FLOATING SHELF WITH INTERNAL DOWEL AND RAIL MOUNTING SYSTEM

Abstract

A shelving and storage system is provided. The system comprises a rectangular mounting rail attached horizontally to a wall surface, the rail exhibiting a first plurality of vertical holes bored through the rail from an upward facing surface of the rail. The system also comprises a modular shelf assembly comprising a rectangular five-sided box, an open sixth side, and a second plurality of vertical holes bored fully through an upward facing surface of the box and a lower set of smaller diameter holes bored fully through a bottom facing surface of the assembly. The system receives placement over and enveloping the rail and against the wall surface with the sixth side contacting the wall surface in a flush manner. The system also receives, during the placement, a first insertion of the mounting rail into the open sixth side. Retaining dowels placed in the vertical holes bind the components together.

Claims

1. A shelving and storage system, comprising: a rectangular mounting rail attached horizontally to a wall surface, the rail exhibiting a first plurality of vertical holes bored through the rail from an upward facing surface of the rail; a modular shelf assembly comprising a rectangular five-sided box, an open sixth side, and a second plurality of vertical holes bored fully through an upward facing surface of the box and a lower set of smaller diameter holes bored fully through a bottom facing surface of the assembly that: receives placement over and enveloping the rail and against the wall surface with the sixth side contacting the wall surface in a flush manner, receives, during the placement, a first insertion of the mounting rail into the open sixth side, and receives, after the placement and after the first insertion, a second insertion of retaining dowels into the second plurality of vertical holes and thereafter into the first plurality of vertical holes.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein dimensions of the mounting rail align with dimensions of the open sixth side, thus promoting tight installation of the shelf assembly over the rail and against the wall surface.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of holes is positioned in the rail and the second plurality of holes are positioned in the upper surface of the box such that after the first insertion, the second plurality aligns with the first plurality and facilitates the second insertion of retaining dowels.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the mounting rail attaches to the wall surface via screws into wall studs concealed by the wall surface.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the dowels are removable via upward pushing action through smaller diameter cylinder holes in an underside surface of the shelf assembly, the smaller holes leading to bottom ends of the dowels.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein size of dowels used depends on size of shelf and intended weight of objects to be placed upon shelf.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein when fully installed, the system exhibits a cantilever appearance with no visible support hardware.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein selected surfaces of the shelf assembly are covered with cladding material.

9. A floating shelf system with a cantilevered appearance comprising: a rectangular flat box with one lengthwise side open and facing a wall surface; a mounting rail attached to the wall surface and residing inside the open lengthwise side; and retaining dowel pins inserted through holes in an upward facing surface of the box and into vertical holes in the rail, the pins binding the box to the rail.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the upward facing surface of the box serves as a shelf surface.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the mounting rail is not visible when the system is fully installed.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the pins are removable when the shelf system is to be dismantled.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the holes in the box and holes in the rail are positioned such that after the box is placed against the wall and over the rail, the holes in the box and the rail align with each other and facilitate insertion of retaining dowel pins.

14. A shelving system for displaying lightweight objects and without visible support hardware, comprising: a shelf assembly comprising a rectangular box structure with one lengthwise side open, the open side positioned flush against a wall surface; a mounting rail installed horizontally against the wall surface, the rail fitting inside the open lengthwise side of the box structure upon positioning of the open lengthwise side against the wall surface; vertical dowels placed through first holes in an upper surface of the box structure, through second holes in the mounting rail, and resting immediately above third holes in a lower surface of the box structure.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein length and height of the mounting rail align with length and height of the open lengthwise side, the alignment promoting a tight installation of the shelf assembly over the rail and against the wall surface.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the placement of dowels secures the shelf assembly to the mounting rail.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the mounting rail attaches to the wall surface screws into via wall studs concealed by the wall surface.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the dowels are removable via upward pushing action through smaller diameter cylinder holes in an underside surface of the shelf assembly, the smaller holes leading to bottom ends of the dowels.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein size of dowels used depends on size of shelf and intended weight of objects to be placed atop the shelf assembly.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein when fully installed, the system has a cantilever appearance with no visible support hardware.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0008] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system of a system of a floating shelf with internal dowel and rail mounting system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0009] FIG. 2 is a diagram of a system of a system of a floating shelf with internal dowel and rail mounting system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0010] FIG. 3 is a diagram of a system of a system of a floating shelf with internal dowel and rail mounting system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] Systems and methods described herein provide a floating shelf system that attaches to a planar wall surface in a cantilevered manner. Three basic components comprise a mounting rail, a boxlike shelf assembly, and retaining dowels that bind the shelf assembly to the rail and thereby to the wall. The shelf system when installed appears to float as it has no visible supporting components.

