AU611695B2

AU611695B2 - Hand-assembled self-supporting shelving system

Info

Publication number: AU611695B2
Application number: AU18936/88A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Frederick Brooks
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1987-07-13
Filing date: 1988-07-11
Publication date: 1991-06-20
Anticipated expiration: 2008-07-11
Also published as: CA1250819A; JPH0191807A; AU1893688A; EP0299695A1

Description

MA. 1169 M 1W COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Frm PATENTS ACT 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE Class Int. Class Application Number: Lodged: omnplete Specification-Lodged: Accepted: Published: Priority: 'Related Art: TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT Name of Applicant: Frederick BROOKS It A:"/ddress of Applicant: 509 825 Granville St., Vancouver, B.C. Canada, V6Z 1K9 Actual Inventor; Frederick BROOKS Address for Service: SANDERCOCK, SMlITH BEADLE 207 RivIersdale Reed, Box 410) 1 Hawthorn, Victoria, 31 22

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Complete Specification for the invention entitled Hand-assembl ed sel f-supporti ng shelving system The following statement Is a full description of this invention, Including the best method of performing it known to me Ii la This invention relates to free-standing rigid shelving systems that may be assembled without tools. In particular, the invention relates to such systems in which the shelves are supported by post pieces that screw together.

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There is a need for shelving systems that are quickly and easily assembled. One of the best ways to facilitate the assembly is to use pieces that can be assembled without any tools. The advantages of such construction usually also apply to the disassembly of the shelving, and to the rearrangement of the height and placements of the various shelves within the system.

One of the difficulties in making a set of shelves without tools is to fit and interlock the pieces tightly enough that the shelving system is sufficiently rigid to stand securely and to support whatever objects are supposed to be placed on the shelves.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR TECHNOLOGY The broad concept of inserting a flange or bracket within a post in order to support the corner of a shelf is very old.

An example of a device using this concept is shown in U.S.

Patent number 3,98L,251. The corner structure is comprised of a few pieces, held in place by a single screw.

NEW~

-2- A shelving unit that features the greater or lesser insertion of tubes within tubes to obtain the appropriate height of the shelves on the supporting tubes is disclosed in U.S. Patent number 4,257,333. It appears to be readily assembled, but its rigidity would depend on the extent to which the tubes and the spacer used were jammed together, making disassembly correspondingly difficult.

The application of a nut, spacer, and bolt to join two separated panels is illustrated in U.S. Patent number see 4,282,977. Vertical panels are there joined, while the double-ended bolt-like extensions are there the supporting see: surfaces, but the arrangement could be turned sideways .0-60. ninety degrees to apply the same principle to a shelving system.

Some of the broad concepts embodied in the above-noted inventions are related to this invention, but none of the prior technology reveals the device and means herein 20 disclosed.

SUMMIARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION This invention is comprised of vertical structure pieces that are screwed together through holes in the corner areas of shelves to be joined into a shelving unit. Flanges are integrally located on the appropriate vertical structure post pieces to enable the structure to securely grip each shelf from above and below.

This invention facilitates the simple and rapid assembly of a free-standing rigid shelving system. No tools are required. Disassembly is correspondingly easy.

invention may be embodied in a variety of shelf 3I components, permitting .he construction of utility or decorative shelving to meet any taste, purpose, or budget, for use in the home, office, workshop, or storage area.

The parts of the invention are also suitable for the assembl.y of other furniture such as coffee and end tables, GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The shelving system of this invention is comprised of a number of typical rectangular shelves and a special modular post construction.

The shelves have holes drilled, molded, or otherwise formed in thetr surfa.-es near each corner (or back somewhat in the case ot a cantilevered shelf), extending through each shelf.

There are three main kinds of vertical structure pieces; post connectors, top flange connectors and bottom flange connectors.

