GB2423236A - Rail system for merchandise display - Google Patents

Abstract

A merchandising system comprising a rail profile for attachment to an upright surface W behind a panel P, the rail having a slot 107 configured to receive a hanging member 121a, the slot having a downwardly extending recess 108 for receiving the hook 121b of the mounting member 121 of a hanger 120. The slot having also upper and lower (104, fig.5) faces extending beyond the recess 108 for supporting the top and bottom portions of the end of a shelf bracket 126 for supporting a shelf. The slot may also have an upper cavity (111, Fig.5) for holding a gripping element 130 that may be resiliently deformable. A support arm (134, Fig.8) can also be used in conjunction with the rail profile.

Description

Shop Merchandise Display System

Description

The present invention relates to a shop merchandising system.

One known type of shop merchandise display system generally comprises a support/anchor rail mounted to or set into a wall or other vertical surface. Brackets can then be fitted to the rail to support vertical hanging members to which a plurality of arms extending laterally from the wall or upright surface and the hanging members can be fitted and from which merchandise may be hung or to which a shelf may be attached. The Applicant's earlier European (UK) patent No. o 521 038 discloses such a shop merchandising system comprising a horizontal anchor rail and at least one hanging member mounted thereon which is discrete and demountably attachable to the anchor rail and positionable at any location along its length to hang freely therefrom with no other means of support. At least a part of the or each hanging member is in contact with the wall but unattached thereto and the or each hanging member comprises an upright portion which extends substantially vertically with respect to the anchor rail and, a support arm extending outwardly therefrom, the or each hanging member being movable along the anchor rail independently of an adjacent hanging member.

This system provided an improvement over prior art systems which at the time used fixed uprights screwed to the walls at predetermined intervals and so were difficult to move. The system therefore provided great lateral flexibility as the hanging members could be moved laterally along the anchor rail as rcc1uired to adapt the system to the merchandise to be displayed.

io The system disclosed in European (UK) patent No. 0 521 038 provides significant advances over prior art systems. However, an even more versatile system has now been developed which further enhances the flexibility of the known system.

It is desirable to be able to display merchandise on shelves attached directly to, and extending from, the anchor rail without any other means of support or Part of the shelf in contact with the wall in addition to mounting shelves in the conventional way in which the shelves are attached to or supported by hanging members hanging from the anchor rail. It is further desirable to be able to display merchandise hanging from arms extending directly from the anchor rail without any other means of support or part of the arm in contact with the wall in addition to mounting arms in the conventional way in which they extend from a hanging member hanging from the anchor rail. However, this is not possible with the system disclosed in EP 0 521 038 because the anchor rail cannot adequately support shelves or arms extending directly therefrom without the use of the hanging member with its part in contact with the wall beneath the anchor rail, unless the shelf or arm is provided with some additional means of support in contact with the surface of the wall. This is because a shelf or arm and associated merchandise supported thereby would produce far too great a moment of force about the point of attachment between the anchor rail and the bracket or shelf and the anchor rail and so be unable to sustain its own weight. Although the shelf or arm can be provided with a foot or arm extending therefrom and resting against the wall beneath the rail, this is undesirable because it is unsightly.

A shelving system does exist in which an anchor rail mounted to the wall is provided with a rearwardly extending slot that has sufficient depth to support a shelf received directly therein and without any other means of support resting against the face of the wall. The shelves of these systems generally comprise a rail attachment member on the shelf which requires the shelf to be tilted at an upwardly inclined angle relative to the horizontal to enable the rail attachment member to be inserted into the slot iii the rail and, once fully inserted, tilted back to the horizontal whereby an upstanding lug or lip on the attachment member engages with a corresponding aperture or channel in the upper portion of the rail at the end of the slot to locate and retain the shelf in position.

