Shelf assembly system

A one-piece flexible cap for fastening a circular tubular leg having a tapered end to a shelf board in a shelf assembly system, comprising:

• a. left and right elongated structures;
• each of said left and right elongated structures including a horizontally oriented flange having upper and lower surfaces and a cam member joined to said lower surface of said flange, extending downwardly and outwardly from said lower surface of said flange, and terminating in a free end;
• and a flexible living hinge connecting said free ends of said cam members;
• b. the one-piece flexible cap, wherein said left and right elongated structures are mirror images of each other;
• c. wherein each of said cam members includes an outwardly facing curved surface which extends from the lower surface of the respective flange to which it is joined to its free end;
• d. wherein each of said cam members further includes an inwardly facing cam nod at its free end;
• and,
• e. wherein each of said inwardly facing nodes includes an inwardly facing lower surface which begin, at the free end of the respective cam member and angles inwardly and upwardly to an inwardly facing vertical surface, and an inwardly facing upper surface which angles outwardly, and upwardly from said inwardly facing vertical surface.

A leg to shelf connection for a shelf assembly system, comprising:

• a. a shelf board having a top side, a bottom side, and a tapered bore extending therethrough from said top side to said bottom side, said tapered bore tapering from a large end at said bottom side to a small end at said top side;
• b. a circular tubular leg having a tapered end which matches the taper of said tapered bore in said shelf board, said tapered end of said circular tubular leg being inserted into said tapered bore in said shelf board from the large end of said tapered bore;
• c. a one-piece flexible cap locking said tapered end of said circular tubular leg within said tapered bore in said shelf board;
• and,
• d. wherein said one-piece flexible cap comprises left and right elongated structures each of said left and right elongated structures including a horizontally oriented flange having upper and lower surfaces and a cam member joined to said lower surface of said flange, extending downwardly and outwardly from said lower surface of said flange, and terminating in a free end;
• said lower surface of said flanges bearing against said top side of said shelf board, and said cam members residing within said tapered end of said circular tubular leg;
• and a flexible living hinge connecting the free ends of said cam members.

A leg to shelf connection for a shelf assembly system, comprising;

• a. a shelf board having a top side, a bottom side and a tapered bore extending therethrough from said top side to said bottom side, said tapered bore tapering from a large end at said bottom side to a small end at said top side;
• b. a first circular tubular leg having a tapered end which matches the taper of said tapered bore in said shelf board, said tapered end of said first circular tubular leg being inserted into said tapered bore in said shelf board from the large end of said tapered bore;
• c. a second circular tubular leg having a tapered end, said second circular tubular leg being located above the top side of said shelf board in vertical alignment with said first circular tubular leg;
• d. a one-piece flexible connector locking said tapered end of said first circular tubular leg within said tapered bore in said shelf board and securing said second circular tubular leg to said shelf board and to said first circular tubular leg;
• and
• e. wherein said one-niece flexible connector comprises left and right elongated structures;
• each of said left and right elongated structures including a centrally located horizontally oriented flange having upper and lower surfaces, an upper cam member joined to said upper surface of said flange, extending upwardly and outwardly from said upper surface of said flange, and terminating in a free end, and a lower cam member joined to said lower surface of said flange, extending downwardly and outwardly from said lower surface of said flange, and terminating in a free end;
• said lower surfaces of said flanges bearing against said top side of said shelf board;
• said lower cam members residing within said tapered end of said first circular tubular leg;
• said tampered end of said second tubular leg bearing against said upper surfaces of said flanges;
• said upper member residing within said tapered end of said second circular tubular leg;
• a first flexible living hinge connecting the free ends of the upper cam members;
• and a second flexible living hinge connecting the free ends of the lower cam members.

A shelf assembly system, comprising:

• a. a plurality of shelf boards, including at least a bottom shelf board and an uppermost shelf board, positioned in spaced relationship each above another, each shelf board having a top side and a bottom side;
• b. a plurality of tapered bores extending through each shelf board from the top side to the bottom side, each tapered bore tapering from a large end at the bottom side to a small end at the top side, said tapered bores being equal in number in each shelf board and positioned at corresponding locations in each shelf board, and the correspondingly located tapered bores in each shelf board being in direct vertical alignment with one another from the bottom shelf board to the uppermost shelf board;
• c. a plurality of circular tubular legs equal in number to the total number of tapered bores in all of the shelf boards, each of said circular tubular legs having at least a first tapered end inserted into a tapered bore from the large end of the tapered bore, and all of the circular tubular legs which are located between adjacent shelf boards having a second tapered end located above the small end of a tapered bore in alignment therewith;
• d. a plurality of one-piece flexible caps equal in number to the number of tapered bores in said uppermost shelf board, each of said one-piece flexible caps locking a tapered end of a circular tubular leg within a tapered bore of said uppermost shelf board;
• e. a plurality of one-piece flexible connectors equal in number to the total number of tapered bores in all of the shelf boards except said uppermost shelf board, each of said one-piece flexible connectors fastening tapered ends of two circular tubular legs to each other and to a shelf board at a tapered bore;
• f. each of said one-piece flexible caps comprises left and right elongated structures connected together by a flexible living hinge, each of said left and right elongated structure including a horizontally oriented flange having upper and lower surfaces and a cam member extending downwardly and outwardly from said lower surface of said flange, said lower surfaces of said flanges bearing against the top side of said uppermost shelf board above a tapered bore, and said cam members residing within the tapered end of the circular tubular leg located within that tapered bore;
• and,
• g. each of said one-piece flexible connectors comprises left and right elongated structures connected together by living hinges, each of said left and right elongated structures including a centrally located horizontally oriented flange having upper and lower surfaces, an upper can member joined to said upper surface of said flange and extending upwardly and outwardly from said upper surface of said flange, and a lower cam member joined to said lower surface of said flange and extending downwardly and outwardly from said lower surface of said flange, said lower surfaces of said flanges bearing against the top side of a shelf board above a tapered bore, said upper cam members residing within the tapered end of the circular tubular leg located above that tapered bore, and said lower cam members residing within the tapered end of the circular tubular leg located within that tapered bore.