Shelfandsupportarmassembly.docx

1、ShelfandsupportarmassemblyShelf and support arm assemblyBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION(1) Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wire shelf and support arm assembly. In particular, the present invention relates to a wire shelf having a support surface formed by a plurality of spatial

2、ly arranged longitudinal wires, and a support arm designed to be suspended beneath the shelf member to facilitate the attachment of the shelf and support arm to a vertical surface, and designed to be attached to different embodiments of the shelf member having different spatial arrangements of their

3、 pluralities of longitudinal wires. (2) Description of the Related Art Various different types of wire shelf assemblies are known in the prior art. These prior art assemblies typically include a shelf member constructed of pluralities of crisscrossing wires. The typical shelf member is comprised of

4、a first plurality of parallel, longitudinally extending wires each having opposite front and back ends and each being substantially the same length. The first plurality of wires are arranged side by side, with a set lateral spacing between adjacent wires. At least one back wire extends laterally ben

5、eath the back ends of the longitudinal wires and is secured to each of the plurality of wires. At least one front wire extends laterally beneath the front ends of the plurality of longitudinal wires and is also secured to each of the front ends of the plurality of wires. The connection between the l

6、aterally extending front and back wires and the plurality of longitudinally extending wires secures the longitudinally extending wires in their laterally spaced relationship. In many different prior art wire shelf members, the lateral spacings between the adjacent longitudinally extending wires of t

7、he shelf members is different. Typically however, the plurality of longitudinally extending wires are spaced laterally from each other by one inch or one-half inch spacings. The shelf support arms of prior art shelf assemblies are usually formed as elongate rods having one end configured to be attac

8、hed to a vertical support surface, and an opposite end configured to be attached to a forward portion of the shelf member. In assembling a prior art shelf and support arm assembly to a vertical support surface, the rearward edge or back wire of the shelf member is usually first secured to the vertic

9、al support surface. The shelf member is then held horizontal while the support arm is connected between a forward portion of the shelf member and the vertical support surface. In the assembled relative positions of the shelf member and support arm, the shelf member is secured to the vertical support

10、 surface along its rearward edge or back wire and projects horizontally outward from the vertical support surface. The support arm is positioned at an angle relative to the underside of the shelf member, with a rearward end of the support arm being secured to the vertical support surface and a forwa

11、rd end of the support arm being secured in some manner to a forward portion of the shelf member. Many prior art wire shelf and support arm assemblies are disadvantaged in that the component parts of the assemblies are not interchangeable with other assemblies. In many prior art shelf and support arm

12、 assemblies the lateral spacing between the plurality of longitudinal wires forming the support surface of the shelf requires that the specific support arm designed for use with the shelf be used in assembling the shelf and support arm to a vertical support surface. In many applications, the forward

13、 end of the support arm engages between a pair of the plurality of longitudinally extending wires and therefore is specifically dimensioned to be used with a shelf having a specific lateral spacing between the plurality of longitudinally extending wires. In these types of prior art-shelf assemblies,

14、 a support arm having a forward end dimensioned to engage between adjacent longitudinal wires of one shelf may not work with a shelf having a plurality of longitudinal wires spaced at a different lateral spacing. For a manufacturer who produces wire shelves of various sizes and with various lateral

15、spacings between the longitudinal wires of the different shelves, the necessity of producing a specific support arm for each of the different shelves drives up the costs of producing the different shelf and support arm assemblies. Many prior art wire shelf and support arm assemblies are also disadva

16、ntaged in that they are relatively difficult to assemble to a vertical support surface. Assembly of the shelf to the support surface requires that the rearward edge or the back wire of the wire shelf first be secured to the support surface. The shelf is then held in a horizontal orientation while th

17、e support arm is secured beneath the shelf between a forward portion of the shelf and the vertical support surface. This usually requires one person to hold the shelf in its horizontal orientation while a second person positions the support arm beneath the shelf, engaging a forward end of the suppor

18、t arm with a forward portion of the underside of the shelf and attaching the rearward end of the support arm to the vertical support surface. What is needed to overcome the above set forth disadvantages of prior art wire shelf and support arm assemblies is a wire shelf and support arm assembly where

19、 the forward end of the support arm is specifically configured to be used with a variety of different wire shelves having different lateral spacings between the pluralities of longitudinal wires of the shelves. What is also needed is a support arm having a forward end that can be releasably attached

20、 to the forward portion of the wire shelf and suspended from the shelf as the rearward end of the support arm is pivoted back toward the vertical support surface and attached to the support surface, thereby facilitating the attachment of the shelf and support arm assembly to the support surface. SUM

21、MARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention provides a shelf and support arm assembly comprising a wire shelf and a support arm, where the support arm is specifically configured to facilitate the attachment of the assembly to a vertical support surface, and to enable the arm to be used with different

22、 wire shelf members. The shelf member of the assembly is constructed of pluralities of crisscrossing wires. The shelf member includes a first plurality of parallel, spatially arranged longitudinal wires. Each of the plurality of longitudinal wires has opposite front and back ends, and each has subst

23、antially the same longitudinal length. The plurality of longitudinal wires are arranged with a set lateral spacing between adjacent wires. The lateral spacing is a first given distance for one embodiment of the shelf member and a second given distance, one half the first distance, for a second embod

24、iment of the shelf member. At least one support arm is employed in the assembly to secure and support the shelf member to a vertical support surface. The support arm is an elongate member having opposite forward and rearward ends, with the rearward end being configured to be attached to the vertical

25、 support surface. The forward end of the support arm is formed with a pair of projecting hook members spaced laterally from each other. Support shoulder surfaces are formed on the forward end of the support arm on opposite sides of the pair of hook members, and one support shoulder surface is formed

26、 between and separates the pair of hook members. Together, the pair of hook members have a overall width dimension that enables the pair of hook members to be inserted between adjacent longitudinal wires of the first embodiment of the shelf member where adjacent longitudinal wires are separated by t

27、he first given distance. Each of the individual hook members has a width dimension chosen to enable the individual hook members to be inserted between adjacent longitudinal wires of the shelf member in the second embodiment of the shelf member where the wires are separated by the second given distan

28、ce, one half the first given distance. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSFurther objects and features of the present invention are revealed in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention and in the drawing figures wherein: FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of the she

29、lf and support arm assembly of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a partial front elevation view of a first embodiment of the shelf and support arm assembly taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a partial side elevation view of the shelf and support arm assembly taken along the line 3-3 of FIG

30、. 2; FIG. 4 is a partial side elevation view, in section, of the shelf and support arm assembly taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2; FIG. 5 is a partial side elevation view of the shelf and support arm assembly; FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view showing the forward end of the support arm of the sh

31、elf and support arm assembly; and FIG. 7 is a partial front elevation view of a second embodiment of the shelf and support arm assembly. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTSThe shelf and support arm assembly 10 of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. The assembly is basically comprised of a

32、 wire shelf 12 and a support arm 14 employed in supporting the shelf in a horizontal orientation from a vertical support surface 16. In the preferred embodiments of the invention, the shelf 12 and support arm 14 are both constructed of metal but may be constructed of other materials. The shelf 12 is

33、 generally comprised of pluralities of crisscrossing wires. A top support surface of the shelf is formed by a plurality of parallel, spatially arranged longitudinal wires 18. Each of the longitudinal wires 18 has a rearward end 20 and a forward end 22. As seen in FIG. 1, the forward ends 22 of the longitudinal wires 18 are