EP2250927B1

EP2250927B1 - Easy assembling shelving system

Info

Publication number: EP2250927B1
Application number: EP09425186.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Ivano Morandi
Original assignee: Metaltex Italia SpA
Current assignee: Metaltex Italia SpA
Priority date: 2009-05-13
Filing date: 2009-05-13
Publication date: 2013-07-03
Anticipated expiration: 2029-05-13
Also published as: CN201658007U; US20100288717A1; EP2250927A1

Description

The object of the present invention is a shelving system according to the pre-characterizing portion of the main claim.
Shelving systems of the above mentioned kind, in particular for implementing small pieces of furniture with several shelves, for example apt to be used in the bathroom, have been known for a long time. In the known systems it is quite complicated associating the shelves to the side supporting members, in fact the procedure requires a certain manual ability and not always the correct sequence of operations necessary for the assembly is easy to be guessed. An additional drawback of the known systems is linked to the fact that when they are dismantled they are quite bulky, which fact affects negatively the transportation and storage costs.
US 3,387855 describes a shelving system according to the preamble of claim 1, and comprising: a support frame having a plurality of trays mounted in a tiered relationship thereon. The support frame is formed by a pair of upright support posts mounted at the opposite ends of a longitudinal removable base member. A plurality of tray securing means are secured to each post at vertically spaced positions thereof, and each of said securing means is arranged to engage a cooperating portion of one of the trays to facilitate removable securance of the tray with a positive locking action. When the shelving system is dismounted the trays may not be inserted one into the other in such a way that the base of two superimposed trays are substantially in contact with each other.
US 3977529 describes a shelving system comprising spaced opposed side walls which are held in a sturdy upright position by an upper and a lower bar. Each of the side walls comprises two upright posts connected together by a plurality of spaced, horizontally disposed, U shaped wire support members for a plurality of removable wire shelves.
The object of the present invention is to implement a shelving system simplifying and speeding up the operations necessary for mounting the system itself and in particular simplifying the association of the shelves to the related supporting members. An additional object is to implement a shelving system which, when it is disassembled, is less bulky than the known systems.
These and other objects which will appear evident to a person skilled in the art are achieved by a system in accordance to the features of the enclosed claims.
For a better comprehension of the present invention the following drawings are enclosed by simple way of example and not for limitative purposes, wherein:

figures 1 to 4 and figures 5 to 8 show a shelving system according to the invention represented, respectively, in a schematic, perspective, side, front and top view and in an assembled state ready to be used and in a disassembled state ready for shipment;
figures 9 and 10 show a detail of the system in two distinct phases of the assembly thereof;
figures 11 to 17 show perspective schematic views and in some cases partial views of a plurality of variants of the invention represented in figures 1 to 8.

By referring to figures 1 to 10, they show a first and a second side supporting member 1, 2 for a plurality of shelves 3 implemented with metallic wires constrained therebetween, said supporting members and shelves comprising means 4 and counter means 5, respectively, for connecting removably said shelves to said supporting members. According to the invention the connecting means 4 provides:

hooking means 5 comprising a first and a second portion 6, 7 (figure 9) spaced out therebetween, and connected by a connecting portion 8 so as to limit a seat 9 having in section a substantially U-like shape, wherein the connecting counter means 5, provided in each shelf 3, can be inserted,
said first and second portion 6, 7 being spaced out by a tract T substantially equal to the thickness S of the wires 10 of the shelf 3 provided at the angles of said shelves,
and a connecting member 11 apt to connect said hooking means 5 to said supporting members 12 in prefixed positions.

