GB2090517A - Shelving system - Google Patents

Abstract

A shelving system has support rails (1) to be secured to a wall each having a flange (4) with a groove (18) therein and an outwardly projecting flange (5) with a reentrant inturned flange (6); and a shelf support bracket (2) has a triangular web (12) and a thickened upper flange portion (13) with cutouts (14) therein forming on each side projections (17) one of which can engage the reentrant portion 7 of the flange, and the upper inner portion of the web (12) is cut-away at an angle so that the bracket (2) can be engaged with the support strip (1) by a lateral movement with the bracket (2) in a cocked orientation. The bracket (2) is finally secured by rotating it to a horizontal orientation to engage the web (12) in a groove. A clip strip (3) may be engaged on the support strip (1) to leave a narrow (2 mm) gap through which the web (12) extends and to form a box section in which electrical wiring can be ducted. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Shelving system The invention relates to a shelving system and particularly though not exclusively to a shelving system which can be mounted on a wall by relatively unskilled personnel, that is to say suitable for the do-it-yourself market.

Many systems have been proposed comprising support strips to be secured to a wall, at least two strips being provided and being mounted on the wall in vertical orientation with the two strips being parallel and spaced apart from each other. Brackets are also provided which can be engaged on the support strips each at any one of a number of relatively vertically spaced positions by engaging hooks on the brackets in apertures in the support strips. Shelves can then be supported on the brackets. Such support strips tend to be unsightly in that only a small number of the apertures in the strips have hooks on the brackets engaged therein, the unused apertures being clearly visible. Such systems also have the disadvantage that the brackets can only be adjusted in position on the support strips in steps, the height of the steps corresponding to the spacing apart of the individual apertures.

Systems have been proposed utilizing Usection support strips with the limbs of the U having inturned flanges at their free ends, the support strips being secured to a wall by screws engaging though the base flange of the U-shaped support strips and brackets with wedge cams thereon being slidable within the support strips when in a cocked position, the main part of each bracket extending outwardly through the gap between the two inturned flanges, and the brackets being automatically locked by the wedge cams when turned to a horizontal position to secure them at any one of steplessly variable positions in the height of the support strips.Such systems have the disadvantage that the gap between the inturned flanges must either be wide enough to allow the heads of the securing screws and the tip of a screwdriver to drive such screws to pass therethrough or the gap between the inturned flanges can be locally widened at positions at which screw holes are provided in the base flange. Either of these alternatives tends to provide a support strip which is unsightly and also the plastics wedge arrangement can be expensive to manufacture.

According to one aspect of the invention, a shelving system comprises support strips to be secured in a vertical orientation and brackets to support shelves, the brackets being mountable on the support strips at steplessly variable positions thereon, wherein each support strip comprises a member of angle section with a first flange with apertures therein to receive screws whereby the support strip can be secured to a wall, a second flange extending from one edge of said first flange generally at right angles thereto and having at its free edge an inturned flange, the face of the inturned flange directed towards said first flange being formed to present a recess, and the first flange having a groove in its face directed towards said inturned flange at a position adjacent the junction of said first flange and said second flange; each bracket comprises a web of sheet material of generally triangular form and of a thickness such that an inner vertical edge thereof can be engaged in the groove in the first flange and a portion of greater thickness at the upper edge of each bracket, a vertically extending cut-out is provided in said portion at a location which will be adjacent the inturned flange of the support strip when the bracket is engaged with the support strip with one side wall of said cut-out presenting a projection and the upper portion of the inner edge of the bracket is cut-away whereby the bracket can be engaged with the support strip when in a cocked orientation and at any position in the length of the support strip can be moved into a horizontal orientation, such movement engaging the projection in the recess and the inner edge in the groove and thereby securing the bracket against both lateral and longitudinal -movement with respect to the support strip.

Advantageously the recess is formed by angling said face of the inturned flange at an acute angle to the second flange to form a Vshaped recess and the projection is of complementary shape.

