Support arrangement

Claim 2

A support arrangement comprising: a structural member including a side having a plurality of rectangular openings therein defined by top, bottom and side edge surfaces in the side, said side having a front surface and a rear surface and the rectangular openings in said side each having a predetermined height and width; a support assembly including an end bracket and a support arm adjoining the end bracket, said end bracket including a first portion external to the outer surface of the side of the structural member, a T-shaped locking portion adjoining the first portion and extending into a first rectangular opening in the side of the structural member, and a tab portion adjoining the first portion and extending into a second rectangular opening in the side of the structural member; said T-shaped locking portion having a bottom surface abutting the bottom edge surface associated with the first rectangular opening and front edges abutting the inner surface of the side of the structural member adjacent to the first rectangular opening, said T-shaped locking portion further having a maximum width less than either diagonal of the first rectangular opening but greater than the width of the first rectangular opening, and a minumum width slightly less than the width of the first rectangular opening whereby the T-shaped locking portion is incapable of any significant lateral movement within the first rectangular opening, said T-shaped locking portion further being capable of upward movement along the first rectangular opening when an upward motion is imparted to the support assembly; and said tab portion including a first section having a surface abutting the inner surface of the side of the structural member below the bottom edge surface associated with the second rectangular opening, and a second section intermediate the first section of the tab portion and the first portion of the end bracket and extending from within the second rectangular opening to the first portion of the end bracket, said second section of the tab portion having a width slightly less than the width of the second rectangular opening whereby the tab portion is incapable of any significant lateral movement within the second rectangular opening, said first section of the tab portion also being capable of upward movement along the second rectangular opening, together with the T-shaped locking portion moving upwardly along the first rectangular opening, when an upward motion is imparted to the support assembly.

Claim 3

A support arrangement in accordance with claim 1 wherein: the rectangular openings in the side of the structural member are vertically aligned with each other and have the same length and width.

Claim 4

A support arrangement in accordance with claim 1 wherein: the side of the structural member is concave; the first portion of the end brAcket has a surface abutting the outer surface of the concave side; the T-shaped locking portion of the end bracket includes a first section and an adjoining second narrow section, the length of the second section from the first section to the aforsaid surface of the first portion of the end bracket being approximately equal to the maximum depth of concavity of the concave side as measured with respect to the inner surface of the concave side; and the length of the second section of the tab portion from the first section of the tab portion to the aforesaid surface of the first portion of the end bracket is approximately equal to the maximum depth of concavity of the concave side as measured with respect to the inner surface of the concave side.

Claim 5

A support arrangement in accordance with claim 3 wherein: the first portion of the end bracket, the first section of the T-shaped locking portion and the first section of the tab portion are all flat and the second section of the T-shaped locking portion and the second section of the tab portion are both arcuate.

