U.S. patent application number 11/217253 was filed with the patent office on 2007-03-01 for stacking shelving system for utility shed.
Invention is credited to Jed C. Richardson, Lyle A. Rosine.
Application Number | 20070045209 11/217253 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37802569 |
Filed Date | 2007-03-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070045209 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Richardson; Jed C. ; et
al. |
March 1, 2007 |
Stacking shelving system for utility shed
Abstract
A modular shelving system is formed with dimensions to be
integrated in the structure of a pre-formed utility shed without
compromising the integrity of the shed structure. The interior of
the walls of the shed have a pattern of apertures formed during
manufacture. The shelf units each have brackets snap fitted on each
end. The brackets carry hooks spaced to cooperate with the
apertures. The brackets also have bores into which support posts
are fitted. The support posts are stopped in the bores and extend
vertically from shelf to shelf to support the weight of the
shelves. The floor of the shed also has a connector to fix the
distance of the lower posts from the wall.
Inventors: |
Richardson; Jed C.;
(Batavia, IL) ; Rosine; Lyle A.; (Oswego,
IL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MCHALE & SLAVIN, P.A.
2855 PGA BLVD
PALM BEACH GARDENS
FL
33410
US
|
Family ID: |
37802569 |
Appl. No.: |
11/217253 |
Filed: |
August 31, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
211/187 ;
211/189 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47B 96/024 20130101;
A47B 87/0223 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
211/187 ;
211/189 |
International
Class: |
A47B 57/00 20060101
A47B057/00 |
Claims
1. A shelving system for installation in a utility shed with
structural panels having spaced apertures oriented in horizontal
rows and vertical columns comprising at least one shelf having a
supporting surface, said shelf including a first end and a second
end, a first bracket connected to said first end and a second
bracket connected to said second end, a first hook extending from
said first bracket, a second hook extending from said second
bracket, said first hook and said second hook adapted to engage a
row of said spaced apertures to stabilize said shelf horizontally,
said first and said second bracket each having a bore therein, a
support post adapted to be disposed in each said bore to support
said shelf vertically.
2. A shelving system of claim 1 comprising a plurality of shelves
each having supporting surfaces, each of said plurality of shelves
having a first end and a second end, a plurality of first end
brackets connected to said plurality of shelves first ends, a
plurality of second end brackets connected to said plurality of
shelves second ends, a plurality of first hooks extending from said
plurality of said first brackets, a plurality of second hooks
extending from said plurality of second brackets, said plurality of
first hooks and said plurality of second hooks adapted to each
engage a column, respectively, of said spaced apertures to
stabilize said plurality of shelves horizontally and space said
plurality of shelves vertically, said plurality of first brackets
and said plurality of second brackets having a plurality of bores
therein, a plurality of support posts adapted to be disposed in
said plurality of said bores, said plurality of support posts
having a length to extend between said spaced apertures to support
said plurality of shelves vertically.
3. A shelving system of claim 1 comprising a circumferential flange
in each said bore, each said bore being a through bore extending
through said first and said second bracket, an end of each support
post engaging said flange to support the weight of the shelf.
4. A shelving system of claim 3 comprising a circumferential
shoulder near the other end of each said support post, a smaller
diameter extension between said shoulder and the other end, said
extension adapted to pass through said flange.
5. A shelving system of claim 4 comprising a cavity in said end of
said support post adapted to receive said extension.
6. A shelving system of claim 1 comprising a spring biased snap
connection between said first end of said shelf and said first
bracket and a spring biased snap connection between said second end
of said shelf and said second bracket.
7. A shelving system of claim 2 comprising a circumferential flange
in each said plurality of bores, each said plurality of bores being
a through bore extending through said plurality of first and said
second brackets, an end of each of said plurality of support posts
adapted to engage said flange in each of said plurality of bores to
support the weight of the shelf.
8. A shelving system of claim 7 comprising a circumferential
shoulder near the other end of each of said plurality of support
posts, a smaller diameter extension between said shoulder and the
other end of said plurality of support posts, said extension
adapted to pass through said flange.
9. A shelving system of claim 8 comprising a cavity in each of said
plurality of one end of said plurality of support posts adapted to
receive said extension whereby said plurality of shelves can be
vertically separated and supported by said plurality of support
posts and stabilized horizontally by said plurality of hooks.
10. A shelving system of claim 9 comprising a second duplicate
plurality of bores in each of said plurality of said first brackets
and said second brackets adapted to engage said plurality of
support posts.