According to the invention the connecting counter means 5 provides a substantially filiform and vertical member 10 A apt to insert in the seat 9 and to come in contact with said portions 6-8 of the hooking member 5. The distance D1 (figure 2) between the hooking members 5 for a determined shelf 3, provided on each supporting member 1, 2 is substantially equal (by means of the thickness of the wire therewith the hooking member itself is made) to that of D2 (figure 6) between the filiform members 10A apt to insert in said hooking members 5 so as to guarantee a stable connection, without yokes, of the shelves to the supporting members, more in particular, the supporting members 1 and 2 preferably provide a tubular structure having a shape like an overturned U and comprising two uprights 12 connected by an upper crosspiece 13. The connecting means 5 of the shelves 3 provides in prefixed, and equidistant, positions, uprights 12 of the two supporting members 1 and 2, pairs of hooking members 5 spaced out therebetween preferably by a tract R (figure 10) having a shorter length than the one of the angular metallic wires 10 apt to engage with said hooking members. These hooking members 5 preferably are implemented by bending the ends of a metallic wire 33 rigidly connected transversally to the uprights 12 of each supporting member 1, 2 in prefixed position, with the hooking members projecting outwardly with respect to said supporting members, that is so that the distance D1 between the ends of the hooking members is greater than that of D3 (figure 2) between the uprights 12.
The shelves 13 are implemented by welding therebetween a plurality of transversal metallic wires 3 A and longitudinal metallic wires 3 B (figure 4) so as to implement a structure like a net. The shelves provide a bottom wall 3 C (figure 5) and only two side walls 3 D, parallel therebetween, departing and substantially perpendicular with respect to said bottom wall; these side walls are limited on the top by an edge metallic wire 16 (figure 9). Preferably, the side walls 3D are provided along the bigger side of the shelves, whereas the smaller sides of the shelves are without side walls. The shelves at the smaller ends thereof provide an extremal transversal metallic wire 15 (figure 10) welded to longitudinal wires 3B so that they do not project from the above-mentioned wire 15 which, in all effects, constitutes then the end edge of the shelves 3. The extremal transversal wire 15 comprises a substantially horizontal tract 15 A (figure 10) at the ends thereof two vertical tracts depart which form the angular metallic wires 10 A mentioned previously, apt to engage with the hooking members 5.
Advantageously, the connecting portion 15 B between the horizontal tract 15 A of the extremal wire 15 and the vertical tracts thereof is angled and it forms with said horizontal tract an angle A lower than 90°, advantageously equal to about 70° so as to favour the insertion thereof of the vertical tracts of the extremal wire 15 in the hooking members 5.
As shown in figures 9 and 10 for assembling the shelving system it is sufficient to slide the shelves from the top to the bottom, by beating a slight friction, in the related hooking members 5 until the end wire 16 of the side walls abuts (figure 10) onto the hooking members 5 themselves by preventing an additional descent of the shelf. In such assembly phase the horizontal tract 15 A (figure 10) of the extremal wire 15 of the shelves 3 slides with a slight friction along an inner surface of the uprights 12 of the supporting structure 1, 2 as shown (figure 9 and 10) and, when the shelf is hooked, it remains in abutment against said inner surface, by further stabilizing the system.
It is to be highlighted that the shelves, the supporting members 1, 2 and the related means and hooking counter means 4 and 5 are shaped and sized so that when the shelves 3 are inserted in the related hooking means 5, the portions in contact therebetween of the shelves, of the hooking means and of the supporting ones are in strict contact therebetween so as to avoid yokes among the various shelf components and to make the system stable and not shaky; to this purpose, if necessary, when the shelves are unpacked it is possible varying slightly the tilt angle of the side walls 3D of the shelves 3 with respect to the bottom wall 3C.
Thanks to the fact that the distance D3 (figure 2) between the uprights 12 of the supporting structures 1 and 2 is smaller than the distance D2 (figure 6) between the side walls 3 D of the shelves (that is that between the filiform members 10 A, apt to insert into the hooking members 5, of the extremal wire 15 of the shelves) when the system is disassembled it is possible housing the supporting members 1, 2 inside the shelves (as shown in figure 6). Furthermore, advantageously the thickness of the tubes of the supporting members 1 and 2 is limited with respect to the side walls 3D of the shelves 3 so that when said members are overlapped therebetween they result, however, to be still inside the shelves 3 (figure 6). The hooking members 5 in this packaging position of the system pass through the meshes of the side walls 3D of the shelves 3 and they result substantially flush or they are little projecting with respect to the outer surface of said walls (as visible in figure 5 and 6). Furthermore, thanks to the fact that the side walls 3D of the shelves 3 are at least partially elastically connected to the related bottom walls 3C, when the system is disassembled it is possible inserting a shelf into the other one as shown in the figures 5 and 6. Practically, then, as shown in figures 5 to 8, the system, when it is disassembled, has an encumbrance which is substantially defined only by the height of the supporting members 1 and 2 and by the width and the height of the shelves 3, that is an encumbrance which is smaller than 20% than the known systems wherein the supporting members had to be rested onto the upper edge of the side walls of the shelves and/or under the bottom wall.
Figure 11 shows a first variant of the system according to the invention highlighting that specific shelves according to the invention can be used also to form base planes, that is that the shelves can be used in two positions rotated by 180° one with respect to the other one.
Figure 12 shows an additional variant of the system according to the invention wherein the supporting members 1 and 2 are without the upper crosspiece 13 described previously, so as to limit the system encumbrance. Moreover, according to this variant the connecting means 4 does not provide any more for each angle of the shelves a pair of hooking members 5, but only one hooking member which for systems with small sizes has resulted to be sufficient to guarantee the necessary stability of the system.
Figure 13 shows an additional variant of the system according to the invention wherein the supporting members 1 and 2 provide only one upright 20. Preferably, the single upright 20 of a supporting member is connected to the single upright of the other supporting member through a longitudinal crosspiece 21, advantageously plug-connected with an upper end of said uprights 20.
Figures 14 and 15 show an additional variant of the system according to the invention wherein the connecting means 4 does not provide any more hooking members shaped like a U and implemented by means of folded metallic wires, but by means of a foil providing the ends folded so as to have in cross section a U shape and thus forming a kind of pocket.
Figure 16 shows an additional variant of the system according to the invention wherein the supporting members 1 and 2 are shaped like a plane wall 25 and the hooking members like tubular members 24 constrained in a conventional way to the wall itself. At last, one wants to state that the embodiments illustrated sofar have been provided by simple way of example and that several variants are possible, all belonging to the same inventive concept, therefore for example the hooking members 5 could provide usual organs apt to allow the positioning thereof removable from the uprights 12. To this purpose the uprights could provide, as shown in figure 17, a plurality of uniformly spaced holes and the hooking members 5 could provide, departing from the small bar 33 connecting two hooking members therebetween, pins 23 apt to engage in said holes.