The above-described conventional system has the disadvantage that it cannot accommodate a vertical hanger such as that of the Applicant's above-mentioned display system in addition to a shelf or arm extending directly from the rail. This is because it is desirable for the hanging member to extend above the rail as well as below it as otherwise space above the rail either remains unutilised or, the rail must be positioned in a horizontal disposition very high up on the wall making it difficult to reach. Therefore, if an attempt is made to use a hanging member with the rail attachment member described above, it is impossible to attach the hanging member to the rail because the hanging member needs to be presented to the wall at an angle to enable the rail attachment member to be inserted into the slot. This is prevented by the part of the hanging member that extends above the rail which hits the wall thereby preventing it from E)eing tilted into the correct orientation for insertion.

The aforementioned problem can be overcome by making the attachment member and hanging member separate components so that the attachment member can be tilted as required and inserted into the slot before the hanging member is attached to the attachment member. However, it is desirable to be able to use a one-piece hanger and rail attachment member as they are simpler and cheaper to produce than multi-component devices and it is much easier to attach the hanging member to the rail as a one- piece component together with the attachment member than it is to attach them separately. Even if a multi-component device is used, it is desirable for a shopkeeper to be able to connect the attachment member to the hanging member prior to attaching the attachment member to the rail.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a merchandise display system that substantially alleviates or overcomes the problems mentioned above and enables conventional hanging members to be attached to the rail but also enables arms or shelves to be attached directly to the rail so that they extend therefrom without hanging members or any other means of support.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a shop merchandising system comprising an anchor rail for attachment to an upright mounting surface in a substantially horizontal disposition in a cavity behind a decorative or plasterboard panel parallel to but spaced from the mounting surface, the rail having a slot therein extending from the panel towards the mounting surface accessible through an opening in the panel and, a downwardly extending recess or aperture extending from the slot, the rail being configured to receive and support a hanging member hanging freely from the rail and having at least a part in contact with the surface of the panel below the rail, the hanging member having a hooked engagement member insertable into the slot with the hanging member held substantially parallel to the panel so that it locates in the recess or aperture, the same rail also being configured to receive and support an arm or shelf to extend directly out of the rail substantially at right angles to the panel with no other means of support, the arm or shelf having a different engagement member that locates in the slot and extends beyond the recess or aperture to engage between upper and lower faces of the slot.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the engagement member of the arm or shelf comprises a substantially flat plate for insertion into the slot between said upper and lower faces, and the engagement member of the arm or shelf preferably includes at least one protrusion which locates in the recess or aperture when the engagement means is received in the rail, to secure the arm or shelf in position.

Advantageously, the or each protrusion is formed from a resilient material and is a snug fit in said recess or aperture.

Preferably, the recess or aperture is located adjacent to the panel behind the opening therein.

In a preferred embodiment, the rail includes a gripping element disposed within the anchor rail and extending into the slot operable to contact the engagement member of the shelf or arm when inserted into the slot and resist removal thereof due to friction between the engagement member and the gripping element. Conveniently, the gripping element comprises a body portion received in a channel in the anchor rail and, an arm extending from the body into the slot. Preferably, the body portion and channel are generally cylindrical and the body portion is rotatable about its longitudinal axis within the channel to move said arm into and out of the slot. At least a portion of the gripping element is advantageously formed from a resiliently deformable material, and all or part of the grippmg element may be made of silicone-rubber In a preferred embodiment, the rail includes an upper recess in the upper face of the slot to receive the arm when the body portion of the gripping element rotates within the cylindrical aperture or, the arm resiliently deforms in response to insertion of a shelf or arm.

Advantageously, at least one bracing element, and more preferably two bracing elements, extend from a face of the slot to a rear portion of the rail, and the at least one bracing element preferably extends from a lower face of the slot to the rear portion of the rail below the slot. A part of the rail is preferably formed as a closed reinforced box-section structure in cross-section.