Preferably the portion of the support bracket of greater thickness has such a groove in each of its opposite sides such that the bracket can be engaged with a support strip having its inturned flange located to either the lefthand side or the righthand side of the bracket.

The connection of the inner edge of the web of the bracket in the groove in the first flange of the support strip and the V-shaped projection of the bracket in the V-shaped groove in the inturned flange of the support strip can satisfactorily restrain the bracket from movement in all directions except an upward pivoting movement. The bracket can be engaged with the support strip by lateral movement of the bracket with respect to the support strip followed by downward pivoting movement of the bracket, that is to say it is not necessary to feed the bracket in through the upper end of a slot in the support strip.

Ready access is obtainable to engage screws in the apertures in the first flange of the support strip and to screw such screws into a wall on which the shelving system is to be mounted by means of a screwdriver. Preferably the apertures in the first flange of the support strip are of a size such that a masonry drill can be passed therethrough, a plastics wall plug can be passed through the aperture and a screw engaged in the plastics wall plug to secure the support strip to the wall, the screw being a standard size screw but engaging the first flange of the support strip with its head to secure the support strip to the wall.

Sticky pads are preferably provided adhered to the first flange or to be adhered to the first flange to retain the support strip in a desired position on a wall while the holes for the plastics wall plugs are drilled in the wall through the apertures.

The support strip is preferably an aluminium extrusion with the apertures in the first flange for the securing screws being drilled or punched subsequently to extrusion.

The bracket is preferably formed from an aluminium extrusion by extruding an I-section member, cutting off said extrusion to desired lengths, dividing each of said desired lengths into two by means of a diagonal cut, removing material to form said cut-away portion and punching or milling the cut-outs in the portions of the brackets of greater thickness thereby to form the V-shaped projections.

Advantageously the first flange of the support strip has, in its edge which is remote from its edge which is joined to said second flange, a further groove in which an edge portion of a clip strip can be engaged. Preferably the clip strip is of generally angular section comprising a first flange and a second flange generally at right angles to the first flange, the first flange having at its free edge a projection to engage in the further groove in the support strip such that the clip strip can be mounted on the support strip with the first flange of the clip strip parallel to the second flange of the support strip and the second flange of the clip strip parallel to the first flange of the support strip and with the free edge of the second flange of the clip strip spaced a distance from the inturned flange on the second flange of the support strip substantially equal to the thickness of the web portion of the bracket.Thus, the clip strip and the support strip together can form a generally rectangular hollow section with a narrow slot in one wall thereof, through which narrow slot the web portion of the bracket can extend and within which hollow section electrical wires can extend, the wires being for example supply wires for lighting or supply or connection wires for audio equipment. The clip strip is preferably an extrusion of a plastics material.

The various parts of the support strip, clip strip and bracket are preferably so proportioned and disposed that the bracket can be moved from a horizontal orientation to a cocked orientation and slid longitudinally with respect to the support strip and clip strip, while the clip strip is engaged with the support strip.

Advantageously the shelving system includes clips engageable on the brackets and engageable with shelves supported by the brackers to retain the shelves in desired positions on the brackets. Preferably each of the clips comprises an upper support portion, downwardly depending portions and inturned members located at the lower ends of the downwardly depending portions and to engage beneath the upper portion of the bracket which is of greater thickness. The upper support portion may include a suction cap such that a glass shelf can be retained thereby.

Alternatively the upper support portion can include through holes to receive screws passing upwardly through the holes to engage in a shelf of wood material. The clips are preferably slidable on the brackets towards and away from the support strips and, to facilitate securing of the brackets which are to be screwed to the shelves, sticky pads are preferably adhered to or provided to be adhered to the upper face of the upper support portion of each clip such that a shelf laid on clips engaged on brackets can be removed from the brackets by outward horizontal sliding movement of the shelf with the clips retained thereon by the sticky pads, the clips then being secured to the shelves by passing screws through the holes in the upper support portions of the clips after the shelf has been inverted.

