US3438688A - Knockdown steel shelving and cabinet hardware therefor - Google Patents

Description

April 15, 1969 I. J. FERDINAND ETAI.. 3,438,688

NKNOCKDOWN STEEL SHELVING AND` CABINET HARDWARE THEREFOR Filed sept. 18, 1967 I sheet of 2 FIG. IV

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KNOCKDOWN STEEL SHELVING AND CABINET HARDWARE THEREFOR Filed sept. 18, 1957 f sheet Z of 2 FIG. 3 54- IN VENTOR IRWIN J. FERDINAND lRwm R. KuLBERsH /DZM l ATTYS United States Patent O 3,438,688 KNOCKDOWN STEEL SHELVING AND CABINET HARDWARE THEREFOR Irwin J. Ferdinand, Glencoe, and Irwin R. Kulbersh, Niles, Ill., assignors to S. A. Hirsh Manufacturing Co., Skokie, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Sept. 18, 1967, Ser. No. 668,435 Int. Cl. A47b 88/00; E06b; A47f 3/00 U.S. Cl. 312-295 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A sliding door frame assembly is secured adjustably in place at any level upon knockdovvn steel shelving having a plurality of vertically spaced shelves supported at their corners on posts. KEach shelf has front and rear flanges extending above and below the shelf surface interengaging the posts. Removable roll-formed channels of strip steel adjustably secure the door frame against the shelf flanges between the posts and provide spaced facing track channels which receive overlapping doors in weight supported relationship with minimized sliding friction, and restrain the doors from visible scuing against the door frame and shelves.

Cross reference is made to the Ferdinand Patent 3,265,455, Ian. 28, 1965, upon which the present invention is an improvement, and to Ferdinand et al. applications, Ser. No. 658,695' filed Aug. 7, 1967, and of even date herewith, reference to which is hereby made.

Heretofore in converting knockdown steel shelving to cabinet form, in whole or in part, or at different levels for modular effect, the shelving has to be partially dismantled or loosened and then retightened, requiring an emptying of the shelves involved and generally the removal and return of the shelving as a unit from its site for adjustment access. Furthermore, structural strains directly borne between the shelving and the finished door frame either require a heavy door frame or a careful assembly procedure which might not be followed by the purchaser, either in the original assembly, or in a reassembly to add the cabinet hardware to shelves already assembled.

In the present invention in minimizing assembly time, sliding friction, and any possible visible marking or scuffing on the front faces of the doors at the sliding edges along the top and bottom, neither one of the supporting shelves need be loosened to receive the door frame in a r permanent but adjustable installation to provide a sliding door cabinet, or, in dismantling same to provide a shelf unit.

The invention is characterized by a generally U-section channel frame opening inwardly with the edge of the front wall flanged or hemmed for depth and strength and the rear wall resting iiat against the front faces of the shelf anges between the front corner posts.

The invention contemplates sheet metal guide elements disposed in the fra-me channels at the top and bottom, hooking over the facing flange edges of the two spaced shelves selected, in frame supporting relation to receive in Weight supporting relation sliding doors having spaced plastic devices on their bottom edges disposed in point or limited area contact with the bottoms and sides of the side channel tracks in the guide elements.

An object of the invention is to convert a light metal shelving unit to a cabinet-type structure with no modification thereof, loosening of elements, or changing of components` whatsoever. The cabinet hardware of the present invention can be applied to and removed from steel shelving to provide sliding door panels at the front of a Patented Apr. 15, 1969 ICC variety of units, or at vertically spaced portions of shelving units for modular effect.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved snap strip which can be easily applied and removed without any damage to it or the engaged cornponents, yet when in place provides a permanent assembly.

Further objects include the provision of cabinet converslon units wherein the principal constituent parts are susceptible to conventional rolling processes and require for their completion no machining operations so that the shelving and cabinet hardware as a whole can be produced at a low cost; units which will withstand rough usage and heavy loads; a construction which may be assembled without any tools and can -be dismantled merely by a prying action along the top frame member; one which possesses no sharp edges or corners and which is devoid of abrupt protrusions; one which allows for wide manufacturing tolerances in the hardware as well as the shelving; one which is attractive in its appearance, pleasing in its design and well adapted to perform the services required of it without any damage to exposed surfaces.

