Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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REINFORCED SHELVES, KITS THEREFOR AND SHELVING UNITS
COMPRISING REINFORCED SHELVES
TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD
The present disclosure relates to reinforced shelves, kits for reinforced
shelves
and shelving units comprising at least one reinforced shelf.
BACKGROUND
In conventional shelf design, there needs to take into account the load to be
borne by a shelf in order to design a shelf which will support the desired
load. The
loading of a shelf causes the shelf to bend along its span between side edges
of the
shelf. Various solutions to this problem include making a thicker shelf and
providing
more vertical supports along the span of the shelf, and/or providing shorter
spans of
shelf. However, this can reduce the space in which to store quantities of
material and
can increase the economic cost of such a shelving unit.
GB 1503403 discloses a shelving structure comprising two side-pieces, a back
plate and a plurality of movable shelves. Each shelf comprises a wooden panel
whose
leading edge is reinforced with a reinforcing means having the form of a rail
formed
from sheet-metal, the overall depth of which rail is greater than the
thickness of the
shelf panel and which is arranged to be securely clamped thereto. The side
edges of the
sheet-metal rail are supported by supporting means which are arranged in
apertures in
vertical sheet-metal posts which reinforce the leading edges of the side
pieces.
US 5893470 discloses a display shelf for a refrigerated food case, the outer
edge
of which can have an aluminum price tag molding secured thereto. Reinforcing
members extending along the length of the shelf are welded to the underside of
the
shelf.
Acknowledgement of the above references herein is not to be inferred as
meaning that these are in any way relevant to the patentability of the
presently disclosed
subject matter.
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GENERAL DESCRIPTION
According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a
reinforced shelf having: a shelf comprising: a front edge, a rear edge, a pair
of opposed
side edges and two side surfaces, at least one of the front edge and the rear
edge
comprising a first engagement portion; and support portions at the opposed
side edges
thereof configured, in use, to engage vertical support members; and a
reinforcing
member configured with a second engagement portion which engages the first
engagement portion; wherein the reinforcing member is spaced from the support
portions, whereby the reinforcing member attached to the respective edge
increases the
bending stiffness of the shelf about an axis perpendicular to the respective
edge of the
shelf.
Since the second engagement portion of the reinforcing member engages the
first engagement portion of the shelf, a secure engagement between the
reinforcing
member and the shelf can be achieved. Since the reinforcing member is spaced
from the
support portions, the shelf can be reinforced without the need for adaptations
to be made
to the support portions, or for that matter, to the vertical support members
which
support such a reinforced shelf, resulting in a simplified design. Since the
reinforcing
member stiffens the shelf along the respective edge of the shelf, the shelf
will be
reinforced against bowing along its length.
The reinforcing member may have a height which is smaller than or equal to a
greatest height between the two side surfaces of the shelf. In this
arrangement, the
reinforcing member may lie flush with the side surfaces (top and bottom
surfaces) of the
shelf, avoiding a lip or other undesirable obstruction along the edge of the
shelf.
According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a
reinforced shelf having: a shelf comprising: a front edge, a rear edge, a pair
of opposed
side edges and two side surfaces, at least one of the front edge and the rear
edge
comprising a first engagement portion; and a reinforcing member configured
with a
second engagement portion which engages the first engagement portion; wherein
the
reinforcing member has a height which is smaller than or equal to a greatest
height
between the two side surfaces of the shelf, whereby the reinforcing member
attached to
the respective edge increases the bending stiffness of the shelf about an axis
perpendicular to the respective edge of the shelf.
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The shelf may comprise support portions at the opposed side edges thereof
configured, in use, to engage vertical support members; and the reinforcing
member
may be spaced from the support portions.
The first and second aspects may comprise one or more of the following
features:
One of the first and second engagement portions may comprise a recess and the
other of the first and second engagement portions may comprise a protrusion
arranged
to be received in the recess. In this manner, the reinforcing member and the
shelf can be
securely engaged with one another.
The first engagement portion may comprises two separate engagement portions
disposed on either side surface of the shelf; and the second engagement
portion of the
reinforcing member may comprise two separate engagement portions, each of
which is
configured to engage one of the first engagement portions. With this
arrangement, the
reinforcing member can be securely attached to both side surfaces, i.e. the
top and
bottom surfaces of the shelf, preventing accidental detachment.
