Panel joining arrangements

Thin, planar panels are joined at their edges by an arrangement which includes a hollow, slotted spacing member which seats within grooves in the opposite facing portions of the panel edges to separate the panel edges by a selected distance. Each panel is provided with a bottom connecting member mounted on the bottom of the panel and extending outwardly and upwardly and into the open bottom end of the spacing member. A top connecting member has opposite ends thereof secured to the tops of the panels so as to extend between the panels and over the top of the spacing member. Corners are formed by permanently attaching a pair of spacing members to the right angle edges of a corner post and then positioning the open bottom ends of the spacing members over the up turned ends of bottom connecting members extending from facing portions of a pair of panels to be joined to the corner post. The right angle intermediate portion of a top connecting member is secured within the top of the corner post and the opposite ends thereof are fastened to the tops of the joining panels. The panels are provided with removable top caps held in place on top of the panel by securing the flared end portions of fasteners mounted within the top cap within the inclined slots in fastening brackets secured to the top of the panel. Mounting brackets for supporting shelves and the like at the sides of the panels extend through the thin space between adjacent panels and are secured within the slotted spacing members by a pair of hook members engaging the slots to hold the mounting bracket snugly against the spacing member and a lower projection which wedges against the upper end of a lower slot to prevent inadvertent upward movement or release of the mounting bracket from the spacing member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. History of the Invention 
The present invention relates to arrangement for fastening together panels 
to form furniture arrangement including desks, work areas, partitions and 
the like, and to such arrangements in which mounting brackets may be 
fastened to one or more of the panels to acts as supports for still other 
panels or shelves in the furniture arrangement. 
2. History of the Prior Art 
A modern trend in the furnishing of offices is to replace conventional 
pieces of furniture such as individual desks, credenzas and the like with 
arrangements assembled from a plurality of panels. Such arrangements 
provide versatility of the type not always achievable with more 
conventional office furniture in that a particular working area may be 
custom designed to meet particular needs. For example, in a given 
situation where a desk or other working top is required together with a 
certain amount of storage shelf space within a limited amount of space, 
the use of panel arrangements permits the furniture dictated by such 
requirements to be custom designed simply by joining the panels together 
in a desired arrangement which may be limited only by the size of the 
panels, the number of panels available, and the locations and types of 
joints which can be made. Such panel arrangement have the further 
advantage of providing a large, flat area which not only serves as a back 
member or panel for the working and storage surfaces provided thereby but 
which also may serve as a wall or partition member. 
Panel arrangements have become particularly useful in certain types of 
modern offices where space may be at a premium due to its cost, where the 
cost of construction walls to form individual offices may be prohibitive, 
or where it is desired to provide partitions of various heights, sizes and 
designs for aesthetic reasons. Moreover with a higher frequency of offices 
being rearranged, reorganized or moved to other locations or buildings, it 
is highly desirable to be able to quickly and cheaply assemble furniture 
and partitions to suit particular needs, and thereafter to be able to 
easily disassemble such arrangements and move them elsewhere where they 
may be assembled in the same or different form. 
Presently known panel arrangements of the type used to construct office 
furniture, office partitions and similar structures suffer from 
deficiencies which limit the usefulness of such arrangements. One problem 
found in such arrangements is the difficulty often encountered in joining 
the individual panels to one another and, once joined, in thereafter 
easily separating the panels for rearrangement or relocation. 
One type of panel joining arrangement shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,806,102, 
Albinson et al., makes use of flange elements secured to the tops and 
bottoms of adjoining panels. The top flange elements are of relatively 
complex construction so as to engage and secure the top portions of 
mounting brackets which are themselves limited to fixed heights and 
locations at the panel joints. The bottom flange elements require that 
panels to be joined be turned upside down or in any event placed so as to 
afford access to the panel bottoms, a technique which has proven to be 
cumbersome considering the relatively substantial weight of many such 
panels and particularly in arrangements where a number of the panels are 
to be assembled into a particular complex. A somewhat similar arrangement 
which minimizes some of the problems of this type of joining arrangement 
is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,713,257, Beavers. The Beavers arrangement 
which employs top and bottom junction plates having slots which are 
engaged by locking elements are themselves seated within specially 
configured grooves in the panel tops and bottoms, thereby providing some 
convenience and efficiency in the joinder of the panels at the expense of 
a joinder arrangement which is relatively complex in other respects and 
particularly requires panels of custom design and construction. 
The joining arrangement shown in the Beavers patent is typical of many 
prior art joining arrangements which provide for a relatively strong and 
substantial joint which in many cases is relatively easily provided and 
without the need for an elaborate array of specialized tools, but almost 
always at the expense of requiring parts of relatively complex and custom 
design which are often difficult and quite expensive to manufacture and 
which limit the technique to the use of panels properly equipped with an 
elaborate arrangement of special parts or fasteners so as to make them 
usable in the joining arrangement. Such arrangements are shown, for 
example, by U.S. Pat. No. RE27,215, Propst, et al., where a central 
channel has openings for receiving elements fixed and protruding from the 
edges of the panels, a top member adjusting the height of the central 
channel relative to the panels to vary the wedging action of the elements 
within the channel openings, by U.S. Pat. No. 3,694,975, Pollock, where a 
slotted spline which receives mounting brackets is provided with slots to 
receive fingers extending from one or both panels as well as fingers for 
engagement in slots in the panel ends, by U.S. Pat. No. 1,208,568, Kane, 
where panels are joined through a common member by apertured protrusions 
from one end which extend through the common member and the other end and 
receive pegs therein, by U.S. Pat. No. 3,492,766, Andrew, where an 
apertured spline adapted to have brackets mounted thereon is engaged by 
tabs extending from special structures at the panel ends so as to engage 
and properly vertically position the panels relative to the spline, by 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,471,978, Fenwick, U.S. Pat. No. 3,648,419, Marks, and U.S. 
Pat. No. 2,796,158, Miles, et al., each of which shows a joining 
arrangement employing a common member of unique and complex design. 
In contrast U.S. Pat. No. 3,174,592, Berman, et al., shows a joining 
arrangement employing a slotted central member which is of simple, 
standard design and which is capable of mounting brackets for supporting 
shelves and the like. However, the joining arrangements in Berman et al. 
are used with very thin panels in the nature of sheets of uniform, single 
ply construction, and at that require special brackets mounted on the 
edges of the sheets for engagement with the common members. 
Further problems of the prior art reside in the absence of finishing 
members such as top caps on the panels to provide the panels with a neat 
and finished appearance by serving in part to conceal some of the elements 
used to join the panels together. Still other arrangements employ such 
finishing members but fail to attach them to the panels in an easy and 
convenient way which facilitates ready removal of such members for 
disassembly or rearrangement of the panels. 
Many of the panel joining arrangements shown in the previously referred to 
prior art patents as well as other prior art patents make use of a slotted 
central or other member for mounting brackets of the type useful in 
supporting shelves and the like. The brackets themselves typically include 
a plurality of finger-like projections for engagement in the slots. 
Further examples of mounting brackets of this type are provided by U.S. 
Pat. Nos. 3,358,956; 256,672; 1,983,470; 2,681,786; 2,956,766; 3,322,288; 
3,353,684; 3,511,193; 3,570,798; 3,713,257 and 3,730,477. 
Many of the prior art mounting bracket arrangements have various 
shortcomings, particularly in terms of being able to mount the bracket so 
that it is secure and resistant to inadvertent loosening and removal while 
at the same time being easily removed or installed when it is desired to 
do so. The above-identified patent to Thornton, U.S. Pat. No. 3,358,956, 
is typical of those patents which attempt to impart some stability to the 
mounting bracket by providing it with a projecting tab or other protruding 
element in combination with one or more finger or hook elements. In this 
type of arrangement the projecting tab typically is received in one of the 
slots so as to reside against the bottom edge thereof to provide vertical 
and some lateral support and stability for the bracket. Such arrangements 
do not, however, act to prevent inadvertent upward movement or release of 
the bracket. Still other arrangements which provide some resistance to 
unwanted upward movement or release of the bracket are illustrated by the 
above referred to Knape U.S. Pat. No. 1,983,470. In the Knape patent each 
mounting bracket is provided with a pair of hook members and a pair of 
projections. The projections which are considerably smaller than the hook 
members reside within and completely occupy slots of special size and 
spacing from the main slots accommodating the hook members, thereby 
requiring use of a slotted member having slots of nonuniform size and 
spacing. Moreover, the particular design in Knape is such that the hook 
members once installed in their slots do not cooperate with the 
projections in providing a close, snug fit of the type which discourages 
unwanted looseness or inadvertent release of the mounting bracket. 
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a panel joining arrangement 
of relatively simple design which makes use of standard, commercially 
available parts for use as the common spacing member as well as other 
portion of the joinder arrangement and which greatly facilitates the 
joinder of panels in the place and position where they are to be used 
without the need for turning the panels upside down or otherwise arranging 
them merely for purposes of effecting joinder of the panels. It would 
furthermore be advantageous to provide a panel joining arrangement 
permitting and providing for the use of finishing members such as top caps 
which are easily installed on as well as removed from the panels while at 
the same time providing a finished appearance and comprising a permanent 
looking part of the panels when installed. It would still furthermore be 
desirable to provide a panel joining arrangement in which mounting 
brackets can be mounted on a standard member having slots of uniform size 
and spacing so as to lock the mounting brackets in place against unwanted 
looseness or removal while at the same time permitting relatively easy 
loosening and removal of the mounting brackets when it is desired to do 
so. 
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Panel joining arrangements in accordance with the invention utilize a 
common spacing member of standard commercial design which resides within 
grooves in the edges of the panels to hold the panels spaced apart by a 
desired distance. The spacing member which has an aperture in the bottom 
end thereof locks the adjoining panels in position against the opposite 
sides thereof via bottom connecting members fastened to the bottom edges 
of the panels and which extend outwardly from the opposite facing portions 
of the panels while curving upwardly and extending into and being received 
within the aperture at the bottom end of the spacing member. Joinder of 
the panels is completed by securing the opposite ends of a top joining 
member to the tops of the panels, the top joining member extending between 
the panels and over the top end of the spacing member. The top connecting 
member is concealed by the installation of top caps which provide the 
panels with a finished appearance. The top caps are releasably secured to 
the tops of the panels by flared fastening elements secured to the 
underside of the top caps and which are received within the slots of the 
inclined intermediate portions of fastening brackets having the opposite 
ends thereof secured to the tops of the panels. The top caps are easily 
installed on the tops of the panels by driving them in a lateral direction 
so as to wedge the flared fastening elements into locked positions within 
the slots in the fastening brackets. Thereafter striking the top caps in 
the opposite direction serves to loosen the flared fastening elements 
within the slots to permit easy removal of the top caps from the panel 
tops. 
Corner joining arrangements in accordance with the invention include the 
use of a corner post having slots in right angle surfaces thereof into 
which are permanently secured such as by screws a pair of the slotted 
spacing members. Each of the two different panels to be joined at the 
corner is then joined to the corner post by insertion of the bottom 
connecting member into the open bottom end of a different one of the 
spacing members, following which a top connecting member having a right 
angle bend at the middle thereof has the opposite ends thereof secured to 
the tops of the two different panels. The intermediate portion of the top 
connecting member having the right angle bend is secured within the top of 
the corner post as to draw the top portions of the panels toward and into 
contact with the corner post. 
The relatively narrow space between panels provided by the spacing member 
enable mounting brackets to extend through such spaces from the outsides 
of the panels for mounting on the spacing members. A plurality of hook 
elements extending outwardly from a relatively straight edge of the 
mounting bracket are received within a plurality of the slots of uniform 
size and spacing within the spacing member such that the downwardly 
extending finger-like projections at the outer extremities thereof fit 
snugly against the inside surface of the spacing member. A small 
projection extending from the relatively straight edge of the mounting 
bracket below the hook elements and which is of considerably smaller size 
and of length not substantially greater than the depth of the slots 
engages against the upper edge of one of the slots to lock the mounting 
bracket into place and resist play and unwanted upward movement or release 
by driving the mounting bracket downwardly after seating of the hook 
elements within the slots. The mounting bracket may be loosened and 
removed by striking it in an upward direction to unseat the projection 
from the upper edge of one of the slots and permit upward movement of the 
mounting bracket until the finger-like projections of the hook elements 
clear the edges of the slots.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
FIG. 1 depicts an arrangement of panels and related components illustrating 
the manner in which the panels can be joined in accordance with the 
invention to provide partitions, office furniture and the like. In the 
FIG. 1 arrangement two different panels 10 and 12 of like construction are 
coupled together at a linear joinder arrangement 14. The opposite end of 
the panel 10 is joined through a corner post 16 to another panel 18 so as 
to form a right angle with the panel 18. Similarly, the opposite end of 
the panel 12 is coupled through a corner post, (not shown) to a panel 20 
forming a right angle therewith. The corner post 16 forms a joint 22 with 
the panel 10 and a joint 24 with the panel 18. The panel 20 forms a joint 
26 with the corner post (not shown) at the end of the panel 12. The 
opposite end of the panel 20 forms a joint 28 with a center post 30. 
