Patent Application
20190183246
The present disclosure relates generally to shelf and rack systems for storing goods.
Shelving systems, including those having shelves made of wire racks are common. Conventionally, those shelves are supported by metal support posts. The shelves typically include fittings at each corner. The fittings are slipped over the posts and are generally press-fit into frictional engagement at a desired location on the post to position the shelf at the desired height.
Conventional shelving systems, including conventional wire rack systems, have disadvantages. For example, it is often inconvenient and often requires tools to disassemble a shelving system and reconfigure it at different heights. The fittings can become damaged or the posts can become damaged as the fittings are often hammered loose from their initial position on the support posts.
Other systems include nuts and bolts to fasten the shelves to the support posts. It can be time consuming to assemble and disassemble the shelving systems by tightening and loosening nut and bolt fastening systems.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an improved shelving system having a more convenient construction for assembly and disassembly and which overcomes disadvantages of the prior art.
Generally speaking, in accordance with the invention, an improved shelving system is provided, comprising a shelf, a plurality of posts supporting the shelf and a quick release clamp attached to a post. The shelf is supported by the clamp and thereby, supported by the post.
The clamp can include a hinged jaw portion formed with two arms and a clasp portion on each arm. In one embodiment of the invention, the clasp includes one or more resilient projections on one jaw of the clasp, which engages a recess on the other jaw. The clasp can include a plunger that upon activation, permits the projection(s) to retract and the jaws of the clasp to open. In another embodiment of the invention, the clasp is hand screwed tight and then the final tightening is achieved by hand pivoting a lever mechanism. In still another embodiment of the invention, The posts have grooves at spaced intervals. The inner surface of the clamp arms include an inwardly projecting ridge. The ridge fits in a groove on the posts and helps maintain the clamp in a selected position.
The quick release nature of the clamp permits fast and convenient reconfiguration of the shelving system to different heights without the need for tools, by hand tightening and loosening the clamp. Accordingly, a method of assembling and disassembling or reconfiguring a shelving system involving a quick-release clamp is also provided.
Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent from the drawings and the specification to follow and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.
The present disclosure will become more readily apparent from the specific description accompanied by the following drawings, which are not necessarily to scale, in which:
Throughout the disclosure, like reference numerals will be used to indicate similar elements.
The present disclosure may be understood more readily by reference to the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing figures, which form a part of this disclosure. It is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the specific devices, methods, conditions or parameters described and/or shown herein, and that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments, by way of example only, and is not intended to be limiting of the claimed disclosure.
Also, as used in the specification and including the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural, and reference to a particular numerical value includes at least that particular value, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Ranges may be expressed herein as from “about” or “approximately” one particular value and/or to “about” or “approximately” another particular value. When such a range is expressed, another embodiment includes from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent “about,” it will be understood that the particular value forms another embodiment. It is also understood that all spatial references, such as, for example, horizontal, vertical, top, upper, lower, bottom, left and right, are for illustrative purposes only and can be varied within the scope of the disclosure. In particular, they are intended to refer to the spatial reference of the display stand in its normal, assembled configuration during intended use.
A quick-release clamp, in an open condition, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, is shown generally as clamp 100 in
Male arm 120 includes a male portion of a clasp 140, shown in detail in
To remove clamp 100 from post 610 and disengage the quick release holding arm 120 to arm 130, button 144 is pressed in a direction opposite arrow A, against the resilience of spring 147, which moves wide end 142 past projections 141. This permits projections 141 to retract inwards and clasp 140 will swing away from receiving end 150.
A lever-assisted quick release in accordance with another embodiment of the invention is shown generally in
To operate lever-assisted quick release 400, it is initially fingered tightened around a post by either tightening cap nut 413 or twisting lever 450. The base portion of lever 450 includes a cam 452. Final tightening is accomplished by pivoting lever 450 in the direction of an arrow B, which further tightens quick release 400.
Another shelf supporting clamp in accordance with another embodiment of the invention is shown generally as ridged clamp 500 in
Ridged clamp 500 includes a ridge 510 on its inner surface. The post supporting the shelf can be formed with grooves, spaced at selected intervals. Ridge 510 can be received in those grooves to provide additional support for ridged clamp 500 and thereby, the shelf resting on clamp 500.
A clamp for supporting a rack shelf in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention, is shown generally in an open condition as clamp 800 in
As shown, clamp 800 includes a ridge 810 on its inner surface. The post supporting the shelf can be formed with grooves, spaced at selected intervals. Ridge 810 can be received in those grooves to provide additional support for ridged clamp 800 and thereby, the shelf resting on clamp 800. In another embodiment of the invention, clamp 800 is formed without ridge 810 (not shown) and has an inner surface similar to that of claim 100.
An shelf assembly in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown generally in
Shelf system 600 includes one or more shelves 620 having a wire rack 625 structure. Other shelf structures can be used. Each shelf 620 includes four post fittings 630. Post fittings 630 are slipped over post 610 and held up by resting on a quick release clamp 640 secured to post 610, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Clamp 640 can be similar to clamps 100 or 500 or can be a different quick release clamp and may or may not have a ridge to engage the grooves in post 610.
To assemble shelf system 600, clamps 640 are attached to posts 610. Post fittings 630 of a shelf 620 are slipped over each post 610 and slid down, to rest on quick release clamp 640. If a location of a shelf, with respect to a post 610, is desired to be changed, the entire assembly need not be disassembled. Rather, the clamps and shelves can be repositioned by hand, without the need for tools. In fact, quick release clamps in accordance with the invention need not be removed from the post. Rather, the quick release feature can loosen their attachment to the posts and the clamps and shelves can be hand repositioned in a convenient manner, without the need for any tools.
In another embodiment of the invention, clamp 800 is used in place of clamp 640 when assembling shelf system 600. In this embodiment of the invention, upper surface of clamp 800 is tapered edge 820. The lower edge of post fitting 630 can slip over tapered edge 820 and assist with the security of the assembly, by helping force clamp 800 tightly around post 610.
Please note that where this application has listed the steps of a method or procedure in a specific order, it may be possible, or even expedient in certain circumstances, to change the order in which some steps are performed, and it is intended that the particular steps of the method or procedure claim set forth herebelow not be construed as being order-specific unless such order specificity is expressly stated in the claims.
While the preferred embodiments of the devices and methods have been described in reference to the environment in which they were developed, they are merely illustrative of the principles of the inventions. Modification or combinations of the above-described assemblies, other embodiments, configurations, and methods for carrying out the invention, and variations of aspects of the invention that are obvious to those of skill in the art are intended to be within the scope of the claims.
