EP2358235B1

EP2358235B1 - Shelf support system

Info

Publication number: EP2358235B1
Application number: EP09736406.1A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Benny Andersson
Original assignee: Inter Ikea Systems BV
Current assignee: Inter Ikea Systems BV
Priority date: 2008-10-17
Filing date: 2009-10-09
Publication date: 2013-07-24
Anticipated expiration: 2029-10-09
Also published as: WO2010043567A1; EP2358235A1; US20110315647A1

Description

Field of the Invention

This invention pertains in general to the field of supporting systems for furnitures and the like. More particularly the invention relates to supporting systems for shelves and the like. Specifically, this invention pertains to a support system for a shelf, said system comprising a rail and there from connected distally projecting male members, said male members being configured to interact with mating female apertures located in the shelf. Such a support system is known e.g. from document GB 2 109 672 A .

Background of the Invention

In the field of supporting systems for furniture it is often wished for to hide or conceal the mounting systems. Often, such systems have been limited to the positions of the studs in the wall. It is desirable to hide or conceal such mounting systems because of aesthetically reasons, and also because of the risk for persons, such as children, to get hurt on the systems, such as getting scratched by protruding rails and the like.
US 4,381,715 discloses a shelf support system, comprising threaded fasteners for securement to a wall, each fastener bearing a support shaft and a spring clip for interengagement with detent grooves which run lengthwise of elongated recessed chambers within the shelf. However, for removably fastening the shelf to the fastener, the system according to US 4,381,715 comprises lips projecting upwardly and downwardly between the shelf and the wall to be accessible from above or below the shelf. Thus, the system according to US 4,381,715 may not be closingly fitted against the wall. Furthermore, the system according to US 4,381,715 is restricted to perfectly aligned fasteners and chambers, implying a problem when arranging the system to walls only allowing for fastening of fasteners to studs, whereby fasteners only may be arranged at specified positions on the wall. Also, an eventual horizontal displacement of the system - due to uneven walls - is impossible, since the distance between a ridge on the spring clip and the wall is fixed.
US 6,164,610 discloses a modular shelf mounting system having a bracket member with forwardly projecting multiple cantilevered male members, which male members are inserted into mating female apertures located in the shelf. Alternatively, US 6,164,610 discloses a system, wherein the shelf is mounted onto the bracket by the aid of multiple screw members, to thereby exclude the cantilevered forwardly projecting members. However, the system according to US 6,164,610 is restricted to a predefined distance between the projecting male members or between mating female apertures, thus limiting the use of the system to a specific bracket member with dependent shelves. A problem thus arises when a user wants to arrange a shelf having a width smaller than the distance between the projecting male members, whereby a specific bracket member with smaller distance between the projecting male members has to be provided. Also, the embodiment comprising projecting multiple male members cannot be fixed to the shelf and can thereby not withstand horizontal movement of the shelf, while the embodiment with multiple screw members cannot be horizontally adjusted, since the distance between the screw member hole and the wall is fixed. Thus, an eventual horizontal displacement of the system - due to uneven walls - is impossible, if you want to fixate the shelf to the system and thereby to the wall. Yet other problems with the embodiment with multiple screw members is that it may be very difficult to screw the screw members into cooperation with the bracket, and that it is almost impossible to screw said screw members from below, due to the close distance to the wall of the screw holes and due to gravity acting on both screw members and shelf. This is very negative, since one almost exclusively wants to hide the screw member heads below the shelf in such systems.
Thus, there is a need for a new system for mounting shelves and the like to a wall, while being substantially invisible, which system may be displaceably fixed to a wall, which system not is limited by a specific relationship between the distance of projecting male members and thereto mating female apertures, which system not is limited to the positions of studs in the wall onto which the system is intended to be fastened.

