BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to shelving, and more particularly to shelving for use in pharmacies.
Shelving assemblies are typically used in a store (e.g., a pharmacy) to support and display products. A typical shelving assembly includes one or more panels walls having separate brackets for the attachment of shelves. Such shelving assemblies can be costly to manufacture and require significant assembly time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one construction a shelving system includes a retaining wall having a panel of integrally formed flanges extending therefrom in spaced columns and rows, with each flange defining a pocket with the panel. The system includes one or more shelves, with each shelf including a support platform, opposing side panels, and a back panel extending from the support platform. A portion of the back panel forms a hook configured for engagement with one of the pockets.
In one construction a shelving unit includes a wall having a panel of integrally formed flanges extending therefrom in spaced columns, with each flange defining a pocket with the panel. The system includes at least one shelf, with each shelf including a support platform and a back panel extending from the support platform. A portion of the back panel forms a hook that is received in one of the pockets.
In a method of constructing a shelving unit, the method includes integrally forming a plurality of flanges from a metal panel, in which the flanges extend therefrom in parallel columns with each flange defining a pocket with the panel. The method includes forming a plurality of shelves from another metal panel, with each shelf including a support platform, opposing side panels, and a back panel extending from the support platform. The method also includes folding a portion of the back panel of each shelf to form a hook configured for engagement with one of the pockets.
Other features and aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shelving assembly according to an embodiment of the invention.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are partial perspective views of portions of the shelving assembly of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a shelf of the shelving assembly of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is another perspective view of the shelf of FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a back view of the shelf of FIG. 3
FIG. 6 is a side view showing the mounting of the shelf of FIG. 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
FIG. 1 illustrates a shelving assembly 1 for use in supporting and displaying or storing product in a store, for example, bottles of medication in a pharmacy. The shelving assembly 1 includes a first end panel 4, a second end panel 8 spaced apart and parallel to the first end panel 4, and a deck or platform 12 positioned between the first and second end panels 4, 8. In the illustrated construction of the assembly 1, two retaining walls 16 are positioned adjacent one another between the end panels 4, 8. Alternatively, one or three or more retaining walls 16 may be positioned between the end panels 4, 8. The end panels 4, 8, decks 12, and retaining walls 16 are preferably made of steel, but can be made of any material suitable for supporting and displaying product.
Referring also to FIGS. 2A and 2B, each retaining wall 16 includes a front retaining panel 20 and an opposing back retaining panel 28, with a plurality of equally spaced supporting studs 32 therebetween. A partition plate 36 separates the two retaining walls 16 and extends beyond a width dimension W defining the distance between the front and back retaining panels 20, 28.
With continued reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B, a plurality of tabs 40 are formed by punching out or folding selected areas of the front retaining panel 20 so that the tabs 40 extend outwardly from the surface of retaining panel 20 thereby forming a raised extension of the retaining panel surface. The tabs 40 are generally rectangular in shape but are not so limited. Each tab 40 presents first and second tab surfaces 48, 52 generally perpendicular to the surface of panel 20 and generally parallel to the first and second end panels 4, 8. Accordingly, a generally rectangular aperture 56 is formed in the front retaining panel 20 adjacent each tab 40. In the embodiment of FIGS. 2A and 2B, for each front retaining panel 20, two spaced-apart columns of tabs 40 extend the vertical length of the panel 20 to separate columns of four flanges 60 into three shelf-receiving spaces, as shown in FIG. 1. Each such shelf-receiving space comprising four columns of flanges 60 is only slightly wider than the width of shelf 76 so that the shelf fits between a spaced pair of columns of tabs 40, a column of tabs 40 and an end panel 4, 8, or a column of tabs 40 and a partition plate 36. Shelves 76 can thereby be mounted on wall 60, but cannot be moved or slid horizontally across wall 60 once mounted on the wall because of the extensions formed by tabs 40 that are generally perpendicular to the retaining panel surface. In other applications, depending on their dimensions and the dimensions of the shelves 76, one or more retaining panels 20 could include more than two columns of tabs 40 with shelf-receiving spaces formed between the columns of tabs only slightly wider than the width of shelf 60. The tabs 40 are preferably disposed laterally at sixteen inch centers, but in other applications could be centered at greater or less than sixteen inches, for example, centered at two, four, eight, twelve, eighteen, or twenty-four or more inches therebetween.
The front retaining panel 20 also includes a plurality of flanges 60 formed by punching out selected areas of the front retaining panel 20, thereby defining a recess or pocket 64. The flanges 60 are preferably disposed laterally at four inch centers, but in other applications could be centered at greater or less than four inches, e.g., centered at two, three, five, or more inches therebetween. The flanges 60 are arranged in rows and columns forming a matrix of flanges 60 spaced from one another such that each identical row has a set or group of four flanges 60 positioned between 1) two columns of tabs 40, 2) a column of tabs 40 and the partition plate 36, or 3) a column of tabs 40 and the end panels 4, 8. In other applications, fewer or more than four flanges 60 could be so positioned or disposed on the front retaining panel 20 between columns of tabs 40, depending on the width of the shelves 76. Flanges 60 are also formed in an outer surface 72 of the end panels 4, 8, as illustrated in FIG. 1. In some embodiments, flanges 60 as previously described are additionally formed in the back retaining panel 28.
