EP0862876A1

EP0862876A1 - Shelf units

Info

Publication number: EP0862876A1
Application number: EP98301656A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Carlo De Gruttis
Original assignee: BELLPLEX Ltd
Current assignee: BELLPLEX Ltd
Priority date: 1997-03-07
Filing date: 1998-03-06
Publication date: 1998-09-09

Abstract

A shelf unit comprises a support (10;40) and a shelf (11). An edge (14) of the shelf (11) is profiled to engage in a recess (12) in the support (10;40) such that the engagement resists downward vertical loads on the shelf (11).

Description

The invention relates to shelf units.

A known form of shelf unit comprises supports that are mounted on a wall and shelves that are connected to the supports. This connection may be by means of brackets or other fixing devices and these plainly add to the expense of the shelf unit and complicate assembly.

According to the invention, there is provided a shelf unit comprising a wall-mounted support including a recess and a shelf having an edge fitting into said recess, the recess and the shelf edge cooperating to hold the shelf in a horizontal plane and to resist downward vertical loads.

The wall-mounted support can be a wall bar or a U-section channel.

The following is a more detailed description of some embodiments of the invention, by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:-

Figure 1 is a general arrangement of a shelf unit for manufacture in hardwood or MDF consisting of vertical wall-mounted bars and shelves carried by the wall bars,

Figure 2 shows schematically the shaping of an edge of the shelf of Figure 1 for engagement into the wall bars to ensure positive location,

Figure 3 is a side elevation of a part of a second form of shelf unit showing a second form of wall bar connected to a second form of shelf,

Figure 4 is a similar view to Figure 3 showing insertion of the shelf into the wall bar,

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the complete shelf unit of Figures 3 and 4,

Figure 6 is a modified version of the arrangement of Figures 1 and 2 showing the use of the shelf for concealing a screw holding the wall bar to the wall,

Figure 7 shows a corner shelf unit with a wall bar and a shelf,

Figure 8 is a view to a larger scale of a part of the wall bar of Figure 7 showing the position of the screw hole,

Figure 9 is a plan view from above of a second form of corner wall bar,

Figure 10 is a view of part of a further form of shelf unit with wall bars and a shelf, and

Figure 11 is a view of a three-shelf unit disassembled for sale in flat-pack form,

Figure 12 is a schematic view of a modified form of wall bar for use in the shelf units of Figures 1 to 11 and incorporating a metal or plastics insert,

Figure 13 is a view of the insert of Figure 12,

Figure 14 is a view of a modified form of the insert of Figures 12 and 13 for use without a wall bar to support a shelf,

Figure 15 is a view of the support insert of Figure 14 showing the engagement of a shelf with the support insert,

Figure 16 is a modified form of the shelf unit of Figures 14 and 15 incorporating a wedge to resist upward movement of the shelf,

Figure 17 is a similar view to Figure 16 but showing the wedge in position,

Figure 18 is a similar view to Figure 17 but having an alternative form of retention member and an alternative form of shelf for engagement with the retention member,

Figure 19 is an exploded view of a further form of support and shelf with a support and end caps for covering the ends of the support, and

Figure 20 is a partial side elevation of a support and a shelf engaged with the support and incorporating a spring retention member to resist upward movement of the shelf.

Referring first to Figure 1, the shelf unit comprises two supports in the form of wall bars 10 and three shelves 11. The wall bars 10 and the shelves 11 may be made of any suitable material such as hardwood or MDF.

Each wall bar 10 is formed by a strip of wood of generally rectangular cross section. As seen in Figure 1, the wall bars 10 are mounted on a wall with each bar 10 being arranged vertically and the two wall bars 10 being spaced apart by a distance just less than the width of a shelf 11. The ends of the wall bars 10 are in horizontal register.

Each wall bar 10 is provided with four recesses 12 with the recesses of one wall bar 10 being in horizontal register with the recesses 12 of the other wall bar 10.

Each recess 12 is generally U-shaped with upper and lower surfaces lying in respective generally horizontal planes interconnected by a base surface lying in a generally vertical plane. Each shelf, as seen in Figure 2, has a front edge 13 and a rear edge 14. An upper surface 15 and a lower surface 16 interconnect these

edges

13,14.

A U-shaped groove 17 is formed in the upper surface 15 adjacent the rear edge 14. The formation of this groove 17 provides a rib 18 adjacent the rear edge 14.

