US3598064A

US3598064A - Shelving

Info

Publication number: US3598064A
Application number: US849060A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edward H Stempel
Original assignee: BELACO Inc
Current assignee: ClosetMaid Corp; BELACO Inc
Priority date: 1969-08-11
Filing date: 1969-08-11
Publication date: 1971-08-10
Anticipated expiration: 1988-08-10

Abstract

A shelf with a mounting structure for removable mounting of the shelf on walls of a room, the shelf including vertically spaced rods or bars at the front thereof, and the mounting structure including a wall mounting channel receiving the vertically spaced bars or rods. A spacer is provided between the rod or bar portions within the channel to brace the same.

Description

United States Patent 2,074,546 3/ 1 937 Hartman Inventor Edward H. Stempel Lighthouse Point, Fla. Appl. No. 849,060 Filed Aug. 11, I969 Patented Aug. 10, I971 Assignce Belaco,1nc.

Delray Beach, Fla.

SHELVING 4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

U.S. CL 108/42, 248/249, 21 1190 Int. Cl A471; 3/00,- A47f 5/08 Field of Search 108/42,

109, 153;21lll06,90, 181, 183, 153, 134;52l36; 248/264, 249, 250

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,651,489 9/1953 Bell 211/134 X 3,227,502 1/1966 Roberts 21 1/90 X 3,294,351 12/1966 Rollins 211/9 X 3,419,155 12/1968 Black et al. 211/90 3,439,812 4/1969 Nagelkirk et al. 211/90 FOREIGN PATENTS 524,267 4/1956 Canada 211/183 Primary Examiner-Paul R. Gilliam Attorney-Settle and Oltman ABSTRACT: A shelf with a mounting structure for removable mounting of the shelf on walls of a room, the shelf including vertically spaced rods or bars at the front thereof, and the mounting structure including a wall mounting channel receiving the vertically spaced bars or rods. A spacer is provided between the rod or bar portions within the channel to brace the same.

PATENYEBMEHOHS?! 3,598,064

m- N !i:-- 2o 14 1.1ulunm m. $22 an mimiiiiiiimm...

INVENTOR. EDWARD H. STEMPEL i aw SHELVING BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Although it is commercially desirable to provide shelving of the spaced rod type with vertically spaced rods forming an open and downwardly projecting-lip at the front of the shelf, it has been difficult to provide such shelving in any desired width with a simple mounting structure which removably supports the shelf including the vertically spaced rods and also allows bracing of the rods to keep them properly spaced when loaded.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide shelving of the type having vertically spaced, horizontal rods at the front thereof with a mounting structure and bracing which properly supports and braces those rods.

Another object of the invention is to provide such shelving and mounting structure in which the vertically spaced rods are received by a wall mounting channel. j

A further object of the invention is to provide a shelf and channel mount therefor in which vertically spaced rods are braced by spacer means whichfits into the channel mount.

Another object is to provide spacer means in the form of vertical rods secured to the horizontal rods.

Still another object is to provide spacer means in the form of a separate spacer member inserted in the channel mount between the vertically spaced, horizontal rods.

Other objects of this invention will appear from the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

ON THE DRAWINGS of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a channel mount providing the mounting structure for the front of the shelving;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a front comer of another em bodiment of the invention in which a separate spacer member is utilized in conjunction with the channel mount of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a view of the spacer member of FIG. 4.

Before explaining the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or car ried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not oflimitation.

AS SHOWN ON THE DRAWINGS Referring first to FIGS. I through 3, a shelf with front and rear wall mounting structure I2, 14 in-accordance with one embodiment of the invention is shown. The shelf I0 includes two vertically spaced, horizontal rods or bars I6 and I8 at the front of the shelf, and another horizontal rod or bar at the rear of the shelf. An intermediate rod or bar 22 may be provided ifdesired. The rods [6; I8, 20 and 22 are all parallel to ouch other, with rods I6. 20 and 22 all lying in the stone horizontal plane and rods I6 and I8 lying in a vertical plane.

All oftbt'se rods are tied together by stringers 23 which extend between the front and rear of the shelf and have vertical portions 24 at the front of the shelf. The stringers 23 may be welded or otherwise secured to the rods I6, I8, 20 and 22 where they cross those rods.