The reinforcing member may comprise an elongate member arranged to attach
in a clipping manner to the first engagement portion of the shelf. The
clipping manner
may be a snap-fit arrangement which is easy to assemble and difficult to
disassemble.
This can ensure that the reinforcing member is maintained on the edge of the
shelf
despite load being applied to the shelf.
The shelf may comprises a polymer material and the reinforcing member may
comprise a metal material. Since metal is stiffer than polymer, the metal
reinforcing
member can provide a stiffening effect to the polymer shelf.
The reinforcing member may be formed from sheet metal. In some
embodiments, the reinforcing member may be formed from steel sheet metal.
Sheet
material can be readily bent, curved and formed into a desired shape and can
have
increased stiffness provided by means of its formation as well as its
material. Steel has a
property of very high stiffness and can provide more support against bending
deformation of a polymer shelf compared to many other metal materials.
The sheet metal reinforcing member may be arranged to surround the respective
edge of the shelf. The first engagement portion may comprise a channel on
either side
of the shelf. The second engagement portion may comprise folded edges of the
reinforcing member configured to be received within the channels. With this
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arrangement, since the folded edges are received within the channels, the
engagement
between the reinforcing member and the shelf extends along the length of the
reinforcing member, between the folded edge of the reinforcing member and the
channels of the shelf. This provides a secure connection between the
reinforcing
member and the shelf along the length of the reinforcing member, reduces the
likelihood of separation of the reinforcing member and the shelf and helps to
mitigate
shelf bending along the length of the reinforcing member.
The folded edges of the reinforcing member may be elastically moved away
from one another while the reinforcing member is pushed onto the edge of the
shelf and
a return bias force in the sheet metal reinforcing member may bring the folded
edges
back towards one another as the folded edges engage in the channels. This
flexing
arrangement of the reinforcing member provides ease of fitting the reinforcing
member
to the shelf and secure locking of the reinforcing member to the shelf once
the
reinforcing member is in position.
The first engagement portion may comprise a locking portion arranged to retain
the second engagement portion against disengagement.
The reinforcing member may extends along a majority of the respective edge of
the shelf between the opposed side edges. In this manner, support can be
provided along
a majority of the shelf length.
The shelf may comprise at least one stiffening rib, spanning the shelf between
the front edge and the rear edge and spaced from the opposed side edges,
whereby the at
least one stiffening rib increases the bending stiffness of the shelf about an
axis
perpendicular to the span of the at least one stiffening rib. Since the at
least one
stiffening rib extends between the front edge and the rear edge, the at least
one
stiffening rib is transverse to the reinforcing member. Therefore the at least
one
stiffening rib can provide stiffening of the shelf in addition to the
reinforcing member,
in a different bending direction than the reinforcing member. Since the at
least one
stiffening rib is spaced from the opposed side edges, the at least one
stiffening rib can
provide a reinforcing effect throughout a central portion of the shelf, in
addition to the
reinforcing effect provided for by the reinforcing member at the front and/or
rear edge
of the shelf. The at least one stiffening rib may be formed integrally with
the shelf or
may be subsequently attached thereto.
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The at least one stiffening rib may comprise a plurality of stiffening ribs
positioned parallel to one another and spaced from one another. With this
arrangement,
having stiffening ribs spanning the shelf between the front edge and the rear
edge of the
shelf in the central portion of the shelf (i.e. spaced from the opposed side
edges of the
shelf) can provide increased bending stiffness across the central portion of
the shelf
away from the opposed side edges.
The shelf may comprise connector ribs connecting the at least one stiffening
rib
to one of the two side surfaces of the shelf. The connector ribs may provide a
secure
attachment between the at least one stiffening rib and the respective side
surface of the
shelf. The connector ribs may be formed integrally with the shelf and/or the
at least one
stiffening rib, or may be formed separately and subsequently attached.
According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provide a
reinforced shelf having: a shelf comprising: a front edge, a rear edge, a pair
of opposed
side edges and two side surfaces; and at least one stiffening rib, spanning
the shelf
between the front edge and the rear edge and spaced from the opposed side
edges,
whereby the at least one stiffening rib increases the bending stiffness of the
shelf about
an axis perpendicular to the span of the at least one stiffening rib.
