GB2240915A

GB2240915A - Shelf support bracket

Info

Publication number: GB2240915A
Application number: GB9003664A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Macartney
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1990-02-17
Filing date: 1990-02-17
Publication date: 1991-08-21
Also published as: GB9003664D0

Abstract

A shelf support bracket is formed with a shelf support part (11), support formations (10, 13) enabling connection with a bracket to a wall or other supporting member and a bracing part (12) of an aesthetically pleasing appearance, a substantial part of which extends proximate to a line (21) extending from an uppermost part of the support member to an outermost part of the shelf support so as to provide strength and also acting as a barrier to prevent articles such as books, pictures etc., fall from the end of the shelf. The bracket may be provided with a plurality of securing means (17; 22, 20; 23) enabling securement to different supporting structures. <IMAGE>

Description

Title: Improvements in or relating to support members Description of Invention The present invention relates to a support member and is primarily but not exclusively concerned with support members for supporting shelves from a substantially vertically extending surface, member or frame such as for example the wall of a building or substantially vertically extending members extending between a floor and a ceiling or a self supporting framework.

Such support members are known and generally speaking if, for example, they are adapted to support a shelf relative to a wall of a building comprise a first substantially flat part in which holes may be formed to permit of fasteners to pass through the holes in the flat part into the supporting structure, e.g. a wall, and extending outwardly from said substantially flat part is an elongate member on which the shelf may rest.

Where the support members are adapted to be secured to particular forms of elongate member or framework, tongues or other interengaging formations may be provided adapted to fit into preformed slots holes or other apertures in the upright members or framework.

Such support members are functional but whereas care can be taken in their design they are essentially functional members and are generally positioned underneath a shelf so as to be at least partially hidden from view when in use.

In view of their positioning, unfortunately such support members do not provide any barrier to articles falling from the ends of shelves.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved support member that overcomes the above mentioned problem.

According to one aspect of the present'invention, we provide a support member having a first part adapted to be secured to or engaged with a supporting structure, a second part extending from said first part, said second part being provided with means for a supporting formation to enable said support member to support a shelf or the like, and a third part extending from said second part or said first part, or both, said third part being adapted to extend above the upper surface of a shelf adjacent one end thereof and to provide a barrier so as to minimise risk of articles falling off the end of said shelf.

Preferably said third part is an aesthetic pleasing design and may be in the form of a human figure involved in some activity or may be in the form or an animal, bird, pIant, tree etc.

Preferably said third part is formed with a fourth part also adapted for securing to a supporting structure. Conveniently said fourth part is spaced in a vertical manner from said first part and conveniently the spacing of said first part and/or said fourth part is the same as or approaches the maximum vertical dimension of said support member when in use.

The spacing of said first part and said fourth part enables secure fixing of the support member to a securing structure and hence provides a satisfactory support for a shelf or the like.

It is further envisaged that the support member of the present invention may have a first part that merely abuts a securing structure and a connection with the supporting structure is made by said fourth part which may comprise a hook, or other formation or an aperture or other formation through which a fastener may pass, or other support structure engaging formation.

Preferably the third part is formed in a manner so that the design into which it is formed has a part that extends along an imaginary line joining a part proximate to said fourth part to a part proximate to the outermost part of said second part, that is the end of the second part remote from said first part.

This enables that part of the third part extending along said imaginary line to act in tension and hence to provide a secure support to a shelf or like supported by said support member.

In the case where it is not required to provide any end barrier to the shelf means if, for example, the ends of a shelf abut a wall or other supporting structure or the objects to be supported on the shelf require no barrier, then said support member may be positioned in total or substantially in total below the shelf. However, said aesthetically pleasing third part when provided with said fourth part once again provides a secure support to shelf means supported by said supporting member and that part of the third part that lies along said above described imaginary line will be in compression when said supporting member is in a supporting function.

That part of the third part that extends along an imaginary line to act in tension or compression does not have to extend continuously along said imaginary line but may have certain areas which are in proximity to the line.