In a preferred embodiment, the rail is formed by extrusion, and is advantageously made of aluminium.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to Figures 5 - 7 of the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first prior art merchandise display system; Figure 2 is a cross sectional view of the system of Figure 1; Figure 3A is a cross sectional view of a second prior art merchandise display system prior to insertion of a shelf; Figure 3B is a cross sectional view of the system of Figure 3A during insertion of the shelf; Figure 3C is a cross sectional view of the system of Figure 3A with the shelf inserted; Figure 4 is a perspective view of a merchandise display system of the invention; Figure 5 is a cross sectional view of the anchor rail of the system of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view of the anchor rail of Figure 5 with a vertical hanger fitted thereto; Figure 7A is a cross sectional view of the anchor rail of Figures 5 and 6 during installation of a shelf thereto; Figure 7B is the anchor rail of Figure 7A once the shelf is fitted thereto; Figure 8 is a perspective view of an arm operable for use with the anchor rail of Figures 5 - 7B; and Figure 9 is a cross sectional view of the anchor rail of Figures 5 - 7B with another to type of shelf fitted thereto.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, a first prior art merchandise display system I is shown as disclosed in the Applicant's earlier European patent EP 0 521 038, and comprises an anchor rail 2 attachable to a wall or other vertical surface by known /5 means, e.g. screws 3 as shown in Figure 1. The rail 2 includes a flat portion 4 having upper and lower edges 4a, 4b. A T-shaped section 5 extends forwardly from proximate the upper edge 4a of the flat portion 4, the T section 5 having an upper upstanding lip 5a and a lower downwardly depending lip 5b. A first channel 6 is defined between the upper edge 4a of the rail 4 and the upper up 5a of the T section 5. A second channel 7 is also defined between the lower lip 5b of the F section 5 and the flat portion 4 of the anchor rail 2.

The lower edge 4b of the flat portion 4 has an L-shaped section 8 extending forwardly therefrom, the L section 8 having an upstanding upper up 8a. A third channel 9 is defined opposite the second channel 7, between the flat portion 4 of the rail 2 and the upper lip 8a of the L section 8. An insert 10 can be fitted to the rail 2 and held in position by connecting potions lOa, lOb locating in the second and third channels 7, 9 respectively.

The display system I includes a hanger 12 suspendable from the anchor rail 2 by means of a mounting member 13. In the illustrated embodiment, the mounting member comprises a plate 13 welded to the vertical hanger 12, the plate 13 having a downwardly depending lip 13a at an edge remote from the hanger 12 that engages with the first channel 6 thereby retaining the hanger 12 and associated mounting member 13 in position on the rail 2. The hanger 12 is provided with notches 14 in its rear edge to allow an arm 1 5 to be attached to the hanger 12, and a spacer foot 16 is attached to the hanger 12 at a lower end thereof to space the hanger 12 from the wall or vertical surface to which the rail 2 is attached. Although the mounting member 13 is shown attached to the upper end of the hanger 12, it will bc appreciated that in another preferred arrangement, the mounting member is attached to a point on the hanger 12 between its upper and lower ends so that the hanger 12 extends above the rail 10, as well as below it As mentioned previously, this prior art system solved many problems with known systems at the time, but still has a number of drawbacks. Primarily, the rail 2 is not capable of supporting a shelf directly thereon, without the use of the hanger 12 and arm 15 arrangement illustrated. This is because although the rail 2 can support a vertical load suspended therefrom, it does not have sufficient depth to withstand a torsional moment of force which a shelf would subject it to.

One type of prior art shelving system 21 that does allow a shelf to be attached directly to a wall-mounted rail is shown in Figures 3A - 3G. This system comprises a rail 22 mounted to a wall W and located within a cavity defined between the wall W and panels P parallel to but spaced from the wall W. The rail 22 is an extruded component and, in cross- section, comprises an upper and lower wall 23, 24 and a rear wall 25 which together define an elongate slot 26. The upper wall 23 has a portion 23a which slopes downwardly towards the rear wall 25 to a point proximate the rear wall 25, where the upper wall 23 extends vertically upwards and horizontally rearwards to define a vertical channel 27 in the upper rear portion of the slot 26.

The lower wall 24 has a portion 24a that slopes downwardly towards the rear wall until it joins the rear wall 25.

A shelf 28 is attachable to the rail 22 by means of a mounting bracket 29 extending horizontally from the rear of the shelf 28. The bracket 29 comprises a horizontal bar 30, with an upper and a lower face 31, 32. A portion 32a of the lower face 32 tapers towards the upper face 31 so that the bracket 29 narrows towards the end remote from the shelf 28. An upstanding lip 33 is provided on the upper face 31 remote from the shelf 28.