Summary of the Invention

Accordingly, the present invention preferably seeks to mitigate, alleviate or eliminate one or more of the above-identified deficiencies in the art and disadvantages singly or in any combination and solves at least the above mentioned problems by providing a system, wherein said male member is provided with a through slot extending from the distal end to the proximal end of the male member, said through slot being open in said distal end.
Advantageous features of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

Brief Description of the Drawings

These and other aspects, features and advantages of which the invention is capable of will be apparent and elucidated from the following description of embodiments of the present invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention; and
Fig. 2 is an illustration in a cross-sectional side view of an embodiment of the present invention in mounted configuration.

Description of embodiments

The following description focuses on an embodiment of the present invention applicable to a system for mounting furniture or the like to a wall and in particular to a system for mounting a shelf or the like to a wall. However, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to this application but may be applied to many other technical aspects, wherein one wants to mount an object in a substantially invisible way to a surface, while still being within the scope of the present invention.
Fig. 1 discloses in a perspective view of a rail of a system according to an embodiment of the invention in an non-mounted configuration. The rail 11 has a substantially flat base portion 12 for interaction with the wall upon which the system is intended to be mounted. The base portion 12 is provided with a plurality of through holes 13 configured for receiving screw members there-through, to thereby allow fastening of the rail 11 to a wall by said screw members in an old-fashioned way.
The rail 11, according to the embodiment of Fig. 1, is further provided with a substantially flat male member 14, extending in a horizontal/saggital plane in respect of the rail 11, which male member 14 is substantially perpendicular to said base portion 12. The male member 14 is provided with a through slot extending from the distal end to the proximal end of the male member 14, said through slot being open in said distal end.
Fig. 2 discloses a system according to an embodiment of the invention in a side cross-sectional view. According to this embodiment, the male member 14 is adapted to fit with in a female groove 15 in a shelf 16, such that the male member 14 is mating with the female groove 15. Furthermore, the shelf 16 has a void 17 on the short side of the shelf - in between a top surface 18 and a bottom surface 19 of the shelf 16. The female groove 15 thus runs into the void 17. Said void 17 is adapted to house the rail 11, comprising the base portion 12 and provided with a mating female groove 15. In this way the top and bottom surfaces 18, 19 may be closingly fitted against the wall, such that the system, i.e. the rail 11, is substantially invisible, when the system is in a mounted state.
The top or bottom surface 18, 19 may be provided with screw hole 20 crossing the female groove 15. The screw hole 20 may have an upper section 21, between the female groove 15 and the mouth of the screw hole 20 in the top or bottom surface 18, 19, and a lower section 22, between the female groove 15 and the bottom of the screw hole 20. The upper section 21 may be adapted for receiving a screw member head, having a larger diameter than the threaded part of the screw member, while the lower section 22 may be adapted for receiving the threaded part of said screw member in an interactive and fixating way. Thus, the upper section 21 may have a larger diameter than the lower section 22.
The through slot of the male member 14, which male member is substantially perpendicular to said base portion 12, is adapted to receive the threaded part of a screw member there through, while the through slot simultaneously is adapted to act as a screw member seat for the screw member head. Since the through slot may be open in said distal end the screw member may be partly screwed into the shelf 16 before the shelf 16 is arranged on the rail 11. Partly screwed is in this context intended to be interpreted as if the threaded part of the screw member is screwed partly into the lower section 22 of the screw hole, such that the screw member is attached to the shelf 16. When the shelf 16 then is arranged on the rail 11 the screw member arranged in the screw hole may enter the open distal end of the male member 14. When the shelf 16 is in the desired position, the screw member is fully screwed into the screw hole, whereby the screw member head interacts with runners 23 formed on each side of the through slot of the male member 14, as can be seen in Fig. 1. In this way the runners 23 acts as screw member seat for the screw member, whereby the shelf 16 may be fixed to the wall, due to the male member 14 - attached to the rail 11, which in turn is attached to the wall. Thus, the cumbersome work of screwing a loose screw member into a shelf, while simultaneously holding the shelf in place, may be overcome. Also, a shelf may be horizontally adjusted due to irregularities in the wall structure, while the shelf still may be fixed to said wall. Furthermore, the problem of being restricted to perfectly aligned fasteners, such as male members, and chambers, such as female grooves, implying a problem when arranging the system to walls only allowing for fastening of fasteners to studs, whereby fasteners only may be arranged at specified positions on the wall, is solved.
In a further embodiment the male member 14 is slidably attached to the rail 11. In this embodiment the rail 11 is attached to a wall by screw members in screw holes of the rail 11, in accordance with the embodiment disclosed above and illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. The rail 11 is provided with an upper and a lower track. The male member 14 is arranged on a slider. The slider is provided with upper and lower engagement pins, adapted to run at upper and lower tracks, respectively, such that the slider only is movable in the longitudinal direction of the rail 11. The slider is preferably slid into engagement with the rail 11 at the side end of the rail 11. Thereby, the slider may be arranged on the rail in a horizontally slidable way, while still being vertically fixed to the rail 11. In this way the system is not limited by a specific relationship between the distance of projecting male members and thereto mating female apertures, whereby the system not is limited to one rail fitting only one shelf. Thus the problem of wanting to arrange a shelf having a width smaller than the distance between the projecting male members, whereby a specific bracket member or rail with smaller distance between the projecting male members has to be provided, is solved. Also, there is no limitation to a predefined distance between the projecting male members or between mating female apertures, and screw holes - and screw members partly arranged therein - in the shelf, whereby the slider may be slid into a position corresponding to said female apertures or screw holes.
Although the present invention has been described above with reference to specific embodiments, it is not intended to be limited to the specific form set forth herein. Rather, the invention is limited only by the accompanying claims and, other embodiments than the specific above are equally possible within the scope of these appended claims.
In the claims, the term "comprises/comprising" does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps. Furthermore, although individually listed, a plurality of means, elements or method steps may be implemented by e.g. a single unit or processor. Additionally, although individual features may be included in different claims, these may possibly advantageously be combined, and the inclusion in different claims does not imply that a combination of features is not feasible and/or advantageous. In addition, singular references do not exclude a plurality. The terms "a", "an", "first", "second" etc do not preclude a plurality. Reference signs in the claims are provided merely as a clarifying example and shall not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims in any way.

