Abstract:
A shelving system comprising a wall bracket having a wall attachment portion and a wall connecting portion; and a shelf bracket having a shelf attachment portion and a shelf connecting portion; wherein the wall connecting portion and the shelf connecting portion interlock.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates to a shelving system. In particular, the invention relates to a shelving system to allow for efficient and effective installation of domestic and commercial shelving. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Shelving systems are required in many applications domestic and commercial applications. For example houses and units required wardrobe shelving whilst retail shops require shelves for storage and display purposes. 
         [0003]    A major cost of the purchase of shelving is the installation cost. The cost of installing shelving is proportional to the amount of time spent on the installation. Hence, if shelves can be installed quickly then the cost of the shelving will be lower. Many retail clothing stores are therefore moving to wire shelving which is quicker to install than traditional solid shelving systems. 
         [0004]    The problem with wire shelving is that it is often perceived as being not as strong as solid shelving. Further, wire shelving does not provide the aesthetic appeal of solid shelving. Therefore, if solid shelving could be installed quickly and effectively in order to reduce the price of solid shelving, many people would choose solid shelving systems over wire shelving systems. 
       OBJECT OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    It is an object of the invention to overcome and alleviate one or more of the above disadvantages or provide the consumer with a useful or commercial choice. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    In one form, although not necessarily the only or broadest form, the invention resides in a shelving system comprising: 
         [0007]    a wall bracket having a wall attachment portion and a wall connecting portion; and 
         [0008]    a shelf bracket having a shelf attachment portion and a shelf connecting portion; 
         [0009]    wherein the wall connecting portion and the shelf connecting portion interlock. 
         [0010]    The wall attachment portion may include a at least one fixing hole. A fastener, such a screw, may be placed through the fixing hole. 
         [0011]    The wall connecting portion may include a male member. The male member may be in the form of a wall connecting barb. 
         [0012]    The wall bracket may also include a locking portion. The locking portion may assist in holding the wall bracket to the shelf. 
         [0013]    The shelf attachment portion may be a channel. The channel may be U-shaped. 
         [0014]    The shelf connecting portion may include a female member. The female member may include a shelf connecting barb. 
         [0015]    The shelving system may include a shelf brace. The shelf brace may support the shelf. 
         [0016]    In another form the invention resides in a method of installing a shelving system including the steps of: 
         [0017]    fixing at least one wall bracket, the wall bracket having a wall attachment portion and a wall connecting portion, to a wall via the wall connecting portion; 
         [0018]    attaching at least one shelf bracket, the shelving unit having a shelf attachment portion and a shelf connecting portion, to a shelf via the shelf attachment portion; and 
         [0019]    interlocking at least one wall connecting portion to at least one shelf connecting portion. 
         [0020]    The method of installation may also include one or more of the steps of: 
         [0021]    marking placement locations for wall brackets on the wall; 
         [0022]    fixing a locking portion of the wall bracket to the shelf; 
         [0023]    fixing at least one shelf brace to a wall to support the shelf; and. 
