Shelving system

In a shelving system having both vertical and oblique supports for removable shelves, identical shelves are interchangeably usable on either support by virtue of special tabs which are engageable with support slots in two possible ways. The same shelf, therefore, can be mounted horizontally on either the vertical or the oblique supports.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to shelving systems, and particularly to a system of 
shelving wherein removable shelves are arranged on vertical and oblique 
slotted shelf support members. 
The invention is particularly adapted, but not necessarily limited to use 
in the construction of soft drink display racks. Display racks, 
constructed of sheet metal are commonly used in grocery stores, 
supermarkets and the like for the display of soft drinks. Soft drinks are 
sold in bottles of various sizes, the smaller bottles being commonly 
packaged in cartons, and the larger quart sizes being in the form of 
individual bottles. The sizes of the small bottles may vary, and the 
relative proportion of cartons to large bottles in a particular display 
also varies, depending on the demand experienced by the particular vendor. 
For these reasons, soft drink display racks are normally supplied with 
removable shelves, adapted to be positioned for the optimum usage of 
available space. 
A typical beverage rack comprises a sheet metal base, and a vertical shelf 
support extending upwardly from the rear of the base. Soft drink cartons 
are normally stacked on the base, and larger bottles are normally arranged 
on the shelves. In order to stabilize the stack of cartons, the upper 
surface of the base is, in some cases, tilted backwardly by a few degrees, 
and the backing, or shelf support is correspondingly tilted backwardly. 
This backward tilting provides a stable support for a stack of cartons, 
which can be four or five cartons high at times. The backward tilting also 
results in a shelf support which is wider at the bottom than at the top. 
Therefore it provides a stronger support for the shelves. 
In accordance with the invention, in order to achieve a more efficient use 
of the available space while retaining the improved strength afforded by 
the wide bottom of the support, the shelf support consists of two parts, 
namely the lower part, having an oblique front, and a substantially 
vertical upper part. Identical shelves are interchangeably supported on 
both the vertical and oblique supports with their article-supporting 
surfaces both substantially horizontal. The structure in accordance with 
the invention provides a shelving system which has interchangeable shelves 
which simplify manufacture, distribution and construction and improve 
versatility, and which, at the same time, exhibits the advantages of 
greater strength and stability and the more efficient use of available 
space. 
The principal features of the shelving system in accordance with the 
invention which give rise to the foregoing advantages are as follows. 
The vertical support has a planar front surface disposed vertically, and 
has a series of uniformly spaced slots extending in the vertical direction 
on its front surface. The oblique support also has a planar front surface, 
disposed at an oblique angle with respect to the horizontal, and has a 
second series of uniformly spaced slots extending in the vertical 
direction on its front surface. 
The shelf has a surface for supporting soft drink bottles or the like. At 
its rear, the shelf is provided with at least two tabs, one located above 
the other, and both adapted to extend into slots in the supports. The rear 
of the shelf is also provided with two separate surfaces adapted to engage 
the fronts of the supports, and these two separate surfaces are disposed 
at different angles relative to the supporting surface of the shelf. 
When the shelf is mounted on the oblique support, a first of the two 
separate surfaces abuts the face of the oblique support. When the shelf is 
mounted on the vertical support, the second of the two separate surfaces 
abuts the face of the oblique support. In either case, the supporting 
surface of the shelf remains substantially horizontal. 
The principal object of this invention is to provide a system of shelving 
wherein identical shelves may be mounted interchangeably on supporting 
members having surfaces disposed at different angles relative to the 
horizontal. Other objects and advantages other than those specifically 
mentioned will be apparent from the following detailed description when 
read in conjunction with the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
FIG. 1 shows a soft drink display rack comprising a base 10 and an upright 
back 12. Base 10 comprises a pair of opposed side members 14 and 16, a 
front kick plate 17, and a top surface 18. Top surface is sloped backward 
slightly, preferably from about 3 degrees to about 7 degrees from 
horizontal. Side members 14 and 16 of the base are formed of sheet metal, 
and are integral with side members 20 and 22 respectively of the back. 
These side members are wider at the bottom than at the top, and have front 
surfaces 24 and 26 which are preferably perpendicular to top surface 18 of 
the base, and therefore oblique with respect to the horizontal. Panels 28 
and 30 are mounted on side members 20 and 22, and are likewise oblique and 
form a backing, allowing a stack of soft drink cartons to be supported at 
the bottom by surface 18, and at the rear by sloping panels 28 and 30. 
Surfaces 24 and 26 have slots 32, which are uniformly spaced, and arranged 
in vertical lines. Surfaces 24 and 26 are integral with side members 20 
and 22, and are of heavy gauge sheet metal. The space immediately behind 
these slots is clear. 