According to another aspect of the invention, a levelling device to align elongate members in a vertical or horizontal orientation, particularly to facilitate erection of a shelving system, comprises two relatively pivotable members, a first of the members being provided with means whereby it can be engaged with an elongate member to be aligned in a manner to secure it against pivoting move ment with respect to the elongate member and having reference means thereon to cooperate with a second of the members of the levelling device such that, with the two members of the levelling device having their pivotal connection at an upper position, the elongate member to be aligned can be pivoted to an accurately horizontal or vertical orientation by aligning the second member of a levelling device with the reference markings of the first member of the levelling device.

Preferably the first member of the levelling device is formed by three integral strips lying in the same plane in triangular formation and the second member comprises a rectangular strip of planar material pivotally mountable on the first member by means of a projection on one of the first member and the second member engaging in an aperture in the other of the first member and the second member.

The second member is preferably formed of a transparent material.

The invention is diagrammatically illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a support strip and clip strip of a shelving system according to said one aspect of the invention with a bracket engaged therewith; Figure 2 is an enlarged version of Fig. 1 and also shows two embodiments of shelf supporting clips; Figure 3 shows a side view of the bracket of Figs. 1 and 2; Figure 4 is an enlarged view of a part of Fig. 1; Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on line V V of Fig. 4; Figures 6a, 6b and 6c shows successive steps in the securing of a support strip of the shelving system to a wall; Figures 7a and 7b show successive steps in the engagement of a bracket of the shelving system on a support strip thereof; Figure 8 shows engagement of a clip strip;; Figure 9 is a side view corresponding to Fig. 2 but with the clip strip removed; Figures 10 and 11 show the opposite faces of a first member of a levelling device according to said another aspect of the invention; Figures 12 and 13 show sections taken on line XII-XII and XIII-XIII respectively of Fig. 1; Figures 14 and 15 show two views of a second member of the levelling device; Figure 16 shows a perspective view of the two members of Figs. 10 to 1 5; Figures 1 7a, 1 7b and 1 7c show use of the levelling device of Figs. 10 to 1 6 to obtain vertical alignment of a support member of a shelving system; and Figures 18a and 18b shows use of the levelling device of Figs. 10 to 1 6 to obtain horizontal alignment of a shelf of a shelving system.

Referring to the drawings, a shelving system comprises support strips 1, shelf supporting brackets 2 and clip strips 3. In the drawings only one of each of these items is illustrated but it will be appreciated that in normal use, a pair of support strips 1 would be provided each in a vertical orientation with the two strips in spaced parallel relationship, a plurality of the brackets 2 would be provided on each of the support strips 1 so that a plurality of shelves could be supported and each of the support strips 1 would have a respective clip strip 3 with the clip strip 3 extending for the full length of the support strip 1.

Each support strip 1 is formed as an aluminium extrusion and comprises a first flange 4, a second flange 5 extending generally at right angles to the flange 4 with which it is integral and an inturned flange 6 at the free edge of the flange 5, the face of the inturned flange 6 directed towards the flange 4 being angled at an acute angle to the adjacent face of the flange 5 to form a V-shaped recess 7.

The flange 4 has counterbored apertures 8 at intervals spaced along its length, so that by placing the flange 4 against a wall 9, as indicated in Fig. 6a, drilling an aperture in the wall through the aperture 8 and inserting a plastics wall plug 10, as indicated in Fig. 6b, and driving a screw 11, as indicated in Fig.

6c, the support strip 1 can be secured to the wall 9.

Each bracket 2 has a web 1 2 of generally triangular form and approximately 2 mm thickness and an integral upper portion 1 3 of greater thickness than the web 12, cut-outs 1 4 being provided in the portion 1 3. An inner edge of the web 1 2 has an upright portion 1 5 and an angled cut-away portion 1 6 and the side walls of the cut-outs 14, which are towards the cut-away portion 16, are angled to form projections 1 7 of a V-section corresponding to the section of the V-shaped recess 7 presented by the inturned flange 6 of the support strip 1.

