Patent Application
20170112282
This application relates generally to wall mounted storage systems such as those utilized in closets, pantries and garages.
Modular storage systems such as modular shelf systems utilized in closets are well known. A number of commercially available systems utilize an elongated horizontal hang rail from which a plurality of vertical standards are hung. However, such systems require the use of tools to install and are particularly difficult for one person to install. Moreover, under some circumstances the vertical standards can shift laterally relative to, bow outwardly or pivot away from the wall surface.
It would be desirable to provide a storage system that can be installed without tools, can be installed by a single person and that provide a more stable mounting of the vertical standards.
In one aspect, a storage system includes at least one hang bracket mountable on a wall, the hang bracket including a base and a support portion. A vertical standard includes a front side having a plurality of mount slots distributed vertically therealong, and a rear portion configured for engagement with the support portion. At least one anchor component is pivotably positioned at a front side of the base, the anchor component including a pivot end and a retainer end. The retainer end includes at least one wall penetrating retainer extending therefrom and having a wall penetrating extent that extends rearwardly of the base when in an install position.
In another aspect, a storage system includes a plurality of hang brackets mounted on a wall, the hang brackets mounted at substantially the same height and laterally spaced apart. A plurality of vertical standards are provided. Each vertical standard includes a front side having a plurality of mount slots, with each vertical standard hung from a respective one of the hang brackets, wherein each hang bracket supports only one vertical standard.
In another aspect, a storage system includes at least one hang bracket mounted on a wall. A vertical standard includes a front side having a plurality of mount slots distributed vertically therealong, the vertical standard hung from the hang bracket. The hang bracket includes a base with a back side seated against the wall, a support portion projecting outward and upward from the base. A plurality of anchors are pivotably located at a front side of the base, each anchor component including a pivot end and a retainer end. The retainer end includes at least one wall penetrating retainer extending therefrom and passing through a respective opening in the base such that a curved wall penetrating extent of the retainer is engaged within the wall so as to secure the hang bracket to the wall.
In another aspect, a hang bracket and vertical standard combination mountable on a wall includes a hang bracket including a base with a back side for seating against a wall, and a plurality of anchor components pivotably located at a front side of the base. Each anchor component includes a pivot end and a retainer end, where the retainer end includes at least one curved wall penetrating retainer extending therefrom and having a rearwardly extending wall penetrating extent. Each anchor component is pivotable between a forward position and an install position. In the forward position the retainer end is moved away from the front side of the base and the wall penetrating extent is forward of the back side of the base, and in the install position the retainer end is located adjacent the front side of the base and the wall penetrating retainer passes rearward of the back side of the base. A vertical standard is supported by the hang bracket.
In another aspect, a hang bracket assembly is provided for use in hanging a vertical standard of a storage system from a wall. The hang bracket assembly includes a hang bracket with a base having a plurality of spaced apart openings, a lower support portion projecting outward and upward from the base and an upper retention portion extending outward from the base. A front side of the base, the support portion and the retention portion together form a channel A plurality of anchor components are pivotably located within the channel, each anchor component including a pivot end and a retainer end, where the retainer end includes at least one curved wall penetrating retainer extending therefrom, and each anchor component is pivotable between a forward position and an install position. In the forward position the retainer end is moved away from the front side of the base and the wall penetrating retainer is forward of a back side the base, and in the install position the retainer end is located adjacent the front side of the base and the wall penetrating retainer passes through a respective one of the openings in the base and rearward beyond the back side of the base.
In another aspect, a hang bracket assembly is provided for use in hanging a vertical standard of a storage system from a wall. The hang bracket assembly includes a hang bracket comprising a base having a plurality of space apart openings and a support portion projecting outward and upward from the base. A plurality of anchor components are pivotably located on a front side of the base, each anchor component including a pivot end and a retainer end, where the retainer end including at least one curved wall penetrating retainer extending therefrom. Each anchor component is pivotable between a forward position and an install position. In the forward position the retainer end is moved away from the front side of the base and the wall penetrating retainer is forward of a back side of the base, and in the install position the retainer end is located adjacent the front side of the base and the wall penetrating retainer passes through a respective one of the openings in the base and rearward beyond the back side of the base.
In another aspect, a storage system includes at least one hang bracket mounted on a wall, the hang bracket including a lower support portion and an upper retention portion. A vertical standard includes a front side having a plurality of mount slots distributed vertically therealong, the vertical standard hung from the support portion of the hang bracket. A cap member is mounted over the hang bracket, a rear side of the cap member configured to cooperate with the top end of the vertical standard and the retention portion to prevent the vertical standard from moving upward off of the support portion while the cap member is in place.
