U.S. patent application number 17/026397 was filed with the patent office on 2021-01-07 for shelving unit with capacity increasing shelving.
The applicant listed for this patent is Edsal Manufacturing Company, Inc.. Invention is credited to Mitchell E. Bianchin, Mitchell Liss, Christopher Quick.
Application Number | 20210000254 17/026397 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | |
Filed Date | 2021-01-07 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20210000254 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Liss; Mitchell ; et
al. |
January 7, 2021 |
SHELVING UNIT WITH CAPACITY INCREASING SHELVING
Abstract
A shelving unit is disclosed and includes a plurality of posts,
a plurality of shelf-supporting beams attached to the plurality of
posts to form a shelf support frame, and a shelf. The shelf has a
plurality of sides seated on the shelf support frame. The plurality
of the sides of the shelf includes a depending flange. At least one
of the depending flanges extends downwardly along a respective
shelf-supporting beam between about 30% and about 100% of the width
of the shelf-supporting beam. Another shelf unit is further
disclosed where the shelves include a color that corresponds to a
color-coded system for organizing the storage of items on the
shelving unit. A method of organizing a shelving unit utilizing the
color-coded shelf system is also disclosed.
Inventors: |
Liss; Mitchell; (Northbrook,
IL) ; Quick; Christopher; (Mokena, IL) ;
Bianchin; Mitchell E.; (Villa Park, IL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Edsal Manufacturing Company, Inc. |
Chicago |
IL |
US |
|
|
Appl. No.: |
17/026397 |
Filed: |
September 21, 2020 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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16689468 |
Nov 20, 2019 |
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17026397 |
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62772133 |
Nov 28, 2018 |
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62771865 |
Nov 27, 2018 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
International
Class: |
A47B 57/48 20060101
A47B057/48; A47B 96/02 20060101 A47B096/02; A47B 47/02 20060101
A47B047/02 |
Claims
1. A shelving unit, comprising: a plurality of posts; a plurality
of shelf-supporting beams attached to the plurality of posts to
form a shelf support frame; and a shelf seated on the shelf support
frame, wherein each of the shelves includes a color that
corresponds to a color-coded system for organizing the storage of
items on the shelving unit.
2. The shelving unit of claim 1, wherein each shelf has a unique
color.
3. The shelving unit of claim 1, wherein the shelf includes a wire
rack, wherein the wire rack is colored.
4. The shelving unit of claim 1, further comprising a storage
container, wherein the storage container is colored to match a
corresponding colored shelf.
5. A method of organizing a shelving unit, comprising: providing a
plurality of posts; providing a plurality of shelf-supporting beams
attached to the plurality of posts to form a shelf support frame;
and providing a shelf seated on the shelf support frame, wherein
the shelf includes a color that corresponds to a color-coded system
for organizing the storage of items on the shelving unit.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the shelf includes a wire rack,
wherein the wire rack is colored.
7. The method of claim 5, further comprising: assigning a category
of item to a color, wherein the color corresponds to a colored
shelf.
8. The method of claim 7, further comprising: stowing an item on
the colored shelf based on visual recognition of the colored shelf
and the category of item assigned to the colored shelf.
9. The method of claim 7, further comprising: utilizing a storage
container, wherein the storage container is colored to match a
corresponding colored shelf.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 16/689,468, filed on Nov. 20, 2019 which claims the
benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/771,865,
filed on Nov. 27, 2018 (pending) and U.S. Provisional Patent
Application Ser. No. 62/772,133, filed Nov. 28, 2018 (pending), the
disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein in their
entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to shelving units, and more
particularly to shelves that "wrap around" shelf-supporting beams
of the shelving units to increase the load-bearing capacity of the
shelving unit. The invention also relates to a shelving unit having
color-coded shelves that provide for enhanced organization of
storage on the shelves.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Shelving units are commonly used for storing various items
in a space-efficient manner. Typical shelving units may include
four or more vertical supporting posts, any suitable number of
shelf-supporting beams extending respectively between the front
pair and rear pair of posts, and a corresponding number of shelves
resting on and supported by the beams. Such shelving units may be
constructed at least partially of sheet metal or formed steel
components and are commonly referred to as steel shelving or
storage units.
[0004] As loads are applied to such shelving units, such as by
loading heavy items onto the shelves thereof, the shelves are
susceptible to undesirable bowing or bending out of their
positions, particularly when strained beyond their capacity to
remain in their design position. This bowing presents undesirable
structural responses and could lead to shelving failure. For
example, undue bowing or bending of a shelving unit under load
could permanently deform the shelf, allowing the shelf to pull away
from the shelf-supporting beams of the shelving unit thereby
rendering the shelf inoperable for future use, or the shelf could
fail thereby catastrophically destroying the shelving unit.
