DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] In accordance with the present invention a slotwall storage system incorporating a slotwall panel 10 having a plurality of generally “T” shaped slots 11 forming a plurality of generally “T” shaped slats 12 is provided with a hanger bracket for mounting a device on the slotwall panel. The slotwall panel can be formed of extruded polyvinyl chloride material. Co-pending patent application US20020205, filed concurrently herewith, discloses one such material, which patent application is incorporated by reference. The slotwall storage system according to the present invention can be used in a residential garage to provide storage for outdoor tools and equipment. A variety of storage options can be provided as will be described below. The slotwall storage system can also be used in a workroom or workshop, or in commercial and industrial locations. The slotwall storage system can be used in conjunction with a Modular Workbench System as disclosed in co-pending patent application US20020165 filed concurrently herewith, which application is incorporated by reference.

[0031] Referring to FIG. 1 , two slotwall panels 10 mounted adjacent one another are shown. It should be understood that the slotwall panels 10 shown in FIG. 1 are only a portion of such panels that can extend longitudinally for any desired length. Typically, slotwall panels can be extruded in 8 feet long lengths to facilitate handling and installation. However, it should be understood that panels longer or shorter that 8 feet can fabricated and used. Further, a single panel can be used or an entire wall can be covered with panels as shown in FIG. 13 . One embodiment of a hanger bracket 20 is shown mounted on one of the panels 10 and is shown with one example of a hook device 40 attached to the hanger bracket 20 . Other well known and available hooks and hanging devices can be attached to one or more hanger brackets 20 as will be understood by one skilled in the art. While a few examples of types of hook and other storage devices that can be attached to one or more hanger brackets are disclosed in this application, one skilled in the art will understand that there are many available hooks and storage devices available on the market that could be used with the brackets and slotwall panels according to this invention.

[0032] Mounting of hanger bracket 20 to a slotwall panel 10 can be understood by referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 . In FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 a device 40 has been omitted from hanger bracket 20 to more clearly show hanger bracket 20 on the slotwall panel 10 . Those skilled in the art will understand that in use a hook device or other storage device would be attached to hanger bracket 20 . Hanger bracket 20 includes a central support portion 21 , a generally “J” shaped hook 22 extending from one edge of support portion 21 , and a generally “J” shaped hook 23 extending from an opposite edge of support portion 21 . Generally “J” shaped hook 22 includes a first leg 24 extending generally perpendicular from the edge of support portion 21 and a second leg 25 extending from the distal end of first leg 24 generally parallel to support portion 21 . Generally “J” shaped hook 23 has a first leg 26 extending generally perpendicular from the edge of support portion 21 and a second leg 27 extending from the distal end of first leg 26 generally parallel to support portion 21 in the same direction as leg 25 . Thus, hanger bracket 20 has two downward opening “J” shaped hooks on opposite edges of support portion 21 . Hanger bracket 20 also has a spring arm 28 extending from the edge of support portion 21 that divides generally “J” shaped hook 22 into two portions. Spring arm 28 extends in an opposite direction from leg 25 . Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 generally “J” shaped hook 22 hooks over an edge 13 of a generally “T” shaped slat 12 . Generally “J” shaped hook 23 hooks behind the lower adjacent half slat 16 in undercut 14 . Spring arm 28 is positioned behind the upper adjacent slat 12 in undercut 14 .

[0033] As shown in FIG. 2 , leg 27 bears against the underside of the lower adjacent half slat 16 in undercut 14 biased against the underside of the slat by the spring arm 28 . The force of spring arm 28 holds support portion 21 out of contact with the face of slat 12 . Thus, hanger bracket 20 transfers the load on a device 40 through hanger bracket 20 to slotwall panel 10 by contact of leg 24 on edge 13 of slat 12 , the contact of leg 25 against the inside edge of slat 12 and the force of spring arm 28 against the inside of the upper adjacent slat 12 in undercut 4 . Leg 26 of “J” shaped hook 23 does not normally contact edge 13 of lower adjacent slat 12 . Referring to FIG. 3 , when a load is placed on device 40 that generates a moment sufficient to overcome the bias of spring arm 28 , hanger bracket 20 pivots on “J” shaped hook 22 so that leg 27 engages the bottom wall 15 of “T” shaped slot 11 . When hanger bracket 20 is loaded, hanger bracket 20 transfers the load on a device 40 through hanger bracket 20 to slotwall panel 10 by contact of leg 24 on edge 13 of slat 12 , the contact of leg 25 against the inside edge of slat 12 , the force of spring arm 28 against the inside of upper adjacent slat 12 in undercut 14 and by contact of leg 27 against bottom wall 15 of generally “T” shaped slot 11 . The length of leg 26 holds hanger bracket 20 spaced from the face of slat 12 when hanger bracket 20 is loaded by items carried on device 40 so that leg 27 rests against the bottom wall 15 of slot 11 . In the event hanger bracket 20 is overloaded by items placed on device 40 , the pressure on leg 24 may be sufficient to deform the edge 13 of slat 12 allowing hanger bracket 20 to move down until leg 26 engages edge 13 of lower adjacent slat 12 . In an overload condition, the load is spread over two adjacent slats 12 by generally “J” shaped hooks 22 and 23 in addition to the load spread by spring arm 28 to upper adjacent slat 12 and leg 27 to the bottom wall 15 . Thus, hanger bracket 20 is locked in position on slotwall panel 10 by friction due to spring arm 28 whether loaded or unloaded. Accordingly, hanger bracket 20 and its attached device, whether loaded or unloaded, can not inadvertently be knocked off or dislodged from a slotwall panel 10 .

