A CUPBOARD, BOOKSHELF OR THE LIKE

Abstract: Improvements in cupboards, shelf units and the like having displaceable shelves (5) or the like as well as end walls and possibly also intermediate walls (3) comprise rails (7) or the like extending in the vertical direction of these walls in combination with brackets (13) or the like, which are secured to the shelves (5) and are adapted to cooperate with the rails. To make possible mounting of the shelves on different levels and shift of the shelves in the vertical direction the rails have a cross-section of a substantially sawtooth-shaped profile for forming shoulders (10) facing upwards at the transitions between two adjacent saw-teeth, each bracket also having at least one flexible tongue (15) which projects from the end edge of the shelf to which the bracket is secured for carrying this end edge upon one of the shoulders (10).

Description: Improvewents in Cupboards, -Shelf Units and the like Background of the Invention This invention relates to such improvements in cupboards, racks, sets of shelves and the like as are generally defined in the preamble of claim 1. The improvements are primarily intended for book shelves but may also be applied to cupboards, storage racks and other units and pieces of furniture for storage purpose. A common device for the carrying of a shelf in a book shelf or a cupboard comprises two pairs of small-brackets of metal or the like, each having a pair of mutually perpendicular flanges of which one is provided with a stud which is directed away from the other flange and is intended to be introduced into a corresponding bore or socket in one of the walls of the book shelf or the like, said other flange being intended to carry half of an end of a shelf. This known device is simple and inexpensive but suffers from the drawback that it is difficult to shift the shelves in the vertical direction, since such displacement necessitates withdrawal of all four studs and insertion thereof in four new holes after the displacement or removal of the shelf. This operation can hardly be carried through without a prior removal of at least the major part of the objects upon the shelf, at least if they are heavy, before the shelf can be shifted. After the displacement of the shelf and the introduction of the bracket studs in their new holes the objects will have to be replaced upon the shelf. All this is complicated and time consuming. Summary of the Invention The principal object of the invention is to eliminate this drawback and to provide an arrangement of the kind in question which permits a simple shift or transfer of the shelves in the vertical direction. This object is attained thanks to the fact that the arrangement or system according to the invention is so designed as is set forth in the characterizing clause of claim 1. Brief Description of the Drawings Further features and advantages of the arrangement according to the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the annexed drawings which diagrammatically and as -non-limiting examples illustrate some embodiments of the invention. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a set of shelves, such as a (book)shelf or a cupboard constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 and 3 illustrate a rail comprised in the set of shelves according to Fig. 1 in a perspective view and a plan view, respectively. Fig. 4 is a partial, sectional view through a wall of the rack or shelf unit:. Fig. 5 is a partial horizontal sectional view substantially along line V - V in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a partial vertical sectional view substantially on line VI - VI in Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a perspective view-of another embodiment of a bracket. Figs. 8 and 9 illustrate two further brackets in a side view and a partial sectional view through an appurtenant shelf, respectively. Fig. 10 is a plan view from beneath on a smaller scale and illustrates a step of a displacement or transfer of a shelf. Fig. 11 is a partial horizontal sectional view through an intermediate wall comprising a post constructed according to the invention. DescriEtion of the preferred Embodiments The (book) shelf or the cupboard according to Fig. 1 comprises a stationary base or bottom 1, a stationary upper shelf 2 or top and two end walls 3, of which one could constitute an intermediate wall of a wider shelf unit, possibly a back panel 4, and two displaceable shelves 5. These are suitably inserted in an inclined position into the shelf unit as illustrated in Fig. 1. Each end wall or intermediate wall 3 is on each one of its sides or principal surfaces which face an opposed end wall or intermediate wall provided with two carrier rails which are generally designated 7 and are more clearly shown in Figs. 2 - 6. The rails 7 are made e.g. of aluminium or another preferably metallic, wear-resistant material and have bores 8 at their ends (Figs. 2 and 3) for screws 9 by means of which the rails are secured to the walls 3. The rails 7 are substantially sawtooth-shaped as seen in a longitudinal section, as is evident from Figs. 2 and 4, and comprise shoulders 10 which are intended to carry a shelf 5 in cooperation with a bracket to be described below, at the transitions between one saw-tooth and the adjacent one. As is most clearly shown in Fig. 2 the saw-teeth 11 suitably have a brooken or angular contour. Especially if the walls are of sheet iron, the rails may alternatively be comprised of portions of the respective walls, in that they firstly comprise flexible tongues which are cut out in the sheet iron wall and essentially