[0005] Some attempts have been made to address these issues. By way
of example, Applicant's prior U.S. application Ser. No. 15/937,061,
filed Mar. 27, 2018, the disclosure of which is incorporated by
reference herein in its entirety, discloses a number of tie
members, such a tie bars and tie rods, that prevent or limit the
shelf-supporting beams from twisting or otherwise distorting away
from their original positions, to thereby increase the load-bearing
capacity of the shelving unit.
[0006] Shelving units are commonly used for storing a wide variety
of items in a space-efficient manner. However, such shelving units
can quickly become disorganized with items being placed on the
shelves in a random manner that makes locating desired items
frustrating and time consuming. In this regard, for conventional
shelving there is typically no means to allow a user to quickly
know on what shelf a particular item is located.
[0007] While such designs as those disclosed in Applicant's prior
application are generally successful for their intended purpose,
manufacturers continually strive to improve the structural
integrity and load-bearing capacity of shelving units in an
efficient and cost-effective manner. Moreover, there is a need for
an improved system and method for organizing the storage items on
the shelving unit in an improved manner and allowing a user to more
quickly know where a desired item may be stored.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] A shelving unit includes a plurality of posts, a plurality
of shelf-supporting beams, and a shelf. The plurality of shelf
supporting beams attach to the plurality of posts to form a shelf
support frame. The plurality of shelf-supporting beams may also
include a front shelf-supporting beam, a rear shelf-supporting
beam, and a pair of side shelf-supporting beams to support the
shelf. The shelf sits upon the shelf support frame. Optionally, the
shelf may include a wire rack. The shelving unit may include a
plurality of shelf support frames and a plurality of shelves
engaged with the respective shelf support frames.
[0009] In an exemplary embodiment, the shelf include a generally
planar portion with depending flanges extending from the generally
planar portion of the shelf at an angle between about 75 degrees to
about 90 degrees. At least one of the depending flanges of the
shelf extends downwardly along a respective shelf-supporting beam
that the shelf sits upon. Further, the shelf may include a
depending flange for each of the shelf-supporting beams. The
depending flange may extend downwardly along the shelf-supporting
beam between about 30% and about 100% of the width of the
shelf-supporting beam.
[0010] Alternatively, each of the depending flanges of the shelf
may extend downwardly along a respective shelf-supporting beam
between about 30% and about 100% of the width of the
shelf-supporting beam. More specifically, at least one of the
depending flanges may extend downwardly from the shelf along a
respective shelf-supporting beam between about 50% and about 100%
of the width of the shelf-supporting beam. Even more specifically,
at least one of the depending flanges may extend downwardly from
the shelf along a respective shelf-supporting beam about 50% of the
width of the shelf-supporting beam.
[0011] The plurality of self-supporting beams may be attached to
the plurality of posts by means of releasable fastening means. The
releasable fastening means may include a plurality of locking pins
and a plurality of corresponding keyholes for the respective
locking pins. The locking pins are configured to be inserted into
and received by the corresponding keyholes in order to lock the
shelf-supporting beams in place.
[0012] In one embodiment, a shelving unit may feature a shelf that
includes a color that corresponds to a color-coded system for
organizing the storage of items on the shelving unit. Preferably,
each shelf has a unique color. Optionally, the shelf may include a
colored wire rack corresponding to the color-coded system. The
shelving unit may further include a storage container colored to
match a corresponding colored shelf.
[0013] In another embodiment, a method of organizing a shelving
unit includes providing a plurality of posts, providing a plurality
of shelf-supporting beams, and providing a shelf. The plurality of
shelf-supporting beams attach to the plurality of posts to form a
shelf support frame. The shelf sits upon the shelf support frame.
For this method of organizing, the shelf includes a color that
corresponds to a color-coded system for arranging the storage of
items on the shelving unit. Optionally, the shelf may include a
colored wire rack. The method of organizing a shelving unit may
further include assigning a category of item to a color, the color
corresponding to a colored shelf. Further, the method may include
stowing an item on the colored shelf based on visual recognition of
colored shelf and the category of item assigned to the color of the
colored shelf. Additionally, the method may also include utilizing
a storage container that is colored to match a corresponding
colored shelf for stowing items.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] Various additional features and advantages of the invention
will become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art
upon review of the following detailed description of one or more
illustrative embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and
constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one or more
embodiments of the invention and, together with the general
description given above and the detailed description given below,
serve to explain the one or more embodiments of the invention.
