U.S. patent number 3,672,624 [Application Number 05/130,605] was granted by the patent office on 1972-06-27 for shelf bracket structure.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Baldwin Tool, Inc.. Invention is credited to James R. Keller.
United States Patent |
3,672,624 |
Keller |
June 27, 1972 |
SHELF BRACKET STRUCTURE
Abstract
A shelf bracket structure includes a wood shelf bracket having a
channel in its upper surface extending from the rear end of the
bracket part way along the bracket and a hole spaced from such end
of the bracket and extending from the bottom of the channel
downwardly and rearwardly of the bracket. A metal attaching member
has a horizontal body portion received in the channel and a
downwardly and rearwardly bent end portion received in the hole of
the bracket. The other end of the attaching member has an upwardly
extending portion for attaching the bracket to a wall or other
support. This upwardly extending portion may be positioned
rearwardly of the bracket for hooking engagement in a hole in a
support strip or in a modification may have a rear surface flush
with the rear end surface of the bracket and a hole extending
through the upwardly extending portion to receive a screw or other
fastener for securing the attaching member to a wall or other
support member.
Inventors: |
Keller; James R. (Portland,
OR) |
Assignee: |
Baldwin Tool, Inc. (Hillsboro,
OR)
|
Family
ID: |
22445469 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/130,605 |
Filed: |
April 2, 1971 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
248/243;
211/90.01; 248/915; 108/108; 248/345 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47B
57/52 (20130101); Y10S 248/915 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47B
57/00 (20060101); A47B 57/52 (20060101); A47g
029/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;248/235,243,241,244,245
;211/90,88,134,148 ;108/108,106,152 ;52/36 ;312/242 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Foss; J. Franklin
Claims
I claim:
1. A shelf bracket structure, which comprises;
a shelf bracket having a vertically extending rear end surface for
positioning against a vertical support surface and a forwardly
extending upper surface having a channel in said upper surface
extending forwardly from said rear end surface part way along said
bracket and a hole spaced from said rear end surface and extending
from said channel downwardly and rearwardly in said bracket;
an attaching member having an elongated body portion positioned in
said channel and having a downwardly and rearwardly bent portion on
one end of said member positioned in said hole in said bracket;
said bracket structure having means including an upwardly bent
portion on the other end of said attaching member for fastening
said attaching member to said support.
2. The shelf bracket structure of claim 1 which also includes;
a strip having means for attachment in a vertically extending
position to a supporting structure to provide said support
surface;
said strip having a plurality of holes spaced along said strip and
extending from the front of said strip through said strip;
said upwardly bent portion on said attaching member being
positioned rearwardly of said rear end surface of said bracket for
insertion into one of said holes in said strip so as to engage said
upwardly bent portion with a rear surface of said strip.
3. The shelf bracket structure of claim 2, in which;
said strip has a vertically extending groove in its rear surface
into which said holes in said strip extend and said upwardly bent
portion is received in said groove.
4. The shelf bracket structure of claim 3, in which;
said strip has a vertically extending channel in its front surface
for receiving the rear end of said shelf bracket.
5. The shelf bracket structure of claim 1, in which;
said upwardly bent portion on said attaching member has its rear
surface substantially flush with said rear end surface of said
bracket and is provided with a hole for reception of a fastening
element for securing said attaching member to a supporting surface.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Wooden shelf brackets for attachment to a vertically extending
support strip in any of a plurality of positions along the strip or
for direct attachment to a wall are particularly attractive. Such
brackets can be of relatively small cross section even at their
ends which are attached to and in contact with the surface of a
wall or other support, so far as vertically directed shear stresses
imposed on the bracket by a loaded shelf are concerned. The same is
true of horizontally directed compression stresses on the lower
portion of the ends in contact with such surface, but it has been
found difficult to devise a connection which will sustain the
horizontally directed tension stresses between the support and the
upper portion of the ends of the bracket attached to the strip.
SUMMARY
The present invention provides an improved bracket structure in
which the tension stresses referred to above are more efficiently
distributed to the bracket. The improved attaching structure has
the advantage that the application of tension stresses to the
bracket is closer to the upper surface of the bracket than in prior
brackets, thus reducing the magnitude of such stresses for a given
load on the shelf bracket and these stresses are distributed to the
bracket by a downwardly and rearwardly bent end portion of the
attaching member fitting in a corresponding hole in the bracket so
as to also lock the bracket in position vertically of the strip.
While the attaching structure was developed for and is particularly
suitable for wooden shelf brackets, it has utility for shelf
brackets made of other materials, such as molded plastic or even
lightweight metal.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a shelf bracket mounted in accordance
with the present invention on a portion of a support strip with
portions broken away to show internal structure;
FIG. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 2--2 of FIG. 1
with the shelf bracket shown in plan view;
FIG. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 3--3 of FIG.