         [0024]    fixing at least one hanging rod bracket to a wall to support a rod. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0025]    An embodiment of the invention, by way of example only, will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0026]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a shelving system according to an embodiment of the invention; 
           [0027]      FIG. 2A  shows a front perspective view of a wall bracket according to an embodiment of the invention; 
           [0028]      FIG. 2B  shows a rear perspective view of a wall bracket according to  FIG. 2A ; 
           [0029]      FIG. 2C  shows a plan view of a wall bracket according to  FIG. 2A ; 
           [0030]      FIG. 2D  shows a side view of a wall bracket according to  FIG. 2A ; 
           [0031]      FIG. 2E  shows a front view of a wall bracket according to  FIG. 2A ; 
           [0032]      FIG. 3  shows a side view of a shelf bracket according to an embodiment of the invention; 
           [0033]      FIG. 4A  shows a perspective view of wall bracket before being connected to a shelf bracket; 
           [0034]      FIG. 4B  shows a side view of a wall bracket connected to a shelf bracket; 
           [0035]      FIG. 5A  shows a perspective view of a shelf brace according to an embodiment of the invention; 
           [0036]      FIG. 5B  shows a side view of a shelf brace according to  FIG. 5A ; 
           [0037]      FIG. 5C  shows a front view of a shelf brace according to  FIG. 5A ; 
           [0038]      FIG. 6A  shows a perspective view of a hanging rod bracket according to an embodiment of the invention; 
           [0039]      FIG. 6B  shows a bottom view of the hanging rod of  FIG. 6A ; 
           [0040]      FIG. 6C  shows a front view of the hanging rod of  FIG. 6A ; 
           [0041]      FIG. 6D  shows a side view of the hanging rod of  FIG. 6A ; 
           [0042]      FIG. 7A  shows a front perspective view of a wall bracket according to an embodiment of the invention; and 
           [0043]      FIG. 7B  shows a rear perspective view of a wall bracket according to  FIG. 7A . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0044]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a shelving system  10  for the storage of clothing according to an embodiment of the invention. The shelving system includes a shelf  20 , three shelf brackets  30 , seven wall brackets  40 , a shelf brace  50 , a rod  60  and two rod brackets  70 . 
         [0045]    In this embodiment, the shelf  20  is a solid shelf and is made of melamine. However, it should be appreciated that the shelf  20  may be made of other materials such as wood. 
         [0046]    There are three shelf brackets  30  shown in more detail in  FIG. 3 . Each shelf bracket extends along the length of an edge of the shelf  20 . It should be appreciated that the number of shelf brackets will be variable depending on the angle of the walls the shelving system  10 . Each shelf bracket  30  includes a shelf attachment portion  31  and a shelf connecting portion  32 . The shelf attachment portion  31  is U-shaped and is placed over an edge of the shelf  20 . Nodes  33  are located at the ends of the shelf attachment portion  31  to assist in holding the shelf bracket  30  to the shelf  20 . The shelf connecting portion  32  extends outwardly from the shelf attachment portion  31 . A shelf connecting barb  34  is located at the end of the attachment portion  31 . 
         [0047]    There are seven wall brackets  40  commensurate with the size of the shelf  20 . It should be appreciated that the number of wall brackets  40  may be varied according to the size of the shelf  20 .  FIGS. 2A to 2E  show a wall bracket in further detail. 
         [0048]    Each wall bracket  40  includes a wall attachment portion  41 , a wall connection portion  42 , a supporting portion  43  and a locking portion  44 . The wall attachment portion  41  includes three recessed wall fastening holes  45  through which fasteners are located to secure the wall bracket  40  to a wall  5 . The wall connection portion  42  extends upwardly from the wall attachment portion  41 . A wall connecting barb  46  is located at the end of the wall connection portion  42 . The supporting portion  43  assists in supporting the shelf  20 . The shelf locking portion  44  assists in holding the wall bracket to the shelf and extends outwardly from the supporting portion  43 . The shelf locking portion is higher than the adjacent supporting portion  43 . A fastening hole  47  is located through the locking portion  44  to allow a fastener to engage the shelf  20 . 
         [0049]    The shelf brace  50 , shown in more detail in  FIGS. 5A to 5C , is used to support the shelf  20 . The shelf brace  50  includes a main brace body  51 , a wall fixing portion  52 , a shelf fixing portion  53  and a hanging rod hook  54 . Wall fastener apertures  55  are located within the wall fixing portion  52  and shelf fastener apertures  56  are located within the shelf fixing portion  53 . The hanging rod hook  54  is located below the shelf fixing portion  53 . 
         [0050]    Two hanging rod brackets  60 , shown in  FIGS. 6A to 6D , are located on opposing walls  5 . Each of the hanging rod brackets  60  include a bracket body  61  and two recessed fastening holes  62 . The bracket body includes a U-shaped recess  63  to hold the connection rod  70 . The two fastening holes  62  allow fasteners to be used to connect the hanging rod to a wall  5 . 