[0015] FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an exemplary shelving unit in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
[0016] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an individual shelf of the
shelving unit of FIG. 1;
[0017] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the shelf of FIG. 2; and
[0018] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a corner portion of the shelf
of FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a shelving unit 10 includes four
corner posts 12 arranged in a generally rectangular configuration.
A front pair of corner posts 12 cooperate to carry a front
horizontal shelf-supporting beam 14, a rear pair of corner posts 12
cooperate to carry a rear horizontal shelf-supporting beam 16, and
corresponding pairs of front and rear corner posts 12 cooperate to
carry side horizontal shelf-supporting beams 18, 20. The horizontal
shelf-supporting beams 14, 16, 18, 20 are configured to support a
shelf 22. In an exemplary embodiment, the horizontal
shelf-supporting beams 14, 16, 18, 20 are configured to be
selectively coupled to the posts 12 via releasable fastening means.
By way of example and without limitation, each of the horizontal
shelf-supporting beams 14, 16, 18, 20 may include one or more
locking pins 24 that are configured to be received within
corresponding keyholes 26 that are distributed along the length of
the corner posts 12. The coupling of the horizontal
shelf-supporting beams 14, 16, 18, 20 to the corner posts 12 may be
adjustable such that the number of horizontal shelf-supporting
beams 14, 16, 18, 20 and their respective heights along the posts
12 may be varied as desired. The illustrated shelving unit 10 in
includes five horizontal shelves 22, such that a total of five sets
of front, rear, and side horizontal shelf-supporting beams 14, 16,
18, 20 are used. However, it will be appreciated that any number of
shelves 22 and corresponding horizontal shelf-supporting beams 14,
16, 18, 20 may be used, as may be desired.
[0020] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, each horizontal shelf-supporting
beam 14, 16, 18, 20 has two locking pins 24 located at each of the
terminal ends of the shelf-supporting beams 14, 16, 18, 20 that
corresponds to keyholes 26 on the corner posts 12 for a coupling
therebetween. The locking pins 24 of the shelf-supporting beams 14,
16, 18, 20 have radially enlarged head portions sized to
sufficiently facilitate coupling of the shelf-supporting beams 14,
16, 18, 20 to the posts 12 via the keyholes 26. However, it will be
understood that other suitable configurations of the locking pins
24 and keyholes 26 could also be used without departing from the
scope of the invention. For achieving the coupling, each locking
pin 24 is inserted into and received by a corresponding keyhole 26
of the respective front and rear sets of corner posts 12. As shown
in the exemplary embodiment, the radially enlarged portion of the
locking pin 24 may then be moved to a lower position along a
narrowed portion of the respective keyhole 26 in order to lock the
shelf-supporting beams 14, 16, 18, 20 in place. Each of the
terminal ends of the shelf-supporting beams are coupled to a corner
post 12 to create a level, horizontal structure, for supporting a
shelf 22.
[0021] In an exemplary embodiment, one or more of the shelves 22 of
the shelving unit 10, and preferably each of the shelves 22 of the
shelving unit 10, may be configured as a wire rack, including a
plurality of elongate members 28, 30 extending in generally
orthogonal directions to form a grid configuration 32 having
generally rectangular or square voids. The shelf 22 includes a
generally planar portion 34 and depending tabs or flanges 36 formed
by the elongate members 28, 30 but extending downwardly from the
planar portion 34. In one embodiment, the depending flanges 36 may
extend downwardly from the planar portion 34 at an angle of about
90 degrees. In an alternative embodiment, the depending flanges 36
may form an acute angle relative to the planar portion (e.g., so
that the depending flanges 36 are directed inwardly toward the
center of the shelf 22) between, for example and without
limitation, 75 degrees and 90 degrees. Other acute angles may also
be possible, however. As explained in more detail below, the
depending flanges 36 are configured to interact with the
shelf-supporting beams 14, 16, 18, 20 in such a way as to increase
the load-carrying capacity of the shelf 22 and the shelving unit
10.
[0022] To this end and in one aspect of the present invention, the
flanges 36 may depend from each of the sides of the shelf 22 (e.g.,
from each of the four sides of the rectangular shelf 22). Thus, not
only do the front and rear sides of the shelf 22 include a
depending flange 36, but the lateral sides of the shelf 22 also
include depending flanges 36. As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4, the
shelves 22 are configured to engage with the shelf-supporting beams
14, 16, 18, 20 so that the flanges 36 are disposed outboard of the
shelf-supporting beams 14, 16, 18, 20. The flanges 36 seat the
shelves 22 on the shelf-supporting beams 14, 16, 18, 20 so that
lateral movements of the shelves 22 relative to the
shelf-supporting beams 14, 16, 18, 20 are generally restricted.
