Wall organizer system

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6299001
  • Patent Number
    6,299,001
  • Date Filed
    Wednesday, September 8, 1999
    25 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, October 9, 2001
    23 years ago
Abstract
A wall organizer system for storing items on a wall, includes at least one panel of wire mesh including a plurality of spaced, parallel, vertical rods joined to a plurality of spaced, parallel horizontal rods to define a plurality of quadrilateral mounting points, at least one wall bracket for mounting the at least one panel to the wall, at least one universal mounting plate configured for being secured in one of the mounting points and for accommodating at least one suspending member, and at least one suspending member configured for engagement on at least one of the at least one universal plate and directly to the panel.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates to wall organizer systems of the type used in garages, utility rooms, shops, retail establishments and residential basements for organizing books, tools, chemicals, toys, sporting goods, clothes and other personal possessions, and more specifically to an organizer system based on wire mesh panels using various hooks and brackets to mount the items to the wall.




Wall organizer systems are known which employ wire mesh panels made up of a plurality of spaced, parallel vertical rods joined to a plurality of spaced, parallel horizontal rods to create a grid of mounting points. Individual hooks and brackets, including shelf brackets, are provided for being fastened to the wire rods.




However, a major drawback of conventional systems of this type is that each type of hook or bracket requires its own mounting procedure and/or hardware. Thus, the arrangement and installation of the mounting hardware to the wire mesh panel is a tedious and time consuming process. This disadvantage is exacerbated when the individual hooks or brackets need to be moved to achieve proper and/or level alignment.




Another disadvantage of conventional wall organizers of this type is that the attachment configurations of the hooks and other hardware must be secured to the wire mesh by fasteners, and have no inherent gripping power on the mesh. This disadvantage makes the conventional attachments more easily dislodged from the mesh.




Still another disadvantage of conventional wall organizer systems of this type is that the variety of available mounting hardware is relatively limited, and requires specially designed components configured for being secured to the mesh panels.




Thus, there is a need for a wall organizer system of the type using wire mesh panels which provides an easy and relatively rapid way to attach mounting hardware and brackets to the wire mesh.




Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to provide an improved wall organizer system featuring a universal mounting plate which can accommodate a variety of conventional hooks, brackets and other such mounting hardware.




Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved wall organizer system featuring a universal mounting plate which can be attached to the mesh panel without the need for supplemental fasteners or tools.




A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved wall organizer system in which shelf and/or hook mounting brackets can be placed in a wide variety of locations on the wire mesh panels.




Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an improved wall organizer system which has the ability to mount two vertically oriented mesh panels to the wall in abutting relationship to each other.




BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




Accordingly, the above-listed objects are met or exceeded by the present wall organizer system for use with wire mesh panels made of a plurality of vertical and horizontal rods joined to form a screen-type pattern. The organizer system features a universal mounting plate which is secured to any mounting point on the mesh panel by a hook and snap-lock arrangement without the use of tools. Thus, the mounting plate can be easily installed anywhere on the mesh, and can also be readily moved to adjust its position as desired. In addition, the mounting plate is configured for accommodating a wide variety of conventional shelf brackets, hooks and other known organizer hardware. Another feature of the present organizer system is that it is provided with wall brackets for holding the mesh panels to the wall, which are made to securely hold either a single panel, or a pair of vertically arranged panels in abutting relationship to each other.




More specifically, the present invention provides a wall organizer system for storing items on a wall, includes at least one panel of wire mesh including a plurality of spaced, parallel, vertical rods joined to a plurality of spaced, parallel horizontal rods to define a plurality of quadrilateral mounting points, at least one wall bracket for mounting the at least one panel to the wall, at least one universal mounting plate configured for being secured in one of the mounting points and for accommodating at least one suspending member, and at least one suspending member configured for engagement on at least one of the at least one universal plate and directly to the wire mesh panel.