Figures 3B and 3C show how the shelf 28 is attached to the rail 22 by means of the bracket 29. The shelf 28 is angled relative to the rail 22 such that the bracket 29 can be inserted into the slot 26 in the rail 22 between the rail's upper and lower walls 23, 24. Once the bracket 29 is fully inserted into the slot 26, the shelf 28 is pivoted downwards so that it and the bracket 29 lie in a horizontal plane. Here, the lip 33 to locates in the channel 27, thereby preventing the shelf 28 and bracket 29 from being removed from the rail 28 by a horizontal force alone without first lifting the shelf up to tilt it. The bracket 29 and associate shelf 28 are retained in the horizontal position by the upper face 31 of the bracket abutting the upper wall of the rail 22 proximate the channel 27, and the lower face 32 of the bracket 29 abutting the lower wall 24 of the rail 22 proximate the front of the rail 22.

Although the system 21 described above with reference to Figures 3A - 3C allows shelves to be supported on a wall mounted rail without any other means of support, the brackets still need to be presented to the rail at an angle to the horizontal and subsequently pivoted into the horizontal once the bracket 29 has been fully inserted into the slot 26. This means that the system 21 cannot be used with a one-piece hanger having a mounting member comprising a bracket 29 wherein the hanger extends substantially above the mounting member, as described above, because the top of the hanger would abut the wall and prevent the mounting member/bracket from being presented at a sufficient angle to be inserted into the slot 26 of the rail 22. The rail 22 of the system 21 is also unable to accept a hanger and mounting member such as that disclosed in EP 0 521 038. In addition to the problems mentioned above, the front panels P of the prior art system shown in Figures 3A - 3C take a significant proportion of the load on the rail. As such, the panels P io must be made of a sufficiently strong material, adding to their cost, and require complicated construction and fitment with the rail 102 when the system is installed in a shop. This makes the system expensive to manufacture and time consuming and expensive to install.

To solve the shortcomings of the above prior art, a display system 101 of the present invention is shown in Figures 4 - 7, and comprises an anchor rail 102 mountable to a wall W and located in a cavity between a decorative or plasterboard panel P parallel to but spaced from the wall W. The anchor rail 102 is an extruded body of uniform cross-section. From the cross-sectional views in Figures 5 - 7B, it can be seen that the anchor rail 102 comprises an upper wall 103, a lower wall 104 and a rear wall 105 which together define a slot 106 having an opening 107 at the front thereof to receive brackets or mounting members to allow shelves or hangers to be supported by the rail 102. The lower wall 104 has a first channel 108 formed therein proximate the front opening 107, and a second channel 109 wider than the first channel 108, formed proximate the rear wall 105 of the slot 106. The upper wall 103 has a recess 110 therein, and a circular cavity 111 extends from an upper front corner of the recess 110 for reasons which will be explained in more detail below.

A first, straight, bracing wall 112 extends from the lower wall 104 to the rear wall and a second, L'-shapcd, bracing wall 113 also extends from the lower wall 104 to the rear wall 105. Both bracing walls 112, 113 serve to transfer the force of any load imposed upon the rail 102 at the slot 106 to the rear wall 105 and thereby to the supporting wall W. As the rail 102 is an extruded component, the upper, lower, rear and two bracing walls 103,104, 105,112,113 together form a closed reinforced box-sectional structure with the lower L'-shaped bracing element 113 forming the front and bottom outer edges of the box-section and the straight bracing element 112 providing a diagonal strengthening cross- member within the box-section. An alternative arrangement (not illustrated) of the bracmg walls 112, 113 of the rail 102 is intended to fall within the scope of the invention in which the J.'-shaped bracing wall 113 is positioned in the same manner as shown in Figure 5, but an alternatively orientated straight bracing wall 112 extends vertically from the lower wall 104 to the horizontal part of the I]- shaped bracing wall 113, rather than diagonally from the lower wall 104 to the rear waIl 105.

