GB2274973A - Suppport bar for shelving system - Google Patents

Abstract

A hollow keybar 1 of flat-sided construction, is assembled from a number of strip members each forming a sidewall of the assembled bar and interconnected along their lengths by aperture 10 and complementary projection 11. In the described embodiments longitudinally spaced flat lugs 11, integrally formed along the edges of one strip member engage and are secured, e.g. by interference fit, welding or bonding, in correspondingly sized and spaced slots 10 stamped or otherwise cut along an edge portion of an adjacent strip member. <IMAGE>

Description

SUPPORT BAR This invention relates to the construction of a support bar in the form of a hollow, elongate member.

The invention is concerned particularly, though not exclusively, with hollow, flat-sided support bars to be used for forming the upright supports in a shelving system, for example, in shops, supermarkets, D-I-Y stores and other retail outlets, the bars being formed with rows of regularly spaced slots for receiving and interengaging with corresponding lugs of shelf support brackets, back panels or other accessories or components of the display system. Such bars are commonly referred to as "keybars".

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings illustrates a known form of keybar for use in such a shelving system. The keybar comprises an elongate rectangular section hollow steel tube 1 formed from a strip of steel sheet bent in upon itself along four bend lines and welded along an elongate weld line 2 or 3 extending along one flat side wall of the closed section. A required pattern of slots 4 is formed in one or more of the flat side walls of the bar 1 to permit fixing of, for example, a shelf bracket 5 at any of a number possible positions spaced along the bar. The bracket 5 may, for example, be formed from steel sheet and have a pair of L-shaped lugs 6 which can pass through two adjacent slots 4 and engage the edges of the slot to provide the required secured fixing.

Although this construction of keybar has proved widely effective in use, it presents certain problems and disadvantages. More particularly, because of the complexity and cost of the machinery involved in making this form of keybar, the supplier of the shelving system must normally purchase the lengths of the keybar from a specialist manufacturer. It is consequently necessary for the system manufacturer to design the shelving system round the size or sizes of keybar available from the specialist manufacturer, since the cost involved in obtaining custom-made keybar of a special size would be prohibitive, making the shelving system generally unattractive on a cost basis.

Moreover, the system manufacturer is faced with further design constraints owing to the limitation in generally available slot patterns available from the keybar manufacturer. Again, cost considerations preclude the use of keybars formed with special slot patterns.

These restrictions arise from the basic construction of the keybar which, as mentioned earlier, requires complex and expensive sheet rolling bending, and welding apparatus.

The present invention aims to provide a support bar of an elongate, hollow construction which is generally easier to manufacture than the bar of the prior art construction.

According to the present invention there is provided an elongate hollow support bar wherein interconnected strip members form respective sidewalls of the bar and wherein at least two adjacent said strip members of the bar are fixed together by a plurality of longitudinally spaced fixings, each comprising an aperture formed in one of said at least two strip members and a projection formed in the other of said at least two strip members, the projection being engaged in the aperture.

Preferably, the apertures comprise elongate slots aligned with each other, and are formed in and spaced apart along said one of said at least two strip members, the projections comprising elongate flat lugs projecting laterally from, and correspondingly spaced apart along an edge of said other one of said at least two strip members.

The projections may be firmly fixed in said apertures by means of an interference fit, or by welding.

The cross-section of the bar may be any required closed shape. When used as the keybar in a shelving system, a rectangular section is preferred. In this case, the bar is preferably made from four flat strip members, two parallel flat strip members forming opposite sidewalls of the rectangular section and each being formed with two rows of aligned, longitudinally spaced slots adjacent respective strip edges, and two parallel second strip members forming the other two opposite sidewalls of the rectangular section and each formed with two rows of correspondingly spaced lugs projecting laterally from opposite strip edges.

When the bar is to be used as a keybar for a shelving system, at least one sidewall is formed with one or more rows of mounting apertures, preferably elongate slots, for receiving complementary projections, preferably flat lugs, of shelf brackets, back panels or other fixtures to be mounted on and supported by the keybar in the shelving system.

In one described embodiment, the flat lugs are of simple form such that said at least two adjacent strip members of the bar are assembled by a simple singlemovement insertion of the lugs into the slots in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the bar. In another described embodiment, the lugs are so shaped (e.g. L-shaped) so that they are each integrally attached to a strip edge by a neck portion which is shorter than the length of the lug so that assembly of the two adjacent sides of the bar involves insertion of the row of lugs along one strip member edge into the corresponding slots of the other strip member, and a subsequent relative longitudinal movement of the two strip members.