In a preferred embodiment, the present wall organizer system is provided in kit form including at least one wire mesh panel, a plurality of mounting brackets, a plurality of universal mounting plates and a plurality of suspending members taken from the group including shelf brackets, light duty hooks, heavy duty hooks., peg board hooks, s-hooks, tool holders and peg board trays. Certain members of the group of suspending members can be secured directly to the wire mesh, and others are configured for attachment to the universal mounting plate.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a top perspective view of the present wall organizer system shown in its orientation as mounted to a wall;





FIG. 2

is a bottom perspective view of the present wall organizer system incorporating three wire mesh panels, each shown with a variety of different suspending members in its orientation as shown mounted to a wall;





FIG. 3

is a top perspective view of the present wall mount bracket shown engaging a single mesh panel;





FIG. 4

is a top perspective view of the present wall mount bracket shown engaging a pair of mesh panels in abutting relationship to each other;





FIG. 5

is a front perspective view of the present universal mounting plate;





FIG. 6

is a rear perspective view of the plate shown in

FIG. 5

;





FIG. 7

is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the plate shown in

FIG. 6

;





FIG. 8

is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of an alternate locking configuration for the plate shown in

FIG. 5

;





FIG. 9

is a fragmentary front perspective view of the present wall organizer system showing a single heavy duty hook secured to the universal mounting plate;





FIG. 10

is a fragmentary front perspective view of the present wall organizer system showing a pair of heavy duty hooks secured to the universal mounting plate;





FIG. 11

is a fragmentary bottom perspective view of the present wall organizer system showing a conventional peg board hook secured to -the universal mounting plate;





FIG. 12

is a fragmentary bottom perspective view of the present wall organizer system showing a conventional peg board tray secured to the universal mounting plate;





FIG. 13

is a fragmentary bottom perspective view of the present wall organizer system showing a conventional double wall shelf bracket secured to the universal mounting plate;





FIG. 14

is a fragmentary top perspective view of the present wall organizer system showing a conventional single wall shelf bracket secured to the universal mounting plate;





FIG. 15

is a rear perspective view of an individual hook configured for use with the present system;





FIG. 16

is a fragmentary top perspective view of the present wall organizer system showing the hook of

FIG. 15

secured to the mesh panel;





FIG. 17

is a top perspective view of a double S-hook suitable for use with the present wall organizer system;





FIG. 18

is a top perspective view of a tool rack suitable for use with the present wall organizer system; and





FIG. 19

is a top perspective view of an alternative tool rack suitable for use with the present wall organizer system.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION




Referring now to

FIGS. 1 and 2

, the present wall organizer system for storing items on a wall is generally designated


10


, and includes at last one panel


12


of wire mesh. In the preferred embodiment, the wire mesh is made to include a plurality of spaced, parallel, vertical rods or wires


14


joined, as by welding, adhesive or other known fastening technology to a plurality of spaced, parallel horizontal rods or wires


16


to define a plurality of quadrilateral mounting points or cells


18


.




It is preferred that the rods


14


,


16


are cylindrical in cross-section, however other shapes are contemplated, such as square or hex-shaped rod. It is also preferred that the rods


14


,


16


be coated with protective metal, paint or plastic to minimize rust, corrosion or injury from sharp edges. While metal mesh panels


12


are preferred, it is also envisioned that injection molded plastic panels could be provided as long as the panel was capable of bearing the loads generated by stored articles such as books, tools, packaged liquid chemicals and the like.




When the rods


14


,


16


are assembled to form the mesh panels


12


, the resulting mounting points


18


are preferably


4


inch squares disposed in rows and columns, however other dimension and quadrilateral configurations are contemplated depending on the application. Mounting points located at the end of each row are preferably reduced in size to provide a known gap between panels when two panels are placed side-by-side. This is so that the panels can be mounted to wall studs having a standard 16 inch on center spacing. Each panel


12


is preferably provided in 1 foot×4 foot or 2 foot×4 foot sections, however other sizes are contemplated depending on the application.




Another feature of the present panel


12


is that upper and lower edges


20


,


22


of the panels are provided with an extra horizontal rod


24


secured parallel to the existing horizontal rod


16


with the vertical rods


14


sandwiched therebetween to reinforce the panel by increasing rigidity, strength and supported load. Both of these rods at each edge are referred to as edge rods


24


.