These and further desirable features characterize the structure and production of embodiments of the present invention and will become apparent from the description which follows of the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a portion of a shelving unit showing the cabinet hardware of the present invention operatively installed thereon the original shelving unit thus being expanded into a cabinet-like structure;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the structure shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on the horizontal plane indicated by the line 4-4 of FIG. 2 and in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of the corner region of a door fra-me employed in connection with the cabinet hardware of the present invention;

FIG. 6` is an enlarged section of the upper front frame portion shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a partially cut-away view taken upon line 7--7 of FIG. 6l;

FIG. 8 is a further enlarged section of a portion of the upper front frame portion shown in FIGS. 3 and 6;

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 6 showing a modification of the structure shown therein;

FIG. 10` is a partially cut-away view taken upon line 10-10 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a further enlarged section of .a portion of the modified upper front frame portion shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a partial sectional view of a modication of the lower frame portion and gliding door support;

FIG. 13 is a bottom plan view of a portion of the lower edge of the sliding door shown in FIG. 3, and

FdG. 14 is a bottom plan view similar to FIG. 13 showing the glider member of FIG. 12.

Referring now to the drawings in detail and in particular to FIG. 1 wherein cabinet hardware embodying the invention is shown in perspective as adjustably mounted at any selected elevation on a shelving unit that may be constructed as described in said patent or application. The shelving unit involves in its general organization a series of four corner posts 10, and two or more shelves 12,

The shelves 12 and corner posts 10 are rigidly secured together in their operative assembled relationship by means of counterpart fastening devices each of which may include a nut 14 (FIG. 4), and a fastening bolt 16 as sho-wn in the patent or a tension bracket and wedge as shown in said application. The reaction member for o assimilating the thrust of the fastening means serves to clamp the corner post rigidly to the shelf 12 in a manner described presently. The various corner posts 10 and shelves 12 are identical.

The shelf 12 is generally of rectangular configuration and it includes a horizontal planar supporting or body portion having downturned transversely extending marginal flanges 22 (FIG. 3) and downwardly and longitudinally extending marginal flanges 24. The transverse flanges 22 are single thickness flanges and are provided with reversely .bent edges 26 (FIG. 3) at their lower edges for reinforcing purposes.

The longitudinal flanges 24 are box-type flanges and, as best seen in FIG. 3, each flange preferably may include inside and outside walls 28 and 30 respectively, a bottom wall 32 and a dual thickness top wall 34. The walls 28 and 30 are reinforced by spaced apart reinforcing ribs 36, while the bottom wall 32 is reinforced by a single central rib 38. The upper edge region of the box flange 24 projects a slight distance above the horizontal plane of the planar body portion 20 of the shelf 12 by reason of a vertical connecting flange between the body portion and top wall 34, the flange 40 constituting a marginal restraining flange to prevent supported objects from rolling or sliding from the upper surface of the shelf. The four ribs 36 are inwardly rolled ribs while the rib 38 in the bottom wall 32 is an outwardly rolled rib. The four corners of the shelf 12 are notched or cut-away as indicated at 42 (FIG. 4) for reception of selected regions of the corner posts therein in a manner later described.

The details of the corner posts 10 are best illustrated in FIG. 4. Each post is of rolled sheet metal construction, preferably of heavier gauge metal than that of the shelf 12 and preferably comprises a main body portion of channel-shape cross section including side walls and 52 and a connecting web 54. The web is provided with a series of vertically spaced holes 56 therethrough for selective reception of the fastening screw 16 to the end that the shelf 12 may be secured to the post 16 at selected elevations therealong. The side wall 50 is provided with a narrow laterally turned trim flange 58. The side wall 52 is provided with a comparatively wide re-entrant trim flange 62 `which terminates in a lateral bearing flange 64 which is preferably overformed approximately 3.

The vertical corner post 10 is adapted to seat within the corner notch 42 with the web 54 of the channel-shaped body portion opposing and bearing against the adjacent open end or rim of the box flange 24 as Ibest seen in FIG. 4. The web 54 is formed with a central coextensive outwardly rolled rib 66 (FIGS. 3 and 4) which makes a seat for the web when the post 10 is drawn against the box flange 24.

When the corner post 10 is in its operative position within the notch 42 (FIG. 4), the trim flange 58 overlies the outside face of the depending flange 22 to secure an end panel in place. Similarly, the trim flange 62 overlies the outside wall 30 of the box flange 24 and the ybearing flange `64 opposes this wall in close proximity thereto.

In order to fasten the corner post 10 securely to the shelf 12 within the notch 42 by the previously mentioned fastening devices, the tension means projects through and is anchored in a pair of transversely registering slots and 72 (FLIG. 3) formed in opposing walls, either the outside and inside walls 30 and 28 respectively or the top and bottom lwalls 32 and 34, and is designed to pass through one of the holes 56 in the channel web 54 where it enters the open rim or end of the box flange 24 endwise as shown in FIG. 4 for securement as described in said patent or application.

