Shelving apparatus

Claim 2

Shelving apparatus for decoratively and securely interconnecting shelving elements and vertical elements in a shelving structure, comprising a body formed of stiff, slightly resilient material, said body having arms extending outwardly therefrom from a mid portion thereof and substantially normal to each other, a slot in each of said arms extending from near said mid portion and opening outwardly from outer ends of the arms and from sides of said arms to receive said elements and resiliently grip the latter, each of said arms being formed with outer dome-shaped faces that curve from thin edges of the arm outwardly to substantially the centre of the arm at the inner end thereof so that said each arm has narrow edges through which the slot of said arm opens outwardly and increases in thickness from said edges to said body centre, said dome-shaped faces reinforcing the arm and transferring the force of any prying or tipping effort of said elements to said body centre where the body is relatively thick as a result of the dome shape of the arm faces.

Claim 3

Shelving apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the body and arms are arranged in substantially L formation, and the dome-shaped arm faces which constitute the outer surface of the body meet at the joint formed by the arms to thicken and reinforce the body at said joint.

Claim 4

Shelving apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the body and arms are arranged in substantially T formation with two of said arms aligned and a third one of said arms perpendicular to the aligned arms, and the dome-shaped faces of the two aligned arms which constitute an outer surface of the body extend in an outer substantially continuous curve from a thin edge of one of the latter arms to a thin edge of the other of the latter arms to thicken the body at the joint formed by the arms to reinforce the body at said joint.

Claim 5

Shelving apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the body and arms are arranged in substantially cross formation, and the dome-shaped arm faces which constitute the outer and inner surfaces of the body meet at the joint formed by the arms to thicken and reinforce the body at said joint.

Claim 6

Shelving apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which each arm has a curved edge extending from one side of the arm near the mid portion of the body around the outer end of the arm to the other side thereof near said mid portion.

Claim 7

Shelving apparatus comprising at least one vertical shelving element, at least one horizontal shelving element extending at right angles to the vertical element, and at least one connector interconnecting the vertical element and the horizontal element, said connector comprising a body formed of stiff, slightly resilient material, said body having arms extending outwardly therefrom from a mid portion thereof and substantially normal to each other, a slot in each of said arms extending from near said mid portion and opening outwardly from outer ends of the arms and from sides of said arms to receive said elements and resiliently grip the latter, each of said arms being formed with outer dome-shaped faces that curve from thin edges of the arm outwardly to substantially the centre of the arm at the inner end thereof so that said each arm has narrow edges through which the slot of said arm opens outwardly and increases in thickness from said edges to said body centre, said dome-shaped faces reinforcing the arm and transferring the force of any prying or tipping effort of said elements to said body centre where the body is relatively thick as a result of the dome shape of the arm faces.

Claim 8

Shelving apparatus comprising at least one vertical shelving element, at least one horizontal shelving element extending at right angles to the vertical element, and at least one connector interconnecting the vertical element and the horizontal element, said connector comprising a body formed of stiff, slightly resilient material, said body having arms extending outwardly therefrom from a mid portion thereof and substantially normal to each other, a slot in each of said arms extending from near said mid portion and opening outwardly from outer ends of the arms and from sides of said arms to receive said elements and resiliently grip the latter, each of said arms being formed with outer dome-shaped faces that curve from thin edges of the arm outwardly to substantially the centre of the arm at the inner end thereof so that said each arm has narrow edges through which the slot of said arm opens outwardly and increases in thickness from said edges to said body centre, said dome-shaped faces reinforcing the arm and transferring the force of any prying or tipping effort of said elements to said body centre where the body is relatively thick as a result of the dome shape of the arm faces.

Claim 9

Shelving apparatus comprising a plurality of vertical shelving elements, a plurality of horizontal shelving elements extending at right angles to the vertical elements, and a plurality of connectors interconnecting the vertical elements to the horizontal elements, each connector comprising a body formed of stiff, slightly resilient material, said body having arms extending outwardly therefrom from a mid portion thereof and substantially normal to each other, a slot in each of said arms extending from near said mid portion and opening outwardly from outer ends of the arms and from sides of said arms to receive said elements and resiliently grip the latter, each of said arms being formed with outer dome-shaped faces that curve from thin edges of the arm outwardly to substantially the centre of the arm at the inner end thereof so that said each arm has narrow edges through which the slot of said arm opens outwardly and increases in thickness from said edges to said body centre, said dome-shaped faces reinforcing the arm and transferring the force of any prying or tipping effort of said elements to said body centre where the body is relatively thick as a result of the dome shape of the arm faces.

Claim 10

Shelving apparatus comprising a plurality of vertical shelving elements, a plurality of horizontal shelving elements extending at right angles to the vertical elements, and a plurality of connectors interconnecting the vertical elements to the horizontal elements, each connector comprising a body formed of stiff, slightly resilient material, said body having arms extending outwardly therefrom from a mid portion thereof and substantially normal to each other, a slot in each of said arms extending from near said mid portion and opening outwardly from outer ends of the arms and from sides of said arms to receive said elements and resiliently grip the latter, each of said arms being formed with outer dome-shaped faces that curve from thin edges of the arm outwardly to substantially the centre of the arm at the inner end thereof so that said each arm has narrow edges through which the slot of said arm opens outwardly and increases in thickness from said edges to said body centre, said dome-shaped faces reinforcing the arm and transferring the force of any prying or tipping effort of said elements to said body centre where the body is relatively thick as a result of the dome shape of the arm faces.

Claim 11

Shelving apparatus as claimed in claim 6 in which the body and arm of at least one connector are arranged in substantially L formation, and the dome-shaped arm faces which constitute the outer surface of the body meet at the joint formed by the arms to thicken and reinforce the body at said joint.

Claim 12

Shelving apparatus as claimed in claim 6 in which the body and arms of at least one connector are arranged in substantially T formation with two of said arms aligned and a third one of said arms perpendicular to the aligned arms, and the dome-shaped faces of the two aligned arms constitute an outer surface of the body extending in an outer substantially continuous curve from a thin edge of one of the latter arms to a thin edge of the other of the latter arms to thicken the body at the joint formed by the arms to reinforce the body at said joint.

Claim 13

Shelving apparatus as claimed in claim 6 in which the body and arms of at least one connector are arranged in substantially cross formation, and the dome-shaped arm faces which constitute the outer and inner surfaces of the body meeting at the joint formed by the arms to thicken and reinforce the body at said joint.

Claim 14

Shelving apparatus as claimed in claim 6 in which each arm of at least one connector has a curved edge extending from one side of the arm near the mid portion of the body around the outer end of the arm to the other side thereof near said mid portion.