In another aspect, a storage system includes at least one hang bracket mounted on a wall. A vertical standard includes a front side having a plurality of mount slots distributed vertically therealong, the vertical standard hung from the hang bracket. An intermediate anchor is installed along a lower half of the vertical standard to secure the vertical standard against lateral movement along the wall and outward movement away from the wall.
In another aspect, a template is provided for installing a wall mounted storage system that includes multiple hang brackets, vertical standards and intermediate anchors. The template includes a sheet material having a plurality hang bracket positioning slots or openings therein and a plurality of intermediate anchor positioning slots or openings therein, wherein the sheet material has a collapsed configuration for package insertion and an expanded configuration for system install. The sheet material is configured such that in the expanded configuration (i) the sheet material has a first dimension and a second dimension running perpendicular to the first dimension, the first dimension longer than the second dimension, a first edge of the sheet material is substantially linear and runs substantially parallel with the first dimension, and (ii) when the sheet material is placed adjacent a wall with the first edge of the sheet material positioned on the ground, each intermediate anchor positioning slot or opening is located at a respective intermediate anchor install location on the wall, and (iii) when the sheet material is placed adjacent the wall with the first edge of the sheet material facing upward and with each intermediate anchor positioning slot or opening aligned over one of the intermediate anchor install locations, then each hang bracket positioning slot or opening is located at a respective hang bracket install location on the wall, which hang bracket install location is vertically aligned above one of the intermediate anchor install locations.
In another aspect, a template is provided for installing a wall mounted storage system that includes multiple hang brackets, vertical standards and intermediate anchors. The template includes a sheet material having a plurality hang bracket positioning slots or openings therein and a plurality of intermediate anchor positioning slots or openings therein, wherein the sheet material has a collapsed configuration for package insertion and an expanded configuration for system install. The sheet material is configured such that in the expanded configuration: (i) the sheet material has a first dimension and a second dimension running perpendicular to the first dimension, the first dimension longer than the second dimension, first and second major sides, a first edge of the sheet material is substantially linear and runs substantially parallel with the first dimension, the first edge including multiple support slots or openings therealong or adjacent thereto, and (ii) when the sheet material is positioned with the first major side adjacent a wall and with the first edge of the sheet material positioned on the ground, each intermediate anchor positioning slot or opening is located at a respective intermediate anchor install location on the wall, and (iii) when the sheet material is placed with the first major side adjacent the wall, the first edge facing downward and each support slot or opening aligned over one of the intermediate anchor install locations, then each hang bracket positioning slot or opening is located at a respective hang bracket install location on the wall, which hang bracket install location is vertically aligned above one of the intermediate anchor install locations.
In another aspect, a method of installing a wall mounted storage system including shelves involves: utilizing a template of sheet material that includes a plurality of openings spaced and positioned for defining storage system component locations on a wall; positioning the template adjacent the wall and installing storage system components at positions defined by the template; removing the template from the wall; installing additional storage system components including at least first and second shelf units; breaking down the template into at least a first shelf liner and a second shelf liner; positioning the first shelf liner on the first shelf unit and positioning the second shelf liner on the second shelf unit.
The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.
In the drawings and description of various anchor embodiments below, the term wallboard is generally used to refer to the most common wallboard such as drywall, but it is recognized that the anchor components could be suitable for any other friable wallboard material, such as dense corks or foams or other materials that can crumble. Accordingly, the term wallboard as used herein is intended to broadly encompass, for example, both typical drywall (aka plasterboard and gypsum board) and such other friable wallboard materials.
Referring to
Each vertical standard 10 includes a front side 12 having a plurality of mount slots 14 distributed vertically therealong. In the illustrated embodiment, each vertical standard is a channel or U-shaped member with left and right sides 16 and 18 extending rearward from the front side 12. The vertical standard may, for example, be of bent metal plate construction, but other variations are possible. In the illustrated embodiment, pairs of side-by-side mount slots 14 are provided on the front side of the standard as shown, but other variations are possible.
The upper end of each vertical standard 10 is supported on the wall 8 (e.g., of wallboard) by a manually installable hang bracket 20. The hang brackets are mounted at substantially the same height and in a laterally spaced apart manner along the wall 8. In the illustrated embodiment, each hang bracket 20 includes only one vertical standard hung therefrom, but other variations are possible, such as a longer hang bracket supporting multiple vertical standards.
