Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
O~L~
RESILIENT SLEEVE GI~SS SHELF BRACKET
BACKGROUND_OF TXE INVENTION
This invention relates to shelf support brackets
and parti~ularly to brackets of the type that support glass
and marble shelves in a cantile~er fashion.
Cantilever shel~ brackets for supporting inserted
shelf pan~ls, usually o~ wood, have been known for many
years. In recent years, these have taken the form of
extruded aluminum devi~es capable of receiving the shelf
panel in a wedging action, as in U.S. Patsnt 4,508,301 and
4,385,565. That is, thP wood shelf panel of closely
controlled thickness tolerance is placed under slightly
deforming wedging stress during insertion, for secure
retention of the assembled panel structure. The panel is
inserted until the inner end abuts the inner end of the
bracket throat. While thi~ works Yery well for certain
materials such as wood or particle board, it is not
desirable to apply such stresses to certain other materials,
particularly glass or marble. BreaXage can result. This
potentlal breakage pro~lem is accentuated by the fact that
gl~ss panels ~or shel~ing tend to ~ary c~nsiderably in
thiakness. Therefore, a thicker panel eith~r will not fit
within the throat of the bracket, or, if sufficient forca is
applied to wedge it in place, the stress is immediately too
great. If a thin panel is inserted, it is not securely
retained. Furthermore, the potential of breakage resulting
from this stress is increased if any scxatching of the glass
occurs. One significant cause o~ such scratching is the
abutment engagement of the inner edge of the inserted shelf
with the inner end of the bracket throat or of the bracket
fastener as during insertion of the panel. Al~ernately,
.
o~
1 scratching can occur during the wedging type insertion of
the glass panel into the metal bracket.
Aside from protection of glass and marble panels
or the like from scratching, marring and localized ~tress,
it is sometimes desirable to protect panels of fine wood and
other materials during assembly of this shelving structure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A primary object of this invention is to provide a
cantilaver shelf bracket capable of receiving and retaining
a shelf panel such as glass or marble without scratchingl
marring or application of localized stress to the panel upon
ass~mbly. It is another object of the in~ention to
accommodate significant variation in the thickness of tha
panel that ~s to be retained. According to the invention, a
bracket has a laterally oriented throat and a gensrally
U-shaped resilient interface strip fitted over the rear edge
and rear portion of the shelf panel and received within the
shelf bracket throat. Interlock m~ans are provided between
the top of the resilient strip and the throat for
restraining movement of the shelf and biasing means on the
b~ttom of the resilient ~trip are provid~d for biasing the
top of the resilie~t skrip a~d the throat ~ogether. The
interface strip has a base portion to protect the rear edge
of the glass from abrasion and a pair of sidewalls that
convexge away from the base to a dimension less than the
thickness of the smallest shelf panel to be accommodated.
The interface strip is preferably placed on the
rear portion of the shelf b~fore insertion into the support
bracket. This r~duces the likelihood of marring or
stressing of the glass during installation. Variation in
glass thickness is taken up in the throat portion by the
--2--
1 biasing means disposed between the lower portion of the
throat and the bottom wall of the interface strip.
These and vther xelated objects, advantages and
features of this invention will become apparent upon review
of the following spacification in conjunction with the
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a side elevational sectional view of the
novel bracket with interface strip, showing a glass shelf
panel inserted therein;
Fig. 2 is an end el~ational view o~ the int~r*ace
strip,
Fig. 3 is a modifisd ~ersion of the ~nterface
strip shown in Fig. 2;
Fig. 4 i~ anoth~r modified version of the insert
strip shown in Fig. 2;
Fig. 5 is a side elevational sectional view o~ an
alternative embodiment Or the novel bracket, ~howing a glass
panel with an attached interface strip being insertedl
2~ Fig. 6 is the same view as Fig. 5 with the glass
panel ~ully inserted; and
Fig. 7 is an enlarged end elevational view of the
inter~ace strip shown in Fig. 5.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMEN~
Referring now specifically to the drawings and the
illustrative embodiments depicted tharein, the shelf and
bra~ket assembly 10 includes a bracket 12, having a
resilient lnterface ~trip 14, and cooperative with the rear
portlon of a glass shelf panel 16. The ends of the bracket
may be covered by a pair of end caps (n~t shown).
--3--
1 Bracket 12 pre~erably comprises an elongated metal
member formed as an extrusion of aluminum. A vertical rear : :-
panel 20 abuts the wall surface and is af~ixed thereto by
fastener screws 32 extending through orifices 30 formed in
the rear panal. Between an upper overhang 24 and a lower
support platform 22 of the bracket is a receiving throat 26.
The upper ov~rhang member 24 has an upwardly
rearwardly oriented fascia surface 25 and a generally
horizontal support surface 40. Support surface 40 is
1o generally corrugated by the formation of a ~eries o~ detents
39 therein. Lower support plat~orm 22 has a first portion
23 adjacent rear panel 20 that ~o~s the bottom of the
receiving throat and a second, outer portion that def~nes an :~
upwardly exkending, downwardly curved, outer support surface
28 and a depression or recess between this sur~ace 28 and
rear panel 2Q.
