Shelving assembly and method of assembly

A shelf assembly and method of assembling the same are generally presented. The shelf assembly includes a back shelf wall having one or more mounting ports therein. Each mounting port may include one or more ear openings and a foot opening. A shelf may be provided to be connected to the back shelf wall. The shelf may include a surface and at least one flange extending from the surface. A mounting bracket may be inserted through openings in the flange and into the mounting port to connect the shelf to the back shelf wall. The mounting bracket may include a body, one or more ears extending from a first side of the body, and a foot, extending from a second side of the body. The foot may include a head portion and a neck portion. The foot opening may include a top slot portion and a bottom slot portion contiguous with the top slot portion. The foot may be inserted into the foot opening and seated in the bottom slot portion to lock the mounting clip in place.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to the field of assembled shelving and more specifically to a unique shelf and clip system for assembling and installing shelving units and other devices and a method of assembling the same.

BACKGROUND

A wide variety of shelving units and assemblies exist in the market today. Commonly, these shelving units comprise a back shelf wall and side walls or partitions that extend outward from the back shelf wall. Shelves may then be connected or placed between the sidewalls, using any appropriate supporting method, such as pegs hooks, or the like. However, this type of shelving design suffers from numerous drawbacks. Among the drawbacks to this design is the inability to access the shelf from any direction, as the side walls impede access from anywhere but the front of the shelving unit. Further, pegs and the like do not permanently fix or lock the shelf to the back wall and therefore allow the shelf to move, even at unwanted times.

Other shelf designs include brackets for supporting the shelves. While such designs may allow for increased access to the shelf from all sides, such designs also suffer from numerous drawbacks. First, shelving brackets are typically large and take up space under a shelf, decreasing the amount of usable space of the shelf beneath. Second, many bracket designs do not lock and therefore may allow the shelf to become dislodged if it is bumped or jostled.

Accordingly, an improved design for a shelving assembly is needed in the industry.

SUMMARY

A shelf assembly and method of assembling the same are generally presented. The shelf assembly includes a back shelf wall having one or more mounting ports therein. Each mounting port may include one or more ear openings and a foot opening. A shelf may be provided to be connected to the back shelf wall. The shelf may include a surface and at least one flange extending from the surface. The flange may include one or more flange openings therein, such as openings that generally correspond to the ear and foot openings of the mounting port.

A mounting bracket may be provided to connect the shelf to the back shelf wall. The mounting bracket may include a body, one or more ears extending from a first side of the body, and a foot, extending from a second side of the body. The mounting clip may be insertable through the flange openings and into the mounting port to connect the shelf to the back shelf wall. For example, the ears may be inserted through the flange openings and into the ear openings and the foot may be inserted through the flange openings and through the foot opening.

In an embodiment, the foot may include a head and a neck. The head may have a width that is greater than the neck. The foot opening may include a top slot portion and a bottom slot portion contiguous with the top slot portion. The bottom slot portion may have a width that is less than the top slot portion. Specifically, the top slot portion may have a width that is greater than the width of the head, and the bottom slot portion may have a width that is less than the width of the head but greater than the width of the neck.

The mounting clip may include two ears, such as two ears arranged symmetrically with respect to the body. The ears may comprise a first portion extending generally perpendicularly away from the body and a second portion extending away from the first portion.

In use, the shelf flange openings may be aligned with the mounting port and the mounting clip inserted therethrough. The ears may be inserted into the ear openings and the foot may be inserted into the foot opening. When inserted all the way into the mounting port, the mounting clip may then be pulled down to seat the neck in the bottom slot portion and lock the clip into the mounting port.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A shelving assembly10is generally presented, as shown inFIG. 1. The shelving assembly10comprises a plurality of components, including a back shelf wall12, shelves14, and a mounting clip16. The shelving assembly10may further include additional components as illustrated in the drawings and/or as described below. The shelving assembly10may be configured to hold a plurality of shelves14in adjustable alignment to allow for storage of goods.

The shelving assembly10may include a back shelf wall12, as shown inFIG. 1. The back shelf wall12may be formed of any appropriate material, such as steel, plastic, or the like. The back shelf wall12may be arranged vertically and extend from a lower end of the shelving assembly10to an upper end of the shelving assembly10. As described below, the back shelf wall12may provide a plurality of connection points for shelves14to allow for adjustable placement of the shelves14along the outer face of the back shelf wall12.

FIG. 2illustrates an embodiment of a shelf14connected to a back shelf wall12. The shelf14may be any appropriate shape, such as rectangular, and may be formed of any appropriate material, such as steel, plastic, or the like. The shelf14may comprise a platform20and one or more flanges22extending away from the edges of the shelf14. As shown inFIGS. 2 and 3, a flange22may abut the outer face of the back shelf wall12and be secured thereto to support the shelf and any contents placed thereon, as described below.