Furthermore it is envisaged that part of the third part extending along said imaginary line may not extend entirely to the outermost part of said second part nor need it extend along the third part quite as high as the fourth part. There must however be a sufficient amount of said third part in the region of said imaginary line so as to provide sufficient material to act in compression or in tension to provide a 'trace" to the outer end of said second part and hence provide a sufficiently strong supporting structure for supporting a shelf or the like.

Shelf support members are as aforedescribed adapted for securing to a wall or the like or they may be adapted for securing to upright members or framework which require particular formations to engage therewith.

The manufacture of such shelf support members requires different sets of tools and hence increases the cost of manufacture.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new or improved support member that overcomes or minimises the problem mentioned above.

According to a second aspect of the invention, we provide a support member having a first part provided with a first formation having a hole, slot or other formation formed therein to enable securement to said first part to a wall or the like and a second formation having a tongue, slot or other particular shape enabling engagement with a complementary projection, slot or formation in a supporting member to which it is adapted to be secured and wherein said first formation and said second formation may be positioned in a manner such that the first formation will not interfere with the connection of the second formation for a supporting member and said second formation will not interfere with securement of the first formation to a wall or the like.

Said support member further comprising a second part adapted to engage with or otherwise support a shelf or other member to be supported.

Preferably said support member includes a third part of an aesthetically pleasing design and conveniently said third part may be provided with a fourth part provided with first and second formations similar to the first and second formations provided on said first part.

Conveniently said fourth part is spaced vertically, when said support member is in use, from said first part.

Either said first formations or said second formations or both on said first part and, where provided said fourth part, may be adapted to be removed from said support member as an alternative or in addition to being positioned in a manner that will not interfere with connection of the support member to a wall or other supporting member.

Said first or second formation or formations may be removed from said supporting member either in production of the supporting member after the initial formation thereof, or may be removed by a user of the support member when it is decided to which supporting structure the supporting member is to be secured.

Preferably the second part comprises a flange-like part which conveniently may extend substantially at right angles to said third part so as to provide a substantially horizontal surface which in use support the a of the shelf.

Said first formation may comprise a substantially planar member having a through bore provided therein to enable a screw or other fastener to pass through said through bore and into the supporting structure.

Preferably said second formation may comprise a hook, tongue or other projection adapted to engage in a complementary formation such as a slot or hole provided in the supporting members.

Preferably said supporting member may be made from a metallic material and conveniently may comprise a pressing of, for example, steel, aluminium or some other suitable metal, said second part may then be raised to form said supporting formation and said first part and where provided said fourth part may also be worked to provide where required said first and second formations.

The pressing may be finished and painted or otherwise coated and if desired further work mazy be carried out on said third part to improve the aesthetic appearance thereof, if desired an illustration may be secured thereto or painted thereon.

Conveniently the pressing may be of a form such that the outline of the form of said third part is formed at the same time as said first and second parts and where provided said fourth part enabling said bracket to be blanked in a single operation.

The invention will now be described in more detail by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: FIGURE 1 is a view of a blank from which a support member of the present invention may be made; FIGURE 2 illustrates the shelf support part of the support member with one form of securing means; FIGURE 3 illustrates the shelf support part shown in Figure 2 with an alternative fixing means; FIGURE 4 illustrates a fixing means after formation on another part of the support member; FIGURE 5 illustrates a pair of support members in use supporting a shelf.

FIGURE 6 is a section view of one of the support members shown in FigureS.

FIGURE 7 illustrates an alternative embodiment of support member.

Referring first to Figure 1, a blank for a shelf support member is shown, the blank comprising the outline image of a football player, the blank having a first part 10, a second part 11, a third part 12 and a fourth part generally indicated at 13.

The blank may be made from any suitable material and may have formed therein through bores 14, 15 and 16. After the blank is formed, the second part 11 may be raised so that it extends substantially at right angles from the third part 12 and as shown in Figures 2 and 3.

A first portion 17 of the first part 10 may be bent along the dotted line 18 to the position shown in Figure 2, this first portion 17 thus presents a flat surface having a through bore 14 and in order to secure the support member to, for example, a wall, a fastener may pass through the through bore and into a wall.