correspond to the outer edge portion of the saw-teeth, and secondly comprise such portions of the sheet iron wall as are located intermediate the tongues or surround them, respectively. A first embodiment of a bracket is illustrated in Figs. 4 and 6, in which it is generally designated 13. The bracket which is of plastic or another flexible or elastical material comprises two interconnected plateshaped shanks 14 and 15 which form an obtuse angle with each other in the un-bent condition of the bracket (the lower bracket in Fig. 4). The shank 14 has an integral substantially cylindrical rib 16 which is intended to be introduced into a corresponding groove in the end edge of the shelf 5, as is apparent from Figs. 4 and 6. The lower free edge of the flange 15 is intended to rest upon one of the shoulders 10 of the rails and thereby support the shelf 5. Since the cooperating rails normally are four in number, there is normally a bracket adjacent each corner of the shelf 5. In Fig. 7 there is illustrated another :embodiment of a bracket 13 which comprises two plates or the like 18, 19, which are united through a web 20 and between themselves form an interspace 21 defined by preferably parallel wall surfaces, and a suitably cylindrical stud 22 which is united with one of-the plates 18 and whose longitudinal axis forms an obtuse angle with the other plate 19, which has a preferably planar carrier surface which is intended to rest upon one of the said shoulders 10 of the rail 7 for carrying a shelf 5. The plates or shanks 18, 19 may possible be wider than as shown, and furthermore the plate 18 may suitably be given a circular shape to be able to be countersunk in a drilled or milled counterbore, which is coaxial with the stud 22, which corresponds to the rib 16 in Figs. 4 and 6, in the end edge of the shelf 5. In Figs. 8 there is illustrated another bracket 13 which is intended in particular for shelves 5 in the form of thin plates, e.g. of glass. This bracket is comprised of a short profile rail of approximately F-shaped cross section, the lower horizontal shank 24 of the F forming an obtuse angle with the ascender 25 and being intended as a carrier surface for the end of a shelf, and the upper horizontal shank 26, which is shorter than the lower shank, of the F being intended to embrace the end of the shelf together with the lower shank. The bottom end of the ascender 25 of the F forms a preferably planar carrier surface, which is intended to rest upon one of the said shoulders 10 of the rail 7. In Fig. 9 a further bracket 13 is shown, which in first instance is intended for sheetmetal shelves. This bracket comprises a substantially parallelepipedal block 27 and a flexible tongue 28 which projects obliquely therefrom and whose free end edge forms a preferably planar carrier surface, which is intended to rest upon one of the shoulders 10 of the rail 7. The block 27 may be secured to the shelf 5 by means of a diagrammatically indicated rivet 29 or the like. In particular when the shelves 5 are made of sheetmetal the flexible shanks 15, 19, 25, 28 of the brackets 13 may be comprised of tongues which are cut out and bent out of the end edge of the shelf (Fig. 9) which in this case is perpendicular to said end edge, whereby the brackets 13 become integral parts of the shelves 5. In Fig. 10 there is illustrated how the shift or displacement of a shelf 5 in the vertical direction is carried out. During such transfer the shelf is initially raised to the upper level in Fig. 4, the shanks 15 of the brackets being hereby pressed out of the saw-tooth recesses or grooves in the rail 7. Subsequently the shelf 5 is pulled forward in the direction of the arrow to the depth position A tn Fig. 10, after which the shelf can be moved upwards or downwards to the desired level and than be pushed inwards into its normal depth position B which is shown to the right in Fig. 10, and subsequently the height position is adjusted to a new level, so that the shank 15 of the bracket flexes in into another one of the grooves of the rail 7 and comes to rest upon another shoulder 10. In an alternative embodiment which is illustrated in Fig. 11, the end walls and/or intermediate walls 3 may comprise vertical posts 30, which are provided pairwise and form the longitudinal, vertical end edges of the walls and are interconnected by means of end panels or cross bars- 31, which are embraced by a pair of flanges 33 on each post. Each post 30 has at least one chanel 32 (two in Fig. 11) for a rail 7. The embodiments described above and shown in the drawings are of course to be regarded merely as non-limiting examples and may as to their details be modified in several ways within the scope of the following claims. Thus, it is possible to provide on each interior wall face only one central, suitably wilder rail instead of two rails at a distance from each other, the pair of brackets 13 which are located near the ends of a common end edge of a shelf being of course replaced by a single, central bracket just opposite said single rail. Furthermore, new embodiments which are also covered by the claims may be created by combinating details taken from different ones of the exemplificatory embodiments described above. It is also within the scope of the invention ot let the brackets 13 andthe rails 7 change places with respect to their function, i.e. provide flexible tongues or shanks whose carrying edges face upwards, on the walls, in combination with recesses and shoulders on the shelves or the like. The expression "shelves or the like" also comprises other displaceable elements than shelves, e.g. drawers and drawer pidestals.

