GB2130078A

GB2130078A - Improvements relating to shelving and like supporting structures

Info

Publication number: GB2130078A
Application number: GB08232947A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Barry Adams
Original assignee: SYSTEM PALLETS Ltd
Current assignee: SYSTEM PALLETS Ltd
Priority date: 1982-11-18
Filing date: 1982-11-18
Publication date: 1984-05-31
Also published as: GB2130078B

Abstract

In a shelving system the upright standards (1) are provided with channels having re-entrant lips, said channels slidably retaining plates from which threaded studs project through the channel mouth, and the shelves (9) are notched at the corners to accept the standards, the corners of the shelves also being provided with gussets (13), and the gussets being apertured to allow passage of the said studs. The height of the shelves is therefore infinitely adjustable by suitable sliding of the plates along the channels before tightening nuts (24) onto the studs. The channel mouths may be decoratively obscured by insertion of plastics mouldings 25 therein. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements relating to shelving and like supporting structures This invention relates to shelving and like supporting structures, such as tables and trolleys, of the kind in which one or more shelves or other such supporting elements are carried by legs.

In particular the invention has reference to such supporting structures of which the shelves or other supporting elements are fabricated from metal, more especially, though not exclusively, sheet metal.

In order to give rigidity to supporting structures of the kind referred to it has been common practice, where the structures do not incorporate additional walls or panels to give the necessary rigidity, to provide cross-bracing between the legs of the structures. A disadvantage of the crossbracing, at least so far as shelving is concerned, is that it can interfere with access to the shelves from those sides of the shelving where the crossbracing is provided.

The present invention aims to avoid the use of cross-bracing.

According to the present invention a shelving or like supporting structure is provided which comprises at least one shelf or other such supporting element carried by legs formed with longitudinally extending channels having surfaces directed inwardly away from their mouths, the shelf or supporting element having rigid therewith adjacent the legs depending parts which abut against the legs and are clamped thereto by fastening means components of which are located in the channels of the legs and retained therein by engagement with the inwardly-directed surfaces.

The depending parts provide extended contact with the legs which enables the shelf or other supporting element to be fixed firmly to the legs and give the supporting structure rigidity without the need for cross-bracing. This extended contact can be afforded without necessarily increasing the depth, or thickness, of the shelf or supporting element, or the main body of it. The shelf or supporting element may be made of a depth, or thickness, comparable to that of known shelves or supporting elements.

The depending parts may each be formed so as to abut against two adjacent side faces of the leg to which it is clamped. This facilitates the positioning of the shelf or support element relative to the leg in the assembling of the supporting structure, and adds to the rigidity of the structure.

It is possible that the depending parts could be formed integrally with the shelf or other supporting element but conveniently they are separate components which are fixed to the shelf or supporting element. They may be made as extrusions. Preferably they are provided at the corners of the shelf or supporting element and take an angular form extending around the corners. They may be secured to peripheral flanges of the shelf or supporting element. In such an arrangement the depending parts are effectively downwardly-extended gussets.

The shelf or supporting element may be made from metal sheet. The metal sheet may be formed in known manner with depending peripheral flanges to give it strength and rigidity. An upstanding rim, or a peripheral flange or flanges, may be provided on the top of the shelf or supporting element.

Preferably the legs are formed as extrusions containing the channels. The channels may be of T-shaped cross-sections, the stems of the T-shapes being the mouths of the channels and the walls of the cross-parts of the T-shapes which extend away from the stems affording the surfaces of the channels directed away from the mouths of the channels. Cross-sections of other shapes are possible provided that the required inwardlydirected surfaces are presented. Having the channels extending continuously along the legs enables the shelf or supporting element to be set at an infinite number of positions on the legs. Thus where there are two or more shelves, for example, their heights and distances apart may be adjusted.

Parts of the channels which are left exposed when the or each shelf or supporting element has been set in position on the legs may be closed off by suitable closure pieces. The closure pieces may, for example, comprise plastics or metal strips which push into or snap engage with the mouths of the channels.

Each leg, or at least some of the legs, may have more than one channel arranged at angularly spaced positions about the central longitudinal axis of the leg. Thus the shelf or supporting element may be secured at different positions about the longitudinal axis of the leg, or another shelf or supporting element may be secured to the leg at another angular position. For example, there may be two channels in each leg at 1800 to one another to enable further shelves or supporting elements to be secured to the legs to extend the supporting structure linearly to the side.