Claims

A supporting system for furniture, comprising; a rail (11), adapted to be mounted on a wall; and a projecting male member (14), connected to the rail (11), said male member projecting distally of said rail (11), said male member (14) being configured to interact with a mating female groove located in a shelf, characteriz ed in that said male member (14) is provided with a through slot extending from a distal end towards a proximal end of the male member (14), said through slot being open in said distal end.
The system according to claim 1, wherein said rail (11) is provided with a flat base portion (12) for interaction with the wall upon which the system is intended to be mounted.
The system according to claim 2, wherein the base portion (12) is provided with a plurality of through holes (13) configured for receiving screw members there-through.
The system according to claim 1, wherein said male member (14) is a substantially flat male member (14), which male member is substantially perpendicular to said base portion (12).
The system according to claim 1 or 4, wherein the male member (14) is slidably attached to the rail (11).
The system according to claim 5, wherein the rail (11) is provided with an upper and a lower track, and the male member (14) is arranged on a slider, said slider being provided with upper and lower engagement pins, adapted to run at upper and lower tracks, respectively.
A shelf comprising; a void (17) on the short side of the shelf, in between a top surface (18) and a bottom surface (19) of the shelf (16); and a female groove (15) running in the void (17); said void (17) being adapted to house the supporting system according to claim 1; characterized in that said top or bottom surface (18, 19) is provided with screw hole (20) crossing the female groove (15).
The shelf according to claim 7, wherein the screw hole (20) has an upper section (21), between the female groove (15) and the mouth of the screw hole (20) in the top or bottom surface (18, 19), and a lower section (22), between the female groove (15) and the bottom of the screw hole (20), wherein the upper section (21) has a larger diameter than the lower section (22).
A slider, comprising; a projecting male member (14), said male member (14) being configured to interact with a mating female groove located in a shelf; and upper and lower engagement pins for running at a rail, characterized in that said male member (14) is provided with a through slot extending from a distal end towards a proximal end of the male member (14), said through slot being open in said distal end.