The horizontal surfaces of the recess 12 have a spacing that is generally equal to the spacing of the upper and

lower surfaces

15,16 of the shelf 11. Accordingly, when the shelf 11 is inserted into a pair of recesses 12, the recesses 12 tend to support the shelf 11 with the upper and

lower surfaces

15,16 lying in respective horizontal planes. If a load is placed on the shelf 11, the shelf 11 tends to try and rotate about the outer edge of the lower horizontal surface of the U-shaped recess 12. This causes the rib 18 to bite into the upper surface of the recess 12 so resisting such rotation. In this way, the shelf 11 is supported against movement under downward vertical loads.

Referring next to Figures 3, 4 and 5, in this alternative shelf unit, the wall bars 10 and the shelves 11 are formed generally as described above with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Parts common to Figures 1 and 2 on the one hand and to Figures 3 to 5 on the other hand will be given the same reference numerals and will not be described in detail.

In this arrangement, each recess 12 has a lower surface 19 lying in a horizontal plane and a base surface 20 lying in a vertical plane. The upper recess surface 21 lies in a plane that is inclined downwardly of the base surface 20, as seen in Figure 3.

The rear edge 14 of the shelf is provided with an edge surface 23 that is rounded adjacent the lower surface 16. In addition, the upper surface 15 of the shelf is, adjacent the rear edge 14, provided with a rebate 24 having downwardly sloping surface 25 and an end wall 26.

This allows the shelf 11 to be inserted into the recess 12 as seen in Figure 4. The front edge 13 of the shelf 11 is raised above the rear edge 14 of the shelf and this allows the rebate 24 to be hooked under the upper surface 21 of the recess 12. The curved edge surface 23 slides over the lower recessed surface 19 until the sloping rebate surface 25 lies against the upper recess surface 21 as shown in Figure 3. In this position, the shelf 11 is held in a horizontal disposition and downward vertical loads applied to the shelf are resisted by engagement between the upper recess surface 21 and the sloping shelf surface 25.

A unit of a shelf 11 and two supports 10 is shown in Figure 5.

Referring next to Figure 6, this is a modified version of the arrangement described above with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Parts common to this Figure and to Figures 1 and 2 will not be described in detail and will be given the same reference numerals.

In this embodiment, a counter-sunk hole 27 is provided in the base surface 28 of the recess 12. This allows a fixing screw 29 to be inserted through the hole 27 to connect the wall bar 10 to a wall. When a shelf 11 is inserted into the recess 12, the shelf 11 hides the screw head.

This Figure also shows more detail of the recess. As seen in Figure 6, the lower surface 30 of the recess lies in a generally horizontal plane but the upper surface 31 has a portion 32 that slopes downwardly from the base surface 28 and a portion 33 that slopes upwardly to the end of the recess 12. This allows the shelf 11 to be hooked into the recess in the manner described above with reference to Figures 3 and 4.

Referring next to Figures 7 and 8, these show a corner shelf unit. The wall bar 10, as seen in Figure 8, is similar to that described above with reference to Figure 6. The shelf, indicated generally at 11, is in the form of a segment of a circle. However, the angle of the segment is less than 90° to allow the shelf 11 to be inserted into the support 10 as described above with reference to Figures 3 and 4 (i.e. by tilting it upwardly and then hooking it into the recess 12). This means that the dimension a-b across the shelf 11 in Figure 7 is shorter than the dimension c-d between the walls 34 forming the corner and taken along the same line as the dimension a-b.

Figure 9 shows an alternative form of support 10 for a corner shelf. As seen in Figure 9, the support 11 has parallel front and

rear walls

35,36 respectively interconnected by side surfaces 37 that are at an angle of 45° to the front surface 35 and are mutually at right angles. As seen in Figure 9, these side surfaces 37 fit against the walls 34 making up the corner.

The recess 12 extends along the whole of the front surface 35 and the base of the recess is provided with a screw hole 38 that allows the support 10 to be fixed to the wall 34 at the corner.

A corner shelf may be engaged with the support 10 in any one of the ways described above with reference to the drawing.

Referring next to Figure 10, in this embodiment, the wall bars 10 are as described above with reference to Figures 1 and 2. The shelf 11 has, at its rear edge 14, two slots 39 positioned to engage respective recesses 12 on the wall bars 10. The slots have a similar U-shape to the recesses 12 but are rotated by 90° relative to the recesses 12 so that, when the recesses 12 and the slots 39 engage, the limbs of the slots embrace the wall bars 10 and the limbs of the recesses 12 embrace the upper and

lower surfaces

15,16 of the shelf 11. This holds the shelf 11 in a horizontal disposition and allows it to bear downward horizontal loads.

