The present disclosure relates to shelving units, more particularly shelving units having a lighting component that illuminates a product and/or provides ambient light. According to some aspects of the present disclosure, the shelf could be made from a transparent material and could include a lighting strip disposed in a groove in a front edge of the shelf. A power connector is provided for receiving power from a power supply. A reflective laminate could be disposed on top, front, rear, and lateral sides of the shelf. A second laminate could be disposed over the reflective laminate. A bottom surface of the shelf could be altered to evenly scatter light from the lighting strip. According to further aspects of the present disclosure, a floating shelf having a top layer, a bottom layer, and spacers, and a mounting bracket having a wall harness, hinges, and support rods are provided.

BACKGROUND

Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure relates to shelving units, more particularly shelving units having a lighting component that illuminates a product and/or provides ambient light.

Related Art

Shelving units are commonly used to display items, whether in commercial establishments or private residences. When multiple shelves are present, the presence of the shelving above the item commonly shields the item from light, making it more difficult to see the item being displayed.

The most common way of solving this issue is by use of lighting. Currently, spotlights are often used. When used with a glass shelves, light often does not reach the lower shelves, meaning that only items at or near eye level are usually seen. Furthermore, such lights have a limited diameter of light and thus will typically only light one item or a small number of items on the shelf, thereby requiring attachment of several different lighting units to the shelf above.

Furthermore, even without a shelf above an item, to properly light an item a lighting fixture must be attached to the wall or some other structure. Similarly, to increase the diameter of effective light of spotlights, the spotlights must be attached to some structure separate from the shelving units, such as a ceiling or wall. Even still, shadows and dark areas will still be present on the shelf.

Some display systems have used LED strips in cabinets, but this can cause each individual LED to be reflected in the product and take away from its look. Similar to the spotlight systems, shadows, dark areas, and bright spots are still an issue.

Wood and metal shelving have long been used, but such shelving units do not allow light through them and thus it is more difficult to light a product effectively.

Other prior attempts at a lit shelf have involved special hardware needed to install the shelf to the wall, or require separate power for each shelf, making it inefficient particularly for commercial display. It would be advantageous if there were a shelf that provided light while being installable in existing shelving systems, and allows the use of differently dimensioned shelves or a different number of shelves without the need for additional electrical infrastructure.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to shelving units, more particularly shelving units having a lighting component that illuminates a product and/or provides ambient light.

According to some aspects of the present disclosure, the shelf could include a top side, a bottom side, a front side, a rear side, a left side, and a right side. The bottom side of the shelf is comprised of a material that is clear or sufficiently clear enough such that light travels through the shelf rather than experiencing significant distortion or scattering. The bottom side of the shelf could be altered such that the bottom side is transparent or translucent and the light could scatter evenly down.

The shelf includes a lighting strip along a side of the shelf. The lighting strip faces inward toward the shelf, sending the light through the shelf. The lighting strip could include light-emitting diodes. The top, front, back, and lateral sides of the shelf could be laminated to reflect the light downward. The lighting strip could have a female connector for connecting the lighting strip to a power supply. Additional connectors could be provided for supplying power to additional shelves.

According to further aspects of the present disclosure a surface mounted light for a shelf is provided. The light could be mounted to a desired surface (e.g., an underside of a wall-mounted shelf) using a adhesive or other suitable surface-mounting means. The light could have a top side, bottom side, front side, rear side, left side, and right side. The light can be formed from any material that is clear or sufficiently clear enough such that light provided by a lighting source, travels throughout the material without experiencing significant distortion or scattering. In order to diffuse light output, the bottom side could be altered such that the light is scattered evenly down.

The surface mounted light could include an LED lighting strip disposed along the front side of the light. The LED lighting strip could include white lights or a variety of shades of white, and/or a combination of colors. The light could include a female connector at a rear corner and/or side of the light where a power supply or an additional light unit could be connected.