The flange 4 of the support strip 1 includes a groove 1 8 extending longitudinally of the flange 4, of a width such that the upright portion 1 5 of the web 1 2 of the bracket 2 can be received therein, and with its side wall adjacent the flange 5 aligned with the free face of the inturned flange 6. The side walls of the groove 1 8 may have longitudinally extending ribs thereon which can be deformed by the edge 1 5 on engagement of the edge 1 5 therein, the ribs compensating for manufacturing tolerances in the thickness of the edge 1 5 and the width of the groove 1 8 to ensure a tight fit of the edge 1 5 in the groove 18.

To engage one of the brackets 2 with one of the support strips 1, the bracket is held in a cocked orientation, as indicated in Fig. 7a, and moved laterally, as indicated by the arrow 19, to engage the inturned flange 6 in one of the cut-outs 14 in the bracket 2. With the bracket 2 adjusted to the required height, it is rotated, as indicated by the arrow 20 to the position of Fig. 7b, to engage the upright portion 1 5 of the inner edge of the web 1 2 of the bracket 2 in the groove 1 8 in the flange 4 of the support strip 1 and to engage one of the projections 1 7 in the recess 7. In this position, the bracket 2 is secured against movement with respect to the support strip 1 in all directions except for a movement returning it to the cocked position of Fig. 7a.If the bracket is found not to be at the desired height, then it can be returned to the cocked position of Fig. 7a, adjusted in height and then returned to the horizontal position of Fig.

7b.

The clip strip 3 is also of generally angular configuration with a flange 21 and a flange 22 generally at right angles to the flange 21 and an inturned double flange 23 on the free edge of the flange 21, which double flange 23 can cooperate with the free edge of the flange 4 of the support strip 1 by one arm of the double flange 23 engaging in a groove 24 in the flange 4 and the other arm of the double flange 23 engaging the front face of the flange 4.The free edge of the flange 22 of the clip strip 3, in its fitted position, is spaced from the inturned flange 6 of the support strip 1 by a distance equal to the thickness of the web 1 2 of the bracket 2 such that the support strip 1 and the clip strip 3 together form a generally square hollow box section with a narrow slot therein, through which narrow slot the web portion 12, within the cut-outs 14 in the portion 1 3, extends.

The clip strip 3 is engaged with the support strip 1 by lateral movement, as indicated by the arrow 25 in Fig. 8. Preferably the support strip 1 and bracket 2 are formed of aluminium and the clip strip 3 is formed of a plastics material By using a support strip 1 inverted compared with that shown, brackets 2 can be engaged therewith using the other of the cutouts 14 and V-shaped projections 1 7 to those shown being used in the drawings.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 9, the bracket 2 shown therein has in each case two shelf support clips engaged thereon. A first clip 26 is designed for use with a glass shelf and has an upper support portion 27 mounting a suction cap 28, downwardly depending side portions 29 and inwardly turned flanges 30 at the lower ends of the flanges 29. The clip 26 is thus slidable along the bracket 2, particularly along the upper portion 1 3 of greater thickness thereof. The second clip 31 shown is for use with shelves of wooden material and comprises an upper support portion 32 which comprises two bar portions 33 which extend over the top of the portion 1 3 of the bracket 2 and laterally projecting lugs 34 with holes 35 therein through which screws can be passed upwardly to engage in the shelf to secure the shelf to the clip 31.The clip 31 further has, on each side of the portion 1 3 of the bracket 2, three downwardly depending projections 36 of tapered form, each having an inwardly turned flange 37 at its lower end to engage beneath the portion 1 3 of the bracket 2.

