GB2122880A - Shelving unit - Google Patents

Abstract

When horizontal braces 2 are fitted with their ends between the legs 4 of upright U-section profiles 1, inclined tabs 7 projecting out from the braces engage corresponding inclined tabs 5 projecting towards the interior of the upright profile, and vertical stops 6 engage the ends of the legs 4, so that downward movement of the braces 2 locks them in position. Preferably the vertical stops 6 forming abutments for the ends of the legs of the upright profiles protrude from either side of the horizontal braces, and the tabs 5 and 7 carry mating structures which hold the braces 2 in their downward position. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Shelving unit The invention relates to a shelving unit having upright profiles, horizontal braces for connecting the upright profiles in pairs and hook-up shelf boards or box units.

Some shelving units of prior art are assembled by screwing together their individual parts. Making the screw connections is time-consuming, particularly in the case of large shelving units.

Other known shelving units can be assembled by merely plugging them together, no screws being required for the connection. In plug-in shelving units of this type, two upright profiles are rigidly connected by means of horizontal braces extending in the direction of the shelf depth to form ladder-like structures. Shelf boards and optionally horizontal braces extending in the direction of the shelf width can be plugged together with the rigid ladder-like structures. For constructing shelves of various depths and heights, a large number of ladder-like structures of various dimensions is required. This necessitates great production and storage expenditure. If screw connections are used for assembling the ladderlike structures, so as to avoid this expenditure, the advantage of the reduced work required for assembling which is characteristic for plug-in shelves is lost.

It is the object of the invention to provide a plug-in shelving unit which may be simply assembled from its components and simply produced. The shelving unit according to the invention is provided with individual upright profiles and individual horizontal braces extending in the direction of the shelf depth, the upright profiles and the horizontal braces being suitable for plugging together with great stability to form ladder-like structures. The invention is based on a supporting frame known from United States Patent Specification No. 3 237 779 and composed of vertical uprights and horizontal braces extending in the direction of the width or depth of the supporting frame.The uprights are formed with U-shaped profiles, the horizontal braces are insertable with their ends between the legs of the U-shaped profiles and sit with inclined tabs depending from them on corresponding inclined tabs of the upright profiles. This provides for a plug-in connection with a wedge-like connection between the horizontal braces and the uprights, but not for a conformal connection free of play, since the construction is not sufficiently precise for this purpose. These disadvantages are eliminated in the shelving unit according to the invention by providing insertable shelving and/or box units in addition to the known frame.

The invention resides in that a shelving unit of the type initially mentioned, having horizontal braces extending in the direction of the shelf depth and being insertable with their ends between the legs of the upright profiles which are formed open, for instance as U-shaped profiles, at least in the zone of their connection with the horizontal braces, the legs being provided with inclined tabs depending towards the interior of the upright profile, onto which inclined tabs the horizontal braces can be placed by means of corresponding inclined tabs, is provided with preferably vertical sliding stops projecting from both sides of the horizontal braces and forming an abutment for the ends of the legs of the upright profiles.The sliding stops cooperate with the ends of the legs of the upright profiles, and together with the two cooperating tabs, form a precise bearing for the horizontal braces, so that a truly conformal and secure connection is obtained. The individual components of the shelving unit according to the invention can be stored and packed with little space requirement; it is possible to combine upright profiles of different heights with horizontal braces of various lengths extending in the direction of the shelf depth.

Advantageously, the sliding stops and stacking tabs on the horizontal braces are each arranged in pairs opposing one another at the same level and projecting towards the outside.

In a preferred embodiment of the shelving unit, two vertically spaced sets of sliding stops and stacking tabs are provided at each connection between an upright profile and a horizontal brace on one side of the horizontal brace. This creates a stable three-point bearing of the horizontal brace on the upright profile when a third set of a sliding stop and a stacking tab is provided on the other side of the horizontal brace at an intermediate level. It is practical in this to arrange one each sliding stop and opposing stacking tab on an individual face of the horizontal brace provided, in particular, with an shaped profile in a manner known per se.

