GB2069321A - Frameworks - Google Patents

Abstract

An L section connector 23 connects together a horizontal beam and an upright 18 in for example a shelving framework by means of a number of hooks 26 bent out of the plane of the limb 24 of the connector 23 and engaged in holes 21 in the upright 18. The hooks 26 are formed by a stamping operation which involves deflecting inherently hook shaped areas out of the plane of the limb 24 thereby avoiding a subsequent bending operation to form the hook shape as is necessary with a known system. The hooks 26 form wedge shaped gaps with the remainder of the limb 24 so as to have a wedging action with the walls of the upright 18 and the openings 21 include cam surfaces 22 cooperable with the hooks 26 so as to draw the connector limb 25 into face to face abutting relation with a corresponding face of the upright 18. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Frameworks Description of Invention This invention relates to frameworks and in particular is concerned with a connecting means for connecting one member to another in a framework.

The invention has been devised primarily in relation to shelving but there is no limitation in this regard as it is also applicable to storage racking and to other similar structures.

One conventional form of shelving or racking comprises at least two end frames each having two spaced uprights interconnected by cross members, and a number of horizontal beams connected by connecting means at their ends to the uprights, the beams in the case of shelving being adapted to support shelves.

A known form of connecting means used in such shelving or racking, hereinafter referred to as connecting means of the kind specified, comprises a connecting element of L-shape in cross section which is secured to an end of a horizontal beam and fits against a longitudinal corner portion of an upright with its limbs in face-to-face contact with the face portions of the upright meeting at said corner, one limb of the element being parallel to the axis of the beam and being provided with at least one hook formation which is releasably engaged in an opening in the corresponding face portion of the upright to attach the beam to the upright, and the other limb facing in the direction of the beam and bearing against the corresponding face portion of the upright.

The hook formations of conventional connecting means of the kind specified usually comprise a tongue stamped out from the metal connecting element and comprising a first portion bent at an angle to the limb concerned so as to project from the limb, and a second portion bent downwardly at an angle to the first portion so as to be spaced from the limb. Such a hook formation has the disadvantage that it is difficult to form since it requires bending in two different directions in a confined space.

The present invention has for its object to provide an improved form of connecting means for frameworks, and a particular object is to overcome the above disadvantage in a connecting means of the kind specified.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided in a framework, a connecting means for connecting together two members of the framework, the connecting means including a plate which is secured to one member and bears in face-to-face contact against the other member, the plate having a hook formation protecting from the face thereof and engaged in an opening in the other member to secure the plate and hence said one member to said other member, wherein the hook formation comprises a planar part disposed in a plane at an angle to said face of the plate.

The hook formation is preferably formed integrally with the plate and conveniently stamped out from the plate, a piece of a shape corresponding to the shape of the formation being cut from the plate and bent relative to the plate.

When the invention is applied to a connecting means of the kind specified, for example in shelving or racking, the plate referred to is constituted by the relevant limb of the connecting element.

Thus, according to a second aspect of the invention there is provided in a framework, for example shelving or racking, a connecting means of the kind specified wherein the hook formation comprises a planar part disposed in a single plane at an angle to the limb concerned.

It will be appreciated that, in this application of the invention, the hook formation is easier to form than the known form of hook formation since it involves bending in only one direction.

The hook formation may comprise a first portion extending from the plate,and a second portion extending laterally from the outer end of the first portion so as to be spaced from the plate and provide a gap therebetween, a portion of that part of the wall of the other member which defines the opening therein being received in said gap and the opening being formed so that the hook formation is movable in the opening to disengage it from said wall portion thereby to facilitate separation of the members.

Preferably the inner edge of the second portion of the hook formation is inclined relative to the plate so that the said gap tapers towards its base, whereby the said wall portion is engaged with a wedging action in the gap. Thus, on engagement of the hook formation in the opening, the plate is drawn into face-to-face contact with the other member by camming action of the inclined edge of the hook formation.

In a connecting means of the kind specified, it is required that the limb without the hook formation is also drawn into face-to-face abutting contact with the opposed face portion of the upright.

Previously this has been effected by cam faces on the hook formation, but the present invention enables a simpler arrangement to be adopted, namely the provision of at least one cam face in the opening to engage the edge of the hook formation.

The invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings which show one form of shelving embodying the invention.

In the drawings: FIGURES 1 and 2 show one form of beam which may be incorporated in the shelving with two different forms of shelf, FIGURE 3 shows another form of beam which may be used, FIGURES 4, 5 and 6 are respectively a cross section, a rear elevation and a side elevation of one of the uprights of the shelving, FIGURES 7, 8 and 9 are respectively a rear elevation, a side elevation and a cross section of one of the connecting elements of the shelving, and FIGURE 10 is an enlarged side view of one of the hook formations of a connecting element.

The shelving of this example comprises a number of load-supporting end frames each comprising two spaced uprights interconnected by a plurality of bracing members, a plurality of horizontal beams and connecting elements for connecting the beams to the uprights.