Referring next to Figure 11, this shows how a shelf unit can be packed for sale. The shelves are of identical thickness, width and length and are stacked on top of one another. The supports 10 lie side-by-side on top of the shelves. They can then be packed compactly.

It will be appreciated that the shelf units described above are compact with few parts. They require no complicated brackets or other special parts in order to fit together. It is possible, but not necessary, to fix the shelves 11 to the support 10 with glue and for fixing devices such as screws to provide additional security, particularly against accidental upward movement of the shelves 11.

It will also be appreciated that there may be many alterations made to the arrangement described above with reference to the drawings. For example, the shelves need not be rectangular; they could have any suitable shape. For example, they could be circular. In this case, the supports could have a recess with an arcuate base surface. The support could have a concavely arcuate face surface.

It can be a problem, when the wall bars 10 are made of medium density fibreboard (MDF). Under some loads, the leverage applied by a shelf 11 to the MDF surrounding a recess 12 can be sufficient to delaminate the MDF.

This can be prevented, or its incidence reduced by the arrangement shown in Figures 12 and 13. Parts common to these Figures and to Figures 1 to 11 are given the same reference numerals and are not described in detail.

The shelf unit of Figures 12 and 13 incorporates U-section metal or plastics inserts 40 each of which fits into an associated recess 12. Each U-section insert 40 has a base 41 and two parallel but spaced flanges 42. The length of each insert 40 is the same as the horizontal dimension of the associated recess 12 so that the ends of the insert 40 are flush with the ends of the associated recess 12. The width of each insert 40 across the flanges 42 is the same as the vertical dimension of the associated recess 12 between the upper and lower surfaces of the recess. These surfaces are parallel and the insert 40 is a close fit in between these surfaces.

As best seen in Figure 13, each insert 40 has a flange 42 which has an outer face 43 lying in a plane normal to the plane of the base 41 and an inner face 44 which diverges from the outer face 43 as the face 44 extends away from the base 41. The thickness of this flange 42 thus increases as it extends away from the base 41.

This flange 42 is the uppermost flange 42 when the insert 40 is located in an associated recess 42.

The associated shelf 11 is dimensioned so that the rear edge 14 of the shelf 11 fits into the insert 40 and is held by the insert 40. As seen in Figure 12, the insert 40 is provided with a screw hole 45 in the base 41 so that a screw 46 can be passed through the hole 45 and screwed into the wall bar 10 to fix the insert 40 to the wall bar 10. This screw 46 can also be used to connect the wall bar 10 to a wall.

The presence of the metal or plastics insert 40 allows the leverage loads from the rear edge 14 of a shelf 11 to be carried by the insert 40. This can prevent such loads from damaging the wall bar 10. In addition, if the screw 46 is a round-headed screw, the rear edge 14 of the shelf 11 can be engaged with the screw head as the shelf 11 is jammed into the recess 12. This can help prevent accidental upward jolts of the shelf 11. The use of an insert 40 can also allow the wall bars 10 to be of an inexpensive material such as laminated chipboard which would not otherwise be usable because of a tendency to damage under the load of a shelf 11.

The support for the shelves need not be formed by wall bars 10. It will be appreciated that the wall bars 10 described above with reference to the drawings serve only to provide the recesses 12 and fix the relative positions of the recesses 12. The recesses 12 could be formed in any suitable member. One possibility is shown in Figures 14 and 15.

In this embodiment, the support 47 is in the form of a metal or plastics U-section having the same cross-section as the insert 40 of Figures 12 and 13 but being the length of an associated shelf 48. Parts common to the insert 40 of Figures 12 and 13 and the support 47 of Figures 14 and 15 will be given the same reference numerals and will not be described in detail.

In the support 47 of Figures 14 and 15, the base 41 is provided with three spaced screw holes 45 so that the support 47 can be fixed to a wall or other vertical support surface by screws 46 passing through the holes 45. The support 47 is arranged horizontally with the shaped flange 42 uppermost. A shelf 11 is then engaged with the support 47 in the same way as described above with reference to Figures 3 and 4.

It will be appreciated that the support 47 need not have a shaped flange 42. The flanges 42 could be of constant width and also be parallel. In this case, the rear edge 14 of a shelf 11 need not be shaped as shown in Figures 3 and 4, it could have parallel faces at its rear edge 14.

It will be appreciated that a shelf 11 could be held by two or more horizontally spaced supports 47 of the kind shown in Figures 14 and 15.

