EP0095810B1

EP0095810B1 - A shelf structure

Info

Publication number: EP0095810B1
Application number: EP19830200744
Authority: EP
Inventors: Huibertus Schimmel
Original assignee: SAMSOM EFFICIENCY BV
Current assignee: SAMSOM EFFICIENCY BV
Priority date: 1982-05-25
Filing date: 1983-05-25
Publication date: 1986-09-03
Also published as: DE3365833D1; EP0095810A3; NL8202127A; EP0095810A2

Description

The present invention relates to a shelf structure comprising a shelf, a back member and at least one support for keeping articles such as books or files upright on the shelf, wherein the back member is made of sheet metal, stands perpendicularly to the shelf along or parallel to the rear edge of the shelf and has an integrally formed, downwardly inclined flange portion along its upper end, wherein moreover the support is made of sheet metal and is integrally formed by a support portion and a coupling portion which stand perpendicularly to each other, and wherein said support is releasably couplable to the back member by slipping the upper edge of the coupling portion into the space between the back member and its flange portion and by subsequently turning the support until the support portion stands perpendicularly to the shelf and the back member with the coupling portion lying flat on the back member.
Such a shelf structure is known from US-A-2,626,063, in which according to figures 21, 22, 25 and particularly figures 24 and 26 the support portion is lower than the back member so that either the support portion supports large books and files insufficiently, or the back member is high and thereby it is costly. Moreover the coupling portion comprises a resilient curvature and extends with its lower end beyond the lower end of the support portion, the coupling portion extending with its lower end into a groove in the shelf and with its upper end beyond the top of the back member so that the coupling portion is resiliently clamped in the back member, resulting in that it cannot be slid easily along the back member. Furthermore the fact that the coupling portion should extend into said groove in the shelf results in that the support can be attached only by pivoting the coupling portion in a plane that is parallel to the back member so that the protruding lower end of the coupling portion arrives in the groove in the shelf. However, this pivoting movement is only possible if the coupling portion is short in the direction parallel to the shelf, resulting in that the coupling portion is easily pivotable whereby books can tilt the support relative to the back member in a direction wherein the coupling portion pivots parallel to the back member, and thus the support can be detached from the back member by books or files.
It is the aim of the present invention to provide a shelf structure which is free of the above disadvantages. In order to attain that aim the invented shelf structure is characterized in that the height of said support portion is greater than the height of said back member, the upper edge of the support portion being provided with a recess for accepting said flange portion of the back member, moreover in that said coupling portion is completely flat and fits with slight tolerance between the shelf or the foot of the back member and the top of the space between the back member and its flange portion, resulting in that in its coupled condition the coupling portion can be moved along the back member, and further characterized in that the foot of the back member and the shelf adjacent the back member are flat, resulting in that support is pivotable with its support portion moving in a vertical plane at right angles to the back member by which the length of the coupling portion measured parallel to the shelf can be such that the support is prevented from tilting with the coupling portion moving parallel to the back member.
Because of this the support portion is high enough to support large books and files, whereas at the same time the back member is low enough to be cheap. Moreover the support can be slid easily along the back member because of the tolerance between the coupling portion on the one hand and the distance between the shelf or the foot of the back member and the space between the back member and its flange on the other hand. Moreover the support can be attached to the back member by pivoting the support portion in a plane perpendicular to the back member so that the coupling portion can be sufficiently wide in the direction parallel to the shelf so as to prevent tilting of the coupling portion parallel to the back member.
It is remarked that the back member and the support shown by DE-A-26.44.004 are shaped such that they can be manufactured only by casting a mold, and therefore they are expensive relative to the support and back member used in the invented shelf structure as they are made of sheet metal. Moreover DE-A-26.41.172 only provides a carrier for a transparent partition and therefore it does not provide a support according to the invention and moreover this carrier and the back member are shaped such that they can be manufactured only by casting in a mold, and therefore they are expensive relative to the support and back member used in the invented shelf structure as they are made of sheet metal. Furthermore the two known, cast back members cannot be an integral part of a shelf, whereas according to the invention the back member, since it is made of metal sheet, can be an integral part of the shelf. Moreover, because of their profile, the two known cast back members cannot be extended with the invented anchoring means, indicated in claim 4, 5 and 6 and consequently they cannot be secured to the side walls of a cabinet in a simple and cheap manner. Finally the foot of the back member and of the carrier according to DE-A-26.41.172 protrude to such an extent that a wide strip of the shelf cannot be used for storing books or files. In a preferred modification said back member is along its lower edge an integral part of the shelf, wherein the back member is an upwardly folded unit of a metal sheet of which the shelf is also made.
It is also possible to apply the invention to an individual- shelf because in another modification said back member can be secured to the rear wall of a filing cabinet.
In order to make a back member with a standard length usable with a shelf with a somewhat larger length, the present invention may also provide an auxiliary member for securing one end of the back member and consisting of a telescopic portion which is telescopically insertable between the foot of the back member and the top of the space between the back member and its flange portion from one end of the back member, and of a securing portion extending at right angles from the telescopic portion, said securing portion being adapted to be secured to a side wall of a filing cabinet.
In order to be able to secure said back member at a distance from the rear wall of the shelf, the present invention may also provide an anchorage system consisting of at least one strip having at least one vertical slot therein, the securing portion of an auxiliary member being insertable in said slot and being subsequently pivotable to a position flat against the strip, after which said anchorage system together with the auxiliary member are slidable relative to the back member in order to be secured on a side wall of a filing cabinet.
In order to dispose the files near the auxiliary members and near the back member at the same distance from the plane comprising the back member, in a modification of the invented system each telescopic portion of each auxiliary member is provided with a foot.
The invention will now be further elucidated in the following description of embodiments as indicated in the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment wherein the back member and the shelf are formed integrally of a single metal sheet.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a filing cabinet with a rear wall and a shelf, wherein the invented back member is secured to the rear wall of the filing cabinet. '
Fig. 3 is a view as in fig. 2, in which, however, the shelf is longer than the back member having a standard length and being secured by auxiliary members.
Fig. 4 is a view as in fig. 2, in which, however, the back member is secured to the filing cabinet at distance from the rear edge of an excessively wide shelf via the auxiliary member and anchorage systems.
Fig. 5 is a cross-section of the back member and a support seen during coupling or uncoupling the support by pivoting relative to the back member.
Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of a part of fig. 4.