The depending parts of the shelf or supporting element may make flush face-to-face contact with the legs, and/or the depending parts and the legs may have complementary formations which interengage. It is preferred that complementary formations are provided because they can assist in the correct positioning of the depending parts relative to the legs, and enhance the soundness of the connection between the depending parts and legs, thereby minimising the possibility of the supporting structure being assembled on the skew. The formations may comprise ribs, beads or fins and complementary grooves or recesses. In the preferred embodiment beads are formed on the legs alongside the opposite sides of the mouths of the channels, and grooves are formed in the depending parts.

Screws or screw-threaded elements and nuts may constitute the fastening means for clamping the depending parts to the legs. Screw-threaded studs may be provided on plates, blocks or other suitable carriers which are accommodated in the channels with the studs projecting out through the mouths of the channels to be engaged in holes in the depending parts and fitted with nuts. With the channels extending continuously along the legs it is desirable for the plates, blocks or other carriers to be slidably engaged in the channels. Headed screws or bolts may alternatively be used, their heads being located in the channels. It is possible for the nuts to be located in the channels and for screws or bolts to be passed through holes in the depending parts and screwed into the nuts.

Wheels or castors may be fitted to the legs if the supporting structure is required to be mobile.

The supporting structure may be made in a variety of widths and heights, as required. It may be constructed as shelving with a plurality of shelves, as mentioned. It may be made as a table comprising four legs and just the one supporting element forming the top of the table. A shelf or shelves may be added below the top, if desired, secured to the legs in similar manner to the top. It will be appreciated that with such a construction and the addition of wheels or castors the supporting structure can be readily made as a trolley.

A particular advantage of the present invention is that the supporting structure can be made satisfactorily out of lightweight materials such as aluminium. Made of aluminium, or other substantially non-corrosive material, the supporting structure may be used in installations where hygiene and cleanliness are essential, such as in the storing of pharmaceuticals and foods.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which, Figure 1 is a perspective view of shelving in accordance with the present invention, Figure 2 is an enlarged horizontal section through a leg of the shelving, Figures 3 and4 are plan and side views respectively of a shelf, Figure 5 is an enlarged side view of a gusset forming a depending part of the shelf, Figure 6 is a horizontal section through the gusset, Figure 7 is a side view of a component of a fastening used in the shelving, and Figure 8 is a cross-section through a filler strip.

In this embodiment the invention is applied to free-standing shelving. The shelving comprises four legs 1 and a plurality of shelves 2.

Each leg 1 is formed as an aluminium extrusion of generally square outline with a channel 3 formed in each of two opposite sides, Figure 2.

The channels 3 are of similar T-shaped crosssections, a stem part of the T-shape providing a narrowed mouth 4 into the main section 5 of the channel defined by the cross part of the T-shape.

Each channel 3 has two inwardly-directed faces 6 at opposite sides of the mouth. A central portion 7 of the leg extrusion between the two channels is hollow, which reduces the weight of the leg as well as saving material. On the outside of each channel 3 at opposite sides of the mouth 4 are two beads 8 of triangular cross-section which extend continuously along the length of the leg parallel to one another and to the mouth.

The shelves 2 are formed from sheet aluminium. Each shelf is made from a rectangular blank which has its corners cropped away such that each of its four sides terminates at each end in two steps, an outer, relatively shallow, step and an inner, deeper one. Pairs of holes are drilled in the inner steps near their ends. The blank is subsequently folded to form the finished shelf. The portions of the sides extending between the inner steps are folded at right angles to the main body of the blank, which forms the top 9 of the shelf, to form depending peripheral flanges 10, Figures 3 and 4, and the portions of the sides extending between the outer steps are folded relative to the flanges 10 through a further right angle to form inwardly-directed rims 11 on the flanges below and spaced from the shelf top 8.A rectangular notch 12 is left in the top 9 of the shelf at each corner between the adjacent flanges 1 0.

