WO2003068024A1

WO2003068024A1 - Adjustable support for shelves

Info

Publication number: WO2003068024A1
Application number: PCT/EP2003/001395
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alberto Pozzi
Original assignee: System Holz S.P.A.
Priority date: 2002-02-15
Filing date: 2003-02-11
Publication date: 2003-08-21
Also published as: ITMI20020298A0; AU2003212242A1; ITMI20020298A1

Abstract

An adjustable support for shelves (11) comprising a fixed element (20) attached to a wall, a slider (30) suitable for being guided and sliding within the fixed element (20), the fixed element and the slider having horizontal facing portions (22, 32) suitable for blocking the shelf, the fixed element (20) and the slider (30) having means for positioning the slider by the reciprocal manual activation of cog systems.

Description

ADJUSTABLE SUPPORT FOR SHELVES

The present invention relates to an adjustable support for shelves . Various types of adjustable supports for shelves commonly called ""shelf-brackets" are known, suitable for being fixed to walls and equipped with facing supporting and blocking elements, destined for receiving a portion of the shelf and blocking it with a jaw-type action. For the blocking of shelves, the supporting elements are generally reciprocally moveable by means of screw systems or the like, which however require the use of tools for the assembly and dismantling of the shelves.

Another disadvantage which normally occurs in the known supports equipped with regulation screws, is due to the difficulty in the assembly-dismantling on the part of the operator, for example when working alone with the necessity of using a tool and at the same time having to support the shelf. . The general objective of the present invention is to solve the above drawbacks of the known art in an extremely simple, economic and functional way, and more specifically by:

• providing an adjustable support for shelves which, thanks to the particular configuration of its insertion elements, facilitates assembly-dismantling operations by disinserting the elements without having to resort to the use of tools.

• avoiding the necessity, during the assembly-dismantling phases, of operating on the part of the support above the shelf and also on the part below. This is in fact extremely uncomfortable when the ledges or shelves are extremely deep.

• providing a support for shelves capable of substan- tially adapting itself to a wide range of shelf- thicknesses and at the same time ensuring a structurally solid blockage.

In view of the above objectives, according to the present invention, an adjustable support for shelves has been conceived, having the characteristics described in the enclosed claims.

The structural and functional characteristics of the present invention and its advantages with respect to the known art will appear even more evident on examining the following description, referring to the enclosed draw- ings, which illustrate an adjustable support for shelves produced according to the innovative principles of the invention itself. In the drawings : - figure 1 shows an exploded view of the adjustable support according to the present invention;

- figure 2 is a view of the support of figure 1 assembled without the shelf;

- figure 3 is a view of the support of figure 1 assembled with the shelf;

- figure 4 is a perspective front view of a detail of the support according to a different embodiment;

- figure 5 is a perspective back view of the detail of figure 4; - figure 6 shows a front view from behind of the support according to the invention, partially dismantled;

- figures 7 and 8 show a front view from behind of the support according to the invention, in different assembly positions . With reference to the figures, a support 10 for shelves 11 is provided for the fixing of a shelf to a masonry wall or a wall made of another material such as wooden panels, plasterboard or the like.

The support 10 comprises a fixed element 20 destined to be fixed to the wall or panel and also to support the shelf 11, and a slider 30 suitable for sliding and being guided inside the fixed element 20 for blocking the shelf.

The support 10 also comprises a fork spring 40 for blocking the slider 30 in the fixed element 20 and an inserted element 50 made of rubber or plastic material fixed onto the surface of the fixed element 30, interposed between the fixed element 20 and the shelf 11, when the latter is being blocked, to avoid damaging the sur- face of the shelf 11, when this is blocked between the slider and the fixed element of the support 10.

The fixed element 20 is L-shaped and is attached to the wall, arranged with the long wing 21 of the L parallel to the wall and facing downwards and with the short wing 22 perpendicular to the wall.

According to an embodiment illustrated in figure 1, there is a pin 23, protruding from the rear surface of the fixed element 20, for pressure-attachment to a panel. Alternatively, according to a different embodiment, illustrated in figures 4 and 5, the support 10 can be fixed by means of a screw or plug and consequently a hole 24 passes through the long wing 21.

Said hole 24 is preferably countersunk at the end visible when the shelf is assembled, to allow a better housing of the screw-head. On the upper surface of the short wing 22 of the fixed element 20, there are two holes 25 suitable for the clip-insertion of two corresponding pins 51 protruding from below the inserted element 50. With particular reference to figures 5 to 8, in the area facing the wall, the fixed element 20 has a recess 26 which substantially occupies the whole rear surface of the long wing 21 and is bordered by two edges 27 along which there are two adjacent grooves 28 similar to tracks suitable for guiding the slider 30 which slides from above to block the shelf 11.

The slider 30 is also L-shaped and substantially has the same shape as the fixed element 20; it contains a vertical portion 31 and a horizontal portion 32 suitable for cooperating with the short wing 22 for fixing the shelf.