The at least one stiffening rib provides stiffening of the shelf, without the
need
to increase the thickness of the entire shelf. Thus a stiff, lightweight shelf
can be easily
produced. Since the at least one stiffening rib is spaced from the opposed
side edges, the
at least one stiffening rib can provide a reinforcing effect throughout a
central portion of
the shelf, in addition to the reinforcing effect provided for by the
reinforcing member at
the front and/or rear edge of the shelf. The at least one stiffening rib may
be formed
integrally with the shelf or may be subsequently attached thereto. The at
least one
stiffening rib provides stiffness against bending of the shelf about an axis
perpendicular
to the span of the at least one stiffening rib.
The at least one stiffening rib may comprise a plurality of stiffening ribs
positioned parallel to one another and spaced from one another. With this
arrangement,
having stiffening ribs spanning the shelf between the front edge and the rear
edge of the
shelf in the central portion of the shelf (i.e. spaced from the opposed side
edges of the
shelf) can provide increased bending stiffness across the central portion of
the shelf
away from the opposed side edges.
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The shelf may comprise connector ribs connecting the at least one stiffening
rib
to one of the two side surfaces of the shelf. The connector ribs may provide a
secure
attachment between the at least one stiffening rib and the respective side
surface of the
shelf. The connector ribs may be formed integrally with the shelf and/or the
at least one
stiffening rib, or may be formed separately and subsequently attached.
At least one of the front edge and the rear edge may comprise a first
engagement
portion; the shelf may comprise support portions at the opposed side edges
thereof
configured, in use, to engage vertical support members; the reinforced shelf
may
comprise a reinforcing member configured with a second engagement portion
which
engages the first engagement portion; and the reinforcing member may be spaced
from
the support portions. Since the second engagement portion of the reinforcing
member
engages the first engagement portion of the shelf, the reinforcing member can
be
securely attached to the shelf. Since the reinforcing member is spaced from
the support
portions, the shelf can be reinforced without the need for adaptations to be
made to the
support portions, or for that matter, to the vertical support members which
support such
a reinforced shelf, resulting in a simplified design. Since the reinforcing
member
stiffens the shelf along the respective edge of the shelf, the reinforcing
member is
transverse to the at least one stiffening rib. Therefore the reinforcing
member can
provide stiffening of the shelf in addition to the at least one stiffening
rib, in a different
bending direction than at least one stiffening rib, i.e. the shelf will be
further reinforced
against bowing and deformation along its length.
The reinforcing member has a height which is smaller than or equal to a
greatest
height between the two side surfaces of the shelf. In this arrangement, the
reinforcing
member may lie flush with the side surfaces (top and bottom surfaces) of the
shelf,
avoiding a lip or other undesirable obstruction along the edge of the shelf.
At least one of the front edge and the rear edge may comprise a first
engagement
portion; the reinforced shelf may comprise a reinforcing member configured
with a
second engagement portion which engages the first engagement portion; and the
reinforcing member may have a height which is smaller than or equal to a
greatest
height between the two side surfaces of the shelf.
The shelf may comprise support portions at the opposed side edges thereof
which may be configured, in use, to engage vertical support members; and the
reinforcing member may be spaced from the support portions.
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One of the first and second engagement portions may comprise a recess and the
other of the first and second engagement portions may comprise a protrusion
arranged
to be received in the recess. In this manner, the reinforcing member and the
shelf can be
securely engaged with one another.
The first engagement portion may comprises two separate engagement portions
disposed on either side surface of the shelf; and the second engagement
portion of the
reinforcing member may comprise two separate engagement portions, each of
which is
configured to engage one of the first engagement portions. With this
arrangement, the
reinforcing member can be securely attached to both side surfaces, i.e. the
top and
bottom surfaces, of the shelf, preventing accidental detachment.
The reinforcing member may comprise an elongate member arranged to attach
in a clipping manner to the first engagement portion of the shelf. The
clipping manner
may be a snap-fit arrangement which is easy to assemble and difficult to
disassemble.
This can ensure that the reinforcing member is maintained on the edge of the
shelf
despite load being applied to the shelf.
