US20180110346A1

US20180110346A1 - Wall-Mountable Bracket for Various Shelf Configurations

Info

Publication number: US20180110346A1
Application number: US15/730,856
Authority: US
Inventors: Laura Elizabeth Ott; Joe Kipton Pohlman
Original assignee: Lowes Companies Inc
Current assignee: Lowes Companies Inc
Priority date: 2016-10-24
Filing date: 2017-10-12
Publication date: 2018-04-26
Also published as: CN107971987A; CA2983531A1; CA3052844A1; CA2983531C

Abstract

A wall-mountable bracket described herein can be used, for example, with various wall mounts to facilitate implementation of various shelf configurations. The wall-mountable bracket can include a mounting arm that can be used to attach the wall-mountable bracket to a structure. The wall-mountable bracket can also include a support arm that extends from the mounting arm and extends away from the structure when the wall-mountable bracket is attached to the structure. The support arm can include one or more openings that can receive one or more items to allow the wall-mountable bracket to support the various items. For example, the support arm can include an opening that includes a rounded surface that can receive and support one or more tubes or rods having circular cross-section or the support arm can include an opening that includes a substantially flat surface that can receive and support a horizontally arranged piece of lumber.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/411,963, titled “Wall-Mountable Bracket for Various Shelf Configurations” and filed Oct. 24, 2016, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to a wall mounting system. More specifically, but not by way of limitation, this disclosure relates to a wall-mountable bracket that can be used, for example, with various wall mounts to facilitate implementation of various shelf configurations.

