CA1250819A - Hand-assembled self-supporting shelving system - Google Patents

Hand-assembled self-supporting shelving system

Info

Publication number
CA1250819A
CA1250819A CA000541888A CA541888A CA1250819A CA 1250819 A CA1250819 A CA 1250819A CA 000541888 A CA000541888 A CA 000541888A CA 541888 A CA541888 A CA 541888A CA 1250819 A CA1250819 A CA 1250819A
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
vertical structure
pieces
shelving unit
shelves
shelving
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
CA000541888A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Frederick Brooks
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to CA000541888A priority Critical patent/CA1250819A/en
Priority to AU18936/88A priority patent/AU611695B2/en
Priority to EP19880306297 priority patent/EP0299695A1/en
Priority to JP17482488A priority patent/JPH0191807A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1250819A publication Critical patent/CA1250819A/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47BTABLES; DESKS; OFFICE FURNITURE; CABINETS; DRAWERS; GENERAL DETAILS OF FURNITURE
    • A47B87/00Sectional furniture, i.e. combinations of complete furniture units, e.g. assemblies of furniture units of the same kind such as linkable cabinets, tables, racks or shelf units
    • A47B87/02Sectional furniture, i.e. combinations of complete furniture units, e.g. assemblies of furniture units of the same kind such as linkable cabinets, tables, racks or shelf units stackable ; stackable and linkable
    • A47B87/0207Stackable racks, trays or shelf units
    • A47B87/0223Shelves stackable by means of poles or tubular members as distance-holders therebetween

Landscapes

  • Assembled Shelves (AREA)

Abstract

ABSTRACT

This invention provides a self-supporting rigid shelving system that may be easily assembled and disassembled by hand without tools. It is comprised of posts and connector 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 post connector pieces to enable the post structure to securely grip each shelf from above and below. The invention may be embodied in a variety of shelf components, permitting the 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 assembly of other furniture such as coffee and end tables.

Description

SPECIFICATION

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

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.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIQN

There is a lleed for shelving systems that are quickly and easily assembled. One oE -the best ways to facilitate tha assembly is to use pieces that can be assembled without any tools. The advantages of such cons-truction usually also apply to the disassembly of the shelving, and to the rearrangement of the height and placements o~ the various shelves within the system.

One of the dif-ficulties in making a set of shelves without tools is -to fit and interloc~ 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 Elange or bracket within a post in order to support the corner of a shelf is very old.

~u~

An example oE a device using -this concept is shown in U.S.
Patent number 3,981,251. The corner structure is comprised of a few pieces, held in place by a single screw.

A shelving unit that Eeatures -the greatar 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 ~,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 4,282,977. Vertical panels are there joined, while the double-ended bolt-like extensions are there the supporting surfaces, but the arrangement could be turned sideways 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 inven-tion, but none of the prior technology reveals the device and means herein disclosed.

SUMMAR~ AND O~JECTS OF THE INVENTION

This inven-tion is comprised oE vertical structure pieces that are screwed together through holes in the corner areas o~ shelves to be joined into a shelving unit. Flanges are integrally located on the appropriate vertical struc-ture post pieces -to enable -the structure to securely grip each shelf from above and below.

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

The invention may be embodied in a variety oE shelf components, permitting the construction oE 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 assembly of other furniture such as coffee and end tables.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OE THE INVENTION

The shelving system of this inven-tion is comprised of a number of typical rectangular shelves and a special modular post construc-tion.

The shelves have holes drilled, molded, or otherwise formed in their surfaces near each corner (or back somewhat in the case o~ a cantilevered shelf), e~tending 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 dimensions. A good diameter for the holes and the posts for ~5~

typical shelves would be 7/~ inches, but any appropriate, matching dimension would suffice. The Elange that ls integral to each of the top and the bo-ttom connectors should be of sufficient extension to grip -the shelf securely upon the post being screwed -together. A good extension for typical shelves would be 3/16 of an inch~

One flange connector is inserted from the bottom in-to one of the corner 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 screwed together, they first contact and then gradually tighten their grip on the upper and lower surfaces of the shelf. When all the corner holes in -the fixst shelf have been thus secured, post connectors are screwed into the top flange connec-tors. Bottom flange connectors can then be screwed onto the top of the posts and a second shelf fitted onto those Elange 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 top, and in fac-t 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 ma-tch the desired height between any two shelves in the shelving unit. The ~2S~

post connectors are screwed into the flange connectors to achieve a smooth and seamless joint between the connector and the post. The se-ts of posts fox each shelE may be mixed in any combina-tion in the same system for a variety of heights between shelves.