In use the clip 31 is engaged on the bracket 2 and a pad of material which is sticky on both sides is laid on the support portion 32 thereof. A shelf, not shown, is then laid on the sticky pads in the required position. The shelf can then be slid horizontally in a direction away from the wall 9, the clips 31 moving with the shelf, and, when removed from the brackets 2, the shelf can be inverted and the screws inserted through the apertures 35 and screwed home into the shelf before the shelf is re-engaged on the brackets.

Thus the difficult operation of screwing screws into the shelf from below can be avoided. The clips 31 are preferably moulded from a semirigid plastics and may, as may the clip strip 3, be formed of a colour which will match the aluminium support strip 1 and brackets 2.

Providing the shelf to be secured by the clips 26 or 31 which are slidable along the brackets 2 has the advantage that it is not necessary to remove the shelf when adjusting the height of the brackets 2 with respect to the support strip 1 since the shelf can be merely slid along the brackets 2 in a direction away from the wall sufficient to enable the brackets 2 to be moved to the cocked position and then slid back along the brackets 2 towards the wall after the brackets 2 have been adjusted in height and restored to the horizontal position.

If preferred a clip similar to the clip 26 but without the suction cap 28 thereon or similar to the clips 31 but without the lugs 34 thereon can be provided and retention of the shelves on the clips provided for by the adhesion of sticky pads, as mentioned above, located between the support portions 27 and 32 of the clips 26 and 31 respectively and the shelves.

It will be appreciated that the clip strips 3 are not essential and are provided to give the upright portions of the shelving system an attractive appearance. However they can have a further function in that with the cooperating support strips 1 they form a rectangular box section in which electrical wiring 36, indicated in Fig. 2, can be ducted.

Referring now to Figs. 1 9 to 18, a levelling device 40 is shown. The device 40 comprises a triangular member 41 and a strip pendulum 42. The members 41 and 42 are moulded of a plastics material, preferably a transparent plastics material, and the member 42 has steel disc weights 43 mounted in moulded sockets at one end thereof.

It is important for aesthetic reasons that when a shelving system is mounted on a wall the support strips 1 should be accurately vertical and the shelves supported on the brackets 2 should be accurately horizontal.

However this is not always easy to judge by eye and the person erecting the shelving system may not have a sophisticated spirit level which could be used to set the components accurately vertical and horizontal.

The triangular member 41, as shown in Figs. 11 to 13, has two strip members 44 and 45 which meet at a right angle and a third strip member 46 forming the hypotenuse of the triangle. Projecting flanges 47, 48 are provided on the members 44 and 45 such that a channel 49 is formed between the flanges 47, 48 whereby the triangular member 41 can be clipped onto the outwardly projecting flange 5, 6 of a support strip 1, as indicated in Figs. 17a, 1 7b and 1 7c, either to project to the right thereof, as indicated in Fig. 1 7b, or to the left thereof, as in Fig. 17c.

At the junction of the members 44, 45 a pivot pin 50 is provided, which pin can engage in a key-hole shaped hole 51 in the pendulum 42 so that the pendulum 42 is freely pivoted. A reference line 52 is provided on the transparent pendulum 42 and at the junctions of the members 44, 46 and 45, 46 reference markings 53 are provided. With the levelling device 40 engaged on a support strip 1, as shown in either Fig. 1 7b or Fig. 1 7c and with the reference line 51 on the pendulum 42 aligned with one of the reference marks 53 on the triangular member 41, the support strip 1, to which the triangular member 41 is clipped, will be accurately vertical.

The method of securing a support strip 1 is to engage sticky pads 54, Fig. 6a, on the rear face of the flange 4 of the support strip 1, approximately position the support strip 1 to the desired position and drill and plug the wall, as indicated in Fig. 6b at the upper end of the strip and insert a screw, as indicated in Fig. 6c. The screw 11 is not however fully tightened. The sticky pad 54 at the lower end of the strip 1 is then disengaged from the wall and the triangular member 41 is engaged with the strip 1 and the pendulum 42 is engaged with the triangular member 41. The support strip 1 is then pivoted about the screw 11 until the levelling device 40 indicates that it is accurately vertical.The support strip 1 is then pressed against the wall to cause the lower sticky pad 54 to retain it in the set position and the other holes 8 in the support strip 1 are then drilled through and the support strip 1 fully secured to the wall by the wall plugs 10 and screws 11. The other support strip 1 required is then fitted in the manner indicated in Fig. 17c.

