Abstract:
Described are preferred shelf standards adapted to be installed on wall-forming studs in unfinished areas such as garages, basements and attics. The standards are simple and inexpensive to manufacture and can be easily installed with common hand tools. In combination with shelving members the standards transform wasted space into useful shelves for storing a variety of items. Adapted with an additional bracing means for preventing side-to-side motion, the shelf standards can also be attached to a finished wall surface. Different embodiments of the standards in combination with optional shelving members, fasteners, and the like can be included in a variety of shelf standard kits.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention generally relates to novel shelf standards adapted to fit on a vertical edge of wall-forming studs in buildings where the studs are exposed.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0002]     Coupled with one or more shelving members the standards transform the space between the wall-forming studs in unfinished attics, basements, garages, closets or other locations into shelving units providing useful storage space. Although designed primarily for use between wall-forming studs the novel standards can be adapted for installation onto the flat surfaces of finished walls. The novel shelf standards are simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and are easily installed by one person using simple hand tools.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0003]     Accordingly one aspect of this invention provides for novel shelf standards for supporting one or more shelving members when installed to fit vertically on an interior edge of an exposed wall-forming stud or on a finished wall. Certain of the standards comprise a planar or generally planar member having a front surface, a back surface, at least four edges, a lip connected to an edge of the planar member and directed toward the back surface of the planar member and forming a right angle with the planar member. A plurality of flanges, sized and positioned to receive and retain one or more shelving members, extend from the front surface of the planar member. The standard&#39;s backside is generally shaped to conform to a front and side surface of a wall-forming stud. In describing a generally planar member, “generally planar” means a surface that is either planar or that is sufficiently planar to approximately conform to a planar surface. One example of a generally planar member that is not precisely planar has one or more grooves and/or ridges across its surface to increase the member&#39;s rigidity. Because of the grooves, the surface is not precisely planar, but it can still generally conform to a planar surface. Other shelf standards lack a lip attached to the planar member and depend on fasteners and orifices on the planar member for attachment to a wall stud or other surface.  
         [0004]     A further aspect of this invention is a double shelf standard for supporting one or more shelving members. Certain of the double standards comprise two planar or generally planar members having a front surface, a back surface, and at least four edges connected along their front edges with two edges of a lip intermediate between the planar members. The planar members and lip form right angles causing the standard&#39;s back side to conform to the shape of an exposed wall forming stud. A plurality of flanges, positioned to receive and retain one or more shelving members, extend from the front surfaces of the planar members. Certain embodiments of the double shelf standard can be advantageously used with certain embodiments of standard shelf standards for installations that span several wall-forming studs.  
         [0005]     A further aspect of the present invention provides for shelf standard kits comprising at least two shelf standards adapted to fit along the internal edges of adjacent exposed wall-forming studs. Certain shelf standard kit can additionally contain one or more shelving members adapted to be received and supported by the opposing flanges of two shelf standards installed on opposing wall-forming studs. Certain other shelf standard kits can additionally contain fasteners such as screws, nails or tacks for attachment of a standard to a wall. Additionally certain other shelf standard kits can also include a shelving member and one or more double standards.  
         [0006]     Although the various embodiments of the novel standards are designed primarily for installation onto and between wall-forming studs in an unfinished wall, installation onto a planar surface such as a finished wall is also possible provided a means for stabilizing the standard&#39;s side-to-side motion is added. Installation onto a finished wall can accomplished by placing the standard&#39;s lip flush against the finished wall, preferably over a covered wall stud, with the standard&#39;s planar surface protruding outward from the wall. Preferred shelf standards can be manufactured from a sheet metal using standard metalworking methods. Similarly, shelf standards can be manufactured from a variety of polymers by molding processes widely used to manufacture plastic articles.  
         [0007]     Related objects and advantages of the present invention to those already stated above will be apparent from the following description.  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]      FIG. 1  is an isometric view of the front of a single shelf standard.  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  is an isometric view of the back of a single shelf standard.  
         [0010]      FIG. 3  is an isometric view of two shelf standards attached to two wall-forming studs.  
         [0011]      FIG. 4  is a front view of two shelf standards holding two shelving members and a retaining bar; the standards attached to two wall-forming studs.  