The fourth part 13 is also provided with a first portion 20 which may subsequently have its upper end rolled into the form as shown in Figure 2 and Figure 4. The rolling of this first portion provides a cylindrical like formation through which a fastener may pass into a supporting structure such as a wall to secure the support member firmly to the wall.

It will be appreciated that the fourth part which is shown is capable of rolling into a cylindrical like formation may be of any other suitable formation to enable engagement with the fastener for example a threaded fastener whereby the support member may be secured to a supporting struction.

The third part 12 may be coated in material or otherwise decorated, for example with adhesive pre-printed material to enhance the appearance of the bracket and it will be seen that the third part whilst depicting the figure of a football player has been formed in a manner such that material from which the blank is made is present along the dotted line 21 connecting the fourth part to the outer end of the first part 10 so that any downwards force applied by the weight and contents of the shelf when supported by the second part will be carried not only by the fixing provided with the first part 10 but also by the fixing provided by the fourth part 14.

The first part 10 and fourth part 13 are provided with alternative fixing means, the alternative fixing means comprising a second formation 22 on said first part 10 in the form of a tongue and a second formation 23 on said fourth part 13 in the form of a hook.

As an alternative the first part 10 may be also in the form of a hook similar to the second formation 23 on said fourth part 13.

The hook 23 and tongue 22 are adapted to locate in slots provided in an upright member such as the upright member shown in Figure 5.

When it is required for the support member to be used for supporting a shelf from a wall, the second formations 22 and 23 may be removed during manufacture by shearing so as not to hinder the proper fixing of support member relative to a substantially flat wall.

In the case where the support member is to be secured to upright members as shown in Figure 5, the first portions 17 and 20 may if required be removed during manufacture or after manufacture or may be permitted to remain since their position will not interfere with the proper fixing of the support member relative to the upright members as shown in Figure 5.

Referring now to Figure 5, a pair of support members supporting a shelf are shown, the assembly comprising a pair of slotted upright members 30 and 31 which may be secured to a wall or other structure or may be free standing if provided with a base, each of the upright members 30 and 31 having a plurality of slots such as those indicated at 32 on upright member 30 and 33 on upright member 31, the hook part 23 and tongue part 22 of each support member engage within a pair of slots, the support member being designed such that when a shelf, such as the shelf 35 is supported by the support part 11 of the support member, the hook part 23 will transmit a downwards force to the upright member 30 and 31 and the tongue part 22 situated at the bottom of the third part 12 will provide a thrust force substantially at right angles towards the upright members 30 and 31.

The shape of the mounting members of the present invention thus not only provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance but also provide excellent support to the shelf 35 and in addition provide barrier means preventing objects such as books falling from the ends of the shelf.

If required a shelf 35 may be merely supported by the first part 10 of each mounting member or alternatively threaded fasteners such as screws shown at 36, 37, 38 and 39 may pass through the through bores such as those shown at 15 and 16 and into the shelf 35 so as to firmly secure the shelf to the support members.

It will be appreciated that the support members as shown in the drawings may be used in the manner as aforedescribed and with the alternative fixing means for securing to a surface not provided with slotted upright members 30 and 31. Alternatively, the support members of the present invention may be used in a position so that it is positioned substantially below the shelf as shown in Figure 7 but supports the shelf in a manner substantially as aforedescribed.

It is further envisaged that the support members of the present invention may be adapted to support objects other than shelves and may be adapted for securing articles of furniture relative to vertical surfaces or pieces of electronic equipment such as radios, televisions, loudspeakers etc.

Whereas it is intended primarily that the mounting members of the present invention will be used in pairs for supporting shelves, it is also envisaged that a supporting member may be used alone and the second part of the mounting member may be changed in shape or enlarged so as itself to provide a substantial support surface for any suitable article such as a vase, flowerpot etc.

