U.S. patent application number 11/418621 was filed with the patent office on 2007-11-08 for connector for shelving.
Invention is credited to Gary M. Lim.
Application Number | 20070256613 11/418621 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38660065 |
Filed Date | 2007-11-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070256613 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lim; Gary M. |
November 8, 2007 |
Connector for shelving
Abstract
A shelving system includes a post, a shelf, a first connector
piece and a second connector piece. The post has a plurality of
spaced-apart grooves. The first connector piece has a C-shaped
section with an inner surface and an outer surface, the first
connector piece further including a protruding ridge extending
radially from the inner surface, a horizontal support plate
extending from the outer surface, and a support portion. The second
connector plate has a C-shaped section with an inner surface, the
first connector piece further including a protruding ridge
extending radially from the inner surface and a support portion
that is removably coupled to the support portion of the first
connector piece. The shelf has a portion thereof that is supported
on top of the horizontal support plate. The protruding ridges of
the first and second connector plates are retained inside a groove
of the post when the first and second connector pieces are
connected together.
Inventors: |
Lim; Gary M.; (Palos Verdes
Peninsula, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Raymond Sun
12420 Woodhall Way
Tustin
CA
92782
US
|
Family ID: |
38660065 |
Appl. No.: |
11/418621 |
Filed: |
May 5, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
108/147.12 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F16B 12/42 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
108/147.12 |
International
Class: |
A47B 9/00 20060101
A47B009/00 |
Claims
1. A shelving system, comprising: a post having a plurality of
spaced-apart grooves; a first connector piece having a C-shaped
section with an inner surface and an outer surface, the first
connector piece further including a protruding ridge extending
radially from the inner surface, a horizontal support plate
extending from the outer surface, and a support portion; a second
connector plate having a C-shaped section with an inner surface,
the first connector piece further including a protruding ridge
extending radially from the inner surface and a support portion
that is removably coupled to the support portion of the first
connector piece; a shelf having a portion thereof supported on top
of the horizontal support plate; and wherein the protruding ridges
of the first and second connector plates are retained inside a
groove of the post when the first and second connector pieces are
connected together.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the horizontal support plate has
an upper surface, and further including: a holder provided on the
upper surface of the horizontal support plate; and a screw
extending through an opening on the shelf and connected to the
holder.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the support portion of the first
connector piece comprises two separate supports provided on
opposite ends of the C-shaped section of the first connector piece,
and the support portion of the second connector piece comprises two
separate supports provided on opposite ends of the C-shaped section
of the second connector piece, with each support on each connector
piece removably connected to a corresponding support on the other
connector piece.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the protruding ridges extend from
about the center of the inner surface of the first and second
connector pieces.
5. A connector for a shelving system, comprising: a first connector
piece having a C-shaped section with an inner surface and an outer
surface, the first connector piece further including a protruding
ridge extending radially from the inner surface, a horizontal
support plate extending from the outer surface, and a support
portion; and a second connector plate having a C-shaped section
with an inner surface, the first connector piece further including
a protruding ridge extending radially from the inner surface and a
support portion that is removably coupled to the support portion of
the first connector piece; wherein the protruding ridges of the
first and second connector plates are adapted to be retained inside
a groove of a post when the first and second connector pieces are
connected together.
6. The connector of claim 5, wherein the horizontal support plate
has an upper surface, and further including a holder provided on
the upper surface of the horizontal support plate.
7. The connector of claim 5, wherein the support portion of the
first connector piece comprises two separate supports provided on
opposite ends of the C-shaped section of the first connector piece,
and the support portion of the second connector piece comprises two
separate supports provided on opposite ends of the C-shaped section
of the second connector piece, with each support on each connector
piece removably connected to a corresponding support on the other
connector piece.
8. The connector of claim 5, wherein the protruding ridges extend
from about the center of the inner surface of the first and second
connector pieces.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to shelving apparatus, and in
particular, to a connector for supporting a shelf at a desired
vertical location along the poles of a shelving rack.