The shelf may comprises a polymer material and the reinforcing member may
comprise a metal material. Since metal is stiffer than polymer, the metal
reinforcing
member can provide a stiffening effect to the polymer shelf.
The reinforcing member may be formed from sheet metal. In some
embodiments, the reinforcing member may be formed from steel sheet metal.
Sheet
material can be readily bent, curved and formed into a desired shape and can
have
increased stiffness provided by means of its formation as well as its
material. Steel has a
property of very high stiffness and can provide more support against bending
deformation of a polymer shelf compared to many other metal materials.
The sheet metal reinforcing member may be arranged to surround the respective
edge of the shelf. The first engagement portion may comprise a channel on
either side
of the shelf. The second engagement portion may comprise folded edges of the
reinforcing member configured to be received within the channels. With this
arrangement, since the folded edges are received within the channels, the
engagement
between the reinforcing member and the shelf extends along the length of the
reinforcing member, between the folded edge of the reinforcing member and the
channels of the shelf. This provides a secure connection between the
reinforcing
member and the shelf along the length of the reinforcing member, reduces the
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likelihood of separation of the reinforcing member and the shelf and helps to
mitigate
shelf bending along the length of the reinforcing member.
The folded edges of the reinforcing member may be elastically moved away
from one another while the reinforcing member is pushed onto the edge of the
shelf and
a return bias force in the sheet metal reinforcing member may bring the folded
edges
back towards one another as the folded edges engage in the channels. This
flexing
arrangement of the reinforcing member provides ease of fitting the reinforcing
member
to the shelf and secure locking of the reinforcing member to the shelf once
the
reinforcing member is in position.
The first engagement portion may comprise a locking portion arranged to retain
the second engagement portion against disengagement.
The reinforcing member may extends along a majority of the respective edge of
the shelf between the opposed side edges. In this manner, support can be
provided along
a majority of the shelf length.
According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a
shelving unit comprising at least one reinforced shelf assembly according to
the first,
second or third aspect.
According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a kit
of
parts for a reinforced shelf comprising: a shelf comprising: a front edge, a
rear edge, a
pair of opposed side edges and two side surfaces, at least one of the front
edge and the
rear edge comprising a first engagement portion; and support portions at the
opposed
side edges thereof configured, in use, to engage vertical support members; and
a
reinforcing member configured with a second engagement portion arranged to
engage
the first engagement portion; wherein the reinforcing member is configured to
be
spaced from the vertical shelf support members when the first and second
engagement
portions are engaged.
According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a kit
of
parts for a reinforced shelf comprising: a shelf comprising: a front edge, a
rear edge, a
pair of opposed side edges and two side surfaces, at least one of the front
edge and the
rear edge comprising a first engagement portion; and a reinforcing member
configured
with a second engagement portion arranged to engage the first engagement
portion;
wherein the reinforcing member is configured to has a height which is smaller
than or
equal to a greatest height between the two side surfaces of the shelf.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In order to better understand the subject matter that is disclosed herein and
to
exemplify how it may be carried out in practice, embodiments will now be
described,
by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying
drawings, in
which:
Fig. 1 shows a top perspective view of a shelving unit comprising reinforced
shelves;
Fig. 2 shows a top perspective view of a reinforced shelf;
Fig. 3 shows a bottom perspective view of the reinforced shelf of Fig. 2;
Fig. 4 shows a top perspective view of the reinforced shelf of Fig. 2 further
comprising reinforcing elements;
Fig. 5 shows a bottom perspective view of the reinforced shelf of Fig. 4;
Fig. 6 shows a top perspective view of the reinforced shelf of Fig. 4 when cut
along the plane A-A;
Fig. 7 shows a detail top perspective view of the reinforced shelf of Fig. 2
of the
area BB;
Fig. 8 shows a top perspective view of the reinforcing members for the
reinforced shelf of Fig. 4;
Fig. 9 shows an end perspective view of one of the reinforcing members of Fig.
