Patent ID: 8585313

Claim:
In a shelving unit, at least two angularly formed vertically oriented and aligned posts, each having two post flanges disposed at an angle to each other with each post flange having a thickness and an elongated edge, an end of one post proximate an end of another post, and a post coupler for coupling together ends of said posts, wherein said coupler comprises: a pair of connected coupler flanges, each coupler flange having an interior surface defining an included angle with respect to the interior surface of the other coupler flange, and each coupler flange having an outside surface; each one of said coupler flanges having a respective additional flange extending from and along end positions of said coupler flanges; each said respective additional flange comprising a reverse bend flange extending alongside the respective coupler flange from which the respective reverse bend flange is extended and from proximate but short of one end of a coupler flange to proximate but short of another end thereof, the outside surface of the respective coupler flange facing the respective reverse bend flange; at least one detent on each said reverse bend flange; a gap defined by and between each said respective reverse bend flange and said outside surface of the respective coupler flange from which the reverse bend flange extends, said gap having a width approximately equal to said thickness of a single post flange, and less than twice the thickness of said single post flange and being sized to accept one of the flanges of a single one of the two angularly formed posts therein, wherein one end of the coupler is configured to receive one of the two angularly formed posts and the other end of the coupler is configured to receive the other one of the angularly formed posts to permit the two posts to be secured in an abutting, end-to-end vertically oriented relationship with one another; said first and second end portions of said coupler flanges engaging respective flanges of said posts, with said reverse bend flanges of the coupler extending outwardly around edges of respective flanges of said two posts; and wherein said at least one detent on each reverse bend flange frictionally engages a respective post flange to hold said coupler in position on said angularly-formed posts.