Claims: CLAIMS 1) Improvements in cupboards, book-shelves and the like, having displaceable shelves or platforms (5) or the like, as well as end walls and possibly also intermediate walls (3), c h a r a c t e r i z e d by the combination of the following features: the walls which are basically similar with each other comprise vertical rows of shoulders (10) facing upwards and preferably having uniform width on their mutually opposing sides; each pair of mutually adjacent shoulders belonging to one and the same row are united with each other by means of two surfaces which are located above and beneath each other, respectively, and of which the upper surface is substantially parallel to the plane of the wall and the lower surface is inclined upwardsoutwards with respect to the plane of the wall, so that a vertical section through the wall in the region of a row of shoulders at least substantially has the shape of a sawtooth-curve; the shoulders of each row are located between a pair of substantially vertical boundary surfaces which are located substantially in the same vertical planes as the two lateral end edges of the respective shoulder and extend above each lateral end edge; at each one of its ends each shelf (5) is provided with at least one support means in the shape of a bracket (13) or the like which is fastened to a respective one of the two lateral end edges of the shelf and comprises firstly an attachment portion (14+16, 24+26, 27r which is removably secured to said lateral end edge, and secondly a resilient tongue (15, 19, 25, 28) which is integral with the attachment portion, has at the most the same length as a shoulder, projects beyond the end edge of the shelf, and rests upon the shoulder between the boundary surfaces after the insertion of the shelf into the shelf unit, for supporting said lateral end edge upon one of said shoulders (10); the tongue is flexible inwards in the direction towards the centre of the shelf on a pivot axis, which is substantially parallel to said end edge, to such an extent that the tongue does not project substantially beyond said end edge, to make possible the lifting up of the shelf (5) from a first shoulder (10) to a second shoulder located on a higher level than said first shoulder as well as the pushing in and pulling out of a shelf with the respective tongues of the brackets belonging to opposite ends of one and the same shelf in engagement with an individual one of two adjacent mutually corresponding, parallel wall surfaces, which belong to adjacent book-shelf walls. 2) Improvements according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the shoulders (10) and the pairs of surfaces joining adjacent shoulders are provided in substantially vertically extending rails (7) secured to said walls (3). 31 Improvements according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the number of rails per wall side as well as the number of brackets (13) per lateral shelf edge is two. 4) Improvements according to anyone of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that each bracket comprises two integral plates (14, 15) which in their operative shelf (5 supporting position form an obtuse angle with each other and of which one (15) constitutes said tongue and the other plate (14) comprises a stud-like engagement member (16) which projects from one of the surfaces of the plate (14) and is insertable into a groove which is provided in a shelf end and has a cross section corresponding to that of the engagement member (16), 5) Improvements according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the brackets (13) -camprise two plates (18, 19) or the like, which are united with each other by a web (20) and between themselves form an interspace (2ill defined by two preferably parallel plate surfaces, and a preferably cyllndrical stud member (22) which is integral with one of the plates (18) and whose longitudinal axis forms an obtuse angle with the other plate (19), which has a preferably planar support surface adapted to rest upon one of said shoulders (10) of a row or rail (7). (Fig. 7) 6) Improvements according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the brackets (13) which are intended for thin shelves, particularly in the shape of glass plates, are comprised of short profile rails having a substantially F-shaped cross section, the lower, horizontal shank (24) of the F forming an obtuse angle with the ascender (25) of the F and being adapted to constitute a support surface for a shelf end, and the upper horizontal shank (26)of the F which is shorter than the lower shank being intended to embrace the shelf end together with said lower shank, and the lower end of the ascender (25) of the F forming a preferably plane carrier surface intended to rest upon one of the shoulders (10) of the row or rail (7). (Fig. 8) 7) Improvements according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the brackets (13) which are intended primarily for sheet metal shelves (5) comprise a substantially parallelepipedal block (27) and a flexible tongue (28) projecting obliquely therefrom and having a free end edge, which forms a preferably planar carrier surface intended to rest upon one of the shoulders (10) of the row or rail (7). (Fig. 9) 8) Improvements according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the brackets constitute integral parts of the respective shelves instead of being secured thereto.

Inventors: RUTHER, LARS GUNNAR, Ruthér, Lars Gunnar
Applicants: RUTHER, LARS GUNNAR
Application year: 1981
Main classification: A47B57
IPC codes: A47B57