11. In a utility shed having a vertical wall, said wall having
apertures spaced apart in horizontal rows and vertical columns, the
improvement comprising a modular shelving system having several
shelves adapted to be horizontally oriented along a row of
apertures and vertically stacked one above the other in columns of
apertures, said several shelves of a length to extend between said
apertures in a row of apertures, said several shelves including
hooks adapted to be disposed in said apertures, said several
shelves having bores, a plurality of support posts of a length to
extend between said apertures in a column of apertures, said
plurality of support posts adapted to be disposed in said bores
whereby said several shelves are held in place by said hooks and
supported by said posts.
12. In a utility shed having a vertical wall, said wall having
apertures spaced apart in horizontal rows and vertical columns, the
improvement of claim 11 further comprising each of said several
shelves having a first end and a second end, a first bracket
mounted on said first end and a second bracket mounted on said
second end, said bores in said brackets, said first bracket having
a first hook, said second bracket having a second hook, said first
hook and said second hook adapted to be disposed in adjacent
apertures in a row of apertures.
13. In a utility shed having a vertical wall, said wall having
apertures spaced apart in horizontal rows and vertical columns, the
improvement of claim 12 further comprising a spring biased
connection between said first end of said shelf and said first
bracket and a spring biased connection between said second end of
said shelf and said second bracket.
14. In a utility shed having a floor and a vertical wall, said wall
having apertures spaced apart in horizontal rows and vertical
columns, the improvement of claim 12 further comprising said
plurality of support posts adapted to engage a connector in said
floor whereby the distance between said plurality of support posts
and said wall is fixed.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 10/______ filed entitled, Plastic Expandable Utility Shed.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates generally to a large enclosure
constructed of plastic structural panels. More specifically, the
present invention relates to a modular construction system
utilizing shelves having integrated connectors to cooperate with
integrated connectors in the structural panels for stability and
support.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Utility sheds are a necessity for lawn and garden care, as
well as general all-around home storage space. Typically, items
such as garden tractors, snow blowers, tillers, ATVs, motorcycles
and the like consume a great deal of the garage floor space
available, forcing the homeowner to park his automobile
outside.
[0004] The large items, such as mentioned above, require
accessories and supplies that must also be stored, as well as other
small tools. To avoid using more floor space for these supplies, a
system of shelving is usually constructed as free standing units or
attached to the walls of the sheds. Free standing units are
unstable, particularly, when carrying a top-heavy load. And in the
modular plastic sheds, now available, it is difficult to attach
shelves to the plastic panels without damaging the integrity of the
panels.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
[0005] Modular shelving systems are well known as illustrated by
U.S. Pat. No. 6,178,896 to Houk, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,158 to
Wareheim and U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,541 to Goetz. These are
stand-alone modular units with multiple horizontal shelves
supported by sectional legs or, in the case of the Goetz patent a
back panel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] Accordingly, it is a primary objective of the instant
invention to provide a shelving system for cooperating with
structural elements in a plastic utility shed for stability and
support.
[0007] It is another objective of the instant invention to provide
a modular shelving system with flexibility in assembly to support
different size and different weight articles.
[0008] It is a still further objective of the instant invention to
provide manual assembly of the shelving system.
[0009] Other objects and advantages of this invention will become
apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with
any accompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of
illustration and example, certain embodiments of this invention.
Any drawings contained herein constitute a part of this
specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present
invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0010] FIG. 1 is a front perspective of the shelving system of this
invention installed in the structural panels of a utility shed;
[0011] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of FIG. 1;
[0012] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the shelving system of this
invention with additional support;
[0013] FIG. 4 is a side perspective of the shelving system of this
invention installed in the structural panels of a utility shed;
[0014] FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view of an installed shelf shown
in FIG. 4;
[0015] FIG. 6A is a top plan view of a shelf and an end bracket
disassembled;
[0016] FIG. 6B is a enlargement of the locking snap assembly;
[0017] FIG. 6C is a top plan view of the shelf and the end bracket
assembled;
[0018] FIG. 7 is a perspective, partially in cross section, of an
assembled support post and a shelf; and
[0019] FIG. 8 is a side view of another embodiment of the shelf
hook shown in FIG. 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0020] As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, molded plastic utility sheds
10 are assembled from large panels, such as a vertical wall unit
11, a floor unit 12, and other components to form an enclosure to
protect the interior from the elements. During the molding of
certain panels reinforcing strips 13 are integrally formed on the
surface of the panels. The strips 13 have apertures 14 on the
interior surface which do not penetrate the exterior wall surface
preserving the integrity of the shed. The floor units 12 also have
connectors 15 formed in the exposed surface. The connectors 15 may
be indentations, apertures or projections. The connectors serve to
fix the distance of the support posts from the walls of the shed
for stabilizing the bottom of the shelving system.
