Freestanding shelving apparatus

Claim 1

IN A FREESTANDING SHELVING APPARATUS OF THE TYPE WHEREIN VERTICAL UPRIGHT STANDARDS SUPPORT HORIZONTAL SHELVES SUSPENDED THEREFROM, AN IMPROVED KNOCKED-DOWN STANDARD COMPRISING: A BASE MEMBER HAVING LATERALLY EXTENDING END PORTIONS FOR ENGAGING A FLAT FLOOR SURFACE, AND A RAISED CENTRAL PORTION INCLUDING INTERNAL WALL MEMBERS AND A BOTTOM PORTION FORMING A POCKET; A TUBULAR COLUMN HAVING A LOWER END INSERTED IN SAID POCKET, SAID LOWER END HAVING YIELDABLE SIDE MEMBERS AND A CROSSSECTIONAL SHAPE SIMILAR TO AND SLIGHTLY SMALLER THAN SAID POCKET; FIXED TAPERED MEMBERS EXTENDING INWARDLY FROM SAID YIELDABLE SIDE MEMBERS, SAID TAPERED MEMBERS HAVING EDGES CONVERGING TOWARD THE LOWER END OF SAID COLUMNS; A TAPERED BLOCK MEMBER ADAPTED TO SLIDE WITHIN THE LOWER END OF SAID COLUMN AND HAVING SLOTS ALONG ITS SIDES SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID EDGES OF SAID FIXED TAPERED MEMBERS; AND BOLT MEANS EXTENDING THROUGH AN OPENING IN SAID BOTTOM PORTION OF SAID POCKET AND THREADED TO SAID TAPERED BLOCK MEMBER FOR DRAWING SAID BLOCK MEMBER DOWNWARD IN SAID COLUMN AND INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID EDGES OF SAID FIXED TAPERED MEMBERS, THEREBY CAUSING SAID YIELDABLE SIDE MEMBERS OF SAID COLUMN TO PRESS TIGHTLY AGAINST THE INTERNAL WALLS OF SAID POCKET AND THEREBY RIGIDLY CONNECTING SAID COLUMN TO SAID BASE MEMBER.