[0012] The mounting rail attaches horizontally to a wall surface via screws into wall studs concealed inside the wall. The shelf assembly is a standard six-sided rectangular box with one of the six panels not fully present and that side therefore partially open.

[0013] The box comprises rectangular upper and lower flat horizontal surfaces, two shortened end panels, and only one long side panel instead of two. The space for the missing second long side panel is an insertion point for the horizontal mounting rail when the shelf assembly is placed horizontally against the wall. The partially missing long side panel is the portion of the shelf assembly that is placed against the wall and receives insertion of the similarly sized mounting rail.

[0014] The system is designed such that the mounting rail, which is itself a long, boxlike rectangle, has length and height dimensions equivalent to the dimensions of the open side panel of the shelf assembly. This characteristic of the system allows the shelf assembly to effectively fit over the mounting rail and firmly against the wall surface.

[0015] The shelf assembly, in its normal flat position, is gently pushed toward to wall and over the horizontal mounting rail which enters the open panel of the shelf assembly based on this action. As the mounting rail and the open panel are of similar dimensions, the fit of the mounting rail into the open panel should be precise and tight, although not so tight that the two components cannot later be decoupled in the event the shelf is to be deinstalled.

[0016] Both the mounting rail and the shelf assembly have holes bored vertically through them and spaced along their horizontal surfaces that align with each other. Therefore, when the shelf assembly is placed fully against the wall surface with the rail fully inside the assembly, the holes in the upper surface of the shelf assembly align with the holes in the upper surface of the mounting rail. The alignment of the holes allows the wooden retaining dowel pins to be inserted in a downward fashion that bind the shelf assembly to the mounting rail.

[0017] As the shelf assembly is actually a box with an upper and lower surface, with the gap between the surfaces accommodating the mounting rail, the lower surface of the shelf assembly also has vertical holes that penetrate completely through it. The bottom of the dowel pin appearing at the underside of the lower surface can be pushed upward, the upward pushing done in the event removal of the dowel pin and decoupling of the shelf and the mounting rail is desired.

[0018] The dowel pin is of uniform width throughout. When inserted into the cylindrical vertical hole of the top shelf surface, the dowel penetrates the mounting rail to rest on top of the lower shelf surface to prevent the dowel from falling through and out from the lower surface when installed. The vertical channel within the lower surface is shaped to be of smaller diameter than the dowel pin. The cylindrical vertical hole on the underside of the lower surface accommodates a user pushing the bottom of the dowel upward to begin the process of removing the dowel and decoupling the shelf and mounting rail.

[0019] Turning to the figures, FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system of a system of a floating shelf with internal dowel and rail mounting system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 depicts components of a system 100 provided herein comprising a shelf assembly 102 and a mounting rail 104. The shelf assembly 102 comprises an upper surface 106, a lower surface 108, a side cladding 110, a rear surface 112, a first end cladding 114, and a second end cladding 116. The claddings 110, 114, 116 are trim pieces. Also provided by system 100 are three spacing blocks 126a-c. The spacing blocks 126a-c are situated inside the shelf assembly 102 between the upper surface 106 and the lower surface 108 and provide the spacing between the surfaces 106, 108 and for the mounting rail 104 and provide structural support for the entire system 100. The spacing blocks 126a-c are located one per each end of the shelf assembly 102 and at the rear surface 112, i.e. the side opposite the side that abuts the wall surface. The spacing blocks 126a, 126b, and 126c are concealed by the first end cladding 114, the side cladding 110, and the second end cladding 116, respectively.