BACKGROUND

A mount or rail can be attached to a surface of a structure for securing an accessory to the surface. For example, the mount or rail can be attached to a wall of a building and can be used as a shelf structure to support one or more items (e.g., tools, equipment, personal items, etc.). Some such structures may be limited to supporting a single type of item or require particular shelf structures limiting storage options and shelf configurations for a user. Therefore, existing wall mounting-systems present disadvantages such as, but not limited to, those discussed above. For these and other reasons, improved wall mounting systems are desirable.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a wall-mountable bracket. The wall-mountable bracket can be used, for example, with various wall mounts to facilitate the implementation of various shelf configurations.
In some embodiments, the wall-mountable bracket includes a mounting arm that can be used to attach the wall-mountable bracket to a structure. For example, the mounting arm can be used to mount or attach the wall-mountable bracket to a wall of a building or to a mount or rail that is attached to the wall. The wall-mountable bracket also includes a support arm that extends from the mounting arm and extends away from the structure when the wall-mountable bracket is attached or mounted to the structure. The support arm can include one or more openings that can receive one or more items to allow the wall-mountable bracket to support the various items. For example, the support arm can include an opening that includes a rounded surface that can receive and support one or more tubes or rods having a circular cross-section. As another example, the opening can include a substantially flat surface that can receive and support an item such as, for example, a horizontally arranged piece of lumber.
In some embodiments, a wall-mountable support bracket according to the present disclosure includes a mounting arm adapted to be mounted to a wall; and at least one shelf-support arm extending from the mounting arm so that when the mounting arm is mounted to the wall, the at least one shelf-support arm extends in a direction away from the wall. In some such cases, the at least one shelf-support arm includes at least one opening including: rounded surfaces that are adapted to engage and support one or more tubes or rods of a circular cross-section and substantially flat surfaces adapted to engage and support at least one horizontally arranged piece of dimensional lumber.
In some cases, a wall-mountable support bracket according to the present disclosure includes a mounting arm adapted to be mounted to a wall. The mounting arm includes a recess adapted to receive at least a portion of a cleat; a cleat-engaging surface in the recess adapted to engage the cleat and arranged so that gravity resists removal of the mounting arm from the cleat when the cleat-engaging surface bears against the cleat; at least one fastener hole adapted to receive a fastener that extends through the mounting arm into the wall; and at least one shelf-support arm extending from the mounting arm so that when the mounting arm is mounted to the wall, the at least one shelf-support arm extends in a direction away from the wall.
In other cases, a wall-mountable support bracket according to the present disclosure includes a mounting arm adapted to be mounted to a wall and at least one shelf-support arm extending from the mounting arm so that when the mounting arm is mounted to the wall, the at least one shelf-support arm extends in a direction away from the wall. The at least one shelf-support arm can include a slot adapted to receive a 1.5-inch wide strap and a through-hole having a width of at least 0.5 inch. In some cases, the same at least one shelf-support arm or another of the at least one shelf-support arm includes at least one opening configured with at least one of rounded surfaces that are adapted to engage and support one or more tubes or rods of circular cross-section and substantially flat surfaces adapted to engage and support at least one horizontally arranged piece of dimensional lumber.
In some examples, a wall-mountable support bracket according to the present disclosure includes a mounting arm adapted to be mounted to a wall and having a wall-facing surface adapted to bear against the wall when the mounting arm is mounted to the wall and at least one shelf-support arm extending from the mounting arm. The at least one shelf-support arm can include a base support portion that extends in a direction away from the wall when the mounting arm is mounted to the wall and a distal angled portion that extends in a direction upwardly and away from the wall when the mounting arm is mounted to the wall. The at least one shelf-support arm can include at least one opening configured with at least one of rounded surfaces that are adapted to engage and support one or more tubes or rods of circular cross-section; and substantially flat surfaces adapted to engage and support at least one horizontally arranged piece of dimensional lumber.
In some embodiments, a shelf support system according to the present disclosure includes at least two wall-mountable support brackets. Each support bracket can include a mounting arm adapted to be mounted to a wall and at least one shelf-support arm extending from the mounting arm so that, when the mounting arm is mounted to the wall, the at least one shelf-support arm extends in a direction away from the wall. The at least one shelf-support arm includes at least one opening configured with at least one of rounded surfaces that are adapted to engage and support one or more tubes or rods of circular cross-section; and substantially flat surfaces adapted to engage and support at least one horizontally arranged piece of dimensional lumber.
These illustrative examples are mentioned not to limit or define the scope of this disclosure, but rather to provide examples to aid understanding thereof. Illustrative examples are discussed in greater detail in the Detailed Description that follows. Advantages offered by various embodiments may be further understood by examining this specification or by practicing one or more embodiments of the present subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a wall-mountable bracket according to one example of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the wall-mountable bracket of FIG. 1 mounted to a structure according to one example of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a recess of a wall-mountable bracket according to one example of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a front, perspective view of wall-mountable brackets mounted to a wall according to one example of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a front, perspective view of the wall-mountable brackets of FIG. 4 with various items that can be supported by the wall-mountable brackets according to one example of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a front, perspective view of the wall-mountable brackets of FIG. 4 with various items that can be supported by the wall-mountable brackets according to another example of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a front, perspective view of the wall-mountable brackets of FIG. 6 with various items that can be supported by the wall-mountable brackets according to another example of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a front, perspective view of a shelf-support arm of a wall-mountable bracket with an item that can be supported by the shelf-support arm according to one example of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a side view of a wall-mountable bracket with various items that can be supported by the wall-mountable bracket according to one example of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a front, perspective view of a portion of a wall-mountable bracket that includes an I-beam-like construction.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Certain aspects and features of the present disclosure are directed to a wall-mountable bracket that can be used, for example, with various wall mounts to facilitate implementation of various shelf configurations. Those of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the following description is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. Rather, the examples merely provide non-limiting examples of various methods and systems that are at least within the scope of the present disclosure. The subject matter to be claimed may be embodied in other ways, may include different elements or steps, and may be used in conjunction with other existing or future technologies. This description should not be interpreted as implying any particular order or arrangement between steps or elements except when the order of individual steps or arrangements of elements is explicitly described. The following description is to be read from the perspective of one of ordinary skill in the art; therefore, information well known to the skilled artisan is not necessarily included.
One illustrative embodiment is a wall-mountable bracket that includes a mounting arm and a shelf-support arm that extends away from the mounting arm. The mounting arm can be used to mount or attach the wall-mountable bracket to a structure (e.g., a wall of a building) or to a mount or rail that is attached to the structure. For example, the mounting arm can include a recess that can be used to attach the wall-mountable bracket to the structure or to the mount or rail. The shelf-support arm extends away from the structure when the wall-mountable bracket is attached to the structure. The shelf-support arm includes one or more openings that can receive various items and support the various items. For example, the shelf-support arm can include an opening that includes a rounded surface that can receive and support one or more tubes or rods having a circular cross-section. As another example, the opening can include a substantially flat surface that can receive and support an item having a rectangular cross-section such as, for example, a horizontally arranged piece of lumber.
In the illustrative embodiment, the wall-mountable bracket can include multiple openings and each opening can include one or more rounded surfaces for receiving and supporting various tubes or rods of various sizes or one or more substantially flat surfaces for receiving and supporting various horizontally arranged pieces of lumber of various sizes. In this manner, the wall-mountable bracket can be used, for example, with any wall mount to facilitate the implementation of various shelf configurations to support various items
These illustrative examples are given to introduce the reader to the general subject matter discussed herein and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosed concepts. The following sections describe various additional features and examples with reference to the drawings in which like numerals indicate like elements, and directional descriptions are used to describe the illustrative examples but, like the illustrative examples, should not be used to limit the present disclosure.
FIG. 1 is a side view of a wall-mountable bracket 100 according to one example.
