Abstract:
A shelf connector includes a sliding sleeve and a locking sleeve. The sliding sleeve is formed with a locking body thereon. The locking body is provided with an open groove along the axial direction of the sliding sleeve. The locking body is provided on both sides of the open groove with clasping portions. The locking sleeve is provided with a locking groove thereon. After the clasping portion is inserted into the locking groove, the width of the open groove can be reduced. With the above arrangement, in assembling, the sliding sleeve can be conveniently positioned to any suitable position of the supporting rod and locked thereto with the insertion of the locking sleeve. Since the locking sleeve itself has mounting portions for mating with the frame body of the shelf, or the locking sleeve itself is the end portion of the frame body of the shelf, the connection of the whole shelf becomes very simple. By using various connectors having different specifications and purposes, it is suitable for connecting various kinds of shelf.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to a shelf connector, and in particular to a shelf connector capable of mounting on a shelf.  
         [0003]     2. Description of Prior Art  
         [0004]     In daily life, a shelf constituted of brackets, hangers or supports has been widely used. However, due to the different specifications of various kinds of shelves, it is inconvenient to connect with each other and the assembling of the total structure is very complicated. In view of the above problems, China Patent Publication No.CN2503777Y discloses a shelf connector comprising a supporting rod, a connector and a net bracket. The supporting rod is axially provided with several positioning grooves at identical intervals. The connector is formed of two arc pieces. Both sides of the two arc pieces are provided with male and female engaging members, respectively, so as to form a cone after engaging with each other. The cone has a mouth portion tapering from bottom to top. The interior of the cone mates with the positioning grooves on the supporting rods, and its outside mates with the conical wall within the sleeve of the net bracket.  
         [0005]     With the above structure, although the height between two shelves can be adjusted according to the conditions in use, the disassembling and assembling procedures are very troublesome. First, the sleeve of the net bracket and the connector should be separated. Next, the connector is disassembled into two portions. Then, these two portions are moved to another position to lock with the supporting rod. Finally, with the insertion of the sleeve, the assembling procedure is finished. In order to guarantee the stability of the shelf in use, it is necessary for the connector to tightly mate with the positioning elements via the sleeve.  
         [0006]     In view of the above problem, China Patent Publication No.CN2608739Y discloses an improved shelf connector comprising a fixing sleeve, a clamping sleeve and a positioning sleeve. The positioning sleeve is a cone which can be opened and closed and are formed of two semi-arc bodies. The inner surface of the positioning sleeve is provided with projecting ribs, and the periphery of its bottom is provided with flanges having notches. On one side of the notch, the bottom of the flange is provided with steps. The clamping sleeve and the positioning sleeve are assembled with each other. The hook thereof is inserted into the positioning sleeve and rotates to engage with the stepped flanges of the positioning sleeve. The fixing sleeve is assembled to the outside the clamping sleeve.  
         [0007]     However, the above structure still has the drawbacks as follows: (1) Since the net bracket and the sleeve are integrally connected, the assembling of multiple layers of shelves is restricted. That is, the shelves on both ends of the shelf pillar are easy to be dissembled whereas the shelves in the middle are not easy to assemble or dissemble; (2) Since the connection relies on the locking of conical surfaces, the supporting pillars and the shelf connectors are assembled more tightly due to the gravity after using a period of time. Therefore, it is very difficult to detach the fixing sleeve from the fixing sleeve; (3) The manufacturing of the connector formed of the fixing sleeve and the clamping sleeve is more complicated, resulting in the rise of the manufacture cost of the shelf.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     In order to solve the above problems of existing arts, the object of the present invention is to provide a shelf connector. The shelf connector is suitable for connecting to various kinds of shelves having different specifications and purposes. Further, the shelf connector is very convenient to dissemble and assemble and the connection is reliable. Moreover, additional layers of shelves or other accessories can be easily assembled without detaching any part of the shelf structure. As a result, the use of the shelf is greatly enlarged.  