The holes and the post structure must match in their dimensitons. A good diameter for the holes and the posts for typical shelves would be 7/8 inches, but any appropriate, matching dimension woujd suffice. The flange that is integrekl to each of the top and the bottom connectors should bQ Of Sufficient extension to grip the shelf securely upon the Post being screwted together. A good ex~tension for typical shelves would be 3/16 of an inch.

One flange connector is inserted from the bottom into one of the cor-ner holes in the shelf. The complementary flange connector is then inserted from the top into the hole, and threaded into the bottom flange connector. As the two are screwecl together, they first contact and then gradually -i Y ttighten their grip on the upper and lower surfaces of thet shelf. When all the corner holes in the first shelf have been thus secured, post connectors are screwed into the t-p flange connectors. Bottom flange connectors can then be screwed onto the top of the posts and a second shelf fitted onto those flange connectors. The second shelf is then secured by screwing top flange connectors into the bottom flange connectors. More posts can be then be added to separate the second shelf from a third shelf, the entire shelving unit being thus built up by layers of the various components until the desired height and.number of shelves is achieved.

The shelving unit can be made quite low, for use as a table 15 top, and in fact the unit can be made stable with only one shelf and the supporting posts, secured to the shelf, or table top, by means of top and bottom flange connectors.

The post connectors can be made in sets to match the desired height between any two shelves in the shelving unit. The post connectors are screwed into the flange connectors to achieve a smooth and seamless joint between the connector and the post. The sets of posts for each shelf may be mixed in any combination in the same system for a variety of 25 heights between shelves.

The post components and the shelves can be of any size or material within the structural limits of those materials.

The post components can be molded or machined into the correct form for the system.

For long shelves, additional holes and posts could be placed in the middle of the shelf for increased support. A An optional fourth component for the posts is a foot or cap I plug, which threads into the either flange connector from

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either end. Its purpose is to provide a finished cap at the top of the system and a finished foot at the bottom of the system that can be used to level the shelves on uneven floors.

A subsidiary option would be to have rubber feet on the foot plug components to reduce skidding by the shelving unit on a smooth floor. A subsidiary option for the cap plug would be to have it in the shape of a smooth dome for safety and ease of cleaning.

4 A further option would be to have the posts and flange connectors hollow in order to allow electrical wiring to be S" placed within the vertical support structure of the shelving unit. Along with entry and exit holes, this feature would enable electrical power to be provided to any accessories or appliances to be used in conjunction with the shelves.

s o t" This invention could be sold as a kit, for assembly by the 20 retail purchaser. It would also be suitable for sale from mix-and-match bins containing a variety of shapes and sizes of shelves and vertical structure pieces.

25 DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a cross-sectional front view of a corner connection in the shelving system.

Figure 2 is a top view of a post connector.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional side view of a post connector.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional side view of a foot or cap plug.

6 Figure 5 is a cross-sectional side view of a top flange connector.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional side view of a bottom flange connector.

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional side view of a cap plug.

Figure 8 is a top view of a shelf before assembly into the system.

Figure 9 is a perspective of the shelving system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to Figure 1, the shelf 2 is shown, held in place by the flange 3 and the flange 4 on the top 5 and bottom 6 Sm connectors respectively. The portion 7 of the bottom 20 connector 6 extending within the shelf is always less than the thickness of the shelf in order to allow the shelf to be secured upon the two connectors being screwed together. The portion 8 of the top connector that S threads into the bottom flange connector 6 should be of i 25 sufficent extension to provide good tensile strength at the threaded join of the two connectors. A post 10 and a cap plug 71 are screwed into the bottom and the top Sconnectors, respectively.

Referring to Figure 2, the top 42 of the post 10 is shown, with the inner 40 and outer 41 shoulders of the threads. The posts should ideally be cylindrical, in order to obviate the misalignment of any asymetries amongst the posts when they are tightened into a vertical column to join the shelves.

Referring to Figure 3, the post 10 is shown, with top 31 and bottom 32 male threaded protusions. The posts could alternatively be made with female threaded sockets, or with one male end and one female end, with the flange connectors being made to correspond. The posts could also be made with reversed thread at either end in order to allow posts to be screwed simultaneously into a lower and an upper shelf and flange connector.

