Modular shelving

The invention provides a modular shelving unit comprising at least two upright members and at least two shelf elements which engage oppositely spaced upright members to form a shelving structure. The component upright members and shelf elements are made of a latticework, preferably of welded wire, which is secured at two opposite edges in support beams. The support beams of the upright members provide vertical structure for the unit, and the support beams of the shelf elements provide structure therefor and means for connecting the shelf elements to the upright elements.

The present invention relates to a modular shelving system. Conventional 
modular shelving units usually require the use of fasteners for assembly 
and often have solid planar surfaces which collect dirt and impair 
visibility and air circulation. 
The present shelving unit makes use of welded wire latticeworks fixed in 
support beams to provide a strong storage system for lightweight articles 
which is simple to assemble without the need for fasteners or tools. The 
latticework structure of the invention allows for adequate illumination 
and therefore, good visibility of the stored articles, even those articles 
located on the bottom shelves. In relation to fire safety, the open 
construction of the present shelving ensures good air circulation and 
optimum sprinkler coverage to the stored articles. 
The shelving of the invention can be erected in a restricted space and the 
component shelf elements may be adjusted individually without disturbing 
adjacent elements. Different types of shelf elements may be installed on 
the same unit, and all shelf elements may be provided with auxiliary 
support beams positioned underneath to give additional support for heavier 
items. 
The various components of the present modular shelving are themselves 
lightweight and may be nested for easy packing, storage and handling. 
Accordingly, the present invention provides a modular shelving unit 
comprising at least two upright members to which are connected at least 
two shelf elements to form a shelf structure. The upright members are made 
of a latticework which is fixed along two opposite edges thereof in 
support beams which provide the upright structural components for the 
unit. The shelf elements also are made of a latticework fixed along two 
opposite edges thereof in support beams. The support beams of the shelf 
elements have means at each end thereof for engaging the latticework of an 
upright member.

Referring to FIG. 1, the present invention provides a modular shelving unit 
10 comprising shelf elements 11 engaging oppositely spaced upright members 
12 to form the shelf structure. FIG. 1 illustrates a double unit, and 
additional units 10 may be added at either end upright member 12 as 
desired. 
The shelf elements 11 and upright members 12 are preferably made of a 
latticework 13 comprising welded steel wire of sufficient diameter to 
provide a strong and durable structure to the components. It has been 
found that 10 gauge steel wire, i.e. wire having a diameter of 0.135 inch, 
is suitable for the purposes of the invention. The latticework 13 should 
be of a mesh size to give adequate strength to the structure as well as 
allowing for good visibility of the shelving contents and the other 
aforementioned advantages inherent in an open structure. Accordingly, the 
preferred mesh size of the latticework 13 is 2 inches by 2 inches. 
The latticework 13 of the shelf elements 11 is provided with additional 
structure and rigidity by means of support beams 14 fixed along prongs of 
opposite edges 16 thereof (FIG. 2). Each support beam 14 is made of sheet 
metal which is bent to provide a U-shaped channel 17 along its length to 
receive the edge prongs 16 of the latticework 13. The beam 14 is 
preferably 16 gauge steel and the edge prongs 16 of the latticework 13 are 
welded in place in the beam channel 17. 
As shown in FIG. 2 the edge prongs 16 of the latticework 13 may be received 
in an upward or downward opening channel 17 of the beam 14 depending on 
the type of shelf element 11 being made. The shelf element 11 shown in 
FIG. 2 has a raised rear side 18 to inhibit spillage from the rear of the 
shelf by the pressure of articles added at the front thereof. 
Alternatively, FIG. 3 shows a flat shelf element 21 and two configurations 
for a bin shelf element 22. While these are three preferred configurations 
for the shelf elements 11, other configurations of the invention should be 
apparent to the reader skilled in the art. 
The support beams 14 of the shelf elements 11 are provided at each end 
thereof with means for engaging the upright members 12 so as to form the 
shelf structure. The preferred means to effect such engagement comprises a 
hook 26 at each end of each beam 14 for engaging a horizontal wire of the 
latticework 13 of an upright member 12. The hook 26 can simply be formed 
by providing a slot 27 across the end portion of the beam 14 as shown in 
FIG. 2. By cutting away the bent portion of the beam 14 at either end 
thereof about the hook 26, each hook 26 can also engage a vertical wire of 
the latticework so that the shelf 11 is supported in a direct manner by 
the welds at the intersection of the vertical and horizontal wires engaged 
by each hook 26. 
The latticework 13 of the upright members 12 is also provided with support 
beams 31 as shown in FIG. 2. Each beam 31 gives additional structure and 
rigidity to the upright members 12 by securing the opposing vertical edge 
prongs 32 of the latticework 13 therein. Preferably, the beams 31 are 
formed from sheet metal, and in this regard, 16 gauge sheet steel has been 
found to be quite suitable. The beams 31 are formed to have a channel of 
C-shaped cross section 33 so that the prongs of the edges 32 of the 
latticework 13 can be bent at alternating right angles for insertion in 
the channel 33. The prongs of the edges 32 need not be welded in place in 
the channel 33. It has been found that sufficient strength for the upright 
member structure 12 is obtained by swaging the prongs of the edge 32 in 
the channel 33 of the beam 31 by means of a press brake. 
Assembly of the shelving unit 10 is simply accomplished by hooking at least 
two shelf elements 11 to oppositely spaced apart upright members 12 to 
give a structure having adequate stability. Of course additional shelf 
elements 11 may be added, and the shelving may be expanded by adding 
further units comprising shelf elements 11 and upright members 12 to 
either end of the basic unit 10. The dimensions of the shelf elements 11 
and upright members 12 can be varied to meet most storage requirements. 
Shelf elements 11 are preferred in sizes from 12.times.36 inches to 
36.times.48 inches, and upright members 12 are preferred in sizes from 
12.times.75 inches to 36.times.123 inches. 
When using shelf elements 11 of the larger sizes, or when extra support is 
needed for storing heavier articles, auxiliary support beams 40 may be 
used. As shown in FIG. 2 an auxiliary support beam 40 may be positioned 
under a shelf element 11 for this purpose. The auxiliary beam 40 is 
preferably made of 16 gauge sheet steel longitudinally bent at right 
angles to give a flat upper support surface 41 and two downward depending 
sides 42. At each end of the auxiliary beam 40 notches 43 are provided in 
the surface 41 and sides 42 to allow the end of the beam 40 to engage the 
horizontal and vertical wires of the latticework 13 of the upright members 
12. This two-way engagement of the beam 40 with the latticework 13 
prevents the beam 40 from shifting, and allows the beam 40 to be supported 
directly by the welds at the intersection of the horizontal and vertical 
wires engaged by the end notches 43. 
When additional bracing is required, the latticework structure of the 
upright members 12 allows for the simple addition of suitable gauge wiring 
diagonally across the rear of a single or double unit. As shown in FIGS. 4 
through 7, wire bracing 50 having hooked ends 51 can engage the 
latticework 13 and a turnbuckle 52. The bracing wires 50 can then be 
tensioned by means of the turnbuckle 52 to provide added structural 
integrity to the shelving.