The front mounting structures 12 are both channel mounts, and the shape of the channels can be seen most clearly in FIG. 3, with one of the front channel mounts 12 being shown in en larged form in FIG. 2. The channel mount I2 at the right end of the shelf I0 is shown as being secured to one sidewall 26 of a closet, and the channel mount 12 at ,the left end of the shelf I0 as viewed from the front is shown as being secured to another wall 28 of the closet. The rear rod 20 of the shelf 10 is supported by clips I4 which are attached to the rear wall 30 of the closet.

The front channel mount I2 consists of a U-shaped channel 32 which has a horizontal length measured from 34 to 36 great enough to receive at least one, and preferably two, of the stringers 23. As shown in FIG. 3, the channel 32 has a horizontal width measured from 34 to 38 great enough to receive the two vertically spaced rods 16 and I8 as well as the vertical portion 24 of at least one, and preferably two, of the stringers 23. That is, the horizontal width of the channel 32 on the inside thereof is at least as great as the thickness of rods 16 and I8 plus the thickness of a horizontal stringer portion 24. The vertical height of the inside of channel 32 measured from 40 to the plane of 34, 38 is at least as great as the distance measured from the bottom of rod 18 to the top of rod 16 so that the channel can receive the two rods 16 and I8 as well as the vertical portion 24 of a stringer 23.

The channel mount 12 also includes a mounting plate 42 which is apertured at 44 and 46 to receive screws 48 and 50' for attaching the channel mount I2 to a wall such as wall 26 as shown in FIG. 3. One end 52 of the channel 32 projects from the plate 42. Optionally, reinforcing

flanges

54 and 56 may be provided at the sides of the channel 32 to provide additional support for the channel 32.

One of the rear mounting clips 14 is shown in FIG. 3. Each clip 14 wraps around the rod 20 and can be spread apart to slip over the rod. The front and

back portion

60 and 62 are apertured to receive a screw 64. The clips I4 as well as the mounts 12 may be made of plastic,

It is apparent that the shelf 10 may be easily inserted into and removed from the channel mounts I2 by merely inserting rods 16 and I8 in channel 32. The front channel mounts I2 at opposite ends of the shelf 10 are identical, and the rear clip mounts I4 at opposite ends of the shelf are also identical, so the mounting of the other end of the shelf on wall 28 is identical to that shown in FIG. 3.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate a modification of the invention wherein the channel mount 12 is substantially identical to the channel mount 12 of FIGS. I to 3, but the shelf received by the channel mount 12 is modified somewhat and a spacer 70 is provided inside the channel mount for bracing purposes. Only a portion 72 ofa shelf is shown in FIG. 4 and the remainder of the shelf is identical to that shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. The shelf portion 72 includes vertically spaced

horizontal rods

74 and 76 which are very similar to the rods 16 and I8 of FIG. I, except that they are larger and they are spaced farther apart. The stringers 78 are attached to the horizontal rod 76 in the same manner as stringers 23 are attached to horizontal rod I6, but stringers 78 do not have a vertical portion corresponding to portion 24 in FIG. I. The stringers 78 are also secured to a rear horizontal rod and an intermediate horizontal rod similar to rods 20 and 22in FIG. I, but these rods are omitted in FIG. 4 in order to simplify the drawings.

The channel mount I2 of FIG. 4 is identical to the channel mount I2 of FIG. 2 except that the channel 32 does not have the bracing flanges 56 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The same reference numerals have been used for like parts of the channel mount I2 in all of the drawings.

It may be noted that a vertical brace 80 extends between and is secured to

rods

74 and 76 at some point intermediate the ends thereof, but the end portions of the

rods

74 and 76 which are located in and above the channel 32 are not braced by a member similar to member 80. Thus, if the shelf 72 were loaded without any additional spacer and bracing means being provided, there would be a tendency for the upper rod 76 to bend downwardly toward the lower rod 76, thus distor ing the shelf. To prevent this, a spacer member 70 is inserted nto the channel 32 between the end portions of rods 74 am 76 as shown in H6. 4, the spacer 70 being shown in greateri etail in FIG. 5.

The spacer 70 includes

U-saped recesses

82 and 84 on the bottom and top thereof respectively, these recesses being shaped to snugly receive the

rods

74 and 76 in the manner shown in FIG. 4. The distance between the

recesses

82 and 84 is exactly equal to the distance between

rods

74 and 76 so as to maintain the proper spacing of these rods. The spacer 70 is preferably as long as the horizontal length of the channel 32. The web portion 86 of the spacer 70 has shoulders 88 on opposite sides thereof adjacent recess 84 and these shoulders 88 rest on the top edges 34 and 38 of the channel 32. Thus, the spacer 70 suspends the rod 76 from the channel 32 due to the abutment between shoulders 88 and edges 34 and 38, and keeps the

rods

74 and 76 properly spaced. The rod 74- abuts against the bottom of channel 32. The rod 74 is intended to serve as a hanger bar.