Claims

Shelving system of the kind comprising:
- a first and a second side supporting member (1, 2) for a plurality of shelves (3),

- shelves implemented by welding a plurality of transversal metallic wires (3A) and longitudinal metallic wires (3B) so as to form a net-like structure and comprising a bottom wall (3C) and at least two side walls (3D) parallel there between and substantially perpendicular to said bottom wall (3C), said side walls (3D) of the shelves (3) are at least partially elastically connected to said bottom wall (3C),

- said supporting members (1, 2) and shelves (3) comprising, respectively, means (4) and counter means (5) for connecting removably said shelves (3) to said supporting members (1, 2),

- the connecting means (4) providing: at least a hooking member (5) shaped so as to limit a seat (9) having in cross section a substantially U shape wherein the connecting counter means (5) provided in each shelf can be inserted,

- said counter means comprising at the angles of each shelf at least a first substantially filiform and vertical member (10A),

- said seat (9) of the hooking members (1, 2) is sized so as to allow inserting with friction said first filiform member (10A) and so that a tract of said first member remains in contact with the inner surface of said seat when the shelf is connected to the supporting members,

- said counter means (5) providing a second member (15A) apt to abut against a face of the supporting members (1, 2) when the shelves are associated to said members,

- said shelves (3) comprising a bottom wall (3C) and only two side walls (3D) parallel there between, departing and substantially perpendicular to such bottom wall (3C),
characterised in that:
- each of the two side walls (3D) is limited on the top edge by a longitudinal metallic wire (16),

- so that when three shelves (3) are stacked one into the other, the plurality of uniformly spaced apart transversal metallic wires of the side walls of a shelf are inserted in meshes of the net like structure of the side walls of an immediately lower shelf, and the longitudinal metallic wires (3B) of said shelf is in contact with the transversal metallic wires (3A) of said immediately lower shelf, so as to reduce the encumbrance of the system when it is disassembled.
The shelving system according to claim 1, characterized in that the supporting members (1,2) are sized so as to be inserted inside said shelves (3) when said system is disassembled so as to reduce the encumbrance of the system when it is disassembled.
The shelving system according to claim 1, characterized in that the connecting means (5) of the shelves provides in prefixed position uprights (12) of the two supporting members (1, 2), pairs of hooking members (5) spaced out therebetween by a tract (R) having a shorter length than that of the first member (10A) apt to engage with said hooking members, each pair forming a seat (9) for inserting said first member (10A).
The shelving system according to claim 1, characterized in that the hooking members (5) are the ends of a single metallic wire (33) constrained transversally to uprights (12) of each supporting member (1, 2) In prefixed positions and/or said hooking members project externally with respect to said uprights, so that the distance (D1) between the ends of the hooking members is greater than that (D3) between said uprights (12) and these can be inserted in the shelves (3) with said hooking members partially projecting from said shelves.
The shelving system according to claim 1, characterized in that the shelves at the ends thereof without side walls provide an extremal transversal metallic wire (15) constrained to longitudinal wires (3B) so that they do not project from said extremal wire (15) and that said first (10 A) and second (15 A) filiform members belong to said extremal transversal wire (15).
The shelving system according to claim 1, characterized in that said first (10 A) and second member (15 A) are implemented in a single filiform piece (15) and they are angled therebetween by about 90° and that said single piece (15) provides a connecting portion (15B) of said first and second member, said portion forming with said second member an angle (A) lower than 90° so as to favour inserting said first member (10 A) in the seats (9) of the hooking members.
The shelving system according to claim 1, characterized in that the shelves (3) provide at the angled portion (10 A) and the upper edge thereof a third member (16) apt to abut onto the hooking members (5) so as to limit the possibility of inserting the shelf in said hooking members.
The shelving system according to claim 1, characterized in that the shelves (3) are shaped so as to be used in different use positions.
The shelving system according to claim 1, characterized in that the connecting means (4) provides a foil which provides the ends folded so as to form seats with U-shaped cross section.
The shelving system according to claim 1, characterized in that the supporting members (1, 2) are shaped like a plane wall (25) and/or that the hooking members are shaped like tubular members (24) having a longitudinal slot.
The shelving system according to claim 1, characterized in that the shelves (3) provide a plurality of transversal metallic wires (3 A) and longitudinal metallic wires (38) welded therebetween so as to implement a net-like structure.