At least one wall bracket


26


is provided for mounting the at least one panel


12


to the wall, which can be an open stud wall, covered with wallboard, made of cinder block, concrete, or other known wall construction. Also, at least one universal mounting plate


28


is provided, and is configured for being secured in one of the mounting points


18


and for accommodating at least one suspending member, generally designated


30


. The suspending members


30


are a wide variety of generally conventionally available shelf brackets, hooks, peg board hooks and trays, wire mesh trays and tool holders as are known in the art and which will be described in further detail below. As is seen in

FIGS. 1 and 2

, an important feature of the present wall organizer system is that the suspending members


30


can be secured to the panel


12


in a wide variety of positions, and can easily be moved without the use of tools. Some of the suspending members are mountable only on the mounting plate


28


, while others are mountable directly to the panel


12


.




Referring now to

FIGS. 3 and 4

, the wall bracket


26


is generally U-shaped when viewed from the side, and includes a back wall


32


having mounting holes


34


(preferably countersunk) for securing the bracket to the wall, a floor


36


dimensioned for receiving the edge rods


24


, and a front lip


38


for retaining the panel by securing the rods


24


within the space defined by the bracket


26


. It is preferred that the wall brackets


26


be placed at about


32


inch intervals on the panels


12


, because of the standard


16


inch on center spacing of wall support studs.




A feature of the present system is that the wall bracket


26


is configured to retain either a single panel


12


against the wall (best seen in FIG.


3


), or a pair of panels


12




a


,


12




b


(FIG.


4


), in a vertically stacked arrangement with adjacent or opposing edges


20


,


22


abutting each other. This is accomplished by providing the front lip


38


with a first lip portion


40


and a second lip portion


42


separated by a slot


44


configured for accommodating one of the vertical rods


14


.




It will be seen that the first lip portion


40


is taller than the second lip portion


42


for accommodating the opposing edge rods


24


of abutting, vertically stacked panels


12




a


,


12




b


. A retaining fastener aperture


46


is provided in both lip portions


40


,


42


and accommodates a locking or retaining fastener


48


. Whichever lip portion


40


,


42


is employed to retain a corresponding single or double panel arrangement, the fastener


48


will be inserted by the installer in the appropriate retaining fastener aperture so that the fastener passes above the retained horizontal edge rods


24


to secure them in place and prevent them from becoming dislodged from the bracket


26


upon impact to the panel


12


.




In the preferred embodiment, the locking fastener


48


is of the pan head screw type, the free end of which should extend into the space defined by the bracket


26


a sufficient distance so that the distance between the free end of the fastener and the back wall


32


is less than the combined thickness of the rods


14


,


24


. In this manner, the panel


12


is securely retained by the brackets


26


. It is also contemplated that the locking fastener


48


abuts the back wall


32


, and/or that the back wall may be provided with a threaded or non-threaded aperture for receiving the end of the fastener


48


, and further that the locking fastener may take the form of a threaded fastener or a locking pin.




Referring now to

FIGS. 5-8

, the universal mounting plate


28


, which is also a suspending member support, includes an upper edge


50


configured for engaging one of the horizontal rods


16


, a lower edge


52


configured for engaging another one of the horizontal rods and a mounting panel


54


disposed between the upper and lower edges. In size, the plate


28


is dimensioned to fit within any one of the mounting points


18


(FIGS.


1


and


2


). To this end, the upper edge


50


is bent back to form an inverted “J”-hook which is configured to engage a desired horizontal rod


16


.




At the lower edge


52


, the plate is bent rearward at an approximate 90° angle, and at least one biased friction fit locking formation


56


is provided on an upper surface


58


formed by the bending operation. The locking formation


56


may take the form of a raised, bent tag


60


(best seen in FIG.


8


), a punctured tab


62


or other known formations which, once the upper edge


50


is hooked over the upper rod


16


, will engage the lower rod


16


with a snap-type friction fit. The biasing action of the locking formation


56


is provided by the inherent springiness created by the formation


56


being separated from the adjacent portions of the upper surface


58


by slots


63


, which preferably extend into the mounting panel


54


. The universal mounting plate


28


will thus be secured to the panel


12


without the use of tools. However, if desired, the lower edge


52


of the plate


28


may be provided with supplemental locking apertures


64


(best seen in

FIG. 6

) through which threaded fasteners, ties, pins or any other type of fastener (not shown) may be inserted to further secure the plate to the panel


12


.