In assembling the corner post 10 upon the shelf 12, the tension member 14 will first be operatively installed in the box flange 24 either at the factory or .by the purchaser.

The proper hold S6 in the corner post 10 is then selected for the desired shelf elevation and the fastening member is inserted in place and tightened. Tightening of the fastening screw member of the corner post into register and engagement with both the dual thickness top wall 34 of the box flange 24 and the rib 38 in the bottom wall thereof will bring the trim flanges S8` and 62 (FIG. 4) to their overlying relationship with respect to the ` flanges 22 and 24 as previously described.

Rigidity of the shelving against rocking movement in a longitudinal direction is, of course, inhibited by the extreme rigidity of the box -flange 24 when under an onedge compression.

It is also to be noted that the vertical extent 0f the slots 70 and 72 is substantially equal to the distance between the center lines of the two horizontally extending ribs 36 on the walls 30 and 28 so that the opposite ends of the slots lie next to the ribs. Thus, when lateral pulling force is applied by the fastening device 16, the reaction force offered by a portion of each of four ribs 36 prevents peeling or tearing of the sheet metal of the box flange 24 at the corners of the slots 70 and 72.

FIGS. 3 to 14 inclusive, illustrate the cabinet hardware by means of which the primary shelving just described may be expanded quite easily into a cabinettype structure by closures for the normally open sides thereof. Particularly referring to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, closure means are provided whereby a door frame 18 may be applied to the front of any given shelving unit and supported on the upper edge of flange 40 on the lower shelf and the lower or bottom wall or edge 32 of a flange 40 on the uppeu shelf of the selected pair of vertically spaced shelves 12, respectively. A pair of sliding door panels 44 and 46 are utilized to form a closure for the normally open front of the shelving. Ordinarily, the door frame 18 will be of such height and the installation thereof made so that the frame bridges the distance between the vertical midpoint of the uppermost shelf flange 24 and the vertical midpoint of the lowermost shelf in the series of shelves to be enclosed. However, by selection of the proper door frame height, any two shelves 12, including adjacent shelves, if desired, may be thus bridged by the door panels 40 and 46. For example, if a given shelving unit contains four superposed shelves 12 (FIG. 2), and the door frame extends between the uppermost and the lowermost shelves of these four, the completed cabinet will enclose two intermediate shelves within the same. The presence or absence of intermediate shelves is a matter of choice and does not affect the nature of the installation.

The cabinet hardware further includes a pair of steel retaining S-shaped opposing channels or rails 48 (FIG. 3) for a back panel closure 68. The end panel closures 60 are held by the trim flange 58 (FIG. 4) for closing the openings at the normally open ends of the shelving, it being noted that the panels 60 are receivable in the shelving structure without the use of additional retaining hardware.

Referring now to FIGS. l to 5, inclusive, the front panel closure includes the door frame 18 comprising a single compound rolled steel channel member with the` side walls mitered and the bottom wall bent at the corner to form horizontally disposed upper and lower frame sections 74 and 76 and vertically disposed side frame sections 78 and 80. The cross sectional form frame sections are identical in form and therefore a description of one of them will suffice for the others except the upper frame section has shear formed detents in one wall as later described. In the bending the ends of opposing pairs are in effect reversed so that all open towards one another, viz, the lower section 76 being turned 180 end for end with respect to the upper section 74 and likewise the side sections.

As best seen in FIGS. 3 and 5, the upper and lower horizontal door frame sections 74 and 76 are substantially coextensive in length with the width or expanse of the shelves exposed between the posts. The vertical channel sections rest against the bearing flanges 64 of the posts 10. The cross sectional contour of the channel sections is generally of G-shaped channel configuration and includes an outwardly flat inside leg 82 which lies ush against the shelf flange wall 30, an outside leg 814 having an inturned linishing edge 86 and a connecting bight portion 88. The bight portion 88 constitutes to top wall of the downwardly facing frame section 74 and the bottom wall of the upwardly opening cradle-like frame section 76, respectively.

Thus, the channel sections provide opposing guideway supports for the sliding doors 44 and 46, as later described, together with certain guide rail and cushioning structure whereby the two door panels are maintained in their respective offset planes of horizontal sliding movement. However, only the upper channel section 74 has inwardly olfset shear forms providing detents 92 as seen in FIGS. 8 and 11 with the shoulder portion 94 thereof facing upwardly.

