SHELF MOUNTING SYSTEM

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates generally to a decorative strip for covering the pre-drilled holes in many pieces of furniture and cabinetry, and more particularly to a shelf mounting system that covers the pre-drilled holes while also providing additional support to shelves in the furniture. In general, cabinets, entertainment centers, bookshelves, and other modern furniture typically come with pre-drilled holes that allow for the placement of shelves within the furniture at the user's desired location. These pre-drilled holes are useful in allowing for a variety of configurations in shelving spacing; however, they are also unsightly to look at as the unused holes are readily visible within the furniture. Typically, shelf pins are inserted into the pre-drilled holes to support a shelf placed on the pins. These pins typically fit relatively snugly in the pre-drilled holes and provide for relatively stable support for the shelves, but with use and time, they can be dislodged from the holes and/or do not provide enough loadbearing strength to support the shelves and items placed on the shelves. Furthermore, in our modern, connected, wired era, more and more people are placing mood lighting, audio video devices, and other electrical components within their cabinetry and furniture. While these electronic devices can be incredibly useful to the user, they typically also require the running of unsightly wires to power them and/or to convey information.

In order to overcome these problems, various solutions have been introduced. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,689,519 describes a multi-hole concealer strip that includes a strip, a track, and a plurality of fasteners that can be inserted and moved within the track. This patent further describes an additional shelf brace component that can be attached to the concealer strip. However, this prior concealer is complicated and difficult to use. While the fasteners being introduced into the track allows for various configurations, it makes it more difficult for the user to line up the fasteners with the pre-drilled holes in the furniture and overall is cumbersome to use. Furthermore, the shelf brace is a separate piece that also adds to the difficulty in assembling and installing the concealer strip. Additionally, with the way that this concealer is assembled and utilized, it cannot provide a route for electrical wires within its track.

As such, there is a need for an easy-to-use decorative strip capable of concealing the unused pre-drilled holes in furniture, which is not difficult to assemble or install, and which also provides strength and support to the shelves placed in the furniture, without the additional requirements of assembling multiple components. There is also a need for a decorative strip as described that also is capable of routing wires of electrical equipment used within the furniture.

BRIEF SUMMARY

In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, there is contemplated a decorative strip for covering pre-drilled holes in furniture or cabinetry. The decorative strip includes a cover, a plurality of protrusions, and a shelf pin. In particular, the plurality of protrusions extend outwardly from a first side of the cover and are spaced along the length of the cover. Furthermore, the shelf pin extends outwardly from the first side of the cover, and is located at one end of the cover.

The cover may include a back section and a pair of sidewalls that each extend outward from two edges of the back section. Each sidewall may be generally parallel to the other sidewall and generally perpendicular to the back section.

The plurality of protrusions may take many forms that will fit within common pre-drilled holes in furniture or cabinetry. In one particular embodiment, the protrusions may be cylindrical in form.

The cover can be formed from numerous materials, but one embodiment envisions the cover being formed from a lightweight material such as a plastic material.

Furthermore, the plurality of protrusions may be formed from a plastic material and may be separate from or molded into the cover.

The shelf pin may be formed from a material more substantial than the plurality of protrusions. For example, the shelf pin may be made of a metal material. In one particular embodiment the shelf pin is made of steel.

The decorative strip may take numerous configurations, but in one embodiment the strip is approximately 24 inches in length and approximately 7 mm wide.

The plurality of protrusions may take various configurations, but in one embodiment the protrusions are approximately 5 mm wide and spaced approximately 32 mm apart from each other.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the various embodiments disclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the following description and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of one embodiment of the shelf mounting system as described herein;

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the shelf mounting system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the shelf mounting system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the shelf mounting system shown in FIG. 1, indicating how the system would be installed in furniture;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the shelf mounting system shown in FIG. 1, once the system has been installed in furniture;

FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view of a second embodiment of the shelf mounting system as described herein; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the shelf mounting system shown in FIG. 6, once the system has been installed in furniture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below is intended as a description of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention, and is not intended to represent the only form in which the present invention may be constructed or utilized. The description sets forth the functions and sequences of steps for constructing and operating the invention. It is to be understood, however, that the same or equivalent functions and sequences may be accomplished by different embodiments and that they are also intended to be encompassed within the scope of the invention.

Cabinets, entertainment centers, bookshelves, and other modern furniture typically come with pre-drilled holes that allow for the placement of shelves within the furniture at the user's desired location. These pre-drilled holes are useful in allowing for a variety of configurations in shelving spacing; however, they are also ugly to look at as the unused holes are readily visible within the furniture. The decorative strip 10 described herein is capable of covering the pre-drilled adjustable shelf holes that are drilled for shelf support in any type of furniture or cabinetry, while also acting as the shelf support.