The shelf14may be mounted to a back shelf wall12by one or more mounting clips16. The mounting clips16may be designed to secure the shelf14to the back shelf wall12without any additional needed support or connection. The mounting clip16may be formed of any appropriate material, such as metal, and may be designed and shaped as described below and shown in the FIGS.

As illustrated inFIGS. 4aand 4b, the mounting clip16may include a body32, a pair of ears34, and a foot36. The body32may comprise a flat portion, such as a generally rectangular portion having a top edge, side edges, and a bottom edge, arranged generally vertically as oriented inFIG. 4a. The body32may interconnect the ears34and the foot36.

The mounting clip16may include one or more ears34, such as two ears34. The two ears34may be arranged generally symmetrically with respect to the body32. The ears34may extend generally perpendicularly from the body32away from a top edge37a given length, then curve upward, away from the body32, forming an L-shaped ear, as shown inFIGS. 4aand 4b. The portion of the ears34that extends upward may be angled slightly with respect to the body32, such as angled slightly back toward the body32. The two ears34may be spaced apart and approximately parallel to one another.

The foot36may extend from a bottom edge of the body32away from the body32in the same direction as the ears34. The foot36may be arranged generally perpendicular to the body32. As shown inFIG. 4a, the foot36may comprise a neck portion38and a head40. The neck portion38may connect to the bottom edge of the body32and extend away from the body32. The head40may comprise an end portion of the foot36and may be enlarged to have a greater width than the neck38, as shown inFIG. 4a.

The mounting clip16may be configured to align and connect with a similarly shaped mounting port42in the back shelf wall12. As illustrated inFIGS. 5 and 6, the mounting port42may include a plurality of openings configured to align with portions of the mounting clip16to receive the portions therein. As described below, the mounting port42may further be configured to allow the mounting clip16to lock therein and retain a shelf in a desired position fixed to the back shelf wall12.

The mounting port42may include one or more ear openings44, such as two ear openings44to correspond with two ears34on the mounting clip16. The ear openings44may be specifically positioned to align with the ears34on the mounting clip16. For example, as shown inFIGS. 5 and 6, the mounting port42may include two ear openings44each comprising a horizontal slot sized and shaped to receive an ear34therein. The ear openings44may be arranged approximately parallel with one another and spaced apart to align with the end portion of the ears34.

The mounting port42may further include a foot opening46, located below the ear opening44. The foot opening46may include a top slot portion48and bottom slot portion50. The top and bottom slot portions48,50may be integral to form one contiguous opening46, as illustrated inFIG. 5. The top slot portion48may have a width at least as wide as the width of the head40to allow the entire foot36to be inserted into the foot opening46. The bottom slot50may extend directly below the top opening48, continuous therewith to allow movement between the top and bottom slots48,50. The bottom slot50may have a width that is less than the width of the head40but greater than the width of the neck38to allow the neck38to rest therein while restricting the head40from pulling out of the opening46when the neck38is seated in the bottom slot48.

The shelf14may include openings, similarly spaced and shaped to the mounting port42. For example, the flange22may include a pair of openings at least as big as the ear openings44and aligned with the ear openings44to allow the ears34to pass through the flange and into the ear openings44. Likewise, the flange22may include an opening at least as big as the foot opening44and aligned with the foot opening44to allow the foot36to pass through the flange22and into the foot opening46.

In use, the shelf14may be arranged to abut the back shelf wall12such that the flange openings are aligned with the mounting port42openings as described above. The tip of the ears34may be inserted through the flange22and into the ear openings44. The mounting clip16may then be tilted to allow the ears34to curve upwards and behind the back shelf wall12. The ears34may angle back toward the body to abut a rear side of the back shelf wall12.

Once the ears34are inserted into the mounting port42, as shown inFIG. 5, the foot36may be inserted into the top slot48in the foot opening46, as shown inFIG. 6. The mounting clip16may then be pivoted to allow the foot36to be fully inserted into the top slot48, with the body32inserted fully toward the flange22. The clip16may then be pulled downward to seat and lock the clip16and the shelf14into desired position. When pulled down, the neck38may move from the top slot48to the bottom slot50. The smaller width of the bottom slot50may prevent the head40from pulling away from or out of the foot opening46, thereby locking the mounting clip16in the mounting port42and preventing the shelf14from pulling away from the back shelf wall12.

The shelving assembly10described herein includes a plurality of functional benefits over alternative designs. The mounting clip16and related mounting configuration allow for a shelf14to be mounted to a back shelf wall12without side panels that restrict access to the shelf's contents. The mounting clip16further allows a shelf to be mounted to the back shelf wall12without any arms or protrusions underneath the shelf14that constrict the space between shelves14. Finally, the locking design of the mounting clip16and mounting port42allow the shelf14to be fixed into a desired position without extra hardware, such as screws and the like.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the foregoing detailed description, it is to be understood that the present invention is not to be limited to just the embodiments disclosed, but that the invention described herein is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications and substitutions without departing from the scope of the claims hereafter. The claims as follows are intended to include all modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the claims or the equivalent thereof.