It is further envisaged that the mounting member of the present invention may be provided with means adapted to support a light bulb or other electrical fitting.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in the terms or means for performing the desired function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, may, separately or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A support member having a first part adapted to be secured to or engaged with a supporting structure, a second part extending from said first part, said second part being provided with means for a supporting formation to enable said support member to support a shelf or the like, and a third part extending from said second part or said first part, or both, said third part being adapted to extend above the upper surface of said shelf or the like adjacent one end thereof and to provide a barrier so as to minimise risk of articles falling off the end of said shelf.

2. A support member according to Claim 1 wherein said third part is an aesthetically pleasing design.

3. A support member according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein said third part is in the form of a human figure involved in some activity.

4. A support member according to any one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein said third part is formed with a fourth part also adapted for securing to a supporting structure.

5. A support member according to Claim 4 wherein said fourth part is spaced in a vertical manner from said first part.

6. A support member according to Claim 5 wherein the spacing of said first part from said fourth part is the same as or approaches the maximum vertical dimension of said support member in use.

7. A support member according to any one of Claims 4 to 6 wherein said first part is adapted to abut a securing structure and said fourth part is adapted to connect with said supporting structure, said fourth part comprising a hook or other formation or an aperture or other formation through which a fastener may pass.

8. A support member according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said third part is formed in a manner such that the design into which it is formed has a part that extends along an imaginary line joining a part proximate to said fourth part to a part proximate to the outermost part of said second part.

9. A support member having a first part adapted to be secured to or engaged with a supporting structure, a second part extending from said first part, said second part being provided with means for a supporting formation to enable said support member to support a shelf or the like and a third part extending from said second part or said first part or both, a further part spaced in a vertical manner from said first part and extending from said third part wherein said third part is formed in a manner such that the design to which it is formed has a part that extends along an imaginary line joining a part proximate to said fourth part and the outermost part of said second part.

10. A support member having a first part provided with a first formation having a hole, slot or other formation formed therein to enable securement of said first part to a wall or the like and a second formation having a tongue, slot or other particular shape enabling engagement with a complementary projection, slot or formation in a supporting member to which it is adapted to be secured and wherein said first formation and said second formation may be positioned in a manner such that the first formation will not interfere with the connection of the second formation to a supporting member and the second formation will not interfere with securement of the first formation to a wall or the like.

11. A support member according to Claim 10 wherein said support member further comprises a second part adapted to engage with or otherwise support a shelf or other member to be supported.

12. A support member according to Claim 10 wherein said support member includes a third part of aesthetically pleasing design.

13. A support member according to Claim 12 wherein said third part is in the form of a human figure involved in an activity.

14. A support member according to any one of Claims 10 to 13 wherein said third part is provided with a fourth part provided with first and second formations similar to the first and second formations provided on said first part.

15. A support member according to any one of Claims 10 to 14 wherein said fourth part is spaced vertically, when said support member is in use, from said first part.

16. A support member according to Claim 14 wherein said first formations or said second formations or both on said first part and, where provided on said fourth part are adapted to be removed from said support member as an alternative or an addition to being positioned in a manner that will not interfere with connection of the support member to a wall or other supporting structure.

17. A support member according to Claim 16 wherein said first or second formation or formations are capable of being removed from said supporting member either in production of the supporting member after the initial formation thereof or subsequently by a user of the support member depending on the form of supporting structure to which the supporting member is to be secured.

18. A support member according to any one of Claims 10 to 17 wherein the second part comprises a flange like part adapted to extend substantially at right angles to said third part so as to provide a substantially horizontal surface which in use supports the end of a shelf.

19 A support member according to any one of Claims 10 to 18 wherein said formations may comprise a substantially planar member having a through bore provided therein to enable a screw or other fastener to pass through said through bore and into the supporting structure.

20. A supporting member according to any one of Claims 10 to 19 wherein said second formations may comprise a hook, tongue or other projection adapted to engage in a complementary formation such as a slot or hole provided in a supporting member.

21. A support member according to any one of the preceding claims made from a metallic material and formed as a pressing.

22. A support member substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1 to 6 of the accompanying drawings.

23. A support member substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figure 7 of the accompanying drawings.

24. A support member including any novel feature or novel combination of features disclosed herein and/or shown in the accompanying drawings.