The vertical portion 31 of the slider 30 is open at the centre, subdividing it into two side uprights 33 which allow the slider to slide without interfering with the elements protruding from the rear surface of the fixed element described below.

For the blockage of the slider 30, there is a toothed block 29 on the recess 26, whose indentation 29' is suitable for withholding and gripping the correspond- ing teeth 43 of the spring 40. In this respect, the fork spring 40 comprises two blades 41 joined at the centre by a bridge 42 which allows the ends to oscillate elastically with a spring- return effect. The lower ends of said blades 41 are equipped with overlapping teeth 43, facing inwards allowing them to come into contact with the indentation 29' of the block 29, when the slider 30 and the spring 40 are inserted onto the fixed element. In order to control the movement of the ends and consequently the insertion-release of the teeth 43 on the indentation 29' , the ends of the blades 41 facing the teeth 43 each have a portion 45 protruding outwardly, which terminates with a folded tongue 44 substantially perpendicular to the surface of the blades.

By acting on said tongues, the operator can exert pressure on the spring 40 for the insertion-release of the teeth 43 on the indentation 29' .

Due to the length of the indentation 29' , the inser- tion of the teeth 43 advantageously ensures a wide range of distances between the short wing 22 of the fixed element 20 and the horizontal portion 32 of the slider 30.

In this way, by suitably positioning the spring 40, it is possible to block shelves with different thick- nesses as illustrated in figures 7 and 8. As the spring 40 must also be actuated once inserted in the fixed element, its transversal dimensions are lower than the width between the edges 27 and it is connected to the slider 30 by means of partial insertion ob- tained by a vertical element 34 and a lower element 35, protruding at the centre from the rear surface of the slider 30 and between which the bridge 42 of the spring 40 is situated.

The upper surface of the inserted element 50 advan- tageously has spherical lumps 52 in order to ensure a firmer blockage of the shelf.

The above description, with reference to the figures, demonstrates how an adjustable support for shelves according to the invention, is particularly useful and advantageous. The objective specified in the introduction of the description is thus achieved.

The forms of the support according to the invention can naturally be different from shown as an illustrative but non-limiting example in the drawings. The protection scope of the invention is therefore delimited by the enclosed claims.

Claims

WHAT WE CLAIM IS

1) An adjustable support for shelves (11) comprising a fixed element (20) attached to a wall, a slider (30) suitable for being guided and sliding within the fixed element (20) , said fixed element and said slider having horizontal facing portions (22, 32) suitable for blocking the shelf, characterized in that said fixed element (20) and said slider (30) having means for positioning the slider by the reciprocal manual activation of cog sys- terns.

2) The adjustable support according to claim 1, wherein said means for positioning the slider comprise a toothed block (23) protruding from the rear surface of a vertical portion (21) of the fixed element (20) and a spring (40) connected to said slider (30) and equipped with teeth (43) arranged so as to be inserted into an indentation (29') situated on the toothed block (29).

3) The adjustable support according to claim 2, wherein said spring (40) comprises two blades (41) joined at the centre by a bridge (42) which makes them oscillate elas- tically at the ends.

4) The adjustable support according to claim 3, wherein said two blades (41) of the spring (40) have at least one tooth (43) at one end and at the other end a portion (45) co-planar to the blades (41) and protruding outwards which ends with a folded tongue (44) substantially perpendicular to the surface of the blades so that by acting on said tongues (44) , the operator can exert a pressure on the spring (40) for the insertion-release of the teeth (43) on the indentation (29').

5) The adjustable support according to claim 4, wherein said slider has a vertical portion (31) from whose rear surface facing the wall, a vertical element (34) and a lower element (35) protrude from the centre, suitable for blocking the bridge (42) of the spring (40) by insertion.

6) The adjustable support according to claim 1, wherein said fixed element (20) is L-shaped comprising a long wing (21) of the L facing downwards and arranged parallel to the wall and a short wing (22) perpendicular to the wall.

7) The adjustable support according to claim 6, wherein in the area facing the wall, the fixed element (20) has a recess (26) which substantially occupies the whole rear surface of the long wing (21) and is delimited by two edges (27) along which there are two adjacent grooves (28) similar to tracks suitable for housing and guiding the slider (30) .

8) The adjustable support according to claim 1, wherein said fixed element (20) has a pin (23), extending from the rear surface, for pressure-attachment to a panel. 9) The adjustable support according to claim 1, wherein a hole (24) passes through the long wing (21) of said fixed element (20) , for blockage by means of a screw or plug to a wall. 10) The adjustable support according to claim 1, wherein said fixed element (20) also has an inserted element (50) made of rubber or plastic material, attached to the short wing (22), suitable for preventing damage to the surface of the shelf (11) when the latter is blocked between the slider (30) and the fixed element (20) .