GB2103073A - Assemblies for supporting articles - Google Patents

Abstract

A bracket 12 comprises an elongate wire, rod, or tube formed at one end into a single turn of a helix, the free end 25 thereof being turned inwardly towards the helical axis. The bracket is engageable with a post 10 bearing spaced holes therealong by entwining the helix around the post and engaging the end 25 in a selected hole. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Assemblies for supporting articles This invention concerns assemblies for supporting articles, and brackets for use in such assemblies.

Assemblies comprising elongate tubular supports and brackets having clamping means to secure the brackets to the supports are known.

However there is the disadvantage that the clamping means can be difficult to operate and can seize if unused for long periods. Other forms of assemblies comprising elongate channel supports and sheet metal brackets having pairs of spaced apart hooks or lugs to engage in shaped apertures or holes in the supports are known. However, there is the disadvantage that the brackets have to be installed in a particular orientation so that the intended loads are applied in the planes in which the brackets extend.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved assembly and an improved bracket for the assembly which enables such disadvantages to be reduced or avoided.

According to the present invention there is provided an assembly comprising an elongate support and one or more brackets, wherein the support is of tube, bar or channel form, and is apertured or recessed at intervals along its length; wherein the or each bracket is formed primarily from wire, rod, tube or bar material, and comprises a cantilever portion, for supporting an article, which extends transversely from the support, and a mounting portion which engages the support and has a lug or projection remote from the cantilever portion; and wherein the mounting portion is shaped to extend around the support and along part of the length of the support so that the lug or projection engages in one of the apertures or recesses in the support.

The mounting portion, between the lug or projection and the cantilever portion, is preferably of helical form, and the support is preferably of cylindrical form.

The invention includes a preferred form of bracket which is formed by bending from tube, rod, wire or bar material which comprises a cantilever portion and a mounting portion; wherein the mounting portion extends between a lug or projection at one end of the bracket and the cantilever portion, and is shaped to form one turn of a helix having a pitch greater than its diameter; wherein the mounting and cantilever portions merge at a point which is spaced apart from the lug or projection so that a line through said point and the mounting portion adjacent the lug or projection is spaced apart from and parallel or substantially parallel to the axis of the helix; and wherein the lug or projection projects towards said axis.

The mounting portion of this form of the bracket, having a pitch greater than its diameter enables a plurality of similarly handed brackets to be secured at a given longitudinal level on the support if a plurality of the apertures or recesses are provided in the support so as to be intersected by a common plane normal to the longitudinal direction of the support.

The cantilever portion may be shaped to provide a shelf support, towel holder, coat hook, plant pot holder, soap dish locator, or lamp mounting, and various fittings may be provided on the cantilever portion.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, wherein: Figures 1 and 2 show in side and front elevation part of an assembly comprising a support and a bracket in accordance with the invention the bracket being left handed; Figure 3 is a plan view of the part of the assembly shown in Figure 1; Figure 4 shows a cross section through said part on the line IV--IV in Figure 3; Figure 5 shows a cross section, corresponding to the line V-V in Figure 3, through a part of a modified assembly in accordance with the invention; and Figure 6 shows a view similar to Figure 1 of the support together with four right handed brackets located at the same level on the support.

The assembly shown in Figures 1 to 4 comprises an elongate support which in this embodiment is a metal tube 10 having a predetermined overall diameter; and a bracket 1 2 which in this embodiment is formed from metal rod having a diameter which is about one fifth of the diameter of the tube 10.

The tube 10 is apertured at intervals along its length to provide one or more rows of holes 11.

The bracket 12 comprises a cantilever portion 20 and a mounting portion 21 which merge at a point 22. The cantilever portion 20 in this embodiment extends linearly from adjacent to the point 22 for supporting part of a shelf 30 (indicated in broken lines) or a towel, and has an upturned end part 23 provided with a knob 24 remote from the point 22.

The mounting portion 21 extends from said point 22 to a point 25 at which a terminal lug 26 is provided, so as to form one turn of a helix having an axis coincident with the axis of the tube 10, an internal diameter fractionally greater than said external diameter of the tube, and a pitch which is greater than said external diameter. The pitch is preferably at least 50% greater than said external diameter, and in this embodiment is about twice said external diameter. The lug 26 extends inwards towards said axis and has a length approximately equal to its diameter, which is fractionally smaller than the diameter of the holes 11.

The shape of the mounting portion 21 is such that the point 22 is spaced apart longitudinally of the tube 10 from the point 25 but lies in or close to the same radial plane as the point 25, so that a line joining said points is parallel or nearly parallel to said axis.

In use, assuming said axis to be vertical, the bracket will accept and withstand loads (within the strength limits of the rod material) which are applied to the cantilever portion in the downwards direction (indicated by arrow A), the horizontal direction (indicated by arrow B) which follows the direction of winding of the helix towards the point 22, and both of the longitudinal directions of the cantilever portion; and equivalent directional loads can be accepted if the axis is non-vertical, e.g.

horizontal or inclined. In this example the helix is left handed; if a right handed helix is employed, the same loads can be accepted except in that the horizontal load (assuming the axis to be vertical) can be accepted when applied in the opposite direction to that indicated by the arrow B.

