Shelving system

A shelving system (10) includes diagonal braces (46) which extend between posts (12) and cross members (36) which transversely interconnect the posts (12). The lower end portion (50) of brace (46) is formed in the shape of a hook to extend through a slot (18) and engage with post face wall (20). Brace (46) also includes an elongate, planer intermediate portion (48) and an upper end portion (58) extending transversely to intermediate portion (48) to extend through a diagonal slot (56) formed in cross member (36). Brace upper end portion (54) includes a transverse tab (60) which can be bent over once end portion (54) is inserted through slot (56) to thereby securely lock brace (46) engaged with cross member (36).

DESCRIPTION 
1. Technical Field 
The present invention relates to frame constructions and more particularly 
to a unique brace for reinforcing a shelving system. 
Shelves for storing goods in warehouses, workshops, retail stores and even 
homes are commonly constructed from prefabricated, standardized components 
which can be compactly shipped from a factory and then assembled on site. 
The shelves may be assembled in a variety of sizes and configurations 
without requiring any special skills or tools. Typically, shelving systems 
comprise a number of vertical and horizontal elements bolted or otherwise 
connected by fasteners. In a shelving system manufactured by E-Z-Rect 
Metal Products, the assignee of this invention, pairs of tall, 
transversely spaced posts are interconnected by horizontally disposed 
cross members having hooks formed at each end for engagement within slots 
formed along the height of the posts. The pairs of posts are 
interconnected by horizontally disposed, longitudinally extending members 
also having hooks formed at their ends for engaging within slots formed in 
the sidewalls of the posts. The longitudinal members are overlaid by 
wooden panels or the like to form the shelves. 
Because of the rapid increase in the cost of raw and semi-finished 
materials in recent years, applicant has sought to design a shelving 
system constructed from lightweight components of small cross-sectional 
size which require less material than components of past shelving systems. 
Applicant has found, however, that shelving constructed from lighter 
weight, reduced dimension, components is unsatisfactorily lower in lateral 
stability than shelving constructed from the traditional heavier weight, 
relatively large dimension components. Use of conventional bolted or 
welded bracing to overcome this instability would both make the unit more 
complicated to set up and break down and would require substantial 
additional costly materials and parts. The present invention provides a 
one piece diagonal brace of unique form which may be quickly and easily 
installed and which strengthens the shelving to at least the level of 
prior shelving formed from larger sized components. 
2. Background Art 
A diagonal lattice brace for use in a metal framework is disclosed in U.S. 
Pat. No. 1,795,060 wherein one end of the brace is riveted to the end of a 
cross member interconnecting two tubular uprights. The opposite end of the 
diagonal brace is slotted to form a hook which extends to an opening 
formed in the corresponding upright member to engage therewith. A drawback 
to this particular design is that the diagonal brace is riveted to the 
cross member which requires a time consuming procedure necessitating 
specialized equipment. 
U.S. Pat. No. 2,297,325 discloses a gun rack utilizing a diagonal brace 
constructed similarly to the brace disclosed in the above discussed '060 
patent. However, in the '325 patent one end of the brace is pinned to a 
vertical upright and the opposite hooked end engages with a cross pin 
fixed to a horizontal beam spanning between the two uprights. 
U.S. Pat. No. 895,578 discloses a joint for interconnecting the lower end 
of a diagonally disposed awning support rod with a vertical guide rod. A 
circular stud shaft extends transversely horizontally outward from one 
side of a flattened tip connected to the lower end of the diagonal support 
rod. A lug projects transversely from the free end of the stud shaft to 
cooperatively form a key which may be inserted within a correspondingly 
shaped keyway formed on a slide adapted to slide up and down the vertical 
guide rod. This joint design enables the tip of the awning support rod to 
pivot relative to the vertical guide rod as the slide moves up and down 
the guide rod. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,063,835, formerly assigned to the assignee of this 
application and now dedicated to the public, discloses a shelving system 
comprised solely of vertical and horizontal members interconnected by a 
hook and slot system. The size of the components used in this system 
removes the need for additional bracing to provide lateral stability. 