The surface mounted light could have a front groove (e.g., chamfer) along a top front edge thereof. The LED light strip could be secured in the front groove such as by using a suitable adhesive or otherwise. The female power connector can be affixed to the light in a variety of different positions. The top side of the light can be laminated to reflect the light downward.

According to further aspects of the invention, a lighted floating shelf is provided. The floating shelf could include a bottom layer having a groove along an edge for receiving a lighting strip. A top layer could be positioned over the bottom layer, with one or more spacers therebetween. The top layer, bottom layer, and spacers could define a pocket therebetween. A power jack could be positioned on an inner surface of one of the spacers, and electrical wiring could be fed through the spacer to the lighting strip. The floating shelf could include a mounting groove which extends laterally between the left and right sides of the floating shelf. The profile of the mounting groove could be sized and shaped to receive and mate with a wall mounting bracket.

According to still further aspects of the present disclosure, a mounting bracket is provided to attach a lighted floating shelf to a wall. The mounting bracket could include a wall harness, hinge, and support rod. The wall harness can be mounted to a wall (e.g., using screws, etc.) on top of an existing standard electrical outlet. The electrical outlets can be accessed through apertures in the wall harness. The wall harness could include a back plate, a lower bracket, and an upper bracket.

The hinge can include a fixed portion and a movable portion. The movable portion can be provided with a threaded aperture for receiving a threaded portion of support rod. The support rod could be provided with the threaded portion on a first end and could have a bumper (e.g., rubber foot) on the opposite end. An angle between the rotatable and fixed portions of the hinge can be adjusted by rotating the support rod. When assembled, the fixed portion of the hinge may be slidably movable parallel to, and along, the back plate.

A lighted floating shelf could be mounted on the mounting bracket. In order mount the floating shelf onto the mounting bracket, the mounting bracket is positioned in the pocket, the upper bracket is received in the mounting groove of the floating shelf, and the support rods are frictionally engaged with the top layer of the floating shelf.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure relates to a self-lit shelving unit, as discussed in detail below.

FIGS. 1-5are views of a self-lit fixed shelf100. More specifically,FIG. 1is a top front perspective view of a self-lit fixed shelf100,FIG. 2is a rear back perspective view of the self-lit fixed shelf100ofFIG. 1,FIG. 3is a bottom view of the self-lit fixed shelf100ofFIG. 1,FIG. 4is a top front perspective view of the self-lit fixed shelf100ofFIG. 1mounted to a wall unit150using mounting brackets160, andFIG. 5is a top bottom perspective view of the self-lit fixed shelf100ofFIG. 1mounted to a wall unit170using mounting brackets180.

The shelf100could be rectangular or any other suitable shape (e.g., trapezoidal, square, triangular) of any geometry (e.g., having an arced front side). For example, as shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, the shelf100could include a top side102, a bottom side104, a front side106, a rear side108, a left side110, and a right side112. The shelf100could have any suitable thickness depending on the support requirements of the shelf and/or the dimensions of the mounting unit, depending on needs of the user. For example, the shelf100could be about 0.5 inches thick, about 0.75 inches thick, etc.

The bottom side104of the shelf100is comprised of a material that is clear or sufficiently clear enough such that light travels through the shelf100rather than experiencing significant distortion or scattering. The bottom side104of the shelf100could be altered (e.g., sand blasted, roughened with sandpaper, etc.) such that the bottom side104is transparent or translucent and the light could scatter evenly down. For example, the shelf100could be made of acrylic, fiberglass, polyurethane, and/or other plastics or materials of sufficient durability and clarity.

The self-lit shelf100includes a clear or substantially clear bottom side104with an LED lighting strip114along a front side106of the shelf100. The LED lighting strip114faces inward toward the shelf100, sending the light through the shelf100itself. The top side is laminated with white laminate (e.g., formica), facing down to reflect the light downward and the front side106, rear side108, left side110, and right side112are laminated with another laminate. The LED lighting strip114could include white lights or a variety of shades of white, and/or a combination of colors (e.g., red, green, blue, etc.), which in combination can give white light or can separately be used to create color effects.

