TITLE OF THE INVENTION ADJUSTABLE AND STACKABLE SHELF ASSEMBLY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the convenient and efficient organization of kitchen utensils, and more particularly to kitchen organizer articles. Modern homes typically have within them many gadgets used to make cleaning and food preparation more convenient, and the space available for storage of such gadgets is limited. The large number of such items in modern homes frequently causes a cluttered condition in the kitchen. Shelves for storage of kitchen items on walls are well known. The present invention is directed to a novel article of manufacture for use as a shelf over the rear portion of kitchen sinks. The shelf of the present invention has been devised to be supported on a kitchen counter top at the rear of a kitchen sink, thereby occupying space that is normally not used in a kitchen. The shelf of the present invention has been devised to be adjustable in length to allow use over kitchen sinks of varying sizes, and to allow the user to determine the amount of storage space needed for the user's situation. To make the shelf assembly more convenient, it has been designed with features that make it easily stackable. This stackability also allows the user to determine the amount of storage space they wish to use.

Description of the Related Art Shelf assemblies currently available are usually designed for holding books or similar sized objects. These shelf assemblies usually have a fixed length and are sized to accommodate books of various sizes. Such shelf assemblies have the disadvantage of not fitting kitchen sinks of various widths. Furthermore, they are generally too large to accommodate kitchen items such as vegetable brushes, pot

scrubbers, bottle brushes and the like. There has been hitherto an unsatisfied need for an adjustable shelf assembly which can be used for convenient organization and storage of kitchen utensils commonly used in the vicinity of the kitchen sink.

Summarv of the Invention It is an object of the present invention to provide a shelf for storage of kitchen utensils which is particularly convenient for use in a majority of kitchens. It is an object of the invention to provide a shelf assembly which is adjustable for length to fit sinks of different widths. It is an object of the invention to provide an adjustable shelf assembly which is easy to adjust for length. It is an object of the invention to provide a shelf assembly which can be easily stacked vertically, to provide additional storage space as needed by the user. It is an object of the invention to provide a shelf assembly which will have reduced size during shipping and while in storage. It is an object of the invention to provide an adjustable shelf assembly with low cost of manufacturing, which can be made using conventional machining or woodworking equipment. It is yet another object to provide an adjustable shelf which will be easy to assemble. Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the description provided below.

The shelf assembly of the present invention comprises an extensible and stackable shelving unit which meets the requirements outlined as objects of the invention above. The shelf assembly of the invention comprises a pair of generally vertical supporting end members affixed to a generally vertical shelf member comprising a means for extension. The means for extension allows the shelf assembly to be adjusted to span kitchen sinks of different widths.

Brief Description of the Drawings Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a shelf assembly in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a shelf assembly in accordance with the invention, with a second shelf assembly shown in broken lines, depicting the ability of the shelf assembly to be stacked.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a shelf assembly in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of a shelf assembly in accordance with the invention, a view of the back being a mirror image thereof.

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of a shelf assembly in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 6 is a front elevational view of a shelf assembly in accordance with the invention, in an alternative position, a view of the back being a mirror image thereof.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the view of Fig. 4.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a construction detail of a shelf assembly in accordance with the invention, showing a cleat attached to a support leg.

Detailed Description of the Invention The shelf assembly of the present invention satisfies the objects of the invention recited above. It accomplishes this with a combination of simple structural features. The design of the shelf assembly allows it to be extensible for spanning kitchen sinks of a range of widths. The profile of the top and bottom edges of the supporting legs allows the shelf assembly of the present invention to be easily stacked, that is a plurality of the shelf assemblies may be stacked one upon another.

The shelf assembly can be constructed from a variety of materials such as a metal, a plastic, a wood, a plywood, or a composite material. A preferred embodiment of the invention is constructed from a wood. Those skilled in the art will readily understand that other materials can be used for construction without

deviating from the teachings of the invention and will appreciate that a material for construction may be chosen according to a particular preference for use.

The shelf assembly of the present invention will be understood by those skilled in the art from a consideration of the accompanying figures. In Fig. 1 is shown a preferred embodiment of a shelf assembly 100 in accordance with the invention. In Fig. 1 is shown a first support leg 10 and a second support leg, both of said support legs in vertical orientation. An extensible shelf member 14, elongated and substantially flat, and having a first end and a second end is shown. The first end of the extensible shelf member 14 is fixed orthogonally to the first support leg 10 and the second end of the extensible shelf member 14 is fixed orthogonally to the second support leg 12.

