AU783728B2

AU783728B2 - A shelving system

Info

Publication number: AU783728B2
Application number: AU27560/02A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Kevin Phillip Bliim
Original assignee: MANTOVA MARKETING Pty Ltd
Current assignee: MANTOVA MARKETING Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2001-09-03
Filing date: 2002-03-21
Publication date: 2005-12-01
Anticipated expiration: 2022-03-21
Also published as: AU2756002A

Description

S&FRef: 588932

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

Name and Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: Invention Title: Mantova Marketing Pty Limited 97 Warren Road Smithfield New South Wales 2164 Australia Kevin Phillip Bliim Spruson Ferguson St Martins Tower,Level 31 Market Street Sydney NSW 2000 (CCN 3710000177) A Shelving System ASSOCIATED PROVISIONAL APPLICATION DETAILS [33] Country [31] Applic. No(s) AU PR7456 [32] Application Date 03 Sep 2001 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- H 5815c A SHELVING SYSTEM Technical Field The present invention relates to shelving systems.

Background of the Invention Described in Australian Patent 611341 is a shelving system in which the upright post members are provided with recesses which are engaged with projections formed in locking members which engage the posts to support the shelves thereon. The shelves are supported on horizontal members which are attached to connectors engaged with the locking members.

Previous shelving constructions such as the above have not provided a frame to support the shelf in which the frame is easily and securely attached to the connecting members on the posts.

Object of the Invention It is the object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate the above disadvantage.

Summary of the Invention A connection assembly for a shelving assembly, the shelving assembly including: a plurality of spaced upright posts; and a plurality of generally horizontal shelf supporting members, each extending between an associated pair of posts, with each member having opposite ends supported on a respective one of the posts; said connection assembly being adapted to attach each of said opposite ends to its respective post, said connection assembly including: a collar to be secured to the respective post, the collar having a horizontally outward facing slot to extend generally parallel to the post, the slot having an upwardly extending open face, an open top and a closed bottom, the face being defined between-two spaced upwardly extending flanges, said slot further having a rear wall and two side walls, and wherein the rear wall and open face, side walls, and flanges converge downwardly; a wedge member engaged with the collar and to which an associated one of the shelf members is to be attached, the wedge member having a wedge portion to be received within the slot and to project through said open face to be fixed to the associated frame member, said wedge member having a peripheral surface that tapers downwardly, a R:\LIBTT]03020.doc:yxa corresponding shape to said slot, and including two upwardly extending horizontally spaced grooves that receive said flanges, with said grooves converging downwardly.

Brief Description of the Drawings A preferred form of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a shelving post and a collar and wedge member secured thereto to support a shelf member; Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of the wedge member of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of the collar of Figure 1.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments In the accompanying drawings there is schematically depicted a post 10 of a shelving assembly. The post 10 would be one of a series of generally upright parallel posts that support a plurality of shelves. The post 10 has four generally vertical comers 1 1 each provided with a plurality of recesses 12. The recesses 12 are arranged in groups, with the recesses 12 of each group being generally within a common horizontal plane.

The post 10 would support one or more horizontal shelf supporting members (not depicted). More particularly, the shelf supporting members are secured to the post 10 by means of a connection assembly 13. The connection assembly 13 includes a collar 14 that surrounds the post 10 and cooperates with a tapered sleeve 15. The sleeve 15 would have projections that engage within the recesses 12 to aid in securing the collar 14 to the post 10. The sleeve 15 would taper vertically and engage the internal surfaces 16 of the collar 14 to further aid in securing the collar 14 to the post 10. Preferably, the sleeve would surround the post 10 but would be longitudinally split at one or more locations to enable the sleeve 15 to be located round the post 10 and to enable correct location along the post The connection assembly 13 further includes a wedge member 17 which engages the collar 14. Typically, a horizontal shelf supporting member would have opposite ends, with each end having a wedge member 17 secured thereto so as to be supported by an associated collar 14. More particularly, each wedge member 17 would a projection 18 that would be received within a hollow shelf supporting member.

The collar 14 has a plurality of upwardly extending slots 19 within which a wedge member 17 is engaged. More particularly, each slot 19 would have an open face extending generally parallel to the post 10. The open face 20 is defined between a pair of spaced upwardly extending flanges 21 which converge downwardly. Each slot 19 further R:\LIBT903020.doc:yxa includes a rear wall 22 and two side walls 23. The side walls 23 converge downwardly while the rear wall 22 and open face 20 also converge downwardly. Each slot 19 has an open top and a bottom close by means of a flange 24. The flange 24 extends between the flanges 21.

Each wedge member 17 includes a base 25 from which there extends a "T" projection (wedge portion) 26. The projection 26 has a head 27 that is received within the slot 19, and a stem 28 that extends through the open face 20. Behind the head 27 are grooves 29 that converge downwardly and receive the flanges 21. The head 27 has peripheral surfaces that taper downwardly to match the internal peripheral surfaces of the slot 19. As can be seen in Figure 2 the grooves 29 each tapers downwardly in width.

In a modification of the above-described preferred embodiment the internal surfaces of the slot 19, peripheral surfaces of the projection 26 and including the grooves 29 and flanges 21, may have multi tapering surfaces. For example, lower surface portions may taper at a greater angle relative to a vertical axis than upper surface portions which may have a lower taper angle relative to a vertical axis.

The slot 19 and head 27 tapered downwardly as mentioned above to ensure secure fixing of each wedge member 17 to the collar 14.

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Claims

1. A connection assembly for a shelving assembly, the shelving assembly including: a plurality of spaced upright posts; and a plurality of generally horizontal shelf supporting members, each extending between an associated pair of posts, with each member having opposite ends supported on a respective one of the posts; said connection assembly being adapted to attach each of said opposite ends to its respective post, said connection assembly including: a collar to be secured to the respective post, the collar having a horizontally outward facing slot to extend generally parallel to the post, the slot having an upwardly extending open face, an open top and a closed bottom, the face being defined between two spaced upwardly extending flanges, said slot further having a rear wall and two side walls, and wherein the rear wall and open face, side walls, and flanges converge downwardly; a wedge member engaged with the collar and to which an associated one of the shelf members is to be attached, the wedge member having a wedge portion to be received within the slot and to project through said open face to be fixed to the associated frame member, said wedge member having a peripheral surface that tapers downwardly, a corresponding shape to said slot, and including two upwardly extending horizontally spaced grooves that receive said flanges, with said grooves converging downwardly.

2. The connection assembly of claim 1 wherein said closed bottom is provided by a flange that extends between said upwardly extending flanges.

3. The connection assembly of claim 1 or 2 wherein each slot has internal surfaces including upper and lower surface portions, with the lower surface portions tapering at a greater angle relative to the upper surface portion.

4. The connection assembly of claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein each groove tapers inward downwardly.

A connection assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

6. A shelving assembly including connection assembly therefore, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated 18 March 2002 Mantova Marketing Pty Limited Patent Attorneys for the Applicant/Nominated Person SPRUSON FERGUSON R:\LIBT]03020.doc:yxa