Abstract:
A shipping clip is configured to secure at least one shelf within a cabinet having walls and a base. The shipping clip includes a main beam having first and second side, and a biasing tab outwardly extending from the first side at an angle. The biasing tab is configured to exert a force into the shelf to compressively secure the shelf within the cabinet during shipping.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application relates to and claims priority benefits from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/726,358 entitled “Shelf Shipping Clip,” filed Oct. 13, 2005, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to shipping clips, and more particularly to shipping clips for shelves.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Various cabinets and bookcases include a plurality of shelves that may be secured within the cabinets and bookcases through a plurality of pins.  FIG. 1  illustrates an isometric view of a conventional shelf pin  10  secured within a cabinet wall  12 . The shelf pin  10  includes a post or tab (not shown) removably secured within a reciprocal securing opening (not shown) within the cabinet wall  12 . A shelf support beam  14  having a flat surface  16  extends outwardly from the cabinet wall  12 . Typically, two shelf pins  10  are spaced apart from one another on a cabinet wall  12 . Further, each lateral cabinet wall  12  may include two spaced apart shelf pins  10  secured therein. Thus, a shelf may be supported by four coplanar shelf pins  10 .  
         [0004]     After a cabinet, for example, is manufactured, it is shipped to a distributor, retailer, or customer. Because the shelves may not be permanently secured within the cabinet, the manufacturer typically ensures that the shelves are safely shipped. For example, the cabinet and shelves may be separately shipped so that the shelves do not shift about the cabinet during shipping. However, separately shipping the shelves and cabinet increases the costs of shipping, because two separate packing assemblies are shipped. In order to minimize shipping costs, some cabinets are shipped with the shelves temporarily secured therein.  
         [0005]      FIG. 2  illustrates an isometric view of a shelf  18  secured between a conventional shipping clip  20  and the shelf pin  10 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the shelf pin  10  is secured to the cabinet wall  12  and supports the shelf  18 . The shipping clip  20  includes a triangular main body  22 , with an upper apex  24  having a securing post (not shown) secured within a securing hole (not shown) of the cabinet wall  12 . A base  26  of the main body  22  is biased into the shelf  18 . Thus, the shelf  18  is secured between the shelf pin  10  and the shipping clip  20 . The cabinet may then be shipped with the shelves  18  secured therein.  
         [0006]      FIG. 3  illustrates an isometric view of the shipping clip  20 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the apex  24  of the triangular main body  22  is secured to the cabinet wall  12 , while the base  26  is biased into the top surface of the shelf  18 . Thus, the shipping clip  20  and the shelf pin (shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ) cooperate to secure the shelf  18  in place during shipping, thereby preventing the shelf from moving within the cabinet.  
         [0007]      FIG. 4  illustrates an isometric view of a shipping clip  30 . The shipping clip  30  includes a triangular main body  32  with a post  34  removably secured within a securing hole  36  formed through the cabinet wall  12 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the shipping clip  30  is longer than the shipping clip  20 .  
         [0008]     Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the shipping clips  20  and  30  are configured to secure only one shelf between their respective bases and the shelf pins  10  (shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ). In order to secure multiple shelves  18 , each shelf  18  is secured between one set of shipping clips  20  or  30 , and one set of shelf pins  10 . For example, in order to secure two shelves  18  during shipping, four shelf pins  10  and four shipping clips  20  or  30  are used to secure the first shelf  18 , while four additional shelf pins  10  and four additional shipping clips  20  or  30  are used to secure the second shelf  18 . Further, while the clips and pins minimize vertical shifting of the shelves, the shelves  18  may slide, rattle, or otherwise move laterally during shipping. As such, the shelves  18  and cabinet walls may be susceptible to scratching or other such damage during shipping.  
         [0009]     Thus, a need exists for a shipping clip capable of securing a plurality of shelves during shipping. Additionally, a need exists for a shipping clip that prevents the shelves from banging into cabinet walls during shipping.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010]     Certain Embodiments of the present invention provide a shipping clip configured to secure at least one shelf within a cabinet having walls and a base. The shipping clip may include a beam having a shelf side and a cabinet-abutting side, and a resilient biasing tab outwardly extending proximate a mid-section of said shelf side at an angle. The biasing tab is configured to exert a force into the at least one shelf to compressively secure the at least one shelf within the cabinet during shipping.  