The mounting panel


54


features a plurality of apertures


66


constructed and arranged for receiving the suspending members


30


. Since the universal mounting plate


28


is intended to accommodate a wide variety of conventionally available storage hardware, the apertures


66


are intended to duplicate corresponding structures on conventional shelf standards and peg board. Accordingly, the apertures


66


include a first plurality of vertically extending apertures


68


,


69


for receiving either single wall or double wall shelf brackets, and are preferably surrounded by a second plurality of generally circular apertures


70


of the type found in conventional peg-board.




Most preferably, the apertures


68


are constructed and arranged to be generally parallel to receive double wall shelf brackets (

FIG. 13

) and apertures


69


are constructed and arranged to receive single wall shelf brackets (FIG.


14


). The apertures


70


are disposed to have a 1 inch spacing between each other, but other spacings are contemplated depending on the application. Thus, in the preferred embodiment, since standard double wall shelf brackets require four standard apertures


68


each, and standard single wall shelf brackets require two standard apertures


69


each disposed in a different standard spacing from the apertures


68


, the mounting plate


28


can accommodate one double wall bracket in the apertures


68


, at least one single wall bracket in the apertures


69


and a plurality of peg-board type hooks or other hardware in the apertures


70


. It will be appreciated that the number and arrangement of apertures


68


,


69


and


70


may vary to suit the application.




It is also contemplated that the plate


28


may be provided in a form for use in supporting suspending members


30


without being attached to the mesh panel


12


. In such an embodiment, the mounting panel


54


would include the apertures,


68


,


69


and/or


70


, and the upper and lower edges


50


,


52


would be altered to suit the particular attachment application provided that a space is created behind the panel to accommodate shelf bracket tabs or peg board hook tips.




Referring now to

FIGS. 9 and 10

, the present panel


12


is shown wherein the universal mounting plate


28


is provided with heavy duty hooks


72


secured thereto. In

FIG. 9

, a single hook


72


is mounted to the apertures


70


with fasteners (not shown) such as conventional screws and nuts, rivets or the equivalent. In

FIG. 10

, a pair of hooks


72


are mounted to the same plate


28


in side-by-side fashion.




Referring now to

FIGS. 11 and 12

, in

FIG. 11

, a light duty peg board-type hook


74


is shown engaged in apertures


70


.

FIG. 12

depicts a wire mesh-type tray


76


suspended from a pair of adjacent universal mounting plates


28


so that the tray is engaged in selected apertures


70


. A rear end of the tray is supported by the panel


54


of the plate


28


so that the tray is maintained perpendicular to the wall.




Referring now to

FIGS. 13 and 14

, the universal mounting plate


28


can also accommodate conventional shelf brackets. In

FIG. 13

, it is seen that the arrangement of the vertically extending apertures


68


is such that a conventional dual walled, double track bracket


78


is accommodatable in the same manner as in a conventional shelf bracket standard, with the tabs of the bracket (not shown) engaging the apertures


68


. In

FIG. 14

, it is also seen that a conventional single wall shelf bracket


80


may also be accommodated in the apertures


69


.




Referring now to

FIGS. 15 and 16

, the system


10


may also include individual light duty hooks or other type of suspending or hanging hardware which do not need to be attached to the universal mounting plate


28


, but instead are mountable directly to the wire mesh panel


12


. A clamp-on hook


82


of this type attaches to the panel


12


in the same manner


10


as the universal mounting plate


28


. An upper edge


84


is formed into an inverted “J”-hook for engaging a horizontal rod


16


, and a lower edge


86


is bent back at an approximate 90° angle and is provided with at least one biased friction-type snap fit formation


56


bordered by a pair of slots


63


(as seen in FIG.


7


). Between the upper and lower edges


84


,


86


, a hook panel or mounting panel


88


receives a hook


90


fastened thereto by welding or other known attachment technology. The upper edge


84


, the lower edge


86


and the panel


88


thus define a suspending member support. The hook


90


may be either fixed or laterally pivotable relative to the hook panel


88


.




Referring now to

FIG. 17

, a light duty S-hook


92


of the double-hook type is provided and includes first and second hook members


94


retained in spaced apart relationship with each other by a spacer bar


95


. The hook


92


is designed to engage the panel


12


by the hook members


94


being hooked at their upper ends


96


upon a horizontal rod


16


, with the adjacent vertical rod


14


being engaged by the spacer bar


95


to prevent the hook


92


from rotating backward toward the wall upon loading. An important feature of the hook


92


is that it is snap-fit to the panel


12


through the construction of the upper end


96


. The radius of the upper end


96


is such that an opening is defined which is smaller than the diameter of the rods


16


.