The LED strip114has at least one female connector or jack116(e.g., 5.5 mm direct current (DC) connector) at each rear corner and/or side of the shelf100(see, for example,FIGS. 2 and 3) where a power supply (not shown) could be connected. The connector116could utilize any suitable connection type (e.g., 5.5 mm jack, push-in wire connector, etc.) for connecting the LED strip114to the power supply. The jack116(e.g., 5.5 mm jack) could connect to the jack (e.g., 5.5. mm jack) of another shelving unit, thereby allowing for an expandable system. These connectors116(e.g., 5.5. mm connectors) also allow for other shelves to be connected to the shelf100, allowing several shelving units to be continuous and to operate off of one cord and/or power source, thereby reducing the number of cords or other infrastructure needed to operate a bank of shelves.

Because the strip of LED lights114does not add significant bulk to the profile or thickness of the shelf100, the shelf100can be used with many standard shelving systems to replace existing shelves without the need for special hardware in installation. In particular, a system wherein the shelf100slides into a slot can be used with the inventive shelf100. Because no special hardware is needed, the shelf100offers a significant advantage over other shelves in ease of installation and less disruption to the retail outlet, as a shelf installation does not necessarily need to be entirely removed in order to use the shelf100.

A variety of different power sources could be used with the shelf100. For example, a typical cord with an AC power outlet connection can be used to supply power, a battery, etc. The shelf100can be used with preexisting hardware and infrastructure, including to power the lighting of the shelf100.

The shelf100can be set up as a stand-alone unit to attract attention to a particular item in a retail location, or the entire retail location can be provided with shelves100. The lighting provided by shelf100may be sufficient to provide ambient light to the location, particularly when shelf100is used throughout a location. Even a single unit of shelf100would ensure that the eye is attracted to the items for sale. Shelf100can also be used in a residential setting for display of items. One of skill in the art can conceive of numerous other uses for shelf100as well as those already discussed.

In an exemplary embodiment, the shelf100could use an acrylic “p95” material with a ¼″ wide×⅛″ deep groove122,124cut into the front side106and left and right sides110,112and have a flame polished bottom surface. The LED light114could be a 5630 smd LED—white, 38 lm per LED, 60 LEDs per meter, or a 2835 smd LED—white, 120 LEDs per meter, on a 6 mm pcb strip, or any other suitable lighting strip, glued into the front groove122facing inwards. According to some aspects of the present disclosure, the LED light strip114could be affixed within the groove122using a double-sided bonding tape, such as for example, VHB™ adhesive acrylic tape manufactured by the 3M™ Company, or any other suitable double-sided bonding tape or adhesive. As shown inFIGS. 3 and 16, the LED light strip114could be glued into the front groove122with the supply wire120running along the side groove124to the 5.5 mm jack116. As shown inFIG. 17, the shelf100could be covered with two (2) layers of laminate; one layer of white color facing inwards to assist in the reflection of the light, and one layer facing outwards in the desired finish color, and/or covered with a 3 mm thick white pvc edgebanding.

As shown inFIGS. 4 and 5, the fixed shelf100could rest on top of mounting brackets160,180or any other mounting structure. For example, the fixed shelf100could rest on top of brackets, pegs, support strips, etc.

FIGS. 6-8are views of a surface mounted light200for a shelving unit. More specifically,FIG. 6is a top front perspective view of a surface mounted light200,FIG. 7is a rear back perspective view of the surface mounted light200ofFIG. 6, andFIG. 8is a bottom view of the surface mounted light200ofFIG. 6. The surface mounted light200includes the same features and/or materials as the fixed shelf described inFIGS. 1-5, except where otherwise noted.

