A Shelf Support System

The present invention relates to a shelf support system which is suitable for assembly by amateurs or professionals in order to support a shelf on a wall or similar vertical support surface by means of a horizontal shelf support arm which extends from the wall or similar vertical support surface at right angles and engages with a vertically extending support bar fixable to the wall or similar vertical support surface. In the system of this invention the shelf support arm can be moved .into an infinitely variable number of positions up and down the vertically extending support bar.

The invention is an improvement over various systems on the market, which consist of two or more vertically disposed wall bars which are perforated along their length with one or more lines of slits. Two or more shelf support arms are used for supporting the shelf. Each shelf support arm has hook-shaped extensions which engage in the parallel slits in one wall bar so that the shelf support arm is held horizontal and at right angles to the wall. This known type of shelf support system is difficult to align, since each of the

wall bars must be affixed to the wall so that the supporting slits are in precise horizontal alignment, an adjustment not easy for the average D.I.Y. practitioner. Such perforated bars have the further disadvantage that the support arms can only be adjusted from slit to slit in steps. The shelf cannot easily be adjusted by less than the interval between successive slits. The slit bar is not elegant in appearance, and the slits tend to gather dust, which is a disadvantage in" the home or office.

According to the present invention there is provided a shelf support system comprising a shelf support arm adapted to be mounted horizontally and a support- bar adapted to be disposed vertically and means for mounting the support bar to a vertical wall or other support surface, sliding means enabling the arm to slide up and down the support bar and retaining means to secure the support arm to the support bar at any desired position, the retaining means including a resiliently expandable member held by the support arm so as to be frictionally engageable with the support bar by operation of actuating means to expand the resiliently expandable member towards the support bar.

The resiliently expandable member may take the form of a deformable but resilient plug with an aperture

therein to receive a screw or bolt whereby with progressive insertion of the screw or bolt into the aperture the plug is caused to expand towards the support bar to a sufficient extent as to secure the support arm in a desired position. The said aperture may be in the form of a slit. Preferably the resiliently expandable member is held in a recess in the support arm. The screw or bolt may be insertable into the plug aperture from above downwards into the plug in the support arm or the screw or bolt may be insertable into the plug aperture in a lateral or oblique direction.

In a desirable form of the invention one end of the support arm terminates as a channel section to slidingly engage the ends of the cross members of a generally "T"- shaped sectioned support bar.

The support bar may have cross-sections of various shapes but desirably the shape of the end of the support arm adapted to engage the support bar will be shaped in a corresponding manner. The support bar may be formed by extrusion.

The support bar may be provided with holes therein to enable it to be screwed or bolted to a vertical support wall.

By way of example, preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the

accompanying diagrammatic drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side view of one form of shelf support system. Figure 2 is a plan view of the system of Figure 1 , Figure 3 is a perspective view of the system of

Figure 1, Figure 4 is a perspective view of an element of

Figure 3, Figures 5 and 6 are vertical cross-sections of the expandable plug shown in Figures 1 to 3, Figures 7 to 10 show in section various forms of vertically disposed support bar, and Figure 11 shows in section a different form of expandable means. Figures 1, 2 and 3 show a shelf support arm 1 which has sides 2 terminating in internal flanges 3 which define a pair of opposed vertical channels perpendicular to the plane of the shelf, and arranged so as to engage with extending lugs 4 of a wall-mountable support bar 5. The support bar 5 is generally of a "T"-section and may typically be made of metal or fibre-reinforced plastics material offering good rigidity and tensile strength. The shelf support arm 1 is slidable up and down the support bar 5 and when it is required to fix the arm 1 at a particular position use is made of a resiliently

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expandable plug 6 which is situated in a recess in the arm 1 between the sides 2. The support bar 5 is fixable to a vertical wall surface (not shown) by screws 7 passed through aperture 8.

The resiliently expandable plug 6 may be made of a deformable but resilient material with a high coefficient of friction against metals, e.g. polypropylene or hardened rubber. The plug 6 has a slit 9 typically extending for three quarters of its height, and a recess 11 to accept the head of a screw 10. The plug 6 with the slit 9 in its unexpanded state as seen in Figure 5 slides easily into its housing in the support arm 1. ^τ" ?ιen a suitable screw 10 is screwed into the slit 9, the slit 9 becomes widened and the plug 6 expands into a configuration as shown in Figure 6. Figure 2 shows that the plug 6 in its expanded position presses against the wall-mountable support bar 5 and simultaneously draws the inside faces of the internal flanges 3 against the rear faces of the lugs 4. The shelf support arm 1 is thus clamped in position. By slackening and tightening the screw 10, the shelf support arm 1 can be moved into any desired position up and down the support bar 5 which has been fixed to a vertical walle

The shelf support system illustrated and specifically described makes it much easier for non-

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professional people to level two adjacent support arms 1 to carry a shelf. Several support arms 1 can be adjusted at varying intervals along the same support bar 5. In use, a shelf (not shown) is positioned on top of two support arms 1 and covers the upper surface of each of them, so hiding the expandable plugs 6 and heads of screws 10 from view and enhancing the elegance of the system.

Figures 7 to 10 show various forms of wall- mountable support bars 15, 25, 35 and 45. Figure 7 shows a generally "T"-shaped cross-section with a tapered aperture 18 to accommodate the head of a screw (not shown). Figure 8 shows a more elegant version than that depicted by Figure 7; the top of the "T"- sectioή is rounded and provided with a tapered aperture 28 to accommodate the head of a screw (not shown). Figure 9 shows a simpler version of support bar which may be manufactured more economically. Instead of a "T"-shaped cross-section a simple bar of sufficient thickness to provide the required rigidity is used.- he bar is provided with a tapered aperture 38 to accommodate the head of a screw (not shown). The vertical component of the "T"-section is replaced by spacers 39,.affixed between the support bar 35 and the vertical wall (not shown) at a suitable number of screw-

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holes. Since screw holes will usually be positioned along the support bar 35 at regular intervals (typically at distances of 30 cm) this arrangement provides sufficient strength. The spacers 39 are generally made of metal or plastics material, and will be sufficiently deep to prevent the rear of the shelf support arm 1 touching the wall (not shown). Figure 9 shows an ornate version of support bar 45 with tapered aperture 48 to accommodate the head of a screw (not shown).

With reference to the constructions shown in Figures 7 to 10, the cross-sections of the aforementioned vertical channels (see Figure 2) in the support arm 5 must be suitably shaped to engage with the appropriate cross-section.

Figure 11 shows a shelf support arm 101 with a resiliently expandable means comprising a bolt 108 passing through a threaded insert in an element 107 and into a resiliently expandable plug 106 situated in a recess in the arm 101. 109 indicates an oblique direction along which the bolt 108 may be tightened to expand the plug 106 so that is urged against a wall- mountable support bar 105 so as to secure the arm 101 in a desired position. As an alternative the bolt 108 can be tightened to provide a force moving element 107 away from plug 106 which is thereby forced against the bar

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105. Element 107 is jammed in arm 101 by a wedging action. Other parts of the shelf system will be in accordance with features specifically described and illustrated.

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