In accordance with the invention the various panels 10, 12, 18 and 20 which 
are generally identical in construction are universal in the sense that 
they can be joined to one another to form a variety of different 
configurations. Right angle bends are formed with the aid of a center post 
such as the post 16. Also, exposed edges of a panel are finished in a 
center post such as the post 30. Each joint between panels or between a 
panel and a center post is capable of mounting one or more mounting 
brackets at selected heights along the length of the joint. In the 
arrangement of FIG. 1 four different mounting brackets 32, 34, 36 and 38 
are mounted at the joints 22, 14, 26 and 28 respectively. The mounting 
brackets 32, 34, 36 and 38 are approximately at the same height and are 
capable of supporting a common member similar to a flat, planar shelf 40 
mounted therebelow. However, the mounting brackets can be mounted at 
different heights and in different combinations within the various joints 
to provide almost endless combinations within the various joints to 
provide an almost endless variety of different possibilities for 
connecting structure to the various panels. 
FIG. 2 and 3 illustrate a linear joining arrangement in accordance with the 
invention. In this particular instance the illustrated arrangement 
comprises the panels 10 and 12 and the joint 14 therebetween. The panel 10 
which is of generally thin, planar configuration has a side edge 50 
thereof provided with a longitudinal groove 52 extending along the length 
of the edge 50. In like fashion the panel 12 has a longitudinal groove 54 
extending along the length of a side edge 56 thereof. The side edges 50 
and 56 with their included grooves 52 and 54 form opposite facing portions 
58 and 60 of the joining arrangement. 
The panel 10 has a base 62 mounted on a bottom edge 64 thereof. A top edge 
66 of the panel 10 has a groove 68 extending along the length thereof and 
is covered by a finishing element in the form of a top cap 70 which is 
generally co-extensive with the top edge 66 when mounted thereon. As 
described hereafter the top caps are easily and quickly installed and 
removed through use of fastening arrangements in which tapered fasteners 
attached to the underside of the top caps are wedged into position within 
inclined slots in fastening brackets mounted on the bottom surface of the 
grooves within the top edges of the panel. One such fastening bracket 72 
is shown in FIG. 2 at the top of the panel 10. In like fashion the panel 
12 has a base 74 mounted at a bottom edge 76 thereof and a top cap 78 
mounted on a top edge 80 thereof. The top edge 80 has a groove 82 running 
along the length thereof. A fastening bracket 84 is shown mounted on the 
bottom surface of the groove 82. 
A bottom connecting member 90 which is mounted on the bottom edge 64 of the 
panel 10 extends outwardly from the facing portion 50 within the groove 
52. The outwardly extending portion of the bottom connecting member 90 
curves upwardly and extends into an aperture at the bottom end 92 of a 
slotted spacing member 94. Similarly the panel 12 is equipped with a 
bottom connecting member 96 mounted on the bottom edge 76 thereof and 
extending outwardly and curving upwardly within the groove 54 at the 
bottom of the facing portion 56. The bottom connecting member 96 also 
extends into the aperture at the bottom end 92 of the spacing member 94. 
The spacing member 94 resides within the grooves 52 and 54 in the opposite 
facing portions 50 and 56 so as to hold the panels 10 and 12 spaced apart 
from each other by a selected distance. This distance shown by the space 
100 in FIG. 3 provides access to the various slots along the length of the 
spacing member 94 to provide access to the slots along the length of the 
spacing member 94 to facilitate mounting of the mounting brackets such as 
the bracket 34. 