The surface mounted light200could be thinner and lighter than the fixed shelf100ofFIGS. 1-5. The surface mounted light could be mounted (e.g., by an adhesive) to a bottom surface (e.g., of a shelf, of a cabinet, etc.).

As shown inFIGS. 6-8, the surface mounted light200has a top side202, bottom side204, front side206, rear side208, left side210, and right side212. The surface mounted light200can be formed from any material that is clear or sufficiently clear enough such that light provided by light source214, for example, an LED lighting strip (discussed hereinbelow) travels throughout the material without experiencing significant distortion or scattering. For example, the light200could be made of acrylic, fiberglass, polyurethane, or any other material of sufficient durability and clarity. In order to diffuse the light output of light200, the bottom side204of the light200could be altered (e.g., sand blasted, roughened with sandpaper, etc.) such that the bottom side204is transparent or translucent, such that the light is scattered evenly down from the light200.

The light200could include an LED lighting strip214disposed along the front side206of the light200. The LED lighting strip214faces inward (e.g., toward the center of the light200), thereby transmitting the light provided by the lighting strip214through the light200itself. The LED lighting strip214could be a 5630 smd LED (e.g., white, 38 lm per LED, 60 LEDs per meter on a 6 mm pcb strip), a 2835 smd LED (e.g., white, 120 LEDs per meter), or any other suitable lighting strip. The LED lighting strip214could include white lights or a variety of shades of white, and/or a combination of colors (e.g., red, green, blue, etc.), which in combination can provide white light or can be used separately to create color effects. As shown inFIGS. 6 and 8, the LED lighting strip214could include at least one female connector jack216(configured to receive a male connector jack of a power supply) and a supply wire (not shown), or the light strip214could otherwise be connected to a power supply.

According to some aspects of the present disclosure, the LED light strip214could include additional female connectors216at each rear corner and/or side of the light200where a power supply or an additional light unit could be connected. Further the connectors216could be configured to accept power from a power supply, and/or to provide power to an additional light200. For example, a first female connector216could be coupled to a DC power supply and a second female connector216could be used to provide power to another light (e.g., by way of an intermediary cable), thereby allowing for an expandable system. Accordingly, the connectors116could allow for additional lights to be connected to the light200, allowing multiple units to be continuous and to operate off of a single power source (e.g., daisy chaining), thereby reducing the number of cords or other infrastructure needed to operate numerous lights200.

According to some aspects of the present disclosure, the light200could have a front groove222(e.g., chamfer) along a top front edge226thereof. The LED light strip214could be glued into the front groove222using a suitable adhesive, and the supply wire could be run along a side groove224to the female power connector216. According to some aspects of the present disclosure, the LED light strip214could be affixed within the groove222using a double-sided bonding tape, such as for example, VHB™ adhesive acrylic tape manufactured by the 3M™ Company, or any other suitable double-sided bonding tape or adhesive. Of course, in embodiments where the light200has multiple connectors216, multiple grooves222could be provided (e.g., a side groove224on each of the left and right sides of the light200) to accept additional supply wires.

The female power connector216can be affixed to the light200in a variety of different positions. For example, as shown inFIGS. 6 and 8, the connector216could be mounted so that it is accessible from a side (e.g., right side212) of the light200. Alternatively, the connector could be mounted so that it is accessible from a different side (e.g., bottom side204) of the light200. According to some aspects of the present disclosure, the connector216could be mounted at one or more rear corners of the light200(seeFIGS. 6 and 8).

The top side of the light200is laminated with white laminate (e.g., formica), facing down to reflect the light downward and the front side106, rear side108, left side110, and right side112could be laminated with another laminate.