Also, a tip portion


97


of the upper end


96


is angled rearwardly to assist installation and to further constrict the opening defined by the upper end


96


. An angled elbow


98


of the upper end


96


further constricts the opening and adds to the snap fit structure. Any of the hooks of the present system


10


may be provided with protective endcaps


100


for preventing injury and protecting the suspended items from sharp edges.




Referring now to

FIG. 18

, a tool rack


102


suitable for use with the present system


10


includes a main spacer bar


104


with hooks


106


at each end for engaging a selected horizontal rod


16


. It is preferred that the hooks


106


have the same snap-fit feature as the upper ends


96


of the hooks


92


. A plurality of generally “U”-shaped hook pairs


108


are secured to the spacer bar


104


in spaced relationship to each other, and are configured for retaining tools such as hammers, shovels, axes, rakes, as well as shoes, clothing, neckties, etc. A rear bar


105


of the hook pairs


108


performs the same function as the spacer bar


95


. The hook pairs


108


are each secured to the spacer bar


104


by welding or other known fastening technology. If desired, tips of the hook pairs


108


may be angled upward to better retain suspended articles as is known in the art.




Referring now to

FIG. 19

, an individual double hook


110


may also be provided for use with the system


10


, and is similar to the tool rack


102


, only being shorter and consisting of a single hook pair


108


. Similar components are designated with similar reference numbers.




In operation, the present wall organizer system


10


is preferably provided in kit form with at least one panel


12


defining a plurality of mounting points


18


, a plurality of wall brackets


26


for mounting the panel


12


to the wall, a plurality of universal mounting plates


28


, each configured for being secured in one of the mounting points


18


and for accommodating at least one suspending member


30


, and a plurality of suspending members configured for engagement on at least one of the universal plate


28


and directly to the panel


12


These suspending members include, but are not limited to, the heavy duty hooks


72


, light duty hooks


74


,


82


, wire mesh trays


76


, shelf brackets


78


,


80


, S-hooks


92


, tool racks


102


, and individual double hooks


110


. It is contemplated that some of these suspending members


30


may be included in a given kit, with the purchaser being given the opportunity to supplement the kit with other suspending members of like or dissimilar configurations, being sold separately. The suspending members


30


may be easily installed and moved as desired upon the panel


12


, and are securably held thereon. The universal mounting plate


28


features the ability to place a variety of suspending members upon the panel without having to use different types of mounting hardware.




While a particular embodiment of the wall organizer system of the invention has been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the invention in its broader aspects and as set forth in the following claims.



