Box shelf system

Abstract: A building shelf system comprises a number of substantially square box modules (1,2) arranged in horizontal rows and vertical columns in conformity with a basic principle according to which successive modules in the same row or column are spaced apart a distance corresponding to the internal lateral length of a box module and the box modules are interconnected and/or connected with matching corner members and single-plate members solely by engagement between a corner of a box module with an adjacent corner of a box module or a corner member diagonally positioned in relation thereto or a free edge of a corner member or a single-plate member. Each of said corners or free edges are provided with an engagement surface (15) comprising two mutually plane-parallel contact parts (16, 17) inclined in relation to the adjacent plate members perpendicular to each other and forming an angle (v) exceeding 45° with the horizontal plate member, and a comparatively narrow engaging part (18) forming with each of the two contact parts (16, 17) an angle (u) that is at least equal to the angle (v) between the contact parts and the horizontal plate member.

Description: The invention relates to a building shelf system mainly composed of a number of substantially square box modules, each comprising two vertical side plates, a horizontal top plate and a horizontal bottom plate. Building shelf systems are known in which ordinary plate shelves are mounted in supporting panels or rails secured on a wall solely by means of obliquely backwards and downwards directed supporting pins so that no carrier arms from the front edges of the shelves to the supporting panels or rails are required. Thus, the shelves may be mounted without the use of screws or similar fastening members but the supporting panels or the rails must still be stably secured on the wall. In prior building shelf systems of the above mentioned type the box modules are arranged in horizontal rows and vertical columns side by side and piled directly atop each other, and for reasons of stability the modules must usually be interconnected by means of screws or the like. FR-A-2 363 300 discloses a racking system with open cantilever modules, which have no side walls and are connected by means of engagement surfaces having a Z-shaped profile. The object of the invention is to provide a building shelf system composed of box modules and which as a whole may be mounted without making use of screws or similar means and wherein the number of modules has been considerably reduced in comparison with prior art sectional bookcase systems. This is obtained according to the invention in that the box modules are arranged in horizontal rows and vertical columns in conformity with a basic principle according to which two successive modules in the same row or column are spaced apart a distance corresponding to the internal lateral length of a box module and that the box modules are interconnected and/or connected with matching corner members and single-plate members solely by engagement between a corner of a box module with an adjacent corner of a box module or a corner member diagonally positioned in relation thereto or a free edge of a corner member or a single-plate member, each of said corners or free edges being designed with an engagement surface having a substantially Z-shaped cross-sectional profile comprising two mutually plane-parallel contact parts inclined in relation to the adjacent plate members perpendicular to each other and forming an angle exceeding 45° with the horizontal plate member, said contact parts being connected via a comparatively narrow engaging part provided in the middle of the adjacent plate members and which with each of the two contact parts forms an angle at least equal to the angle between the contact parts and the horizontal plate member. The said positioning of the box modules makes it possible to reduce the number of modules approximately by one half compared to prior art box shelf systems, since the side plates of a box module may constitute side walls of the horizontally adjacent modular spaces, and the top and bottom plates may constitute the lower wall and upper wall, respectively, of the vertically adjacent modular spaces. At the same time, the aesthetical advantage is obtained that the wall thickness between adjacent modular compartments vertically as well as horizontally may be the same all over the system. The corner joints have turned out to offer a completely sufficient stability to enable the system as a whole to be erected without the need of screws or similar connecting elements for linking the modules and likewise, no fastening to wall is needed. If the box modules are manufactured without backing the system is suitable for room division. The particular corner joints entail, moreover, that the modules are not bound to a definite orientation while being erected, but they may e.g. be turned upside down, thereby transposing top plate and bottom plate. Beyond the box modules a complete shelf system may include corner members and horizontal and vertical completion members with engagement surfaces at the free ends. A further preferred embodiment of the shelf system is characterized in that said engagement surface extends over a part only of the length of said corner or free edge and joins at least at the end of said corner or free edges intended to form part of a front side of the shelf system a plane contact surface part forming an angle of 45° with the adjacent horizontal and vertical members. By the provision of joining plane contact surface parts front and/or rear edges of all side plates, top plates and bottom plates are rounded to a substantially half circular cross-sectional shape. The invention will now be explained in detail with reference to the drawings, in which Fig. 1 illustrates an example of a shelf system according to the invention, Fig. 2 is an embodiment of a single box module of the shelf system in Fig. 1, Figs 3 to 6 show completion members and a width and height increasing member of the system in Fig. 1, Figs 7 and 8 show two alternative embodiments of the corner engagement surfaces, and Figs 9 and 10 are perspective and cross-sectional views of a preferred embodiment of a corner joint. In the example illustrated in Fig. 1 the building shelf system includes four rows and four columns. The system is designed on the basis of a substantially square box module, said modules being according to the basic principle positioned in each row and column in spaced apart a distance corresponding to the internal lateral length of the square box module. In the illustrated example two box modules would thus according to the basic principle be constituent parts of each row and column, but through the use of particular corner members the middle compartment of the system has double width and height so that only a eingle box module forms part of the two midmost rows and columns. The box modules 1 to 6 and said width and height increasing corner members 7 and 8 and completion members in the form of horizontal eingle-plate members 9 and 10, vertical single-plate members 11 and 12 and corner members 13 and 14 are interconnected solely by engagement between a corner of a box module with an adjacent corner of a box module or corner member diagonally posiltioned in relation thereto or with a free edge of a corner member or a single-plate member, said corners or free edges, respectively, having an engagement surface 15, which is shown in Fig. 1 only through a 45° chamfering, while the more detailed embodiment appears from Figs 2 to 6. These figures show a preferred embodiment of the engagement surface 15. As illustrated in Fig. 2, said engagement surface has a substantially Z-shaped cross-sectional profile consisting of two mutually plane-parallel contact surfaces 16 and 17 inclined in relation to the adjacent vertical and/or horizontal plate members and forming with the horizontal plate member an angle v, in the illustrated example of about 60°. The contact surfaces 16 and 17 are connected through a comparatively narrow engaging part 18 positioned in the middle of the adjacent plate members and which in the illustrated preferred embodiment is coincident with the diagonal plane through the actual module corner, i.e. the engaging part 18 forms an angle u of 105° towards the contact surfaces. It appears straight away that it is a geometrical prerequisite of the engaging part that the angle v between the contact surfaces and the horizontal plate member exceeds 45°. In order to secure the engagement between the modules when loaded, the angle u should further be at least equal to the angle v, i.e. the engaging part 18 must not incline in the same direction is the contact surfaces 16 and 17, but must incline in the opposite direction or possibly be parallel to the horizontal plate member. If the building system is to appear as a completed entity with plane, vertical side faces and top side, the diagonal position of the box modules implies that completion members must always be used between two neighbouring members in the outermost rows and columns, as shown by the horizontal and vertical single-plate members 9, 10 and 11, 12, respectively, in Fig. 1. As regards the preferred embodiment illustrated in Fig. 2 of the engagement surface at the corner of the box module, Figs 3 and 4 show a horizontal completion member and a vertical completion member, respectively. It appears straight away that thees completion members may be positioned in alignment of the horizontal and the vertical side walls, respectively, of the box module. If the box module is placed in a square matrix arrangement with an uneven number of rows and columns, e.g. 5 x 5 or 7 x 7, solely the single-plate members shown in Figs 3 and 4 are needed as completion members. If, however, the arrangement as illustrated in Fig. 1 includes an even number of rows and/or columns, two corner completion members are needed, as shown by 13 and 14 in Fig. 1. As regards the preferred embodiment of the engagement surface at the corner of the modular box such a corner completion member is shown in Fig. 5. The corner completion member corresponds to a diagonal half of a box module and has, as shown, only engagement surfaces at the free edges. The design of the system with a central compartment of doubled width and height, illustrated in Fig. 1, is obtained by means of the particular corner members 7 and 8 provided with engagement surfaces both in the corner and at the free ends, as shown in Fig. 6. Figs 7 and 8 illustrate alternative embodiments of the engagement surfaces. Angle u in Fig. 7 between the engaging part 19 and the contact surfaces 20 and 21 is equal to angle v, i.e. the engaging part is horizontal, and angle u in Fig. 8 between the engaging part 22 and the contact surfaces 23 and 24 is equal to 90°. The corner