The upper part of back member 12 comprises vertically extending members 34 
and 36. These members preferably have uniform cross-section, and their 
front surfaces 38 and 40 are preferably vertical, although they may be 
sloped at some other desired angle relative to the horizontal. Members 34 
and 36 fit into the tops of members 20 and 22 respectively in telescoping 
relationship. 
A third panel 42 is secured between members 34 and 36. Panel 42 is 
vertical. 
Elements 34 and 36 are provided with rows of uniformly spaced slots 44, 
arranged in vertical lines. 
A first shelf 46, the upper surface of which is substantially horizontal, 
is shown supported on members 20 and 22. A second shelf 48, which is also 
horizontal, is shown mounted on members 34 and 36. Both these shelves are 
identical. The manner in which they cooperate with the slots in the 
supporting members is illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. 
Referring to FIG. 2, the shelf, has at either side a vertical, flat, 
heavy-gauge, sheet metal support 50, having near its upper edge a first 
tab 52 which extends rearwardly, and then upwardly so that it is adapted 
to extend through a slot and engage with the rear wall of the support in 
which the slot is located. The surface 54 which engages the rear wall of 
the slot is preferably rounded because, as will be seen, this surface 
engages the rear wall of the support in two different ways, depending on 
whether the support is vertical or oblique. The rounded configuration at 
54 insures minimum stress in both orientations. 
Below tab 52 is an edge 56, which is continued in a straight line at 58 and 
60. This edge is adapted to abut the front surface of a support. 
A second tab 62 comprises a rearwardly extending projection 64 and a heel 
66 extending downwardly from projection 64 and rearwardly from edge 58. A 
third tab 68 also comprises a rearwardly extending projection 70 and a 
heel 72, which extends downwardly from projection 70 and rearwardly from 
edge 60. 
The manner in which the shelf is secured to vertical support member 34 is 
illustrated in FIG. 3. Tab 52 extends through one of slots 44, with 
surface 54 of tab 52 engaging the rear wall 74 of the support. Edge 56 
intersects the bottom of tab 52 at 76, and this intersection rests on the 
bottom of the slot through which tab 52 extends. Projection 64 extends 
through a lower one of slots 44 with the bottom of the projection resting 
on the lower edge of the slot. Heel 66 abuts the front surface of the 
support. Similarly, projection 70 extends through the next lower one of 
slots 44, and the bottom of projection 70 rests on the lower edge of this 
slots, with heel 72 abutting the front surface of support 34. 
Heels 66 and 72 are aligned with each other and with intersection 76 so 
that both heels abut the front surface of support 34. The spacing between 
the bottom of projection 64 and intersection 76 is equal to twice the 
spacing between the bottoms of adjacent slots. The spacing between the 
bottom of projection 70 and intersection 76 is equal to three times the 
spacing between the bottoms of adjacent slots. In this way, vertical 
support for the shelf is provided at three points. The spacing between 
intersection 76 and the bottom of a tab could be, of course, any integral 
multiple of the distance between the bottoms of adjacent slots in support 
member 34. 
Now referring to FIG. 4, which shows the same shelf secured to oblique 
support 20, it will be seen that slots 32 are spaced farther apart from 
each other than slots 44. The different spacing of the slots, although 
considered highly advantageous, is not a part of this invention, and 
Suttles U.S. Pat. No. 3,983,822 is directed to this feature. 
Tabs 62 and 68 extend fully through slots 32 so that aligned edges 56, 58 
and 60 abut the front surface of support 20. Again, vertical support is 
provided at three points, where the tabs rest on the lower edges of the 
respective slots through which they extend. Because all of the slots in 
both the vertical and oblique support members must be substantially the 
same size in order to accommodate tab 52 effectively, tabs 62 and 68 have 
to be shaped differently from each other in order that both tabs may be 
vertically supported by the bottoms of their respective slots regardless 
of which support is being used. This accounts for the fact that, as shown 
in FIG. 2, projection 64 has a greater vertical dimension than projection 
70 and the fact that heel 72 has a greater vertical dimension than heel 
66. 
A shelf is installed on either support by first tilting it so that tab 52 
can enter a slot, and then lowering the shelf to the horizontal position 
so that tabs 62 and 68 can enter their respective slots. Because of the 
special spacing and configuration of the tabs, the shelf will 
automatically assume the horizontal position regardless of which support 
it is mounted on. While an upper tab corresponding to tab 52 and two lower 
tabs corresponding to tabs 62 and 68 are preferred because of the support 
which they provide for the shelf, it will be apparent that a greater or 
lesser number of tabs may be used if desired. 
What has been described thus far applies to the supports on the left-hand 
side of FIG. 1. The interconnections between the supports and the shelf on 
the right-hand side of FIG. 1 are similar, and need not be described. 
Obviously, any number of supports may be used with suitable modifications.