- 10 - The rear wall 105 of the rail 102 includes upper and lower flanges 114, 115 through which screws or other appropriate means can be received (not shown) to secure the rail 1 02 to the wall W. I)ue to its reinforced box section structure as seen in Figure 5, the extruded rail 102 is capable of supporting much larger loads than known prior art systems. The bracing waIls 112, 113 transfer the force of the load on the rail 102 to the rear wall 105 thereof and, via the securing means (not shown), to the supporting wall W. Therefore, the panels P used with the system of the invention, spaced from and parallel to the wall W, are primarily for decorative purpose and, in use, do not support any of the vertical load which the rail 102 is subjected to or, at the very most, takes a very small fraction of the vertical load caused by deformation of the lower wall 104 of the rail 102 under load. The only force which they may encounter may be small horizontal force from a spacer foot (not shown) used in an embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 6 and described below. As a result, the panels P can be very quickly and simply fitted with the system without the need for complex, load-bearing fittings.

This makes the system much cheaper to produce and much quicker and cheaper

to install than known prior art systems.

Figure 6 shows how the rail 102 of the present invention is operable to receive and retain a vertical hanger 120 and associated integral mounting member 121.

The mounting member comprises a flat horizontal plate 121a permanently attached to the vertical hanger 120 at one edge, and having a downwardly depending lip 121b along the other edge. In use, the hanger 120 and mounting member 121 are attached to the rail 102 by insetting the mounting member 121 through the front opening 107 and into the slot 106 in the rail, and lowering the mounting member 121 so that the lip 121b locates into the first channel 108 and the underside of the horizontal plate 121a of the mounting member 121 rests on the lower wall 104 of the rail 102 adjacent the opening 107. A spacer foot (not shown) may be attached lower down the vertical hanger 120 to rest against the panel P and space the vertical hanger 120 therefrom. In this position, the lip 121b in the first channel 108 prevents the mounting member 121 and hanger 120 from being able to slide horizontally out of the rail 102 without being first lifted -11 - out. It will also be appreciated that since the combined height of the lip 121b and end of the horizontal plate 121 a remote from the hanger 120 is less than the height of the opening 107 of the slot 106, the hanger 120 and mounting member 121 can be fitted to the rail 102 in an upright position without the need to angle them to the vertical, thereby allowing use of an integral hanger and mounting member in which a substantial part of the hanger 120 extends above the mounting member 121.

As mentioned above, the bracing walls 112, 113 and the reinforced box section structure of the rail 102 mean that much greater loads can be supported by the rail 102 of the invention. Therefore, this system can be used with much longer vertical hangers than in prior art systems, and the hangers can be fitted with many more display arms to carry merchandise, making this system even more

versatile than those of the prior art.

Figures 7A and 7B shows a shelf 125 during and after fitting to the rail 102 of the invention. The shelf 125 includes a mounting bracket 126 extending along the rear edge thereof which, in use, locates in the slot 106 of the rail 102. The mounting bracket 126 includes a protrusion 127 on the underside 126b thereof which locates in the first channel 108 when the shelf 125 is fitted to the rail 102.

The second channel 109 allows the mounting bracket 126 and shelf 125 to be inserted into the slot 106 at an angle by accommodating the lowermost edge of the bracket 126 remote from the shelf 105 before the shelf 125 is moved to the final substantially horizontal position with an upper surface 126a of the bracket 126 in contact with the upper wall 103 of the rail adjacent the rear wall 105, and with the lower surface 126b of the bracket 126 in contact with the lower wall 104 of the rail 102. The anchor rail 102 may be designed such that once the shelf 125 and associated bracket 126 is fitted thereto, it lies in a horizontal plane.

Alternatively, the rail 102 may be configured such that the shelf 125 lies at a slightly inclined angle to the horizontal, for example between 10 30, as shown in Figure 7B - 12 - Figures 7A and 7B shows the rail 102 incorporating a silicone-rubber gripping element 130. This gripping clement 130 comprises a body of uniform cross- section having a cylindrical part 131 with an arm 132 extending therefrom. The cylindrical part 131 is seated within the circular cavity Ill and is rotatable therein such that the arm 132 can move within the slot 106 in a limited degree of motion between the upper wall 103 in the recess 110 and the lower wall 104.