The wall-mountable bracket 100 or any component of the wall-mountable bracket 100 can be made of any suitable material including, for example, plastic, wood, metal, glass-filled nylon (e.g., polyamide) or any other suitable material. As an example, the wall-mountable bracket 100 can be made of polyamide with thirty-percent glass filling. In some cases, a wall-mountable bracket 100 made from a glass-filled material can have improved rigidity, strength, and/or surface hardness as compared to other materials. The wall-mountable bracket 100 can include one or more components that can be used, for example, with various wall mounts to facilitate the implementation of various shelf configurations to support various items. In the example depicted in FIG. 1, the wall-mountable bracket 100 includes a mounting arm 102 and shelf- support arms 104, 106.
The mounting arm 102 can be any device or portion of the wall-mountable bracket 100 that can be used to mount the wall-mountable bracket 100 to a structure. For example, the mounting arm 102 can be used to mount the wall-mountable bracket 100 to a number of structures including, for example, and without limitation, a wall, a mount, a rail, a cleat, a rack, or any other structure. The mounting arm 102 can be of any shape or size. As an example, the mounting arm 102 can have a length of approximately eighteen inches. As another example, the mounting arm 102 can have a length between ten inches and thirty inches, a length between twelve and twenty-five inches, a length between fourteen and twenty-two inches, a length between sixteen and twenty inches, or a length that is approximately seventeen inches. In other examples, the mounting arm 102 can be of any suitable length. In some examples, the mounting arm 102 can include a recess 108 for coupling or mounting the wall-mountable bracket 100 to the structure. The recess 108 can be a space or opening in the mounting arm 102 that can receive a portion of the structure (e.g., receive a portion of a mount, rail, cleat, track, wall, etc.) to couple the mounting arm 102 to the structure. In some examples, the recess 108 can include a structure-engaging surface 110, which can engage a surface of the structure (e.g., engage a portion of a surface of a cleat) to attach or mount the wall-mountable bracket 100 to the structure.
In some examples, the mounting arm 102 can be configured for receiving a fastener to mount or attach the wall-mountable bracket 100 to the structure. For example, the mounting arm 102 can include a slot or fastener hole 112 and the mounting arm 102 can receive the fastener via the fastener hole 112. The fastener can be used to engage the mounting arm 102 with a surface of the structure. For example, the fastener can be inserted into the fastener hole 112 and the fastener can extend through the mounting arm 102 and into a wall (e.g., into a stud in the wall) to secure, attach, couple, or mount the mounting arm 102 to the wall. The mounting arm 102 can also include a slot or second fastener hole 113 and the fastener hole 113 can be configured to receive a spacer or spacer plug via the fastener hole.
In the example shown in FIG. 1, the mounting arm 102 includes three fastener holes 112, 113. In some examples, the mounting arm 102 can include any number of fastener holes and any number of fasteners can be used to engage the mounting arm 102 with a structure to couple, mount, or attach the wall-mountable bracket 100 to the structure. The number of fastener holes or fasteners used to engage the mounting arm 102 with the structure can depend on any number of factors including, for example, the number of fastener holes 112, 113, a size and/or weight of the wall-mountable bracket 100, a size and/or weight of the mounting arm 102, a size and/or weight of an item to be supported by the wall-mountable bracket 100, and other factors.
The shelf- support arms 104, 106 can each be a device or a portion of the wall-mountable bracket 100 that extends from the mounting arm 102. In the example depicted in FIG. 1, the shelf-support arm 104 includes a portion of the wall-mountable bracket 100 that extends away from a first portion (e.g., a top portion) of the mounting arm 102 and the shelf-support arm 106 includes another portion of the wall-mountable bracket 100 that extends away from a second portion of the mounting arm 102 (e.g., a bottom portion of the mounting arm 102). In some examples, each of the shelf- support arms 104, 106 can extend away from a structure (e.g., a wall, a mount, a rail, a cleat, a rack, etc.) when the wall-mountable bracket 100 is attached to the structure (e.g., via the mounting arm 102). Each shelf- support arm 104, 106 can be of any shape or size. As an example, the shelf-support arm 104 can have a length of approximately thirteen inches. In other examples, the shelf-support arm 104 can be of any suitable length. The shelf- support arms 104, 106 can be the same shape or size or may have different shapes or sizes.
In the example depicted in FIG. 1, the shelf-support arm 106 includes a base support portion 132. The base support portion 132 can be a portion of the shelf-support arm 106 that extends away from a structure to which the wall-mountable bracket 100 is attached. The shelf-support arm 106 also includes a distal portion 134. The distal portion 134 can be an angled portion of the shelf-support arm 106 that extends away from the structure to which the wall-mountable bracket 100 is attached. In this example, the distal portion 134 is angled upwardly from the base support portion 132. As an example, the distal portion 134 can be angled at a sixty degree angle from the base support portion 132. In other examples, the distal portion 134 can be angled at any number of degrees from the base support portion 132.
The shelf- support arms 104, 106 can each include one or more openings or slots, which can be used to receive or engage one or more items (e.g., tubes, rods, planks, lumber, equipment, tools, personal items, etc.) and support the items. For example, the shelf-support arm 104 includes opening 114 a and opening 115 and the shelf-support arm 106 includes opening 114 b and openings 116 a-b. In the example depicted in FIG. 1, openings 114 a-b can have a substantially rectangular shape that includes portions having rounded surfaces 117 a-f, 120 a-f. As an example, the opening 114 a has a rectangular shape except at the spaced locations that correspond to locations of the rounded surfaces 117 a-f. In other examples, each of the openings 114 a-b, 115, 116 a-b can be any shape or size. In some examples, each shelf- support arm 104, 106 can include any number of openings such as, for example, one opening, two openings, three openings, four openings, or more, and each such opening can be of any shape or configuration including, for example, a square, octagon, pentagon, triangle, or other polygon.
Each of the openings 114 a-b, 115, 116 a-b can also include various rounded surfaces or substantially flat surfaces, which can allow the openings 114 a-b, 115, 116 a-b to receive or engage one or more items and support the items. For example, the opening 114 a includes rounded surfaces 117 a-f and substantially flat surfaces 118 a-d. The opening 115 includes substantially flat surfaces 119 a-b. The opening 114 b includes rounded surfaces 120 a-f and substantially flat surfaces 122 a-d. The opening 116 a includes rounded surfaces 124 a-b and substantially flat surfaces 126 a-b and the opening 116 b includes rounded surfaces 128 a-b and substantially flat surfaces 130 a-b.
The rounded surfaces 117 a-f, 120 a-f, 124 a-b, 128 a-b can be configured to receive or engage one or more items having a circular cross-section and support the items. For example, the rounded surfaces 117 a, 117 f can receive, engage, and support a tube or rod having a circular cross-section. The tube or rod can be positioned between the rounded surfaces 117 a and 117 f to allow the rounded surfaces 117 a, 117 f to receive, engage, and support the tube or rod. Each of the rounded surfaces 117 a-f, 120 a-f, 124 a-b, 128 a-b can be of any size for receiving or engaging items having a circular cross-section and supporting the items. As an example, the rounded surface 117 a (and/or any one or more of the rounded surfaces 117 b-f, 120 a-f, 124 a-b, 128 a-b) can have a radius of curvature from approximately 0.5 inch to one inch. As another example, the rounded surface 117 a (and/or any one or more of the rounded surfaces 117 b-f, 120 a-f, 124 a-b, 128 a-b) can have a radius of curvature from approximately 0.6 inch to 0.75 inch. With such a radius of curvature, the rounded surface 117 a (and/or any one or more of the rounded surfaces 117 b-f, 120 a-f, 124 a-b, 128 a-b) can reliably hold standard diameters of tubes or rods. In still another example, each of the rounded surfaces 117 a-f, 120 a-f, 124 a-b, 128 a-b, can have any suitable radius of curvature for receiving or engaging items having a circular cross-section and supporting the items. A value of a radius of curvature of each rounded surface 117 a-f, 120 a-f, 124 a-b, 128 a-b can be a value of the radius of a circle that can be represented by the rounded surface 117 a-f, 120 a-f, 124 a-b, 128 a-b. As an example, the radius of curvature of the rounded surface 117 a is the value of the radius of a circle that can be formed by the rounded surface 117 a (e.g., if the rounded surface 117 a is made into a full circle).
The substantially flat surfaces 118 a-d, 119 a-b, 122 a-d, 126 a-b, 130 a-b can be configured to receive or engage one or more items having a rectangular cross-section and support the items. For example, the substantially flat surfaces 118 a-d or 122 a-d can receive, engage, and support one or more planks or horizontally arranged pieces of dimensional lumber. As an example, the plank or piece of dimensional lumber can be positioned within opening 114 b, which can allow the substantially flat surface 122 a-d to receive, engage, and support the plank or piece of lumber. In some examples, dimensional lumber can include lumber that is cut, or can be cut, to a standardized or standard width or depth, specified, for example, in inches or millimeters.
In some examples, each of the openings 114 a-b, 115, 116 a-b, the rounded surfaces 117 a-f, 120 a-f, 124 a-b, 128 a-b, or the substantially flat surfaces 118 a-d, 119 a-b, 122 a-d, 126 a-b, 130 a-b can be configured (e.g., sized or shaped) to receive or engage one or more items of a particular shape or size and support the items.
For example, openings 114 a-b, 115, 116 a-b, or the substantially flat surfaces 118 a-d, 119 a-b, 122 a-d, 126 a-b, 130 a-b can be configured to receive and support one or more items having a rectangular cross-section (e.g., lumber) having a particular size. As an example, the openings 114 a-b, 116 a-b can be configured (e.g., shaped or dimensioned) to receive and support lumber having a nominal size, actual size, or weight as depicted in Table 1 below. As another example, the openings 114 a-b, 115, 116 a-b, or the rounded surfaces 117 a-f, 120 a-f, 124 a-b, 128 a-b can be configured to receive and support a pipe, tube, solid rod, etc. having a nominal size, actual size, or weight as depicted in Table 1 below.