1;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on the line 4--4 of
FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary rear elevation of the support strip and a
portion of the attaching member of FIG. 5 as viewed along the line
5--5 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a front elevation of the portion of the support strip of
FIG. 1;
FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 with a shelf bracket in position
on a support strip and a filler strip in a channel in the front of
the strip;
FIG. 8 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing a modified
fastening member in position in a shelf bracket; and
FIG. 9 is a front elevation of the attaching member of FIG. 8.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The structure shown in FIGS. 1 to 7 includes a shelf bracket 10, a
support strip 12 for the shelf, and a metal attaching member 14 for
detachably securing the shelf bracket to the support strip.
The support strip 12 is secured in a vertically extending position
to a wall or other supporting surface by wood screws or other
fastening elements (not shown) which extend through holes 16 in the
support strip. This strip is provided with a longitudinal
rearwardly facing groove 18 in its rear portion for receiving a
bent up rear end portion 20 of the attaching member 14. The support
strip 12 also has a forwardly facing shallow rectangular channel 22
in its front portion for receiving a vertically extending rear
portion 24 of the shelf bracket 10. A plurality of holes 26 extend
rearwardly through the support strip 12 from the channel 22 into
the groove 18 and are spaced along the strip for receiving the rear
end of a body portion 28 of the attaching member 14.
The bracket 10 has an upwardly facing channel 30 in its upper shelf
supporting surface 32 extending from the rear end surface 34 of the
shelf bracket forwardly part way along the bracket for receiving
the front part of the body portion 28 of the attaching member 14.
The bracket also contains a hole 36 extending from the forward
portion of the channel 30 and inclined downwardly and rearwardly in
the bracket for receiving a downwardly and rearwardly bent front
end portion 38 of the attaching member 14. A shelf 40 shown in
phantom view in FIG. 1 may be supported on the upper surface of the
shelf bracket 10.
The shelf bracket 10 can be easily installed on the support strip
12 by first inserting the downwardly bent front portion 38 of the
attaching member 14 in the hole 36 in the shelf bracket and
positioning the front part of the body portion 28 of the attaching
member in the channel 30 of the shelf bracket. The shelf bracket 10
is then tipped to elevate its front end relative to its rear end
portion 24 and the upwardly bent rear end portion 20 of the
attaching member inserted into and passed through a hole 26 in the
support strip by a simultaneous rearward movement and downwardly
pivoting movement of the shelf bracket.
The rear end portion 24 of the shelf bracket fits the channel 22 in
the front portion of the support strip 12 and the rear end surface
34 of the shelf bracket is cammed into close contact with the
bottom surface of the channel 22 by the contacting surfaces of the
downwardly and rearwardly bent portion 38 of the attaching member
14 and the downwardly and rearwardly inclined hole 36 as a result
of the weight of the bracket 10, the shelf 40 and any load on this
shelf. The shelf bracket is held against rotation about its
longitudinal axis by the sides of the channel 22. The load on the
bracket is supported by the portion 38 of the attaching member in
conjunction with the frictional engagement of the rear end of the
shelf bracket with the surfaces of the channel 22. A rigid and
structurally strong connection is thus provided between the shelf
bracket and the support strip which will withstand the tension
stresses above discussed and which also enables the bracket to be
easily removed from the support strip by a reversal of the
attaching operation above described.
In order to provide a finished front surface for the support strip
12 a filler strip 42, which is preferably a thin strip of wood
veneer fitting the channel 22, may be cut to length and adhesively
secured in the exposed portions of the channel after a shelf
bracket 10, or a plurality of vertically spaced shelf brackets,
have been attached to the support strip. Usually a plurality of
support strips 12 and brackets 10 are employed to support one or
more shelves.
In the modified structure shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the shelf bracket
10 may be identical with the shelf bracket 10 of FIGS. 1 and 2. A
modified attaching member 44 also has a body portion 28 positioned
in the groove 30 of the bracket and a downwardly and rearwardly
extending portion 38 positioned in the hole 36. The attaching
member 44, however, has a bent up portion 46 which has its rear
surface 48 substantially flush with the rear surface 34 of the
shelf bracket 10. This bent up portion is flattened and provided
with a countersunk hole 50 for the reception of a screw 52 or other
elongated fastening element for fastening the attaching member to
the surface of a wall 54 or other support. The bracket structure of
FIGS. 8 and 9 also effectively distributes tension stresses to the
bracket 10. Tightening of the screw 52 holds the attaching member
44 and bracket 10 in position on the surface of the wall 54.
* * * * *