Referring to Figure 4, a foot or cap plug 71 is shown, with a capping flange 72 and a male threaded end 73 for screwing into a female flange connector at the bottom or top of the shelving unit.

15 Referring to Figure 5, the top flange connector 5 is shown, 4 with its flange 3, its male threaded end 51 and its female threaded end 52. Referring to Figure 6, the bottom flange connector 6 is shown, with its flange 4, and its threaded interior 53. The top and bottom flanges could be reversed j 20 without affecting the appearance or functionality of the system. Either could be made integral with the post components, without diminishing the versatility of the system. The flanges could be any shape that provides a grip on the shelf, but a cylindrical shape would be ideal for the same reasons as noted above in regard to the posts.

Referring to Figure 7, a cap plug 81 is shown with a dome-shaped top 82 and a male threaded end 83 for screwing i into a female threaded end of a flange connector at the top of the shelving unit.

Referring to Figure 8, the shelf 11 is shown with a hole 21 near each of its four corners. The shelves need not be rectangular, of course. They could be octagonal, for example. The holes should be placed near the extremities of the shelf in order to maximize stability on the floor. They t 8 should, however, be somewhat away from the edge of the shelf in order to provide a strong area of the shelf around each hole for the flanges to grip upon.

Referring to Figure 9, the shelves 11 are shown connected by the posts 10, the top flange connectors 5, and the bottom flange connectors 6. A drawing of a man is adjacent to the shelving unit to show a typical scale. A cap plug 12 has been screwed into each of the top flange connectors in the 10 top shelf 13 of the the shelving unit.

9.

The within-described invention may be embodied in other specific forms and with additional options and accessories without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presently disclosed embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalence of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

The claims form part of the disclosure of this specification.

Claims

2. The shelving unit of Claim 1 above, in which each corner of each shelf has a hole adjacent to it through which top and bottom vertical structure pieces are screwed~ together.
3. The shelving Unit of Claim I. above, in which a spacing post vertical structure piece is screwed together with the said bottom vertical structure piece, by means of one of the pieces having a male threaded protruding end and the other of the pieces having an end portion forming a corresponding female threaded socket.
4. The shelving unit of Claim 1, 2t or 3 above, in which the vertical s-tructure pieces are generally cylindrical. S The shelving unit of claim 1, 2, or 3 above, in which thq flanges have greater width -than the rest of' tho vertical structuro piece of' which each flange is a part.
6. The shelving unit of claim 1, 2, or 3 above, In which the vertical structure piecos are hollow.
7. The shelving unit or claim 1, 2, or 3 above, in which thero is additionally a ccap and a root plug for the vertical *structure piece at the top and bottom or the unit respectively. A:4
8. The shelving unit or claim 3 above, in which there is a plurality of' shelves and a plurality or sets or vertical structure pieces comprising at least Qne each or the top, bottom and spacing post vertical structure pieces that are screwed together to join the shelves into a rigid unit of' vertiolly spaced parallel shelves. *09. The shelving unit or claim 1, 2, or 3 above, in which there is a plurality of' shelves and a plurality of sets of' vertical. structure pieces comprising at least one each of' the top, bottom and spacing pest vertical structure pieces that are screwed together to Join the shelves into a rigid un$it of' vertically spaced parallel shelves, and In which there are sets of' vertical structure pieces having a variety of' heights. 1O. A shelving kit comprising the elements of' claim 1, 2, or 3 above. jbspe 1 OO5/brooks 9 91, It 3 11
11. A shelving unit substa)ntially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings,.
12. A shelving kit substantially as horeinbefore described with reference to figures 1 to 8 of' the accompanying drawings. March 7, 1991 SMITH SHELSTON BEADLE Fellows Institute of Patent Attorneys of Australia Patent Attorneys for the Applicant:. FREDERICK BROOKS jbSpo ,Q5/brooks 91 3 7