In the illustrated embodiment, each hang bracket 20 is in the form of a hang bracket assembly 22 that includes a carrier bracket 24 and multiple anchor components 28 (e.g., six in this case, though the number may vary). The carrier bracket 24 includes a base 26 with a front side 29 and a back side 30, where the back side 30 seats against the surface of the wall 8 for install. The base 26 also includes a plurality of laterally spaced apart through openings 38. A support portion 32 (e.g., in the form of a flange or rail) of the carrier bracket projects outward and upward from a lower end of the base 26, and a retaining portion 34 (e.g., in the form of a flange or rail) extends outward from an upper end of the base. The front side 29 of the base, the support portion 32 and the retention portion 34 together form a channel when viewed in end profile (per
The anchor components 28, which may be of metal plate construction (e.g., formed by progressive dies or cast), are pivotably located within the carrier bracket channel at the front side of the base 26. Each anchor component 28 includes a base plate with a lower pivot end 40 and an upper retainer end 42. The anchor components are spaced horizontally side-by-side along the base 26, with the pivot end 40 of each anchor component located behind the support portion 32. The retainer end 42 includes a wall penetrating retainer 44 extending therefrom and having a wall penetrating extent that protrudes rearwardly of the base plate and has a curved configuration. Each anchor component 28 is pivotable between a forward position (e.g., represented by dashed-line form 28′ in
As shown schematically in
Various configurations may be used to pivotably mount the anchor components 28 to the carrier bracket 24 (e.g., such as portions of the carrier bracket including hinge rings that pass through slots in the pivot end of the anchor component). However, embodiments in which the anchor components are releasably retained in the carrier bracket 24 are also possible (e.g., the seat formed within the channel between the front side of the base 26 and the support portion 32 defines a anchor component support shelf and pivot line about which the lower edge of the pivot ends 40 of the anchor components 28 pivot for purpose of installation).
As noted above, each vertical standard 10 may be of U-shaped end profile, with the rear edge of each side wall 16 and 18 including a cutout or slot 52 to engage with the support portion 32 so that the standard hangs from the support portion 32 as shown in
As shown in
In this regard, in the illustrated embodiment, the recess 62 includes an upper lateral extent 64 that includes an upper edge 66 sized and configured to fit snugly against the top edge of the carrier bracket and lower edge 68 sized to fit below the retention portion 34. A central pocket 70 receives the upper end of the vertical standard. A retaining lip portion 72 of the cap member is defined by material between lower edge 68 of lateral extent 64 and the upper edge 74 of the pocket 70. The retaining lip portion 72 is positioned between the top end of the vertical standard and the bottom of the retention portion 34. Thus, retaining lip portion 72 interacts with the retention portion 34 to prevent upward movement of the vertical standard (e.g., if the vertical stand 10 moves upward, the top edge of the standard engages and is blocked by the retaining lip portion 72 of the cap member). The lower end of the recessed area is bound by lower lip portions 76 and 78 (separated by the pocket 70) that are shaped to fit snugly against the bottom edge of the carrier bracket. The forward side of the cap member may be of any suitable or desired shape, and may include ornamental features to enhance the external appearance.
While a cap member is primarily described above, other arrangements for limiting vertically upward movement of the standard off of its hang bracket are possible, including other retaining components mounted to the hang bracket, or other retaining features integrated into the hang bracket.
It is recognized that a variety of different hang bracket configurations are possible, as suggested by the additional embodiments discussed below.
While the above described hang bracket configurations all depict a support portion that generally extends the full lateral width of the hang bracket, it is recognized that support features other than flanges could be used. By way of example, referring to
In some embodiments it may also be possible to effectively integrate the hang bracket with the vertical standard as suggested by the embodiment of
One common feature of all of the above-described hang bracket embodiments is the relatively small size of the hang bracket. In particular, because only a single vertical standard hangs from each hang bracket, a longest dimension of the hang bracket may, in some implementations, be no more than about three inches.
Referring again to
Referring to
The wall facing side 114 includes a base surface 128 for seating against the wall 8. In the illustrated example the base surface is a single planar surface, but it is recognized that variations are possible, such as the base surface being made up of multiple discreet surfaces that together lie in a common plane. The outer side 116 of the base member includes anchor support surfaces 132 and 134 that are angled relative to each other. In the illustrated embodiment the surfaces 132 and 134 converge toward each other as they move from respective ends 122 and 124 toward a mid-section 136 of the base member. Both anchor support surfaces 132, 134 are nonparallel with the base surface 128, with the outer end 138, 140 of each anchor support surface positioned closer to the base surface 128 than the inner end 142, 144 of the anchor support surface. Each anchor support surface 132 and 134 is substantially planar in this embodiment, with the two surfaces ramping toward each other. It is, however, recognized that variations with non-planar support surfaces are possible. It is contemplated that the base member 112 may be formed of a plastic or other polymeric material, but base members of metal or other materials are also possible.
