Combination connecting plate

A single connecting plate useful for joining wall-mounted shelf support brackets together with ventilated metal closet shelves of different sizes. The connecting plate is adaptable to fit two different sized closet shelves, depending upon the orientation of the longitudinal axis of the connecting plate relative to the leading edge of the different shelves. The connecting plate, which attaches to the outwardly extended end of a wall-mounted, shelf supporting bracket, couples the front edge of the rails of the shelf to the bracket. The connecting plate includes pairs of recessed portions along each edge which are sized to receive the rail of the different shelves, the distance between the recessed portions on the plate edges being a function of the distance between the leading edge rails of the shelf.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a connecting plate that is used to join a bracket 
to conventional vinyl covered metal shelving having a front vertical edge 
defined by two parallel rods or rails. Such metal shelving has become 
popular and is often installed in closets and other areas by mounting the 
shelving to a wall with a wall-mounted bracket that is coupled with a 
connecting plate to the front vertical leading edge of the shelf. 
Conventionally, two types of shelves are presented, one which provides for 
an additional or larger leading edge having a rail for mounting hangers 
and the like, and one that is not adapted to that use which has a smaller 
width along its leading edge. To date, two different connecting plates 
have been employed because of the different sizes along the leading edges 
of the shelves, depending on the particular unit. This requires the 
inventory and the manufacture of two separate products. 
The present invention eliminates the need for two separate connecting 
plates by providing in a single plate one that can be used with either 
shelf. Thus, applicant's invention reduces the manufacture costs and the 
necessity of stocking two different items. 
An example of a conventional face plate is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 
3,765,634. 
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
A connecting plate that is used to join together either of two metal 
shelves having vinyl covered rod construction to a wall-mounted shelf 
supporting bracket. 
The connecting plate is comprised of a flat, rectangular, planar surface 
having a peripheral wall disposed at approximately a ninety degree angle 
to the flat, rectangular surface. 
The peripheral wall structure is essentially two pairs of wall segments 
parallel to each other disposed along the longer and shorter rectangular 
sides of the flat surface. Within each wall segment is a pair of spaced 
apart grooves which are sized to snuggly receive the rod members along the 
front edge of the metal shelving. Opposite parallel wall segments have the 
same separation distance between the shelf rod grooves. The groove 
separation distance along the shorter sides is different than along the 
longer sides to accommodate the difference in the leading edge rod 
separation in the different shelves. 
The center of the connecting plate includes a raised cylindrical boss 
having a channel through the plane of the plate for receiving a threaded 
connector such as a bolt that attaches the plate to the extended end of 
the wall bracket with a nut. The flat, raised face of the boss fits flush 
against the end of the wall bracket for increased support. 
The connecting plate has on the same side as the peripheral walls 
additional short wall segments which form criss-crossing channels aligned 
along the axial direction of the opposing grooves for additional support 
of the plate against the leading edge metal rods of the shelf. These make 
the plate fit tighter and provide for more rigid support. 
To utilize the present invention, either type of shelf is selected for 
mounting on the wall. Depending upon the particular size of the leading 
edge of the shelf, the connecting plate is positioned with its 
longitudinal axis relative to the leading edge of the shelf in one of two 
directions, which are ninety degrees to each other, such that the grooves 
in the peripheral wall perfectly match the distance between the leading 
edge rods of the selected shelf. The connecting plate is then snapped into 
the shelf and a threaded connector positioned through the connecting plate 
which is attached on the inside surface to one end of a wall mounted 
bracket. For a different sized shelf, the connecting plate is merely 
rotated ninety degrees relative to its longitudinal axis and mounted in a 
similar manner. 
It is an object of this invention to provide a connecting plate for a 
wall-mounted shelf bracket that is adapted to fit two different sized 
metal rail shelves. 
It is another object of this invention to provide a single, universal 
connecting plate that can be used with two different sized metal 
wall-mounted shelves, eliminating the need for two different sized plates, 
without reducing the structural integrity of the bracket and shelf mount. 
In accordance with these and other objects which will be apparent 
hereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with particular 
reference to the accompanying drawings.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION 
Referring now to the drawings and especially FIGS. 1 and 4, the present 
invention 12 is shown mounted on two different sized shelves 10 and 36 
respectively. The fundamental difference between shelf 10 and shelf 36 is 
the spacing distance between leading edge rods 20 and 22 when compared to 
leading edge rods 38 and 40. To accomplish mounting of the connecting 
plate 12 as between the shelf 10 of FIG. 1 and shelf 36 of FIG. 4, the 
connecting plate body is rotated ninety degrees such that the lateral 
sides of the plate 12 span the rod spacing of rods 20 and 22 in FIG. 1, 
while the longitudinal sides of plate 12 span the rod spacing of rods 38 
and 40 in FIG. 4. 
