BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a shelf unit according to the present invention as mounted on an upright wall.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of solely the shelf unit illustrated in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged elevational view showing, in cross-section, the construction of the improved shelf unit illustrated in FIG. 2.
FIG. 3A is a fragmentary enlargement of a portion of FIG. 3.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the shelf and illustrating lights and other accessories engaged within the groove of the shelf and suspended downwardly therefrom.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view showing attachment of an electrical device, such as a light, within the electrified track provided on the underside of the shelf unit.
FIG. 6 illustrates attachment of an accessory, such as a small shelf or pencil tray, to the underside of the shelf.
FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but illustrating other electrical devices engaged with and suspended from the shelf.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1 but illustrating a different mounting technique, namely an off-module mounting of the shelf to the wall.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the shelf illustrated in FIG. 8.
FIG. 10 is an enlarged, transverse cross-sectional view of the shelf illustrated in FIG. 9.
FIG. 11 is an exploded, perspective view of an alternate construction of the improved shelf of the present invention, and illustrating a light strip which mounts under and extends lengthwise along the shelf.
FIG. 12 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view showing the assembly of the light strip to the shelf.
FIG. 13 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a variation in the construction of the front edge of the shelf.
FIG. 14 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a further variation in the construction of the shelf.
Certain terminology will be used in the following description for convenience in reference only, and will not be limiting. For example, the words “upwardly”, “downwardly”, “rightwardly”, and “leftwardly” will refer to directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The words “upwardly” and “downwardly” will also be used to refer to the normal positional orientation and use directions of the shelf unit according to the present invention. The words “inwardly” and “outwardly” will refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the unit and designated parts thereof. Said terminology will include the words specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to FIGS. 1-3, there is illustrated a wall storage arrangement 10 according to the present invention, which wall storage arrangement is releasably mounted on an upright wall 11. This upright wall 11 in the illustrated embodiment is defined by a plurality of upright wall panels 12 which are serially joined together, such panels typically being prefabricated. The construction and function of the panels 12 is generally conventional and well-known.
The upright storage arrangement 10 in the illustrated embodiment functions primarily as a shelf arrangement and is defined principally by a one-piece horizontally elongate L-shaped shelf unit 13 which includes a generally horizontally oriented base leg 14 which, adjacent a rear edge thereof, rigidly joins to a vertically upwardly protruding upright leg 15. The base leg 14 functions as a shelf and is cantilevered horizontally forwardly from the lower edge of the upright leg 15, and defines thereon a generally horizontally planar upper surface 16 for supportive engagement with objects and the like which can be supportingly positioned thereon.
The L-shaped shelf unit 13, as illustrated in FIG. 3, is preferably provided with an enlarged nose part 21 extending lengthwise along the front free edge of the base leg 14. This nose part 21 defines therein a groove 22 which extends lengthwise throughout the full length of the base leg and which opens rearwardly toward the region disposed below the base leg. The groove 22, as defined within the enlarged nose part 21, has the front side thereof closed off by a front wall 23 which at its lower end joins to an inwardly or rearwardly projecting lower leg part 24, the latter being generally L-shaped. These wall parts 23 and 24 are all part of the enlarged nose part 21, and cooperate to define the groove 22.
The groove 22 mounts therein a horizontally elongate reinforcing beam 25 which, in the illustrated embodiment, has a generally C-shaped cross section which is compatible with the shape of the groove 22 so as to be snugly received therein. The reinforcing beam 25 is positioned within the groove 22 by being slidably inserted into the groove from one end thereof. The preferred snug engagement between the reinforcing beam 25 and the wall of the groove 22 is sufficient to retain the reinforcing beam in position. At the same time, this reinforcing beam 25, preferably constructed as a thin-wall metal channel, provides significant strength against both bending and twisting, particularly along the cantilevered front edge of the base leg 14, thereby imparting significantly improved strength and durability to the overall shelf unit.
The enlarged nose part 21 of the base leg 14, as illustrated by FIG. 3, is also preferably provided with an undercut T-shaped groove 26 opening inwardly from the vertical front face thereof. This undercut groove 26 can be utilized to permit insertion of a decorative or identification strip therein, or alternately can be used for permitting attachment of a suitable trim piece, such as a nose piece 27 as indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 3.
The shelf unit 13 of the present invention also has an electrical accessory accommodating arrangement 31 associated with and extending lengthwise along the underside 32 of the base leg 14. This electrical accessory accommodating arrangement 31 includes a main groove 33 which opens upwardly from the lower surface 32 of the shelf 14 and extends lengthwise throughout the entire length of the shelf. This groove 33, as illustrated by FIG. 3, is preferably disposed approximately midway between the front and rear edges of the shelf 14.