It will be appreciated that with this form of construction, the strip members used to form the keybar can be very easily made from readily available steel strip using simple machining operations such as strip stamping, and the components can be easily assembled, again using simple manufacturing techniques.

Consequently, this form of construction provides the system manufacturer with a very wide choice of cross-sectional dimensions and shapes for the keybar, and of slot patterns, because of the low cost involved in making the steel strip components from which the keybar is to be manufactured, with the required shape and dimensional parameters.

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to Figures 2 to 11 of the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 illustrates a keybar construction for a shelving system according to the prior art; Fig. 2 is a side view illustrating the shape of each of two first side members used to form a hollow support bar in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; Fig. 3 is a side view illustrating the shape of each of two second side members used to form the support bar; Fig. 4 is a side view illustrating the shape of each of the two first side members in another embodiment of the invention; Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a first side member of Fig. 2 and a second side member of Fig.

3 in their positions immediately prior to assembly; Fig. 6 is a side perspective view illustrating an assembled support bar in accordance with the first embodiment of the invention; Fig. 7 is a plan view from above, showing the assembled support bar of Fig. 6, as seen in the direction of the arrow; and Figs. 8 to 11 are plan views showing assembled support bars of a variety of different cross-sections.

A first embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to Figures 2, 3 and 5 to 7.

The support bar of this first embodiment is a shelving system keybar constructed using four rigid steel strip elements assembled together in a box-like configuration as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. The strip elements comprise two straight-edged first strip elements 7 illustrated in Fig. 2 which will form two parallel opposite side walls in the assembled keybar, and two identical second strip elements 8 illustrated in Fig. 3 which will form the two other parallel opposite side walls of the assembled keybar, extending between the two first side walls.

Each of the four strip members is formed with an appropriate pattern, in this case two parallel rows, of suitably shaped and dimensioned mounting slots 9 for receiving corresponding fixing lugs 6 formed on shelf brackets, backing panels or other attachments and accessories in a shelving system in which the keybar is to be used as an upright support rigidly fixed at its low end to a suitable floor-standing support base (not shown). Each of the first strip members is also formed with two sets of elongate assembly slots 10 and mutually aligned and preferably regularly spaced along the strip. The two sets of assembly slots 10 are formed on opposite sides of the pair of rows of mounting slots 9, as illustrated in Fig. 2; the assembly slots of the two sets are formed at correspondingly longitudinal positions along the strip.

Each of the second strip members 8 is integrally formed with two sets of assembly lugs 11 projecting from opposite side edges of the strip. Each set comprises a plurality of such lugs longitudinally spaced and extending along the respective side edge, the spacing of the lugs corresponding to the spacing of the assembly slots 10 of the first strip members, and the length of the lugs being very slightly less than the length of the assembly slots 10.

As illustrated in Figure 5, the first and second strip members are assembled together by insertion of the assembly lugs 11 of the second strip member into the assembly slots 10 of the first strip member. The two opposite second strip members are first assembled to one first strip member in this way, and the other first strip member is then fitted to the exposed side edges of the two second strip members, so as to assemble the hollow, flat-sided keybar illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7.

Any of a number of different fixings methods may be employed to secure the four strip members together in their assembled state. For example, the relative dimensions of the assembly slots and lugs may be such as to provide a tight interference fit when the members are firmly pressed or knocked together.

Alternatively or additionally, the lugs may be stitch welded as shown at 12 on the inside and/or outside faces of the first strip members where the lugs enter or project from the slots, or bonding may be used.

The above-described form of construction employs cheap, readily available and easily machined (e.g. by stamping) stock material, namely steel strip, and a straightforward method of assembly which does not require complicated strip bending and seam welding equipment. These factors provide the important advantage of flexibility of design in that any suitable width strip can be employed for the assembly of any required cross-sectional configuration of keybar. Furthermore, any required mounting slot pattern can be formed in the steel strip using a simple stamping technique. The assembly slots and lugs can also be stamped in the same stamping operation which forms the mounting slots.

Fig. 4 illustrates a different assembly lug configuration for the second strip member 8, providing an enhanced strip location and fixing procedure. In this second embodiment, each assembly lug 11 is substantially "L" shaped, having a main lug portion 11a to be inserted through the assembly aperture 10, and a neck portion llb between the main body of the strip member 8 and the lug portion lla. The lug 11 is thereby formed with a slot 11c the width W1 which is the same as the width W2 of the assembly slot 10, these widths being very slightly greater than the thickness T of the steel strip.

