Plastic support assembly

• US 5,452,875 A
• Filed: 04/21/1994
• Issued: 09/26/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Northern Trust Company (Northern Trust Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Discovery Plastics, Inc.
• Inventors: Kern, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramirez, Ramon O.
• Application Number:
  US08/230,965
• Time in Patent Office: 523 Days
• Field of Search: 248/242, 248/241, 248/247, 248/248, 248/250, 248/235, 248/222.2, 248/291, 108/108, 211/90
• US Class Current: 248/242
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 57/045 Cantilever shelves
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 96/067 Horizontal rails as suspension means in a cantilever arrangement suspension fittings for cabinets to be hung on walls A47B95/008

Abstract

A bracket assembly for securance to a wall structure. The bracket assembly has a first support element and a second bracket element releasably secured to the support element. The support and bracket elements have interdigitated sets of teeth for clamping the support and bracket elements in a selected one of plural clamped positions.

Claims

1. A plastic support assembly for securance to a wall structure, said support assembly comprising a first support element comprising a support plate having an upper hook means for mounting said support assembly to a wall structure, and a second support element releasably secured to said first support element projecting forwardly therefrom;

a first plurality of locking elements comprising a first tooth set formed with said first support element, said locking elements being disposed along radii having a common center and being disposed in a circular array,

a second plurality of locking elements comprising a second tooth set formed with said second support element, said locking elements being disposed along radii having a second common center and being disposed in a circular array,

said first and second tooth sets being positioned in a complementary, concentric and interdigitated array to provide a plurality of positions in which said second support element may be releasably secured to said first support element and to provide a plurality of spaced load bearing pairs of surfaces to resist movement of said second support element relative to said first support element when said second support element is loaded; and

means for clamping said first and second tooth sets in said interdigitated array.

2. A support assembly in accordance with claim 1, and wherein said second support element is a bracket which projects forwardly from said first support element.

3. A support assembly for securance to a wall structure, said support assembly comprising a first support element having means for mounting said support assembly to a wall structure, and a second support element releasably secured to said first support element projecting forwardly therefrom;

a first plurality of locking elements comprising a first set of teeth formed with said first support element, said locking elements being disposed along radii having a common center,

a second plurality of locking elements comprising a second set of teeth formed with said second support element, said locking elements being disposed along radii having a second common center,

said first and second sets of teeth being positioned in a complementary and interdigitated array to provide a plurality of positions in which said second support element may be releasably secured to said first support element and to provide a plurality of spaced load bearing pairs of surfaces to resist movement of said second support element relative to said first support element when said second support element is loaded, and wherein the tooth sets of each of said first and second support elements lie in a circular array and one of the sets is circumscribed by a collar which, when teeth are interdigitated, resist movement of said teeth out of said interdigitated array, and

means for clamping said first and second locking elements in said interdigitated array.

4. A support assembly for securance to a wall structure, said support assembly comprising a first support element having means for mounting said support assembly to a wall structure, and a second support element releasably secured to said first support element projecting forwardly therefrom;

a first plurality of locking elements formed with said first support element, said locking elements being disposed along radii having a common center,

a second plurality of locking elements formed with said second support element, said locking elements being disposed along radii having a second common center,

said first and second locking elements being positioned in a complementary and interdigitated array to provide a plurality of positions in which said second support element may be releasably secured to said first support element and to provide a plurality of spaced load bearing pairs of surfaces to resist movement of said second support element relative to said first support element when said second support element is loaded;

means for clamping said first and second locking elements in said interdigitated array;

and wherein said second support element is a bracket which projects forwardly from said first support element, and said first and second locking elements comprise, respectively, first and second sets of teeth which lie in circular arrays, one of said sets of teeth being circumscribed by a collar which surrounds said other set of teeth to resist movement of said other set of said interdigitated array.

5. A support assembly in accordance with claim 4, and wherein said first support element is a support plate having an upper hook element for mounting said support assembly to a slatwall structure.