Patent Application
20120000871
This invention relates to shelving and more particularly to a shelving unit offering improved structural and load support.
It is known to provide shelving having vertical corner columns, cross-beams and shelves supported by the beams in a variety of configurations. Structural integrity and load capacity are significant factors in the unit design. The load stresses caused by overloading or asymmetric loading can twist or sag shelving components.
Accordingly, it is desired to provide a shelving unit having improved structural configuration and improved resistance to deformation due to loading.
It is another objection of the invention to provide improved shelf support beams in combination with structural support elements.
It is also an objective of this invention to provide an improved shelving unit which can be shipped in a flat disassembled state and easily erected to provide a structurally sound and improved shelving unit.
To these ends, a preferred embodiment of the invention includes a four-column shelving unit having unique front and rear shelf-support beams respectively therebetween and a cooperating tie bar having ends fitting into the beams at positions intermediate the beam ends and defining upper shelf-supporting flanges extending perpendicular to the front and rear beams. The tie bar is preferably a formed channel having horizontally-extended, shelf-supporting flanges along its upper edges. The front and rear beams are formed to define an upper shelf supporting flange and a lower flange which cooperate to capture the ends of a tie bar disposed therebetween.
This combination of preferred elements produces a number of unique advantages. The tie bar provides direct structural support for the shelf medium. Extended between front and rear beams, the tie bar configuration maintains the central dimension which is spanned by shelf capacity loads. The tie bar prevents twisting of the front and rear beams otherwise due to excessive loading. The tie bar provides an additional safety factor in the event of uneven loading by an end user.
Use of such beam and tie bar in combination provides significant structural and support features over prior known shelving units with little additional cost.
This shelving unit can easily be provided in disassembled flat format, and is easy to erect at the point of display or use as will be described.
These and other objectives and advantages will be readily understood from the following written description of the drawings in which:
It will be appreciated that the invention also provides an aesthetic appearance apart and differentiated from functional aspects of the claimed structure. A related design application is filed on even date herewith and is granted U.S. Ser. No. 29/365,087.
Turning now to the drawings, a shelving unit 10 according to the invention is illustrated in
Shelves 20, 22, 24 may be of any suitable medium. For example, shelves 20 and 24 comprise wire shelves including a plurality of woven or cross-set wires making up a shelf. Shelf 22, on the other hand, may be solid, laminated, honeycombed or other configurations of one or more suitable materials such as wood, particle board or other compositions.
The columns 11-14 are provided preferably in two joined sets, columns 11, 12 forming one side set and columns 13, 14, another side set. Each column set has a plurality of horizontal, welded-in braces 26, 27 and at least one inclined, welded-in brace 28. The columns 11, 12, and 13, 14, together with their respective braces 26-28 comprise side supports of the shelving unit 10.
The columns 11-14 are preferably slotted, as at 29, to accommodate tabs 30, extending from mounting brackets 32 supported ends of the respective front and rear beams 16, 18 as will be described. The similar slots 29 in columns 11 and 14 do not appear in the FIGS. due to the column orientation but are nevertheless used in the mounting of rear beams 18 on the same way as front beams 16.
Each of the front and rear beams 16, 18 have an L-shaped or angular mounting bracket 32 mounted or welded at the ends of the respective beams 16, 18. Each bracket 32 has two sides 33, 34 at 90 degrees to each other. Side 33 is essentially parallel to the face of the columns 11-14 having the slots 29, while side 34 is generally perpendicular thereto. Tabs 30 are typically provided in the side 33, however, may also be provided in side 34 for cooperation with slots 35 in the sides of columns 11-4 as shown. Sides 34 of the brackets 32 are secured to the end of a beam 16, 18 as by welding.
A tie bar 38 is disposed across the assembled shelf unit 10, fitted into or captured by front and rear beams 16, 18 as noted below. Tie bar 38 is preferably in a C-shaped, channel-like, configuration having a bight 39, upstanding sides 40, 41 and shelf-support flanges 42, 43 extending along upper edges of sides 40, 41 and generally lying in a horizontal orientation (see
Each beam 16, 18 is a formed beam, preferably of metal. Each beam has a vertical face 46, an upper surface 47, a short inward face 48 and a shelf-supporting flange 49. Each beam 16, 18 has a lower flange 50, parallel to flange 49.
As noted, shelf unit 10 can be shipped in flat, disassembled form with the components shown in
At the point of use, the components are unpacked and assembled. The side structures principally formed of column sets 11, 12 and 13, 14 are positioned and beams 16, 18 attached thereto by means of brackets 32 and then tabs 30 cooperating with slots 29, 35.
As then illustrated in
The ends of the tie bar 38 thus engage the beams 16, 18 in a position to resist any twisting of the beams 16, 18, while the engagement of the tie bar ends between the flanges 49, 50 of the beams adds additional structural rigidity to the interconnection of the beams 16, 18 and bars 38. A screw, rivet or other fastener 53 (
In this regard, it will be appreciated that the height of the tie bar between the bottom surface of the bight portion 39 and the upper surfaces of flanges 42, 43 is approximately equal to the distance between the facing surfaces of parallel flanges 49, 50.
Accordingly, the invention provides significant and unique advantages in a shelving unit. It will be appreciated that if a shelf is asymmetrically or overloaded, the extra support provided by tie bar 38 directly supporting the shelf via contact of flanges 42, 43 prevents shelf sagging. The direct support of a shelf by direct engagement with tie bar 38 provides structural integrity.
Moreover, the engagement of the ends of tie bar 38 with beams 16, 18 prevents their twisting under heavy loads as might otherwise occur due to load torque. The unique cooperation of the ends of the tie bars 38 within the beams 16, 18 and the flanges 49, 50 thereof coordinates significant and unique structural rigidity providing load support twist resistance and additional safety factors in the event of uneven loading by an end user. Securement of the tie bar 38 ends to beams 16, 18 also maintains the center dimensions between the beams, adding to the integrity and stability of the shelving unit 10.
These and other modifications and advantages of the invention will be readily appreciated by the foregoing to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention and applicant intends to be bound only by the claims appended hereto.