In order to remove the bracket from the tube, the cantilever portion is lifted and twisted to the right from the position shown in Figure 1 to ease the lug from the hole; the cantilever portion is then lifted further to swing the lug forwards, and thereafter is lowered to the right to swing the lug across the front of the tube; and the mounting portion is then moved rearwards to disengage the tube. This sequence is reversed to replace the bracket, and with only slight practice the sequence can be easily performed by a rapid continuous one handed movement. However, accidental disengagement of the bracket is highly unlikely as a single directional blow applied in any direction to the cantilever portion will not cause disengagement.

The combination of the advantages of the ease of one handed engagement and removal and the resistance to accidental disengagement is not afforded by any of the known forms of assembly mentioned at the beginning. Furthermore, the visible parts of the mounting portion of the bracket take the form of an aesthetically pleasing simple helical curve.

In a preferred embodiment, shown in Figure 5, the support tube 10 is provided at longitudinal intervals with circular arrays of apertures, each array comprising four of the apertures disposed at 900 intervals around the tube.

Each array may be used for locating four of the brackets 12, shown in Figure 1 or four similar right handed brackets as shown, which brackets are indicated in this example by the reference numerals 12B, 12C, 12D and 12E respectively.

Each of these brackets has a similarly handed mounting portion 21, and the pitch to diameter ratio is such that sufficient clearance is left between these mounting portions to enable each of the brackets to be removed and replaced without disturbing any one of the other three brackets.

Such an arrangement of brackets may be used, for example, to support a tray or shelf of circular or rectangular form which extends around the tube, and is optionally provided with a slot which is of tube width and extends from the centre to the periphery of the tray or shelf.

Alternatively, if desired the holes or recesses in the support can be confined to the side and rear portions of the support so that the front portion is free of unsightly dirt collecting interruptions of the surface.

The invention is not confined to the precise details of the foregoing examples, and many variations and modifications are possible within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. For example, as shown in Figure 5, the bracket 1 2A may be of tubular form to house an electric cable 50 for an electric lamp (not shown) carried by the bracket 12A; and the support tube 10 may be slotted to provide one or more elongate slots 51 which are wider than the diameter of the cable but, over most of their length, are narrower than the diameter of the bracket, the slots being widened at intervals to provide recesses 1 A which are functionally equivalent to the holes 11, whereby to allow the position of the bracket to be changed without having to withdraw the cable from the support.

The tube 10 need not be apertured but may be indented to form recesses; and the lug may be omitted to leave, or be replaced by, a projection or projecting end part of the mounting portion, which projection or end part engages one of said recesses or apertures. Also, the support may be formed from strip or extruded metal stock or part of non-circular cross section, or from bar material.

The mounting portion may be of true helical form, i.e. continuously curved form, or may be of a modified helical or equivalent form comprising a sequence of straight parts which meet at angles around the support, and at least two of which parts are inclined to the longitudinal direction of the support. However, a substantially helical form is preferred for aesthetic and other reasons.

The cantilever portion may be shaped and may carry fittings to serve as a plant pot holder, towel ring, coat hook or other functional device.

The assembly may comprise two or more of the supports interconnected to serve as a frame for supporting shelves, cupboards, racks or other fittings, and such fittings are preferably supported on and engaged by at least two of the brackets having oppositely handed mounting portions so that the fittings are secured against movement in any direction in the horizontal plane.

End fittings may be provided to clamp or locate the ends of the tube in positions relative to opposed surfaces such as a floor and a ceiling.

Claims (10)

1. An assembly comprising an elongate support and one or more brackets, wherein the support is of tube, bar or channel form, and is apertured or recessed at intervals along its length; wherein the or each bracket is formed primarily from wire, rod, tube or bar material, and comprises a cantilever portion, for supporting an article, which extends transversely from the support, and a mounting portion which engages the support and has a lug or projection remote from the cantilever portion; and wherein the mounting portion is shaped to extend around the support and along part of the length of the support so that the lug or projection engages in one of the apertures or recesses in the support.

2. An assembly as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the mounting portion, between the lug or projection and the cantilever portion, is of helical form.

3. An assembly as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the mounting portion is shaped to form one turn of a helix having a pitch greater than its diameter.

4. An assembly as claimed in Claim 2 or 3, wherein the mounting and cantilever portions merge at a point which is spaced apart from the lug or projection so that a line through said point and the mounting portion adjacent the lug or projection is spaced apart from and parallel or substantially parallel to the axis of the helix; and wherein the lug or projection projects towards said axis.

5. An assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the support is of hollow cylindrical form.

6. An assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a plurality of the apertures or recesses are provided in the support so as to be intersected by a common plane normal to the longitudinal direction of the support.

7. An assembly as claimed in Claim 6, wherein a plurality of the brackets are disposed around the same portion of the support to engage in at least some of said plurality of apertures.

8. An assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 1, Figures 1 to 4, Figure 5 or Figure 6 of the accompanying drawings.

9. A bracket, for use in the assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, which is formed by bending from tube, rod, wire or bar material which comprises a cantilever portion and a mounting portion; wherein the mounting portion extends between a lug or projection at one end of the bracket and the cantilever portion, and is shaped to form one turn of a helix having a pitch greater than its diameter; wherein the mounting and cantilever portions merge at a point which is spaced apart from the lug or projection so that the lug or projection is spaced apart from and parallel or substantially parallel to the axis of the helix; and wherein the lug or projection projects towards said axis.

10. A bracket substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1,3 and 4, or Figure 6 of the accompanying drawings.