Once the support strips 1 have been secured and brackets 2 engaged thereon, a shelf 55, Fig. 18a, is engaged on support clips on the brackets 2. The triangular member 41 is then engaged with the shelf 55.

Figs. 11 and 1 3 show that the member 46 of the triangular member 41 has a lower flange 56, a next upper flange 57, a higher flange 58 and an uppermost flange 59. Which of the flanges are used depends upon the thickness of the shelf 55. If a thin standard wooden material shelf is used, the flanges 56 and 57 cooperate therewith. If a thicker standard wooden material shelf is used, the flanges 56 and 58 cooperate therewith and if a glass shelf is used, the flanges 58 and 59 cooperate therewith. Once the member 41 has been engaged with the shelf the pendulum 42 is engaged on the pivot pin 50 and the reference line 52 of the pendulum 42 is aligned with a reference mark 60 midway along the length of the member 46 of the triangular member 41, as indicated in Fig. 18b. It is thus easy to check whether or not the shelf 55 is accurately horizontal.

Fig. 1 6 shows that the member 46 of the triangular member 41 may have a pair of projecting studs 61 on which the pendulum 42 can be engaged by apertures 62 therein for transport and storage. The pivot pin 50 of the member 41 may not be moulded integral with the member 41 but may be provided as a separate item 63 secured to the remainder of the member 41 by a frangible strap and engageable in an aperture 64 in the member 41 after being broken away from its storage position on the frangible strap.

Claims (22)

1. A shelving system comprising supporting strips to be secured in a vertical orientation and brackets to support shelves, the brackets being mountable on the support strips at steplessly variable positions thereon, wherein each support strip comprises a member of angle section with a first flange with apertures therein to receive screws whereby the support strip can be secured to a wall, a second flange extending from one edge of said first flange generally at right angles thereto and having at its free edge an inturned flange, the face of the inturned flange directed towards said first flange being formed to present a recess, and the first flange having a groove in its face directed towards said inturned flange at a position adjacent the junction of said first flange and said second flange; each bracket comprises a web of sheet material of generally triangular form and of a thickness such that an inner vertical edge thereof can be engaged in the groove in the first flange and a portion of greater thickness at the upper edge of each bracket, a vertically extending cut-out is provided in said portion at a location which will be adjacent the inturned flange of the support strip when the bracket is engaged with the support strip with one side wall of said cut-out presenting a projection and the upper portion of the inner edge of the bracket is cut-away whereby the bracket can be engaged with the support strip when in a cocked orientation and at any position in the length of the support strip can be moved into a horizontal orientation, such movement engaging the projection in the recess and the inner edge in the groove and securing the bracket against both lateral and longitudinal movement with respect to the support strip.

2. A shelving system according to claim 1, in which the recess is formed by angling said face of the inturned flange at an acute angle to the second flange to form a V-shaped recess and the projection is of complementary shape.

3. A shelving system according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the portion of the support bracket of greater thickness has such a groove in each of its opposite sides whereby the bracket can be engaged with a support strip having its inturned flange located to either the lefthand side or the righthand side of the bracket.

4. A shelving system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in which the bracket can be engaged with the support strip by lateral movement of the bracket with respect to the support strip followed by downward pivoting movement of the bracket.

5. A shelving system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, including sticky pads adhered to the first flange or to be adhered to the first flange to retain the support strip in a desired position on a wall while holes to receive screws are drilled in the wall through the apertures.

6. A shelving system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, in which the support strip is an aluminium extrusion with the apertures in the first flange for the securing screws drilled or punched subsequently to extrusion.

