PROCEDURE FOR MOUNTING AND REMOVING OF THE BACK PANELS

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a mounting system for back panels, especially sheet metal panels that are used for making the shelving systems for presentation and storage of merchandise and products or generally for product presentation in stores.

TECHNICAL PROBLEM

It is common knowledge that the presentation of products in stores or their storage is performed on the rack warehouse systems. The racks in such warehouses can be compact, made in one piece or assemblage. While assembling parts into one compact rack there is always the question of what is the easiest way to manipulate the parts, how to reduce the number of different parts and facilitate the assembling operation as well as to modify existing racks in order to maintain dynamic shelf arrangement.

Technical problem to be solved by the inventor is how to carry out the mounting system for back panels which is characterized by a small number of elements, flexibility and easy assembling and disassembling operations, wherein such system can be transformed into the rack system, wherein one type of rack, as well as the shelves built-in into the rack, can change their appearance.

Another problem solved by the present invention is how to achieve easy connection between the carriers and the panels in a situation where the parts of the panel are little twisted due to downtime and storage, or when the high tolerance of the panel components and shelving systems parts has not been achieved.

The third problem solved by the present invention is how to achieve a reliable connection of the system elements without using special tools, where simple installation is performed by inserting elements into each other in a way that such system can also be disassembled without using any tools, only by means of simple manual manipulation for disassembling of elements.

PRIOR ART

The inventor is not familiar with any patent or patent application which solves the problem of mounting system for panels by use of an assembly clip which grips the part of a connecting plate on one side and then, without using any tools, the clip is inserted into the grooves of the panel carriers that hold the whole assembly of the panels and carriers. In the world there are other well-known systems for connecting panels where panels are inserted directly into the grooves or specific bulges located on the panel carriers, however, such panel assembly method without special tools requires pretty good manipulation because individual coupling element which connects panels and carriers cannot be adjusted, or rotated.

There are also known the mounting systems where panels are slipped-on on the carriers, but such connection is not sufficiently tight and it enables the panels to move inside of the rack system. In case that connection is too firm, after long period of downtime and due to the rack weight, it is almost impossible to disassemble such rack without application of force and the necessary tools.

A search of PATENTSCOPE, USPTO Patent Database and ESPACEIMET did not reveal any similar registered or patent-pending applications.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION:

The primary objective of the invention is to find the panel mounting system comprising as few different assembly elements as possible which also provides firm, detachable and re-assemblable, manually attainable connection between the panels and carriers, which connection enables system modularity, easy and simple operations on such panel system and connection between the panels and carriers in a situation where the parts are not accurately aligned in relation to each other.

Panel mounting system comprises at least two carriers (100), each having at least one pair of the grooves (101), at least one connecting plate (300) and at least two clips (200) which are placed on opposite ends of the connecting plate (300) whereupon each clip (200) is inserted into one pair of the grooves (101) contained on the carrier (100). This provides at least one firm detachable connection between carrier (100), clip (200) and panel (300).

The carrier contains at least one pair of the grooves (101) wherein the grooves are mirror-symmetrical. If we mark the grooves as the right groove (102) and the left groove (112), then the right groove consists of the following parts: topside of the right groove (104), middle section of the right groove (106) and the bottom side of the right groove (108), while the left groove (112) consists of the topside of the left groove (114), middle section of the left groove (116) and the bottom side of the left groove (118). In every such groove, the middle section of the groove (106, 116) is wider than all topsides and bottom sides of the grooves (104, 108, 114, 118).

The position of the right groove (102) and the left groove (112) in the pair of the grooves (101) is such that the grooves are distant from each other for at least one width of the topside of the right groove (104) i.e. the width of the topside of the left groove (104), wherein each groove (102, 112) is divided in two mirror-symmetrical parts in such a way that each groove is mirror-symmetrical in relation to horizontal centreline (140) which is perpendicular to the vertical centreline (130) through which the mirror symmetry is achieved. Said horizontal centreline (140) divides the right groove (102) and the left groove (112) in two equal parts.

Furthermore, the grooves are designed so that the topside of the right groove (104), the bottom side of the right groove (108), the topside of the left groove (114) and the bottom side of the left groove (118) all have the same width and height, as well as the middle section of the right groove (106) has the same width and height as the middle section of the left groove (116).

In this matter, the middle sections of the grooves (106, 116) are always wider than the topsides and the bottom sides of the grooves (104,108,114 and 118).

The clip itself (200) is made of spring steel and comprises two clip bases (254), four side parts (264), two rounded parts (262) and two springs (250).

Furthermore, each spring (250) of the clip (200) is designed in a way that the bottom side of the spring adjacent to the clip base (254) has two slots (256) wherein each spring (250) has two lugs (258) in plane with the spring (250) so that between each lug (258) and the clip base (254) there is one slot of the lug (256). The spring (250) is longer then the side part of the clip (264) wherein each spring (250) is pulled outward from the clip interior (200) at an acute angle of up to 10° and its main function is, only by hand pressure on both springs, without having to use tools, to infix the clip into one pair of the grooves (101), i.e. to pull the clip out of the groove (101) manually, without using tools.

More precisely, the clip (200) is made of rectangular sheet metal plate (204) produced from spring steel with two mirror-symmetrical slots cut into it (202) and a symmetry axis passing through the middle of the plate (204), wherein each of the two slots (202) has a form of a wide letter "U" (210) accompanied by one inverted, narrower letter "U" (220) on either side in such a way that the part of the slot having the shape of the wide letter "U" (210) and both parts of the slot having the shape of inverted, narrower letter "U" (220) have one joint arm (230) of the letter "U".

These two slots (202) are interconnected by the joint bar (240) along the centre where also passes the bending line of the sheet metal plate (204) and each slot (202) is mirror-symmetrical in relation with axis of symmetry passing along the centre of the joint bar (240). Rectangular sheet metal plate (204) is bent in the middle so that the whole plate after folding, if it is viewed from the side, forms the shape of the letter "U" while in the middle part of the plate the two springs (250) appear, which springs (250) are pulled outward from the clip interior (200) at least 5 ⁰ from the plane formed by the side part of the clip (264) of the belonging spring.

The clip (200) is made of spring steel and is determined by the two parallel clip bases (254). From each clip base (254) there are two side parts of the clip (264) extending in the same direction, having the shape of the letter "L" which is turned to a 180 degree and attached with its top to the clip base (254).

Free arms of the side parts of the clip (264) which form the shape of the letter "L" and are located on the same clip base and do not exceed the dip base are turned towards each other.

The side parts of the clip (264), which extend from the same side of the opposite clip bases (254), are connected by the rounded part (262) that extends over the whole width of the arm of the letter "L", which arm belongs to the side part of the clip (264).

Out of each central part of the dip base (254) there is a spring extending in direction which is determined by the direction of the side parts of the clip (264) which goes from the dip base (254) to the rounded part (262).

Both springs are parallel and inclined from the plane formed by the side part of the clip (264) by a minimum of 5° up to a maximum of 10° and pulled outward from the clip interior (200) which is formed by the area bounded by the clip bases (254), side parts of the clip (264) and two rounded parts (262).

Furthermore, at the bottom side of the spring (250), on its opposite sides, there are two lugs (258) formed in such a way that between each lug (258) and the clip base (254), as well as between lug (258) and the side part of the clip, an unbroken slot in the shape of the letter "U" is formed. The length of each spring (250) is such that it exceeds the height of the rounded part of the clip (262) wherein every spring, weather released or pressed, cannot touch the rounded part of the clip (262).

The connecting plate (300), which is essentially a panel, is equipped with a connecting plate fastener (310) carried out in the shape which is suitable to receive the clip (200) in a way that the inner side of the rounded part of the clip (262) presses the topside of the fastener (310) which is turned towards the connecting plate (300), wherein both clip bases (254), while connecting the connecting plate to the panel carrier by means of the clip, face the pair of the grooves (101) on the panel carrier (100).

The clip (200) fits _r into the pair of the grooves (101) until the depth which is determined by the moment of connecting the outer wall surface of the panel carrier (100) with the connecting plate fastener (310). ₍ The second objective of the present invention is to determine the procedure which enables connecting and detaching of the clip, connecting plate (panel) and carrier. The core of the panel mounting procedure according to this panel mounting system is a procedure where, first, the clips (200) are fixed on the connecting plate fastener (310) and afterwards, the clips on one side of the connecting plate are manually, without using any tools, inserted into the grooves of the first carrier in a way that they are pushed into the grooves as deep as the topside of the lugs (258) reaches the inner wall surface of the groove of the first carrier. Afterwards, the clips on the other side of the connecting plate are manually, without using any tools, inserted into the grooves of the second carrier in a way that the clips are manually, without using any tools, pushed into the grooves as deep as the topside of the lugs reaches the inner wall surface of the groove of the second carrier.