         [0012]      FIG. 5  is an isometric view of two shelf standards attached to two wall-forming studs holding one shelving member that extends beyond the edge of the wall-forming stud and one shelving member that extends to the front edge of the wall-forming stud.  
         [0013]      FIG. 6  is an isometric view of two shelf standards and two shelving members; the standards attached to a planar surface with a brace attached to the standard.  
         [0014]      FIG. 7  is an isometric view of the brace shown with the standard in  FIG. 3 .  
         [0015]      FIG. 8  is front view of two shelf standards and a central double standard holding four shelving members and a retaining bar; the three standards attached to three wall-forming studs.  
         [0016]      FIG. 9  is an isometric view of a double standard.  
         [0017]      FIG. 10  is a view of a kit including two shelf standards and optional items that can be provided including a double standard, a shelving member s, fasteners, a bar and a mounting plate.  
         [0018]      FIG. 11  is an isometric view of a shelf standard having removable flanges that can be inserted into the standard through a front slit.  
         [0019]      FIG. 12  is an isometric view of a shelf standard having removable flanges that can be inserted into the standard through a void from the standard&#39;s back side.  
         [0020]      FIG. 13  is an isometric view of the front of a single shelf standard for contact with a single surface of a wall stud, the standard having a plurality of slots to accept a plurality of flanges.  
         [0021]      FIG. 14  is an isometric view of the front of a single shelf standard for contact with a single surface of a wall stud, the standard having a plurality of voids to accept a plurality of flanges.  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION  
       [0022]     For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is intended, such alterations and further modifications and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.  
         [0023]     One aspect of the present invention shown in the illustrated embodiment includes a shelf standard adapted when installed to fit vertically on an interior edge of a wall-forming stud in buildings where the studs are exposed.  FIG. 1  shows an embodiment of such a single shelf standard  10  having lip  12  connected to side  18  of a planar member  11 . The lip  12  and planar member  11  form a right angle along side  18  to allow the standard to conform to a front and side of a wall-forming stud. Preferred standards have a lip  12  that is about 1½ to about 2 inches wide and have a planar member  11  that is about 3½ inches wide. The length of lip  12  and planar member  11  can vary depending on the number of shelves to be supported and the desired height of the shelving system. A tall shelving unit can be constructed from one set of tall shelving standards or from several shorter standards placed one above another on individual wall-forming studs. The lip  12  is sized and positioned for attachment to the front side of a wall-forming stud. Standards can be attached to the wall-forming stud with standard means for attachment including, but not limited to adhesives, nails, tacks and screws. Attachment with screws is facilitated by first drilling a hole in lip  12  for each screw. Although not required certain shelf standards have a plurality of apertures  23  along the lip  12  to allow for the insertion of a fastener to facilitate installation. The flanges  20  in  FIG. 1  extend from the front surface  14  of planar member  11  to support the ends of a shelving member. In  FIG. 1 a  single flange  20  extends from the planar member&#39;s front surface  14  at an approximately 90 degree angle and is positioned above void  21 . However, the angle between flange  20  and the planar member&#39;s front surface  14  is not critical provided flange  20  protrudes from the front surface  12  of planar member sufficient to engage the end of a shelf member placed thereon. Additionally, flange  20  can similarly be positioned below void  21 . Although the depth of flange  20  is not critical, provided the flange has sufficient overlap with the end of a shelving member to provide support, preferred flanges have a depth of at least about ¼ of an inch.  
         [0024]     Void  21  in  FIG. 1  is not required for the standard of  FIG. 1  and is an artifact of the method and material employed to manufacture the standard  10 . For example, one method for the manufacture of the standard  10  from sheet metal typically involves cutting or otherwise rupturing the metal along three sides of a rectangle or other shape located on the planar member  11  and bending the rectangular or other shape portion away from the planar member to provide flange  20  and void  21  proximate flange  20 . A shelf standard manufactured by molding standard  10  from a rigid thermoplastic or by fixing flange  20  to the planar member&#39;s front surface  14  by gluing, soldering, welding or by other means can provide a standard  10  having flange  20  but lacking void  21 . The manufacture of standard  10  from a rigid thermoplastic or other material without void  21  is contemplated by applicant as an embodiment of the present invention. Similarly, the embodiments of standard  10  described above where flange  20  is attached to the front surface  14  of planar member  11  by other means such as gluing, welding, soldering, or other means are similarly contemplated as embodiments of the present invention.  