In some applications, the retaining walls 16 can include electrical outlets or boxes, pass through boxes, plates, and/or covers, mounting plates or boxes, and other suitable apertures or mounting features for additional components such as, for example, a fan. In other embodiments, a portion of the front and/or back retaining panels 20, 28 can be cut away to provide a through way or opening.
Each retaining panel 20, 28 comprises a single sheet of metal from which the aforementioned tabs 40 and flanges 60 can be uniformly punched. By forming the flanges 60 in this manner, less material, and thus less cost, is required for the overall fabrication of the panels 20, 28. Additionally, the single sheet of metal lends greater strength to the retaining panels 20, 28.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3-5, the shelving assembly 1 also includes multiple shelves or trays 76. Each shelf 76 includes a flat or planar support panel 80, opposing side panels 84, a front edge 88, and a back panel 96. The support panel 80 extends from the back panel at a 90° angle. The front edge 88 is lower in height than the side panels 84 for easier access to product stored on the shelf 76. In a preferred embodiment, the side panels 84 are greater in height than the back panel 96. As best shown in FIG. 4, an upper portion of the back panel 96 partially folds over on itself to form four arcuate hooks 100 with ends 104 separated by a gap 108. Gaps 108 are sized to accommodate tabs 40 and partitions 36 between the hook ends 104. Depending on the desired size of the shelf 76, more or fewer than four hooks 100 may be formed from the back panel 96 to correspond to the spacing of the flanges 60 previously described. Alternatively, the entirety of the back panel 96 can be folded over to form a continuous hook. Four wedge-shaped lances 112 formed in the back panel 96 of the shelf 76 project rearwardly and present, in profile, a generally triangular shape having a vertex 120, as shown in FIG. 6, though fewer or more than four lances 112 may be formed in accordance with the desired shelf size. Each shelf 76 is fabricated from a single sheet of metal, with a folding process forming the panels 84, 96, and edge 88 relative to the support panel 80.
In a preferred embodiment, with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, each shelf 76 is configured for coupling, for example, to the front retaining panel 20 by engaging each of the four hooks 100 to a corresponding flange 60 such that the end 104 of each hook 100 is disposed within a recess 64. As a result of this positioning, the vertex 120 of each lance 112 abuts the adjacent flange 60 directly below the engaged flange 60 such that the angle α formed between the mounted shelf 76 and front retaining panel 20 is less than 90° even though the angle between the support panel 80 and back panel 96 always remains at 90°.
In assembly, after forming the individual flanges 60 and tabs 40, the retaining walls 16, partition plates 36, end panels 4, 8, and decks 12 of the shelving assembly 1 are fixedly coupled or secured together in a suitable manner generally known in the art, i.e., with commonly known fastening techniques. To mount the shelves 76 to, for example, the front retaining panel 20, a user places or positions a shelf 76 onto a grouping of four flanges 60 using the hooks 100 as previously described. As shown in FIG. 1, each shelf 76 is aligned and mounted to a set or group of four flanges 60, i.e., between two columns of tabs 40, between a column of tabs 40 and the partition plate 36, or between a column of tabs 40 and the end panels 4, 8. Although each hook is not laterally restricted within the corresponding recess 64, horizontal movement or sliding of each mounted shelf 76 to a different position along the retaining panel 20 is effectively precluded by contact between the back of shelf 76, including the back panel 96 and/or hooks 100, and the partition plate 36, end panels 4, 8, or the corresponding first or second surface 48, 52 of the tabs 40. In removing the shelves 76 from the front retaining wall 16, the user lifts a shelf 76 off of the grouping of four flanges 60 to remove the ends 104 of the hooks 100 from the pockets 64. The user can thereafter reposition the shelf 76 onto a different grouping of four flanges 60. Thus, because shelves 76 cannot be slid horizontally across the retaining panels 20, in order to reposition a shelf 96 mounted on panel 20, the shelf must be removed from the retaining panel 20 by disengaging the shelf hooks 100 from the flanges 60 and then aligned at a different position on the retaining panel 20 to engage the shelf hooks 60 with another set of flanges 60. This permits precise vertical and/or diagonal alignment of the shelves 76 on the retaining panel 20. In some applications, the user may position a shelf 76 on the retaining wall 16 such that the gap 108 between two adjacent hooks 100 of the shelf 76 receives the partition plate 36 or tab 40, with subsequent horizontal movement of the shelf 76 limited by any contact between the back panel 96 (via the hook ends 104) and the partition plate 36 or the corresponding first or second surface 48, 52, as previously described.
Various features of the invention are set forth in the following claims.
Patent Application
20140251933