The electrical accessory accommodating arrangement 31 includes a pair of generally parallel but sidewardly spaced low-voltage conductors or wires 34, 35 (FIG. 3A) which extend lengthwise throughout the entire length of the groove 33 and which are disposed adjacent opposite sides of the groove in the vicinity of the closed upper end thereof. The low-voltage conductors 34, 35 are effectively embedded in the material defining the shelf 14, being adjacent but slightly spaced inwardly from adjacent side wall of the groove 33. The conductors 34, 35 are accessible from the groove 33 by means of small transversely-projecting branch or secondary grooves 36 which also extend lengthwise throughout the entire length of the main groove 33.
The base leg or shelf 14 is also preferably provided with one, and preferably at least two, hanger-accommodating secondary grooves 37 and 38 which permit additional accessories to be mounted on and suspended downwardly from the shelf unit. The hanger-accommodating grooves 37 and 38 preferably extend in parallel relationship lengthwise throughout the entire length of the shelf 14. These grooves 37, 38 open upwardly from the underside 32 and, in the illustrated embodiment, have an undercut portion 39 which enables an accessory hanger to be inserted upwardly and then angularly locked within the groove. The pair of hanger-accommodating grooves 37, 38 are preferably disposed in sidewardly spaced relationship (i.e., spaced sidewardly in the front-to-back direction of the shelf 14) so that the electrical accessory accommodating groove 33 is disposed in parallel relationship therebetween. This enables accessories which engage within the groove 37 and 38 to be selectively positioned either more closely adjacent the front edge of the shelf, or more closely adjacent the rear edge thereof, thereby providing increased flexibility with respect to not only the position but also the size of the accessory, and at the same time avoiding interference with electrical accessories which engage within the groove 33, as explained in greater detail hereinafter.
As illustrated by FIGS. 4 and 5, an electrical accessory 41, such as a low-voltage light, can be detachably engaged within the groove 33 to provide lighting in the region located below the shelf 14. The electrical accessory or light 41, in the illustrated embodiment, includes a bracket 42 which protrudes upwardly for insertion into the groove 33. This bracket adjacent the upper end thereof mounts a conductive head part 43 having a width which enables it to be inserted upwardly into the groove 33 for elevational alignment with the secondary grooves 36, with this conductive head part 43 then being rotatable through about 90 degrees (i.e., about one-quarter turn) so as to project into the secondary grooves 36 and create a conductive engagement with the low-voltage conductors 34 and 35. This rotation of the conductive head part 43 is accomplished by means of a one-quarter turn connector 44 which is mounted on the bracket 42 in a position whereby it is disposed closely adjacent the underside of the shelf so as to be manually accessible to permit rotative turning thereof. This enables the accessory or light 41 to be electrically joined to the low-voltage conductors 34-35 which hence function as electrical supply conductors for the light. This engagement of the accessory or light 41 to the conductors 34-35 is structurally and functionally similar to the cooperation which exists with conventional track lighting, whereby further detailed description thereof is believed unnecessary.
While the electrical accessory accommodating arrangement 31 has been described and illustrated above with respect to an electrical accessory 41 formed as a low-voltage light or lamp, other low-voltage accessories can also be provided and connected to the arrangement 31 in the same manner as described above. For example, and with reference to FIG. 7, there is illustrated several different types of low-voltage electrical accessories which can be electrically and mechanically engaged with the accessory accommodating groove 33. For example, there is illustrated a low-voltage outlet 41A, a monitor screen 41B, and a wireless speaker arrangement 41C. These different accessories all mechanically and electrically mount to the electrical accessory accommodating arrangement 31 in the same manner described above relative to the light accessory 41.
The shelf unit 13 of this invention, as illustrated by FIGS. 4 and 6, also permits structural accessories 45, such as shelf accessories, to be mounted therein by engagement within one of the hanger-accommodating grooves 37 or 38. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6, an accessory 45 can be detachably suspended from the horizontal shelf 14 at any location lengthwise therealong, and for this purpose the accessory 45 includes a generally horizontally oriented tray 46 which is mounted to and cantilevered from a lower end of an upright mounting bracket 47, the latter having an upper hook-shaped or nose-shaped end 48 which is adapted to be inserted into and engaged within either of the grooves 37 and 38. The upper hook or nose end 48 enables the bracket 47 to be disposed in angled relationship as it is inserted upwardly into the grooves substantially as illustrated by dotted lines in FIG. 6, with the bracket then being rotated rearwardly to cause the upper end 48 to engage within the nose part 39 of the respective groove 37 or 38, thereby maintaining the bracket in a secure but downwardly suspended relationship.