The invention relates in general to a back member 1 that can be arranged along or parallely to the rear edge of a shelf 2 of a filing cabinet, and to one or more supports 3 which are releasably coupled with the back member as shown in figures 1, 5 and 6. The back member 1 is provided with a flange portion 6 at its upper edge and, if desired, is provided with a foot 7 as shown in e.g. figs. 4 and 5. Each support 3 consists of a support portion 4 and a coupling portion 5 which is at right angles to the support portion, said support being preferably cut out as one single unit from a metal sheet and subsequently bent to form the support portion and the coupling portion. As shown in fig. 6 the coupling portion 5 of the support 3 fits with slight tolerance between the top of the space between the back member 1 and its flange portion 6 and the foot 7 of the back member 1, the support portion 4 of the support being provided with a recess 8 into which protrudes the edge of the flange portion 6, said edge being spaced from the body of the back member 1 as shown in fig. 5.
The support 3 can be coupled with the back member 1 by inserting the upper edge of the coupling portion 5 between the back member 1 and its flange portion 6 as shown in fig. 5 and by subsequently pivoting the support portion 4 in the plane of fig. 5 downwardly so that the coupling portion 5 will rest with its lower edge on the foot 7 of the back member 1. For uncoupling, the support 3 is pivoted in the opposite direction, so upwardly in the plane of fig. 5. In coupled condition, the coupling portion 5 of the support can be moved along the back member 1 so that the distance between a side wall of the filing cabinet and the support 3 or between two supports 3 can be chosen freely. Because of the coupling of the coupling portion 5 with the back member 1, the support 3 is prevented from tilting in directions parallel to the back member and the support portion 4 is kept substantially at right angles to the back member 1 as shown in fig. 6. In this way books or files can rest against the support 3 and thereby they can be kept upright on the shelf 2. The flange portion 6 of the back member 1 serves to couple the support 3 with the back member, but moreover it provides the advantage that a lubricant can be applied to the back member to facilitate adjustment by sliding of the support portion 5 of the support 3 along the back member 1 without danger that books or files come into contact with said lubricant. This is because books or files cannot be moved further back towards the back member than against the free edge of the flange portion 6 and, if present, the free edge of the foot 7 shown in fig. 5. The free edges of the flange portion 6 and the foot 7 preferably extend less than 1 cm away from the body of the back member 1.
With reference to the above indicated general principle of the invented system some embodiments will be described hereinafter. In a first embodiment as shown in fig. 1 a strip portion along the rear edge of a piece of metal sheet is bent upwardly to form the back member 1 with its flange portion 6, whereas the remainder of the sheet is worked on so as to form the shelf 2. A foot portion of the back member like the foot 7 in fig. 5 is not present in this embodiment as the back member 1 forms a unit with the shelf 2.
A second embodiment is shown in fig. 2, wherein the back member is a separate member with respect to the shelf 2, said member being adapted to be secured against the rear wall 9 of a filing cabinet, for instance by means of double-sided adhesive tape. In this embodiment the back member 1 is not only provided with the flange portion 6 but also with the foot 7 as shown in fig. 5.
A third embodiment is shown in fig. 3, wherein a back member 1-with a standard length is used with a somewhat longer shelf 2. Each end of the back member 1 can be extended by an auxiliary member 10 in order to extend up to a side wall 11 of the filing cabinet. Each auxiliary member 10 comprises a telescopic portion 12 which can be inserted and slid at each end of the back member 1 between the top of the space between the back member 1 and its flange portion 6 and the foot 7 of the back member. Furthermore the auxiliary member 10 comprises a securing portion 13, extending at right angles from the telescopic portion 12 and being adapted to be secured against a side wall 11 of a filing cabinet shown in fig. 3 by means of for instance double-sided adhesive tape. Preferably a foot 14 extends from the telescopic portion 12, the leading edge of said foot being aligned with the leading edge of the foot 7 of the back member 1 so that files situated against the auxiliary member are at the same distance from the plane comprising the body of the back member 1 as the files located against the back member itself. This results in that the files can be moved without shocks along the feet 7 and 14 notwithstanding that during movement they first rest against the foot 7 of the back member 1 and subsequently against the foot 14 of an auxiliary member 10 or reverse. Moreover, this results in that equally sized files extend up to the same distance from the leading edge of the shelf 2, which makes the contents of the filing cabinet better surveyable. - The back member 1 can adhered directly to the rear wall 9 of the cupboard by means of double-sided adhesive tape and/or can be adhered to the filing cabinet side walls 11 via the auxiliary members 10 which are then secured to the side walls 11 of the filing cabinet via the securing portions 13 and double-sided adhesive tape. The auxiliary member 10 is preferably punched and bent from metal sheet to form an integral unit comprising the.telescopic portion 12, the foot portion 14 and the securing portion 13.
If the shelf is too wide, then the back member 1 should be located at a distance from the rear edge of the shelf as shown in figs. 4 and 6. Then an auxiliary member 10 as described above with respect to fig. 3 is inserted into an anchorage system 15 which is adapted to be secured to a side wall 11 of the filing cabinet by means of double-sided adhesive tape. The anchorage system 15 consists of a strip 16 of metal sheet with a folded foot 17, said strip 16 having at least one, for instance three as shown in fig. 4 and 6, vertical slots 18, the securing. portion 13 of the auxiliary member 10 being insertable through said slot 18 and being subsequently pivotable to a position flat against the strip 16. After that, as discussed with reference to fig. 3, the telescopic portion 12 of the auxiliary member 10 can be moved with respect to the back member 1 so as to secure the anchorage system 15 against the side wall 11 of the cupboard. Because of this the back member 1 can be located at the required distance from the leading edge of the shelf 2 and the length of the back member 1 plus the two auxiliary members 10 can be adapted to the length of the shelf 2.