The inwardly projecting inclined tabs of the upright profiles are advantageously provided with a bent edge acting as a barb. For catching in the barbs, the stacking tabs of the horizontal braces are advantageously provided with knob-like beads.

The knob-like beads in the stacking tabs are advantageously arranged in the form of a row of knobs placed regularly one above the other. It is practical to arrange three rows of knobs at different levels at each connection between an upright profile and a horizontal brace, with the knobs being staggered in height by a portion of the knob distance in relation to the respective inclined tabs of the upright profiles which they engage. This assures secure location of all stacking tabs of the horizontal braces in the inwardly projecting inclined tabs of the upright profiles.

Preferably, the inwardly projecting inclined tabs of the upright profiles are inclined towards their legs and their web.

A particularly secure clamping connection between the horizontal braces and the upright profiles, with a wedge effect in two directions, is achieved by advantageously providing for one each stacking tab and sliding stop laterally protruding from the horizontal brace in an acute angle to grip that end of the profile leg angled parallel in relation to the sliding stop and one tab of the upright profile.

Advantageously, the inclined stacking tabs of the cross braces are of greater length than the inclined tabs of the upright profiles.

The invention is explained in detail by means of an exemplary embodiment of the shelving unit according to the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows an elevational view of a connection between an upright profile and a horizontal brace extending in the direction of the shelf depth; Figure 2 shows this connection in a horizontal section along line Il-Il in Figure 1; Figure 3 shows the upright profile viewed in the direction of arrow Ill in Figure 2; Figure 4 shows a sectional view at enlarged scale of a detail of Figure 2 along line IV--IV in Figure 5; Figure 5 shows this detail viewed from the side in the direction of arrow V in Figure 4; Figure 6 shows the horizontal brace in vertical section along line VI--VI in Figure 2;; Figure 7 shows a detail of the horizontal brace in a view corresponding to Figure 1; and Figure 8 shows this detail in plan view.

In Figures 1 and 2, a vertical upright profile 1 is provided with a horizontal brace 2 connected therewith and extending in the direction of the shelf depth. The upright profile 1 has the open cross section shown in Figure 2, similar to a U-shaped profile having two legs 4 arranged on either side of a web 3. From the legs 4, inclined tabs 5 project towards the interior of the upright profile 1. The horizontal brace 2 is provided in the connecting zone with the upright profile 1 with two sliding stops 6 projecting outwards on both sides and closer to its end with two inclined tabs 7 projecting outwards. One each sliding stop 6 and tab 7 are arranged in pairs opposite one another at the same level.

As shown particularly in Figure 2, the horizontal brace 2 is fitted with its end between the legs 4 of the upright profile 1. The fitting motion in Figure 2 from right to left is continued until the sliding stops 6 projecting from the horizontal brace 2 abut the angled ends of the legs 4. The horizontal brace is then lowered until it firmly sits with its tabs 7 on the tabs 5 of the upright profile 1.

Figures 1 and 2 and Figure 3, which represents the upright profile 1 in the direction of arrow Ill in Figure 2, show outwardly projecting claws 8 on which shelf boards or box units (not shown in the drawings) can be supported; the claws 8 are shown next to the inclined tabs 5 projecting towards the interior of the upright profile 1. Figure 3 also shows openings 9 in the web 3 of the upright profile 1, serving for the connection of horizontal braces extending in the direction of the shelf width which are not shown in the drawings.

The holes 10 in the legs 4 of the upright profile 1 shown in Figure 1 are intended for the insertion of the ends of diagonal braces (not shown).

Figures 4 and 5 show the tabs 5 projecting from the legs 4 of the upright profile 1 inwardly in detail. The tabs 5 are tongues punched and shaped out of the legs 4 and are provided with a bent edge 5' acting as a barb and a reinforcing boss 5".