The post components and the shelves can be oE any s iZ2 or material within the structural l.imits oE 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.

An optional Eourth component for the posts is a Eoot or cap plug, which threads into the either flange connector from either end. Its purpose is to provide a -finished cap at the top oE 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 rub`ber feet on the foot plug components to reduce skidding by the shelving unit on a smooth floor. ~ subsidiary option for the cap plug would be to have it in the shape of a smooth dome for safety and ease of cleaning.

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

This invention could be sold as a kit, for assembly by the 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.

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 i6 a cross-sectional side view of a post connec-tor.

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

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

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

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

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

Figure 9 i5 a perspective of the shelving system.

DETAILED DESCR[PTION

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

Referring to Figure 2, the top 42 of the post 10 is shown, with the inner ~0 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 alterna-tively be made with Eemale threaded sockets, or with one male end and one Eemale end, with the flange connectors being made to correspond. The posts could also be made with reversed thread at ei-ther end in order to allow pos-ts to be screwed simultaneously into a lower and an upper shelE and flange connector.

Referring to Figure ~, a foot or cap plug 71 is shown, with a capping flange 72 and a male threaded end 73 for screwing S~?~

into a female Elange connector at the bottom or top of the shelving uni-t.

Referring -to Figure 5, the top flange connector 5 is shown, with its Elange 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 1ange ~, and its threaded interior 53. The top and bottom flanges could be reversed without affecting the appearance or Eunctionality of the system. Either could be made integral with the post components, without diminishing the versatility of the sys-tem. The flanges could be anv 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 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 oE its four corners. The shelves need not be rectangular, o-E 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 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 Elanges 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 tlange connectors 6. A drawing of a man is adjacent to the ~2~

shelving unit to show a typical scale. A cap plug 12 has been screwed into each of the top flange connectors in -the top shelE 13 of -the the shelving unit.

The within~described inven-tion may be embodied in other specific forms and with additional options and accessories without departing from the spiri-t 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 equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein~

Claims (14)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A shelving unit comprising:

a) at least one shelf, having at least one vertical hole through which a top vertical structure piece and a bottom vertical structure piece are screwed together;

b) the said top and bottom vertical structure pieces each having an integral flange that grips the horizontal surface area of the shelf surrounding the hole, from above and below respectively;

c) the said pieces being screwed together by means of one of the said pieces having a male threaded protruding end and the other of the said pieces having an end portion forming a corresponding female threaded socket;

d) the said end portion fitting within the said hole.
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 1 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, 2, or 3 above, in which the vertical structure pieces are generally cylindrical.
5. The shelving unit of Claim 1, 2, or 3 above, in which the flanges have greater width than the rest of the vertical structure piece of which each flange is a part.
6. The shelving unit of Claim 1, 2, or 3 above, in which the vertical structure pieces are hollow.
7. The shelving unit of Claim 1, 2, or 3 above, in which some of the vertical structure pieces have reverse threading at either end.
8. The shelving unit of Claim 1, 2, or 3 above, in which there is additionally a foot plug for each column of vertical structure assemblage.
9. The shelving unit of Claim 1, 2, or 3 above, in which there is additionally a cap for each column of vertical structure assemblage.
10. The shelving unit of Claim 1, 2, or 3 above, in which there is additionally a domed cap for each column of vertical structure assemblage.
11. The shelving unit of Claim 1, 2, or 3, above, in which there is a plurality of shelves and a plurality of sets of vertical structure pieces that are screwed together to join the shelves into a rigid unit of vertically spaced parallel shelves.
12. The shelving unit of Claim 1, 2, or 3, above, in which there is a plurality of shelves and a plurality of sets of vertical structure pieces that are screwed together to join the shelves into a rigid unit of vertically spaced parallel shelves, and in which there are sets of vertical structure pieces having a variety of heights.
13. The shelving unit of Claim 1, 2, or 3, above, in which the shelving may be assembled and disassembled by hand, without any tools.
14, A shelving kit comprising the elements of Claim 1, 2, or 3 above.
CA000541888A 1987-07-13 1987-07-13 Hand-assembled self-supporting shelving system Expired CA1250819A (en)

Priority Applications (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA000541888A CA1250819A (en) 1987-07-13 1987-07-13 Hand-assembled self-supporting shelving system
AU18936/88A AU611695B2 (en) 1987-07-13 1988-07-11 Hand-assembled self-supporting shelving system
EP19880306297 EP0299695A1 (en) 1987-07-13 1988-07-11 Hand-assembled self-supporting shelving system
JP17482488A JPH0191807A (en) 1987-07-13 1988-07-13 System shelf

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA000541888A CA1250819A (en) 1987-07-13 1987-07-13 Hand-assembled self-supporting shelving system

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1250819A true CA1250819A (en) 1989-03-07

Family

ID=4136067

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA000541888A Expired CA1250819A (en) 1987-07-13 1987-07-13 Hand-assembled self-supporting shelving system

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0299695A1 (en)
JP (1) JPH0191807A (en)
AU (1) AU611695B2 (en)
CA (1) CA1250819A (en)

Families Citing this family (16)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4934764A (en) * 1989-03-31 1990-06-19 Kendall Square Research Corporation Computer system module assembly
GB2336102A (en) * 1998-04-08 1999-10-13 Bill Chang Display shelf assembly
KR20000036954A (en) * 2000-04-03 2000-07-05 김영화 assembly structure of general furniture
GB2370492A (en) * 2000-12-15 2002-07-03 Lb Plastics Ltd Modular stackable shelving
JP2008126057A (en) * 2006-11-22 2008-06-05 Won Gu Co Ltd Sectional shelf
TW200847972A (en) * 2007-06-07 2008-12-16 Huei Tyng Entpr Co Ltd Accommodation rack capable of extending limitlessly
CN101433405B (en) * 2007-11-14 2010-06-16 辉庭企业股份有限公司 Shelf capable of infinitely stretching
WO2010040241A2 (en) * 2008-10-08 2010-04-15 Martin Peter Zehtner Module set for furniture with horizontal plate elements
US10823214B2 (en) 2016-10-26 2020-11-03 Clark Evan Davis Modular furniture with distributed pressure panel joint
US11154137B2 (en) 2017-08-30 2021-10-26 Clark Evan Davis Modular furniture with locking tab and slot joint
US11346382B2 (en) 2017-08-30 2022-05-31 Clark Evan Davis Modular furniture with stressed dovetail tab joint
US11085474B2 (en) 2017-09-15 2021-08-10 Clark Davis Furniture with flexible dovetail dowel and slot joint
US11578739B2 (en) 2017-10-05 2023-02-14 Clark Davis Furniture with interwoven tab and slot joint
US11083293B2 (en) * 2019-10-17 2021-08-10 Clark Davis Modular stackable shelves
US11767867B2 (en) 2020-11-17 2023-09-26 Clark Davis Pivoting joint for wooden furniture
KR102557482B1 (en) * 2021-10-19 2023-07-19 진흥용 Shwlf

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3831533A (en) * 1972-08-21 1974-08-27 Kirsch Co Shelving system
SE433902B (en) * 1983-05-26 1984-06-25 Electro Oil Ab DEVICE FOR THE PREPARATION OF LOCAL SHELVES IN A SHELF
DE3501099A1 (en) * 1985-01-15 1986-07-17 Roman Dietsche KG, 7868 Todtnau Furnishing object

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0299695A1 (en) 1989-01-18
AU611695B2 (en) 1991-06-20
JPH0191807A (en) 1989-04-11
AU1893688A (en) 1989-01-19

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