Various styles of racks are available in the prior art, many of them relate to types of racks that have industrial application, such as for holding bottles, letters, or other components in a stacked relationship. Domestically, stackable and nestable racks have been available of a particular design, such as can be seen in the United States patents to Massoudnia, et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,035,335 and 5,152,407. These patents are owned by an assignee affiliated with the applicants herein. As can be seen in these prior patents, the shown racks are both stackable, one on top the other, and can be erected into multiple heights, and in addition, as when not in use, the racks are nestable, one on top of the other, so as to reduce their size when undergoing shipment, placed in storage, or when displayed for sale. The essence of these previous racks is to provide an upstanding handle, proximate each end of the rack, that furnishes clearance between the upper part of the handle, and the platform or surface formed of the rack, so that the turned foot of the supra-adjacent rack may engage in some manner with the raised handle, to provide for their securement, and hold together, when two or more of the racks are lifted, but likewise, to provide for securement of the racks together, when stacked.
Various other prior art embodiments for miscellaneous types of racks are available in the art, to provide for stacking of one rack upon the other, such as can be seen in the previous United States patent to Barbier, U.S. Pat. No. 2,814,390; von Stein, et al, U.S. Pat. No.4,079,836; Beach, U.S. Pat. No. 2,600,191; Pfeifer, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,785; Ondrasick, U.S. Pat. No.4,821,885; Cassel, U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,238; Chesley, U.S. Pat. No. 3,435,958; and, vanDerTog, U.S. Pat. No.2,975,906. The shelves and racks as shown in these prior patents are far more complex of construction than that of this current invention, in many instances, were designed for industrial purposes, and just do not lend themselves well for use for simplified application for domestic storage and stacking of household goods, or for use for organizing closets. The United States patent to Chap, U.S. Pat. No. 4,444,320, discloses a stackable shelf unit, it is not identified as a nestable type shelf, but it discloses how the bottom of the legs of the shown unit are bent inwardly, and downwardly, so as to locate through the surface for the shown shelf. But, while this shelf unit may stack, it is not identified as one which may be nested, and furthermore, even when a plurality of such shelf units are stacked, one upon the other, they will not hold together, because the bent leg portions will simply separate from any subjacent unit, by sliding free of the same when lifted.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds