Shelf support bracket

Abstract

The shelf support bracket includes a shelf mount, a wall mount, and a support member that together form a one-piece bracket, particularly suited for supporting shelves. The shelf mount and wall mount are each formed of a plate having an elongated groove extending from one end of the plate along a portion of the length of the plate. The support member is generally gusset-shaped, having a tongue formed along each of the edges normal to each other. the tongues and the grooves may be dovetail shaped. The ends of the mounts from which the grooves extend are mitered at complementary angles so that the mounts may be abutted normal to each other. The mounts are secured to the wall and bottom surface of a shelf, respectively, so that the shelf is installed by sliding the support member onto the wall mount and the shelf mount onto the support member.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to brackets, and more specifically to a shelf support bracket.

2. Description of the Related Art

Brackets and bracket assemblies are routinely used as support mechanisms for shelves. While serviceable for supporting shelves, many of these brackets and assemblies are cumbersome, visually unappealing, and/or difficult to install and uninstall. Many of them are provided with an excessive amount of parts and require numerous screws or other hardware to form the bracket, itself, and to install the bracket or assembly onto a wall. Oftentimes, the screws and other hardware are visible to someone viewing the shelf, creating an eyesore.

There is a need for a shelf bracket with a visually appealing design that can be easily installed and moved, if necessary. It is desirable that the bracket has a minimum amount of hardware required to construct and install the bracket, yet the bracket remains rigid and sturdy enough to support the amount of weight accommodated by a standard shelf.

Thus, a shelf support bracket solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The shelf support bracket of the present invention has a shelf mount, a wall mount, and a support member that together form a one-piece bracket, which is particularly suited for supporting shelves.

The shelf mount is a plate, preferably formed of wood, having a shelf-mounting surface and a bracket-mounting surface. The bracket-mounting surface has an elongated groove formed therein that extends from an edge of the plate for a portion of the length of the plate. The groove is preferably a dovetail groove. The wall mount is also a plate, preferably formed of wood, and has a wall-mounting surface and a bracket-mounting surface. The bracket-mounting surface has an elongated groove formed therein that extends from an edge of the plate for a portion of the length of the plate. The groove is preferably a dovetail groove. The ends of the shelf mount and the wall mount from which the grooves extend are mitered at complementary 45° angles so that the shelf mount and wall mount can be abutted normal to each other.

The support member is secured to both the shelf mount and the wall mount so that the three pieces can be secured together to form the one-piece bracket. The support member is a generally gusset-shaped member having tongues formed along the two adjacent edges that are normal to each other. Each tongue is designed to correspond to the grooves defined in the shelf mount and wall mount in a sliding manner, and preferably has a dovetail shape. The gusset-shaped support member may have a decorative radius or other design formed along the third edge. The support member is also preferably formed of wood.

To facilitate the connection of the bracket to a shelf and onto a wall, both the shelf mount and wall mount are equipped with a series of apertures extending along the length of the plates. The apertures allow screws, or other hardware, to be used to attach the shelf mount to a shelf member and to secure the wall mount onto a wall. Preferably, the apertures are located along the grooves defined in both the shelf mount and the wall mount. In this manner, the screw heads are shielded from view as the support member is slid into place along these grooves to form the completed one-piece bracket.

These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an environmental, perspective view of a pair of shelf support brackets according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a shelf mount and wall mount according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a support member according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an exploded, perspective view of a shelf support bracket according to the present invention.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is a shelf support bracket, designated generally as 10 in the drawings.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, shelf support bracket 10 includes shelf mount 20s, wall mount 20w and support member 30. One or more shelf brackets 10 can be used to support a shelf 15. In the preferred embodiment, shelf mount 20s and wall mount 20w are identically configured. Shelf support brackets 10 are preferably made from wood, although the brackets 10 may be made from any other rigid structural material used in shelf construction having sufficient strength for supporting a shelf 15 and whatever load may be placed upon the shelf 15.

FIG. 2 shows a mount 20 that could be used as either a shelf mount 20s or a wall mount 20w. The mount 20 is a plate having an elongated groove 22 defined therein that extends from one edge of the plate for a portion of the length of the plate. In the preferred embodiment, groove 22 is a dovetail groove.