         [0009]     In order to achieve the above objects, the shelf connector of the present invention comprises a sliding sleeve and a locking sleeve. The sliding sleeve is provided with a locking body thereon. The locking body is provided with an open groove along the axial direction of the sliding sleeve. The locking body is provided on both sides of the open groove with clasping portions. The locking sleeve is provided with a locking groove thereon. After the clasping portion is inserted into the locking groove, the width of the open groove can be reduced.  
         [0010]     In the present invention, preferably, the width b of the locking groove is slightly smaller than the width a of the clasping portion. The upper portion of the clasping portion is provided with introducing sections. The introducing section is an arc transition section tapering from bottom to top.  
         [0011]     Preferably, the locking body is a projecting portion radially extending from the sliding sleeve.  
         [0012]     Preferably, the sliding sleeve is formed into an open structure. The wall face opposing to the open groove is axially provided with a hinge functioning as a shaft-and-pin mechanism. The inner wall of the hole of the sliding sleeve is circumferentially provided with positioning ribs. The positioning ribs are formed into strips or grains and are intermittently arranged. The inner diameter of the positioning rib is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the supporting rod. The outer edge of the supporting rod is circumferentially provided with positioning grooves for elastically engaging with the positioning ribs. The inner wall of the hole of the sliding sleeve adjacent to the hinge is axially provided with a rib for positioning the opening and closing actions.  
         [0013]     Preferably, the inner wall of the hole of the sliding sleeve is circumferentially provided with a layer of elastic soft rubber. Alternatively, the whole inner wall of the hole of the sliding sleeve is a rough wall face.  
         [0014]     Preferably, the clasping portion is a protruding one. The locking groove is provided with a locking edge for restricting the movement of the locking sleeve along the radial direction of the sliding sleeve after the locking sleeve is locked into the protruding clasping portion.  
         [0015]     Preferably, the locking sleeve can be a flat plane, arc plate or angled plate. The locking groove is arranged in a vertical or transverse direction of the locking sleeve. The opening of the groove is arranged in an upward, downward, leftward or rightward orientation.  
         [0016]     Preferably, the locking sleeve is a rod. The locking groove can be formed by means of bending the rod.  
         [0017]     In the present invention, since the locking body of the sliding sleeve is provided with a through open groove thereon and the locking mechanism constituted of the locking sleeve and the sliding sleeve is utilized, the locking mechanism can reduce the width of the open groove to shrink inwardly after the locking sleeve is inserted into the clasping portion provided on the locking body of the sliding sleeve. Therefore, in assembling, the sliding sleeve can be conveniently positioned to any place of the supporting rod. Then, the insertion of the locking sleeve can fix it thereto. Further, since the locking sleeve has mounting portions for mating with the frame body of the shelf, or the locking sleeve itself is an end portion of the frame body of the shelf, the connection of the whole shelf becomes very simple. By using various connectors having different specifications and purposes, it is suitable for connecting various kinds of shelf. Meanwhile, in the present invention, other shelves can be additionally mounted on the shelf according to the conditions in use. Therefore, the functions and the field of application of the shelf can be extended.  