8;
Fig. 10 shows a cross-sectional view of the reinforcing member of Fig. 9;
Fig. 11 shows a partial cut-away perspective view of a reinforcing member
engaging with a locking portion of the shelf;
Fig. 12 shows a partial perspective view of the locking portion of Fig. 11
with
the reinforcing member not shown;
Fig. 13 shows a perspective view of a compact arrangement of the components
of the shelving unit of Fig. 1;
Fig. 14 shows an exploded view of the compact arrangement of Fig. 13.
Fig. 15 shows an exploded view of parts of the shelving unit of Fig. 1 without
the reinforced shelves or shelf connectors which connect the reinforced
shelves to
vertical support members;
Fig. 16 shows a perspective view of a shelf connector;
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Fig. 17A shows a perspective view of a shelf connector connected to vertical
support members;
Fig. 17B shows a cross-sectional view, taken along a vertical mid-plane, of
the
arrangement of Fig. 17A; and
Fig. 18 shows a cross-perspective view of cross-sectional view of a reinforced
shelf connected to vertical support members by a shelf connector.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
In the following description and accompanying drawings, like features are
denoted by like reference signs.
Fig. 1 shows a shelving unit 1 comprising a number of reinforced shelves 10
supported by four vertical support members 40 at the bottom of which are feet
42. The
reinforced shelves 10 of the shelving unit 1 are shelves 20 with reinforcement
as
described below with reference to Figs. 2-10.
As shown in Fig. 2, shelf 20 comprises a front edge 21, a rear edge 22, a pair
of
opposed side edges 23, 24, a top side surface 25 and a bottom side surface 26
(seen
more clearly in Fig. 3). Shelf 20 has four support portions 27 arranged at the
opposed
side edges 23, 24, for engaging the four vertical support members 40.
Reinforced shelf
of this specific embodiment is shown as a shelf 20 having added thereto two
types of
reinforcement as described below. However it is envisaged that a reinforced
shelf
according to the present disclosure may have one or both types as described
below.
With reference to Figs. 2 and 3, reinforced shelf 10 comprises a shelf 20
having
a plurality of stiffening ribs 29 at its bottom side surface 27. The
stiffening ribs 29 are
spaced from the opposed side edges 23, 24, and span the shelf 20 between the
front
edge 21 and the rear edge 22. The stiffening ribs 29 provide a stiffening
effect to the
shelf 20, without the need to increase the thickness of the entire shelf 20,
thereby
allowing weight savings. The multiple stiffening ribs 29 are parallel to one
another and
spaced apart from one another. This allows a reinforcing effect to be provided
throughout a central portion of the reinforced shelf 10 away from the opposed
side
edges 23, 24. In the reinforced shelf 10, the stiffening ribs 29 may be formed
integrally
with the shelf 20, for example by injection molding processes, or may be
subsequently
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attached thereto. The at least one stiffening rib increases the bending
stiffness of the
shelf about an axis Ai perpendicular to the span of the stiffening ribs 29.
The stiffening ribs 29 may be connected to the surface 26 of the shelf 20 by
connector ribs 28. The connector ribs 28 provide a secure attachment between
the
stiffening ribs 29 and the side surface 26 of the shelf 20. The connector ribs
28 may be
formed integrally with the shelf 20 and/or the stiffening ribs 29, such as by
injection
molding processes, or may be formed separately and subsequently attached
thereto.
Although the connector ribs 28 are shown as being discontinuous along a
direction
between the opposed side edges 23, 24 of the shelf 20, separated by the
stiffening ribs
29, it is envisaged that the connector ribs 28 may alternatively be continuous
along a
direction between the opposed side edges 23, 24 of the shelf 20. In such an
arrangement, the connector ribs 28 may have a depth greater than a depth of
the
stiffening ribs 29 so that the connector ribs 28 bridge or cross over the
stiffening ribs 29
in a continuous manner.
In addition, each shelf 20 is provided with a further reinforcement in the
form of
two reinforcing members 60 (Figs. 4 and 5) for stiffening the shelf 20 along
the front
and rear edges 21, 22 of the shelf 20. The reinforcing member 60 is spaced
from the
support portions 27, which allows the shelf 20 to be reinforced and stiffened
without the
need to redesign the vertical supports 40, since there is no direct
interaction between the
vertical supports 40 and the reinforcing members 60.