It may be seen that the shelf and the shelf 72 may be manufactured in lengths which are longer than the distance between the

walls

28 and 26 in a given closet, and the shelf may be cut to length so as to fit the mounting walls where the shelf is to be mounted. For this reason, it is especially impor tant to have vertical bracing between the

vertical rods

16 and 18 or the

vertical rods

74 and 76 as the case may be, and it is desirable if the bracing between these rods is effective to brace the rods where they are received by the channel mount 32. This accomplished in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 trough 3 by setting the dimensions of the channel 32 and the

rods

16 and 18 as well as the vertical stringer portions 24 so that at least one vertical stringer portion 24 is received in the channel 32 as well as the ends of rods l6 and 18. in H0. 4, vertical bracing within the channel mount .32 is provided by the spacer 70.

All of the rods and stringers may be coated with a plastic film such as vinyl plastic.

Having thus described my invention, l claim:

I. A shelf and mounting structure including in combination first, second and third rods all in spaced and parallel relation with each other, said first and second rods both lying in one plane and said second and third rods both lying in another plane at right angles to said one plane, a plurality of st ringers each extending transversely of said first and second rods and secured thereto so as to form a deck for which said second and third rods form an open front lip, spacer means holding said second and third rods in spaced and parallel relation, said spacer means including an end spacer at or adjacent each end of said second and third rods, a pair of channel-mounts to support respectively the opposite ends of said second and third rods, and a pair of wall mounting means to support respectively the opposite end portions ofsaid first-rod, each of said channcl mounts comprising a one-piece member having a flat plate portion with openings therein for receiving screws to fasten said plate to a wall, and a U-shaped channel portion projecting outwardly perpendicular to said plate portion and located centrally inward from the edges of said plate portion, said channel portion including flat walls parallel to each other and spaced apart from each other a distance slightly greater than the thickness of said spacer so as to receive said third rod and said spacer snugly therein, and a base wall curving between the bottom ends of said flat walls and spaced far enough from the top ends of said flat walls to receive at least the major part of the width of said front lip and said spacer between the flat walls.

' 2. A shelf and mounting structure as claimed in claim I in which said spacer means including said end spacers comprise extensions of said stringers affixed to said second and third rods.

3. A shelf and mounting structure as claimed in claim 1 in which each of said end spacers comprises a separate spacer member inserted in said channel between said second and third rods and bracing the same.

4. A shelf and mounting structure as claimed in claim 3 in which said separate spacer member comprises a plate having a central web, upper shoulders projecting upward and transversely outward from said web with a curved recess between said upper shoulders for receiving said second rod, and lower shoulders projecting downwardly and transversely outward from said web with another curved recess between said lower shoulders for receiving said third rod, so that said plate provides a rigid brace between said second and third rods when assembled in said channel mount with said lower shoulders resting at said curved base wall and said upper shoulders resting on said upper edges of said flat walls of said channel mount.

Claims

1. A shelf and mounting structure including in combination first, second and third rods all in spaced and parallel relation with each other, said first and second rods both lying in one plane and said second and third rods both lying in another plane at right angles to said one plane, a plurality of stringers each extending transversely of said first and second rods and secured thereto so as to form a deck for which said second and third rods form an open front lip, spacer means holding said second and third rods in spaced and parallel relation, said spacer means including an end spacer at or adjacent each end of said second and third rods, a pair of channel mounts to support respectively the opposite ends of said second and third rods, and a pair of wall mounting means to support respectively the opposite end portions of said first rod, each of said channel mounts comprising a one-piece member having a flat plAte portion with openings therein for receiving screws to fasten said plate to a wall, and a U-shaped channel portion projecting outwardly perpendicular to said plate portion and located centrally inward from the edges of said plate portion, said channel portion including flat walls parallel to each other and spaced apart from each other a distance slightly greater than the thickness of said spacer so as to receive said third rod and said spacer snugly therein, and a base wall curving between the bottom ends of said flat walls and spaced far enough from the top ends of said flat walls to receive at least the major part of the width of said front lip and said spacer between the flat walls.

2. A shelf and mounting structure as claimed in claim 1 in which said spacer means including said end spacers comprise extensions of said stringers affixed to said second and third rods.