         [0018]     The further description of the present invention will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0019]      FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view of the sliding sleeve of the present invention;  
         [0020]      FIG. 2  is a schematic view showing that the locking body of the sliding sleeve and the locking sleeve of the present invention are connected to each other;  
         [0021]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the sliding sleeve of the present invention;  
         [0022]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the open sliding sleeve of the present invention;  
         [0023]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the locking sleeve of the present invention;  
         [0024]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view showing that the sliding sleeve of the present invention is provided with a layer of soft rubber therein;  
         [0025]      FIG. 7  is an assembled view showing that the first embodiment of the present invention is applied to a net-like shelf;  
         [0026]      FIG. 8  is an exploded view showing the structure of  FIG. 7  in assembling;  
         [0027]      FIG. 9  is an assembled view showing that the second embodiment of the present invention is applied to a net-like shelf;  
         [0028]      FIG. 10  is a schematic view showing the structure of  FIG. 7  before assembling;  
         [0029]      FIG. 11  is a schematic view showing the structure in which the locking sleeve of the third embodiment of the present invention is an U-shaped plate;  
         [0030]      FIG. 12  is a schematic view showing the assembling of the parts in  FIG. 11 ;  
         [0031]      FIG. 13  is a schematic view showing that the locking sleeve of the forth embodiment of the present invention is combined with a rod-like hanger;  
         [0032]      FIG. 14  is a schematic view showing the assembling of the parts in  FIG. 13 ;  
         [0033]      FIG. 15  is a schematic view showing the structure of the fifth embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0034]      FIG. 16  is a view showing the embodying state of  FIG. 15 ;  
         [0035]      FIG. 17  is a schematic view showing the structure of the sixth embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0036]      FIG. 18  is a view showing the embodying state of  FIG. 17 ;  
         [0037]      FIG. 19  is a schematic view showing the structure in which the locking sleeve of the seventh embodiment of the present invention is provided with a sleeve base;  
         [0038]      FIG. 20  is a view showing the embodying state of  FIG. 19 ;  
         [0039]      FIG. 21  is a schematic view showing the structure in which the locking sleeve of the eighth embodiment of the present invention is constituted of rods;  
         [0040]      FIG. 22  is a view showing the embodying state of  FIG. 21 ;  
         [0041]      FIG. 23  is a schematic view showing the way of using in which the ninth embodiment of the present invention is applied to a fixed article;  
         [0042]      FIG. 24  is a view showing the embodying state of  FIG. 23 ;  
         [0043]      FIG. 25  is a schematic view showing the structure in which the locking sleeve of the tenth embodiment of the present invention is combined with a disk-like hanger;  
         [0044]      FIG. 26  is a view showing the embodying state of  FIG. 25 ; and  
         [0045]      FIG. 27  is a schematic view showing the assembling of the sliding sleeve and the locking sleeve in the eleventh embodiment of the present invention when the clasping portion is a protruding one. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0046]     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the present invention provides a shelf connector comprising a sliding sleeve  1  and a locking sleeve  2 . The sliding sleeve  1  is inserted on a supporting rod  3 . One end of the locking sleeve  2  is connected to the frame body  40  of the shelf (as shown in FIG.  7 ). The center of the interior of the sliding sleeve  1  is formed with a hole  10  for slidably mating with the supporting rod  3 . The outer surface of the sliding sleeve  1  is formed with a locking body  12 . The locking body  12  is provided with an open groove  11  along the axial direction of the sliding sleeve  1 . The locking body  12  is provided on both sides of the open groove  11  with clasping portions  12   a  or  12   c  (the clasping portion  12   c  is shown in  FIG. 27 ). The clasping portion can be a recessed clasping portion  12   a  or a protruding clasping portion  12   c.    
         [0047]     Further, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the locking sleeve  2  can be semi-arc plate and is provided with a locking groove  21  on its plate body. After the clasping portion  12   a  or  12   c  is inserted into the locking groove  21 , the open groove  21  can be shrunk inwardly to reduce its width. Therefore, with a locking mechanism constituted of the sliding sleeve  1  and the locking sleeve  2 , the supporting rod  3  can be firmly connected to the frame body  40  of the shelf. The locking groove  21  can be a U-shaped locking groove. After the recessed clasping portion  12   a  or protruding clasping portion  12   c  is locked into the locking groove, the open groove  11  shrinks inwardly to reduce its width. Further, the width b of the locking groove  21  is slightly smaller than the width a of the recessed clasping portion  12   a  or the protruding clasping portion  12   c . Above the clasping portion  12   a  or the clasping portion  12   c , introducing sections  12   b  are provided respectively (not shown in  FIG. 27 ). The introducing section  12   b  is an arc transition section tapering from bottom to top (as shown in  FIG. 2 ).  
         [0048]     As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the sliding sleeve  1  can be formed into a closed or open structure. If the sliding sleeve  1  is formed into a closed structure (as shown in  FIG. 3 ), the locking body  12  is a protruding portion radially extending from the sliding sleeve  1 . The clasping portion  12   a  is provided on the protruding portion. The inner wall of the hole  10  encircling the sliding sleeve  1  is provided with positioning ribs  14 . The positioning ribs are formed into strips or grains and are intermittently arranged. The inner diameter of the positioning rib  14  is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the supporting rod  3 . The outer edge of the supporting rod  3  is circumferentially provided with positioning grooves  31  (as shown in  FIG. 7 ). The positioning ribs  14  are used to elastically engage with the positioning grooves  31 .  