         [0011]     The biasing tab may include an extension tab integrally connected to a blunted shelf-abutting end, wherein the blunted shelf-abutting end is configured to abut against a top surface of the at least one shelf.  
         [0012]     The shipping clip may also include a cabinet securing post extending from the cabinet-abutting side, wherein the cabinet securing post is configured to be retained within a reciprocal opening formed in at least one of the walls of the cabinet.  
         [0013]     Additionally, a grasping handle may extend from an upper portion of the shelf side. The grasping handle may include a fin extending from the shelf side, and a cylindrical post integrally connected to the fin.  
         [0014]     Further, a shelf-stabilizing ramp may extend from the shelf side below the biasing tab. The shelf-stabilizing ramp may be configured to abut against a top surface of the at least one shelf.  
         [0015]     A shim may extend from the beam and be configured to be positioned between the at least one shelf and at least one of the walls of the cabinet. The shim is configured to prevent lateral shifting of the at least one shelf within the cabinet.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0016]      FIG. 1  illustrates a conventional shelf pin secured within a cabinet wall.  
         [0017]      FIG. 2  illustrates an isometric view of a shelf secured between a conventional shipping clip and shelf pin.  
         [0018]      FIG. 3  illustrates an isometric view of a shipping clip.  
         [0019]      FIG. 4  illustrates an isometric view of a shipping clip.  
         [0020]      FIG. 5  illustrates an isometric view of a shipping clip according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0021]      FIG. 6  illustrates a front cross-sectional view of a shipping clip securing a plurality of shelves within a cabinet according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0022]      FIG. 7  illustrates a front perspective view of a shipping clip securing a plurality of shelves within a cabinet according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
       [0023]     Before the embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including” and “comprising” and variations thereof is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items and equivalents thereof.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0024]      FIG. 5  illustrates an isometric view of a shipping clip  40  according to an embodiment of the present invention. The shipping clip  40  may be formed of various materials, such as rubber, or plastic. The shipping clip  40  includes a main beam  42  having a cabinet securing post  44  extending from a wall-abutting side  46 . The cabinet securing post  44  is configured to be retained within a securing hole (not shown in  FIG. 5 ) within a cabinet wall (not shown in  FIG. 5 ).  
         [0025]     A handle  48  extends from a shelf side  50  (which is opposite the wall-abutting side), and proximate the top of the main beam  42 . That is, the handle  48  and the post  44  extend from opposite sides  50  and  46 , respectively, of an upper portion of the main beam  42 . The handle  48  may include a vertical fin  52  extending outwardly from the side  50 . The vertical fin  52  may be integrally formed with a cylindrical post  54 . The vertical fin  52  and the cylindrical post  54  may be ergonomically configured to allow easy grasping of the handle  48 . For example, the cylindrical post  54  acts as a barrier that prevents fingers from sliding off the handle  48  in the direction of arrow A.  
         [0026]     Proximate a mid-section  55  of the main beam  42 , a resilient biasing tab  56  extends outwardly from the side  50  at an angle  0 . The biasing tab  56  includes extension beam  58  integrally formed with a rounded, or blunted shelf-abutting end  60 , that is distally located from the main beam  42 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , the shelf-abutting end  60  is a turned up end of the extension beam  58 . The biasing tab  56  may be spring-biased.  
         [0027]     A shelf-stabilizing ramp  62  extends from the side  50  of the main beam  42  below the biasing tab  56 . The ramp  62  includes a lower surface  64  that extends perpendicularly from the side  50  of the main beam  50 . The lower surface  64  is integrally connected to a ramped surface  66  that extends toward the midsection  55  of the main beam  42 .  
         [0028]     The lower portion of the main beam  42  terminates in a shim  68  that extends below the ramp  62 . The shim  68  is configured to be positioned between a cabinet wall (not shown in  FIG. 5 ) and lateral portions of shelves (not shown in  FIG. 5 ).  
