Portion of shelf and support for shelving unit

{
  "publication_number": "US9375102B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Portion of shelf and support for shelving unit",
  "abstract": "A shelving unit includes formed front and rear beams providing shelf supporting and lower flanges, respectively. A C-shaped tie bar extends centrally between respective front and rear beams and is captured between the beam flanges with tie bar ends engaging the beams providing loaded shelf support and resisting loaded beam twisting.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A shelving unit comprising: a plurality of corner columns front and rear shelf supporting beams; each beam connected at respective ends thereof to respective corner column; each beam including a first vertical component in a single vertical plane, and having two sides, an upper surface extending from one of said sides; a second vertical component extending downwardly away from said upper surface; said first and second vertical components being spaced apart and parallel; a shelf supporting flange extending solely in a single horizontal plane from a lower edge of said second vertical component for supporting a shelf beneath said upper surface lower than said upper surface, and a lower flange, spaced from, parallel and beneath said shelf supporting flange and said upper surface; said upper surface, and said lower flange extending in separate horizontal planes and in parallel directions away from the same one of said sides of said first vertical component of said beam, said upper surface oriented at a level above said shelf supporting flange; said shelving unit further comprising a tie bar having two respective ends; each end of said tie bar engaging and captured between said shelf supporting flange and said lower flange of a front and a rear supporting beam respectively; said tie bar providing resistance to twisting of said beams in which it is captured due to uneven shelf loading.",
    "2. A shelving unit as in claim 1 wherein said tie bar comprises a channel including two upstanding sides and a flange extending along an upper edge of each side, each said flange engaging an underside of said shelf support flange beneath and spaced from a beam upper surface.",
    "3. A shelving unit as in claim 2 further including a shelf support surface on the shelf support flange of each beam and a shelf support surface on said tie bar flanges intermediate respective ends of said tie bar.",
    "4. A shelving unit as in claim 3 wherein said tie bar is fastened to said lower flange of each beam.",
    "5. A shelving unit as in claim 3 wherein said one side of said first vertical component of each said beam comprises an inner side disposed between said shelf support flange and said lower flange and wherein a respective end of said tie bar engages a respective said inner side of each said beam.",
    "6. A shelving unit as in claim 2 wherein said tie bar has a predetermined height between a lower portion of a bight member thereof and a shelf support surface defined by a shelf-supporting flange thereof, said height approximately equal to a distance between facing surfaces of said shelf support flange of said beams and the lower flange of said beams.",
    "7. A shelving unit comprising: a plurality of columns; front and rear beams; each said beam connected to respective ones of said corner columns; each said beam having a first beam face component in a single vertical plane and further said beams comprising an upper flange defining an upper surface; a shelf supporting flange in a single horizontal plane beneath and spaced from said upper flange; and a lower flange spaced away from said shelf supporting flange and said upper flange; each flange extending in parallel directions away from a same side of said beam in single horizontal planes parallel to the direction of extension of each other flange; a second beam face parallel and spaced from said first beam face; said shelf support supporting flange extending from an edge of said second beam face; a shelf disposed on said shelf supporting flange of respective front and rear beams; a tie bar having two ends, each end respectively captured between an underside of said shelf supporting flange of each beam and an upper side of said lower flange of each beam; said tie bar ends respectively engaging at least said one side of one of said beams between said shelf supporting flange and said lower flange; said tie bar resisting twisting of said beams in which it is captured; said tie bar providing integrity and stability to said shelving unit.",
    "8. A shelving unit comprising: a plurality of corner columns front and rear shelf supporting beams; each beam having a bracket secured to each end of said beam, each said bracket having a side and tabs therein for interconnecting to said columns, with said beam being connected at respective ends thereof to respective corner column; each beam including a first vertical component in a single vertical plane, and having two sides, an upper surface, a second vertical component, a shelf supporting flange extending solely in a single horizontal plane from an edge of said second vertical component for supporting a shelf beneath said upper surface lower than said upper surface, and a lower flange spaced from, parallel and beneath said shelf supporting flange and said upper surface; said upper surface, said shelf supporting flange and said lower flange extending in separate horizontal planes and in parallel directions away from a single one of said sides of said first and second vertical components of said beam, respectively; said upper surface oriented at a level above said shelf supporting flange; said shelving unit further comprising a tie bar having two respective ends; each end of said tie bar engaging and captured between said shelf supporting flange and said lower flange of a front and a rear supporting beam respectively; said tie bar providing resistance to twisting of said beams in which it is captured due to uneven shelf loading."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "This invention relates to shelving and more particularly to a shelving unit offering improved structural and load support.\n\nIt is known to provide shelving having vertical corner columns, cross-beams and shelves supported by the beams in a variety of configurations. Structural integrity and load capacity are significant factors in the unit design. The load stresses caused by overloading or asymmetric loading can twist or sag shelving components.\n\nAccordingly, it is desired to provide a shelving unit having improved structural configuration and improved resistance to deformation due to loading.\n\nIt is another objection of the invention to provide improved shelf support beams in combination with structural support elements.\n\nIt is also an objective of this invention to provide an improved shelving unit which can be shipped in a flat disassembled state and easily erected to provide a structurally sound and improved shelving unit.\n\nTo these ends, a preferred embodiment of the invention includes a four-column shelving unit having unique front and rear shelf-support beams respectively therebetween and a cooperating tie bar having ends fitting into the beams at positions intermediate the beam ends and defining upper shelf-supporting flanges extending perpendicular to the front and rear beams. The tie bar is preferably a formed channel having horizontally-extended, shelf-supporting flanges along its upper edges. The front and rear beams are formed to define an upper shelf supporting flange and a lower flange which cooperate to capture the ends of a tie bar disposed therebetween.",
  "cpc": [
    "A47F 5/01",
    "A47B 47/021",
    "A47B 57/402",
    "A47B 96/02"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "A47F 5/00",
    "A47B 47/02",
    "A47B 57/40",
    "A47B 96/02",
    "A47F 5/01"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Edsal Manufacturing Co Inc"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Anthony J. Troyner",
    "David J. Wojtowicz",
    "Thomas St. Germain",
    "Antonio Luis Escalante"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2010-07-02",
  "publication_date": "2016-06-28",
  "grant_date": "2016-06-28",
  "priority_date": "2010-07-02",
  "application_number": "US-82972610-A",
  "family_id": "45398896",
  "cited_by_count": 64,
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}