US1801315A - Bench construction - Google Patents

Description

P. L. MOKEE 1,801,315

BENCH CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 23, 1927 P/wag; ZJfc/ree,

Patented Apr. 21, 1931 PHILIP L. MGKEE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS BENCH CONSTRUCTION Application filed December 23, 1927. Serial No. 242,274.

My invention relates to an improved bench construction for a greenhouse.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a bench in which the greenhouse heating pipes are supported directly from the concrete legs of the bench and wherein the woodwork and cross pieces constituting the upper portion of the bench are assembled upon and detachable from the legs, and without disturbing the pipe supports.

Still another object of my invention resides in an improved construction of this type wherein the pipe supports are detachably mounted on the concrete legs and in a manner which permits of the free expansion and contraction of the pipes and without disturbing their mounting.

Yet another obj ect of my invention resides in providing a special construction for the top portion of the concrete legs upon which the cross pieces are supported whereby water is drained away from the woodwork and whereby the cross pieces are prevented from rotting.

Still another object of my invention resides in the special construction for the top pieces of the concrete legs and so as to freely and swingingly support the iron brackets for the heating pipes and to permit the wooden cross pieces to hold the brackets in position.

These and other objects of my invention will be apparent from a perusal of the following specification when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein- Fig. 1 is a view from the end of my improved bench construction;

Fig. 2 is a side view thereof;

. Fig. 3 is an end view showing a modified construction Fig. 1 is a detailed View of the drain grooves and bracket-holding grooves on top of one of the concrete pillars;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of Fig. 4E; and

Fig. 6 is a modification of the construc tion as shown in Fig. 4.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, my improved bench construction comprises a plurality of concrete pillars 2 of any desired shape or size, preferably of the shape shown in the drawings. These pillars are provided on their upper portions with a plurality of transversely extending grooves 4; which are inclined in an angle horizontally so as to drain the water from the tops of these portions. In the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 5, the grooves 4 are arranged in the form of a cross meeting at a central portion 6 which is at the highest elevation so that the water will drain downwardly from the central point; whereas in Fig. 6 the grooves 8 are arranged to drain from one side of the pillar to the other. If desired, only one set of the grooves may be used.

These grooves have a two-fold function: that of forming a guideway or cradle for swivelingly receiving preferably an inverted U-shaped iron bracket or support which holds the heating pipe on the pillar proper, and

that of draining the water away from the upper surface of these pillars whereby to prevent water from gathering beneath the wooden cross pieces which support the superstructure of the bench, and thereby prevent the rotting of these wooden parts.

The brackets for supporting the heating pipes are either as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings or, alternately, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. Each bracket comprises a rigid bar preferably of round cross section, but not necessarily, and formed with a main depending arm or leg terminating in a lowermost curl or cradle 12. Each bracket is also provided at its top portion with a transverse bend extending at right angles to the depending arm and having a shorter depending arm or leg 16 running substantially parallel to the longer depending arm or leg. By means of this construction the curved outer portion of the bracket is adapted to fit into the cross groove 1 on the top portion of the pillar, the shorter arm 16 serving to hold the longer arm in depending position so as to receive in the cradle portion 12 the heating pipe 18.

It will be observed that from this construction the pipe 18 is detachably held in position by means of this bracket on the pillar and that it is so mounted irrespective and two sets of pipe may be independent of the superstructure comprising the cross pieces or beams 20 and the bencn part proper 21. Inasmuch as grooves 4 are provided with centrally raised portions at the junction of the grooves and since these grooves are somewhat wider than the top portion 14 of the bracket arm, the longer depending arm of the bracket which has the curl or cradle on its lowermost end and which carries the pipe 18, is free to swing laterally and provides a swivel mounting. This swivel mounting provides swinging movement of the bracket which is necessary to accommodate the longitudinal expansion and Contraction of these heating pipes, and this feature is most important and advantage ous,

The present invention provides a greenhousebench construction whereby a plurality of concrete pillars are arranged in proper relationship. These pillars each have grooves extending across the top thereof in both directions. A bracket is arranged in a groove of each pillar and is supported by the pillar.