Assembly of the first and second strip members in this second embodiment of the invention involves a two-stage operation. Following insertion of the row of lugs 11 along one edge of the second strip member into one set of the assembly slots 10 of a first strip member from one side thereof in a lateral direction relative to the longitudinal axis of the strips, a longitudinal sliding movement of the second strip member relative to the first strip member by distance corresponding to the length L of the slot 11c causes the main lug portions ila to lock against the surface on the other side of the first strip member, thereby firmly securing the two strip members together. Again, an additional fixing method, such as stitch welding, may be employed to permanently fix the strips together.

Although both of the above-described embodiments employ four interconnecting strip members forming a substantially rectangular hollow support bar, it will be appreciated that other cross-sectional configurations can be constructed employing any suitable number (three or more) of strip members. For example, Figure 8 illustrates, in plan view, a triangular section configuration, Figure 9 illustrates a non-square rectangular section, Figure 10 illustrates a trapezium section, and Figure 11 illustrates a hexagonal section.

In the above-described embodiments each strip member forming a side of the assembled support bar is formed either with apertures, in the form of slots, or with projections in the form of lugs. While this is the most suitable arrangement for the construction of a rectangular section bar, for ease of assembly, other cross-sections may be more easily constructed if one or more of the strip members has apertures along one edge and projections along the other.

For example, in the triangular configuration of Figure 8 a first strip member 7 may have two rows of slots, a second strip member 8 having two rows of lugs, and a third strip member 15 having one row of slots, and one row of lugs. One row of lugs of the second strip member 8 and the row of lugs of the third strip member 15 locate in the respective rows of slots of the first strip member 7, and the other row of lugs of the second strip member 8 locate in the row of slots of the third strip member 15.

Also, any suitable metallic or non-metallic strip material may be used to form the strip members, according to the intended purpose and required strength of the support bar.

The invention being thus described, it will be clear to the skilled person that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the scope of the invention.

There are described above novel features which the skilled man will appreciate give rise to advantages. These are each independent aspects of the invention to be covered by the present application, irrespective of whether or not they are included within the scope of the following claims.

Claims (10)

CLAIMS:

1. An elongate hollow support bar, wherein interconnected strip members form respective sidewalls of the bar and wherein at least two adjacent said strip members of the bar are fixed together by a plurality of longitudinally spaced fixings, each comprising an aperture formed in one of said at least two strip members and a projection formed in the other of said at least two strip members, the projection being engaged in the aperture.

2. A support bar according to claim 1, wherein the apertures comprise elongate slots aligned with each other, and are formed in and spaced apart along said one of said at least two strip members, the projections comprising elongate flat lugs projecting laterally from, and correspondingly spaced apart along, an edge of said other one of said at least two strip members.

3. A support bar according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the projections are firmly fixed in said apertures by means of an interference fit, or by welding or bonding.

4. A support bar according to any preceding claim, wherein four flat strip members are interconnected to form a substantially rectangular cross-section.

5. A support bar according to claim 4, wherein said four flat strip members comprise two parallel first strip members forming opposite sidewalls of the rectangular section and each formed with two rows of aligned, longitudinally spaced slots adjacent respective strip edges, and two parallel second strip members forming the other two opposite sidewalls of the rectangular section and each formed with two rows of correspondingly spaced lugs projecting laterally from opposite strip edges.

6. A support bar according to any preceding claim, comprising a keybar for a shelving system, wherein at least one side member is formed with one or more rows of mounting apertures for receiving complementary projections of shelf brackets, back panels or other fixtures to be mounted on and supported by the keybar in the shelving system.

7. A support bar according to claim 2 or any claim dependent thereon, wherein the flat lugs are shaped so that said at least two adjacent strip members of the bar are assembled by a simple single-movement insertion of the lugs into the slots in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the bar.

8. A support bar according to claim 2 or any of claims 3 to 6 dependent thereon, wherein the lugs are substantially L-shaped, and are each attached to a strip edge by a neck portion which is shorter than the length of the lug, so that assembly of the two adjacent sides members of the bar involves insertion of the row of lugs along one strip member edge into the corresponding slots of the other strip member, and a subsequent relative longitudinal movement of the two strip members.

9. A support bar substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any of Figures 2 to 11 of the accompanying drawings.

10. A shelving system including a plurality of upright support keybars on which shelf support brackets are mounted, each keybar comprising a bar according to any preceding claim.