TABLE 1

Lumber

Nominal Size

Actual Size

Weight

(in × in)	(in × in)	(mm × mm)	(lb/ft)

2 × 4	1.5 × 3.5	38 × 89	2.125
1 × 1	0.75 × 0.75	19 × 19	0.14
1 × 2	0.75 × 1.5	19 × 38	0.27
1 × 3	0.75 × 2.5	19 × 64	0.47
1 × 4	0.75 × 3.5	19 × 89	0.64
1 × 6	0.75 × 5.5	19 × 140	1
1 × 8	0.75 × 7.25	19 × 184	1.32
1 × 10	0.75 × 9.25	19 × 235	1.69
1 × 12	0.75 × 11.25	19 × 286	2.05
4 × 4	3.5 × 3.5	89 × 89	4.8

	OD (in)	OD (in)	OD (mm)	(lb/ft)

Pipe/Tube

1″ PVC	1.315	33.4	0.32
1″ Black	1.315	33.4	1.678
1″ Galvanized	1.315	33.4	1.678
1″ Copper	1.125	28.5	0.837
1.3125″ Closet Rod	1.3125	33.3	0.246

Solid Rod

	1.375″ Wood	1.375	35	0.14

For example, the opening 114 a can be sized or shaped to receive, engage, and support lumber having an actual size of 1.5 in×3.5 in and the rounded surfaces 120 a and 120 f can be configured to receive, engage, and support a pipe, tube, or solid rod having an outer diameter of 1.315 inches. In this manner, the openings 114 a-b, 116 a-b, the rounded surfaces 117 a-f, 120 a-f, 124 a-b, 128 a-b, or the substantially flat surfaces 118 a-d, 122 a-d, 126 a-b, 130 a-b can be configured to receive, engage, and support various items of standard or varying sizes and shapes.
In some examples, the distal portion 134 can include a slot 136 and a through-hole 138. The slot 136 can be an opening or space in the distal portion 134 and can be of any shape or size. The slot 136 can receive, engage, and support one or more items. For example, the slot 136 can receive, engage, and support an item having a shape or size that corresponds to a shape or size of the slot 136. As an example, the slot 136 can receive, engage, and support a strap or a portion of the strap when the strap or the portion of the strap is positioned within the slot 136. In some examples, a strap that can be supported can have a width of approximately 1.5 inches. In other examples, the strap or item that can be received, engaged, and supported by the slot can have any shape or size.
The through-hole 138 can be an opening or space in the distal portion 134 and can be of any size or shape. For example, the through-hole 138 can have a width of at least 0.5 inch. The through-hole 138 can receive, engage, and support an item having a shape or size that corresponds to a shape or size of the through-hole 138. As an example, a portion of a hook, rope, loop, a carabiner, or any other item can be positioned within the through-hole 138 and the through-hole 138 can receive, engage, and support the hook, rope, loop, carabiner, etc.
In example shown in FIG. 1, the wall-mountable bracket 100 is depicted as a bracket that can engage a structure or be coupled or attached to the structure. In other examples, the wall-mountable bracket 100 can be of any shape, size, or configuration. The type of wall-mountable bracket 100 used to engage, attach, or couple to a structure can depend on a number of factors including, for example, the type of the structure, the location of the structure, a type of an item to be supported by the wall-mountable bracket 100, and other factors.
While in the example shown in FIG. 1 the wall-mountable bracket 100 includes two shelf- support arms 104, 106, in other examples, the wall-mountable bracket 100 can include any number of shelf-support arms. For example, the wall-mountable bracket 100 can include one shelf-support arm or more than two shelf-support arms. Furthermore, while in the example shown in FIG. 1 the shelf-support arm 104 includes two openings 114 a, 115 and the shelf-support arm 106 includes three openings 114 b, 116 a-b, the present disclosure is not limited to such configurations. Rather, in other examples, each shelf- support arm 104, 106 can include any number of openings, for example, one, two, three, four, or more. In addition, while in this example the openings 114 a-b each include six rounded surfaces and four substantially flat surfaces and the openings 116 a-b each include two rounded surfaces and at least two substantially flat surfaces, other embodiments of the wall-mountable bracket can include different configurations. In some examples, each of the openings 114 a-b, 116 a-b can include any number of rounded surfaces or substantially flat surfaces.
As described above, in some examples, the wall-mountable bracket 100 can engage, attach, or couple to a structure (e.g., via the mounting arm 102). For example, FIG. 2 is a side view of the wall-mountable bracket 100 of FIG. 1 mounted to a structure 202 (shown in cross section) according to one example of the present disclosure.
In the example depicted in FIG. 2, the wall-mountable bracket 100 includes a mounting arm 102 that comprises a recess 108 and a structure-engaging surface 110. The recess can receive a portion of the structure 202. For example, the structure 202 can be a cleat and the recess 108 can be an opening or space that is configured (e.g., sized or dimensioned) to receive a portion of the cleat. The structure-engaging surface 110 can engage a surface of the structure 202 to attach or mount the wall-mountable bracket 100 to the structure 202. For example, the structure-engaging surface 110 can engage or attach to a portion of the structure 202 such that gravity prevents (or at least resists) removal or decoupling of the mounting arm 102 from the structure 202 when the structure-engaging surface 110 is attached to the portion of the structure 202. Non-limiting examples of the structure 202 include a wall, a mount, a rail, a cleat, a rack, or any other structure.
One example of structure 202 is a cleat, such as, for example, a K-Rail®-branded cleat (e.g., a cleat having a cross-section that resembles the letter “K” such as, for example, a KOBALT® K-Rail®-branded cleat from Lowe's® home improvement stores). In this example, a portion of the structure-engaging surface 110 is coupled to a portion of the cleat by inserting the portion of the structure-engaging surface 110 within the portion of the cleat. In some examples, the structure 202 can be attached to another structure 204 (e.g., a wall, a building, or a rail). The mounting arm 102 can include a slot or fastener hole 113, and the fastener hole 113 can be configured to receive a spacer or spacer plug 206 via the fastener hole 113. The spacer plug 206 can be used to form or maintain a space or gap between the structure 204 and a portion of the wall-mountable bracket 100 (e.g., a lower portion of the mounting arm 102). In some examples, forming or maintaining a space or gap between the structure 204 and a portion of the wall-mountable bracket 100 can allow the wall-mountable bracket 100 to hang vertically from the structure 202, which can allow a back portion of the wall-mountable bracket 100 to be parallel with the structure 202.
In the example depicted in FIG. 1, the mounting arm 102 includes three fastener holes 112, 113. In some examples, the mounting arm 102 can include any number of fastener holes and any number of fasteners, spacers, or spacer plugs, can be used to engage the mounting arm 102 with the structure 204 or to form a space between the structure 204 and a portion of the wall-mountable bracket 100. The number of fastener holes, fasteners, spacers, or spacer plugs, used to engage the mounting arm 102 with the structure 204 or to form a space between the structure 204 and the portion of the wall-mountable bracket 100 can depend on any number of factors including, for example, the number of fastener holes 112, 113, a size of the wall-mountable bracket 100, a size of the mounting arm 102, a size of an item to be supported by the wall-mountable bracket 100, a desired distance between the structure 204 and the wall-mounting bracket, and other factors.
In some examples, a recess of the wall-mountable bracket (e.g., the recess 108 of FIG. 1) may be configured to receive an entire vertical width of the structure 202 (e.g., the entire vertical width of a K-Rail®-branded cleat). In some such examples, the wall-mountable bracket 100 might not include the fastener hole 113 or the spacer plug 206. For example, FIG. 3 is a side view of a recess 302 of a wall-mountable bracket 300 (shown only partially) according to one example of the present disclosure.
In the example depicted in FIG. 3, the wall-mountable bracket 300 includes the recess 302, which includes a structure-engaging surface 304. In this example, a size or shape of the recess 302 can be configured (e.g., shaped or dimensioned) to allow the recess 302 to receive an entire vertical width of a cleat 202 or other structure to which the wall-mountable bracket 300 is to be attached (e.g., an entire vertical width of the structure 202 of FIG. 2). In some such examples, the recess 302 can be configured to receive a sufficient portion of the cleat 202 to allow a mounting arm 306 of the wall-mountable bracket 300 to bear directly against a wall when the cleat is positioned against the wall. Configuring the recess 302 to receive the entire vertical width of the cleat 202 may prevent a gap or space from forming between the wall-mountable bracket 300 and the wall to which the cleat 202 is attached. Thus, for instance, the recess 302 can receive the entire vertical width of the cleat 202 to allow the wall-mountable bracket 300 to be positioned flush or flat against a structure to which the cleat 202 is attached (e.g., flush against the structure 204 of FIG. 2), which may obviate the use of a spacer plug (e.g., the spacer plug 206).
FIG. 4 is a front, perspective view of wall-mountable brackets 400 a-b mounted to a wall according to one example of the present disclosure.
Each wall-mountable bracket 400 a-b includes a mounting arm 404 a-b, an upper shelf-support arm 406 a-b, and a lower shelf-support arm 408 a-b. The mounting arms 404 a-b can each be configured in substantially the same manner as the mounting arm 102 of FIG. 1 or the mounting arm 306 of FIG. 3. The upper shelf-support arms 406 a-b can each be configured in substantially the same manner as the shelf-support arm 104 of FIG. 1. The lower shelf-support arms 408 a-b can each be configured in substantially the same manner as the shelf-support arm 106 of FIG. 1.
In this example, each of the wall-mountable brackets 400 a-b is attached to a cleat 402, which can be, for example, a cleat with a K-shaped cross-section. For example, each wall-mountable bracket 400 a-b can include a recess that includes a structure-engaging surface (e.g., the recess 108 of FIG. 1 that includes the structure-engaging surface 110 or the recess 302 that includes the structure-engaging surface 304 as shown in FIG. 3). The structure-engaging surface can be coupled or attached to the cleat 402 to attach the wall-mountable brackets 400 a-b to the cleat 402. For example, a portion of the structure-engaging surface can be positioned within an opening or space in the cleat 402 for attaching, coupling, or mounting the wall-mountable brackets 400 a-b to the cleat 402.