FIGS. 9-15are views of a self-lit floating shelf300. More specifically,FIG. 9is a top front perspective view of a self-lit floating shelf300,FIG. 10is a rear back perspective view of the self-lit floating shelf300ofFIG. 9,FIG. 11is a bottom view of the self-lit floating shelf300ofFIG. 9,FIG. 12is an exploded view of the self-lit floating shelf300ofFIG. 9,FIG. 13is a front perspective view of the self-lit floating shelf300ofFIG. 9mounted to a wall unit,FIG. 14is another perspective view of the self-lit floating shelf300ofFIG. 13; andFIG. 15is a perspective view of the self-lit floating shelf300ofFIG. 13being assembled to the wall unit. The floating shelf300includes the same features and/or materials as the fixed shelf described inFIGS. 1-5, except where otherwise noted. For example, the floating shelf300could include a top side302, bottom side304, front side306, left side310, and right side312.

The floating shelf300could include a bottom layer328of clear Plexiglas (e.g., acrylic) having a groove322(e.g., or chamfer) along a top front edge326thereof. Groove322could receive LED strip314. According to some aspects of the present disclosure, the LED light strip314could be affixed within the groove322using a double-sided bonding tape, such as for example, VHB™ adhesive acrylic tape manufactured by the 3M™ Company, or any other suitable double-sided bonding tape or adhesive. A top layer330of plywood (e.g., ½ inch) could be positioned over the bottom layer, with one or more spacers332a-ctherebetween. The spacers332a-ccould be aluminum tubing, such as square aluminum tubing (e.g., 1.5 inches). The spacers could be positioned along the front, left, and right edges of the top and bottom layers, thereby defining a pocket334and rear opening336(seeFIG. 15) therebetween. A power jack316could be positioned on an inner front surface338of one of the spacers332a-c, and electrical wiring320could be fed through the spacer332a-cto the LED strip314. Additionally, a laminate340a-ccould be positioned on a top surface342of the top layer330, a left surface of a left spacer332b, and a right surface of a right spacer332.

The floating shelf300includes a pocket334having an opening336in a back side308of the floating shelf300. The pocket334receives mounting brackets360(or other mounting components) to hide the mounting components360therein.

FIGS. 16 and 17are perspective views of the self-lit fixed shelf100shown inFIGS. 1-3. More specifically,FIG. 16is a partial bottom exploded view of the self-lit fixed shelf100, andFIG. 17is a partial top exploded view of the self-lit fixed shelf100.

As shown inFIGS. 16 and 17, the shelf100could include top side102, bottom side104, front side106, rear side108, left side110, and right side112. The self-lit shelf100includes an LED lighting strip114along a front side106of the shelf100. A female connector116for receiving power from a power source (not shown) is coupled to the LED lighting strip114by way of a supply wire120. As shown inFIG. 16, the shelf100could be provided with a groove122in the front side106of the shelf for receiving the LED light strip114. The shelf100could also be provided with a groove124on at least one side (e.g., left side110and/or right side112) of the shelf100to receive the supply wire120. According to some aspects of the present disclosure, a first aperture142for receiving the female power connector116is disposed in the bottom side104of the shelf100and a second aperture144is disposed on at least one side (e.g., left side110and/or right side112) of the shelf100, so that the first and second apertures142,144intersect. Accordingly, the supply wire120can be run along groove124and through aperture144so that the supply wire120can couple the LED lighting strip114to the female connector116without disturbing the external appearance of the shelf100. The first and second apertures could at one, or any/all, corner(s) of the shelf100.

As shown inFIG. 17, one or more of the top side102, front side106, rear side108, left side110, and right side112of shelf100could be laminated. For example, the sides could be laminated with a white laminate140a-e(e.g., formica) which faces inward (e.g., towards a center of the shelf100) and assists in reflection of light. Additionally, the shelf100could be provided with a second layer of laminate146a-ewhich is disposed on top of the first layer of laminate140a-e. The second layer of laminate146a-ecould provide the desired finish and color (e.g., 3 mm thick white PVC edgebanding).

