed with a pair of openings 41 through which the shanks of screws 31 pass. Flanges 40 contact the rear flanges 18 of the frame. The flange 40 of each guide is so located that when the guides are attached to said frame, the middle of wall 16, between the flanges 17, 19 is in a plane perpendicular to web 37 and passing through the web adjacent the vertical middle of thereof that said mirror is substantially centered with respect to said guide.

The channel shaped portion 36 is wider than the frame 15 and the channels 38 extend beyond said frame at opposite sides thereof. The guide is about 43/4 inches in length.

The screws 31 screw into threaded openings 45 in the flange 18 of the frame and screw into the stiffening board 30.

Each of the stand members 13 comprise a member 50 made of round wire stock of about three-sixteenths inches diameter, and comprising a bottom straight horizontal portion 51 about 14 inches in length from the ends of which vertical side portions 52 of about 13/4 inches height, extend upwardly. Extending inwardly from the upper ends of side portions 52 are aligned horizontal portions 53 terminating short of the midpoint of member 50, as at 54.

Welded or otherwise secured to each member 50 is an inverted U-shaped stanchion 55 comprising parallel vertical legs or portions 56 interconnected at the top by portion 57. Stanchion 55 contacts the inner side of member 50. The lower ends of parallel, vertical portions or legs 56 contact and are welded to portion 51 of member 50 at spaced points on opposite side of said portion 51. Said portions or legs 56 also contact and are welded to the inner ends 54 of aligned portions 53 of member 50. The distance separating legs 56 is such that said legs will slide into the grooves 39 of bent-back channels 38 with a friction fit. Such construction enables the glass-less mirror to be slidable up and down relative to the stand members 13.

On each base portion 51 are a pair of spaced, similar split sleeves 60 of rubber or rubber like material located near the ends of wire portion 51. Each split sleeve 60 has a flat horizontal undersurface 61 to contact a horizontal supporting surface. Extending from the surface 61 are upwardly converging surfaces 62 from which extend horizontal surfaces 63. Said rubber members 60 each has a cylindrical through opening 65 from which a vertical split 66 extends up to the top surfaces 63.

These sleeves 60 serve to prevent sliding of stands on the support surface and to hold the stands in a self-supporting vertical condition to facilitate assembly of the stands with the glass-less mirror or other vertical article slidably mounted on the stands.

In FIG. 1, the mirror is shown in its lowermost position. Said mirror can be slid up relative to the stands to raise the height of the mirror. The height of the stanchions, may be about 71/2 inches. The lower ends of the guides contact wire portions 53 of the bases when the article 11 is in its lowermost position. In such positions, the upper ends of the stanchions project above said guides about three-quarters of an inch. Hence, the stanchions project about 51/2 inches above the bases, to allow for about 41/2 inch rise in the position of the mirror while still being supported on the stand. Of course the adjusted position can be increased by making the stanchions taller. The bases can be longer and the guides can be longer if desired.

The guides and stanchions are preferably at least 4 inches in length to provide for a substantial height adjustment of the mirror.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which the several objects of this invention are achieved and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative.

Claims

I claim:

1. An assembly comprising an article having parallel side edges, a pair of guides, means for non-movably fixing said pair of guides to said pair of parallel side edges of said article, respectively, adjacent the lower ends thereof, a pair of stand members, in parallel planes perpendicular to the plane of said article, said stand members having vertical stanchions, said guides having means slidably, non-rotatably and frictionally engaging said stanchions, respectively, in spaced parallel relation to said side edges, and bases fixed to the lower ends of said stanchions and extending to opposite sides of the plane of said article, said article being supportable on said stand members in various adjusted vertical position of said guide means on said stanchions.

2. The combination of claim 1, said article comprising a frame, having an outer wall and a back wall, a flexible sheet, means to attach said sheet to the outer wall of said frame in spaced relation to the back wall of said frame, and said means for attaching said guides to said article comprising means to attach said guides to said back wall of said frame.

3. The combination of claim 2, said flexible sheet having mirroring material thereon and constituting a glass-less mirror.

4. The combination of claim 3, said frame having a groove at the outer side of its outer wall, and a flexible strip pressing portions of said sheet into said groove.

5. The combination of claim 1, the stanchion of each stand member extending centrally upwardly from the base of said member, each guide having inwardly opening channels for frictionally receiving portions of said stanchion.

6. The combination of claim 1, each stand member comprising a base member made of wire stock and having a bottom portion, portions extending upwardly from said bottom portion, and portions extending inwardly from said side portions, and a stanchion of wire stock and of inverted U-shape, having parallel vertical legs, the lower ends of said legs being fixed to said base member and said legs being slidably and frictionally received in one of said guides.

7. The combination of claim 6, and split sleeves made of rubber-like material on said bottom portions of said bases.

8. The combination of claim 7, said sleeves having bottom flat surfaces.

9. The combination of claim 1; said article comprising a frame having an outer wall and a pair of flanges extending inwardly of said flanges, said guides each having a flange contacting a flange of the frame and said means for attaching said guide to said article comprising means to screw said flange of said frame.

10. The combination of claim 9, each guide having a pair of inwardly opening channel grooves, and the stanchion of each stand extending upwardly from the base of said stanchion and frictionally and slidably received in said inwardly opening grooves of said guide.

11. The combination of claim 1, said stanchions projecting above said guides when said guides are in their lowermost positions on said stanchions.

12. The combination of claim 1, said guides being wider than the thickness of said article and extending beyond front and rear sides of said article.

13. The combination of claim 12, said article being substantially centered relative to said guides.

14. The combination of claim 1, each stanchion comprising an inverted upwardly extending U-shaped member having parallel vertical legs interconnected at the top, each guide comprising a member having inwardly opening grooves at the sides thereof frictionally and slidably receiving said legs.

15. The combination of claim 14, each guide and stanchion being at least 4 inches in length.

16. The combination of claim 1, said guides and stanchions being of substantially equal lengths.