In the corners of the shelves 2 extruded aluminium gussets 1 3 are fixed which constitute the depending parts of the shelves and depend below the bottoms of the peripheral flanges 10, Figure 4. Each gusset 1 3 has a cross-section of generally W-shape, as shown in Figure 6, comprising two outer limbs 14, 1 5 of similar lengths extending in directions at right angles to one another, and two inner limbs 16, 1 7 of dissimilar lengths disposed at right angles to one another and to the respective outer limbs to which they are joined. The longer inner limb 1 6 has two V-section grooves 1 8 in its outer face extending parallel to one another longitudinally of the extrusion.The grooves 18 are of complementary section to, and are spaced apart similarly to, the triangular-section beads 8 on the legs 1. The arrangement of the inner limbs 1 6, 1 7 is such that a leg can fit snugly in the angle between them with one of the channelled sides of the leg flush against the longer inner limb 1 6 and its beads 8 mating with the grooves 18, and an adjacent side of the leg flush against the shorter inner limb 1 7 of the gusset. Two plain holes 19 are drilled between the grooves 18 in the longer inner limb 16, spaced apart longitudinally of the extrusion. The outer limbs 14, 1 5 have pairs of smaller diameter holes 20 drilled in their upper parts positioned to register with the pairs of holes in the ends of the peripheral flanges 10 of the shelves. The lower parts of the outer limbs taper towards the inner limbs. The gussets fit in the corners of the shelves with the upper parts of their outer limbs against the inside faces of the peripheral flanges, and the inner limbs in register with the notches 1 2 in the shelf tops 9. Rivets 21 engaged in the registering pairs of holes 10 and 20 of the flanges 10 and outer limbs 14, 1 5 of the gussets respectively secure the gussets to the shelves.

As illustrated the gussets 1 3 depend below the peripheral flanges 10 of the shelves by a distance about equal to the depths of the flanges. They may depend by other distances as required.

Adapted to be located in the channels of the legs are fastening plates 22, as shown in Figure 7.

Each fastening plate 22 is oblong rectangular of a width and thickness which makes it a sliding fit in the main section 5 of a channel. Two externally screw-threaded studs 23 are welded on one face of the plate. They are of complementary diameters to the plain holes 19 in the longer inner limbs 1 6 of the gussets, which diameters are less than the widths of the mouths 4 of the channels, and the studs are spaced similar distances apart to those pairs of holes.

In the erection of the shelving the shelves are positioned between the legs with the inner limbs of the gussets fitting snugly against the legs, as previously described. The gussets are fixed to the legs, to secure the shelves at the required heights, by means of the fastening plates which are fitted in the channels 3 adjacent to the longer inner limbs 1 6 of the gussets. The studs protrude out of the mouths of the channels and project through the plain holes 19 in the inner limbs 16. Inside the gussets nuts 24, Figure 1, are tightened onto the studs to clamp the gussets to the legs, the plates being drawn against the inwardly-directed faces 6 of the channels as the nuts are tightened. Wing nuts may be used.It will be appreciated that when the nuts are slackened off, and without necessarily removing them from the studs altogether, the heights of the shelves on the legs can be readily adjusted.

The beads 8 of the legs mate with the grooves 18 of the gussets and assist in positioning the gussets squarely relative to the legs so that there is no parallelogramming of the erected shelving.

When the shelves have been secured the mouths of the channels exposed between the gussets, and the mouths of the channels at the remote sides of the legs, are closed off by plastics, suitably nylon, filler strips 25 of the form shown in Figure 8. Each filler strip has an oblong rectangular front portion 26 joined by a neck portion 27 to a rear portion 28 having a convexly curved rear face 29. Grooves 30 are defined between the front and rear portions at either side of the neck portion 27. The rear portion 28 pushes through the mouth of the channel into the main section of the channel, and the grooves 30 receive the edges of the mouth-defining walls of the channel.

The top and bottom ends of the legs are closed off by cast aluminium end caps 31, 32. The end caps each have a plate-like portion which covers the end of the leg and a spigot portion which is a push fit into the hollow central portion 7 of the leg.

Holes are drilled through the legs at the bases of the channels and into the spigots, and split tubular pins are driven into the holes to retain the end caps to the legs. The end caps at the bottoms of the legs may incorporate height-adjustable feet. If the shelving is required to be mounted on castors the end caps fitted at the bottoms of the legs have axial bores in their spigots to receive the swivel pegs of the castors. The bored spigots will generally be longer than the un-bored spigots to afford the necessary axial support to the swivel pegs.

End caps of other materials, such as rubber or plastics, may be used.

When the shelving is to be used for supporting food or pharmaceuticals, for example, where cleanliness and hygiene are essential, the rivets securing the gussets to the shelves are of the type having solid heads without sockets where matter might collect. For similar reasons cap nuts may be used in the securing of the gussets to the legs, and such nuts may be preferred for their appearance.

The shelving is open for ready access from all sides so that it may be used in an island position, as well as against a wall. It will be appreciated that the gussets intrude minimally into the space between the shelves.