Claims

1. A shelf structure comprising a shelf (2), a back member (1) and at least one support (3) for keeping articles such as books or files upright on the shelf (2), wherein the back member (1) is made of sheet metal, stands perpendicularly to the shelf (2) along or parallel to the rear edge of the shelf (2) and has an integrally formed, downwardly inclined flange portion (6) along its upper end,.wherein moveover the support (3) is made of sheet metal and is integrally formed by a support portion (4) and a coupling portion (5) which stand perpendicularly to each other, and wherein said support (3) is releasably couplable to the back member (1) by slipping the upper edge of the coupling portion (5) into the space between the back member (1) and its flange portion (6) and by subsequently turning the support (3) until the support portion (4) stands perpendicularly to the shelf (2) and the back member (1) with the coupling portion (5) lying flat on the back member (1), characterized in that the height of said support portion (4) is greater than the height of said back member (1), the upper edge of the support portion (4) being provided with a recess (8) for accepting said flange portion (6) of the back member (1), moreover in that said coupling portion (5) is completely flat and fits with slight tolerance between the shelf (2) or the foot (7) of the back member and the top of the space between the back member (1) and its flange portion (6), resulting in that in its coupled condition the coupling portion (5) can be moved along the back member (1), and further characterized in that the foot (7) of the back member (1) and the shelf (2) adjacent the back member (1) are flat, resulting in that support (3) is pivotable with its support portion (4) moving in a vertical plane at right angles to the back member (1) by which the length of the coupling portion (5) measured parallel to the shelf (2) can be such that the support (3) is prevented from tilting with the coupling portion (5) moving parallel to the back member (1).

2. A shelf structure as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that along its lower edge said back member (1) is an integral part of the shelf (2).

3. A shelf structure as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said back member (1) can be secured to the rear wall (9) of a filing cabinet.

4. A shelf structure as claimed in claim 1, characterized by an auxiliary member (10) for . securing one end of said back member (1), and consisting of a telescopic portion (12) which is telescopically insertable between the foot (7) of the back member (1) and the top of the space between the back member (1) and its flange portion (6) from one end of the back member, and of a securing portion (13) extending at right angles from the telescopable portion (12), said securing portion being adapted to be secured to a side wall (11) of a filing cabinet.

5. A shelf structure as claimed in claim 4, characterized by an anchorage system (15) consisting of at least one strip (16) having at least one vertical slot (18) therein, the securing portion (13) of an auxiliary member (10) being insertable in said slot (18) and being subsequently pivotable to a position flat against the strip (16), and after which said anchorage system (15) together with the auxiliary member (10) are slidable relative to the back member (1) in order to be secured on a side wall (11) of the filing cabinet.

6. A shelf structure as claimed in claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the telescopic portion (12) of each auxiliary member (10) is provided with a foot (14).