U.S. patent application number 11/115897 was filed with the patent office on 2006-11-02 for wall-mounted storage system.
Invention is credited to Joel P. Gilcrest, Thomas H. Sligh.
Application Number | 20060243688 11/115897 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37233438 |
Filed Date | 2006-11-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060243688 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Gilcrest; Joel P. ; et
al. |
November 2, 2006 |
Wall-mounted storage system
Abstract
A wall-mountable storage system includes a mounting rail having
a front face, a rear face, a top face, and a rearwardly inclined
surface extending downwardly from the top face toward the rear
face; and a panel having a notch that is recessed into a rearward
edge of the panel. The notch is configured to allow mounting of the
panel in a vertical orientation on the rail without additional
exposed hardware. In certain embodiments, a reinforcing liner is
disposed in the notch to improve durability of the panel and
facilitate the use of unconventional panel materials, such as
particleboard.
Inventors: |
Gilcrest; Joel P.; (Holland,
MI) ; Sligh; Thomas H.; (Holland, MI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PRICE HENEVELD COOPER DEWITT & LITTON, LLP
695 KENMOOR, S.E.
P O BOX 2567
GRAND RAPIDS
MI
49501
US
|
Family ID: |
37233438 |
Appl. No.: |
11/115897 |
Filed: |
April 27, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
211/87.01 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47B 95/008
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
211/087.01 |
International
Class: |
A47F 5/08 20060101
A47F005/08 |
Claims
1. A wall-mountable storage system, comprising: a mounting rail
having a front face, a rear face, a top face, and a rearwardly
inclined surface extending downwardly from the top face toward the
rear face; a panel having a notch recessed into a rearward edge,
the notch configured to allow mounting of the panel in a vertical
orientation on the rail without additional exposed hardware.
2. The wall-mountable storage system of claim 1, wherein the
mounting rail is fabricated of wood.
3. The wall-mountable storage system of claim 1, wherein the
mounting rail is fabricated of particleboard.
4. The wall-mountable storage system of claim 1, wherein the panel
is fabricated of particleboard.
5. The wall-mountable storage system of claim 1, further comprising
a reinforcing liner disposed in the notch.
6. The wall-mountable storage system of claim 5, wherein the
reinforcing liner is fabricated of a metal.
7. The wall-mountable storage system of claim 6, wherein the metal
is steel.
8. The wall-mountable storage system of claim 5, wherein the
reinforcing liner is secured in the notch with mechanical
fasteners.
9. The wall-mountable storage system of claim 8, wherein the
fasteners are screws.
10. The wall-mountable storage system of claim 5, wherein the
reinforcing liner is secured in the notch with an adhesive
material.
11. The wall-mountable storage system of claim 1, wherein the front
face of the rail is flat.
12. A wall-mountable storage system, comprising: a mounting rail
defining an upwardly facing recess; a panel having a notch recessed
into a rearward edge, the notch configured to define a portion of
the panel that can be received in the upwardly facing recess
defined by the mounting rail to allow mounting of the panel in a
vertical orientation on the rail without additional exposed
hardware; and a reinforcing liner disposed in the notch.
13. The wall-mountable storage system of claim 12, wherein the
mounting rail is fabricated of wood.
14. The wall-mountable storage system of claim 12, wherein the
mounting rail is fabricated of particleboard.
15. The wall-mountable storage system of claim 12, wherein the
panel is fabricated of particleboard.
16. The wall-mountable storage system of claim 12, wherein the
reinforcing liner is fabricated of a metal.
17. The wall-mountable storage system of claim 16, wherein the
metal is steel.
18. The wall-mountable storage system of claim 12, wherein the
reinforcing liner is secured in the notch with mechanical
fasteners.
19. The wall-mountable storage system of claim 12, wherein the
reinforcing liner is secured in the notch with an adhesive
material.
20. The wall-mountable storage system of claim 12, wherein the
front face of the rail is flat.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention described in this specification relates to
wall-mounted storage organizer systems, and more particularly to
storage systems having vertical panels supporting shelves or the
like, wherein the vertical panels are supported on a horizontally
extending rail mounted to a wall.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] It is now well recognized that the typical closet having one
or more hanging rods and one or more shelves supported above the
rod or rods does not usually facilitate the most efficient use of
the available storage space in the closet. In order to more
effectively utilize closet space, various modular-type storage unit
systems and closet partition systems have been developed. The
preferred modular systems typically are comprised of a few basic
components, such as mounting rails, vertical panels, horizontal
shelves, hanging rods, and various mounting brackets, which allow
the components to be assembled in a variety of different manners to
facilitate rearrangement as the needs of a user change. It is
desirable that the mounting brackets and other hardware used for
assembling the components provide a strong, stable final assembly
of the components, and are relatively simple to use to facilitate
assembly and disassembly when reconfiguration of the system is
desired.
