Various embodiments relate to shelving assemblies, storage systems with shelving assemblies, and bracketry.
The prior art has provided shelving assemblies, storage systems, and storage systems with shelving assemblies that include upright rails for mounting to an upright support surface and/or shelf brackets installed into an upright support surface.
In one or more embodiments, a shelving assembly includes a shelf bracket having a base and sidewalls extending upwardly from the base, wherein a cavity is defined between the base and the sidewalls. The sidewalls collectively form an upper edge, and the base includes at least one aperture. The shelving assembly further includes a fastener having a head and a shank extending therefrom with a distal end, and an anchor including a channel sized to receive the fastener, where the anchor is arranged to be received in the shelf bracket with the channel aligned with the at least one aperture. The anchor is capable of retaining the fastener in a preinstallation position with respect to the shelf bracket wherein the head is below the base and the distal end of the shank is disposed within the cavity beneath the upper edge.
In one or more embodiments, a storage system includes an upright rail arranged to be attached to an upright support surface. A shelf bracket is arranged to be attached to the upright rail, the shelf bracket having a base and sidewalls extending upwardly from the base, wherein a cavity is defined between the base and the sidewalls. The sidewalls collectively form an upper edge, and the base includes at least one aperture. The storage system further includes a fastener having a head and a shank extending therefrom with a distal end, and an anchor including a channel sized to receive the fastener, where the anchor is arranged to be received in the shelf bracket with the channel aligned with the at least one aperture. The anchor is capable of retaining the fastener in a preinstallation position with respect to the shelf bracket wherein the head is below the base and the distal end of the shank is disposed within the cavity beneath the upper edge. A shelf is received on the upper edge of the shelf bracket, wherein the shelf bracket is arranged to be mounted to the shelf by moving the fastener from the preinstallation position to an installed position where the distal end of the shank extends above the upper edge to engage the shelf.
In one or more embodiments, a method for installing a shelving assembly includes providing a shelf, providing a shelf bracket having a base and sidewalls extending upwardly from the base, wherein a cavity is defined between the base and the sidewalls, the sidewalls collectively form an upper edge, and the base includes at least one aperture. The method further includes providing a fastener having a head and a shank extending therefrom with a distal end, providing an anchor including a channel sized to receive the fastener, inserting the anchor in the shelf bracket with the channel aligned with the at least one aperture, and inserting the fastener into the channel. The anchor retains the fastener in a preinstallation position with respect to the shelf bracket wherein the head is below the base and the distal end of the shank is disposed within the cavity beneath the upper edge. The method further includes installing the shelf by placing the shelf on the upper edge of the shelf bracket and moving the fastener from the preinstallation position to an installed position wherein the distal end of the shank extends above the upper edge to engage the shelf.
As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.
The storage system 50 includes a plurality of upright rails 58, often referred to as standards 58. The standards 58 may be stamped or extruded metal rails that are fastened to the support wall 52 for attaching various subassemblies to the support wall 52. The storage system 50 is depicted with some assemblies, for example, shelving assemblies 60, clothing rod assemblies 62, drawer assemblies 64, and the like. Each of these various assemblies 60, 62, 64 are mounted to the standards 58.
