EP0281479B1 - Racks - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to interior shelves comprising superposed horizontal shelves supported by vertical uprights forming legs, each of these uprights comprising a metal tube and a lower screw jack mounted at the lower end of the tube, as is known by document FR-A-1444948.

It aims, above all, to make these shelves particularly stable and easy to manufacture and assemble, whatever the height under ceiling of the reception room and the state of flatness of the ground or floor.

To this end, the shelves according to the invention are characterized in that each of their uprights further comprises an upper cylinder mounted at the upper end of the tube, in the opposite direction to the lower cylinder, and in that each cylinder comprises itself even a threaded rod of hard plastic, the outside diameter of which is only slightly less than the inside diameter of the tube, rod introduced into the tube over a relatively long length, a nut of hard plastic screwed onto this rod and bearing axially against the corresponding end edge of the tube, and a pressure distribution base attached to the end of the threaded rod, outside the tube.

• ― la matière plastique dure est une résine acétal,
• ― chaque montant est perforé d'une suite de paires de trous diamétralement en regard, propres à recevoir des barrettes de support des tablettes,
• ― les portions, de chaque tablette, qui reposent sur une barrette sont deux pans de cette tablette disposés de part et d'autre d'une encoche profonde évidée dans un petit côté de ladite tablette, encoche dont les bords sont propres à chevaucher jointivement chaque tube.

In preferred embodiments, use is also made of one and / or the other of the following arrangements:

• - the hard plastic is an acetal resin,
• - each upright is perforated with a series of pairs of diametrically facing holes, suitable for receiving shelves supporting bars,
• - The portions of each tablet, which rest on a bar are two sides of this tablet arranged on either side of a deep notch hollowed out in a small side of said tablet, notch whose edges are adapted to overlap each tube.

The invention includes, apart from these main provisions, certain other provisions which are preferably used at the same time and which will be more explicitly discussed below.

• Les figures 1 et 2, de ce dessin, montrent respectivement en élévation et en vue latérale selon II-II, figure 1, une étagère établie selon l'invention.
• La figure 3 est une élévation à plus grande échelle et portions arrachées de la base d'un montant de cette étagère.
• La figure 4 est une vue en plan, également à plus grande échelle et parties arrachées, de la portion, de ladite étagère, désignée par la flèche IV sur la figure 1.

In what follows, a preferred embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the attached drawing, of course, in a non-limiting manner.

• Figures 1 and 2, of this drawing, show respectively in elevation and in side view along II-II, Figure 1, a shelf established according to the invention.
• Figure 3 is an elevation on a larger scale and portions cut away from the base of an upright of this shelf.
• FIG. 4 is a plan view, also on a larger scale and parts broken away, of the portion of said shelf, designated by arrow IV in FIG. 1.

The shelf includes two vertical uprights 1 forming legs and horizontal shelves 2.

Each upright comprises a metal tube 3 and two screw jacks 4 mounted in opposite directions on the two ends of the tube 3 respectively.

• ― une tige filetée 5 dont le diamètre extérieur, relativement gros, et généralement compris entre 2,5 et 4 cm, de préférence de l'ordre de 3 cm, n'est que faiblement inférieur au diamètre intérieur du tube 3 et dont la longueur est relativement grande, étant généralement comprise entre 15 et 30 cm, de préférence de l'ordre de 20 cm,
• ― un écrou 6 coopérant avec la tige 5,
• ― et une embase 7 rapportée sur une extrémité de cette tige.

Each cylinder 4 itself comprises:

• A threaded rod 5 whose outside diameter, relatively large, and generally between 2.5 and 4 cm, preferably of the order of 3 cm, is only slightly less than the inside diameter of the tube 3 and whose length is relatively large, being generally between 15 and 30 cm, preferably of the order of 20 cm,
• A nut 6 cooperating with the rod 5,
• - And a base 7 attached to one end of this rod.

The end of the rod disposed on the side of the base 7 is preferably pierced axially by a threaded bore, which is lined with a threaded metal pin 8, a pin which axially passes through a central hole hollowed in the base 7.

The rod 5, the nut 6 and the base 7 are preferably made of a hard plastic material capable of being dyed in the mass, for example in white or in black. Such a material is advantageously an acetal resin such as that sold under the name DELRIN.

Each tube 3 is pierced by a series of pairs of diametrically opposite holes 9 suitable for receiving rigid bars 10 for carrying the shelves.

The short sides of these shelves are hollowed out by deep grooves 11, the bottom of which has the shape of a semicircle and the parallel sides of which are suitable for overlapping the tubes 3.