As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the front edge 21 of the shelf 20 comprises a first
engagement portion 30 in the form of a recessed channel 32 on the top and
bottom side
surfaces 25, 26. The recessed channel 32 comprises multiple locking portion 34
spaced
along the recessed channel 32 for engaging in a locking manner a portion of
the
reinforcing member 60 as will be described in more detail below.
With reference to Figs. 9 and 10, each reinforcing member 60 comprises a strip
of sheet-metal, such as steel, which has been bent or extruded in a form
having a cross-
section of an approximate C-shape as shown in Fig. 10, having an outside
surface 61
and an inside surface 63. The pair of reinforcing members 60 are arranged to
surround
the front and rear edges 21, 22 of the shelf 20 respectively and are shown in
Fig. 8. The
inside surface 63 of each reinforcing member 60 is arrange to at least
partially rest on,
bear against or be supported by, non-continuous side-ribs 21a, 22a arranged on
the
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respective front and rear edges 21, 22 of the shelf 20. The non-continuous
side-ribs 21a,
22a comprise sloped portions 21b, 22b, which will be described in more detail
below.
The reinforcing member 60 comprises, at either end of the C-shaped cross-
section, end portions 62 comprising second engagement portions 70 described in
more
detail below protruding inwardly, towards each other. Each of the second
engagement
portions 70 is arranged to engage with the recessed channels 32 of the first
engagement
portion 30 and to lock with the locking portions 34 of the first engagement
portion 30.
Although not visible in Figs. 5 and 6, an identical reinforcing member 60 is
attached in
the same manner to a recessed channel 32 on the rear edge 22 of the shelf 20.
With reference to Fig. 10, the height H of the reinforcing member 60 in a
relaxed state is the same as or slightly smaller than the maximum height h
(see Fig. 6)
of the shelf 20 between the top and bottom side surfaces 25, 26 of the shelf
20, such that
the reinforcing member 60 is arranged to lie flush with the top and bottom
side surfaces
25, 26 of the shelf 20, as shown in Fig. 6.
The reinforcing member 60 is capable of flexing elastically about the midpoint
64 of its cross-section, i.e. about its neutral axis AN, such that the end
portions 62 of the
sheet-metal reinforcing member 60, can move towards or away from each other.
This
aids in mounting the reinforcing member 60 on the front and rear edges 21, 22
of the
shelf 20, since the reinforcing member 60 can flex or stretch to allow the end
portions
62 to move away from one another to fit over the respective front and rear
edges 21, 22
of the shelf 20. The end portions 62 of the reinforcing member 60 can
subsequently
spring back towards one another so that the second engagement portions 70 can
engage
within the recessed channels 32 of the first engagement portions 30.
As shown in Fig. 10, each of the second engagement portions 70 is formed by
folded ends 66 of the end portions 62 inwardly, about a fold angle 0 greater
than 90
and less than 180 . In this specific example, the fold angle 0 is about 160 .
With
reference to Figs. 10 and 11, the specific fold angle 0 can be chosen such
that:
a) a height HE of the gap between a distal tip-edge 68 of the folded ends 66
and
the adjacent non-folded section of the end portion 62 is greater than or equal
to a height Hi. of a locking step 36 of locking portion 34 and less than or
equal to a height Hc of the recessed channel 32; and
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b) a width WE of the folded end 66 of the end portion 62 is less than or equal
to
a width WL of the portion of the recessed channel excluding the overhang of
the locking step 36 and is less that a width Wc of the recessed channel 32.
Since the folded ends 66 of the second engagement portions 70 are themselves
resilient, further flexing and biasing of the reinforcing member 60 is
provided,
moreover a snapping-action of the ends 66 into the recessed channels 32 can be
achieved, as described in more detail below.
The surfaces 65 of the engagement portions 70 comprise sliding, or gliding,
surfaces capable of sliding or gliding over an outer surface of the shelf 20,
in particular
an outer lip 32a of the recessed channel and a sloped surface 35 of the
locking step 36
of the locking portion 34 to facilitate mounting of the reinforcing members 60
over the
front and rear edges 21, 22 of the shelf 20.
The mounting of a reinforcing member 60 to a shelf 20 will now be described.
