Portion of shelf and support for shelving unit

• US 9,375,102 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2010
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Edsal Manufacturing Company, LLC
• Original Assignee: Edsal Manufacturing Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Troyner, Anthony J., Wojtowicz, David J., St. Germain, Thomas, Escalante, Antonio Luis
• Primary Examiner(s): HAWN, PATRICK D
• Application Number:
  US12/829,726
• Publication Number:
  US 20120000871A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,188 Days
• Field of Search: 211/134, 211/182, 211/183, 211/189, 211/187, 211/186, 211/191, 211/192, 211/190, 211/193
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 47/021 Racks or shelf units A47B47/03 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 57/402 Hooks attached to a member embracing at least two sides of an upright, e.g. an angle bracket
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 96/02 Shelves movable shelves coupled to doors A47B96/16
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 5/01 made of tubes or wire A47F5/0807 takes precedence foldable or adjustable A47F5/13

Abstract

A shelving unit includes formed front and rear beams providing shelf supporting and lower flanges, respectively. A C-shaped tie bar extends centrally between respective front and rear beams and is captured between the beam flanges with tie bar ends engaging the beams providing loaded shelf support and resisting loaded beam twisting.

Claims

1. A shelving unit comprising:

a plurality of corner columns

front and rear shelf supporting beams;

each beam connected at respective ends thereof to respective corner column;

each beam including a first vertical component in a single vertical plane, and having two sides, an upper surface extending from one of said sides;

a second vertical component extending downwardly away from said upper surface;

said first and second vertical components being spaced apart and parallel;

a shelf supporting flange extending solely in a single horizontal plane from a lower edge of said second vertical component for supporting a shelf beneath said upper surface lower than said upper surface, and a lower flange, spaced from, parallel and beneath said shelf supporting flange and said upper surface;

said upper surface, and said lower flange extending in separate horizontal planes and in parallel directions away from the same one of said sides of said first vertical component of said beam,

said upper surface oriented at a level above said shelf supporting flange;

said shelving unit further comprising a tie bar having two respective ends;

each end of said tie bar engaging and captured between said shelf supporting flange and said lower flange of a front and a rear supporting beam respectively;

said tie bar providing resistance to twisting of said beams in which it is captured due to uneven shelf loading.

2. A shelving unit as in claim 1 wherein said tie bar comprises a channel including two upstanding sides and a flange extending along an upper edge of each side, each said flange engaging an underside of said shelf support flange beneath and spaced from a beam upper surface.

3. A shelving unit as in claim 2 further including a shelf support surface on the shelf support flange of each beam and a shelf support surface on said tie bar flanges intermediate respective ends of said tie bar.

4. A shelving unit as in claim 3 wherein said tie bar is fastened to said lower flange of each beam.

5. A shelving unit as in claim 3 wherein said one side of said first vertical component of each said beam comprises an inner side disposed between said shelf support flange and said lower flange and wherein a respective end of said tie bar engages a respective said inner side of each said beam.

6. A shelving unit as in claim 2 wherein said tie bar has a predetermined height between a lower portion of a bight member thereof and a shelf support surface defined by a shelf-supporting flange thereof, said height approximately equal to a distance between facing surfaces of said shelf support flange of said beams and the lower flange of said beams.

7. A shelving unit comprising:

a plurality of columns;

front and rear beams;

each said beam connected to respective ones of said corner columns;

each said beam having a first beam face component in a single vertical plane and further said beams comprising an upper flange defining an upper surface;

a shelf supporting flange in a single horizontal plane beneath and spaced from said upper flange; and

a lower flange spaced away from said shelf supporting flange and said upper flange;

each flange extending in parallel directions away from a same side of said beam in single horizontal planes parallel to the direction of extension of each other flange;

a second beam face parallel and spaced from said first beam face;

said shelf support supporting flange extending from an edge of said second beam face;

a shelf disposed on said shelf supporting flange of respective front and rear beams;

a tie bar having two ends, each end respectively captured between an underside of said shelf supporting flange of each beam and an upper side of said lower flange of each beam;

said tie bar ends respectively engaging at least said one side of one of said beams between said shelf supporting flange and said lower flange;

said tie bar resisting twisting of said beams in which it is captured;

said tie bar providing integrity and stability to said shelving unit.

8. A shelving unit comprising:

a plurality of corner columns

front and rear shelf supporting beams;

each beam having a bracket secured to each end of said beam, each said bracket having a side and tabs therein for interconnecting to said columns, with said beam being connected at respective ends thereof to respective corner column;

each beam including a first vertical component in a single vertical plane, and having two sides, an upper surface, a second vertical component, a shelf supporting flange extending solely in a single horizontal plane from an edge of said second vertical component for supporting a shelf beneath said upper surface lower than said upper surface, and a lower flange spaced from, parallel and beneath said shelf supporting flange and said upper surface;

said upper surface, said shelf supporting flange and said lower flange extending in separate horizontal planes and in parallel directions away from a single one of said sides of said first and second vertical components of said beam, respectively;

said upper surface oriented at a level above said shelf supporting flange;

said shelving unit further comprising a tie bar having two respective ends;

each end of said tie bar engaging and captured between said shelf supporting flange and said lower flange of a front and a rear supporting beam respectively;

said tie bar providing resistance to twisting of said beams in which it is captured due to uneven shelf loading.