7. A shelving system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, in which the bracket is formed from an aluminium extrusion by extruding an I-section member, cutting off said extrusion to desired lengths, dividing each of said desired lengths into two by means of a diagonal cut, removing material to form said cut-away portion and punching or milling the cut-outs in the portions of the brackets of greater thickness thereby to form the projections.

8. A shelving system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, in which the first flange of the support strip has, in its edge which is remote from its edge which is joined to the second flange, a further groove in which an edge portion of a clip strip can be engaged.

9. A shelving system according to claim 8, in which the clip strip is of generally angular section comprising a first flange and a second flange generally at right angles to the first flange, the first flange having at its free edge a projection to engage in the further groove in the support strip such that the clip strip can be mounted on the support strip with the first flange of the clip strip parallel to the second flange of the support strip and the second flange of the clip strip parallel to the first flange of the support strip and with the free edge of the second flange of the clip strip spaced a distance from the inturned flange on the second flange of the support strip substantially equal to the thickness of the web portion of the bracket.

10. A shelving system according to claim 9, in which the clip strip and the support strip together form a generally rectangular hollow section with a narrow slot in one wall thereof, through which narrow slot the web portion of the bracket can extend and within which hollow section electrical wires can extend.

11. A shelving system according to any one of claims 8 to 10, in which the clip strip is an extrusion of a plastics material.

12. A shelving system according to any one of claims 8 to 11, in which the various parts of the support strip, clip strip and bracket are so proportioned and disposed that the bracket can be moved from a horizontal orientation to a cocked orientation and slid longitudinally with respect to the support strip and clip strip, while the clip strip is engaged with the support strip.

1 3. A shelving system according to any one of claims 1 to 12, including clips engageable on the bracket and engageable with shelves supported by the brackets to retain the shelves in desired positions on the brackets.

14. A shelving system according to claim 13, in which each of the clips comprises an upper support portion, downwardly depending portions and inturned members located at the lower ends of the downwardly depending portions and to engage beneath the upper portion of the bracket which is of greater thickness.

1 5. A shelving system according to claim 14, in which the upper support portion includes a suction cap such that a glass shelf can be retained thereby.

16. A shelving system according to claim 14, in which the upper support portion includes through holes to receive screws passing upwardly through the holes to engage in a shelf of wood material.

1 7. A shelving system according to claim 16, in which the clips are slidable on the brackets towards and away from the support strips and sticky pads are adhered to or provided to be adhered to, the upper face of the upper support portion of each clip such that a shelf laid on clips engaged on brackets can be removed from the brackets by outward horizontal sliding movement of the shelf with the clips retained thereon by the sticky pads and the clips can then be secured to the shelves by passing screws through the holes in the upper support portions of the clips after the shelf has been inverted.

18. A shelving system substantiatly as hereinbefore described and illustrated with reference to Figs. 1 to 9 of the accompanying drawings.

19. A levelling device to align elongate members in a vertical or horizontal orientation, comprising two relatively pivotable members, a first of the members being provided with means whereby it can be engaged with an elongate member to be aligned in a manner to secure it against pivoting movement with respect to the elongate member and having reference means thereon to cooperate with a second of the members of the levelling device such that, with the two members of the levelling device having their pivotal connection at an upper position, the elongate member to be aligned can be pivoted to an accurately horizontal or vertical orientation by aligning the second member of a levelling device with the reference markings of the first member of the levelling device.

20. A levelling device according to claim 19, in which the first member of the levelling device is formed by three integral strips lying in the same plane in a triangular formation and the second member comprises a rectangular strip of planar material pivotally mountable on the first member by means of a projection on one of the first member and the second member engaging in an aperture in the other of the first member and the second member.

21. A levelling device according to claim 1 9 or claim 20, in which the second member is formed of a transparent material.

22. A levelling device substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated with reference to Figs. 10 to 1 8 of the accompanying drawings.