GB2154858A

GB2154858A - Wall-mounted storage and/or display systems

Info

Publication number: GB2154858A
Application number: GB08505192A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Geoffrey Marsh
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1984-03-01
Filing date: 1985-02-28
Publication date: 1985-09-18
Also published as: GB8505192D0; GB2154858B

Abstract

A wall mounted storage and/or display system, particularly suitable for horticultural window-box displays, comprises wire baskets (10) supported by brackets (13) hooked over a support rail (14), the rail itself being suspended from wall hooks (17) by hangers (15). Distance-pieces (19) maintain the baskets (10) a fixed distance from the wall (18) and also serve to clamp the brackets (13) to the respective baskets. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Wall-mounted storage and/or display systems This invention relates to wall-mounted storage and/or display systems, and has particular application to horticultural window-box displays.

At present, both on-sill and under-sill window boxes are generally regarded as permanent fixtures and provide a system which is inflexible, heavy, sometimes dangerous, and often awkward to install, assemble and maintain.

An object of the invention is to provide a more flexible general purpose wall-mounted storage and/or display system, particular adapted for use as a window-box display.

In accordance with the present invention such a system comprises at least one basket container, a bracket having a predetermined orientation for supporting and retaining the basket in an upright position, and means for hanging the bracket on a wall while maintaining the bracket in its predetermined orientation.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention a portion of the bracket is releasably clamped to the basket, the clamp being integral with a distance-piece for spacing the basket a predetermined distance from the wall.

The bracket is preferably L-shaped, the upright arm of the bracket in its predetermined orientation carrying a first forwardly extending hook for receiving the top rail of a wire basket and a second rearwardly extending hook for releasably engaging a rail or hook suspended from at least one fixed wall-mounted support member.

The use of a suspended rail or hook simplifies dismantling and re-erection of the system.

For a window-box system, therefore, all the components can be stored away or re-erected under cover during the winter months, if desired.

The system is preferably a modular system including a plurality of the baskets, each basket having two fixed dimensions (depth and width) and a third dimension (length) which has one of a selected number of values. In this way, the baskets can be combined to give a range of overall lengths for use with different size windows.

A system embodying the invention requires a minimum of fixing points and is easy to install, assemble, dismantle and maintain. it provides a flexible, lightweight system which can be adapted to suit any size or type of window merely by adjusting the number and/or size of the baskets, and the length of the support rail. The support rail may consist of a single length of rail or a number of interconnected sections.

By way of example only, an embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompany ing drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a storage/display system embodying the invention; Figure 2 is a side view of the system; Figure 3 is a front view of a wall hook for use in an alternative mounting arrangement; and Figure 4 is a side view of the wall hook.

Referring to these drawings, Figs. 1 and 2 show a modular hanging basket storage/display system consisting of wire baskets 10 suspended from a support rail 14. For a window-box display, the support rail 14 is located beneath a window sill. The baskets (two double and one single) are shown with the double right hand basket holding two removable plastics containers 1 2 (Fig. 1) which may, for example, serve as plant containers.

The baskets 10 are supported by L-shaped brackets 1 3 which are hooked over the support rail 14, the rail itself being slidably received in rail hangers 1 5 suspended from hooks 1 7 secured to a vertical wall 1 8.

The system requires only three fixing hooks 1 7 and is therefore easily assembled. At the same time it provides a safe, reliable and flexible modular system which can be adapted to any length of window sill.

The rigidity and stability of the system is further improved by the use of distance-pieces 1 9 abutting wall 1 8 and which also clip the baskets 10 to the brackets 1 3.

As shown in Fig. 2, each L-shaped bracket 1 3 consists of a metal strip having an upright backing arm and a generally horizontal support arm 1 3c positioned beneath the basket 10. The upright arm includes a lower section 1 3b inclined 4" to the vertical and lying against the basket 10, and an upper section 1 3a oppositely inclined at 10 to the vertical and spot-welded to a clip 20. The clip 20 has a rearwardly extending downturned hook portion 20a which hooks or clips over the support rail 1 4 and also a forwardly extending upturned hook portion 20b which receives the top rail 21 of the wire basket.