[0003] The more popular wall-mounted storage organizer systems
generally utilize a bracket that is fastened, usually with screws,
to both the rail and a vertical panel. This arrangement, which is
described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,222,611 and 5,964,438,
have the advantages of facilitating a high level of flexibility in
the arrangement of the vertical panels relative to the rail during
the initial installation, and providing a very secure attachment of
the vertical panels to the rail, whereby unintentional dislodgment
of the vertical panels from the rail is improbable. However, the
need to utilize separate brackets and fasteners to achieve a secure
arrangement involves additional parts and steps during the
installation, and, therefore, makes the installation process more
time-consuming and difficult. Further, such systems do not allow
unrestricted rearrangement of the vertical panels relative to the
rail due to limitations based on the location of screw holes
developed in the rail during previous installations. Screw holes in
the rail from previous installed configurations also detract from
the aesthetics of the storage system.
[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 3,532,317 discloses a suspensory element for
mounting objects on a vertical surface of a mounting element. The
disclosed suspensory element is a rail-like member for supporting
objects, such as removable letters for signage, having vertically
spaced suspending webs projecting forwardly from a mounting portion
secured to a vertical surface (e.g., a sign board) with pop rivets.
Two identical vertically spaced suspensory elements are used to
support an object. The object includes a hook that is received in
an upwardly opening channel of the upper suspensory element, and
clips that are received into both upwardly and downwardly opening
channels of the lower suspensory element. While this arrangement is
suitable for supporting removable letters on signs, it is not
particularly well-suited for use with wall-mounted storage systems.
Specific disadvantages include the requirement for two vertically
spaced apart suspensory elements, the need to integrate or attach
clips to the suspended article, and an undesirable spacing between
the vertical surface (a wall in the case of a storage system) and
the suspended object (a vertically oriented panel in the case of a
storage system).
[0005] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0104813 A1
discloses a storage organizer system having a mounting rail and a
plurality of storage units adapted to be hung on the rail. Each
storage unit includes at least one metal hook extending rearwardly
from the unit for engaging the rail and a spacer extending
rearwardly from the storage unit for engaging the wall. While this
arrangement eliminates the need for a second vertically spaced
rail, it has many of the same features and disadvantages of the
suspensory element described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,532,317. In
particular, the disclosed system requires integrated or attached
spacers, and an undesirable spacing between the wall and the
storage units. Wall-mounted storage systems in which the vertical
panels or sidewalls of the system are flush with the wall are
preferred for their improved aesthetics. A further disadvantage is
that the arrangement is not particularly secure. A relatively small
upward force on a suspended storage unit could cause accidental
disengagement of the hook from the rail, since there is nothing in
the structure that could inhibit upward movement, other than
gravity. It should also be noted that a rod extending between the
sidewalls of the storage unit is used for attachment of the hooks
to the storage units. These rods are spaced inwardly of the rear
wall of the storage units and therefore are clearly visible and
further detract from the aesthetics of the system.
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,832 discloses an adjustable mounting
system for removably supporting modular storage units on a vertical
wall. The system includes C-shaped brackets and a wall channel. The
C-shaped brackets are adjustably mounted on a storage unit, and one
of the two opposed hooks on the brackets is hooked over the wall
channel. The C-brackets include an outboard flange with a slot and
screw hole to facilitate adjustable mounting of the bracket to a
modular storage unit. The brackets are partially disposed within a
recess in the rearward edge of the vertical panel supported on the
channel. Thus, the disclosed arrangement eliminates the need for
developing fastener holes (e.g., screw holes) in the mounting rail
or channel, and could facilitate flush mounting of the rear edge of
the vertical panels with the wall, thereby providing improved
aesthetics. However, the flange portion of the bracket is exposed
and detracts from the aesthetics of the system. Further, the
exposed rail is fabricated from steel or other metal and includes a
recess and projecting flanges and webs that further detract from
the aesthetics of the system.
[0007] U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,819,958 and 4,928,833 each disclose
wall-mounted storage systems in which rearward edges of vertical
panels are notched to provide an integrated hook for engaging a
horizontally oriented rail mounted on a wall, thus completely
eliminating separate brackets and thereby achieving improved
aesthetics. However, the exposed rail is fabricated from steel or
other metal and includes projecting flanges that detract from the
aesthetics of the system. Further, the notched panels are
susceptible to damage during installation, dismantling, and
reconfiguring, and could ultimately fail after repeated
reconfigurations of the system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The invention provides a wall-mountable storage system in
which vertically oriented panels can be mounted to a horizontal
rail attached to a wall without any additional exposed mounting
hardware, while also facilitating secure mounting of the panels to
the rail, and also while facilitating substantially flush mounting
of the edges of the panels against the wall.
[0009] The wall-mountable storage system of the invention includes
a mounting rail having a front face, a rear face, a top face, and a
rearwardly inclined surface extending downwardly from the top face
toward the rear face; and a panel having a notch recessed into a
rearward edge to allow mounting of the panel in a vertical
orientation on the rail without additional exposed hardware.
[0010] These and other features, advantages and objects of the
present invention will be further understood and appreciated by
those skilled in the art by reference to the following
specification, claims and appended drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is perspective view of a wall-mountable storage
system in accordance with the invention.