The mount is equipped with a plurality of apertures 24 that extend along the length of the mount 20. Apertures 24 allow the mounts 20 to be mounted to a shelf unit or to a wall with screws or other hardware that can be placed through the apertures 24. In the preferred embodiment, the apertures 24 are disposed within groove 22, and may comprise countersunk screw holes. In this manner, the screw heads or other hardware may be hidden from sight when the bracket 10 is fit together and put in use. The end of the mount 20 from which groove 22 extends is preferably mitered at a 45° angle so that two mounts 20 may be abutted normal to each other.

Turning now to FIG. 3, support member 30 is shown. Support member 30 is a generally planar, gusset-shaped plate having a tongue 32 formed along each of the two edges that are normal to each other. Each tongue 32 is designed to correspond to the grooves 22 defined in the shelf mount 20s and wall mount 20w in a sliding manner. Each of the two mounts can be slid onto the support member 30 for a tight fit, creating a one-piece bracket that is stable and sturdy, without the need for any additional hardware. In the preferred embodiment, tongues 32 are dovetail in shape.

FIG. 4 shows shelf mount 20s, wall mount 20w, and support member 30. Shelf mount 20s and wall mount 20w are identically configured and each have a groove 22 defined therein. Support member 30 has a pair of edges normal to each other that are each equipped with a tongue 32. Each tongue 32 is designed to correspond to grooves 22 defined in the shelf mount 20s and wall mount 20w in a sliding manner. The third edge of support member 30 may have a radius or other ornamental design formed therein. Screws 40 can be used to secure shelf mount 20s and wall mount 20w to a shelving unit and wall, respectively. Screws 40 are secured through apertures in grooves 22. The apertures may be countersunk screw holes so that, as a result, the heads of screws 40 are hidden from sight when the bracket 10 is fully assembled. Each of the two mounts 20s, 20w can be slid onto the support member 30 for a tight fit, creating a one-piece bracket that is stable and sturdy, without the need for any additional hardware.

In use, a plurality of wall mounts 20w are attached to wall studs by screws or other fasteners with the one end of grooves 22 facing upward. Support members 30 are slid into grooves 22. Shelf mounts 20s are slid onto support members 30, and a shelf 15 is laid across the shelf mounts 20s. The location of the shelf mounts 20s is marked on the bottom surface of the shelf 15 by scoring or other means. The shelf 15 and the shelf mounts 20s are removed from atop support members 30. The shelf mounts 20s are aligned with the score marks on the bottom surface of the shelf 15 and secured thereto by screws 40 or other fasteners. The shelf 15 is then installed by aligning the grooves 22 in shelf mounts 20s with the support member tongues 32 and sliding the shelf onto the support members 30.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A shelf support bracket, comprising:

a shelf mount formed from an elongated plate having an elongated groove extending from one end of the plate along a portion of the length of the plate, the shelf mount being adapted for attachment to a bottom surface of a shelf;

a wall mount formed from an elongated plate having an elongated groove extending from one end of the plate along a portion of the length of the plate, the wall mount being adapted for attachment to a wall; and

a support member formed from a generally gusset-shaped plate having a tongue formed along each of the two edges normal to each other, the tongues being slidable in the grooves defined in the wall mount and the shelf mount.

2. The shelf support bracket according to claim 1, wherein the shelf mount has a plurality of apertures defined therein, each aperture being disposed within the groove defined in the shelf mount.

3. The shelf support bracket according to claim 2, wherein each of the apertures is a countersunk screw hole.

4. The shelf support bracket according to claim 1, wherein the shelf mount has a plurality of apertures defined therein, each aperture being disposed within the groove defined in the shelf mount.

5. The shelf support bracket according to claim 4, wherein each of the apertures is a countersunk screw hole.

6. The shelf support bracket according to claim 1, wherein the grooves defined in the shelf mount and the wall mount are dovetail grooves.

7. The shelf support bracket according to claim 6, wherein the tongues are dovetail tongues.

8. The shelf support bracket according to claim 1, wherein the end of said shelf mount and the end of said wall mount from which the grooves extend are mitered at an angle of about 45°.