         [0029]      FIG. 6  illustrates a front cross-sectional view of the shipping clip  40  securing a plurality of shelves  70  within a cabinet  72  according to an embodiment of the present invention. The shelves  70  are positioned on top of a base  74  of the cabinet  72 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , two shelves  70  are stacked on top of the base  74 .  
         [0030]     The shipping clip  40  is secured into the cabinet wall  76 . That is, the post  44  is secured within a reciprocal opening  78  formed in the cabinet wall  76 .  
         [0031]     The shim  68  of the shipping clip  40  is positioned between the shelves  70  and the cabinet wall  76 . The shim  68  provides a barrier between the shelves  70  and the cabinet wall  76  that prevents lateral shifting of the shelves  70  within the cabinet  72 . Thus, the shelves  70  and cabinet walls  76  are protected against scratching or other damage that may be caused by the shelves  70  banging into the cabinet walls  76  during shipping.  
         [0032]     The lower surface  64  of the ramp  62  is positioned over a top edge of the top shelf  70 , while the shim  68  may overlay a lateral surface of the top shelf  70 . The ramp  62  and the shim  68  may cooperate to secure the shelves  70  from vertical and lateral shifting.  
         [0033]     The shelf-abutting end  60  of the biasing clip  56  exerts a force into the top surface of the top shelf  70 . The force exerted by the biasing clip  56  into the top shelf compresses the shelves  70  into the base  74  of the cabinet, thereby restricting movement of the shelves  70 .  
         [0034]     As shown in  FIG. 6 , the shipping clip  40 , or a plurality of shipping clips  40 , may be used to secure a plurality of shelves  70  within the cabinet  72  during shipping. For example, two or four shipping clips  40  may be used to secure a plurality of shelves  70  within the cabinet  72 . While two shelves  70  are shown in  FIG. 6 , the shipping clip  40  may be configured to secure more or less shelves  70  than those shown. Also, shelf pins do not have to be used in order to secure the shelves  70 . Optionally, shelf pins may be used to secure the shelves away from the base  74 .  
         [0035]      FIG. 7  illustrates a front perspective view of the shipping clips  40  securing a plurality of shelves  70  within the cabinet  72  according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 7 , the shelves  70  are supported by a plurality of shelf pins  80 . The shelves  70  are securely retained between the shelf pins  80  and the shipping clips  40 . While four shelves  70  are shown secured between the shelf pins  80  and the shipping clips  40 , the shipping clips  40  may be configured to secure more or less shelves  70  than those shown within the cabinet  72  during shipping.  
         [0036]     Thus, embodiments of the present invention provide a shipping clip capable of securing a plurality of shelves during shipping. As shown in  FIG. 6 , a plurality of shipping clips may be used to secure a plurality of shelves against a base of a cabinet. For example; four horizontally aligned shipping clips may be used to secure a plurality of shelves within the cabinet. Further, as shown in  FIG. 7 , a plurality shelves may be secured between a plurality of shipping clips and a plurality of shelf pins. For example, four horizontally-aligned shipping clips and four coplanar shelf pins may be used to secure a plurality of shelves therebetween.  
         [0037]     Additionally, embodiments of the present invention provide a shipping clip that prevents shelves from banging into the cabinet walls during shipping. The shims and ramps of the shipping clips act as barriers that minimize the shelves from shifting during shipping.  
         [0038]     While various spatial terms, such as upper, lower, mid, lateral, horizontal, vertical, and the like are used to describe portions of the shipping clip with respect to a cabinet, it is understood that such terms are merely used with respect to the orientations shown in the drawings. The orientations may be inverted, rotated, or otherwise changed, such that an upper portion is a lower portion, and vice versa, horizontal becomes vertical, and the like.  
         [0039]     Variations and modifications of the foregoing are within the scope of the present invention. It is understood that the invention disclosed and defined herein extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text and/or drawings. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the present invention. The embodiments described herein explain the best modes known for practicing the invention and will enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention. The claims are to be construed to include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted by the prior art.  
         [0040]     Various features of the invention are set forth in the following claims.