The shelving assembly 60 includes a plurality of shelf brackets 68 installed into the notches 66 of the corresponding standard 58, wherein the shelf brackets 68 may include a plurality of hooks 70 (
Referring now to
According to an embodiment, an insert anchor 88 may be received within the cavity 86. The insert anchor 88 is also illustrated in
The insert anchor 88 includes a channel 94 formed therethrough to receive the screw 74, wherein the channel 94 may have a ribbed configuration to grip the screw 74. The insert anchor 88 may be installed in the shelf bracket 68 so that the channel 94 is aligned with a front aperture 96 (
Advantageously, the insert anchor 88 and the screw 74 can be preinstalled or preloaded into the shelf bracket 68 during production, at a production location which is different from an installation location. Referring again to
Turning now to
As shown in
In order to aid installation of the shelf bracket 68, a front anchor 104 may be provided to receive the front screw 74a, as illustrated in
With continuing reference to
The front anchor 104 and the screw 74a can be preinstalled or preloaded into the shelf bracket 68 at the time of production, at a production location different from an installation location. In one embodiment, the screw 74a is preloaded in the front anchor 104 so that the shank 102 extends at least partially through the channel 116 and is held in place, such as by the ribs 118. The screw 74a can be preloaded into the front anchor 104 either before or after the front anchor 104 is inserted into the front aperture 96 of the shelf bracket 68. In this preinstallation position of the front anchor 104 in the shelf bracket 68, the screw shank 102 is not fully installed—the screw head 100 is spaced from the head portion 106 of the front anchor 104 and below the base 76, and the distal end 103 of the shank 102 does not extend past the upper edge 80 of the shelf bracket 68. This preinstallation position prevents the shank 102 from marring or damaging the shelf 72 during installation. Once the shelf 72 is in place upon the shelf bracket 68, the screws 74 may be driven to an installed position wherein the distal end 103 of the shank 102 extends above the upper edge 80, thereby engaging and fastening the shelf 72 to the shelf bracket 68. As the front anchor 104 holds the screw 74a in position within the shelf bracket 68, the front anchor 104 also serves as an alignment and stability tool, making it easier for the installer to drive the screw 74a to complete installation.
The front anchor 104 may be constructed from a polymeric material, such as a polyketone, or any other suitable material. If the front anchor 104 is preinstalled in the shelf bracket 68 at the time of production, the material used for the front anchor 104 should be durable enough to withstand drop testing or other product testing standards. Alternatively, the front anchor 104 may be installed into the shelf bracket 68 during installation of the shelving assembly 60. While the front anchor 104 is described herein as being installed in the front aperture 96 of the shelf bracket 68, it is understood that the front anchor 104 could also be configured for installation in the back aperture 98 of the shelf bracket 68, or in both of the front and back apertures 96, 98.
In some instances, only a front screw 74a may be used or required to install the shelf bracket 68 to the shelf 72. However, in other cases, an additional back screw 74b may be installed into the back bracket aperture 98 if extra stability is desired or required. In one embodiment, instead of being preinstalled at the time of production, this back screw 74b may optionally added during installation.
Accordingly, a back anchor 120 may be provided to receive and aid installation of the back screw 74b, as illustrated in
The shaft portion 124 has a diameter sized to be received through the back aperture 98 of the shelf bracket 68, wherein the shaft portion 124 may be tapered toward a distal end 126 thereof in order to facilitate insertion of the shaft portion 124 into the aperture 98. The distal end 126 may also be rounded to facilitate initial insertion into the aperture 98. A proximal end 128 of the shaft portion 124 may include a plurality of flexible, resilient arms 130 that protrude outwardly from the shaft portion 124 in a resting position, as illustrated in
With continuing reference to
According to an embodiment, the screw shank 102 is not fully installed in the back anchor 120, but rather in a preinstallation position where the screw head 100 is spaced from the head portion 122 of the back anchor 120 and the distal end 103 of the shank 102 does not extend past the upper edge 80 of the shelf bracket 68. The screw 74b can be maintained in this position until the installer is ready to drive the screw 74b to the fully installed position with the distal end 103 of the shank 102 extending above the upper edge 80, thereby engaging and fastening the shelf 72 to the shelf bracket 68, as shown in
To install shelving assemblies 60, the installation of screws 74 occurs from below the base 76 of the shelf bracket 68. The embodiments disclosed herein permit positioning and retaining of the screws 74 in the shelf bracket 68 prior to full installation, preventing the screws 74 from falling out of the shelf bracket 68. Loading the screw 74 into the shelf bracket 68 prior to installation preemptively frees up hands of installers, reduces the lost time due to dropped screws, misaligned screws, fumbling through a belt pouch to get the screws and thread them through the apertures 96, 98 of the shelf bracket 68, or removing and reapplying work gloves. These efficiencies result in convenience to the end user as well as increased profits to installers. The efficiencies gained with the preinstalled screws 74 is magnified because storage systems 50 are often installed in multifamily housing sites. Each site often requires installations of dozens to hundreds of units, each with multiple closets and a laundry room, and each application requiring multiple shelf brackets 68 to be attached to a wall 52 with shelves 72.
While various embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, the features of various implementing embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments of the invention.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 62/806,360 filed Feb. 15, 2019, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference herein.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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62806360 | Feb 2019 | US |