The decorative strip 10 includes a cover 12, a plurality of protrusions 14 extending outward along the length of the cover 12 and configured to be inserted into the pre-drilled holes, and a shelf pin 16 extending outward at the uppermost portion of the cover 12.

The cover 12 may be generally U-shaped in that it has a back section 12a that faces outward and generally parallel to the furniture when the cover 12 is in place, and a pair of sidewalls 12b, 12c that extend outward from two edges of the back section 12a, each of which are generally parallel to each other and generally perpendicular to the furniture when the cover 12 is in place. It should be understood to one skilled in the art that the sidewalls 12b, 12c may extend out from the back section 12a in different configurations and angles and do not need to be limited to a ninety degree angle. The generally U-shaped configuration of the cover 12 allows for wires to be routed within the body of the cover 12 prior to installation in the furniture, such that the cover 12 conceals the wires routed within. In certain embodiments, the cover 12 may be approximately 7 mm wide, allowing for adequate coverage of the pre-drilled holes that are generally 5 mm wide. Additionally, in certain embodiments the cover 12 may be approximately 24 inches long, to allow for coverage of a sufficient amount of pre-drilled holes. If a distance of more than 24 inches is needed, multiple covers 12 may be connected to span the greater distance. If a distance of less than 24 inches is needed, the cover may be cut to the desired length. The cover 12 may be formed in various colors depending on the color of the furniture in which it is to be placed in an effort to closely match the furniture. The cover 12 may be formed from a plastic or otherwise lightweight material.

The plurality of protrusions 14 extend outwardly from the inside of the back section 12a. The protrusions 14 are configured to fit within the pre-drilled holes and may take any shape that will allow for their insertion into the pre-drilled holes, but in a specific embodiment they are pin-shaped, i.e., tubular in shape with the tip of the protrusion being substantially circular. The plurality of protrusions may be approximately 5 mm in diameter to fit in the majority of pre-drilled holes. Furthermore, the protrusions may be spaced approximately 32 mm apart from each other in order to fit into the standard pre-drilled hole patterns of furniture. The protrusions 14 may be formed of the same material as the cover 12. In certain embodiments the protrusions 14 are formed in a single piece with the cover 12. Alternatively, the protrusions 14 may be separate pieces that are attached to the cover 12 during the manufacturing process. While one embodiment envisions that each and every pre-drilled hole would have a protrusion 14 placed within it, it should be considered to one skilled in the art that other variations could be produced wherein not every pre-drilled hole is filled, for example, a protrusion 14 could be placed in every other hole or every third hole, for example.

The shelf pin 16 is the uppermost protrusion of the cover 10. The shelf pin 16 may be formed of steel, another metal, or of a material substantially stronger than the lightweight material of the cover 12. Alternatively, the shelf pin 16 can can be molded directly into and of the same material as the cover 12.

The decorative strip 10 disclosed herein offers many advantages over what has been previously utilized. In particular, adjustable shelf holes in any type of furniture or cabinetry can now be covered with a decorative cover 12 and a shelf pin 16 on the very top which will act as the shelf support. The strip 10 can be cut to size and then put into the shelving system for additional shelves. This allows for all of the holes in the furniture to be covered for a nice, clean, aesthetically pleasing look. Additionally, this new type of shelf support provides and additional safety feature and keeps the shelving from tipping or coming off its supports that can cause bodily or property damage. This is because a strip 10 may be placed both above and another strip 10 below the shelf, thereby locking the shelf into place.

Another feature of the decorative strip 10 disclosed herein is that it is capable of providing routing for wires used by lighting or other electronic components within the furniture. The generally U-shaped feature of the cover 12 which is wider than the protrusions 14 allows for space to run wires, which will then be hidden from view by the strip 10. This adds to the aesthetics of the furniture by not having to have visible wires, but also adds to the safety in that they are safely tucked away behind the cover 12 preventing their accidental pulling. In an additional embodiment, shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, there can also be an additional L-shaped cord cover 18 attached to one side of the decorative strip 10. This L-shaped cord cover 18 provides more space to run wires along the side of the cover 12 so that the wires are hidden, and may also provide the ability to add and/or remove wires without requiring the removing of the decorative strip 10 once it is affixed in place in the furniture.

The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation. Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devise variations that are within the scope and spirit of the invention disclosed herein, including various ways of forming the protrusions, various shapes of the protrusions, various shapes of the cover, and various materials for the cover and the protrusions. Further, the various features of the embodiments disclosed herein can be used alone, or in varying combinations with each other and are not intended to be limited to the specific combination described herein. Thus, the scope of the claims is not to be limited by the illustrated embodiments.