[0020] The system 100 also comprises three dowel pins 118a-c, a rail insertion space 120, three dowel removal bores 122a-c, and three mounting rail insertion holes 124a-c. The side cladding 110, and the second end cladding 116 are not visible in FIG. 1. Also not visible in FIG. 1 are upper surface insertion holes on the upper surface 106 into which the dowel pins 118a-c are placed. In an embodiment, more than or less than quantity three dowel pins 118a-c, three upper surface insertion holes, three dowel removal bores 122a-c, and three mounting rail insertion holes 124a-c may be provided herein.

[0021] The rail insertion space 120 is not a physical component and is rather an open area of the rear surface 112 into which the mounting rail 104 is inserted. While some of the discussion above has described the sixth side (the rear surface 112) which abuts a wall surface as open or missing, in embodiments only a portion of the sixth side is missing comprising the opening described above (the rail insertion space 120) for placement of the mounting rail 104. The three mounting rail insertion holes 124a-c are on the top or upward facing surface of the mounting rail 104.

[0022] The mounting rail 104 is first attached to the desired location on a wall surface via screws into concealed wall studs or via other method. The use of drywall anchors is also a possibility, though less preferred when the application requires maximum weight-bearing capacity. The mounting rail 104 could include a built-in bubble level although this component is not shown. The shelf assembly 102 is then placed over the mounting rail 104 via the rail insertion space 120 receiving insertion of the mounting rail 104 as a user gently pushes the shelf assembly 102 over the mounting rail 104 and toward the wall with the rear surface 112 eventually abutting the wall surface.

[0023] When this action is complete, the upper surface insertion holes (not shown in FIG. 1) on the upper surface 106 then align with the mounting rail insertion holes 124a-c such that the dowel pins 118a-c may be inserted into the upper surface insertion holes. The dowel pins 118a-c then slide downward through the upper surface 106 and thereafter down through the mounting rail insertion holes 124a-c and into the body of the mounting rail 104.

[0024] Once the inserted dowel pins 118a-c have penetrated via gentle downward pressure through the upper surface 106 and through the mounting rail 104, the dowel pins 118a-c then rest upon the lower surface 108 immediately above the dowel removal bores 122a-c. The three dowel removal bores 122a-c are holes in the top of the lower surface 108 as described above that penetrate entirely through the lower surface 108 while maintaining a consistent diameter that is much narrower than the diameter of the inserted dowel pins 118a-c.

[0025] As noted above, at the exit points at the underside of the lower surface 108, the dowel removal bores 122a-c are of significantly less diameter than the diameter of the dowel pins 118a-c to prevent the dowel pins 118a-c from falling through and out of the lower surface 108. But the dowel removal bores 122a-c allow a user to use a small tool to force the dowel pins 118a-c up and eventually out of the upper surface 106 when the shelf assembly 102 and the mounting rail 104 are to be decoupled and the system 100 dismantled and removed entirely.

[0026] Cladding is protective material that may be cosmetically attractive and comprises the side cladding 110, the first end cladding 114, and the second end cladding 116. These three surfaces are visible to users and are fully exposed. The upper surface 106 is of course also fully exposed and may be covered by cladding or other material as the upper surface 106 is the location for placement and display of lightweight objects.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a diagram of a system of a floating shelf with internal dowel and rail mounting system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Components of FIG. 2 are provided by a system 200 and are indexed to components of FIG. 1. While all components of the system 100 are provided by the system 200, only selected components of the system 200 are depicted in FIG. 2.

[0028] The shelf assembly 202 and mounting rail 204 are depicted. The upper surface 206 is enumerated as are the three spacing blocks 226a-c. The dowel pins 218a-c are shown as are the dowel removal bores 222a-c. The rail insertion space 220 is also shown in FIG. 2 as is the lower surface 208.

[0029] The mounting rail 204 slides straight into the rail insertion space 220 of the shelf assembly 202. The dowel pins 218a-c are then pushed downward through the upper surface 206 and through the mounting rail 204. Once through the mounting rail 204, the dowel pins 218a-c then rest immediately over the dowel removal bores 222a-c in the lower surface 208 as described above for the system 100.

[0030] FIG. 3 is a diagram of a system of a system of a floating shelf with internal dowel and rail mounting system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Components of FIG. 3 are provided by a system 300 and are indexed to components of FIG. 1. While all components of the system 100 are provided by the system 300, only selected components of the system 300 are depicted in FIG. 3.

