Shelf support system having a triangular support post

A shelf support system for a knock-down type shelving system having at least one wire frame shelf defining an interior and an exterior, the shelf support system comprising:

• a support post having a generally right uilateral triangular cross-section, the right angular apex being rounded and, together with the two sides adjacent said right angular apex, facing the exterior of said shelf, the two remaining interior angular apexes of said support post being rounded and symmetrically disposed, and the interior face of said support post, disposed opposite said right angular apex, having a plurality of detent steps periodically disposed along the length of the support post at predetermined intervals;
• a molded plastic wedge member, having a resilient contoured lip on each of two opposing edges and at least one detent tab disposed to cooperate with said detent steps on said support post, each lip being formed to embrace an interior angle apex of said support post thereby to removably and adjustably dispose said wedge member on said interior face of said support post by a clip-on operation, the wedge member further having a wedge portion tapered to extend from the top of said wedge member to the bottom of said wedge member in the direction of the interior of the shelf, the wedge portion having a central wedge portion extending across said interior face of said support post when said wedge member is mounted thereon and a side wedge portion adjacent each of said interior angle apexes of said support post, said central wedge portion further having avoid therethrough forming a window for viewing said detent steps disposed on said interior face of said support post, and said central wedge portion still further having a shelf height indicator disposed adjacent said window for indicating a detent step, thus for indicating a predetermined position at which said wedge member is located by said at least one detent tab;
• a corner bracket fixed to a corner of said at least one wire frame shelf, the corner bracket having a central tapered face angled at each of two opposing side edges to form a pair of tapered shoulders and a pair of wings extending therefrom, each wing extending from one of said tapered shoulders, wherein said central tapered face is complementary to, and cooperates with, said central wedge portion, and each one of said pair of tapered shoulders is complementary to, and cooperates with, a respective side wedge portion, and wherein each tapered shoulder is oriented substantially perpendicularly to an adjacent side of said support post;
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• a resilient collar having a rounded exterior apex which corresponds to an apex of the shelf, and a pair of collar arms extending therefrom, each collar arm being tapered and ribbed along its length and terminating in a pair of tabs, each tab being angled into the interior of the shelving system to form a wing and a wing notch on said tab for engaging a wing of said corner bracket, wherein one of said pair of wings of said corner bracket is resiliently biased to seat in the wing notches of the pair of tabs of one of said pair of collar arms, and the other one of said pair of wings is resiliently biased to seat in the wing notches of the pair of tabs of the other one of said pair of collar arms, and wherein said corner bracket and collar form a generally triangular sleeve around said support post, said sleeve being translated relative to said wedge member and said support post to engage said wedge member and support post and to seat thereon by wedge action at substantially said predetermined position.

A shelf support system for a knock-down type shelving system having at least one sheet metal shelf defining an interior and an exterior, the shelf support system comprising:

• a support post having a generally right equilateral triangular cross-section, the right angular apex being rounded and, together with the two sides adjacent of said right angular apex, facing the exterior of, said shelf the two remaining interior angular apexes being rounded and symmetrically disposed, and the interior face of said support post, disposed opposite said right angular apex, having a plurality of detent steps periodically disposed along the length of the support post at predetermined intervals;
• a molded plastic wedge member, having a resilient contoured lip on each of two opposing edges and at least one detect tab disposed to cooperate with said detent steps on said support post, each lip being formed to embrace an interior angle apex of said support post thereby to removably and adjustably dispose said wedge member on said interior face of said support post by a clip-on operation, the wedge member further having a wedge portion tapered to extend from the top of said wedge member to the bottom of said wedge member in the direction of the interior of the shelf, the wedge portion having a central wedge portion extending across said interior face of said support post when said wedge member is mounted thereon and an side wedge portion adjacent each of said interior angle apexes of said support post, said central wedge portion further having avoid therethrough forming a window for viewing said detent steps disposed on said interior face of said support post, and said central wedge portion still further having a shelf height indicator disposed adjacent said window for indicating a detent step, thus for indicating a predetermined position at which said wedge member is located by said at least one detent tab;
• a corner bracket formed in a corner of said at least one sheet metal shelf, the corner bracket having two shelf side walls formed by folding the periphery of the sheet metal shelf and a panel joining said shelf said walls, each side wall having a pair of slots cut therein to comprise a pair of tab locators, and terminating in a flange, each flange being folded into the shelf interior at a generally right angle to the side wall to form a tapered shoulder, wherein each of said tapered shoulders is complementary to, and cooperates with, one of said side wedge portions, and wherein each tapered shoulder is oriented substantially perpendicularly to the other one of said tapered shoulders;
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• a resilient collar having a rounded exterior apex which corresponds to an apex of the shelf, and a pair of collar arms extending therefrom, each collar arm being tapered and ribbed along its length and terminating in a pair of tabs, each tab being angled into the interior of the shelving system to form a wing and a wing notch on said tab for engaging a tab locator of said corner bracket by a snap-on operation, wherein each tab is resiliently biased to seat in a respective tab locator, and wherein said corner bracket and collar form a triangular sleeve around said support post, said sleeve being translated relative to said wedge member and said support post to engage said wedge member and collar and to seat thereon by wedge action at substantially said predetermined position.