The vertical section of the horizontal brace 2 shown in Figure 6 shows its shaped profile with three vertical faces. On the upper and the lower vertical face, one each sliding stop 6 and stacking tab 7 are arranged facing one another in the end zone of the horizontal brace serving for the connection with the upright profile. Stops 6 and tabs 7 are also arranged on the vertical face at medium level. The stops 6 and tabs 7 are tongues shaped out of the profile walls of the horizontal braces 2 by punching and bending out. In the stacking tabs 7, one each row of knobs placed regularly one above the other is arranged. These knobs 7' are caught by the bent edge 5' acting as a barb of the tabs 5 of the upright profile 1 on establishing the connection between the horizontal brace 2 and the upright profile 1.Figure 6 shows that the three rows of knobs 7' engaging one each edge 5' at each connection between an upright profile 1 and a horizontal brace 2 are arranged at different levels and staggered in height in relation to the edge 5' of the tabs 5 by a portion of the knob distance. This staggering in height secures a safe location.

The tabs 5 of the upright profiles 1 and the tabs of the horizontal braces 2 intended for stacking onto the profiles 1 are parallel in relation to one another and inclined by an angle p in relation to the respective leg 4 and by an angle a in relation to the web 3 of the upright profile 1. The inclined stacking tabs 7 and the vertically extending sliding stops 6 which form an angle y with the profile legs 4 grip the end of the profile leg 4 which is also angled by an angle y, and the tab 5. In stacking, this results in a dovetail key connection, the key angle a being self-locking. This assures a secure connection between the horizontal braces 2 and the upright profile 1 and also between the profile legs 4 of the open upright profile 1. In order to place the stacking tabs 7 of the horizontal braces securely onto the tabs 5 of the upright profiles 1, so as to slide down on them, they are of greater length than the tabs 5.

Claims (12)

1. A shelving unit comprising upright profiles, horizontal braces for the connection thereof in pairs, and at least one hookable shelf board and/or box unit, said horizontal braces extending in the depth of the shelving unit and being insertable with their ends between the legs of the upright profiles which are formed as open sections, for example as U-shaped profiles, at least in the zone of the connection with the horizontal braces, and the legs being provided with inclined tabs projecting towards the interior of the upright profiles; the horizontal braces being stackable onto the tabs by means of corresponding inclined stacking tabs, characterised by the provision of sliding stops projecting on both sides of the horizontal braces and forming an abutment for the ends of the legs of the upright profiles.

2. A shelving unit according to Claim 1, wherein the sliding stops are vertical and the stacking tabs are arranged on the horizontal braces each in pairs opposite one another at equal level and protruding outwards.

3. A shelving unit according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein one each sliding stop and stacking tab are arranged above and below on one side of the horizontal brace at each connection between an upright profile and a horizontal brace.

4. A shelving unit according to Claim 3, wherein one each sliding stop and opposing stacking tab is arranged on an individual vertical face of the horizontal brace having in particular a shaped profile known per se.

5. A shelving unit according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the inwardly projecting inclined tabs of the upright profile are provided with a bent edge acting as a barb.

6. A shelving unit according to Claim 5, wherein the stacking tabs of the horizontal braces are provided with knob-like beads for engaging with the barbs.

7. A shelving unit according to Claim 6, wherein the knob-like beads are arranged in the stacking tabs each in the form of a row of knobs disposed regularly one above the other.

8. A shelving unit according to Claim 7, wherein at each connection between an upright profile and a horizontal brace, three rows of knobs arranged at three different levels are staggered in height in relation to the respective engaging inclined tabs of the upright profiles by a portion of the knob distance.

9. A shelving unit according to any one of Claims 1 to 8, wherein the inclined tabs of the upright profiles are inclined towards their legs by an angle p and towards their web by an angle a.

1 0. A shelving unit according to any one of Claims 1 to 9, wherein one of each stacking tab and sliding stop laterally protruding from the horizontal brace at an acute angle y grip the end of the profile leg angled parallel in relation to the sliding stop and one of the tabs of the upright profile.

11. A shelving unit according to any one of Claims 1 to 10, wherein the inclined stacking tabs of the horizontal braces are of greater length than the inclined tabs of the upright profiles.

12. A shelving unit substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.