The shelving may be extended to the sides by securing shelves to the vacant channels of the legs. The shorter, inner limbs 1 7 of the gussets 13 and the corresponding shorter sides of notches 12 at the corners of the shelves allow the ends of the shelves to overlap the legs by a distance equal to approximately half the length of a side of the square-sections of the legs, and consequently if shelves are added at the sides they can be fitted to the legs in end-to-end abutment with the other shelves. If in an installation shelvings are arranged at right angles to one another, the end of one shelving unit may be held against a longer side of a second shelving unit by bolting their shelves together at adjacent depending flanges of the shelves.

Typically the shelves may be made in lengths of 0.7m, 1.0m, 1 .25m, and 1 .5m, and widths of 400mm, 500mm and 600mm. These dimensions, however, are given only as examples and are not intended to be limiting.

Claims

1. A shelving or like supporting structure comprising at least one shelf or other such supporting element carried by legs formed with longitudinally extending channels having surfaces directed inwardly away from their mouths, the shelf or supporting element having rigid therewith adjacent the legs depending parts which abut against the legs and are clamped thereto by fastening means components of which are located in the channels of the legs and retained therein by engagement with the inwardly-directed surfaces.

2. A shelving or like support structure according to claim 1 wherein each depending part is formed so as to abut against two adjacent side faces of the leg to which it is clamped.

3. A shelving or like supporting structure according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the depending parts are formed integrally with the shelf or other supporting element.

4. A shelving or like supporting structure according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the depending parts are separate components which are fixed to the shelf or other supporting element.

5. A shelving or like supporting structure according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the depending parts are provided at the corners of the shelf or other supporting element and take an angular form extending around the corners.

6. A shelving or like supporting structure according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the shelf or other supporting element is formed with peripheral flanges and the depending parts are secured to the peripheral flanges of the shelf or other supporting element.

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7. A shelving or like supporting structure according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the depending parts are gussets which extend downwards from the shelf or other supporting element.

8. A shelving or like supporting structure according to claim 7 wherein the gussets are of generally W-shaped cross-section, each gusset comprising two outer limbs and two inner limbs joined to the respective outer limbs, and the inner limbs abut against two adjacent side faces of the leg to which the gusset is clamped.

9. A shelving or like supporting structure according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the channels of the legs are of T-shaped cross-sections, the stems of the T-shapes constituting the mouths of the channels and the walls of the cross-parts of the T-shapes which extend away from the stems affording the surfaces directed away from the mouths of the channels.

10. A shelving or like supporting structure according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the channels extend continuously along the legs.

11. A shelving or like supporting structure according to any one of the preceding claims wherein closure pieces are provided for closing off parts of the channels which are left exposed when the or each shelf or other supporting element has been set in position on the legs.

12. A shelving or like supporting structure according to claim 11 wherein the closure pieces comprise strips which push into or snap engage with the mouths of the channels.

13. A shelving or like supporting structure according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the legs, or at least some of the legs, have a plurality of longitudinally extending channels arranged at angularly spaced positions about the central longitudinal axes of the legs.

14. A shelving or like supporting structure according to claim 13 wherein the legs each have two channels at 1 80C to one another.

1 5. A shelving or like supporting structure according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the depending parts of the shelf or other supporting element make flush face-to-face contact with the legs.

1 6. A shelving or like supporting structure according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the depending parts of the shelf or supporting element and the legs have complementary formations which interengage.

1 7. A shelving or like supporting structure according to claim 1 6 wherein the complementary formations comprise ribs, beads or fins and complementary grooves or recesses.

18. A shelving or like supporting structure according to claim 1 7 wherein beads are formed on the legs alongside the opposite sides of the mouths of the channels, and complementary grooves are formed in the depending parts.

1 9. A shelving or like supporting structure according to any one of the preceding claims wherein screws or screw-threaded elements and nuts constitute the fastening means for clamping the depending parts to the legs.

20. A shelving or like supporting structure according to claim 1 9 wherein screw-threaded studs are provided on plates, blocks or other carriers which are accommodated in the channels with the studs projecting out through the mouths of the channels to be engaged in holes in the depending parts and fitted with nuts.

21. A shelving or like supporting structure according to claim 19 wherein headed screws or bolts and nuts constitute the fastening means, the heads of the screws or bolts being located in the channels of the legs.

22. A shelving or like supporting structure according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the components of the fastening means which are located in the channels of the legs are slidably engaged within the channels.

23. A supporting structure according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the supporting structure is a table in which one supporting element forms the top of the table and is supported by four legs.

24. A supporting structure according to any one of claims 1 to 22 wherein the supporting structure is a trolley and wheels or castors are fitted to the legs.

25. A shelving or like supporting structure substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.