         [0025]      FIG. 2  shows a view of the backside of the standard  10  with planar member  11  having a back surface  15 , sides  16 - 19 , voids  21  and lip  12  with apertures  23 . The backside of standard  10  is sized and shaped to conform to the shape and contour of a wall-forming stud when installed thereon.  
         [0026]      FIG. 3  shows a view of two standards  40  installed in opposing positions on two wall-forming studs  30  with fasteners  24 . The standards  40  have two flanges  20  about a void  21 , the two flanges  20  spaced to receive the end of a shelving member placed therein.  
         [0027]      FIG. 4  shows a front view of two shelf standards  40  attached to opposing wall-forming studs with two shelving members  25  installed. The two flanges  20  are positioned to receive each end of shelving member  25  and prevent the shelving member from movement either upward or downward. Shelving member  25  is additionally prevented from tipping and can accept shelving members deeper than a wall-forming stud  30 . Shelving member  25  can be constructed of wood, a wood product, metal, one or more polymeric materials, composites, and the like.  
         [0028]      FIG. 4  additionally shows a bar  32  positioned proximate to a shelving member  25  to prevent articles placed on shelving member  25  from being displaced. Although bar  32  can be held in place with separate fasteners,  FIG. 4  shows a first end of bar  32  hooked over a first fastener  24  related to a first standard  40  with a second end resting upon a second fastener  24  related to a second standard  40 . Preferred standards have orifices  23  placed along lip  18  at levels slightly higher than flange  20  or flanges  20  to facilitate positioning of optional bar  32 .  
         [0029]      FIG. 5  shows an isometric view of a pair of standards  40  attached to opposing wall-forming studs  30 , the standards  40  molded from a rigid plastic such as polypropylene. Standards  40  illustrate a type of standard made by a molding process or with flanges  20  otherwise bonded to front surface  14  of a standard  40  lack voids  21 . The pairs of flanges  20  in  FIG. 5  additionally nearly bridge the distance between edges  16  and  18  of the standard&#39;s front. Flanges  20  shown in  FIG. 5  are shown supporting a standard shelf member  25  and the deeper shelf member  26  that extends out beyond the wall forming studs. Pairs of flanges  20  as shown in  FIG. 5  are preferred for supporting and stabilizing the deeper shelf members  26  against tipping. Optional screws  28  further secure shelving members  25  and  26 .  
         [0030]      FIG. 6  shows an isometric view of two shelf standards  10  installed on a planar wall surface and held in place with fasteners  24 . The standards in  FIG. 6  are stabilized against flexing from side to side by fixing shelving member  25  to flange  20  with fastener  31  inserted through aperture  29  and with brace  45  (See  FIG. 7 ). Pins are preferred fasteners  31  for shelving members made of a polymeric material, but other fasteners including, but not limited to, machine screws, pins, rivets, bolt and nut combinations may also be used. Although brace  45  (See  FIG. 7 ) can have any shape that will prevent side to side movement of standard  10 , a preferred brace  45  comprises a generally L-shaped structure sized to fit along lip  12  and the back surface  15  of planar member  11 . The brace can be fixed to standard  10  with an adhesive or with fasteners such as screws, bolts, rivets and other fastening means. Preferred fasteners  55  include rivets and nut and bolt combinations. A brace  45  installed at the top and bottom of a standard attached to a planar surface is generally preferred with fastener  24  used to attach both brace  45  and standard  10  to a planar surface. Preferred brace  45  is constructed of a rigid metal having a sufficient thickness to resist flexing when installed on standard  10 .  
         [0031]     Optional mounting plate  60  shown in  FIG. 6  can be mounted behind a standard between lip  12  and a wall&#39;s surface to minimize the formation of indentations on the drywall along the edges of lip  12 . The dimensions of mounting plate  60  are not critical provided its width and height are at least slightly greater than the width and height of lip  12 . Preferred mounting plate  60  is made of metal or a rigid plastic that is capable of distributing any forces created by the standard  10  over an area greater than the surface area of lip  12 . In preferred embodiments, the apertures  63  in mounting plate  60  and the apertures  23  in the standard should overlap to facilitate installation.  
