GB2090121A - Shelf support system - Google Patents

Abstract

In a series of spaced uprights (12, 30), each upright has a series of laterally directed lugs (17, 34) projecting from at least one side at vertically spaced intervals, and brackets (20, 35) having upwardly opening slots (21, 36) and downwardly opening slots (22, 37) are arranged to be engaged on the lugs by a combination of vertical and rotational movement. The brackets may be engageable at a plurality of different predetermined inclinations. They may be single or double cantilever. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Shelf support system This invention relates to a shelf support system particularly of the type having uprights and brackets with locating means for interacting between the uprights and brackets so that the brackets can be located at selected positions on the uprights and easily moved to other positions when desired. Shelves are then supported on the brackets.

Conventionally uprights are secured to a wall, for example, by screws so that their rear faces are against the wall and the locating means comprise a series of spaced slots, often key-hole slots, on the front face of the upright. Lug means on the rear edge of each bracket locates in a selected key-hole slot or slots. The brackets then extend forwardly from at least two adjacent uprights to support a shelf between them. The unused slots on the front face of the uprights are unsightly in the erected shelf system.

One object of this invention is to provide a shelf support system with an attractive finished appearance.

Another object of the invention is to provide a shelf system with no slots in the faces of the uprights which will be visible when the system is erected.

According to the present invention the locating means comprises lugs on the uprights arranged to engage with slots on the brackets.

Preferably, where the back face of the upright will be adjacent a wall, the lugs extend from one or both sides of the uprights and their front faces have no slots or lugs thereon. With advantage, the brackets have two slot means opening respectively to the top and the bottom and spaced relative to a pair of lugs so that a first lug can only be inserted in one of the slots when the bracket is rotated relative to its normal position, the bracket is then pivoted about that first lug until the second slot will engage with the second lug. In a preferred form there is a single relatively deep slot opening to the top of the bracket and a series of angularly spaced less deep slots opening to the bottom of the bracket so that the bracket can be located horizontally or at an angle on either side of the horizontal.

The system may also include back panels arranged to engage the same series of lugs and to extend between adjacent uprights to cover the wall and the lugs.

In an alternative arrangement the uprights can be free-standing. For example, two or more uprights can be connected to each other to form a unit and two or more such units can be arranged in spaced parallel planes to support shelving between them. In this case the brackets extend sideways towards an adjacent unit and the lugs are on the side or sides towards the other unit or units.

Two embodiments of shelving system will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic horizontal section through part of an erected shelving system, FIGURE 2 is a diagrammatic side view of one upright and bracket of the system in Figure 1, FIGURE 3 is a front view of one upright and its fixing means on an enlarged scale, FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of an alternative shelving system, and FIGURE 5 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale of one bracket for the system of Figure 4.

A pair of hollow tubular uprights 12 are secured so that their rear faces 13 are adjacent to a wall 14. The uprights have brackets 1 5 welded thereto and secured to the wall by screws 1 6. The uprights have a series of lugs 1 7 at spaced intervals along their lengths projecting from at least one side. In the present example the lugs are formed by pegs extending right through the uprights and projecting on each side. Front faces 18 of the uprights have no lugs or slots so that they present a pleasing appearance. A bracket 20 has upwardly and downwardly opening slot means, 21 and 22 respectively, at its rear end.

Slot means 21 is comparatively deep slot 21 while slot means 22 is a series of angularly spaced slots 22A which are less deep. To engage a bracket with an upright, one of the lugs 17, indicated as 17A, is engaged in the slot 21 with the bracket at an angle to the horizontal and the bracket is then pivoted with this lug 1 7A at the base of the slot 21 until the adjacent lower lug, indicated as 17B, engages in a selected one of the slots 22A. The bracket then falls until lug 1 7B engages the top of the selected slot 22A at which time lug 1 7A is adjacent the top of slot 21 but the bracket cannot be removed until it is first lifted and then rotated about the lug 17A. The bracket has a forwardly extending limb 23 carrying a U-sectioned strip member 24 on which a shelf 25 is located and supported.It will be appreciated that with a series of uprights, brackets can be supported by the lugs at selected heights and shelves then supported on and between the brackets as desired. By choosing which of the slots 22A is engaged by a lug 1 7 the angle of the shelves can be varied on either side of the horizontal. A back panel 27 can be located between pairs of uprights to cover the wall 14.