[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0004] Knock-down shelving systems have been very popular in recent
times. Knock-down shelving refers to shelving racks having modular
components (e.g., shelves, connectors and support posts) that can
be assembled and disassembled relatively quickly and conveniently,
so that the user can (i) deploy the shelving rack at any number of
different locations, and/or (ii) re-configure the shelving rack by
adding or omitting shelves and posts.
[0005] There are numerous knock-down shelving systems that are
available in the market. Unfortunately, most of these assemblies
suffer from one of many drawbacks, but the most common problem
relates to the connector that connects each shelf to a specific
vertical level or location along the support post. The connector
must simultaneously meet all of the following objectives: (i) it
must allow stable and secure connection of the shelf to the post,
(ii) it must be easy and convenient to connect and dis-connect, and
(iii) it should have a simple construction to minimize production
cost. Unfortunately, none of the currently-available knock-down
shelving systems meet all of these three objectives.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] It is an object of the present invention to provide a
connector for a knock-down shelving system that provides a stable
and secure connection of the shelf to the support post.
[0007] It is another object of the present invention to provide a
connector for a knock-down shelving system that is easy and
convenient to connect and dis-connect.
[0008] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide
a connector for a knock-down shelving system that has a simple
construction.
[0009] In order to accomplish the above-described and other objects
of the present invention, the present invention provides a shelving
system having a post, a shelf, a first connector piece and a second
connector piece. The post has a plurality of spaced-apart grooves.
The first connector piece has a C-shaped section with an inner
surface and an outer surface, the first connector piece further
including a protruding ridge extending radially from the inner
surface, a horizontal support plate extending from the outer
surface, and a support portion. The second connector plate has a
C-shaped section with an inner surface, the first connector piece
further including a protruding ridge extending radially from the
inner surface and a support portion that is removably coupled to
the support portion of the first connector piece. The shelf has a
portion thereof that is supported on top of the horizontal support
plate. The protruding ridges of the first and second connector
plates are retained inside a groove of the post when the first and
second connector pieces are connected together.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a connector and a
support post according to one embodiment of the present
invention.
[0011] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the connector and
support post of FIG. 1 as viewed from a different angle.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the shelf support piece of
the connector in FIGS. 1 and 2.
[0013] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the connector and support
post of FIG. 1 shown with the connector secured at a vertical
location along the support post.
[0014] FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of the connector and
support post of FIG. 1 shown with the connector secured at a
vertical location along the support post, and with a shelf
supported on the connector.
[0015] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a knock-down shelving rack
assembly according to the present invention utilizing the connector
and support post of FIG. 1.
[0016] FIG. 7 is a bottom perspective view of the connector and
support post of FIG. 1 shown with the connector secured at a
vertical location along the support post, and with a shelf
supported on the connector.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0017] The following detailed description is of the best presently
contemplated modes of carrying out the invention. This description
is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the
purpose of illustrating general principles of embodiments of the
invention. The scope of the invention is best defined by the
appended claims.
[0018] The present invention provides a connector and support post
system that has a simple construction, and which can be easily and
conveniently assembled for use, and taken down for storage,
re-configuration or transportion. In addition, each connector
provides a stable support for a portion of a shelf.
[0019] Referring first to FIGS. 1-4, the basic structure of the
present invention includes a support post 10 and a connector. The
connector includes a shelf support piece 12 and a clamp piece 14.
The support post 10 can be similar to any conventional metal or
stainless steel support post that is used for such knock-down
shelving, and has a generally cylindrical configuration with a
plurality of grooves 16 provided at spaced-apart locations along
the vertical length of the support post 10. In this regard, the
connector can be used with most conventional posts 10, because many
of the posts 10 that are currently available in the marketplace
have a plurality of grooves 16 that are spaced apart along the
length of the post 10. FIGS. 5-7 illustrate a shelf 100 that can be
supported by the connectors.
[0020] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the shelf support piece 12 has a
generally semi-circular or C-shaped wall or section 20 which can be
made of a sufficiently rigid material, such as aluminum or plastic.