         [0032]      FIG. 7  shows an L-shaped brace  45  having apertures  29  positioned to match aperture  23  on lip  12  (See  FIG. 6 ) and apertures  56  located on the planar member  11  of standard  10 .  
         [0033]      FIG. 8  shows a front view of two shelf standards  40  and a double shelf standard  41  attached to opposing wall-forming studs with four shelving members  25  installed. The two flanges  20  in  FIG. 8  are positioned to receive each end of shelving member  25  and prevent the shelving member from movement either upward or downward. Shelving member  25  is additionally prevented from tipping and can accept shelving members deeper than a wall-forming stud  30 .  
         [0034]      FIG. 9  shows an isometric view of one front of double standard  41 , comprising two planar or generally planar members  11 , each planar member having a front surface  14 , a back surface  15 , and at least four edges  16 - 19 ; a lip  12  intermediate front edges  18  of the two planar members; and a plurality of flanges  20  extending from the front surface  14  of each planar member  11 , the flanges  20  positioned to receive and retain one or more shelving members. The double standard  41  is particularly useful where shelving is to be installed between several adjacent wall-forming studs. Optionally, two shelf standards  40  can be used in place of a single double standard  41 .  
         [0035]      FIG. 10  shows a shelf standard kit comprising two shelf standards  10  with optional members including shelving members  25 , a double standard  41 , fasteners  24 , bar  32  and backing plates  60 .  
         [0036]      FIG. 11  shows a shelf standard  70  having flanges  60  that can be inserted into void  22  through slit  50 . Flanges  60  can be inserted or removed to provide a desired shelving configuration without removal of shelf standard  70  from a stud or other installation site. Removal of flanges  60  not used to support shelving members can improve the unit&#39;s appearance and prevent injury through unwanted contact with the edge of a flange. Additionally flange  60  can have only a single lip and be sized to fit into a narrow void  22 .  
         [0037]      FIG. 12  shows a shelf standard  75  having flanges  65  that can be inserted into void  21  before standard  75  is installed on a stud. As with shelf standard  70  ( FIG. 11 ), the flanges in standard  75  can be inserted or removed to provide a desired shelving configuration, but unlike standard  70  ( FIG. 11 ) flange  65  are be inserted either before standard  75  is installed or after it has been removed from a stud or similar surface.  
         [0038]      FIG. 13  shows shelf standard  80  having flanges  60  that can be inserted directly into void  22  causing flanges  60  to extend from front surface  14 . Standard  80  lacks a lip for attachment, but has apertures  23  on the generally planar member  13  for attachment to the side of a wall stud or similar surface with fasteners  24 . Flanges  60  can be installed before or after standard  80  has been installed onto the side of a stud or similar surface. The flanges in  FIG. 13 , like those illustrated in  FIG. 11 , can have a single lip and be sized to fit into a narrow void  21 .  
         [0039]      FIG. 14  shows shelf standard  85  having flanges  65  that can be inserted into void  21  from the back side  15  of generally planar member  13  before standard  85  is installed on the side of a wall stud or similar surface with fasteners  24 . Like standard  75  ( FIG. 12 ), flanges  65  can be inserted to provide a desired shelving configuration and like standard  75 , the installation or removal of flanges  65  are be carried out either before standard  85  is installed or after it has been removed from a stud or similar surface. One skilled in the art will understand that removable flanges  60  and  65 , of a type shown in  FIGS. 11 through 14  can be constructed using the same methods and materials used to create the fixed flanges illustrated in  FIGS. 1-10 . Additionally, it will be understood that flanges having one or two flanges can generally be used interchangeably for most applications utilizing removable flanges and for flanges having a single lip, both the thickness of a flange and the voids for receiving the flange can be varied.  
         [0040]     While applicant&#39;s invention has been described in detail above with reference to specific embodiments, it will be understood that modifications and alterations in the embodiments disclosed may be made by those practiced in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of he invention. All such modifications and alterations are intended to be covered.