         [0051]    In order to install the shelving system  10 , the size of a shelf  20  is determined by measuring a space between walls  5 . The shelf  20  is then cut to size. The number of shelf brackets  30  and wall brackets  40  are chosen depending on the use of the shelf  20 . A template (not shown) is then used to determine the spacing for the wall brackets  40  along the wall  5  and drill holes are made in the walls  5 . A wall bracket  40  is placed on the wall  5  over the drill holes and a wall anchor  8  is pushed through each of the fastening holes  45  of the wall bracket attachment portion  41  into the wall  5 . Fasteners  6  are then screwed into the wall anchor  8  expanding the wall anchor  8  within the wall  5  to hold the wall brackets  40  in place. 
         [0052]    The shelf brackets  30  are then attached around the shelf  20  via the shelf attachment portions  31 . The nodes  33  assist holding the shelf bracket  30  to the shelf  20 . The shelf brackets  30  are elongate and therefore do not require precise positioning on the shelf  20 . Once the shelf brackets  30  have been placed on the shelf  20 , the shelf brackets  30  are placed onto respective wall brackets  40 . Placement a the shelf brackets  30  onto a wall bracket  40  is completed by moving the shelf connection portion  32  over the wall connection portion  42 . The shelf bracket  30  is then moved downwardly with respect to the wall bracket so that the shelf connecting barb  34  engages with the wall connecting barb  46  to hold the shelf bracket  30  and wall bracket together. The wall connection portion  42  is spaced from the wall  5  a sufficient distance so that the shelf connection portion  32  can be placed over the wall connection portion without the need for scraping the wall  5 . 
         [0053]    When the wall connection portion  42  and shelf connection portion  32  are engaged, the shelf attachment portion  31  sits on top of the support portion  43 . This allows the locking portion to sit substantially flush with an underside of the shelf  20 . A fastener  7  can therefore be placed through the fastener hole  47  and into the shelf  20  to hold the shelf  20  in position. 
         [0054]    The shelf brace  50  is then fitted by placing the bracket against the shelf  20  and against the wall  5 . Fasteners are then placed through the wall fastener apertures  55  into the wall  5  and through the shelf fastener apertures  56  into the shelf  20 . It should be appreciated that the shelf brace  50  may not be required in some shelving systems. 
         [0055]    Two hanging brackets  60  are then fastened to the wall  5  by fasteners placed through the fastening holes  62 . The hanging brackets are placed on the wall  5  so they are in alignment with the hanging rod hook  54 . A hanging rod  70  is placed within the U-shaped recess  63  on the two hanging brackets  60  and through the hanging rod hook  54  of the shelf brace  50  to complete the shelving system  10 . It should be appreciated that the hanging rod and hanging brackets are optional. 
         [0056]      FIGS. 7A and 7B  show an alternative wall bracket  40 . The wall bracket  40  show in  FIGS. 7A and 7B  is very similar to the wall bracket shown in the  FIGS. 2A to 2E . Accordingly like numerals have been used to represent like features of the wall bracket. The only difference between the wall brackets  40  is that the wall bracket of  FIGS. 7A and 7B  has two integrally formed wall plugs  48  that extend rearwardly from the wall attachment portion  41 . The wall plugs  48  are aligned with the fastening holes  45 . 
         [0057]    In use the wall bracket  40  shown in  FIGS. 7A and 7B  can be installed rapidly as separate wall plugs are not required to be placed within a wall prior to fastening of the wall bracket  40  to the wall as the wall plugs  48  form part of the wall bracket  40 . 
         [0058]    The shelving system  10  allows for a quick and effective method of producing shelving. This system reduces the time needed for installation of shelving and therefore the overall cost of shelving is reduced. 
         [0059]    It should be appreciated that various other changes and modifications may be made to the embodiments described without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.