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.

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.

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.