In such procedure of panel mounting, the core of the invention is that at least one carrier with connecting plates and clips can be attached to the second or every further carrier, wherein the procedure for attaching the carrier requires the connection of one connecting plate by means of the clips to the previous carrier, without the need for any tools.

As for the procedure for detaching of panels according to this panel mounting system, the core of the invention is the procedure where the springs of the clips, which are inserted into the grooves of the last carrier, are pressed towards each other with intention to connect, and springs pressed that way are then manually, without using any tools, pulled out of the grooves in a way that the carrier is pulled back from the panel wherein the panel is detached from the carrier.

In this matter, the connecting plate which is now connected on one side only, by means of the clips, which are inserted into the grooves of the next carrier, is detached from the subject carrier by pressing the springs of every single clip towards each other with intention to connect them, and then the springs, pressed in a described way, are pulled out of the grooves in a way that the connecting plate with clips is pulled back from the subject carrier. The whole procedure is repeated in case there are other carriers and connecting plates.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:

The enclosed images, which are referred to in the description and which form a part of the description, illustrate the best invention embodiment and help explain the basic principles of the invention.

Figure 1. is a schematic view of the elements of the back panels mounting system Figure 2. is a detailed view of the elements of the back panel mounting system Figure 3. is a schematic view of the connected elements of the back panel mounting system

Figure 4. Appearance of the carrier with grooves

Figure 5. Detailed view of the grooves

Figure 6. Position of centrelines on the pair of grooves

Figure 7. Appearance of the finished clip

Figure 8. Appearance of the metal sheet plate for the production of clip

Figure 9. Side view of the finished clip in the shape of the letter„LT

Figure 10. Appearance of the slots performed on the metal sheet plate for the production of clip

Figure 11. A Typical Sectional View of the connecting point of the clip and the carrier, when the clip is inserted into the grooves, in its final position

A LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS USED IN THE DRAWINGS

100 - carrier

101 - pair of the grooves

102 - right groove

104 - topside of the right groove

106 - middle section of the right groove

108 - bottom side of the right groove

112 - left groove

114 - topside of the left groove

116 - middle section of the left groove

118 - bottom side of the left groove

130 - vertical centreline

140 - horizontal centreline

150 - wall surface of the carrier

200 - clip

202 - slot

204 - metal sheet plate

210 - part of the slot in the shape of the wide letter "U"

220 - part of the slot in the shape of narrower, inverted letter„U"

230 - joint arm

240 -joint bar

250 - spring

254 - clip base

256 - slot of the lug

258 - lug

262 - rounded part of the clip 264 - side part of the clip

300 - connecting plate

310 - Connecting plate fastener

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AT LEAST ONE WAY OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

In a typical embodiment of the back panels mounting system, the subject system is carried out in a way that the carrier (100) and the clip are made of metal sheet, wherein the connecting plate (300), which is essentially a panel, is made either of metal sheet or of the metal grid (net). In the preferred embodiment, the carrier (100) is made by bending the sheet metal thickness of 2 mm in a way that sheet metal is pre-cut into plate out of which is in bending procedure obtained a carrier of a rectangular profile of the format 30x100 mm and 1600 mm of length.

Before bending, the grooves are carried out on this plate by sheet metal laser cutting machine or by punching machine in a way that eight pairs of the grooves (101) are cut at a mutual distance of 400 mm along the carrier (100) height, and their positions on the metal sheet plate are determined by the requirement that, while forming a profile, every wider part of a carrier profile should be equipped with four pairs of the grooves in the same line. In the typical embodiment, every single groove (102, 112) is 45 mm long while the topside of the groove (104, 114) and the bottom side of the groove (108, 118) are 2,5 mm wide and 13,5 mm high, wherein the middle section of the groove (106, 116) is 4,5 mm wide and 18 mm high. The grooves which form the pair of grooves, i.e. the left groove (112) and the right groove (102) are spaced 4 mm apart and are fully symmetrical in relation to the horizontal centreline which intersects the middle of the groove vertical to the groove height, and they are also mirror-symmetrical in relation with axis of symmetry which passes through the middle, between the left and the right groove in the pair of the grooves (101). In the preferred embodiment, the clip (200) is made of metal sheet plate (204) produced from the spring steel of the format 43x46,15 mm and of the thickness of 1,6 mm, in a way that two slots of 2 mm of width are being formed by laser cutting machine or by punching machine, which slots are mutually connected by the joint bar (240) of 1 mm width and 15 mm length, which joint bar connects the centres of these slots and passes through the centre of the metal sheet plate (204). The slots (202) are mirror- symmetrical in relation to both axes of symmetry, which divide the metal sheet plate in two parts. Each slot has a form of a wide letter "U" (210) wherein the arms of the letter "U" are on either side connected with slots in the shape of inverted, narrower letter "U", wherein the left arm of the wide letter "U" is at the same time the right arm of inverted, narrower letter "U" and represents a joint arm (230), while the right arm of the wide letter "U" is at the same time the left arm of inverted, narrower letter "IT. In such a typical embodiment, the height of the slot in the shape of the wide letter "U" is 7 mm while the width of that letter "U" is 22 mm, wherein the height of the slot in the shape of the narrow, inverted letter ^W U" is 7 mm and the width of that letter "U" is 8 mm.

