Patent ID: 8646618

Claim:
A modular shelving system comprising: a first rail and a second rail each configured to support a vertical upright member, each of the first rail and the second rail defining an inner surface, an outer surface, a plurality of inner insert holes, and a locking button hole formed in the inner surface; and a rail spanner including: an intermediate portion extending between the first and second rails from a first end of the rail spanner to a second end of the rail spanner, a first bracket connected to the first end of the rail spanner, the first bracket comprising a sidewall, a top flange and a bottom flange, wherein the top flange and the bottom flange each extend generally perpendicularly from the sidewall, wherein the top and bottom flanges each include a plurality of insert tabs releasably secured in the plurality of inner insert holes of the first rail, and a second bracket connected to the second end of the rail spanner, the second bracket comprising a sidewall, a top flange, and a bottom flange, wherein the top flange and the bottom flange each extend generally perpendicularly from the sidewall, wherein the top and bottom flange each include a plurality of insert tabs releasably secured in the plurality of inner insert holes of the second rail; wherein: the first and second brackets each include a lock assembly for locking each of the first bracket and the second bracket in place relative to a different one of the first rail and the second rail, each locking assembly comprises a spring, having a spring button and a lever, and a generally U-shaped channel member having a button hole, each spring button is adapted to be inserted within a corresponding locking button hole, each generally U-shaped channel member is secured to a corresponding sidewall of a corresponding bracket and the spring of the corresponding bracket is located between the respective sidewall and the respective generally U-shaped channel member of the corresponding bracket, each generally U-shaped channel member includes an opening which receives the lever of a corresponding locking assembly, and a respective lever is depressed to actuate the corresponding spring button within the respective button hole of the corresponding generally U-shaped channel member and remove the corresponding spring button from the respective locking button hole of the first or second rail thereby releasing the rail spanner from the corresponding first or second rail.