         [0049]     If the sliding sleeve is formed into an open structure, the wall face opposing to the open groove  11  of the sliding sleeve  1  is axially provided with a hinge  13  functioning as a shaft-and-pin mechanism. Similarly, the inner wall of the hole  10  of the sliding sleeve  1  is circumferentially provided with positioning ribs  14 . The positioning ribs are formed into strips or grains and are intermittently arranged. The inner diameter of the positioning rib  14  is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the supporting rod  3 . The positioning ribs  14  are used to elastically engage with the positioning grooves  31 . Further, the inner wall of the hole  10  of the sliding sleeve  1  adjacent to the hinge  13  is axially provided with ribs  15  for positioning the opening and closing actions.  
         [0050]     As shown in  FIG. 6 , the inner wall of the hole  10  encircling the sliding sleeve  1  is provided with a layer of elastic soft rubber  16 . Alternatively, the whole inner wall of the hole  10  of the sliding sleeve  1  can be formed into a rough wall face. The profile and dimension of the hole  10  of the sliding sleeve  1  can mate with those of the supporting rod  3  with circular, oval or other shape.  
         [0051]     Further, the locking sleeve can be a flat plane, arc plate, angled plate or the plate with other shapes. The locking groove  21  can be arranged in a vertical or transverse direction of the locking sleeve  2 . The opening of the groove is arranged in an upward, downward, leftward or rightward orientation. Further, the locking sleeve  2  can also be a rod. The locking groove  21  can be formed by means of bending the rod. Between the locking sleeve  2  and the frame body  40  of the shelf, a sleeve seat  22  (as shown in  FIG. 11 ) can be provided and formed into a plate-like or disk-like shape.  
         [0052]     As shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the first embodiment of the present invention can be applied to a net-like shelf. The sliding sleeve  1  is a closed sleeve. The locking sleeve  2  is an arc plate. In this embodiment, the supporting rod  3  is connected with a horizontal net-like frame body  40  of the shelf. The procedure of the assembling of the shelf is as follows. After the sliding sleeve  1  is inserted into the suitable position of the supporting rod  3 , the locking sleeve  2  in the corner of the frame body  40  of the shelf is inserted into the recessed clasping portion  12   a  of the sliding sleeve  1 . With the inward shrinkage of the open groove  11 , the supporting rod  3  can be fixedly connected to the frame body  40 .  
         [0053]     As shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , the second embodiment of the present invention can be applied to a net-like shelf. The sliding sleeve  1  is an open sleeve. The locking sleeve  2  is also an arc plate. The procedure of the assembling of the shelf is as follows. The sliding sleeve  1  is radially inserted into the suitable position of the supporting rod  3  and the open sliding sleeve  1  is closed. Then, the locking sleeve  2  in the corner of the frame body  40  of the shelf is inserted from the top into the clasping portion  12   a  of the sliding sleeve  1 . As a result, the supporting rod  3  can be fixedly connected to the frame body  40 .  
         [0054]     As shown in  FIGS. 11 and 12 , the third embodiment of the present invention can be applied to a plate-like shelf The sliding sleeve  1  can be a closed or open structure. The locking sleeve  2  is a horseshoe-shaped plate having a locking groove  21 . The back of the locking sleeve  2  is fixedly connected with a sleeve seat  22  for combining with a connecting piece  24  having a “C-shaped” cross section. A plate-like frame body  41  can be inserted into the opening  241  of the connecting piece  24 . The procedure of assembling the sliding sleeve  1  with the locking sleeve  2  in this embodiment is identical to that in the first embodiment.  
         [0055]     As shown in  FIGS. 13 and 14 , the forth embodiment of the present invention can be applied to a hook shelf. The sliding sleeve  1  can be a closed or open structure. The locking sleeve  2  is an arc plate having a locking groove  21 . The hook shelf  42  shown in the figure is fixed to both ends of the locking sleeve  2 . The procedure of assembling the sliding sleeve  1  with the locking sleeve  2  in this embodiment is identical to that in the first embodiment.  