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a large capacity, high strength shelving 
system constructed from lightweight, small dimension components which can 
be quickly and conveniently assembled together to form shelves of various 
widths, lengths and heights. The shelving system includes pairs of 
transversely spaced apart tubular posts interconnected by cross members 
having hooked end portions which extend through slots formed in the posts 
to engage with the face walls of the posts. The pairs of posts are 
longitudinally interconnected by elongate members also having hooked end 
portions which engage within slots formed in the sidewalls of the posts. 
Lengths of wooden boards or flat metal sheeting are typically placed over 
the longitudinal members to form the shelves. 
To increase structural rigidity of the shelving system, especially in a 
direction laterally of the length of the shelves, the present invention 
includes diagonal braces which interconnect the posts with the transverse 
cross members. Each of the braces includes a lower end portion formed in 
the shape of a hook which is extendable through a vertical slot formed in 
a face wall of the post at an elevation below the cross member to thereby 
engage with the upper edge portion of the slot. The brace also includes an 
elongate, flat intermediate portion which extends diagonally upwardly and 
outwardly from its connection point with the post to overlap a portion of 
the cross member. The brace further includes an upper end portion disposed 
transversely to the intermediate portion and extendable through a diagonal 
slot formed in the cross member. The brace upper end portion includes an 
integral, nominally coplanar locking tab which extends in a direction 
nominally parallel to the length of the slot formed in the cross member. 
Once the brace upper end portion has been inserted within the cross member 
slot, the locking tab can be bent upwardly or downwardly to thereby 
prevent withdrawal of the upper end member from the slot even if the 
shelving system is rocked or heavily loaded. The brace adds enough 
rigidity to enable the shelving system to safely and securely carry the 
same level of loads supportable by shelves constructed from conventional, 
larger dimensioned components. Moreover, the shelving system of the 
present invention, including the diagonal brace, can be assembled without 
the use of any special skills or tools. A common pair of pliers can be 
used to bend the tab into locking position.

BEST MODE OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
Referring initially to FIG. 1, the end portion of a typical shelving system 
10 constructed according to the best mode of the present invention is 
illustrated as including a pair of rectangularly shaped, hollow, upright 
posts 12 spaced transversely apart from each other across the width of 
shelving system 10. Posts 12 include a series of aligned, vertically 
elongate, rectangularly-shaped slots 14 extending vertically along each 
sidewall 16 of posts 12. Also, pairs of aligned, vertically elongate, 
rectangularly-shaped slots 18 are vertically spaced apart along the inside 
face wall 20 of post 12. A circular foot member 22 is attached to the 
lower end of each post 12 to serve as a bearing pad for the post. 
Although posts 12 are illustrated as being rectangular, they can be formed 
in other cross-sectional shapes such as square or circular. Preferably, 
posts 12 are formed from relatively light gauge steel material as compared 
to the material used to form posts of conventional shelving systems. 
Shelving system 10 further includes elongate members 24 which extend along 
the length of the shelving system to interconnect adjacent posts 12 which, 
while not shown, will be understood to be identical to the posts 12 shown. 
Referring also to FIG. 2, each member 24 as shown includes a relatively 
deep, vertically disposed outer flange 26, a relatively narrow web 28 
extending transversely from the lower edge portion of flange 26 and a 
relatively shallow inner flange 30 extending upwardly from the edge 
portion of web 28 opposite flange 26 to lie in spaced, generally parallel, 
relationship to flange 26. It will be understood that the primary purpose 
of web 28 and flange 30 is to strengthen and give rigidity to the member 
24 and thus other configurations, such as a simple V-shaped flange, could 
be used to accomplish the same purpose. A pair of vertically aligned and 
vertically spaced, downwardly open hooks 32 are formed at each end portion 
of longitudinal members 24. Hooks 32, which form an extension of flange 26 
are of a width slightly narrower and of a depth slightly shorter than the 
width and length of side slots 14 of posts 12 and thus are slidably 
insertable within the side slots. Once disposed within slots 14, 
longitudinal member 24 can be pushed downwardly so that hooks 32 snugly 
engage with the portion of sidewall 16 immediately below the slots to 
thereby interconnect the longitudinal member with post 12. 