Referring now to FIG. 1, the present invention is shown generally at 12 
attached to a metal, wall-mounted shelf 10, which is one standard size of 
shelving. The shelf is comprised essentially of a plurality of parallel 
rods 24 which are welded to end and middle supporting rods 28 and 30. The 
shelf further includes a forward vertical edge comprised of parallel rods 
20 and 22 connected to supporting rods 26 therebetween. The shelf 10 and 
the bracket 16 are conventional. The bracket 16 is mounted at one end to 
the wall by a threaded connector 32. 
The present invention 12, which is a connecting plate, is utilized as a 
connector between the bracket 16 and the shelf 10. A channel through 
center of the connecting plate 12 receives a bolt 18 to allow it to be 
connected to the bracket 16. 
The connecting plate is mounted on the front vertical edge of the shelf 
formed by parallel rods 20 and 22. 
FIGS. 2 and 3 show how the mounting of the plate 12 is accomplished on the 
shelf of FIG. 1. The plate 12 has lateral sides that are sized to fit 
across rods 20 and 22, each plate lateral side including a central side 
wall portion 12b, and a pair of recessed grooves 12a, the grooves being 
spaced apart from each other a distance equal to the distance between the 
front edge rods 20 and 22 shown in the first standard model observed in 
FIG. 1. The size of the grooves 12a are such to accommodate the rod 
diameter of rods 20 and 22 for a snug fit onto the rods. The connecting 
plate 12 is mounted with its flat surface outward, the rods 20 and 22 are 
firmly secured within grooves 12a (on each lateral side). As shown in FIG. 
2, the bolt 18 is connected to a nut 34 when the connecting plate is 
mounted in place, securely holding the bracket 16 to the forward leading 
edge of the shelf 10. 
FIG. 4 shows a different model self with a forward leading edge having rods 
38 and 40 which are spaced apart a greater distance than the shelf model 
shown in FIG. 1. (In conventional shelving applications, different 
connecting plates have been used of necessity when connecting the shelf 
shown in FIG. 1 to a bracket compared to the shelf shown in FIG. 4.) 
However, to mount the present invention on the shelf as shown in FIG. 4, 
the plate 12 is rotated ninety degrees (from the position shown in FIG. 1) 
relative to its longitudinal axis and is mounted on the front edges with 
its longitudinal (longer) sides connected across rods 38 and 40. The 
longitudinal sides include a central wall portion 12d defined by grooves 
12c, the distance between the grooves 12c on each longitudinal side being 
equal to the distance between leading edge rods 38 and 40. Each groove 12c 
is sized to fit snuggly with rods 38 and 40. 
FIG. 5 shows the inside face of plate 12 that includes additional wall 
segments 54 which form interior channels for additional strength, the 
walls 54 including a top surface portions which in conjunction with 
cylindrical boss 50 (having a channel 52 therein that receives the 
threaded bolt 18) allows the bracket flat end portion to firmly rest 
against the top surfaces of the wall segments 54 and boss 50. This makes 
for a much more rigid connection regardless of which direction the plate 
is oriented relative to the bracket. 
In summary, as shown in FIG. 5, the distance between the recessed grooves 
12a on each lateral wall is equal to the leading edge rod spacing (rods 20 
and 22, FIG. 1) in one particular model of shelf, while the distance 
between grooves 12c on each longitudinal wall is larger to accommodate a 
different size shelf leading edge rod spacing (rods 38 and 40, FIG. 4). 
FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 show the spacial relationships between the recessed 
grooves formed in the plate peripheral side walls, the interior walls, and 
the central boss. Wall structure 12b is shown to be slightly smaller than 
wall structure segment 12b', even though the outer limits of the recessed 
grooves 12c are identically spaces which is necessitated by the spacing 
between the upper rods 24 (FIG. 1) of the shelving so that the connecting 
plate can fit along its upper wall between the rods 24. 
The instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is 
considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment. It is 
recognized, however, that departures may be made therefrom within the 
scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a 
person skilled in the art.