Anchor components 150 and 152 are positioned on the base member 112. Each anchor component 150, 152 has a respective pivot end 154, 156 and a respective retainer end 158, 160. Anchor component 150 is pivotable relative to the base member 112 between a forward position in which the retainer end 158 is spaced away from the anchor support surface 132 and an install position in which the retainer end 158 is positioned toward the anchor support surface 132. Likewise, anchor component 152 is pivotable relative to the base member 112 between a forward position in which the retainer end 160 is spaced away from the anchor support surface 134 and an install position in which the retainer end 160 is positioned toward the anchor support surface 134. In the install position contemplated for each illustrated anchor component, a back side of the anchor component seats against its adjacent anchor support surface.
The retainer end 158 includes one or more wall penetrating retainers 162 with wall penetrating extents that extend rearwardly such that when the anchor component 150 is in the forward position the curved wall penetrating retainer extends toward but not beyond the base surface 128 and when the anchor component is in the install position the curved wall penetrating retainer 162 extends beyond the base surface to enable wall penetration. Likewise, the retainer end 160 includes one or more similar curved wall penetrating retainers 166. While each anchor component is shown with two retainers, more than two retainers could be provided, as could a single retainer.
The wall penetrating extents of the retainers 162 and 166 have a primarily curved configuration (e.g., of an arcuate configuration similar to that described above), where the radius of curvature defined by the arcuate portions of the wall penetrating retainers have a center point that is proximate to the axial pivot point line or axis of each anchor component 150, 152. In this regard, in the illustrated embodiment each anchor component 150 and 152 is independently associated with the base member 112 and mounted thereto by respective pin and slot arrangements 167 and 169. The central portion 136 of the base member includes a pivot base 170 having a laterally extending slot 172, 174 on each side for receiving the pivot end of the respective anchor component 150, 152 and the slots interact with the anchor component pivot ends to define the pivot axis for each anchor component. The radius of curvature of the anchor component retainers may be substantially centered in the respective slot 172 or 174. This geometry minimizes the energy and force required to insert the retainer into the wall, and minimizes damage to the wall and results in small wall surface perforations when the anchor component is removed. Pins (not shown) may be included to retain the anchor components on the base.
As best seen in
It is recognized that a variety of different intermediate anchor configurations are possible, as suggested by the additional embodiments discussed below.
One common and beneficial feature of intermediate anchor assembly embodiments 100, 100-1 and 100-2 is that the center of the radius of curvature of the anchor component retainers of both anchor components, also the pivot point of both anchor components, is offset from the wall surface and, in embodiments that include a base member, the base surface. This offset increases the angle of attack of the retainer into the wall. The angle of attack of a given retainer can be defined as the angle between a line or plane running from the point of retainer entry into the wall to the pivot axis about which the retainer moves and a line or plane normal to the wall surface. Referring to
As suggested by the schematic depictions, as the pivot point of an anchor component retainer moves outward away from the wall surface, the angle of attack increases and the amount of wall material encompassed by the retainer to resist pull-out of the retainer perpendicular to the wall surface (as represented by triangular areas 812A-812D) increases. Likewise, the anchor retention capability under cantilever loads (such as from a shelf supported on the anchor assembly) also increase. The most critical feature regard to these advantages is the increase in the linear extent to which the curved retainer lies behind the wallboard surface, as reflected in each case by line 814A-814D (e.g., basically the linear projection of the retainer in the wall surface plane). In the illustrated case, retainer 802A is shorter than retainer 802B, which in turn is shorter than retainer 802C, which in turn is shorter than retainer 802D, with all retainers approaching, but not passing through the backside of the wallboard, as is preferred. However, even in the case where the retainers 802B-802D were all the same length as retainer 802A, the retainers 802B-802D would progressively encompass more wallboard material.
Generally, it has been discovered that although more wall material can be encompassed by the retainers using a more aggressive angle of retainer attack, the force required for anchor component insertion also increases. It has been determined that a desirable range for balancing these two characteristics is to provide an angle of attack in the range of between about fifty-five degrees and about eighty degrees, such as about sixty degrees to about seventy-five degrees. However, other variations in the angle of attack are contemplated.