The rail hanger 1 5 consists of a single plate having its bottom end bent into the shape shown in Fig. 2 to form a recess 23 for slidably receiving the bottom flange 1 4a of the rail 14, and with its top end having a hole 25 for receiving one of the hooks 1 7. The additional bolt holes 40 enable each hanger 1 5 to serve also as a union between two adjacent rail sections, the holes 40 being aligned with corresponding holes in the respective ends of the two sections.

The distance-piece 1 9 comprises a moulded plastics component having a pair of opposed resilient jaws 26 projecting from a front surface, the two jaws providing a snap-fit around the lower backing section 1 3b of bracket 1 3 and around two adjacent wires of the basket 10 so that the longitudinal edges of the strip and the two wires lie in the recesses of the jaws 26. The jaws 26 are inclined to the vertical to correspond with the inclination of the lower backing section 1 3b of the bracket 13.

Projecting rearwardly from the jaws 26 are a pair of opposed parallel walls 29 braced by a cross-piece. An extruded tube is fitted over the rear projections formed by the walls 29, the tube being cut to the appropriate length to provide the correct spacing between the bracket 13 and the vertical wall 1 8. This enables fine adjustment to the final position of the bracket 10. Both the top and bottom of the containers 1 2 nested in the baskets may therefore be set at substantially 90 to the wall 18.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, the brackets 1 3 are positioned such that each bracket lies on a centre-line of a respective container 1 2 to provide balanced distribution of the load.

The bottom support section 1 3c of the bracket 1 3 may include a hole 30 which may be fitted with a rubber grommet, the hole being aligned with a corresponding hole in the base of a plant container to facilitate drainage of the container.

A wall hook for direct mounting of the bracket 1 3 on a wall is shown in Figs. 3 and 4. It essentially comprises a bent plate 50, the upturned portion 51 of the bent plate including a cut-out 52 for receiving the downturned hook portion 20a of the clip 20 illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. The plate 50 is secured to the wall by a fastener passing through the hole 53.

The hook prevents undesirable rotation of the bracket/basket assembly when the downturned hook of the bracket 1 3 is fully engaged through the rectangular cut-out 52.

Two such hooks may be used for a double length basket having two brackets.

The bracket 1 3 braces the wire basket and is preferably located at a strengthened portion of the basket, the strengthening being achieved by a closer spacing of the parallel wires forming the basket. The bracket and basket are then locked together by the combined distance-piece/bracket clip 1 9.

The load in the basket 10 is advantageously distributed to the basket hook 50 and against the face of the wall 1 8 through the combination of brackets 13, bracket clip 20, basket 10 and distance-piece 1 9.

When the containers 1 2 are used to carry plants, this stand-off bracket mounting assembly ensures that surplus water does not run down the face of the vertical wall 18 against which the assembly is mounted.

Claims

1. A wall-mounted storage and/or display system comprising at least one basket container, a bracket having a predetermined orientation for supporting and retaining the basket in an upright position, and means for hanging the bracket on a wall while maintaining the bracket in its predetermined orientation.

2. A system according to Claim 1 further comprising means for releasably clamping the bracket to the rear of the basket.

3. A system according to Claim 2 in which the clamping means is integral with a distance-piece for spacing the basket a predetermined distance from the wall.

4. A system according to any one of the preceding claims in which the bracket hanging means comprises a support rail for receiving a hooked portion of the bracket.

5. A system according to Claim 4 in which the support rail is slidably received in detachable wall-mounted hangers.

6. A system according to Claim 5 in which the rail comprises a plurality of interconnected sections, the rail hangers including at least one hanger for slidably receiving the adjacent ends of two adjoining rail sections whereby the said hanger further provides an interconnection between the two adjoining sections.

7. A system according to any one of the preceding claims in which the bracket is generally L-shaped, the upright arm of the bracket in its predetermined orientation providing backing support for the rear of the basket and the transverse arm being disposed beneath the basket.

8. A system according to Claim 7 in which the upright bracket arm includes a front hooked portion for receiving the top rail of the basket and a rear hooked portion for releasably engaging the bracket hanging means.

9. A system according to Claim 8 in which the bracket hanging means comprises a hook in the form of a bent plate having an upturned portion with a rectangular cut-out for receiving the rear hooked portion of the bracket.

1 0. A system according to any one of the preceding claims in which at least one plastics container is nested within each basket.

11. A wall-mounted storage and/or display system substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.