Claim 6

A support arrangement comprising: a tubular structural member having four sides, two opposite ones of said sides being flat and the other opposite sides being concave, each of the concave sides having an inner surface and an outer surface and further having a plurality of vertically-aligned spaced rectangular openings therein, each of said openings being defined by top, bottom, and side edges of the tubular structural member and each opening having a predetermined height and width; a support assembly including an end bracket and a support arm secured to the end bracket, said end bracket including a first flat portion having a surface abutting corner areas of the outer surface of one of the concave sides, a T-shaped locking portion adjoining the first portion and extending into a first rectangular opening in the aforesaid concave side of the structural member, and a tab portion adjoining the first portion and extending into a second rectangular opening in the aforesaid concave side of the structural member; said T-shaped locking portion having a bottom surface abutting the bottom edge surface of the tubular member at the first rectangular opening and including a first, wide, flat section in a plane normal to the plane of the first portion of the end bracket and a second, narrow, arcuate neck section intermediate the first section and the first portion of the end bracket and extending from within the first rectangular opening to the first portion of the end bracket, the first section of the T-shaped locking portion having front edges adjacent to the arcuate neck section abutting the inner surface of the concave side adjacent to the first rectangular opening, the first section of the T-shaped locking portion further having a maximum width less than either diagonal of the first rectangular opening but greater than the width of the first rectangular opening, and the arcuate neck section having a width slightly less than the width of the first opening whereby the T-shaped locking portion is incapable of any significant lateral movement within the opening, the arcuate neck section further having a length from the first section to the aforesaid surface of the first portion of the end bracket approximately equal to the maximum depth of concavity of the concave side as measured with respect to the inner surface of the concave side, said T-shaped locking portion further being capable of upward movement along the first rectangular opening when an upward motion is imparted to the support assembly; and said tab portion includes a first, flat section in a plane spaced from and parallel to the plane of the first portion of the end bracket and having a surface abutting the inner surface of the concave side below the bottom edge surface at the second rectangular opening, and a second arcuate section intermediate the first section of the tab portion and the first portion of the end bracket and extending from within the second rectangular opening to the first portion of the end bracket, said second section of the tab portion having a width slightly less than the width of the second rectangular opening whereby the tab portion is incapable of any significant lateral movement within the second rectangular opening, and said second section having a length from the first section to the aforesaid surface of the first portion of the end bracket approximately equal to the maximum depth of concavity of the concave side as measured with respect to the inner surface of the concave side, said first section of the tab portion also being capable of upward movement along the second rectangular opening, together with the T-shaped locking portion moving upwardly along the first rectangular opening, when an upward motion is imparted to the support assembly.

Claim 7

A support arrangement comprising: a tubular structural member having four sides, two opposite ones of said sides being flat and the other opposite sides being concave, each of the concave sides having an inner surface and an outer surface and further having a plurality of vertically-aligned spaced rectangular openings therein, each of said openings being defined by top, bottom, and side edges of the tubular structural member and each opening having a predetermined height and width; a support assembly including an end bracket and a support arm secured to the end bracket, said end bracket including a first flat portion having a surface abutting corner areas of the outer surface of one of the concave sides, a T-shaped locking portion adjoining the first portion and extending into a first rectangular opening in the aforesaid concave side of the structural member, and a tab portion adjoining the first portion and extending into a second rectangular opening in the aforesaid concave side of the structural member; said T-shaped locking portion having a bottom surface abutting the bottom edge surface of the tubular member at the first rectangular opening and including a first, wide, flat section in a plane normal to the plane of the first portion of the end bracket and a second, narrow, arcuate neck section intermediate the first section and the first portion of the end bracket and extending from within the first rectangular opening to the first portion of the end bracket, the first section of the T-shaped locking portion having front edges adjacent to the arcuate neck section abutting the inner surface of the concave side adjacent to the first rectangular opening, the first section of the T-shaped locking portion further having a maximum width less than either diagonal of the first rectangular opening but greater than the width of the first rectangular opening, and the arcuate neck section having a width slightly less than the width of the first opening whereby the T-shaped locking portion is incapable of any significant lateral movement within the opening, the arcuate neck section further having a length from the first section to the aforesaid surface of the first portion of the end bracket approximately equal to the maximum depth of concavity of the concave side as measured with respect to the inner surface of the concave side, said T-shaped locking portion further being capable of upward movement along the first rectangular opening when an upward motion is imparted to the support assembly; and said tab portion includes a first, flat section in a plane spaced from and parallel to the plane of the first portion of the end bracket and having a surface abutting the inner surface of the concave side below the bottom edge surface at the second rectangular opening, and a second arcuate section intermediate the first section of the tab portion and the first portion of the end bracket and extending from within the second rectangular opening to the first portion of the end bracket, said second section of the tab portion having a width slightly less than the width of the second rectangular opening whereby the tab portion is incapable of any significant lateral movement within the second rectangular opening, and said second section having a length from the first section to the aforesaid surface of the first portion of the end bracket approximately equal to the maximum depth of concavity of the concave side as measured with respect to the inner surface of the concave side, said first section of the tab portion also being capable of upward movement along the second rectangular opening, together with the T-shaped locking portion moving upwardly along the first rectangular opening, when an upward motion is imparted to the support assembly.

Claim 8

A support arrangement in accordance with claim 1 wherein: the rectangular openings in the concave sides have the same length and width.