GB2354934A - Improvements relating to shelving structures - Google Patents

Abstract

A shelving structure includes receiving members 11 and shelf support members 13. The receiving members are provided with 'P' shaped, keyhole apertures 12. The shelf mounting members are provided with primarily U shaped connectors 15, comprising an engagement part 18a or 18b and a retention part 19a or 19b. In operation connectors 15 are inserted into apertures 12 and moved downwards. Retention parts 19 are thus caused to lie flat against receiving members 11, thus preventing lateral movement between 11 and 13. Also disclosed is a slight tapering of the narrow part of aperture 12, which serves to retain the engagement parts 18 of the connectors in a wedging fit.

Description

2354934 Tide: Improvements Relating to Shelving Structures

Description of Invention

This invention relates to shelving structures, particularly of the kind erected from receiving components such as vertical struts connected together by supporting components such as horizontal beams.

A conventional shelving structure comprises vertical struts and horizontal beams provided at their end portions with connector members which are inter-engaged vertically with the struts. The struts are provided with a nurnber of spaced receiving apertures, and the connector members are adapted to be entered into the receiving aperture and the components inter-engaged by vertical downward movement of the connector member relative to the strut.

In a known shelving system, each connector member comprises two semicircular projecting formations extend laterally from two opposite sides of the connector member and the receiving aperture includes an appropriately shaped upper portion through which the connecting member may pass. The lower portion of the receiving aperture is narrower than the upper portion and by moving the connector member vertically downwards relative to the vertical strut, the engagement portion of the connector member engages with the sides of the receiving aperture thus restraining further downward and lateral movement of the horizontal beam relative to the vertical strut.

In this known shelving system, the projecting formations but are curved outwardly from the horizontal beam such that they do not lie flat against the vertical strut. Thus the connecting member is in contact with the vertical strut at only four points, above and below each projecting formation. This produces a shelving structure of which the various parts are capable of a small degree of relative movement, particularly when not under load, and this is unsatisfactory.

2 Additionally, excessive loading of the shelving structure could lead to tearing of the connector member away from the horizontal beam.

According to the invention we provide a shelving structure comprising receiving components provided with spaced receiving apertures, and support components provided at their end portions with at least one connector member, each connector member being connected at each of two opposite ends to the support component and including an engagement portion extending outwardly from the support component and a laterally extending projecting fonnation, and each connector member being adapted to be entered into a receiving aperture such that, on vertically downward movement of the connecting member relative to the receiving component, the engagement portion engages with the edges of the receiving aperture and the projecting formation engages with and lies substantially flat against the receiving component.

The projecting formation may extend in a plane generally parallel to the surface of the support component on which the connector member is provided, and may be separated from said surface by a distance substantially similar to the thickness of the receiving part of the receiving component. Thus the receiving part of the receiving component may in use fit tightly between at least one projecting formation and the support component.

Thus the engagement portion and the projecting formation co-operates with the receiving component to restrain relative movement in a horizontal plane between the receiving component and the support component. As the projecting formation lies flat against and in contact with the receiving component, it restrains relative movement of the support component with respect to the receiving component, thus providing a stable shelving structure, and reduces the probability of the connector member being torn under heavy loading.

The receiving aperture may include an upper portion through which the connector member and each projecting formation can pass, and a lower portion 3 which is narrower than the top portion and whose side edges converge in the vertical direction away from the upper portion. Thus the connector member is received in the upper portion of the receiving aperture and by vertical downward movement of the connector member relative to the receiving component, said projecting formation is brought into engagement with the receiving component. The edges of the engaging portion enter into wedging engagement with the side edges of the bottom portion of the receiving aperture to restrain vertically downwards movement of the support component with respect to the receiving component during loading of the shelf structure.

The receiving component may be a vertical strut in a shelving system and the support component may be a horizontal beam. Altematively, both the receiving component and support component may be horizontal beams in a shelving system.

The invention will now be described with reference to the following drawings in which:

Figure I shows a connection between a vertical strut and horizontal beam of a shelving system according to the invention; Figure 2 is a side view of the strut and beam assembly illustrated in Figure 1; and Figure 3 shows a connection between two horizontal beams of a shelving system according to the invention.

Referring now to the figures I and 2, there is shown a vertical strut 11, the receiving component, which is provided with a number of receiving apertures 12 spaced lengthwise of the strut 11. There is also shown a horizontal beam 13, the support component, with an end portion 14 on which two connector members 15a, 15b are provided in spaced vertical relationship.

Each connector member 15a, 15b is connected to the end portion 14 of the horizontal beaxn 13 at each of two opposite ends 16a/b and l7a/b, one end l6a/b being positioned directly above the other end 17a/b, and includes an 4 engagement portion 18a, l8b which extends outwardly from the horizontal beam 13. A substantially flat semi-circular projecting member 19a, l9b extends laterally from one side of the engagement portion 18a, l8b and is positioned generally centrally between the two ends l6a/b and l7a/b of the connector member 18a, l8b.