An alternate accessory construction is also illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 6, namely a shelf accessory 49, the latter being substantially identical to the tray accessory 45 except that the lower end of the bracket associated with the tray accessory 45 mounts thereon a shallow upwardly opening tray structure 46, such as a pencil tray or the like, whereas the accessory 49 has a generally horizontal shelf carried on the lower end of the bracket.
Referring again to FIG. 3, the upright leg 15 of the L-shaped shelf unit 13 is preferably constructed in a manner similar to the base leg or shelf 14 in that it is preferably provided with an enlarged head part 51 formed on and extending lengthwise along the upper free edge thereof. This enlarged head part defines therein a groove 52 which extends lengthwise throughout the length of the shelf unit, and which opens rearwardly. The groove 52 is configured generally the same as the groove 22 associated with the shelf 14, in that each has a generally T-shaped configuration, whereby the groove 52 as formed in the head part 51 also snugly accommodates therein a horizontally elongate reinforcing beam 53, the latter being a generally C-shaped metal beam which can be identical to the reinforcing beam 25 as described above. The reinforcing beam 53 is slidably inserted into the upper head part 51 by being inserted into the groove 52 from one end thereof. When inserted into the groove, the metal reinforcing beam 53 and its snug engagement with the side walls of the groove, particularly along the upper and lower edges thereof, provides the upper head part 52, and hence the overall shelf unit, with significantly improved strength, particularly with respect to bending and twisting.
The shelf unit 13 of this invention, as described above, is preferably constructed from a formable and specifically an extrudable material, preferably an electrically insulative material such as a plastic material, to define a monolithic one-piece structure which can preferably be extruded in a lengthwise direction, whereby the shelf unit can be economically manufactured and provided with all of the grooves extending lengthwise thereof during the extrusion process. Shelves of different lengths can be easily formed by appropriate transverse cutting of the continuous extrusion. The provision of the enlarged nose and head parts, and their ability to accommodate therein metal reinforcing beams 25 and 53, provides the extruded shelf unit with significantly improved strength and rigidity, while at the same time resulting in a shelf unit which can be easily and economically manufactured, and at the same time results in a shelf of desirable strength and rigidity and of reasonable weight.
To secure the shelf unit 13 to the upright wall 11, the shelf unit can be provided with conventional mounting hangers 55 (FIGS. 2 and 3) which enable the shelf unit to be secured to frame structures associated with the wall panels 12. In this regard, the mounting hangers 55 are vertically elongated, are generally L-shaped in cross section, and include a plurality of vertically spaced L-shaped hooks 56 associated with the rearwardly projecting leg thereof. These hooks 56 engage within slots associated with a vertical row of slots formed in an upright frame member (not shown) associated with the wall panel 12, which frame members are disposed adjacent opposite upright edges of the wall panel, whereby the shelf has a length which corresponds to the wall panel length, such attachment arrangement being conventional.
In the illustrated arrangement, the mounting hangers 55 can be secured to the rear side of the upright leg 15 of the shelf unit by a pair of screws 57 and 58. In this case, the lower screw 57 extends through one leg of the hanger bracket 55 directly into the shelf unit generally at the apex between the base and upright legs, whereas the top screw 58 preferably extends through an upwardly protruding bracket 58A which protrudes upwardly and overlies the bottom wall of the upper head part 51. This enables the top screw 58 to be screwed upwardly through the top head part into the top reinforcing beam 53 to provide significantly improved structural strength and connectivity.
As illustrated by FIGS. 1 and 2, the ends of the shelf unit 10 can be suitably covered by means of end caps 59 defined as thin plate-like covers, either metal stampings or molded plastic covers, which have an L-shaped configuration generally corresponding to the cross-sectional configuration of the shelf unit 13. These end covers 59 are preferably provided with appropriate retaining clips protruding inwardly therefrom, which clips engage within selected ones of the grooves which extend lengthwise of the shelf unit for permitting secure attachment of the covers thereto.