With the bottom connecting members 90 and 96 disposed within the aperture 
at the bottom end 92 of the spacing member 94 the lower portions of the 
opposite facing portions 50 and 56 of the panels 10 and 12 are held in 
engagement with the opposite sides of the lower portion of the spacing 
member 94. The upper portions of the facing portions 50 and 56 are held 
against the opposite sides of the spacing member 94 by a top mounting 
member 102 of thin, flat, elongated configuration. One end 104 of the top 
connecting member 102 is fastened to the bottom surface of the groove 68 
within the top edge 66 of the panel 10 via a pair of bolts 106 which 
extend through holes in the top connecting member 102 and are secured 
within T-nuts 108 disposed within the top edge 66 of the panel 10 so as to 
terminate at the bottom surface of the groove 68. The opposite end 110 of 
the top connecting member 102 is secured to the bottom surface of the 
groove 82 within the top edge 80 by a pair of bolts 106 extending through 
holes in the end 110 and into T-nuts 108 mounted within the top edge 80 of 
the panel 12. The top connecting member 102 extends over the top end 120 
of the spacing member 94 to prevent upward movement of the member 94 and 
thereby maintain the bottom connecting members 90 and 96 secured within 
the aperture at the bottom end 92 of the spacing member 94. 
FIGS. 4 and 5 respectively comprise the upper and lower portions of an 
exploded view of a corner joining arrangement including the panels 10 and 
18 and the corner post 16 of the arrangement of FIG. 1. The panel 10 has a 
left hand edge 130 having a groove 132 therein for receiving a slotted 
spacing member 134. A bottom fastening member 136 mounted on the bottom 
edge 64 of the panel 10 via a pair of bolts 138 extends outwardly and 
upwardly within the groove 132 so as to engage the spacing member 134 
within an aperture 140 at the bottom end 142 thereof. This serves to 
secure the lower portion of the spacing member 134 within the lower 
portion of the groove 132 within the edge 130 of the panel 10. 
The center post 16 is provided with orthogonally disposed facing portions 
144 and 146 which respectively include grooves 148 and 150 extending along 
the lengths thereof. The groove 148 within the facing portion 144 receives 
the spacing member 134 therein. The spacing member 134 is permanently 
secured within the groove 148 such as by screws 152. In similar fashion a 
slotted spacing member 154 is received within the groove 150 in the facing 
portion 146 and is secured therein by screws 152. The various screws 152 
serve to hold the spacing members 134 and 154 securely within the grooves 
148 and 150, respectively, of the center post 16. 
The panel 18 has a facing portion 160 having a groove 162 therein. A bottom 
connecting member 164 which is secured to a bottom edge 166 of the panel 
18 by screws 138 extends into the groove 162 at the bottom of the facing 
portion 160 where it curves upwardly for engagement within an aperture 168 
at a bottom end 170 of the spacing member 154. With the spacing member 154 
seated within the groove 162, the bottom connecting member 164 serves to 
hold the lower portion of the facing portion 160 of the panel 18 securely 
against the lower portion of the spacing member 154. 
The upper portions of the facing portion 130 of the panel 10 and the facing 
portion 160 of the panel 18 are held securely against the upper portions 
of the spacing members 134 and 154, respectively, by a top connecting 
member 180 having a right angle bend 182 at an intermediate portion 184 
thereof. The intermediate portion 184 of the top connecting member 180 is 
secured within a corresponding right angle groove 186 at the top of the 
corner post 16. One end portion 188 of the top securing member 180 extends 
over a top end 190 of the spacing member 134 and is fastened to the bottom 
surface of the groove 68 within the top edge 66 of the panel 10 by a pair 
of bolts 106 received within a pair of T-nuts 108. An opposite end portion 
192 of the top connecting member 180 extends over a top end 194 of the 
spacing member 154 and is fastened to the bottom surface of a groove 196 
within a top edge 198 of the panel 18. 
As shown in FIG. 5 the base 62 of the panel 10 is made slightly longer than 
the panel 10 so as to extend under and serve as a base for the corner post 
16. The panel 18 has a base 210 mounted on the bottom edge 166 thereof. 
The base 210 is equal in length to the panel 18 so as to terminate at the 
facing portion 160 and abut the end of the base 62 under the corner post 
16. 