The upper shelf-support arms 406 a-b and the lower shelf-support arms 408 a-b can each include one or more openings or slots, which can be used to receive or engage one or more items (e.g., tubes, rods, planks, lumber, equipment, tools, personal items, etc.) and support the items. For example, the upper shelf-support arms 406 a-b can include openings 410 a-b, 412 a-b. The lower shelf-support arms 408 a-b can include openings 414 a-b, 416 a-b, 418 a-b, 420 a-b. Each of the openings 410 a-b, 412 a-b, 414 a-b, 416 a-b, 418 a-b, 420 a-b can be of any shape or size. For example, the openings 410 a-b, 412 a-b, 414 a-b, 416 a-b can be configured in substantially the same manner as respective openings 114 a, 115, 114 b, 116 a-b of FIG. 1, and openings 418 a-b, 420 a-b can be configured in substantially the same manner as openings 116 a-b of FIG. 1.
Each of the openings 410 a-b, 412 a-b, 414 a-b, 416 a-b, 418 a-b, 420 a-b can also include various rounded surfaces or substantially flat surfaces, which can allow the openings 410 a-b, 412 a-b, 414 a-b, 416 a-b, 418 a-b, 420 a-b to receive or engage one or more items and support the items. For example, FIG. 5 is a front, perspective view of the wall-mountable brackets 400 a-b of FIG. 4 with various items 502, 504, 506 that can be supported by the wall-mountable brackets 400 a-b. In the example depicted in FIG. 4, the items 502, 504, 506 are depicted in a horizontal orientation (e.g., oriented along a horizontal length of the cleat 402).
In the example depicted in FIG. 5, each of the items 502, 504, 506 has a rectangular cross-section. For example, each of the items 502, 504, 506 can be a piece of lumber. In other examples, each of the items 502, 504, 506 can be of any shape or size. For example, each of the items 502, 504, 506 can be of the same shape or size or can be of different shapes and sizes. In this example, the items 502, 504, 506 are depicted as horizontally arranged items (e.g., horizontally arranged pieces of dimensional lumber) that are each supported by the wall-mountable brackets 400 a-b.
For example, a portion of item 502 is positioned within an opening of an upper shelf-support arm 406 a of the wall-mountable bracket 400 a (e.g., within the opening 410 a of FIG. 4). Another portion of item 502 is positioned within an opening of an upper shelf-support arm 406 b of the wall-mountable bracket 400 b (e.g., within the opening 410 b of FIG. 4). Positioning portions of the item 502 within an opening of the upper shelf-support arm 406 a and within an opening of the upper shelf-support arm 406 b can allow a substantially flat surface within the opening of the upper shelf-support arm 406 a (e.g., substantially flat surfaces 118 a-d of FIG. 1) and a substantially flat surface within the opening of the upper shelf-support arm 406 a (e.g., substantially flat surfaces 118 a-d of FIG. 1) to receive, engage, and support item 502. In some examples, the substantially flat surfaces within the opening of the upper shelf-support arms 406 a-b can receive the item 502 and secure the item 502. As an example, the substantially flat surfaces can receive and engage the item 502 and prevent the item 502 from moving more than approximately ⅛ of an inch in a horizontal or vertical direction such as, for example, up, down, or in a direction along a length of the shelf-support arms 406 a-b (e.g., in a direction along a vertical or horizontal length of the shelf-support arms 406 a-b such as, for example, in a vertical direction parallel to the wall or in a direction away from the cleat 402 or the wall). This provides a reliable and sturdy shelf capable of holding objects.
As another example, a portion of item 504 is positioned within an opening 412 a of the upper shelf-support arm 406 a and another portion of the item 504 is positioned within an opening 412 b of the upper shelf-support arm 406 b to allow a substantially flat surface within the openings 412 a-b (e.g., substantially flat surfaces 119 a-b of FIG. 1) to engage and support the item 504. As still another example, a portion of item 506 is positioned on a substantially flat surface of an opening 414 a of a lower shelf-support arm 408 a of the wall-mountable bracket 400 a and another portion of the item 506 is positioned on a substantially flat surface of an opening 414 b of a lower shelf-support arm 408 b of the wall-mountable bracket 400 b to allow the substantially flat surfaces of openings 414 a-b to engage and support the item 506.
In some examples, the wall-mountable brackets 400 a-b can be configured (e.g., sized or dimensioned) to allow various configurations of additional items to be supported by the wall-mountable brackets 400 a-b. For example, a distance between the upper shelf-support arms 406 a-b and the lower shelf-support arms 408 a-b can be configured to allow another item 508 (e.g., an NBA basketball) to be positioned between items 504, 506. As an example, a distance between the upper shelf-support arms 406 a-b and the lower shelf-support arms 408 a-b can be sized such that a bin volume 510 (e.g., a space, area, volume, etc.) can be created between the items 504, 506 and the space can be sufficient to accommodate the item 508. In the example depicted in FIG. 5, the bin volume 510 represents a space, distance, or volume formed between the item 504 and the item 506 when the item 504 is positioned in openings 412 a-b and the item 506 is positioned on the substantially flat surfaces of openings 414 a-b that allows the item 508 to be positioned between the items 504, 506. In this manner, the wall-mountable brackets 400 a-b can be used to support various types of items of various sizes, shapes, or configurations.
While in the example depicted in FIG. 5, the wall-mountable brackets 400 a-b are depicted as supporting horizontally arranged items 502, 504, 506, which each have a rectangular cross section, the present disclosure is not limited to such configurations. Rather, in other examples, the wall-mountable brackets 400 a-b can support items having various configurations, sizes, or shapes.
FIG. 6 is a front, perspective view of the wall-mountable brackets 400 a-b of FIG. 4 with various items 602 a-c, 604 a-c that can be supported by the wall-mountable brackets 400 a-b according to another example of the present disclosure.
In the example depicted in FIG. 6, each of the items 602 a-c, 604 a-c, has a circular cross-section. For example, each of the items 602 a-c, 604 a-c can be a pipe, tube, rod, etc. In other examples, each of the items 602 a-c, 604 a-c can be of any shape or size. For example, each of the items 602 a-c, 604 a-c can be of the same shape or size or can be different shapes and sizes. In this example, the items 602 a-c, 604 a-c are depicted as horizontally arranged items (e.g., horizontally arranged plastic pipes) that are each supported by the wall-mountable brackets 400 a-b.
For example, a portion of item 602 a is positioned within an opening of the upper shelf-support arm 406 a of the wall-mountable bracket 400 a (e.g., within the opening 410 a of FIG. 4). Another portion of item 602 a is positioned within an opening of the upper shelf-support arm 406 b of the wall-mountable bracket 400 b (e.g., within the opening 410 b of FIG. 4). Positioning portions of the item 602 a within an opening of the upper shelf-support arm 406 a and within an opening of the upper shelf-support arm 406 b can allow a rounded surface within the opening of the upper shelf-support arm 406 a (e.g., rounded surfaces 117 a and 117 f of FIG. 1) and a rounded surface within the opening of the upper shelf-support arm 406 b (e.g., the rounded surfaces 117 a and 117 f of FIG. 1) to receive, engage, and support item 602 a. In some examples, the rounded surfaces within the opening of the upper shelf-support arms 406 a-b can receive and secure the item 602 a. As an example, the rounded surfaces can receive and engage the item 602 a and prevent the item 602 a from moving more than approximately ⅛ of an inch in a horizontal or vertical direction such as, for example, up, down, or in a direction along a length of the shelf-support arms 406 a-b (e.g., in a direction along a vertical or horizontal length of the shelf-support arms 406 a-b such as, for example, in a vertical direction parallel to the wall or in a direction away from the cleat 402 or the wall).
As another example, a portion of item 604 a is positioned within an opening of a lower shelf-support arm 408 a of the wall-mountable bracket 400 a (e.g., within the opening 414 a of FIG. 4) and another portion of the item 604 a is positioned within an opening of a lower shelf-support arm 408 b of the wall-mountable bracket 400 b (e.g., within the opening 414 b of FIG. 4, which can allow a rounded surface within openings of the lower shelf-support arms 408 a-b (e.g., rounded surfaces 120 a and 120 f) to receive, engage, and support item 604 a.
As another example, the opening of the lower shelf-support arms 408 a-b (e.g., opening 414 a of FIG. 4) can be configured so that the various items 604 a-c, when held against the rounded surfaces (e.g., rounded surfaces 120 a-120 f), remain spaced apart from one another by a distance slightly larger than the typical diameter of a baseball bat handle and smaller than the width of the enlarged butt of the bat's handle, so that baseball bats can be hung by their handles in the space between items 604 a-c. In this regard, if the items 604 a-c have an outside diameter of, for example, 1.3 to 1.4 inch, the opening of the lower shelf support arms 408 a-b (e.g., opening 414 a of FIG. 4) can be configured to maintain a distance between the centers of items 604 a-c equal to 2.2 inches to 2.5 inches (e.g., 2.3 inches).
FIG. 7 is a front, perspective view of the wall-mountable brackets 400 a-b of FIG. 6 with various items 602 a-c, 604 a-c, 702 a-b that can be supported by the wall-mountable brackets 400 a-b according to another example of the present disclosure.
In the example depicted in FIG. 7, the items 702 a-b each have a rectangular cross-section. For example, each of the items 702 a-b can be a piece of lumber and can be of any shape or size. For example, each of the items 702 a-b can be of the same shape or size or can be different shapes and sizes. In this example, the items 702 a-b are supported by the wall-mountable brackets 400 a-b.