Claims
  • 1. A wall organizer system for storing items on a wall, comprising:at least one panel of wire mesh including a plurality of spaced, parallel, vertical rods joined to a plurality of spaced, parallel, horizontal rods to define a plurality of quadrilateral mounting points, said panel having an upper edge and a lower edge, at least one of said upper edge and lower edge including a pair of horizontal edge rods spaced apart by and joined to said plurality of vertical rods; at least one wall bracket for mounting said at least one panel to the wall, said at least one wall bracket including a back wall having mounting holes for securing said at least one wall bracket to the wall, a floor for receiving and supporting said pair of horizontal edge rods, and a front lip for retaining said panel; first and second suspending members, said first suspending member being distinct from said second suspending member; and a plurality of universal mounting plates, each plate being configured for being secured in any of said mounting points and for accommodating at least a portion of either of said first and second suspending members, wherein each plate comprises a mounting panel, a first plurality of apertures on said mounting panel for receiving said first suspending member, and a second plurality of apertures on said mounting panel distinct from said first plurality of apertures for receiving said second suspending member; wherein at least one of said first and second suspending members is configured for detachable engagement on at least one of said plurality of universal mounting plates and directly on said at least one wire mesh panel; wherein said front lip includes a first lip portion and a second lip portion separated by a slot configured for accommodating one of said vertical rods; and wherein said first lip portion is taller than said second lip portion for accommodating opposing edge rods of abutting, vertically stacked panels.
  • 2. The system as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said first and second lip portions is provided with at least one fastener aperture for receiving a locking fastener for retaining said rods in said bracket.
  • 3. A wall organizer system for storing items on a wall, comprising:at least one panel of wire mesh including a plurality of spaced, parallel, vertical rods joined to a plurality of spaced, parallel, horizontal rods to define a plurality of quadrilateral mounting points, said panel having an upper edge and a lower edge, at least one of said upper edge and lower edge including a pair of horizontal edge rods spaced apart by and joined to said plurality of vertical rods; at least one wall bracket for mounting said at least one panel to the wall, said at least one wall bracket including a back wall having mounting holes for securing said at least one wall bracket to the wall, a floor for receiving and supporting said pair of horizontal edge rods, and a front lip for retaining said panel; first and second suspending members, said first suspending member being distinct from said second suspending member; and a plurality of universal mounting plates, each plate being configured for being secured in any of said mounting points and for accommodating at least a portion of either of said first and second suspending members, wherein each plate comprises a mounting panel, a first plurality of apertures on said mounting panel for receiving said first suspending member, and a second plurality of apertures on said mounting panel distinct from said first plurality of apertures for receiving said second suspending member; wherein at least one of said first and second suspending members is configured for detachable engagement on at least one of said plurality of universal mounting plates and directly on said at least one wire mesh panel; wherein said front lip includes a first lip portion and a second lip portion separated by a slot configured for accommodating one of said vertical rods; and wherein at least one of said first and second lip portions is provided with a fastener aperture for receiving a locking fastener for retaining said rods in said bracket.
  • 4. The system as defined in claim 3 wherein said mounting points are square-shaped.
  • 5. The system as defined in claim 3 wherein said wall bracket is generally U-shaped when viewed from the side.
  • 6. A wall organizer system for storing items on a wall, comprising:at least one panel of wire mesh including a plurality of spaced, parallel, vertical rods joined to a plurality of spaced, parallel, horizontal rods to define a plurality of quadrilateral mounting points, said panel having an upper edge and a lower edge, at least one of said upper edge and lower edge including a pair of horizontal edge rods spaced apart by and joined to said plurality of vertical rods; at least one wall bracket for mounting said at least one panel to the wall, said at least one wall bracket including a back wall having mounting holes for securing said at least one wall bracket to the wall, a floor for receiving and supporting said pair of horizontal edge rods, and a front lip for retaining said panel; first and second suspending members, said first suspending member being distinct from said second suspending member; and a plurality of universal mounting plates, each plate being configured for being secured in any of said mounting points and for accommodating at least a portion of either of said first and second suspending members, wherein each plate comprises a mounting panel, a first plurality of apertures on said mounting panel for receiving said first suspending member, and a second plurality of apertures on said mounting panel distinct from said first plurality of apertures for receiving said second suspending member; wherein at least one of said first and second suspending members is configured for detachable engagement on at least one of said plurality of universal mounting plates and directly on said at least one wire mesh panel; wherein at least one of said first and second suspending members is at least one of, light duty hooks and S-hooks; and wherein said light duty hooks and S-hooks include a pair of hook members retained in spaced apart relationship with each other by a spacer bar, wherein each said hook member has an upper end configured with an opening having a diameter less than that of said horizontal rod to engage one of said horizontal rods of said panel in a snap-fit arrangement.
  • 7. The system as defined in claim 6, further including individual hooks which are directly securable to said horizontal rods.