To set up an upright 1 between the floor 12 and the ceiling 13 of a room spaced from each other by a height H, the procedure is as follows.

We start by cutting the tube 3 to a length of about 20 cm less than the height H.

The two jacks are introduced into the two ends of this tube, with their nuts relatively close to their bases.

If pins 8 are provided, two small positioning holes are drilled respectively in the floor and in the ceiling to receive these pins and these are introduced into these holes after having adjusted by screwing their lengths which protrude outside the bases 7.

Then the two nuts 6 are screwed so as to apply them axially against the edges opposite the tube 3, which at the same time applies the two bases 7 respectively against the floor 12 and against the ceiling 13.

This simple screwing ensures an extremely solid fixing of the upright 1 between the floor and the ceiling.

In particular, the vertical guidance of the tube 3 is ensured by the fact that the portions of the rods 5 introduced almost contiguously into its two ends are relatively long, and in general both greater than 10 cm.

To place a shelf 2 on two of these uprights previously put in place, two strips 10 are threaded into two pairs of corresponding holes 9 provided respectively in these two uprights at the same level, then the shelf is tilted so that one of its short sides are at the bottom and this short side is placed on one of the two bars, overlapping the corresponding tube 3 by the edges of the notch 11 hollowed out in said short side.

The other small side of the shelf is then lowered and, when it reaches its horizontal position, the edges of the notch 11 hollowed out in this other side overlap the second upright, and the two sections of shelves delimiting this notch rest on the second bar: indeed, of course, the distance separating the bottoms of the two notches 11 of the tablet has been chosen equal to the distance which separates the two faces opposite the uprights.

Following which, and whatever the embodiment adopted, we finally have a shelf whose constitution and assembly result sufficiently from the above.

This shelf has many advantages over those previously known: in particular it is extremely easy to adapt it to premises with different ceiling heights and inclined or irregular floors; in addition, it is robust, aesthetic, consisting of a very small number of elements and its assembly does not require any tool of the type of screwdrivers or tightening wrenches.

• ― celles où l'embase 7 du vérin supérieur ne prendrait appui que légèrement sur un faux-plafond ou analogue, la pression axiale nécessaire à la fixation du montant étant alors transmise plus haut à un vrai plafond par l'intermédiaire de la tige centrale 8, prévue suffisamment longue à cet effet,
• ― celles où certaines au moins des tablettes 2 s'étendraient dissymétriquement par rapport aux montants 1, comme c'est le cas pour celle, élargie, représentée en bas de la figure 2, qui constitue par exemple un plan de travail,
• ― celles où certaines au moins des tablettes seraient des éléments constitutifs d'ensembles plus complexes tels que caissons, casiers, ossatures de réception pour dossiers suspendus, etc.

As is obvious, and as already follows from the above, the invention, as defined by the claims, is in no way limited to those of its modes of application and embodiments which have been more specifically considered; on the contrary, it embraces all variants, in particular:

• - those where the base 7 of the upper cylinder would bear only slightly on a false ceiling or the like, the axial pressure necessary for fixing the amount then being transmitted higher to a real ceiling by means of the central rod 8 , provided long enough for this purpose,
• - those where at least some of the shelves 2 extend asymmetrically with respect to the uprights 1, as is the case for the enlarged one, represented at the bottom of FIG. 2, which constitutes for example a work plan,
• - those where at least some of the shelves would be constituent elements of more complex sets such as boxes, lockers, reception frames for hanging files, etc.

Claims (4)

1. Inside shelving including horizontal superimposed shelves (2) supported by vertical uprights (1) forming supports, each one of these uprights comprising a metal tube (3) and a lower screw jack (4) mounted on the lower end of the tube, characterised in that each upright further comprises an upper screw jack (4) mounted on the upper end of the tube in opposite direction to the lower screw jack and in that each screw jack itself comprises a threaded rod (5) made of hard plastic material whose external diameter is only slightly less than the internal diameter of the tube, which rod is inserted in the tube over a relatively great length, a nut (6) made of hard plastic material screwed on this rod and bearing axially against the corresponding end edge of the tube, and a pressure distribution base (7) fixed to the end of the threaded rod outside the tube.

2. Shelving according to claim 1, characterised in that the hard plastic material is an acetal resin.

3. Shelving according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that each upright is formed with a series of pairs of diamatrically opposite holes (9), adapted for receiving bars (10) supporting the shelves.

4. Shelving according to claim 3, characterised in that the portions of each shelve which rest on a bar (10) are two portions of this shelve disposed on each side of a deep slot (11) formed in a small side of said shelve, the edges of each slot being adapted for jointingly straddling each tube.

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