In operation, a reinforcing member 60 is aligned with a front edge 21 or a
rear edge 21
of the shelf 20, such that the reinforcing member 60 is aligned with the
recessed
channels 32 of the first engagement portion 30 of the shelf 20, which are
located at both
the top and bottom surfaces 25, 26. The reinforcing member is pushed against
the
respective front or rear edge 21, 22, such that the sliding or gliding
surfaces 65 are in
sliding contact with sloped portions 21b, 22b of non-continuous side ribs 21a,
22a. The
sliding action of the sliding surfaces 65 on the sloped portions 21b, 22b
causes the end
portions 62 of the reinforcing member 60 to move further apart as the
reinforcing
member 60 flexes about its neutral axis AN. Additionally, the folded ends 66
of the end
portions 62 may themselves flex elastically so that fold angle 0 becomes
temporarily
larger. As the sliding surfaces 65 move apart, the reinforcing member 60 moves
closer
towards the respective front or rear edge 21, 22 of the shelf 20.
The sliding surfaces 65, and in particular, the portions of the sliding
surfaces 65
adjacent the distal tip-edges 68 continue to slide over the outer lip 32a of
the channel 32
and down along the sloped surfaces 35 of the locking steps 36 of the locking
portions
34. As the sliding surfaces 65 move down along the sloped surfaces 35, the
reinforcing
member 60 is able to elastically flex to begin to return to its original
shape. As the distal
tip-edges 68 reach the end of the sloped surfaces 35 of the locking steps 36
of the
locking portions 34, the end portions 62 suddenly snap inwardly towards one
another,
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under the action of the elastic returning-force of the reinforcing member 60
returning to
its original shape.
Since, in a relaxed or returned state of the reinforcing member 60 the height
HE
of the gap between a distal tip-edge 68 of the folded ends 66 and the adjacent
non-
folded section of the end portion 62 is greater than or equal to a height HE
of a locking
step 36 of locking portion 34 and less than or equal to a height Hc of the
recessed
channel 32, the distal tip-edge 68 is located within the recessed channel 32,
locked
below a lower surface 37 of the locking step 36. Therefore, any attempt to
pull the
reinforcing member 60 in a direction away from the respective edge 21, 22 of
the shelf
20 will result in movement of the distal tip-edge 68 further into a locking
recess 38
between the lower surface 37 of the locking step 36 and a base surface of the
recessed
channel 32, preventing separation of the second engagement portion 70 of the
reinforcing member 60 from the first engagement portion 30. In some
embodiments,
there is pressing contact between the non-continuous side-ribs 21a, 22a and
the
reinforcing members 60, so as to effectively pull the reinforcing member 60 in
a
direction away from the respective edge 21, 22 of the shelf 20 and result in
movement
of the distal tip-edge 68 further into the locking recess 38.
Since the reinforcing member comprises two second engagement portions 70
which snap-fit into recessed channels 32 of the first engagement portions 30
which are
located on the top and bottom side surfaces 25, 26 of the shelf 20, a secure
arrangement
is provided, whereby any accidental or deliberate attempt to lever one of the
two second
engagement portions 70 out of the recessed channel 32 will result in the other
of the two
second engagement portions 70 moving deeper into its respective recessed
channel 32.
Thus effectively the shelf 20 is securely clamped in an engaged and locking
manner
between the second engagement portions 70 of the reinforcing member 60. This
ensures
also that under heavy applied loads on the reinforced shelf 10, accidental
disengagement
of the reinforcing member 60 from the shelf 20 can be mitigated or even
avoided.
Further, the reinforcing member 60 is engaged with the shelf 20 along a
majority of the
length thereof, providing reinforcement along a majority of the shelf against
bending
deformation of the shelf 20 under load.
Although in the above-described embodiment the shelf 20 of the reinforced
shelf
is described as comprising a recessed first engagement portion 30 and the
reinforcing
member 60 comprises a protruding second engagement portion 70, it is envisaged
that
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the shelf may comprise protruding portions and the reinforcing member may
comprise
recesses, or both may comprises a combination of protruding and recessed
portions as
the first and second engagement portions 30, 70.