[0021] The shelving system 20 is a modular construction with
interchangable components. The interchangable components include
the shelves 30, the brackets 40, and the support posts 60. The
modular components are sized to cooperate with the pre-formed
apertures in the shed walls. The components may be mixed and
matched to build different sized shelving attached to the shed so
that the shed becomes part of the structural load bearing
partition.
[0022] A shelf 31 is preferably formed of an open framework of
wires 32 extending across the width of the shelf and reinforced
with wires 33 extending length-wise of the shelf 31. The wires 32
form the supporting surface 34 with depending opposite ends 35. The
depending opposite ends are joined by longitudinal wires 36. The
wires 36 terminate at both ends with a depending tang 37. The
length-wise extending wires 33 project beyond the wires 32 and form
loops 38 and 39.
[0023] The brackets 40 have a molded plastic body 41 with a top
surface 42 and depending sidewalls 43 connected to opposite end
walls 44. The depending sidewalls 43 have a notch 45 formed on each
end through which a tang 37 of the shelf 31 pass during assembly.
As shown in FIGS. 2, 6 and 7, the top surface 42 has L-shaped
grooves with a staff 46 beginning at each notch 45 and exiting
intermediate the end walls with a foot 47.
[0024] The L-shaped grooves cooperate with the loops 38 and 39 on
the shelves to snap fit the bracket onto the shelf. The length of
the loops 38 and 39 is different than the length of the
longitudinal wire 36 such that the tang 37 and the loops are spring
biased when the loops are disposed in the L-shaped grooves and the
tang is in the notch.
[0025] Each bracket has a bore 48 and a duplicate bore 49 extending
through the top surface and parallel to the sidewalls. Each bore 48
and 49 has a flange or stop 50 of a lesser diameter intermediate
the length of the bore. The flange or stop 50 engages the end of a
support post to carry the weight of the shelf. As shown in FIG. 3,
a second set of support posts may be assembled with each shelf to
provide additional load carrying ability for the shelves. The
fourth set of support posts has been omitted in the Figure for
clarity.
[0026] Each bracket 40 has an integral hook 51 of a size to
cooperate with the apertures 14 in the shed wall. The hook 51
extends outwardly from one end wall 44 parallel to the top surface.
The shaft 52 of the hook is of such a length so that the end wall
of the bracket is held closely to the shed wall. The link 53
depends from the shaft and prevents separation of the bracket from
the reinforcing strip. The shaft also provides weight bearing
support for the shelves.
[0027] Some reinforcing strips 13 have internal spacers 16 for
additional rigidity. In another embodiment of the hook 51, shown in
FIG. 8, a flange 54 extends parallel to the link 53 intermediate
the length of the shaft 52. The flange 54 has an angled surface to
wedge between the spacer 16 and the strip to secure the bracket in
place.
[0028] The support posts 60 are formed with a body 61 having a
certain circumference and a length to extend between two vertically
adjacent apertures in the wall of the shed. One end of the support
post has an extension 62 of lesser circumference and the other end
has a cavity 63 of a size to accept an extension of a support
post.
[0029] The shelving system 20 may be incorporated with the original
shed or it may be an optional accessory and it may be an after
market item.
[0030] The assembly of the shelving system is very flexible and as
an example only, two support posts are pushed into the bores on
each end bracket with the lesser circumference extension exposed on
the other end of the posts. The shelf may be hooked into a row of
horizontal apertures near the floor panel and the exposed
extensions fitted into the floor connectors, in this case,
depressions in the floor panel. The ends of the support posts
fitted into the brackets rest against the stop or flange in the
bores with an exposed cavity opening. The next higher shelf is
assembled like the first and the post extension fit into the
cavities of the lower shelf. The hooks are inserted into the next
high row of horizontal apertures. This may be repeated until all
the apertures are occupied by hooks.
[0031] It is to be understood that while a certain form of the
invention is illustrated, it is not to be limited to the specific
form or arrangement herein described and shown. It will be apparent
to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made
without departing from the scope of the invention and the invention
is not to be considered limited to what is shown and described in
the specification and any drawings/figures included herein.
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