As seen in FIG. 4 the top cap 70 of the panel 10 is longer than the length 
of the panel 10 so as to extend over and serve as a top cap for the corner 
post 16. The panel 18 has a top cap 212 mounted on the top edge 198 
thereof. The top cap 212 is the same in length as the panel 18 so as to 
terminate at the facing portion 160 and abut the end of the top cap 70 
extending over the corner post 16. The top caps 70 and 212 are removably 
mounted on the top edges of the respective panels by fastening 
arrangements which include the fastening brackets 72 and tapered or flared 
fastening elements with one such element 220 being shown at the underside 
of the top cap 212. As described in connection with FIG. 6 hereafter the 
element 220 engages an inclined slot in the top of a mating one of the 
fastening brackets 72 to hold the top cap 212 in place on the top edge 198 
of the panel 18. 
Each of the panels used in the arrangement of FIG. 1 is comprised of 
opposite faces which define the dimensions and edges for the panel and an 
intermediate core which is of slightly smaller dimension than the faces so 
as to form the grooves in the various panel edges. Referring to FIG. 4 the 
panel 10 is seen to comprise a pair of faces 230 and 232 disposed on 
opposite sides of an intermediate core 324. The core 234 is slightly 
smaller in size than the faces 230 and 232, thereby providing the groove 
132 in the facing portion 130 and the groove 68 in the top edge 66. 
FIG. 6 shows the upper left hand corner of the panel 10 with the face 230 
removed. As seen in FIG. 6 the core 234 is essentially comprised of a 
hollow frame defining the bottom surfaces of the grooves at the various 
edges of the panel 10. A top frame member 236 extends along the top of the 
panel 10 between the faces 230 and 232 to define the bottom surface for 
the groove 68. A side frame member 238 extends along the edge of the panel 
10 to define the surface within the groove 132 that engages the spacing 
member 134. A corner reinforcement 240 is fastened to the members 236 and 
238 at their intersection. Prior to assembly of the members 236, 238 and 
240 three different T-nuts 108 are installed through the bottom of the 
frame member 236 so that they extend to the top of the member 236. Two of 
the T-nuts 108 receive a pair of screws 106 to mount the end portion 188 
of the top connecting member 180 as previously described. The third and 
innermost one of the T-nuts 108 is provided at each corner of each panel 
and is used to receive a bolt for mounting one of the bases. 
As seen in FIG. 6 the fastening bracket 72 has opposite ends 250 and 252 
thereof fastened to the bottom surface of the groove 68 and an inclined 
slotted intermediate portion 254 thereof extending between the end 
portions 250 and 252 and raised above the bottom surface of the groove 68. 
The slotted portion 254 forms a relatively small angle with the 
longitudinal axis of the panel. The flared fastener 220 secured to the 
underside of the top cap 70 has a portion 256 of reduced diameter which is 
disposed within the slot in the fastening bracket 72. As shown in FIG. 6 
the fastening bracket 72 slopes upwardly toward the left. Although not 
shown other fastening brackets mounted on the top edge 66 of the panel 10 
also slope upwardly to the left. Accordingly the top cap 70 is easily and 
readily installed upon completion of the joining arrangements by placing 
the fastening elements 220 within the slots of the respective brackets 72. 
The top cap 70 is then driven to the left as seen in FIG. 6 such as by 
tapping the right hand end thereof with a mallet so as to wedge the 
various fastening elements 220 within the brackets 72. Removal of the top 
cap 70 involves a simple reverse in the procedure. The top cap 70 is 
driven to the right as seen in FIG. 6 such as by striking the left end 
thereof with a mallet to loosen the fastening elements 220 within the 
brackets 72, following which the top cap 70 is simply lifted away from the 
top edge of the panel 10. 