  • 8. For a wall organizer system for storing items on a wall, the system including at least one panel of wire mesh made of a plurality of spaced, parallel, vertical rods joined to a plurality of spaced, parallel, horizontal rods to define a plurality of quadrilateral mounting points, at least one wall bracket for mounting the at least one panel to the wall and at least one suspending member, a suspending member support configured for being secured in one of the mounting points and for accommodating the at least one suspending member, comprising;an upper edge configured for engaging one of the horizontal rods, a lower edge configured for frictionally engaging another one of the horizontal rods with a snap-fit, and a mounting panel disposed between said upper and lower edges, said mounting panel being configured for receiving a portion of said at least one suspending member, wherein said upper edge forms a hook for engaging the horizontal rod, and said lower edge has at least one locking formation for engaging the rod with a snap fit, and wherein said at least one locking formation has a spring-like tag for locking said support to the rod.
  • 9. The suspending member support as defined in claim 8 wherein said mounting panel is configured to be securable to said suspending member by welding.
  • 10. The suspending member support as defined in claim 8 further including a plurality of apertures constructed and arranged for receiving the suspending members.
  • 11. The suspending member support as defined in claim 10 wherein said plurality of apertures on said mounting panel include a first plurality of vertically extending apertures for receiving shelf brackets, and being surrounded by a second plurality of generally circular apertures.
  • 12. The suspending member support as defined in claim 8 wherein said tag has a pair of edges and wherein said lower edge has a slot formed on both of said edges to separate said tag from said lower edge on two sides.
  • 13. The suspending member support as defined in claim 8 wherein said support is dimensioned for disposition at any one of said mounting points on said panel.
  • 14. A universal mounting plate, comprising:a mounting panel; a first plurality of generally parallel, vertically extending apertures on said mounting panel arranged for receiving a portion of at least one of a single wall shelf bracket and a double wall shelf bracket; a second plurality of generally circular apertures on said mounting panel being configured for receiving a generally circular cross-sectioned portion of a suspending member; and a third plurality of generally parallel, vertically extending apertures on said mounting panel being arranged differently than said first plurality of apertures for receiving a portion of at least one of a single wall shelf bracket and a double wall shelf bracket.
  • 15. The system as defined in claim 14 wherein said universal mounting plate further includes an upper edge configured for engaging a first horizontal rod, and a lower edge configured for engaging a second horizontal rod.
  • 16. The universal mounting plate as defined in claim 14 wherein said first and second pluralities of apertures are surrounded by said third plurality of apertures.
  • 17. A wall organizer system for storing items on a wall, comprising:at least one panel of wire mesh including a plurality of spaced, parallel, vertical rods joined to a plurality of spaced, parallel, horizontal rods to define a plurality of quadrilateral mounting points; at least one wall bracket for mounting said at least one panel to the wall; first and second suspending members; at least one universal mounting plate configured for being secured in one of said mounting points and configured to accommodate either of said first and second suspending members; each of said first and second suspending members being configured for engagement on at least one of said at least one universal mounting plate and directly on said at least one panel; said first suspending member being at least one of light duty hooks and S-hooks; said light duty hooks and S-hooks including a pair of hook members retained in spaced apart relationship with each other by a spacer bar; and each said hook member having an upper end configured with an opening having a diameter less than that of said horizontal rod to engage one of said horizontal rods of said panel in a snap-fit arrangement.
  • 18. A wall organizer system for storing items on a wall, comprising:at least one panel of wire mesh including a plurality of spaced, parallel, vertical rods joined to a plurality of spaced, parallel, horizontal rods to define a plurality of quadrilateral mounting points, wherein said panel has an upper edge and a lower edge, and wherein at least one of said upper and lower edges is defines by first and second horizontal edge rods spaced apart by, and joined to said vertical rods; at least one wall bracket for mounting said at least one panel to the wall, said wall bracket being generally U-shaped when viewed from the side, each of said at least one wall bracket including a back wall having mounting holes for securing the bracket to the wall, a floor for receiving said first and second horizontal edge rods, and a front lip for retaining said first and second horizontal edge rods; first and second suspending members, said first suspending member being distinct from said second suspending member; a plurality of universal mounting plates, each plate being configured for being secured in any of said mounting points and for accommodating at least a portion of either of said first and second suspending members, wherein each plate comprises a mounting panel, a first plurality of generally parallel, vertically extending apertures on said mounting panel arranged for receiving a portion of at least one of a single wall shelf bracket and a double wall shelf bracket, a second plurality of generally circular apertures on said mounting panel being configured for receiving a generally circular cross-sectioned portion of a suspending member, and a third plurality of generally parallel, vertically extending apertures on said mounting panel being arranged differently than said fist plurality of apertures for receiving a potion of at least one of a single wall shelf bracket and a double wall shelf bracket; and wherein said vertical rods and said first and second horizontal edge rods define a space from the wall for accommodating at least a portion of at least one of said plurality of universal mounting plates and at least a portion of one of said first and second suspending members.
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Entry
Closetmaid® Closet Planning Guide for Shelf Track Installation of 5 pages, (date unknown) Mar., 1999 or earlier.
Le Garage Doit Vous ReVez brochure, Mottez, Armentieres, France (date unknown) Mar., 1999 or earlier of 3 pages.