For example, a portion of the item 702 a is positioned within an opening of the lower shelf-support arm 408 a of the wall-mountable bracket 400 a (e.g., within the opening 420 a of FIG. 4) and another portion of the item 702 a is positioned within an opening of the lower shelf-support arm 408 b (e.g., within the opening 420 b of FIG. 4), which can allow a substantially flat surface within the opening of the lower shelf-support arm 408 a (e.g., the substantially flat surfaces 126 a-b of FIG. 1) and a substantially flat surface within the opening of the lower shelf-support arm 408 b (e.g., the substantially flat surfaces 126 a-b of FIG. 1) to receive, engage, and support item 702 a.
FIG. 8 is a front, perspective view of a shelf-support arm 800 of a wall-mountable bracket with an item that can be supported by the shelf-support arm 800. In the example depicted in FIG. 8, the shelf-support arm 800 can include a slot or through-hole 801 (e.g., the through-hole 138 of FIG. 1) that can be a space or opening of any shape or size. The through-hole 801 can be a space or an opening in a distal portion of the shelf-support arm 800 (e.g., in the distal portion 134 of FIG. 1) that can receive, engage, and support an item having a shape or size that corresponds to a shape or size of the through-hole 801. In this example, a portion 804 of an item 802 can be positioned within or inserted into the through-hole 801 to allow the through-hole 801 to support the item 802. For example, the portion 804 can be a hook of the item 802 (e.g., a strap, rope, or bungee cord) and the hook can be inserted into the through-hole 801 to allow the through-hole 801 to receive and support the item 802. The portion 804 alternatively can be implemented as a standard carabiner attached to a rope, strap, or bungee cord. In one example of the through-hole 801, the through-hole 801 is configured with a width of at least 0.5 inch to accommodate a standard size of bungee cord hook and a standard size of carabiner.
A slot 850, which can accommodate a strap 860, can be located adjacent to the through-hole 801. In one example, the slot 850 can have a width sufficient to receive a standard 1.5-inch wide strap. The strap 860 can be used to hang items from the shelf-support arm 800. The strap 860, for example, can be connected to netting (not shown). The netting can have an opposite end connected to another strap (similar to strap 860) which, in turn, can be hung from another shelf-support arm 800 located some distance down the length of the cleat (e.g., cleat 202 or 402) or down the length of a wall. Netting hung in this manner can provide a convenient and flexible means for storing and/or supporting large objects. In other embodiments, the netting can be hung from a single strap 860 or using more than two straps (similar to strap 860). In yet another example, the netting can be hung primarily from a strap 860 at a slot 850 of a first shelf-support arm 800, and a bungee cord can be hooked to a base of the netting. An opposite hook of the bungee cord can be pulled to tension the bungee cord and can be hooked to a through-hole 801 on second shelf-support arm 800 located some distance down the length of a cleat (e.g., cleat 202 or 402) or down the length of a wall. In this manner, the netting can be hung between (or among) two or more shelf-support arms 800.
FIG. 9 is a side view of a wall-mountable bracket 900, along with various items that can be supported by the wall-mountable bracket 900.
In the example depicted in FIG. 9, the wall-mountable bracket 900 includes a mounting arm 902 that includes a structure-engaging surface 904. The structure-engaging surface 904 can engage a surface of a cleat 906 to attach or mount the wall-mountable bracket 900 to the cleat 906. In this example, the cleat 906 is a K-Rail®-branded cleat (e.g., a cleat having a cross-section that is similar to the letter “K” and that is commercially available at Lowe's home improvement stores) A portion of the structure-engaging surface 904 can be coupled to a portion of the cleat 906 by inserting the portion of the structure-engaging surface 904 within the portion of the cleat 906 to mount the wall-mountable bracket 900 to the cleat 906. In some examples, the cleat 906 can be attached to another structure 908 (e.g., a wall or a building). In other examples, the mounting arm 902 can be used to engage a surface of the other structure 908 directly to mount the wall-mountable bracket 900 to the structure (e.g., in the absence of the cleat 906).
In some examples, the wall-mountable bracket 900 can include shelf- support arms 910, 912. The shelf- support arms 910, 912 can include one or more openings 914, 916, 918, 920, 922 that can be used to receive or engage one or more items and support the items.
For example, the shelf-support arm 910 includes openings 914, 916 and shelf-support arm 912 includes openings 918, 920, 922. Each opening 914, 916, 918, 920, 922 can include rounded surfaces and/or substantially flat surfaces, which can allow the openings 914, 916, 918, 920, 922 to receive or engage one or more items and support the items. For example, the opening 914 includes rounded surfaces 919 a-c and substantially flat surfaces 920 a-d, so that the opening 914 can receive, engage, and support a horizontally arranged piece of lumber 924 and a rod 926. In this example, the rod 926 can also engage or support one or more other items 928. For example, the item 928 can be a clothing hanger, which can be supported by the rod 926.
As another example, opening 922 includes rounded surfaces and substantially flat surfaces (e.g., rounded surfaces 124 a-b and substantially flat surfaces 126 a-b of FIG. 1), which can receive, engage, and support a pipe or rod 930. In the example depicted in FIG. 9, the rod 930 can also support a clothing hanger 932.
In the example depicted in FIG. 9, the wall-mountable bracket 900 can also include a wall-facing surface 934. The wall-facing surface 934 can be a portion of the wall-mountable bracket 900 that faces away from the shelf-support arm 910 or 912 (e.g., faces away from a direction that the shelf- support arm 910, 912 extends toward) and can be positioned near the structure 908 (e.g., bear against the cleat 906 or the structure 908) when the mounting arm 902 is coupled to the cleat 906 or the structure 908. In some examples, a center of curvature of a rounded surface of the wall-mountable bracket 900 (e.g., rounded surface 919 c) can be more than approximately ten inches from the wall-facing surface 934 to allow an item (e.g., pipe or rod 926,930) to be held far enough from the wall-facing surface 934 to prevent interference between the structure 908 and a second item (e.g., the clothes hangers 928, 932). As an example, a center of curvature of a rounded surface 919 c in the opening 914 can be more than twelve inches from the wall-facing surface 934, which can allow the clothing hanger 928 that is hung from the rod 926 to be at a sufficient distance from the wall-facing surface 934 to prevent interference between the structure 908 (e.g., a wall) and the clothing hanger 928. In addition, the opening 914 can have a portion closer to the mounting arm 902 than the rounded surface 919 c and that is configured to receive a standard 1×10-inch (nominal) piece of dimensional lumber 924 (or shelf board) (actually 0.75×9.25-inch) while the rod 926 is held against the rounded surface 919 c more distally in the opening 914. This provides a convenient means for securely supporting a shelf adjacent to a clothing hanger rod. As a further example, the center of curvature of a rounded surface 918 c can be more than twelve inches from the wall-facing surface 934, which can allow the clothing hanger 932 that is hung from the rod 930 to be at a sufficient distance from the wall-facing surface 934 to prevent interference between the structure 908 (e.g., a wall) and the clothing hanger 932.
As shown in FIG. 10, an example of the mounting bracket 1000 can be implemented using an I-beam-like construction. The I-beam-like construction can include a web 1002, reinforcing ribs 1004, and/or reinforcing lips 1006. The I-beam-like construction leverages structural engineering principles to provide a more light-weight mounting bracket 1000 using less material than might otherwise be required to achieve the same structural integrity without the I-beam-like construction.
The mounting bracket embodiments described above provide significant flexibility in the construction and assembly of shelves and other support structures. As described above, the mounting brackets can be configured for compatibility with standard dimensional lumber and standard tubing and rods. They are not limited to uses with uncommon sizes of shelving material, tubing, or rods (i.e., sizes that aren't readily available at a home improvement store). The mounting brackets also are compatible with shelving, tubing and rods that can be cut to any desired shelf, tube or rod length. The ease of customization tends to facilitate deployment of shelves and/or supports of any desired length, regardless of how far apart supporting structures might be located (e.g., how far apart wall studs might be arranged). The mounting brackets can be located at the wall studs, and the shelving and tube/rod material can be cut to accommodate the distance between studs. In another example, if a cleat is utilized (e.g., cleat 202, 402), several of the mounting brackets can be located at any desired locations along the length of the cleat (e.g., cleat 202, 402) to support the shelving, tubing and/or rods at the location of a wall stud or at other locations between wall studs. Use of a cleat (e.g., 202, 204) that can be fastened through a wall at the location of the wall studs obviates the need to locate all the mounting brackets at the wall studs. When one or more cleats (e.g., cleat 202, 402) are used, it is easy to move the spacing of the mounting brackets along the cleat to accommodate a different length of shelf, rod and/or tube if a user wants to achieve a different shelf, rod and/or tube length. The user then can replace the existing length of shelf, rod and/or tube with the newly desired length (e.g., by obtaining the corresponding length of dimensional lumber, tubing, and/or rod, by cutting longer lumber, tubing and/or rods down to the desired length, or by joining shorter lengths of dimensional lumber, tubing and/or rods). Versatility is a significant advantage of the mounting brackets described above and the shelves and other supports that can be assembled using the brackets.
The foregoing description of certain examples, including illustrated examples, has been presented only for the purpose of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. Numerous modifications, adaptations, and uses thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A wall-mountable support bracket comprising:

a mounting arm adapted to be mounted to a wall; and

at least one shelf-support arm extending from the mounting arm so that, when the mounting arm is mounted to the wall, the at least one shelf-support arm extends in a direction away from the wall, wherein the at least one shelf-support arm includes at least one opening configured with:

rounded surfaces that are adapted to engage and support one or more tubes or rods of a circular cross-section; and

substantially flat surfaces adapted to engage and support at least one horizontally arranged piece of dimensional lumber.

2. The wall-mountable support bracket according to claim 1, wherein the rounded surfaces have a radius of curvature in a range from about 0.5 inch to about one inch.

3. The wall-mountable support bracket according to claim 1, wherein the rounded surfaces having a radius of curvature in a range from about 0.6 inch to about 0.75 inch.

4. The wall-mountable support bracket according to claim 1, wherein said wall-mountable support bracket includes at least two of said at least one shelf-support arm.

5. The wall-mountable support bracket according to claim 4, wherein said two of said at least one shelf-support arm are disposed at opposite ends of the mounting arm.

6. The wall-mountable support bracket according to claim 1, wherein the mounting arm comprises:

a recess adapted to receive at least a portion of a cleat;

a cleat-engaging surface in the recess adapted to engage the cleat and arranged so that gravity resists removal of the mounting arm from the cleat when the cleat-engaging surface bears against the cleat; and

at least one fastener hole adapted to receive a fastener that extends through the mounting arm into the wall.

7. The wall-mountable support bracket according to claim 6, wherein the recess is configured to receive the cleat deeply enough to allow the mounting arm to bear against the wall when the cleat-engaging surface bears against the cleat.

8. The wall-mountable support bracket according to claim 6, wherein the recess is configured to receive a cleat, and wherein the cleat has a cross-section that resembles the letter “K.”

9. The wall-mountable support bracket according to claim 1, wherein the at least one shelf-support arm comprises a base support portion that extends in a direction away from the wall when the mounting arm is mounted to the wall and a distal angled portion that extends in a direction upwardly and away from the wall when the mounting arm is mounted to the wall, wherein the distal angled portion includes a slot adapted to receive a strap and a through-hole.

10. The wall-mountable support bracket according to claim 9, wherein the slot is adapted to receive a 1.5-inch wide strap and the through-hole has a width of at least 0.5 inch.

11. The wall-mountable support bracket according to claim 1, wherein the mounting arm has a wall-facing surface adapted to bear against a wall when the mounting arm is mounted to the wall, wherein the wall-facing surface faces away from a direction that the at least one shelf-support arm extends toward, and wherein at least one of the rounded surfaces of the at least one shelf-support arm has a center of curvature located more than 10 inches from the wall-facing surface.

12. The wall-mountable support bracket according to claim 1, wherein the mounting arm has a wall-facing surface adapted to bear against a wall when the mounting arm is mounted to the wall, wherein the wall-facing surface faces away from a direction that the at least one shelf-support arm extends toward, and wherein at least one of the rounded surfaces of the at least one shelf-support arm has a center of curvature located more than 10 inches from the wall-facing surface to allow any of said tubes or rods bearing against the at least one rounded surface to be supported at a sufficient distance from the wall-facing surface such that an item can be hung from said any of said tubes or rods at a distance from the wall-facing surface that prevents interference between the wall and the item.

13. The wall-mountable support bracket according to claim 1, wherein the at least one opening is substantially rectangular except at spaced apart locations where the rounded surfaces are located.

14. The wall-mountable support bracket according to claim 1, wherein the at least one opening is configured so that, when the at least one opening receives the horizontally arranged piece of dimensional lumber, the substantially flat surfaces prevent the horizontally arranged piece of dimensional lumber from moving more than ⅛ inch up or down and from moving ⅛ in a horizontal direction along the length of the at least one shelf-support arm.

15. The wall-mountable support bracket according to claim 1, wherein the at least one opening is configured so that, when the at least one opening receives the one or more tubes or rods in a horizontal orientation, the rounded surfaces prevent the one or more tubs or rods from moving more than ⅛ inch up or down and from moving ⅛ in a horizontal direction along the length of the at least one shelf-support arm.

16. A wall-mountable support bracket comprising:

a mounting arm adapted to be mounted to a wall, wherein the mounting arm includes:

a recess adapted to receive at least a portion of a cleat;

at least one fastener hole adapted to receive a fastener that extends through the mounting arm into the wall; and

at least one shelf-support arm extending from the mounting arm so that, when the mounting arm is mounted to the wall, the at least one shelf-support arm extends in a direction away from the wall.

