Self-standing shelf bracket

Jan. 20, 1959

M. L. AXELROD

SELF-STANDING SHELF BRACKET Filed April 26, 1957

2,869,731

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. ATTORMSVS

United States Patent Office

2,869,731

Patented Jan. 20, 1959

2,869,731

SELF-STANDING SHELF BRACKET

Milton L. Axelrod, New Haven, Conn. . ...

Application April 26, 1957, Serial No. 655,269

Claim. (CI. 211—148) ¹⁰

This invention relates to a shelf bracket. More particu- 15 larly the invention relates to a metal shelf bracket usable to build shelves of wood or other material in a selected number.

Among important objects of the invention are the following: 20

To provide a bracket as stated that will be capable of manufacture at low cost;

To form the bracket in such a way that it will interlock with brackets immediately above and below the same;

To permit shelves to be erected with maximum ease 25 and speed;

To allow the erection of shelves without adjacent wall supports;

To provide shelf brackets characterized by their exceptional strength in relation to their low cost; and 30

To form the shelf brackets in a manner such that they will be self-aligning in a vertical direction when interlocked with each other.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claim appended thereto, and from the annexed 35 drawing, in which like reference characters designate like _:parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view showing a fragmentary portion of shelves erected by means of shelf brackets according to the invention; 40

Figure 2 is an end elevational view of the shelves, on an enlarged scale;

Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the shelf brackets per se;

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view on line 45 4—4 of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view on line 5—5 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawing in detail, a plurality of superposed shelf units are each generally designated 10. Each 50 includes a shelf member supported on a plurality of shelf brackets. The brackets are all identical, each being stamped or otherwise formed of a single, strong piece of metal material. Each bracket is of inverted U-shape and includes a flat, horizontal bight or ledge portion 12 in- 55 tegral at its ends with depending, downwardly convergent legs 14. Formed in the bight 12 adjacent the ends thereof are openings 16 (Figure 3) and adjacent the bight the legs are formed with openings 18.

The legs 14 are formed at their lower ends with later- 60 ally outwardly extending portions 29 integral at their outer ends with depending extensions 21 parallel to the adjacent legs 14.

Formed in the extensions 21 are openings 22, disposed at opposite sides of narrow grooves 23 which extend con- 65 tinuously over the full length of the extensions 21 and portions 20. The grooves 23 merge into wider grooves 24 extending continuously over the full length of the legs 14 and bight 12.

In use, shelf members 25 are secured to the top surfaces of the bights of the brackets by screws extending through apertures 16. The sides of the shelf members are spaced inwardly from the ends of the bights, so that the outwardly offset portions of the brackets next above may be supported directly upon the ends of the bight. The brackets of course are reinforced by the ribs pressed out of the same to provide the grooves. As a result, the narrower ribs of the offsets will seat in the wider grooves of the bracket next below. This provides for self-alignment of the brackets, so that openings 18 of the lower bracket will register with openings 22 of the higher bracket to receive bolts 26.

It will be seen that the brackets can be mass-produced at low cost, and are of considerable strength. The. brackets can be swiftly assembled with their associated shelf members and can be secured with equal ease and speed to the brackets immediately above and below the same. No need exists of securing the brackets or shelf members to adjacent wall structures or the like. This adapts the device particularly for use adjacent concrete walls or other materials that resist easy connection of other structures thereto.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles of operation and the means presently devised to carry out said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claim.