[0012] FIG. 2 is a side elevational view, in partial cross section,
showing a vertical panel mounted on the rail of the storage system
show in FIG. 1.
[0013] FIG. 3 is an edge view of the rear edge of the panel
mountable on the rail.
[0014] FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the rail for the
storage system.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0015] An illustrated embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS.
1-4. In the illustrated embodiment, wall-mountable storage system
10 includes a rail 14 mounted on a wall 12, and a plurality of
vertically arranged panels 16 suspended from rail 14. Supported on
suspended panels 16 are a plurality of shelves 18. Although the
invention has been illustrated using a system of vertical panels
and shelves, the expression "panel" is intended to encompass the
side panel or wall of a cabinet or other storage unit.
[0016] As illustrated in FIG. 4, mounting rail 14 includes a flat
front face 30, an opposite rear face 32 which abuts a wall to which
the rail is mounted, a flat horizontal top face 34, and an inclined
surface 36 that extends downwardly from the top face toward the
rear face. When rail 14 is secured to wall 12, an upwardly facing
recess is defined for receiving a portion of a vertical panel which
is defined by a notch 20.
[0017] As is shown in FIG. 2, panel 16 includes a notch 20 in a
rearward edge of the panel. Notch 20 is configured to allow panel
16 to be easily, securely and stably hooked or hung on rail 14
without requiring any additional brackets or other hardware, and
without requiring manipulation of fasteners, such as screws or
nails. Notch 20 generally conforms with the shape of rail 14 to
facilitate substantially flush mounting of the rearward edges of
panel 16 against wall 12. In particular, notch 20 has a depth that
is approximately the same thickness as rail 14, or only slightly
larger than the thickness of rail 14, an inclined surface that
conforms with and engages inclined surface 36 of rail 14, and a
vertical dimension that prevents panel 16 from being dislodged from
rail 14 unless panel 16 is lifted substantially straight up until
the bottom of notch 20 engages the bottom of rail 14, and then
moved substantially horizontally away from wall 12. Specifically,
the vertical displacement of inclined surface 36 and the space
between the bottom of rail 14 and the upwardly facing surface of
notch 20 are about the same (e.g., less than 20% different,
preferably less than 10% different). Thus, notch 20 and rail 14 are
configured to allow easy removal of panel 16 when desired, but to
prevent incidental or accidental movements of panel 16 relative to
rail 14 from unintentionally dislodging panel 16 from rail 14.
[0018] A reinforcement liner or strip 22 is disposed within notch
20 of the illustrated embodiment to strengthen panel 16, and
prevent repeated reconfiguring of the system from damaging notch 20
and causing failure of the mounting structure. Reinforcement strip
22 is disposed adjacent to the inclined upper surface of notch 20,
and the rearwardly facing vertical surface of notch 20 that
generally abuts the front face of rail 14, but does not protrude
outwardly from notch 20 beyond the sides of panel 16, and therefore
is not visible after installation of panel 16 on rail 14 has been
completed. Reinforcement strip or liner 22 can be fabricated of a
variety of suitable plastic materials. However, reinforcement strip
22 is preferably fabricated of a metal, such as steel. As shown in
FIG. 3, reinforcing liner 22 can be securely attached within notch
20 of panel 16 with mechanical fasteners, such as screws 24.
However, adhesives may also be used with or instead of mechanical
fasteners.
[0019] The configuration (i.e., dimensions and geometry) of rail 14
and notch 20 of panel 16, combined with the reinforcing liner 22,
allow rail 14 and panel 16 to be made of any of a variety of
materials. Specifically, the design of the wall-mountable storage
system of the invention allows rail 14 to be made of conventional
mounting rail material such as steel, or less typical materials
such as solid wood, plywood or particleboard. Similarly, the
invention allows greater flexibility in the selection of materials
for panel 16. The expression "particleboard" is intended to
encompass any board material made of a combination of cellulose
fragments, fibers or particles and a binder or resin matrix that
holds the cellulose materials together.
[0020] The ability to use a variety of different materials,
including relatively inexpensive materials, allows greater
flexibility during the manufacturing process, greater variety to
the consumer, and lower cost. Additionally, the invention provides
greatly improved aesthetics. In particular, the front face of rail
14 can present a completely flat face, free of any recesses or
protrusions. In addition, rail 14 can be made of a material that is
the same as or matches the appearance of panel 16. Also important
is the fact that the invention provides much easier installation,
which does not require any additional mounting hardware, such as
brackets, and which does not include any exposed mounting hardware
that would detract from the aesthetics of the system.
[0021] The above description is considered that of the preferred
embodiment only. Modifications of the invention will occur to those
skilled in the art and to those who make or use the invention.
Therefore, it is understood that the embodiment shown in the
drawings and described above is merely for illustrative purposes
and not intended to limit the scope of the invention, which is
defined by the following claims as interpreted according to the
principles of patent law, including the doctrine of
equivalents.
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