As an alternate mounting technique for the shelf unit 10, particularly to permit the shelf unit to be mounted on an upright wall system at any location therealong, independent of the width of the individual upright wall panels 12, the shelf unit can be provided with upper and lower mounting rails 61 and 62, respectively, the latter being adapted for engagement within horizontal rails or channels 63 associated with the upright wall arrangement substantially as illustrated by FIGS. 8-10. In this situation, the upper and lower rails 61 and 62 are each generally Z-shaped in cross section and include an intermediate or upright leg part 64 which abuts a rear side of the upright leg 15, and this upright wall part 64 joins to a generally hook-shaped upper leg 65 which protrudes rearwardly and is adapted to project into and create a secure engagement within one of the horizontal channels 63 which extend horizontally across the face of the respective wall panels. This arrangement enables the shelf unit to be securely attached to a face of the wall at any location horizontally therealong, independent of the width of the individual wall panels, and provides flexibility with respect to both the length and location of the shelf unit in that it can be mounted in an off-modular relationship relative to the module size (i.e. width) of the wall panels.
The upright leg 15 of the shelf unit is also preferably provided with additional mounting grooves associated therewith to provide increased flexibility of use. This is illustrated by the T-shaped groove 66 which opens inwardly from the front face of the upper leg 15 and extends horizontally throughout the lengthwise extent thereof. A further T-shaped groove 67 may also be provided so as to open inwardly from the rear face of the upper leg and extend horizontally therealong. A still further T-shaped groove can be formed in the upper surface of the base leg 14 to permit mounting of upright shelf dividers and the like.
Referring now to FIGS. 11-12, there is illustrated a modified shelf arrangement 10′ which is constructed generally in accordance with the shelf arrangement 10 described above, except that the modified shelf arrangement 10′ has a modified electrical accessory accommodating arrangement 31′ associated with and extending lengthwise along the underside of the base leg 14′.
More specifically, this arrangement 31′ has a groove arrangement 70 which includes a main groove 71 which opens upwardly in the main leg 14′ from the undersurface 32′ thereof, which groove 71 extends horizontally throughout the lengthwise extent of the shelf unit. The groove 71 is preferably disposed substantially midway between the front and rear edges of the base leg 14. The main groove 71 in turn communicates with an upper secondary groove 72 which projects sidewardly in both directions away from the main groove substantially at the level of the upper or blind end of the main groove. Upper secondary groove 72 cooperates with the main groove 71 to define a generally T-shaped cross section. A further or lower secondary groove 73 is also provided and also opens sidewardly from opposite sides of the main groove 71 at an elevation located between the underside 32′ and the upper secondary groove 72. These secondary grooves 72 and 73 extend generally in parallel horizontally relationship, and both extend throughout the full lengthwise extent of the base leg 14.
The groove arrangement 70, as defined by the main groove 71 and the secondary groove 72 and 73, cooperates with a lighting arrangement 74 which is releasably mounted on the shelf 14 and extends lengthwise therealong for providing lighting to the region below the shelf 14. This lighting arrangement 74 is preferably a low-voltage direct-current arrangement and is defined by an elongate plate-like light board 75 provided with a plurality of energizable light devices 76, such as LEDs, mounted thereon in lengthwise spaced relationship therealong, which LEDs are effectively coupled in parallel relationship to one another by being electrically joined to a pair of conductive strips 77 which extend lengthwise of the light board. The conductive strips 77, adjacent one end of the light board, are suitably connected to an electrical end connector 78 which joins through a suitable flexible conductive wire to a conventional transformer plug 79, the latter being insertable into any conventional electrical outlet.
The light board 75 is positioned within the groove arrangement 70 by slidably inserting the light board into the upper secondary groove 72 from adjacent one end of the shelf unit, whereupon the light board is supported by the secondary groove while positioning the main center portion of the light board, and the LEDs mounted thereon, directly within the downwardly opening main groove 71.
The lighting arrangement 74 also preferably includes a removable elongate lens or diffuser 81 constructed of a conventional transparent or translucent material and positioned on the shelf 14 at a location below the light board 75 for controlling the light which is generated and emitted downwardly through the mouth of the groove 71. The lens or diffuser 81 extends throughout the entire length of the groove arrangement and has lengthwise-extending edge flanges 82 which are supported within the lower secondary groove 73, with the lens or diffuser being slidably inserted lengthwise of the groove 71 for proper disposition therein. The lens 81 in the illustrated embodiment has a center body part 83 which preferably has a downwardly protruding convex or rounded configuration which is sized to effectively occupy and protrude downwardly at a lower open end of the main groove 71 to hence permit the light as emitted at the LEDs 76 to be diffused over a wider angular area at a location below the shelf 14.