The panel has hook means 28 for engaging the ends of the lugs so that it also effectively covers all the unused lugs to provide a more pleasing appearance.

Referring now to Figures 4 and 5, a pair of uprights 30 are connected by horizontal bars 31 and a further upright 32 to form a free-standing planar upright unit 33. Two such units 33 are arranged in spaced parallel planes and connected by a top bar and shelf. Each of the uprights 30 has spaced pairs of lugs 34 projecting on at least the side facing the other unit 33. Brackets 35 (only two of which are shown in Figure 4) have upwardly opening slot means 36 and downwardly opening slot means 37, the latter being formed of a series of angularly spaced slots 38. The brackets are located on the pairs of lugs (34) in the same manner as previously described for brackets 20.

The brackets 35 have a limb 40 so that a shelf 41 can be supported between the brackets of the two adjacent units 33. The faces 42 of the uprights 30 which will be viewed from the front side of the shelves have no lugs or slots and provide a pleasing appearance. The lugs may extend on both sides of the uprights so that shelving may extend beyond the two units 33 shown.

The uprights can be of other sectioned tubular form or may be channel-sectioned and can be free-standing or have other means of securing them to a wall. The lugs may be in the form of pins having an enlarged head as indicated at 43 for the lower pins on the upright of Figure 3.

Claims (12)

1. A shelf support system comprising a plurality of uprights, a plurality of brackets locating means for detachably supporting the brackets on the uprights so that two brackets supported at the same height on respective spaced uprights can support a shelf extending between them, the locating means comprising a series of lugs adapted to extend from each upright, at vertically spaced intervals, towards an adjacent upright, and the brackets having engagement means for engaging the lugs.

2. A system according to Claim 1 in which the locating means and engagement means are arranged so that a bracket can only be supported on and detached from the upright by a combination of vertical movement and rotational movement.

3. A system according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 in which the engagement means are in the form of slots.

4. A system according to Claim 3 in which each bracket has two slot means opening respectively to its top and bottom faces and arranged to engage with two adjacent lugs on an upright.

5. A system according to Claim 4 in which the lower slot means comprises a series of angularly spaced slots and the upper slot means comprises a single slot deeper than the lower slots and in which the base of the bases of the slots of the upper and lower slot means are separated by a distance less than the spacing between adjacent lugs and the opening of the slots of the upper and lower slot means are spaced by a distance greater than the distance between adjacent lugs.

6. A system according to any of Claims 1 to 5 in which the uprights are hollow and the lugs are formed by pegs extending right through the associated upright and projecting beyond the upright on at least one side thereof.

7. A system according to any of Claims 1 to 6 in which the lugs are formed by pins detachably locatable in a selected one of a series of holes in the sides of the uprights.

8. A system according to any of Claims 1 to 7 in which the front faces of the uprights have not slot or lugs.

9. A system according to any of Claims 1 to 8 including fixing means for fixing the uprights to a vertical surface so that the rear faces of the uprights are adjacent to the vertical surface, the locating means extend sideways towards adjacent upright or uprights, and the brackets extend forwardly from the uprights.

1 0. A system according to Claim 9 including a panel arranged to be located between a pair of uprights to engage the lugs on those uprights and extend in front of the vertical surface.

11. A system according to any of Claims 1 to 8 in which there are a plurality of free standing upright units, each comprising at least two uprights connected to form a substantially planar upright unit.

12. A system according to Claim 11 in which a pair of such upright units are arranged in spaced parallel planes, and the brackets and lugs on each unit extend towards the other unit.

1 3. A shelf support system substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 1 to 3 or Figures 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.