As illustrated in FIG. 1, shelving system 10 also includes flat panels 34 
which rest on top of outer flange 26 of longitudinal members 24 to serve 
as the shelf surfaces. Panels 34 include downwardly extending flanges 
which overlie outer flanges 26 of member 24. Panels 34 may be formed from 
lengths of wooden material, sheets of steel or other appropriate 
materials. Also, if desired, panels may be bolted, clipped or otherwise 
affixed to longitudinal members 24. In an alternative design panels, not 
shown, can be sized to rest on top of inner flanges 30 of longitudinal 
members 24 so that outer flanges 26 serve to constrain the panels from 
shifting. 
Continuing to refer specifically to FIGS. 1 and 1, posts 12 are supported 
in transversely spaced apart parallel relationship to each other by cross 
members 36. As is clearly shown in FIG. 2, each cross member 36 is formed 
in a Z-shaped cross section having a relatively deep web 38 and relatively 
narrow upper and lower flanges 40 and 42, respectively, extending in 
opposite directions transversely from the web. A pair of vertically 
aligned, vertically spaces apart, downwardly open hooks 44 extend 
longitudinally outwardly from each end of web 38. Hooks 44 are sized to 
slidably extend through post face slots 18 and then downwardly engage with 
the portions of face wall 20 disposed below slots 18. Preferably, the 
above-described components of shelving system 10 are formed from 
relatively light gauge material in comparison to conventional shelving 
system components. However, constructing shelving system 10 in this manner 
significantly decreases the lateral stability of the shelving system, 
causing it to shift or sway when heavily loaded. To overcome this problem, 
shelving system 10 also includes elongate braces 46 which diagonally 
interconnect posts 12 with cross members 36. Each brace 46 includes a 
flat, relatively narrow, elongate intermediate portion 48 and a hooked 
lower end portion 50 forming an extension of the intermediate portion. 
Lower end portion 50 is disposed coplanar with intermediate portion 48 and 
defines a relatively narrow, groove 52 extending diagonally to the length 
of the brace. Groove 52 is open in the upward direction as shown in FIG. 
2. Lower end portion 50 is sized to slidably extend within the lower slot 
of the pair of face slots 18 located next below the pair of face slots 
with which corresponding cross member 36 engages. Once brace lower end 
portion 50 is inserted laterally within slot 18, brace 26 can be lifted 
upwardly to lock groove 52 with the portion of face wall 20 extending 
above the slot. 
While the sides of groove 52 are shown slanted upwardly slightly in FIG. 2, 
in another preferred embodiment the sides of slot 52 are vertical and the 
width of slot 52 between these sides is sized to be only slightly larger 
than the thickness of face wall 20. In this configuration, when the brace 
46 is moved upwardly after the lower end portion 50 is inserted laterally 
into slot 18, the sides of the slot snugly engage face wall 20 thus 
preventing lateral movement of the brace with respect to face wall 20. 
Brace 46 extends transversely outwardly and diagonally upwardly from post 
12 to interconnect with cross member 36 at a location spaced from the end 
of the cross member. As best illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the upper 
section of brace intermediate portion 48 partially overlaps cross member 
web 38. Brace 46 includes an upper end portion 54 which extends 
transversely to intermediate portion 48 to extend through an elongate, 
rectangularly shaped, diagonally disposed slot 56 formed within web 38 of 
cross member 36. For ease of manufacture, upper end portion 54 is 
preferably of the same width as intermediate portion 48 and is formed by 
bending over the end of brace 46. 