It will be seen that panel joining arrangements in accordance with the 
invention require panel edges of relatively simple configuration together 
with an intermediate spacing element which is of standard design and is a 
readily commercially available element. The bottom and top connecting 
members are of simple design and are easily fabricated from standard 
stock. It is not necessary to turn panels upside down or into various 
different positions to fasten them. Rather, joinder is effected simply by 
placing the spacing member over the bottom connecting member or members 
while disposing the spacing member within the grooves in the facing 
portions. Following that the top connecting member is screwed into place 
on the top edges of the panels, and the top caps are installed to hide the 
top connecting member and other hardware and provide the panels with a 
finished appearance. A mounting bracket 270 similar to the brackets 32, 
34, 36 and 38 in the FIG. 1 arrangement is shown in detail in FIG. 7. The 
bracket 270 has a right angle bend along the length thereof between a 
first portion 272 and a second portion 274. The first portion 272 resides 
outside of the panel joint and is designed to be fastened to a shelf or 
similar member for support thereof. The second portion 274 extends through 
the small space between the adjacent panels on either side and engages the 
slotted spacing member to mount the bracket 270. When mounted the portion 
274 has a relatively straight edge 276 which resides against the outside 
surface of the spacing member. A pair of hook members 278 and 280 extend 
outwardly from the edge 276 and terminate in finger portions 282 and 284, 
respectively, which extend downwardly and engage the inner surface of the 
hollow slotted spacing member. The finger portions 282 and 284 are spaced 
apart from the edge 276 by a distance approximately equal to the thickness 
of the spacing member between its inner and outer surfaces. 
Disposed below the hook member 280 and extending outwardly from the edge 
276 is a relatively small projection 286. The projection 286 extends 
outwardly from the surface 276 by a distance which is not substantially 
greater than the thickness of the spacing member between its inner and 
outer surfaces. The length of the projection 286 in the direction of the 
surface 276 is substantially less than the length of any of the slots in 
the spacing member. 
The mounting bracket 270 is relatively easy to install and remove and yet 
functions to lock itself in place when mounted on the spacing member so as 
to avoid unnecessary or unwanted play and most importantly to prevent 
inadvertent upward movement or release of the mounting bracket. This 
results from the combined action of the hook members 278 and 280 and the 
projections 286 which also make the mounting bracket usable with slots of 
uniform size and uniform spacing. 
As shown in FIG. 8 installation of the mounting bracket 270 is accomplished 
by inserting the second portion 274 thereof between the adjacent panels so 
that the hook members 278 and 280 extend into an adjacent pair of slots 
290 and 292, respectively, while the projection 286 rests against the 
outside of the spacing member between the slot 292 and the next lower slot 
294. This is also depicted in FIG. 9. 
Because the distance between the surface 276 and the finger-like 
projections 282 and 284 is approximately equal to the thickness of the 
spacing member between its outer and inner surfaces, the surface 276 is 
urged against the outside surface of the spacing member as the mounting 
bracket 270 is moved downwardly so as to engage the finger-like 
projections 282 and 284 against the inside surface of the spacing member. 
However, contact of the surface 276 in the region of the hook member 280 
and below is prevented by the projection 286 which rests against the outer 
surface of the spacing member as seen in FIG. 9. This causes the outer 
surface of the spacing member to press hard against the surface 276 in the 
region of the hook member 278 and the inside surface of the spacing member 
to press hard against the finger-like projection 284, with the result that 
the projection 286 is pressed against the outer surface of the spacing 
member with some force. For this reason a screwdriver 298 as shown in FIG. 
8 or similar implement is conveniently used to force the mounting bracket 
270 downwardly after the hook members 278 and 280 are inserted in the 
slots. The mounting bracket 270 is driven downwardly until the projection 
286 enters the slot 294 and rests against the upper end of the slot 294. 
This action removes much of the wedging action and therefore the tension 
on the bracket 270 and the spacing member. 
The projection 286 combines with the relatively snug fit of the finger-like 
projections 278 and 280 over the bottom portions of their respective slots 
290 and 292 to hold the mounting bracket 270 securely on the spacing 
member and without unwanted play. At the same time the projection 286 
prevents inadvertent upward movement or release of the bracket 270. 
However the projection 286 is not substantially longer than the thickness 
of the spacing member between the inner and outer surfaces. Consequently a 
sharp blow to the bottom of the mounting bracket 270 such as may be 
provided by the screwdriver 298 and a hammer drives the projection 286 out 
of the slot 294 and onto the outer surface of the spacing member between 
the slots 292 and 294. Continued upward force or tapping on the bracket 
270 raises the bracket to the position shown in FIG. 9 at which point the 
bracket is pulled laterally outwardly to remove the hook members 278 and 
280 from the slots. 
While the invention has been particularly shown and described with 
reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those 
skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form and 
details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of 
the invention.