When the shelf 125 is fitted to the rail 102 and the bracket 126 is inserted into the slot 106, the arm 132 of the gripping element 130 is pushed upwards into the recess 110. Once the bracket is in position, the arm 132 rests on top of the bracket and friction therewith aids in preventing the shelf from being able to slide out of the slot 106. The gripping element 130 is intended to be removable from the rail 102, and can be inserted in or removed from the rail by sliding the gripping element 130 into the location shown in Figure 7A from one end of the rail 102. As the rail is an extruded body of uniform cross-section, and the gripping clement is of a uniform cross-section, the insertion and removal of the gripping clement is easily performed by this sliding method from an open end of the rail. In another embodiment, the gripping member may be fixed to the rail 102 and/or be formed from a resiliently deformable material that deforms in response to insertion of a shelf or arm into the slot.

The shop merchandise display system 101 of the present invention can also include a support arm 134 connectable directly to the rail 102. Such an embodiment is shown in Figure 8. The arm 134 is similar to the arm 15 shown in Figure 1, and comprises a bar 135 of circular or oval crosssection with an attachment clement 136 at one end. The attachment element 136 is similar to the mounting bracket 126 shown in Figures 7A and 7B and comprises a plate 136 with a protruding lip 137 on the underside thereof. The attachment element 136 is also insertable into the rail 102 in the same manner as the mounting bracket 126 and associated shelf 125 described above and shown in Figures 7A and 7B, and the protruding lip 137 locates In the first channel 108 when the arm 134 is fitted to the rail 102. This arrangement has the advantage of eliminating the need for the vertical hanger 12() and mounting member 121 Although it means that the height of the arm cannot be varied relative - 13- to the rail, it does have the advantage of presenting a neater, less cluttered display system.

It is possible for the display system of the present invention to also accept vertical hangers which attach to the rail by means of a component such at the bracket 126 used with the shelf 125 in Figures 7A and 7B or the attachment element 136 shown in Figure 8. However, it will be appreciated that such an arrangement, although possible, will have the limitations of the prior art described previously, in that a one-piece vertical hanger and mounting bracket component cannot extend above the level of the rail because of the need to tilt the component to locate it in the rail, or if the vertical hanger is to extend above the rail, the vertical hanger and mounting bracket must be two separate components releasably attachable to one another.

In addition to the shelf 125 supportable from the rail 102 by means of a bracket 126, the rail 102 is also capable of supporting a simpler planar shelf comprising a board of a single material, without the use of a separate bracket component. Such a type of shelf 140 is shown in Figure 9 in cross section, inserted into a rail 102 of the invention. The shelf 140 is of equal thickness to the bracket 126 shown in Figures 7A and 7B, but does not include any protrusion on the underside. This type of shelf 140 can therefore be inserted straight into the rail 102 without needing to be pivoted into its final fitted position. The shelf 140 is then held in place under its own weight (and the weight of any merchandise thereon) with Its upper surface 141 in contact with the upper wall 103 of the rail 102, and the lower surface 142 of the shelf 140 in contact with the lowerwall 104 of the rail 102. With this shelf arrangement, it is preferable that the rail 102 be configured such that the shelf 140 is held at a slightly inclined angle to the horizontal, as mentioned above, for the added security it would provide against the shelf 140 being knocked out of the slot 106. When a gripping element 130 is fitted to the rail 102, it will also hold the shelf in place by friction therewith, as described above with reference to the shelf 125 and bracket 126 shown in Figures 7A and 7B.

It will be appreciated that because this latter type of shelf 140 is as thin as the bracket 126 described earlier, only certain materials can be used to make the shelf - 14 - and still provide sufficient strength to support its own weight and that of items to be supported thereon. For example, metal or toughened glass shelves arc suitably strong, hut wooden shelves are not capable of providing the required strength with the limited thickness of material necessary to still permit the shelf to be insertable into the slot 106 of the rail 102.