Each receiving aperture 12 is generally P-shaped and has a substantially rectangular lower portion 20 and a wider upper portion 21 with a generally semi-circular edge extending laterally in the same direction as the projecting formations 19b, 19b. The side edges of the bottom portion 20 of each receiving aperture 12 converge slightly in a vertical direction away from the upper portion 2 1. Thus a connector member 15 may be inserted in the upper portion 21 of the receiving aperture 12 and by vertical downward movement of the connector member 15 relative to the vertical strut 11, may be inserted into the lower portion 20 of the receiving aperture 12.

The drawings show a vertical strut 11 and horizontal beam 12 interengaged in this way. The two connector members 15a and 15b are shown having been inserted in receiving apertures 12a and 12b respectively. The engagement portions 18a, 18b of the two connector members 15a, 15b are in wedging engagement with the side edges of the receiving apertures 12a, 12b and thus prevent further vertically downward movement of the horizontal beam 13 with respect to the vertical strut 11. This facilitates, in use, transmission of a load, from articles placed on shelves supported by the beam for example, from the beam to the strut.

The projecting formations 19a, 19b extend over the edges of the receiving apertures 12a, 12b and lie flat against the strut 11, as shown in Figure 2. The projecting formations 19a, 19b lie parallel to the horizontal beam 13 and separation between the projecting formations 19a, 19b and the beam 13 is similar to the thickness of the vertical strut 11. The strut I I is therefore wedged between the beam 13 and the projecting formations 19a, 19b and is held in contact with both. In this way, the connecting members 15a, 15b cooperate with the receiving apertures 12a, 12b to restrain horizontal movement of the beam 13 with respect to the strut 11.

The vertical strut I I has an L-shaped cross-section and has receiving apertures 12 spaced down both arms of the L. The invention is not, however, restricted to use with an L-shaped strut. The vertical strut may take another form, for example, it could have a hollow rectangular crosssection.

In this embodiment, the end portion 14 of the horizontal beam 13 is deeper than the rest of the beam 13 in order to accommodate the two connection members 15a, 15b. A first shelf support flange means 22 extends from the top of the beam 13 in a generally horizontal plane. A shelf may in use be placed with an edge on the first flange means 22.

In another embodiment of the invention, shown in Figure 3, a connection is shown between the horizontal beam 13 and a second horizontal beam 23, the second horizontal beam 23 extending generally perpendicular to the first horizontal beam 13.

First, second, third and fourth receiving apertures, 25, 26, 27 and 28 respectively, as described above, are provided in a vertical side 24 of the first horizontal beam 13. The four receiving apertures are positioned on four comers of a rectangle, the first 25 above the second 26, the third 27 above the fourth 28, such that the semicircular edges of the first 25 and second 26 project away from the third 27 and fourth 28 receiving apertures and vice versa.

The second horizontal beam 23 is provided with an end portion 29 which is substantially perpendicular to the rest of the beam 23, and four connector members 30, 31, 32, 33 are provided on the end portion 29. The four connector members 30, 31, 32, 33 are arranged such that they may be received in receiving apertures 25, 26, 27, 28 respectively, and interengaged by vertically downward movement of the second beam 23 with respect to the first beam 13, as described above, to form the connection shown in Figure 3.

6 The second horizontal beam 23 is provided with a second flange means 34 extending along the length of the beam in the same plane as the first flange means 22 provided on the first horizontal beam 13, which may provide addifional support for a shelf placed on the shelf structure.

VVhilst the projector formations 19a, l9b have been described as being semi-circular, they may be a different shape, rectangular or triangular, for examples. The receiving apertures 12a, 12b, 25, 26, 27, 28 would then also have a correspondingly different shape.

The strut 11 and beams 13 and 23 are preferably fabricated from sheet metal, and bent to the required shape. The receiving apertures 12, 25, 26, 27, 28 and connector members 15a, 15b, 30, 31, 32, 33 are preferably stamped, although the connector members 15a, 15b, or 30, 31, 32, 33 may be welded onto the beam 13 or 23.

The invention is not restricted to use with metal components. The strut 11 and beams 13, 23 may for example be fabricated from plastic by extrusion or injection moulding.

In the present specification "comprise" means "includes or consists of' and "comprising" means "including or consisting of'.

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

Claims (1)

1. 7 CLAIMS

   1. A shelving structure comprising receiving components provided with spaced receiving apertures, and support components provided at their end portions with at least one connector member, each connector member being connected at each of two opposite ends to the support component and including an engagement portion extending outwardly from the support component and a laterally extending projecting formation, and each connector member being adapted to be entered into a receiving aperture such that, on vertically downward movement of the connecting member relative to the receiving component, the engagement portion engages with the edges of the receiving aperture and the projecting formation engages with and lies substantially flat against the receiving component.

   2. A shelving structure as claimed in claim I wherein the projecting formation extends in a plane generally parallel to the surface of the support component on which the connector member is provided, and is separated from said surface by a distance substantially similar to the thickness of the receiving part of the receiving component.

   3. A shelving structure as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the receiving aperture includes an upper portion through which the connector member and each projecting formation can pass, and a lower portion which is narrower than the top portion and whose side edges converge in the vertical direction away from the upper portion.

   4. A shelving structure as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the receiving component is a vertical strut and the support component is a horizontal beam.

   8 5. A shelving structure as claimed in claims I to 3 wherein the receiving component and support component are horizontal beams.

   6. A shelving structure substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

   7. Any novel feature or novel combination of features as described herein and/or described in the accompanying drawings.