Figs. 13 and 14 show a compact arrangement for all of the components of the
shelving unit 1. As shown in Fig. 13, the shelving unit 1 can be packed very
compactly
so that its total depth is no greater than the combination of depth of four
reinforced
shelves 10 and the thickness of the vertical support members 40. The exploded
view of
Fig. 14 depicts how the bottom side surfaces 26 of the reinforced shelves 10
can be
utilized to store other components 80 in recesses between the stiffening ribs
29 and the
connecting ribs 28. Such components 80 include feet 42, top rear connectors
44, top
front end caps 46 and shelf connectors 48, as also shown assembled in place in
Fig 1.
The location of the top and bottom reinforced shelves 10 of the shelving unit
1
of Fig. 1 is fixed, i.e. the top shelf 10 rests on the top rear connectors 44
and top front
end caps 46 which fit over a top end of the uppermost vertical support members
40,
while the bottom shelf 10 rests on the feet 42, into which bottom ends of the
lowermost
vertical support members 40 slot. An exploded arrangement of the top rear
connectors
44, top front end caps 46, vertical support members 40, and the feet 42 is
shown in Fig.
15, and it is clear how the narrower ends of the pieces can be slotted into
the wider ends
of the adjacent pieces.
An exemplary shelf connector 48 is shown in more detail in Fig. 16. Each shelf
connector comprises a wide lower external lip 48a protruding outwards around
the
lower edge of the shelf connector 48, and two internal protrusions 48c
protruding from
an inner surface of the shelf connector 48. There are a plurality of wedged
ribs 48d
spaced from one another around the shelf connector 48 and extending along the
external
surface of the shelf connector 48 from a top edge of the shelf connector 48 to
the lower
external lip 48a. The shelf connector 48 further comprises a vertical gap 48b
which
allows the shelf connector 48 to be expanded or contracted as described below,
since the
shelf connector 48 is in the form of an incomplete annulus.
The intermediate reinforced shelves 10 of the shelving unit 1 of Fig. 1 may be
placed at any fixing position between the top and bottom reinforced shelves
10, using
the shelf connectors 48. As shown in Figs. 17A and 17B, Along each of the
vertical
support members 40 on opposite sides thereof are fixing positions 43, which
may
contain numbers or other markings as shown to indicate the extent of that
fixing
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position 43 along the vertical member. The fixing positions 43 comprise
recessed
portions of the vertical members 40, with the surrounding non-recessed
portions of the
vertical members 40 forming a step 43a.
The shelf connectors 48 slot over and can be translated along the length of
the
joined vertical support members 40 to reach the desired fixing position 43 for
the shelf
10, with the wide lower external lip 48a of the shelf connector 48 oriented
downwards.
For this purpose, the shelf connector 48 can be expanded by widening the gap
48b,
simply by separating the edges of the shelf connector 48 on either side of the
gap 48b.
Once the shelf connector 48 reaches the desired fixing positions 43 on the
opposite
sides of the vertical member 40, the two internal protrusions 48c of the shelf
connector
48 rest on the steps 43a of the desired fixing positions 43.
Subsequently, as shown in Fig. 18, a reinforced shelf 10 can then be slotted
over
the vertical support member 40 and further over the shelf connector 48 by
passing the
vertical support member 40 and the shelf connector 48 through one of the
support
portions 27 which are in the form of holes passing through the reinforced
shelf 10. As
the reinforced shelf 10 is slotted over the shelf connector 48, a tight fit is
effected
between the wedged ribs 48d and the support portions 27, so as to clamp the
shelf
connector 48 at the fixing positions 43 by reducing the size of the gap 48b to
ensure that
the two internal protrusions 48c of the shelf connector 48 remain in the
recesses of the
fixing positions 43. The reinforced shelf 10 rests on the wide lower external
lip 48a of
the shelf connector 48, which is of a size too large to fit through the
support portion 27
of the reinforced shelf 10.
Although the above-described embodiment included movable (height adjustable)
intermediate shelves with fixed top and bottom shelves, it is alternatively
envisaged that
the positions at which all of the shelves are to be placed may be
predetermined and
fixed, so that the spacing of the location or position of the height of any of
the shelves is
not adjustable by a user. In this case, the shelf connectors 48 may be fixable
at only
select locations along the vertical support members 40, or may be formed
integrally
with the respective support members 40 at select positions located along the
support
members 40.