It will be appreciated that, with the arrangement described herein, a low voltage electrical supply can be readily supplied to and be available lengthwise along the conductors 34-35 (FIGS. 1-3) which extend lengthwise along the shelf, thereby facilitating the connection of electrical accessories to the shelf and to the electrical conductors 34-35. Alternately, a low-voltage lighting arrangement 74 can be readily inserted into the groove associated with the shelf and extend lengthwise therealong to provide improved low-voltage lighting for the region located below the shelf. Whether the low voltage is supplied to the conductors 34-35 or to the lighting arrangement 74, in either case the low voltage connection, such as depicted in FIG. 11, can be readily coupled to any available conventional electrical outlet, such outlet traditionally being available directly in the wall panels 12 which define the supportive wall for the shelf, such electrical outlets conventionally being provided either adjacent the baseboard or at a beltline location.
The arrangement of the present invention also enables several shelves to be disposed in directly adjacent and aligned relationship, with the electrical conductors 34-35 or lighting arrangements 74 in the adjacent aligned shelves being directly electrically connected, such as by means of a suitable compact electrical jumper being connected between the adjacent ends of either the conductors 34-35 or the light boards 75, whereby a series of shelves can be electrified by a single supply cord coupled solely to one end of the series.
It will be understood that the shelf unit of this invention can be used to permit formation of a closed storage unit, such as an openable overhead storage unit, by providing the shelf unit with top and end walls and an openable door.
While the shelf 13 as described above is L-shaped and includes both horizontal and upright legs 14 and 15 respectively, it will be recognized that the shelf construction may be created by joining separate horizontal and upright legs together, and the horizontal leg may be formed from an extrudable material so as to be of a monolithic one-piece construction, and such horizontal leg can be utilized independently of the upright leg.
Referring now to FIG. 13, there is illustrated a variation of the construction for the horizontal shelf 14A as associated with the shelf unit 13A of this invention. In this variation, while the shelf 14A is again preferably formed as a monolithic one-piece construction, such as by being extruded of a formable material, the enlarged front nose part 24′ can be constructed as a separate member which can also preferably be formed as a monolithic one-piece extrusion formed of the same material as the horizontal shelf 14A. This nose part 24′ is again provided with a rearwardly opening channel 22′ containing therein a metal reinforcing beam 25′ extending lengthwise thereof. This separate reinforcing nose part 24′ can be fixedly secured to and extend lengthwise along the entire front edge of the shelf 14A so as to again provide significant load bearing reinforcement along the front edge of the shelf. For this purpose the nose part 24′ can be adhesively adhered or bonded to the shelf 14A along the entire lengthwise extent thereof, whereby the resulting assembled horizontal shelf again has a one-piece construction which, while formed from two separate members, nevertheless still provides improved performance and appearance so as to provide characteristics which again approach that achieved by the monolithic one-piece construction illustrated by FIGS. 3 and 10. The front nose part 24′, as a replacement for or preferably in addition to the adhesive securement of the nose part to the shelf, can be fixedly joined to the shelf by a series of closely-spaced fasteners such as screws which extend vertically upwardly through the nose part for engagement with the shelf part.
A still further variation of the invention is illustrated by FIG. 14 wherein the horizontal shelf 14″ as associated with the shelf unit 13″ has a modified electrical accessory accommodating arrangement 31″ associated with the underside thereof. This modified arrangement 31″ resembles the arrangement 31 described above in that it is associated with the underside of the shelf and extends lengthwise therealong, such arrangement again including a generally undercut or T-shaped groove 33″ formed in the underside of the shelf and extending lengthwise thereof. This groove again is provided so as to accommodate a pair of sidewardly spaced but generally parallel electrical conductors 34, 35 which extend lengthwise of the shelf. In this modified arrangement 31″, however, the conductors are mounted on and embedded within a separate insert mounting member 91 which preferably has a generally T-shaped cross-section so that it can be slidably inserted into and extend lengthwise of the groove 33″ while being vertically retained therein. This insert mounting member 91 is preferably formed of a formable electrically-insulating material, and is provided with a groove 92 which opens upwardly from the bottom surface thereof while extending lengthwise throughout the extent of the mounting member. This groove 92 also preferably has undercut side grooves extending lengthwise along opposite sides thereof for accessing the electrical conductors 34, 35 embedded therein in generally the same manner as described above with respect to the electrical accessory arrangement 31. While the conductors 34, 35 will again typically be low-voltage direct-current conductors, nevertheless this construction and the provision of the conductors mounted within a separate insulative insert may also be utilized to accommodate typical higher voltage conductors such as conventional 110 volt alternating current conductors. The modified arrangement 31″ will permit electrical accessories to be releasably attached thereto in the same manner as described above with respect to the electrical accessory arrangement 31.
Although particular preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed in detail for illustrative purposes, it will be recognized that variations or modifications of the disclosed apparatus, including the rearrangement of parts, lie within the scope of the present invention.
Patent Application
20080083353