[0031] FIG. 3 is directed to illustrating the underside of the shelf assembly 302. The dowels pins 318a-c (318a-c not shown) are one consistent diameter. The dowel removal bores 322a-c are open holes that are smaller than the dowel pin diameter. The dowel removal bores 322a-c line up directly underneath each dowel pin bore in the mounting rail.

[0032] FIG. 3 provides an x-ray detail showing the dowel pin 318a inserted through the mounting rail 304 with the small diameter cylinder beneath the dowel pin 318a representing a bore that allows for removal of the dowel pin 318a from the lower surface. The shape of the dowel removal bore 322a is of a smaller diameter than the dowel pin 318a to prevent it from falling through and out which could lead to unintentional decoupling of the shelf assembly 302 and the mounting rail 304.

[0033] In an embodiment, a shelving and storage system is provided. The system comprises a rectangular mounting rail attached horizontally to a wall surface, the rail exhibiting a first plurality of vertical holes bored through the rail from an upward facing surface of the rail. The system also comprises a modular shelf assembly comprising a rectangular five-sided box, an open sixth side, and a second plurality of vertical holes bored fully through an upward facing surface of the box and a lower set of smaller diameter holes bored fully through a bottom facing surface of the assembly. The system receives placement over and enveloping the rail and against the wall surface with the sixth side contacting the wall surface in a flush manner. The system also receives, during the placement, a first insertion of the mounting rail into the open sixth side. The system also receives, after the placement and after the first insertion, a second insertion of retaining dowels into the second plurality of vertical holes and thereafter into the first plurality of vertical holes.

[0034] Dimensions of the mounting rail align with dimensions of the open sixth side, thus promoting tight installation of the shelf assembly over the rail and against the wall surface. The first plurality of holes is positioned in the rail and the second plurality of holes are positioned in the upper surface of the box such that after the first insertion, the second plurality aligns with the first plurality and facilitates the second insertion of retaining dowels.

[0035] The mounting rail attaches to the wall surface via screws into wall studs concealed by the wall surface. The dowels are removable via upward pushing action through smaller diameter cylinder holes in an underside surface of the shelf assembly, the smaller holes leading to bottom ends of the dowels.

[0036] Size of dowels used depends on size of shelf and intended weight of objects to be placed upon shelf. When fully installed, the system exhibits a cantilever appearance with no visible support hardware. Selected surfaces of the shelf assembly are covered with cladding material.

[0037] In another embodiment, a floating shelf system with a cantilevered appearance is provided. The system comprises a rectangular flat box with one lengthwise side open and facing a wall surface. The system also comprises a mounting rail attached to the wall surface and residing inside the open lengthwise side. The system also comprises retaining dowel pins inserted through holes in an upward facing surface of the box and into vertical holes in the rail, the pins binding the box to the rail.

[0038] The upward facing surface of the box serves as a shelf surface. The mounting rail is not visible when the system is fully installed.

[0039] The pins are removable when the shelf system is to be dismantled. The holes in the box and holes in the rail are positioned such that after the box is placed against the wall and over the rail, the holes in the box and the rail align with each other and facilitate insertion of retaining dowel pins.

[0040] In yet another embodiment, a shelving system for displaying lightweight objects and without visible support hardware. The system comprises a shelf assembly comprising a rectangular box structure with one lengthwise side open, the open side positioned flush against a wall surface. The system also comprises a mounting rail installed horizontally against the wall surface, the rail fitting inside the open lengthwise side of the box structure upon positioning of the open lengthwise side against the wall surface. The system also comprises vertical dowels placed through first holes in an upper surface of the box structure, through second holes in the mounting rail, and resting immediately above third holes in a lower surface of the box structure.

[0041] Length and height of the mounting rail align with length and height of the open lengthwise side, the alignment promoting a tight installation of the shelf assembly over the rail and against the wall surface. Placement of dowels secures the shelf assembly to the mounting rail.

[0042] The mounting rail attaches to the wall surface screws into via wall studs concealed by the wall surface. The dowels are removable via upward pushing action through smaller diameter cylinder holes in an underside surface of the shelf assembly, the smaller holes leading to bottom ends of the dowels.

[0043] Size of dowels used depends on at least one of size of shelf and intended weight of objects to be placed atop the shelf assembly. When fully installed, the system has a cantilever appearance with no visible support hardware.