Figures 16 and 17 show a modification of the shelf unit of Figures 14 and 15. Parts common to Figures 14 and 15, on the one hand, and Figures 16 and 17, on the other hand, will be given the same reference numerals and will not be described in detail.

The shelf unit of Figures 16 and 17 has the rear edge 14 of the shelf 11 provided with a rebate 50 having a surface 50a normal to the upper surface 15 of the shelf 11 and a surface 50b having the same inclination as the inclination of the inner face 44 of the insert 40 relative to the outer face 43. This is followed by a curved portion 51 which terminates in an inward step 52 which lies in a plane normal to the plane of the shelf 11 and faces the front edge 13 of the shelf 11. An angled portion 53 leads to a stop surface 54 facing in the opposite direction to the step 52 and lying in a plane normal to the plane of the shelf 11.

The inner surface of the lower flange 42 is provided with a longitudinally extending groove 55.

The shelf 11 is engaged with the insert 40 by offering up the rear edge 14 of the shelf 11 to the insert 40 with the front edge 13 of the shelf 11 raised above the rear edge 14. The rear edge 14 then hooks into the insert 40 as the front edge 13 is lowered. The upper flange 42 is received in the rebate 50, as seen in the drawings, and engagement of the outer edge of the lower flange 42 with the stop surface 54 to prevent further rotation and hold the shelf 11 in a horizontal position.

When so arranged, a retention member 56 is used to resist upward movement of the front edge 13 of the shelf 11. The retention member 56 is wedge shaped in cross-section (see Figure 17). One face 57 fits against the angled portion 53, one face 58 bears against the inward step 52 and one face 59 lies on the inner surface of the flange 42 of the insert 40 and includes a projection 60 that is received the groove 55.

In this way, any upward movement of the front edge 13 of the shelf 11 is resisted by engagement of the wedge with the inward step 52 and the groove 55. The retention member 56 can be readily slid into position and slid out, in order to allow the shelf unit to be disassembled.

The retention member need not be wedge shaped as shown in Figures 16 and 17. Referring to Figure 18, where parts common to Figures 16 and 17 and to Figure 18 are given the same reference numerals, the retention member 56 may be in the form of a cylindrical dowel. In this case, the dowel 56 is slid axially into a recess formed by an arcuate groove 61 in the flange 42 of the insert 40 and a facing arcuate groove 62 in the angled portion 53 in the rear edge 14 of the shelf 11. The co-operation between the dowel 56 locks the shelf 11 to the wall bar 10 via the insert 40. The dowel 56 is easily removed for disassembly.

A modified dowel system is shown in Figure 19. Parts common to Figure 19 and to the preceding Figures will be given the same reference numerals and will not be described in detail. This embodiment includes a support 47 as described above with reference to Figure 14 except that the lower flange 42 has an arcuate groove 63 extending along the interior surface of the lower flange 42 adjacent the outer edge of the flange 42.

The shelf 11 is as the shelf 11 described above with reference to Figures 3 and 4 except that the underside of the edge surface 23 is formed with an arcuate groove 64. When the rear edge 14 of the shelf 11 is inserted into the support 47, the

grooves

63,64 face one another.

The support 47 is made a little shorter than the length of the shelf 11 and two end caps 65 are used to secure the shelf 11 to the support 47. As seen in Figure 19, each cap 65 comprises a C-shaped cover 66 and a dowel 67 projecting from an end of a limb of the cover 66. The spacing of the limbs of the cover 66 is similar to the width of the support 47.

The dowel 67 of each cap 65 is inserted into the facing

grooves

63,64 of the shelf 11 and the support 47, when the rear edge 14 of the shelf 11 is inserted into the support 47. This locks the shelf 11 to the support 47. The covers 66 cover the respective ends of the support 47 to provide an aesthetically pleasing finish. The dowels 67 can be readily removed by pulling the covers 66 to release the shelf 11.

Figure 20 shows another retention member 57. Parts common to Figure 18 and to the preceding figures are given the same reference numerals and are not described in detail.

The retention member 57 is of generally L-shape and made from spring steel. One limb 68 of the member 57 is provided with a mounting hole 69 through which a screw 70 passes to fix the member 57 to the base surface of the recess 12. The other limb 71 of the member 57 is provided with an end bead 72 formed by a convexly curved portion of the limb 71.