The beams may be of any appropriate form and Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings show two examples. The example of Figures 1 and 2 comprises a hollow member 10 generally of rectangular cross section but with a rebate 11 to support a shelf which may be a metal shelf 12 having a downwardly and inwardly turned flange 13 as shown in Figure 1, or a chipboard shelf 14 as shown in Figure 2. The example of Figure 3 is a hollow member 1 6 generally of rectangular cross section carrying an elongate support member 16 which has an inverted U-section portion to fit over the beam and a laterally projecting flange to support a shelf which may be a chipboard shelf 17. In both cases the beam is a cold rolled section.

Each upright comprises an elongate hollow member 18 formed as a rolled metal section as shown in Figures 4 to 6. The member is generally of rectangular cross section with an elongate depression 1 9 extending centrally along its front face and with two spaced parallel flanges 20 projecting centrally from its rear face. These flanges are formed with holes to facilitate connection of the bracing members (not shown) to the uprights. Each bracing member is of rectangular cross section with flattened ends to be located between the pairs of flanges 20 of the respective uprights of the end frame concerned, each end having a hole which registers with holes in the pair of flanges concerned to receive securing means.

The two portions of the rear face of the upright at the respective sides of the pair of flanges 20 are each formed with a longitudinal series of openings 21 each of elongated octagonal form. Thus, each opening has four inclined cam faces 22, each being at an angle of 300 to the vertical. The openings are intended to receive hook formations on the connecting elements.

Each connecting element comprises, as shown in Figures 7 to 10, a member 23 of L-shape in cross section to fit against a longitudinal corner portion of an upright 1 8 with one limb 24 thereof in face-to-face contact with one of the portions of the upright formed with a series of openings 21 and the other limb 25 thereof in face-to-face contact with the adjacent side of the upright.

The limb 25 faces in the direction of the associated beam and has the beam welded or otherwise secured to it. The limb 24 is parallel to the axis of the beam and is provided with three (or any other appropriate number) hook formations 26.

Each hook formation is formed integrally with the connecting element. A piece of a shape corresponding to the shape of the formation is cut or stamped from the element and bent relative thereto so that the hook formation is of planar form and disposed in a single plane at right angles to the limb 24.

Each hook formation comprises a first portion 27 extending from the limb and a second portion 28 extending laterally from the outer end of the first portion so as to be spaced from the limb and provide a gap therebetween. When the hook formation is engaged in an opening 21 in an upright the lower portion of that part of the wall of the upright which defines the opening, is received in said gap.

The inner edge 29 of the second portion 28 of the hook formation is inclined relative to the limb 24 so that the gap tapers towards its base. On engagement of the hook formation in the opening, therefore, the inclined edge 29 exerts a camming action on said lower portion of the wall of the upright to draw the limb 24 into abutting engagement with the corresponding face of the upright. The hook engagement is therefore provided by the said lower portion of the opening being gripped between the inner edge 29 of the hook formation and the limb 24.

Also, on engagement of the hook formation in the opening, the cam faces 22 formed by edge portions of the opening act on the hook formation to urge the connecting element sideways thereby to draw the limb 25 into abutting engagement with the corresponding face of the upright.

The openings 21 are of elongate form to facilitate vertical movement of the hook formations and their engagement with, and disengagement from the upright. The heightwise positions of the beams and hence the shelves are therefore adjustable.

The shelving is designed to have a long span of the order of 6 to 10 feet. There may be any desired number of end frames, the upright of each end frame being designed to have two beams connected to it at opposite sides thereof by virtue of the provision of two series of openings 21.

Claims (11)

1. A framework in which two frame members are connected together by connecting means including a plate which is secured to a first one of said members and bears in face-to-face contact against the second frame member, the plate having a hook formation projecting from the face thereof and engaged in an opening in the second frame member to connect the frame members together, said hook formation comprising a planar part disposed in a plane at an angle to said face of the plate.

2. A framework as claimed in Claim 1 in which the hook formation is formed integrally with the plate.

3. A framework including a connecting means of the kind specified wherein the hook formation comprises a planar part disposed in a single plane at an angle to the limb concern.

4. A framework in which two frame members are connected together by a connector plate which is secured to a first of the frame members and is disposed with one face thereof in face to face relation with the second frame member, the connector plate having a hook formation projecting from said one face and engaged in an opening in the second frame member to connect the two frame members together, characterised in that the hook formation is defined by an inherently hook shaped area of the plate deflected angularly relative to the remainder of the plate.

5. A framework as claimed in Claim 4 characterised in that said area comprises a number of angularly related portions.

6. A framework as claimed in Claim 5 characterised in that said area has been deflected relative to the remainder of the plate without deflecting said portions relative to each other about an axis perpendicular to the opposite faces of said area.

7. A framework as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6 in which said hook formation comprises a first portion extending from the plate and a second portion extending laterally from the outer end of the first portion to form a gap between itself and the plate for reception of part of the wall bounding said opening.

8. A framework as claimed'in Claim 7 in which said gap is wedge shaped.

9. A framework as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 8 in which the connector plate is connected to a second plate which extends at an angle thereto so that when said one face of the connector plate bears against one face of the second frame member, the second plate bears against another face of the second frame member.

10. A framework as claimed in Claim 9 in which the or each opening includes a cam face cooperable with said hook formation so that, as the hook formation seats onto the wall bounding the opening, the second plate is drawn into face to face abutting relation with the corresponding face of said second frame member.

11. A framework substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.