Still referring specifically to FIGS. 2-5, brace upper end portion includes 
a base section 58 interconnected with and extending across approximately 
one half of the width of the base intermediate portion 48. The brace upper 
end portion also includes a tab 60 disposed nominally coplanar with, and 
extending outwardly from, base section 58. Tab 60 terminates at a tip 59 
corresponding to the outward location of the side edge 61 of brace 
intermediate portion 48 so that the tab does not extend beyond the width 
of the brace intermediate portion. Tab 60, which is narrower than the 
length of base section 58 includes a side edge portion 62 spaced from base 
intermediate portion 48 to thereby define a narrow gap 63 therebetween. 
Gap 63 is not of uniform width, but is slightly narrower than the 
thickness of cross member web 38 at the intersection of tab 60 and base 58 
and is slightly wider than the thickness of the cross member web at tab 
tip 59. 
As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, once upper end portion 54 of brace 46 is 
inserted within slot 56, the brace can be conveniently locked in place by 
bending over tab 60 relative to base section 58 by use of conventional 
tools, such as a hammer or a pair of pliers. Because the width of tab 60 
is substantially narrower than the length of base 58, when tab 60 is 
struck, for instance with a hammer, the tab will bend at its intersection 
with base section 58 rather than causing the base section itself to 
deform. Also, because the width of gap 63 at the intersection of tab 60 
and base 58 is slightly narrower than the thickness of cross member web 
38, the cross member is tightly clamped between tab 60 and base 58 with 
tab edge 62 actually bearing against the adjacent face of the web. 
It can be appreciated that when bent over into locking position, tab 60 
prevents disengagement of brace 48 from cross member 36 even if the brace 
is highly loaded in tension due to the heavy loads carried by shelving 
system 20. Also, the overlapping of web 38 of cross member 36 by brace 
intermediate portion 48 and the pressing of tab side edge 62 against the 
adjacent surface 64 of web 38 prevents brace 46 from rotating about its 
longitudinal axis. As a consequence, brace 48 enhances the rigidity of 
shelving system 10 to the extent that even though the shelving system is 
constructed from lighter weight and smaller dimension components than 
previously usable in such shelving, it is capable of safely carrying as 
large a load. 
The design of the present brace system enables the brace 48 to not only act 
in tension, as would be commonly expected, but to also act in compression 
to provide stability to the shelving. During assembly, the lower end 50 of 
brace 46 is first moved laterally into slot 18 in the face 20 of post 12. 
In this position the upper bent end 54 of the brace is positioned 
vertically below slot 56 in cross member 36. As brace 46 is moved upwardly 
to cause the sides of slot 52 to snugly engage the opposite surfaces of 
face plate 20, as discussed previously, brace upper end 54 is brought into 
register with slot 56 such that a small lateral force on brace 48, such as 
a force exerted by the pressure of the assembler's thumb, causes end 54 to 
snap into slot 56. Since slot 56 is only slightly larger in thickness than 
the bent end 54 of brace 46, when the shelving is rocked or caused to tilt 
during loading, a compression force may be borne by brace 46 exerted 
between the outer side of slot 52 in the lower end of the brace as it 
bears on the outside of face wall 20 and the outer surface of bent end 54 
as it bears on the adjacent edge of cross member slot 56. 
It should thus be understood that the pairs of braces 46 associated with 
each cross member 36 are designed to normally function in tension and the 
present design provides a unique non-bolted or welded brace which may also 
function in compression in certain situations. 
When it is desired to disassemble shelving system 20, tab 16 can be 
conveniently straightened with, for instance, a pair of pliers so that 
brace 46 can be disengaged from cross member 36 and posts 12. Thereafter, 
the ends of cross members 36 can be lifted upwardly to disengage hooks 48 
from face wall 20 and then the hooks can be slidably disengaged from slots 
18. The same procedure is used to disassemble longitudinal members 24 from 
posts 12. 
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention is 
addressed, the present invention may be embodied in forms and in 
embodiments other than that specifically disclosed above, without 
departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the invention. 
The particular embodiment of the shelving system 10 described above, is 
therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not 
restrictive, i.e. the scope of the present invention is set forth in the 
appended claims rather than being limited to the example of the shelving 
system 10 as set forth in the foregoing description.