Referring now to
The sheet material is configured such that in the unfolded configuration the sheet material has a generally rectangular shape with a horizontal dimension X and a vertical dimension Y, where the horizontal dimension X is larger than vertical dimension Y. Edges 308 and 310 of the sheet material are substantially linear (with the exception of any slots or cutouts) and run substantially parallel with dimension X. When the sheet material is placed adjacent a wall 8 with the edge 310 of the sheet material placed on the ground (e.g., as per
After all of the intermediate anchor assemblies have been installed, the template 300 can then be repositioned such that edge 310 of the sheet material is facing upward and each intermediate anchor positioning slot or opening 304 is aligned over one of the installed intermediate anchor assemblies (e.g., per
After the template 300-1 has been used to install the hang brackets and intermediate anchors, it can be removed from the wall and broken down for use in the shelf system. In particular, the sheet material can first be separated along lines 324 and the upper and lower segments of the sheet material discarded. The remaining sheet material can be separated along separation lines 326, which are spaced apart to define shelf depth size shelf liner units. After the shelf brackets have been installed on the standards (e.g., per shelf brackets 202 in
While the above template embodiment contemplate templates having a collapsed configuration in the form of a folded configuration and an expanded configuration in the form of an unfolded configuration, it is recognized that other variations are possible. For example, the template could have a collapsed configuration in the form of a rolled configuration and an expanded configuration in the form of an unrolled configuration.
Thus, the template system provides a method of installing a wall mounted storage system including shelves, where the method includes: utilizing a template of sheet material that includes a plurality of openings spaced and positioned for defining storage system component locations on a wall; positioning the template adjacent the wall and installing storage system components at positions defined by the template; removing the template from the wall; installing additional storage system components including at least first and second shelf units; breaking down the template into at least a first shelf liner and a second shelf liner; and positioning the first shelf liner on the first shelf unit and positioning the second shelf liner on the second shelf unit.
In any of the foregoing anchor assembly embodiments, the wall penetrating retainers can also be configured with other advantageous features.
For example, to facilitate manual wallboard penetration and passage without tools, utilizing thumb or palm force only, the wallboard penetrating retainers may be formed with a relatively smooth external surface finish (e.g., achieved by polishing, painting, plating or other coating). In this regard, the surface of the wallboard penetrating retainers can be manufactured with or modified to a maximum average surface roughness of about 20 μinch (e.g., in some cases a maximum average surface roughness of about 15 μinch). In one implementation, just the end portion of the wallboard penetrating retainers are worked, processed or otherwise formed to achieve this desired low surface roughness feature in order to reduce manufacturing cost. The latter implementation would reduce install force but maintain friction on the rougher portions of the penetrating retainer to resist removal forces. The retainers may have a polished surface finish and/or a plated surface finish and/or a painted finish and/or a lubricant (e.g., Teflon) incorporated into the surface finish.
The wallboard penetrating retainers may also be configured such that the distal end of each wallboard penetrating retainer is shaped to provide a point. Proper sizing of the wallboard penetrating retainer(s) can also be used to achieve more user friendly performance of an anchor. In particular, in some implementations when the anchor assembly is installed at the front surface of the wallboard, the distal ends of the wallboard penetrating retainers may be positioned proximate to the rear surface of the wall without penetrating the paper layer at the rear surface. The cross-sectional sized of the retainers can be selected as suitable for manual installation.
The anchor assemblies can generally be installed without the use of tools (e.g., by user thumb force to rotate the anchor component) and provide a very beneficial load support capability once installed. Moreover, upon removal of the anchor from the wall the size of the hole(s) that are left for repair will be small, which (i) makes it simpler for the novice homeowner to make a clean wall repair with as little as just paint fill and (ii) more readily allows for slight repositioning of the anchor (e.g., in close proximity to the existing holes) if needed.
It is to be clearly understood that the above description is intended by way of illustration and example only, is not intended to be taken by way of limitation, and that other changes and modifications are possible. For example, the anchors could be formed with snap in place retainers (e.g., wire form retainers that snap into place on metal or plastic plate) or the anchors could be produced using an overmold process (e.g., an overmold to connect retainers to a plastic plate or an overmold of the metal plate and retainer combination). Moreover, while installation of the anchors into walls of a friable type (e.g., wallboard) are primarily described, it is recognized that the anchors could be mounted to walls of more dense material. For example, the anchors could be installed into walls of wood material by pre-drilling holes for each retainer of suitable size such that, when the retainer passes into the pre-drilled hole it wedges within the hole.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62245445 | Oct 2015 | US |