         [0056]     As shown in  FIGS. 15 and 16 , the fifth embodiment of the present invention can be applied to a circular shelf. The sliding sleeve  1  can be a closed rectangular sleeve. The locking sleeve  2  is a right-angled groove-like plate having a locking groove  21 . On this right-angled groove-like plate, a common angled bracket (not shown) is provided for connecting with the circular frame body  43 . The procedure of assembling the sliding sleeve  1  with the locking sleeve  2  in this embodiment is identical to that in the first embodiment.  
         [0057]     As shown in  FIGS. 17 and 18 , the sixth embodiment of the present invention can be applied to a hanger. The sliding sleeve  1  can be a closed or open structure. The locking sleeve  2  is an arc plate having a locking groove  21 . The frame body  44  of the hanger shown in the figure is fixedly connected to the outer edge of one end of the locking sleeve  2 . The procedure of assembling the sliding sleeve  1  with the locking sleeve  2  in this embodiment is identical to that in the first embodiment.  
         [0058]     As shown in  FIGS. 19 and 20 , the seventh embodiment of the present invention can be applied to an annular shelf. The sliding sleeve  1  can be a closed or open structure. The locking sleeve  2  is an arc plate having a locking groove  21 . One end of the locking sleeve  2  is provided with a plate-like sleeve seat  22  for connecting with the annular frame body  45 . The procedure of assembling the sliding sleeve  1  with the locking sleeve  2  in this embodiment is identical to that in the first embodiment.  
         [0059]     As shown in  FIGS. 21 and 22 , the eight embodiment of the present invention can be applied to a basket-like shelf The sliding sleeve  1  is a closed rectangular sleeve. The locking sleeve  2  is formed by means of bending a rigid rod and formed with a locking groove  21 . With the connection between the sliding sleeve  1  and the locking sleeve  2 , the frame body  46  of the basket-like shelf can be fixedly connected to the supporting rod  3 . The assembling procedure in this embodiment is identical to that in the first embodiment.  
         [0060]     As shown in  FIGS. 23 and 24 , the ninth embodiment of the present invention can be applied to a fixed article. The locking sleeve  2  comprises an arc portion  20  and sleeve seats  22  on both sides. The arc portion has a locking groove  21 , and the sleeve seat  21  has a fixing hole  24 . The locking sleeve  2  can be fixedly mounted to the wall or other fixed article by screws. The opening of the locking groove  21 is arranged upwardly. The frame body  44  of the shelf is provided on the sliding sleeve  1 . In this way, by firstly connecting the sliding sleeve  1  and the locking sleeve  2  in the same manner as that in the previous embodiment, or by fixing the locking sleeve  2  onto the desired fixed article, then, the sliding sleeve  1  can be connected to the locking sleeve  2 . As a result, the frame body  44  of the shelf can be mounted on any fixed article.  
         [0061]     As shown in  FIGS. 25 and 26 , the tenth embodiment of the present invention can be applied to a disk-like shelf. The sliding sleeve  1  can be a closed or open structure. The locking sleeve  2  is an arc plate having a locking groove  21  and is fixedly connected to the frame body  47  of the disk-like shelf (e.g. by riveting or welding). The assembling procedure in this embodiment is identical to that in the first embodiment.  
         [0062]     As shown in  FIG. 27 , the eleventh embodiment of the present invention can be applied to a rod body. The clasping portion on the sliding sleeve  1  can be a protruding clasping portion  12   c . The locking groove  21  of the locking sleeve  2  is provided with a locking edge  210  for restricting the movement of the locking sleeve  2  in the radial direction of the sliding sleeve  1  after the locking sleeve  2  is inserted into the clasping portion  12   c . The assembling procedure in this embodiment is identical to that in the first embodiment.  
         [0063]     Although the present invention has been described with reference to the foregoing preferred embodiments, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details thereof Various equivalent variations and modifications can still be occurred to those skilled in this art in view of the teachings of the present invention. Thus, all such variations and equivalent modifications are also embraced within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.