Upward vertical movement of the shelves 22 relative to the
shelf-supporting beams 14, 16, 18, 20 is generally not prohibited,
however. Instead, the load carried by the shelves 22 generally
presses the shelves 22 to the tops of the shelf-supporting beams
14, 16, 18, 20 (e.g., typically no external fastener). The shelves
22 include a gap or cutout 38 to provide for the corner posts
12.
[0023] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention,
a relationship may exist between the length of the flanges 36 of
the shelf 22 and the width of the shelf-supporting beams 14, 16,
18, 20 that support the shelf 22. By way of example and without
limitation, in one embodiment, the flanges 36 extend downwardly
along the outer wall 40 of the shelf-supporting beams 14, 16, 18,
20 between about 30% to about 100% of the width of the
shelf-supporting beams 14, 16, 18, 20. In a preferred embodiment,
the flanges 36 extend downwardly along the outer wall 40 of the
shelf-supporting beams 14, 16, 18, 20 between about 50% to about
100% of the width of the shelf-supporting beams 14, 16, 18, 20. In
another preferred embodiment, flanges 36 extend downwardly along
the outer wall 40 of the shelf-supporting beams 14, 16, 18, 20 for
about 50% of the width of the shelf-supporting beams 14, 16, 18,
20. In this embodiment, for example and without limitation, the
flanges 36 extend to about the midpoint of the shelf-supporting
beams 14, 16, 18, 20.
[0024] Applicant believes that such embodiments, wherein the
flanges extend downwardly along the shelf-supporting beams 14, 16,
18, 20 for about 50% or more of the width of the shelf-supporting
beams 14, 16, 18, 20, provide certain benefits that increase the
load-bearing capacity of the shelves 22. In this regard, as loads
are applied to the shelf 22, such as by loading heavy items onto
the shelf 22, an initial amount of deformation causes the flanges
36 to more deeply engage or grip to the shelf-supporting beams 14,
16, 18, 20 thereby preventing further undesirable movement of the
shelf 22 downwardly within the frame formed by the shelf-supporting
beams 14, 16, 18, 20 (e.g., prevent shelf fall through). Moreover,
it is believed that the extended length of the flanges 36 along the
shelf-supporting beams 14, 16, 18, 20 more uniformly distributes
the forces acting on the shelf-supporting beams 14, 16, 18, 20,
thereby limiting the amount of twist or other movement of the
support beams 14, 16, 18, 20 away from their original positions.
These aspects, alone or in combination with each other, provide for
an increase in the loads carried by the shelves 22.
[0025] As discussed above, shelving units, such as shelving unit
10, are used to store a wide variety of items in a space-efficient
manner. However, such storage can quickly become disorganized,
making the location of a desired item frustrating and time
consuming. In another aspect of the present invention, such
shortcomings may be addressed through the use of a color-coded
system that enhances the organization of the various items on the
shelving unit. By way of example and without limitation, in an
embodiment shelving unit 10 includes five shelves 22. In an
embodiment, the wire deck that forms the shelves 22 may be color
coded. For example and without limitation, the lower most shelf 22
may be red, the next shelf 22 up may be yellow, followed by shelves
22 being green, blue, and orange. Of course, any array of colors
may be used on the shelves so long as the various shelves 22 may be
easily visually differentiated from each other. Additionally or
alternatively, items may be stored in bins or totes on the shelves
22 that have the color-code associated therewith. For example and
without limitation, the lids of the bins may be colored to match
the colored shelf.
[0026] With the shelves 22 of the shelving unit 10 (e.g., and/or
the bins stored thereon) being colored, a user may assign certain
categories of items to certain colors and then store corresponding
items on the shelf having that certain color. By way of example and
without limitation, a user may assign sporting equipment to the
color red, and then store sporting equipment on the shelf 22 having
a red color. A user may likewise assign automotive items, holiday
decorations, tools, etc. a certain color and store those items on a
correspondingly colored shelf. In this way, when a user wants a
certain item, they only need to know the color assigned to that
item and to locate the shelf having that color. Such a color-coded
system improves the organization of items to be stored and allows a
user to locate a desired item more quickly and without the
frustration accompanied by scouring a disorganized shelving
unit.
[0027] While the present invention has been illustrated by the
description of various embodiments thereof, and while the
embodiments have been described in considerable detail, it is not
intended to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended
claims to such detail. Thus, the various features discussed herein
may be used alone or in any combination. Additional advantages and
modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The
invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the
specific details and illustrative examples shown and described.
Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without
departing from the scope of the general inventive concept.
* * * * *