The horizontal channel sections 74 and 76 are held in place on the shelf flanges by channel strips 94 and 96, respectively, roll-formed into two dilferent shapes which serve many functions including securing the door frame in place, and providing a slide and guide support for the doors.

As noted in FIGS. 6-10, the upper channel member 75 has a hook portion-8S received over the lower part 38 of the upper shelf flange with an over form on the one side wall 87 thereof and with its inner edge 89 marginally ared outwardly to cam it into place. In cooperation with an opposing wall 91 the side wall 87 clamps the inner wall 82 of the upper frame 74 against the front face 30 of the shelf flange 24. The opposing wall 91 has either an inwardly concave groove 93 (FIGS. `6 and 7) or a slot 95 (FIGS. 9 and 10) formed longitudinally therein to receive the shear form detents `92 in nesting interlocking relation when snapped into place.

The other side of the opposing wall 91 slidably engages in guiding relation the inner face of the inner door 44. Along the upper edge the opposing wall is bent outwardly at 97 and downwardly at 99 to form a third wall 98 whose lower end -is reversely bent upwardly at 105 to provide a fourth wall 100 slidably engaging the outer side of the inner door, there being enough clearance above the door for it to be lifted a substantial distance for insertion when it is installed. The spacing of the third and fourth wall serves as a divider between the doors and the outer door 46 is slidably guided against the outerface of the third wall 98 within the inturned edge 86 of the upper channel member 74.

The upper guide channel is linger-snapped into place and can be removed by hooking the edge of the fourth wall 100 or prying it downwardly using the bottom of the hook form 85 as a fulcrum when it is desired to dismantle the door frame and relocate it at a different height on two other shelves.

In FIGS. 3 and 5 the lower guide channel 73 is shown formed with a downwardly facing hook portion 67 along one edge which hooks over the front upstanding top wall 34 of the front box ange 24 of the lower shelf in weight supported relation, and supported thereon along the other edge portion, an upwardly facing double cradle portion. The double cradle portion 68 has a lower inner channelway 77, through the bottom of which the two channels 76 and 77 are riveted together by rivets 79 as an integrated unit with a spacer 81 between the two bottoms. The outer channelway 71 terminates in an upward directed side Wall 83 that is spaced inwardly from the edge 86 and the channelways are separated by rounded top divider 90. The cradle portion supports the bottom edges of the doors slidably in weight supported laterally guided relationship in an orientation that is out of contact with the inwardly directed edge 86 of the lower main channel section 76.

It will be observed that buttons 101, having rounded tops 102, are mounted top down at spaced points on the bottom edges of the doors. They may be shaped like upholsterers tacks, or cylindrical shanked rivets, but are preferably made of nylon or other amorphous plastic having a low frictional coelicient with metal. More particularly, the heads may be rectangular but are preferably round, and have an effective dimension transversely of the door that is substantially greater than the thickness of the door but not quite the Width of the guideways. Moreover, if desired they can be employed at the top of the doors also, so that if desired, the doors can be invested, or installed witlh either edge uppermost. The enjoined ends of the folded frame member 18 are secured at the abutting ends of chanel sections 78 and l80 as shown in FIG. 5 in which the side walls are mitered at 107 and a tongue portion 104 extending from the bottom wall portion 88 of t-he frame section 78 terminally overlaps the bottom wall portion 88 of the lower frame section 76. They are perforated at 106 in registry where they overlap to recieve and be secured together by rivets (not shown) with the tongue laterally squaring against the side walls of the frame section 78.

Accordingly, although one form of the corner post has been described, and its support of the shelves has been set forth it will be appreciated that the cabinet hardware can be employed with shelving having any of the novel shapes shown in said copending applications.

Furthermore, since the upper and lower frame channel sections cover only half of the front flanges 30 of the 'upper and lower shelves, the cabinet hardware lends itself readily to multiple installation on superposed shelf units as shown in FIG. 3 where the lower half of the downwardly projecting portion of the box flange 2J4 is available for reception thereunder of the hook portion of a lower door frame assembly like the assembly described, the shelves being spaced to accommodate the double height cabinet. Furthermore, it will be observed that the upwardly projecting portion of the upper box flange 24 is available for reception thereover of a hook portion 67 of a third door frame assembly which may be installed immediately above the illustrated door frame assembly wit-hout interference with the latter.