In another embodiment it is possible to perform round holes on the metal sheet plate (204) on the topside of the spring (250) with a diameter of 3 mm, which holes serve to fasten the clip in case that it should be plastic-coated or painted in special colours on request. After the slots on the metal sheet plate have been formed, begins the bending process by means of a suitable tool in a way that metal sheet plate is bent around an axis determined by the centre of the joint bar in a way that the rounded part of the clip (262) is formed with external bending radii of 8,6 mm, wherein the space between the two, in a described way produced clip bases (254), is 14 mm. When producing the clips a special attention should be paid to the construction of the springs (250) which in typical embodiment are bent outward from the clip interior by 6°. The connecting plate (300), which is essentially a panel that connects the carriers, is in typical embodiment carried out as a net constructed from round iron bars in such a way that vertical bars of the net have diameter of 6 mm and horizontal bars 4 mm, wherein the format of every mesh is 100x50 mm, as shown in figures 1 to 3.

Typical width of such net is 1000 mm while the typical height amounts 1450 mm. External vertical bars on either side of the net also have the function of the connecting plate fastener (310).

The connecting plate (300) can be made of metal sheet, plastic or wood, but in that case, one or more connecting plate fastener should be carried out on it, in one of the known ways, preferably from shorter 6 mm diameter steel bar.

In another embodiment, on the column-shaped carriers can be added fixed legs, or legs with adjustable heights. In typical embodiment, a panel system assembled in a described way, with possibility of adding shelves which can be fixed either on the connecting plate or on the carrier, is used to construct racks in the warehouses or stores, and for arranging or storage of merchandise. In another embodiment the clip can be produced by the plastic injection moulding process. As for the procedure of panel mounting according to this panel mounting system, one of the best procedures for the previously described typical embodiments of carriers, clips and connecting plates, in case that the carrier is equipped with four pairs of the grooves on each side, is such that four clips (200) are fixed on the connecting plate fasteners (310) located on the connecting plate (300) which is essentially a panel, and then the clips (200) located on the connecting plate (300) are inserted in that first carrier in a way that they are pushed into the grooves as deep as the topside of the lugs (258) reaches the inner wall surface of the groove of the first carrier and when the connecting plate fastener (310) touches the outer wall surface of the carrier. Afterwards, the four clips (200) are placed on the connecting plate fasteners (310) on the other side of the connecting plate and then they are inserted into the four grooves of the second carrier in a way that the clips are pushed into the grooves as deep as the topside of the lugs reaches the inner wall surface of the groove of the second carrier. Afterwards, in case that there is a series of connecting plates and carriers, there is at least one carrier with connecting plates and clips attached to the second or every further carrier, according to the procedure described above, wherein attaching of every further carrier is achieved through the connection of one connecting plate with the clips to the previous carrier.

As for the procedure for detaching of panels according to back panel mounting system, as described in typical embodiment of the system, the first step is to manually press the springs of the dips, which are inserted into the grooves of the last carrier, towards each other with intention to connect, and the springs pressed that way are then manually, without using any tools, pulled out of the grooves in a way that the carrier is pulled back from the panel wherein the panel is detached from the carrier, wherein the connecting plate, which is now connected on one side only by means of the clips which are inserted into the grooves of the next carrier, is detached from the subject carrier by pressing the springs of every single clip towards each other with intention to connect them, and then the springs, pressed in a described way, are pulled out of the grooves in a way that the connecting plate with clips is pulled back from the subject carrier, wherein the whole procedure is repeated in case there are other carriers and connecting plates.