FIGS. 18A-Dshow a mounting bracket460according to another aspect of the present disclosure. More specifically,FIG. 18Ais a perspective view of the mounting bracket460,FIG. 18Bis a perspective view of a wall harness462of the mounting bracket460,FIG. 18Cis a cross-sectional view of the wall harness462, andFIG. 18Dis a perspective view of a hinge464and support rod466of the mounting bracket460.

Mounting bracket460can be used to attach floating shelf400to a wall470(seeFIGS. 19Aand B). Mounting bracket460includes wall harness462, hinge464, and support rod466. As shown inFIG. 18B, wall harness462is provided with a plurality of apertures468configured to receive a pair of standard electrical outlets472. Accordingly, the wall harness462can be mounted to a wall470(e.g., using screws or the like) on top of an existing standard electrical outlet472. Importantly, the electrical outlets472can be accessed through the apertures468when the mounting bracket is fully assembled and the outlets472can be positioned anywhere along the length of the bracket. The wall harness462could be made from a single piece of sheet metal or from a plurality of components. The wall harness includes a back plate474, a lower bracket, indicated generally at476, extending from a bottom edge of the back plate474, and an upper bracket, indicated generally at478, extending from a top edge of the back plate. The lower bracket476can include first portion486which extends from the bottom edge of the back plate474and a second portion488which extends at an angle from the first portion486. The upper bracket478can include first portion482which extends from the top of the back plate474and a second portion484which extends at an angle from the first portion482.

FIG. 18Cshows a configuration of wall harness462according to some aspects of the present disclosure. First portion482and second portion484of upper bracket478could form an angle relative to each other (e.g., about 120 degrees) as indicated by arrow A, first portion482of upper bracket478and back plate474could form an angle relative to each (e.g., about 60 degrees) other as indicated by arrow B, back plate474and first portion486of lower bracket476could form an angle relative to each other (e.g., about 90 degrees) as indicated by arrow C, and first portion486and second portion488of lower bracket476could form an angle relative to each other (e.g., about 135 degrees) as indicated by arrow D.

FIG. 18Dshows hinge464and support rod466of mounting bracket460. Hinge460can include a fixed portion490and a rotatable portion492. Rotatable portion492can be provided with a threaded aperture494for receiving a threaded portion496of support rod466. Support rod466is provided with the threaded portion496on a first end and could have a bumper498(e.g., rubber foot) on the opposite end. When the threaded portion496of the support rod466is threaded into the aperture494, the end of support rod466that is proximate to the threaded portion496will bear against fixed portion490(e.g., due to gravity). The support rod466can be further advanced through the rotatable portion492by rotating support rod in the direction indicated by arrow E (e.g., clockwise about its axis). Conversely, the support rod466can be removed from the rotatable portion492by rotating support rod466opposite the direction indicated by arrow E (e.g., counterclockwise about its axis). Accordingly, as the support rod466is rotated, rotatable portion492of hinge464is rotated about the axis indicated by arrow F and the smallest permitted angle between fixed portion490and rotatable portion492, indicated by arrow G, is altered. The amount of rotation of the support rod466could be limited by use of a collar (e.g., a hexagonal nut) disposed around the threaded portion496of the support rod466at a predetermined location, thereby limiting mobility of the rotatable portion492of the hinge464. According to some aspects of the present disclosure, the collar (e.g., hexagonal nut) disposed around the threaded portion496could be sized and shaped to provide additional grip (e.g., as compared to a threaded portion496having no collar), thereby assisting a user in rotating the support rod466. The support rod466and hinge464could be of a unitary construction and other adjustment mechanisms could be used to limit angle G.

As shown inFIGS. 18A, 19A, and 19B, fixed portion490of hinge464is restrained from movement normal to (e.g., perpendicular to or away from) back plate474by lower bracket476and upper bracket478. However, fixed portion490may be slidably movable parallel to, and along, back plate474. This would provide an installer with flexibility in positioning the mounting bracket460. For example, the electrical outlet472may not be centered where the installer desires to hang the floating shelf400. Instead of having to move a preexisting outlet, the installer can mount the wall harness462, centered on the desired location, aligning any of the appropriate apertures468to with the electrical outlet472. Once the wall harness462is mounted on the wall, the hinges464can be positioned to an appropriate location along the length of the wall harness462where they do not obstruct the electrical outlet472.