Interface ætrip 14, shown in detail in Fig. 2, is
formed o~ a resilient polymeric material, prefera~ly
poly~.inylchloride, polyurethane, polyethylene,
polypropylene, copolymers or the equivalent tharein, fo~med :~
as by extrusion in a long strip. Interface strip 14 is of a
generally U-shape aon~iguration having a base member 41 and
an upper compression member 36 and a lower compression
member 37 extending from the end~ of the base. The upper
surface of upper compression member 36 has a series of ribs
38 that fit within detents 39 in the throat upper support
surface 40 when the interface strip is in the braaket
throat. A series o~ resilient fingers 34 extend downwardly
from the lower surface of lower compres~ion member 37 and
slope downwardly away from base portion ~1. Compression
members 36, 37 convexge away ~rom base portion 41 and dafine
1 a cavity having an opening that is less than the minimum
thickness of the shelf panel to be supported by the
invention. Thus, the interface strip will b~ frictionally
retained on the rear portion of a shelf panel inserted
between upper and lower compression memhars 36, 37.
Referring to Fig~ 1, a shelf panel 16 is shown
having an interface strip 14 affixed to its rear portion and
inserted within the support bracket 12. Ribs 38 on the
inter~ace strip 14 engage detants 39 to provide lateral
restraint between the eupport bracket and the interface
strip. Fingers 34 are compres~ed b~ween lo~er compression
memher 37 and portion 23 of the lower support pla~form
placing an upward bias on the interface strip and henae the
interface between upper compression member 36 and upper
support sur~ace 40. The downwardly, outwardly orientation
of fingers 34 additionally increases the re istance of the
insert strip to pulling out o~ the throat Z6. ~he upward :~
bias from ~ingers 34 additionally increases the lateral
frickion retention force bekween upper and lower compression
members 3~, 37 and the shelf plate 16 giving additional
resistance against lateral removal.
The line y-y ~n Fig. l demon~trates the centerline
or bottom surface o~ an inserted helf panel having a
thickness greater than X. The increased thickness will
cauee the lower compression member 37 to be located lover in
the throat 26. This downwardly offset location of the
interface strip is accommodated by lncreased compression of
fingers 34. The centerline or bottom surface of the shelf
plate is thu~ offset counterclockwise as compared with a
less thick shelf. Such an offset would be essentially .
imperceivable to the user and would, there~ore, not be an
aesthetic concern. The of~set of the centerline or bottom
sur~ace of the panel will alter the point on outer support
surface 28 that supports the shelf. The large radius or
cam-like curvature of outer suppork surface 28 will
accommodate such displacement whil providing reduced stress
support for th~ shelf 16, by always providing a contact
point that is not a sharp edge.
A modi~ied configuration o~ interface strip 14 is
shown in Fig. 3. ~ set of barbs 42 are ~hown extending
upwardly fr~m the lower compression member 37 and upwardly
rearwardly towards the base portiGn 141. Barbs 42 will flex
inwardly of the cavity upon engagement thPreo~ by an
inserted rear portion of a shelf panel. Barb~ 42 thu~
provide additional gripping force on the 6helf panel.
Anothar configuration o~ interfaae strip 14 is
hown in Fig. 4. The interface str~p i3 a dual durometer
laminate with an inner aontact ~urface 44 that i8 relatively
soft and r eilient in comparison with an outer mounting
surface 46. The purpose o~ this laminate con~truction is to
allow a more resilient material to be used in the interface
strip to increase the biasing force produced by ~ingers 234
while still pro~iding a soft gripping ~urface ~or
interfacing with the shelf panel 16.
An alternative, but not necessarily pre~erred,
embodiment of the invention is shown in Figs. 5-7. Support
bracket 312 is similar to ~he one in the prior embodiment
except that a countersunk ~hreaded aper~ure 51 is ~ormed in
lower support platform 322 and an adjustment screw 50
extends through aperture 51 into throat 326. A modified
inter~ace strip 314, shown in Fig. 7, is provided. In this
embodiment, the upper wall 56 and lvwer wall 58 of the
1 interface strip are made from di~erent durometer PVC
materials or the equivalent. Upper wall 56 i5 of a softer,
more flexible polymer and lower wall 58 is of a more rigid
pol~mer. Rear wall 60 is an extension of upper wall 56 and
is made ~rom the same softer materialO
Fig. 5 shows a shel~ panel having an interface
strip on it~ rear portion being inserted into ~ support
bracket 312. Resilient upper wall 56 engages upper support
surface 340 and rigid lower wall 58 i~ dispo~ed abova
adjustment screw 50. Ad~ustment screw 50 is rotated into
contact with lower wall 58 ~nd i~ ~urther rotated to bias
upper wall 56 into firm engagement with upper support
surface 3400 The use of a softer, more ~lexible polymer
material in the upper wall increases the int~rloak with th~
upper support surgace to prov~de increased lataral :.
resistance to pulling the shel~ out of the support. The :~
user of a softer, more flexible ~atsrial ~or the rear wall
60 provide~ a cushion between the reax edge of the shelf
panel and the support bra~ket to prevent chipping of the
rear edge of th~ panel. The rigid lower wall S8 provides a
durable surface for interact~on with ad3u~tment screw 50.
The resilience in upper wall 56 and rear wall 60
accommodate~ variations in the thickness of shelf panels.
The adjustability derived from adjustmenk screw 50
accommodates the various thickness panels within the throat
portion 326.
Changes and modifications in the speci~ically
described embodiments can be carried out without departing
fr~m the scope of the invention which is intended to be
limited only by the scope of the appended claims.
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