In Fig. 2 is shown the preferred embodiment 100 of the shelf assembly with a second example 15 of the same preferred embodiment of the shelf assembly 100 depicted in broken lines. Fig. 2 shows that the shelf assembly of the invention is stackable due to features of its novel design. A shelf assembly in accordance with the invention may be stacked upon a second such shelf assembly to achieve the objects of the invention.

In Fig. 3 is shown a top plan view of a shelf assembly in accordance with the invention.

In Fig. 4 is shown a front elevation view of a preferred embodiment shelf assembly in accordance with the invention. Features which provide means for extension of this preferred embodiment are shown in this figure. The extensible shelf member 14 comprises a first fixed shelf member 18, fixed to the first support leg 10, said first fixed shelf member having an upper face 70 and a lower face 72, said upper face 70 parallel to said lower face 72; a second fixed shelf member 20, fixed to the second support leg 12, said second fixed shelf member having an upper face 74 and a lower face 76, said upper face 74 parallel to said lower face 76; and a free shelf member 22, having an upper face 78 and a lower face 80, said upper face 78 parallel to said lower face 80; wherein said free shelf member 22 is slidably connected to the first fixed shelf 18 and slidably connected to second fixed shelf 20.

Fig. 4 shows that the lower face 80 of free shelf member 22 is disposed against the upper face 70 of first fixed shelf member 18, and that the lower face 80 of free shelf member 22 also is disposed against the upper face 74 of second fixed shelf member

20. Said free shelf member 22 is slidably connected to said first fixed shelf member 18 and said second shelf member 20 by means of a sliding dovetail. The sliding dovetail of the preferred embodiment is constructed according to principles known to those skilled in the art, and can be constructed with variations known to those skilled in the art without deviating from the teachings of the invention. In the preferred embodiment disclosed in Fig. 4, the free shelf member 22 comprises through the free shelf member lower face 80 a female dovetail 24. The fixed shelf member 18 comprises along its upper face 70 a male dovetail. The fixed shelf member 20 comprises along its upper face 74 a male dovetail 26. Free shelf member 22 is slidably connected to fixed shelf member 18 and fixed shelf member 20 by mating of the male dovetail 26 with the female dovetail 24, the fitting and construction of such slidable connection being known to those skilled in the art.

In Fig. 5 is shown a bottom plan view of a preferred embodiment of the invention. In this figure is shown the female dovetail 24 through the lower face 80 of free shelf member 22.

In Fig. 6 is shown a preferred embodiment of an adjustable shelf assembly in accordance with the invention, said embodiment depicted in an alternative position. By means of the slidable connection of the fixed shelf member to the first and second fixed shelf members, one skilled in the art will recognize that an adjustable shelf assembly according to the invention is capable of a sliding motion from a first, shortened position to a second elongated position, the length of the sliding motion being dependent upon the length of a means for extension used in an embodiment. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art to size the means for extension to satisfy a given object. For the objects of the preferred embodiment, the dovetails will be sized to allow a preferred shelf assembly to move from a first, shortened position to a second elongated position wherein the total distance along the long axis of the extensible shelf member 14 will be about 21 inches in the first position, and about 36 inches in the second position.

In Fig. 6 is shown an optional cleat member which may be used in the construction of a shelf assembly of the invention. The use of the cleat member or the lack of use in the construction of a shelf assembly would be apparent to one skilled in the art.

In Fig. 6 is shown first support leg 10 having along an upper edge a bead profile 30, and first support leg 10 having along a lower edge a cove profile 32, wherein the bead profile is sized and shaped to be closely received and held within the cove profile. The second support leg 12 has substantially identical bead and cove profiles along its corresponding edges. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that a shelf assembly as disclosed here with a bead profile and a cove profile such as shown and described here will be stackable. The bead profile and cove profile mate to provide a connection that allows a first shelf assembly comprised therewith, to be stacked upon a second similar shelf assembly where both the first and second shelf assemblies are extended to the same distance along their long axes.

In Fig. 7 is shown a sectional side view of the view of Fig. 4. the female dovetail 24 and male dovetail 26 are shown in this figure.

In Fig. 8 is shown a perspective view of a construction detail using cleat 16.

The fixing of the extensible shelf member 14 to the support leg 10 and support leg 12 may be by means known to those skilled in the art. Examples of such means may include nails, screws and adhesives but is not limited to these means.

The description provided herein of a preferred embodiment of the invention is meant to be illustrative of the invention. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that other embodiments are possible without departing from the teachings of the invention and that modifications to the preferred embodiment may be made without departing from the teachings of the invention.