engagement between box-shaped modules characteristic of the invention entails that a building system may be assembled and erected without the use of joining units, such as screws or the like, and according to the preferred embodiment, as shown in Figs 2 to 5, the stability increases under load. The design in Fig. 7 is somewhat less stable and in this case it might be necessary as a supplementary precaution measure, that the locking engagement surfaces on two diagonally positioned modules are fixed as shown in relation to each other by means of dowels 25. For aesthetical reasons the Z-shaped cross-sectional profile of the corner engagement surfaces implies that in a system where the engagement surface extends in the longitudinal direction of the respective corners or free edges, the front and rear edge faces of box modules, corner members and single plate members would necessarily have to be plane and perpendicular to the side faces. In the further preferred alternative embodiment illustrated in Figs 9 and 10 the engagement surface 26 extends through a part only of the length of the free edge of a single plate member 27 and joins at the ends of the free edge plane contact surface parts 28 and 29 forming an angle of 45° with the side faces of the plate member. As further illustrated in Fig. 10, the mating parts of members joining each other at a corner joint will thereby be visible as a 45° chamfering 30 and permit the one or both of the front and rear edges to be rounded as shown in Fig. 9. If only the front surface of a shelf system has to appear with rounded edges it is sufficient that a plane contact surface part as described joins the engagement surface at one end thereof.

Claims: A building shelf system mainly composed of a number of substantially square box modules, each comprising two vertical side plates, a horizontal top plate and a horizontal bottom plate, characterized in that the box modules are arranged in horizontal rows and vertical columns in conformity with a basic principle according to which two successive modules (1,2; 5,6) in the same row or column are spaced apart a distance corresponding to the internal lateral length of a box module and that the box modules are interconnected and/or connected with matching corner members (7, 8, 13, 14) and single-plate members (9-12) solely by engagement between a corner of a box module with an adjacent corner of either a box module or a corner member (7, 8) diagonally positioned in relation thereto or with a free edge of either a corner member (7, 8) or a single-plate member (9-12), each of said corners or free edges being designed with an engagement surface (15) having a substantially Z-shaped cross-sectional profile comprising two mutually plane-parallel contact parts (16, 17) inclined in relation to the adjacent plate members perpendicular to each other and forming an angle (v) exceeding 45° with the horizontal plate member, said contact parts being connected via a comparatively narrow engaging part (18) provided in the middle of the adjacent plate members and which with each of the two abutment parts (16, 17) forms an angle (u) at least equal to the angle between the contact parts and the horizontal plate member. A building shelt system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the engaging part (18) is coincident with a diagonal plane in the box module. A building shelf system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the engaging part (19) is parallel to the horizontal plate member. A building shelf system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the engaging part (22) is perpendicular to the contact parts. A building shelf system as claimed in any of a preceding claims, characterized in comprising as a completion member a corner member (13, 14) corresponding to a half box module, whose two plate members that are perpendicular to each other are provided with engagement surfaces at the free ends. A building shelf system as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that a corner member (7, 8) for doubling the width and height of individual shelf compartments has an engagement surface at the free ends as well as at the corner between the plate members. A building shelf system as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in comprising as completion members single plate members (10, 12), corresponding to a horizontal and a vertical plate member, respectively, of a box module with associated engagement surfaces. A building shelf system as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said engagement surface (26) extends over a part only of the length of said corner or free edge and joins at least at the end of said corner or free edges intended to form part of a front side of the shelf system a plane contact surface part (28, 29) forming an angle of 45° with the adjacent horizontal and vertical members. A building shelf system as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that plane surface contact parts (28, 29) are provided at either end of the engagement surface. A building shelf system as claimed in claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the front and/or rear edges of all side plates, top plates and bottom plates are rounded to a substantially half circular cross-sectional shape.

Inventors: CADOVIUS POUL, CADOVIUS, POUL
Applicants: CADOVIUS POUL, CADOVIUS, POUL
Application year: 1991
Main classification: A47B87
IPC codes: A47B87