The bracket comprises a substantially U- shaped member having downwardly extending legs, one leg extending downwardly from opposite sides of the pillar. One leg may be made longer than the other leg of a bracket and may be curled at its lower end for re-' ceiving a heating pipe. A wooden platform is mounted above the pillars to provide a bench. By providing the groove in the top of the pillars, the life of the wooden bench is greatly increased as all water will drain off from the top of the pillars and prevent the wood from rotting. 1

Instead of forming a bracket as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, I may form the depending arms or legs symmetrically as shown in Fig. 3, wherein the arms 22 are of equal length and each provided with a cradle 24 for receiving the'heating pipes 18 whereby supported from the same pillar.

It will be apparent that by reason of my present construction the wooden cross pieces 20 which lie across the tops of the pillars 2 serveto hold thebrackets firmly in position, while at the same time the brackets have a freely swinging movement for the contraction and expansion of the pipes. I It will also be apparent that by reason of these top grooves 4 water is drained away fromthe under surfaces of these wooden cross pieces so they are not rotted by contact with the water.

It will be apparentthat as a result of my improved construction the entire wooden part of the bench can be removed without disturb ing the heating pipes, and that the iron brackets supporting the heating mechanism may be at any desired height from the ground and independent of the wooden superstructure. In a co-pending application, Serial No.

226,549, filed October 17 1927, a greenhouse bench construction showing another method of hanging steam pipes is disclosed and claimed.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A bench construction for a greenhouse comprising a plurality of pillars supported from the ground and mounted in spaced relation, a wooden superstructure mounted on the top of said pillars and a rigid bracket having a portion lying across the top of each of said pillars and having a portion depending downwardly along and toward the bottom of the pillarand having means for. detachably carrying a heating pipe thereon, said bracket being constructed and arranged to swing freely to compensate for the expansion and contraction of the pipe.

2. A bench construction for a greenhouse comprisin a plurality of pillars having grooves in their .upper surfaces and a rigid bracket swingingly mounted in one of said. grooves 111 each pillar and having an arm de-e pending and provided with means for detachably holding heating pipe.

A bench construction fora greenhouse comprising pillars supported from the ground and. arranged in spaced relation, cross pieces lying across the tops of said pillars, drain grooves formed in the tops of said pillars, and supports for carrying heating pipes, said supports comprising rigid brackets having portions lying v in the drain grooves, each support having a depending portion extending downwardly along pillar and constructed to detachably support a heating pipe.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination of a plurality of pillars having grooves in their tops, which grooves incline downwardly from a central portion, a rigid bracket having aportion lying in one of said grooves across the top of each of said pillars, and a portion depending down along said pillar having a member for carrying a heat- 19; p p

5. In a bench construction for a greenhouse, the combination of a pluralityof concrete pillars having a plurality of interconnecting grooves in their upper surfaces,

which grooves incline from a cen'tral portion of said pillar outwardly to drain the water from thetop of said pillar, a rigid metallic bracket having a horizontal portion lying in one of said grooves, a depending portion engaging one side of th'epillar and an oppositely extending depending portion having a curl in its bottom'most portion to receive the heating pipe therein.

6. In a greenhouse construction the combination of a plurality of concrete pillars having cross-shaped grooves in their tops inclining downwardly from the centraliportion of the pillar outwardly to drain water from the top of the pillar, a bracket membermounted in'one of the grooves in certain of said pillars comprising a horizontal portion and two depending legs, at least one of said legs having a curl for detachably holding a heating pipe.

7. In the combination of a greenhouse bench, a plurality of concrete pillars having transversely extending grooves constructed to drain the water from the tops of said pillars, a metallic bracket having a horizontal portion freely lying in one of said grooves and adapted to pivot therein, said bracket having a depending leg formed with a bend to receive a heating pipe, and a plurality of cross pieces lying across the tops of said pillars to support the bench construction.

8. A concrete pillar for a greenhouse having grooves in its top, which grooves are in clined to drain the water from said top, said grooves being constructed and arranged to receive bracket members.

9. In a greenhouse bench construction, the

- combination of a plurality of concrete pillars having grooves extending across the tops thereof, an inverted U-shaped bracket member straddling the upper end of each pillar, the legs of each U-shaped bracket member extending along the sides of its companion concrete pillar and the portion connecting said legs swivelingly resting within said grooves, and a pipe supporting section formed at the lower extremity of one of said legs, the swivel mountin of said brackets serving to compensate or expansion and contraction of the pipes supported by said brackets.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto suba scribed my name.

PHILIP L. MOKEE.

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