The section 20 has a protruding ridge 22 that extends radially
inwardly throughout the curvature of the inner surface 24 thereof,
and can be positioned at about the center of the inner surface 24
between the top edge 26 and the bottom edge 28 of the section 20. A
planar connecting support 30 extends from one end of the section
20, and another planar connecting support 32 extends from the other
end of the section 20. A threaded through-hole 34 and 36 extends
through each support 30 and 32, respectively. A shelf support plate
40 extends horizontally from the outer wall 42 of the section 20.
The shelf support plate 40 is connected to the outer wall 42 via a
vertical wall 44 that is transverse to the plate 40, and which
together with the plate 40 defines a shoulder 46. The vertical wall
44 is secured at its central portion to the outer wall 42 of the
section 20. A plurality (e.g., two) of cylindrical holders 50
extend vertically from the upper surface 52 of the plate 40. Each
holder 50 has a threaded bore 54. In one embodiment of the present
invention, the section 20, the vertical wall 44 and the plate 40
can be provided (e.g., molded) in one piece, although it is also
possible to provide the section 20, the vertical wall 44 and the
plate 40 in separate pieces and then weld or otherwise attach them
together using techniques that are known in the art. The vertical
wall 44 and the plate 40 can be made of a sufficiently rigid
material, such as aluminum or plastic, and can be provided in the
same material as the section 20.
[0021] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the clamp piece 14 has a
generally semi-circular or C-shaped wall or section 60 which can be
made of a sufficiently rigid material, such as aluminum or plastic.
The section 60 corresponds to the section 20, and similarly has a
protruding ridge 62 that extends radially inwardly throughout the
curvature of the inner wall 64 thereof, and can be positioned at
about the center of the inner surface 64 between the top edge 66
and the bottom edge 68 of the section 60. A planar connecting
support 70 extends from one end of the section 60, and another
planar connecting support 72 extends from the other end of the
section 60. A threaded through-hole 74 and 76 extends through each
support 70 and 72, respectively.
[0022] The supports 30 and 70 are adapted to be coupled to each
other, and the supports 32 and 72 are adapted to be coupled to each
other, when the pieces 12 and 14 are secured together at a groove
16 along the post 10. The pieces 12 and 14 are secured together by
first pressing the pieces 12 and 14 against a selected groove 16 so
that the ridges 22 and 62, respectively, are received inside the
groove 16, then threading a screw 80 through the aligned
through-holes 34 and 74, and then threading another screw 82
through the aligned through-holes 36 and 76. FIG. 4 illustrates the
pieces 12 and 14 secured to each other at a groove 16 along the
post 10. The retention of the ridges 22 and 62 inside the groove 16
secures the pieces 12 and 14 at the location of the selected groove
16.
[0023] To assemble a knock-down shelving rack using the posts 10
and connector of the present invention, the user utilizes at least
two posts 10 (see FIG. 6), and secures connectors to the selected
grooves 16 at which shelves 100 are to be located. The connectors
are secured in the manner described above. A plurality of screws
102 are used to secure each shelf 100 to the corresponding
connectors. In particular, sets of openings 104 are provided
adjacent the edges 106, 108 of each shelf 100, with the sets of
openings 104 aligned with the bores 54 of each set of corresponding
holders 50. The shelf 100 is positioned between two or more
connectors on the same vertical level with the openings 104 aligned
with the holders 50, and then a screw 102 is passed through each
opening 104 and threaded into the corresponding bore 54. The shelf
100 is secured to the connectors after a screw 102 has been
threaded to all the aligned openings 104 and bores 54.
[0024] To dis-assemble the knock-down shelving system, the user
simply unscrews the screws 102, lifts up each shelf 100, and then
unscrews each screw 80 and 82 at each connector to disengage the
pieces 12, 14 from the posts 10. Thus, the assembly and
dis-assembly of the knock-down shelving system can be accomplished
quickly and conveniently.
[0025] While the description above refers to particular embodiments
of the present invention, it will be understood that many
modifications may be made without departing from the spirit
thereof. The accompanying claims are intended to cover such
modifications as would fall within the true scope and spirit of the
present invention.
* * * * *