FIGS. 19A and 19Bshow another aspect of the present disclosure. More specifically,FIG. 19Ais a cross-sectional view of the mounting bracket460and floating shelf400in a first position andFIG. 19Bis a cross-sectional view of the mounting bracket460and floating shelf400in a second position.

The floating shelf, indicated generally at400, includes the same features and/or materials as the floating shelf300described in connection withFIGS. 9-15, except where otherwise noted. The floating shelf400could include a bottom layer428of clear Plexiglas (e.g., acrylic) having a groove422(e.g., or chamfer) along a front side406thereof. Groove422could receive an LED lighting strip (not shown). According to some aspects of the present disclosure, the LED light strip could be affixed within the groove422using a double-sided bonding tape, such as for example, VHB™ adhesive acrylic tape manufactured by the 3M™ Company, or any other suitable double-sided bonding tape or adhesive. A top layer430of plywood (e.g., ½ inch) could be positioned over the bottom layer428, with one or more spacers432therebetween. The spacers432could be aluminum tubing, such as square aluminum tubing (e.g., 1.5 inches). The spacers432could be positioned along the front, left, and right edges and center of the top and bottom layers428,430, thereby defining a pocket434and rear opening436therebetween. A power jack could be positioned on an inner surface of one of the spacers432, or anywhere in the pocket434, and electrical wiring could be fed through the spacer432to the LED strip. A laminate440a,dcould be positioned on the top side402, front side406, left side (not shown), right side (not shown), and rear side (not shown) of the shelf400. As shown inFIG. 19B, floating shelf400could include a mounting groove448which extends laterally between the left and right sides of the floating shelf400. Importantly, the profile of the mounting groove448is sized and shaped to receive and mate with the upper bracket478of the mounting bracket460.

The floating shelf400includes pocket434having opening436in the back side408of the floating shelf400. As shown inFIGS. 19A and 19B, the pocket434receives mounting bracket460, discussed herein. In order mount the floating shelf400onto the mounting bracket460, the floating shelf400is first positioned according to the configuration shown inFIG. 19A(e.g., the shelf400being obliquely positioned relative to the wall470, the upper bracket478of the mounting bracket460being at least partially positioned in the pocket434through the opening436of the shelf400, and the front side406of top layer430being positioned at the intersection of the wall470and the mounting bracket460). Once the shelf400is so positioned, the shelf400is rotated in the direction as indicated by arrow H until the shelf400is fully engaged in its second, and final, position (e.g., normal to, or about normal to, wall470) as shown inFIG. 19B.

The angle of the shelf, as indicated by arrow I, is at least partially determined according to the position of support rods466. As previously discussed herein, the angle G (seeFIG. 18D) between the fixed portion490and the rotatable portion492of the hinge464can be varied by rotating the support rods466. As shown inFIG. 19B, when the shelf400is fully engaged with the mounting bracket460, the bumper498of the support rod466is frictionally engaged with an underside of the top layer430and provides support for the shelf400. By rotating the support rods466, the angle of the support rods466(e.g., relative to the wall470) is altered, the point at which the bumper engages the underside of the top layer430is altered, and thus, angle I is altered. Accordingly, an installer or user of the shelf400can easily adjust the angle I of the shelf400by simply rotating the support rods466of the mounting bracket460and reattaching the floating shelf400.

Having thus described the disclosure in detail, it is to be understood that the foregoing description is not intended to limit the spirit or scope thereof. It will be understood that the embodiments of the present disclosure described herein are merely exemplary and that a person skilled in the art may make any variations and modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. All such variations and modifications, including those discussed above, are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.