The invention is not to be limited to the exact arrangement of parts shown in the accompanying ldrawings or described in this specification as various changes in the details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, whereas no cross bracing for the shelving has been illustrated herein and none is considered necessary, such can be used if desired by the customer as where the height of the shelving with one unit on another is deemed to require it. Additionally, while the terms longitudinal and transverse in the above description refer to the long and short dimensions respectively of the shelf 12, obviously the box flange 24 may extend marginally along the short dimension ofthe shelf if desired.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a steel shelving unit having corner posts and vertically spaced shelves supported by the posts at their corners with reinforcement flanges along their front edges and extending below the top of the upper shelf and above the top of the lower shelf to define a rectangular front access opening communicating with the space between the shelves, a rectangular door frame resting against the front faces of the shelf flanges comprising:

channel frame sections opening towards each other with the lateral outer extremities of their inner channel walls substantially coextensive with the respective shelf flange ends,

first channel means encompassing the lower edge of the upper shelf flange and the inner wall of the upper member releasably holding them laterally against each other under compression,

second channel means engaging the upper edge of the lower shelf ange in supported relation and secured to the lower channel frame section to support the door :frame in weight bearing relation on t-he lower shelf ange,

and door guide means carried by said first and second channel means defining within said upper and lower frame members horizontally spaced tracks for receiving sliding doors in overlapping guided relationship.

2. The combination called for in claim 1 including detent means formed on the inner wall of the upper one of said frame sections, and detent interlocking means on said first channel means engaging said -detent means to secure the first channel means in place on the Iupper frame section and the flange of said upper shelf.

3. In combination with a steel shelving unit having corner posts and vertically spaced shelves supported by the posts at their corners with reinforcement flan-ges along their front edges and extending below the top of the upper shelf and above the top of the lower shelf to define a rectangular front access opening communicating with the space between the shelves,

a rectangular door frame resting against the front faces of the shelf flanges comprising:

channel frame sections opening towards each other ydefining outer and inner walls with the lateral outer extremities of their inner channel walls substantially coextensive with the distance between said corner posts,

a channel strip` defining a downwardly facing hook portion engaging the top of the lower shelf flange in weight supported relation,

an upwardly facing double channel portion within said channel frame portion whose outer channel is marginally bounded by an upwardly directed side wall spaced inwardly from the outer wall of said channel frame portion, and

means for holding the inner wall of said yframe sections against the front faces of said flanges.

4. The combination defined in claim 3 including vertical doors slidably mounted in said double channel portion, and plastic elements carried by the lower edges of said doors of a fwidth and position with respect to the thickness of the doors engage in sliding relationship the bottom wall of its channel portion and at least one side wall thereof in guided relationship.

5. In combination with a steel shelving unit having corner posts and vertically spaced shelves supported by the posts at their corners with reinforcement flanges along their front edges and extending below the top of the upper shelf and above the top of the lower shelf to define a rectangular front access opening communicating with the space between the shelves, a rectangular door frame resting against the front faces of the shelf flanges comprising:

channel frame sections opening towards each other delining outer and inner walls with their inner channel walls resting against the front faces of said flanges, the upper frame section having detent means on its inner channel wall,

a channel strip having a hook portion received over the lower part of the upper shelf flange -with an overform on the inner side wall to urge said channel frame section into contact with the said shelf flange,

the other side of said hook portion including means engaging said detent to lock said channel strip in place,

means for supporting the door Iframe on the top of the lower shelf flange in weight bearing relation.

6. The combination called for in claim 5 in which said channel strip includes a downwardly bent wall lwhose lower edge is reversely bent upwardly in spaced relation defining a door guideway in front of said other side of said hook form and another guideway behind said outer wall of said upper frame section.

7. The combination called for in claim 5 in which the last mentioned means includes: v

a channel strip defining a downwardly facing hook portion engaging the top of the lower shelf flange in weight supported relation,

an upwardly facing double channel portion within said channel frame portion defining two guideways whose outer channel is marginally bounded -by an upwardly directed side wall spaced inwardly from the outer wall of said channel frame portion, and

doors slidably mounted in said guideways in overlapping relationship.

8. The combination called for in claim 2 in which said detent is a shear form providing an upwardly facing shoulder, and said interlocking means is a downwardly facing shoulder formed in said first channel means engaging said shear form shoulder.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,762,675 9/1956 Janows 312-295 X 2,867,859 1/1959 Brink et al. 2,877,511 3/195'9 Viola. 3,230,025 1/1966 Hamilton et al 312-295 3,265,455 8/1966 Ferdinand et al, 312-295 3,307,895 3/1967 Renner 312-295 I AMES T. MCCALL, Primary Examiner.

U.S. C1. X.R.

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