A shelf support system for a knock-down type shelving system having at least one plastic shelf defining an interior and an exterior, the shelf support system comprising:

• a support post having a generally right equilateral triangular cross-section, the right angular apex being rounded and, together with the sides adjacent said right angular apex, facing the exterior of said shelf, the two remaining interior angular apexes of said support post being rounded and symmetrically disposed, and the interior face of said support post, disposed opposite said right angular apex, having a plurality of detent steps periodically disposed along the length of the support post at predetermined intervals;
• a molded plastic wedge member, having a resilient contoured lip one each of two opposing edges and at least one detent tab disposed to cooperate with said detent steps on said support post, each lip being formed to embrace an interior angle apex of said support post thereby to removably and adjustably dispose said wedge member on said interior face of said support post by a clip-on operation, each wedge member further having a wedge portion tapered to extend from the top of said wedge member to the bottom said wedge member in the direction of the interior of the shelf, the wedge portion having a central wedge portion extending across said interior face of said support post when said wedge member is mounted thereon and a side wedge portion adjacent each of said interior angle apexes of said support post, said central wedge portion further having a void therethrough forming a window for viewing said detent steps disposed on said interior face of said support post, and said central wedge portion still further having a shelf height indicator disposed adjacent said window for indicating a detent step, thus for indicating a predetermined position at which said wedge member is located by said at least one detent tab;
• a corner bracket integrally molded in a corner of the plastic shelf, the corner bracket having a central tapered face angled at each of two opposing side edges to form a pair of tapered shoulders terminating at a generally right angle to a recess in the adjacent side walls of the plastic shelf, each recess in the side wall having a plurality of shark gill protrusions periodically formed in the side wall at a predetermined interval, each protrusion being generally rectangular but having an interior edge angled toward the interior of the shelf, wherein said central tapered face is complementary to, and cooperates with, said central wedge portion and wherein each one of said pair of tapered shoulders is complementary to, and cooperates with, a side wedge portion, and is oriented substantially normal to an adjacent side edge of the plastic shelf;
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• a resilient collar having a rounded exterior apex which corresponds to an apex of the shelf, and a pair of collar arms extending therefrom, each collar arm having an upper locator tab, a lower locator tab, a tapered tail, and a plurality of shark gill slots, said upper and lower locator tabs being formed at the upper and lower edges of the collar arm, respectively, and extending into the interior of the shelf at a generally right angle to the collar arm, for locating the corner bracket of said plastic shelf therebetween, said tapered tail corresponding to said molded notch of said recess in the corner bracket, for locating said tapered tail therein, and each of said shark gill slots corresponding to a respective shark gill protrusion, each shark gill slot being generally rectangular but having an interior side angled toward the exterior of the shelf, wherein said collar and said corner bracket may be engaged by a snap-on operation, said shark gill protrusions and shark gill slots engaging in an interlocking manner, to form a generally triangular sleeve around said support post, said sleeve being translated relative to said wedge members and said support post to engage said wedge member and support post and to seat thereon by wedge action at substantially said predetermined position.

A system for supporting a shelf having a periphery that defines a plurality of corners and an interior and an exterior of the shelf, said system comprising:

• a corner bracket mounted with each said corner of said shelf and having a face portion having at least one surface inclined downwardly and inwardly with respect to said shelf interior;
• a plurality of collar, equal in number to the number of said corner brackets, each said collar having two sides that define a generally right angular apex;
• means for mounting each said collar with one said corner bracket thereby to form an open sleeve having a generally right triangular cross-section, at least a major part of said face portion defining the hypotenuse and said sides of said collar defining the adjacent sides of said generally right triangular cross-section;
• a plurality of support posts, equal in number to the number of said corners brackets, each said support post having two sides surfaces, forming a generally right angular apex, and a hypotenuse surface that together define a generally right triangular cross-section congruent to the cross-section of one said sleeve, each said post thereby being formed to be received in one said sleeve;
• a plurality of wedge members, equal in number to the number of said corner brackets, each said wedge member having at least one inclined face complementary to said inclined surface of said face portion;
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• means for mounting each said wedge member at a fixed location on said hypotenuse surface of one said support post and adjacent said face portion of one said corner bracket, with said inclined wedge portion of said one wedge member inclined downwardly and inwardly with respect to said shelf interior;
• whereby downward movement of said shelf with one said support post and one said wedge member mounted thereon received in an associated one of said sleeves causes said wedge portion of each said one wedge member and said inclined surface of said face portion tightly to engage thereby to urge said generally right angular apex of each said one support post into tight engagement with said generally right angular apex of said one collar and said side surfaces of each said one support post into tight engagement with said sides of said one collar.