It is also possible for the display system of the present invention to also accept vertical hangers which attach to the rail by means of a component comprising a completely flat plate devoid of protrusions on its underside, insertable into the rail as per the shelf 140 described above and shown in Figure 9. 1-lowever, it will be appreciated that such an arrangement, although possible, will not be as securely held in the rail as the embodiment shown in Figure 5, especially when little or no merchandise is supported by such a hanger to provide extra weight to help hold the rail attachment component in the slot.

Claims (20)

1. - 15 - Claims 1. A shop merchandising system comprising an anchor rail for

   attachment to an upright mounting surface in a substantially horizontal disposition in a cavity behind a decorative or plasterboard panel parallel to but spaced from the mounting surface, the rail having a slot therein extending from the panel towards the mounting surface accessible through an opening in the panel and, a downwardly extending recess or aperture extending from the slot, the rail being configured to receive and support a hanging member hanging freely from the rail and having at least a part in contact with the surface of the panel below the rail, the hanging member having a hooked engagement member insertable into the slot with the hanging member held substantially parallel to the panel so that it locates in the recess or aperture, the same rail also being configured to receive and support an arm or shelf to extend directly out of the rail substantially at right angles to the panel with no other means of support, the arm or shelf having a different engagement member that locates in the slot and extends beyond the recess or aperture to engage between upper and lower faces of the slot.
2. 2. A system according to claim I wherein the engagement member of the arm or shelf comprises a substantially flat plate for insertion into the slot between said upper and lower faces.
3. 3. A system according to claim 2 wherein the engagement member of the arm or shelf includes at least one protrusion which locates in the recess or aperture when the engagement means is received in the rail, to secure the arm or shelf in position.
4. 4. A system accordmg to claim 3 wherein the or each protrusion is formed from a resilient material and is a snug fit in said recess or aperture.
5. 5. A system according to any preceding claim wherein the recess or aperture is located adjacent to the panel behind the opening therein.

   - 16 -
6. 6. A system according to any preceding claim wherein the rail includes a gripping element disposed within the anchor rail and extending into the slot operable to contact the engagement member of the shelf or arm when inserted into the slot and resist removal thereof due to friction between the engagement member and the gripping clement.
7. 7. A system according to claim 6 wherein the gripping element comprises a body portion received in a channel in the anchor rail and, an arm extending from the body into the slot.
8. 8. A system according to claim 7 wherein the body portion and channel are generally cylindrical and the body portion is rotatable about its longitudinal axis within the channel to move said arm into and out of the slot.
9. 9. A system according to claim 8 wherein at least a portion of the gripping element is formed from a resiliently deformable material.
10. 10. A system according to claim 9 wherein the rail includes an upper recess in the upper face of the slot to receive the arm when the body portion of the gripping element rotates within the cylindrical aperture or, the arm resiliently deforms in response to insertion of a shelf or arm.
11. 11. A system according to any of claims 6- 10 wherein the gripping clement is made of silicone-rubber.
12. 12. A system according to any preceding claim further comprising at least one bracing element extending from a face of the slot to a rear portion of the rail.
13. 13. A system according to claim 12 wherein the at least one bracing element extends from a lower face of the slot to the rear portion of the rail below the slot.
14. 14. A system according to claim 12 or claim 13 comprising two bracing elements. - 17-
15. 15. A system according to claim 14 wherein both bracing elements extend from the lower face of the slot to a rear portion of the rail below the slot.
16. 16. A system according to claim 14 wherein a first bracing element extends from the lower face of the slot to a rear portion of the rail below the slot, and a second bracing clement extends from the lower face of the slot to the first bracing element.
17. 17. A system according to any of claims 12-16 wherein a part of the rail is formed as a closed reinforced box-section structure in cross-section.
18. 18. A system according to any preceding claim wherein the rail is formed by extrusion.
19. 19. A system according to any preceding claim wherein the rail is made of aluminium.
20. 20. A system substantially as hereinbeforc described with reference to the accompanying drawings.