The shelf 11 is similar to the shelf of Figures 16 and 17 with the inward step 52 and curved portion replaced by a concave indentation 73. The recess 12 is sized so that the rebate 50 and the step surface engages the front face of the wall bar 10. The concave indentation 73 is a snap fit with the end bead 72 of the retention member 57. This prevents the shelf 11 being disengaged by being accidentally knocked upwardly.

There may be one retention member for each shelf or one retention member for each recess 12.

The retention member 56 could be formed integrally with the insert 40. The shelf 11 would then snap into place with the lower flange 42 flexing. Other retention members could be used. For example, an adhesive member or members may be provided between the shelf 11 and the insert 40 to prevent the upward lifting. These may take the form of small discs of paper or plastics, particularly foamed plastics, that are adhesive on both surfaces.

Claims

A shelf unit comprising a wall-mounted support (10;40) including a recess (12) and a shelf (11) having an edge (14) fitting into the recess, the recess (12) and the shelf edge (14) co-operating to hold the shelf (11) in a horizontal plane and to resist downward vertical loads on the shelf (11).
A shelf unit according to claim 1 wherein the recess (12) includes a lower surface and an upper surface interconnected by a base surface, the lower and upper surfaces being vertically spaced, the shelf (11) including a lower surface (16) and an upper surface (15) interconnected by a rear surface for fitting between the lower and upper surfaces of the recess (12) respectively.
A shelf unit according to claim 2 wherein the upper surface of the recess is shaped to form a portion (18,21) that engages the upper surface (15) of the shelf (11).
A shelf unit according to claim 2 wherein the shelf edge is formed with a U-shaped slot (39), the U-shape of the slot (39) being formed by laterally spaced limbs separated by a base, the width of the support (10) being less than the width of the slot (39) so that the slot (39) and the recess (12) embrace one another with the support (10) lying within the slot (39) and the shelf edge (14) lying within the recess (12).
A shelf unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the support is formed by an elongate member (10) for attachment to a wall in a vertical disposition.
A shelf unit according to claim 5 wherein the recess (12) carries an insert (40) which receives the shelf edge (14).
A shelf unit according to claim 5 when dependent on claim 2 wherein the insert (40) is of U-section with a base (41) and two flanges (42) extending from the base (41), the insert (40) being a close fit within the recess (12) with each flange (42) overlying a respective one of the lower and upper surfaces (16,15) of the recess (12), the flange (42) that overlies the upper surface (15) of the recess having an inner surface that is planar and has an inner end within the support and an opposite outer end, the plane of the inner surface declining downwardly from said inner end to said outer end.
A shelf unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the support comprises a generally U-shaped support (40) with spaced lower and upper flanges (42), the support (40) being for connection to a wall with the flanges (42) spaced vertically, the support (40) receiving the shelf edge (14).
A shelf unit according to claim 8 wherein the upper flange (42) has an inner surface that is planar and has an inner end within the support and an opposite outer end, the plane of the inner surface declining downwardly from said inner end to said outer end.
A shelf unit according to claim 8 or claim 9 wherein the support (40) has a width generally equal to the width of the shelf (11), the whole of the shelf edge (14) being received by the support (40).
A shelf unit according to claim 2 or to any claim appendant thereto, wherein the upper surface (15) of the shelf (11) is shaped to form a portion that engages the upper surface of the recess (12,40).
A shelf unit according to claim 11 wherein the shelf (11) has a rear edge (14) received in said recess (12), the upper surface of the shelf being formed with a rib (18) adjacent said rear edge (14), the rib (18) biting into the associated upper surface (15) of the recess to resist downward rotation of the shelf (11) under vertical downward loads.
A shelf unit according to claim 11 wherein the upper surface of the shelf (11) is formed with a rebate (50), the rebate (50) receiving the upper surface of the recess (12).
A shelf unit according to claim 2 or to any claim appendant to claim 2 wherein the shelf (11) is provided with a rounded surface (23;51) extending between the rear surface and the lower surface (16) of the shelf (11) to allow the shelf (11) to be engaged with the recess (12;40) by downward rotation of the shelf (11) from an upwardly inclined disposition.
A shelf unit according to claim 14 wherein, at the lower surface of the shelf (11), a stop surface (54) is provided, said surface engaging an outer edge of the lower surface of the recess (12,40).
A shelf unit according to any one of claims 1 to 15 wherein retaining means (56;65) are provided acting between the shelf (11) and the recess (12;40) for resisting upward rotation of the shelf (11) relative to the recess.
A shelf unit according to claim 16 wherein the retaining means (56;65) are positionable to act between the shelf (11) and the recess (12;40) after the shelf edge is fitted into the recess (12;40).