17. The wall-mountable support bracket according to claim 16, wherein the at least one shelf-support arm includes at least one of a slot adapted to receive a 1.5-inch wide strap and a through-hole having a width of at least 0.5 inch, and wherein the same at least one shelf-support arm or another of the at least one shelf-support arm includes at least one opening configured with at least one of:

rounded surfaces that are adapted to engage and support one or more tubes or rods of circular cross-section; and

18. A wall-mountable support bracket according to claim 16, wherein the recess is configured to receive the cleat deeply enough to allow the mounting arm to bear against the wall when the cleat-engaging surface bears against the cleat.

19. The wall-mountable support bracket according to claim 16, wherein the recess is configured to receive a cleat and wherein the cleat has a cross-section that resembles the letter “K.”

20. The wall-mountable support bracket according to claim 16, wherein the at least one shelf-support arm comprises:

a base support portion that extends in a direction away from the wall when the mounting arm is mounted to the wall; and

a distal angled portion that extends in a direction upwardly and away from the wall when the mounting arm is mounted to the wall.

21. The wall-mountable support bracket according to claim 20, wherein the at least one shelf-support arm includes at least one opening configured with at least one of:

22. A wall-mountable support bracket comprising:

a mounting arm adapted to be mounted to a wall; and

at least one shelf-support arm extending from the mounting arm so that, when the mounting arm is mounted to the wall, the at least one shelf-support arm extends in a direction away from the wall, wherein the at least one shelf-support arm comprises:

a slot; and

a through-hole, and

wherein the same at least one shelf-support arm or another of the at least one shelf-support arm includes at least one opening configured with at least one of:

23. The wall-mountable support bracket according to claim 22, wherein the at least one opening is substantially rectangular except at spaced apart locations where the rounded surfaces are located.

24. The wall-mountable support bracket according to claim 22, wherein the at least one opening is configured so that, when the at least one opening receives the horizontally arranged piece of dimensional lumber, the substantially flat surfaces prevent the horizontally arranged piece of dimensional lumber from moving more than ⅛ inch up or down and from moving ⅛ in a horizontal direction along the length of the at least one shelf-support arm.

25. The wall-mountable support bracket according to claim 22, wherein the at least one opening is configured so that, when the at least one opening receives the one or more tubes or rods in a horizontal orientation, the rounded surfaces prevent the one or more tubs or rods from moving more than ⅛ inch up or down and from moving ⅛ in a horizontal direction along the length of the at least one shelf-support arm.

26. The wall-mountable support bracket according to claim 22, wherein the slot is adapted to receive a 1.5-inch wide strap and the through-hole has a width of at least 0.5 inch.

27. A wall-mountable support bracket comprising:

a mounting arm adapted to be mounted to a wall and having a wall-facing surface adapted to bear against the wall when the mounting arm is mounted to the wall; and

at least one shelf-support arm extending from the mounting arm, wherein the at least one shelf-support arm comprises:

a distal angled portion that extends in a direction upwardly and away from the wall when the mounting arm is mounted to the wall, wherein the at least one shelf-support arm includes at least one opening configured with at least one of:

28. The wall-mountable support bracket according to claim 27, wherein the at least one shelf-support arm is configured so that, when the at least one opening receives a plurality of the one or more tubes or rods or a plurality of the one or more horizontally arranged pieces of lumber, the arrangement of the tubes or rods and/or lumber with respect to the wall defines a bin volume of sufficient size to hold an NBA basketball.

29. The wall-mountable support bracket according to claim 27, wherein at least one of the rounded surfaces of the at least one shelf-support arm has a center of curvature located more than 10 inches from the wall-facing surface.

30. The wall-mountable support bracket according to claim 27, wherein at least one of the rounded surfaces of the at least one shelf-support arm has a center of curvature located more than 10 inches from the wall-facing surface to allow any of said tubes or rods bearing against the at least one rounded surface to be supported at a sufficient distance from the wall-facing surface such that an item can be hung from said any of said tubes or rods at a distance from the wall-facing surface that prevents interference between the wall and the item.

31. A shelf support system comprising at least two wall-mountable support brackets, each support bracket comprising:

a mounting arm adapted to be mounted to a wall; and

at least one shelf-support arm extending from the mounting arm so that when the mounting arm is mounted to the wall, the at least one shelf-support arm extends in a direction away from the wall, wherein the at least one shelf-support arm includes at least one opening configured with at least one of:

32. The shelf support system according to claim 31, wherein the rounded surfaces have a radius of curvature in a range from about 1 inch to about 1.5 inches.

33. The shelf support system according to claim 31, wherein the rounded surfaces having a radius of curvature in a range from about 1.1 inches to about 1.4 inches.

34. The shelf support system according to claim 31, wherein said bracket includes at least two of said at least one shelf-support arm.

35. The shelf support system according to claim 34, wherein said two of said at least one shelf-support arm are disposed at opposite ends of the mounting arm.

36. The shelf support system according to claim 31, wherein the mounting arm includes:

a recess adapted to receive at least a portion of a cleat;

37. The shelf support system according to claim 36, wherein the recess is configured to receive the cleat deeply enough to allow the mounting arm to bear against the wall when the cleat-engaging surface bears against the cleat.

38. The shelf support system according to claim 36, further comprising an elongated cleat that is mountable to a wall and adapted to support each wall-mountable support bracket at any selectively chosen location along the length of the elongated cleat.

39. The shelf support system according to claim 38, wherein the elongated cleat has a cross-section that resembles the letter “K.”

40. The shelf support system according to claim 31, wherein the at least one shelf-support arm of each wall-mountable bracket includes a base support portion that extends in a direction away from the wall when the mounting arm is mounted to the wall, and a distal angled portion that extends in a direction upwardly and away from the wall when the mounting arm is mounted to the wall, wherein the distal angled portion includes a slot adapted to receive a 1.5 inch wide strap, and a through-hole having a width of at least 0.5 inch.

41. The shelf support system according to claim 31, wherein the mounting arm of each wall-mountable bracket has a wall-facing surface adapted to bear against a wall when the mounting arm is mounted to a wall, wherein each wall-facing surface faces away from the at least one shelf-support arm, and wherein at least one of the rounded surfaces of the at least one shelf-support arm has a center of curvature located more than 10 inches from the wall-facing surface.

42. The shelf-support system according to claim 31, wherein the mounting arm of each wall-mountable bracket has a wall-facing surface adapted to bear against a wall when the mounting arm is mounted to a wall, wherein each wall-facing surface faces away from the at least one shelf-support arm, and wherein at least one of the rounded surfaces of the at least one shelf-support arm has a center of curvature located more than 10 inches from the wall-facing surface to allow any of said tubes or rods bearing against the at least one rounded surface to be supported at a sufficient distance from the wall-facing surface such that an item can be hung from said any of said tubes or rods at a distance from the wall-facing surface that prevents interference between the wall and the item.

43. The shelf support system according to claim 31, wherein the at least one opening of each shelf-support arm is substantially rectangular except at spaced apart locations where the rounded surfaces are located.

44. The shelf support system according to claim 31, wherein the at least one opening of each shelf-support arm is configured so that, when the at least one opening receives the horizontally arranged piece of dimensional lumber, the substantially flat surfaces prevent the horizontally arranged piece of dimensional lumber from moving more than ⅛ inch up or down and from moving ⅛ in a horizontal direction along the length of the at least one shelf-support arm.

45. The shelf support system according to claim 31, wherein the at least one opening of each shelf-support arm is configured so that, when the at least one opening receives the one or more tubes or rods in a horizontal orientation, the rounded surfaces prevent the one or more tubs or rods from moving more than ⅛ inch up or down and from moving ⅛ in a horizontal direction along the length of the at least one shelf-support arm.