[0034] Hanger bracket 20 , together with any attached device such as device 40 , can be mounted to a slotwall panel 10 by inserting spring arm 28 into the undercut 14 in a slot 11 far enough under the upper adjacent slat 12 for leg 25 to clear edge 13 of slat 12 . Hanger bracket 20 can then be pivoted down against the moment of spring arm 28 until leg 27 clears the lower adjacent slat edge 13 . Hanger bracket 20 can then be slid down over slat 12 until leg 25 rests on edge 13 with leg 27 bearing against the underside of the lower adjacent slat 12 in undercut 14 . As mentioned above, hanger bracket 20 will be held in place by friction resulting from the moment of spring arm 28 bearing against the inside surface of the upper adjacent slat 12 .

[0035] Turning to FIG. 4, a slotwall panel 10 can include four generally “T” shaped slots 11 that form three generally “T” shaped slats 12 and two half slats 16 , one on each edge of panel 10 . One edge of slotwall panel 10 can include a projecting connecting rib 17 and the other edge can include a mating connecting groove 18 . As shown in FIG. 1 , rib 17 and connecting groove 18 connect adjacent panels and, when so joined, the half width slats 16 of the adjacent panels form a full width slat.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4 , the bottom wall 15 of the generally “T” shaped slots 11 includes a longitudinal alignment groove 19 in the center of bottom wall 15 . Alignment groove 19 can facilitate mounting of slotwall panels on a wall. Alignment groove 19 can provide a locating function to allow screws or other mounting devices to be aligned along slotwall panel sections. In a wall installation, screws 29 (see FIG. 13 ) can be driven through the slotwall panel along groove 19 into studs supporting the wall to mount the slotwall panel or panels to the wall as is well known to those skilled in the art. Mounting of plural slotwall panels is facilitated by connecting rib 17 and connecting groove 18 since another slotwall panel can be placed on a slotwall panel already attached to a wall and the slotwall panel will remain in place until fastened to the wall by screws or other suitable fasteners. Normally slotwall panels 10 can be mounted to a wall with connecting rib 17 directed up and connecting groove 18 directed down over rib 17 of an adjacent panel 10 if an adjacent panel is already mounted. Those skilled in the art will recognize that slotwall panels 10 can be mounted to a wall in the opposite direction if so desired, i.e. with rib 17 directed down and connecting groove 18 directed up. Applicants have found that locating the joint between adjacent slotwall panels in the center of a slat provides a stronger slotwall structure since torsional loads are minimal in the center of a slat as compared to joint locations in a slot or at an edge of a slat.

[0037] Referring to FIG. 4 through FIG. 4 E, the dimensions of one embodiment of a slotwall panel 10 can be as provided in the following table. It should be understood that the following dimensions are approximate and that slotwall panels having different dimensions can be provided in accordance with the invention as desired. 1

[0038] Referring to FIG. 5 , FIG. 6 and FIG. 6 A, the dimensions of one embodiment of a hanger bracket 20 adapted for use with a slotwall panel as shown in FIG. 4 through FIG. 4E can be as provided in the following table. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the following dimensions are approximate and that a hanger bracket having different dimensions can be provided in accordance with the invention as desired for use with slotwall panels having different dimensions. 2

[0039] Hanger bracket 20 can be formed of metal such as steel. When hanger bracket 20 is formed with steel, hanger bracket 20 can be stamped from sheet steel. When hanger brackets 20 are formed of steel, raised surfaces or bosses 44 as shown in FIG. 5 can be stamped in support portion 21 to provide attachment points for hook devices to be welded to the hanger bracket. After a hook device is attached to hanger bracket 20 , the hanger bracket can be finished as desired such as by painting the entire hanger bracket and hook.

[0040] Referring to FIG. 6 B, spring arm 28 can extend up from first leg 24 at an acute angle of approximately 65°. As also shown in FIG. 6B the distal end 28 ′ of spring arm 28 can be bent to extend generally parallel to support portion 21 and leg 25 . Referring to the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 through FIG. 4 E, FIG. 6 and FIG. 6B the function of spring arm 28 can be seen. The thickness e of a generally “T” shaped slat can be 7.0 mm and the offset E of spring arm 28 can be 6.6 mm. When a hanger bracket 20 is installed on a slotwall panel 10 with spring arm 28 positioned behind an adjacent generally “T” shaped slat in undercut 14 and generally “J” shaped hook 22 is hooked over an edge 13 of a generally “T” shaped slat, interference of the distal end of the spring arm 28 with the inside of the adjacent “T” shaped slat will tend to rotate hanger bracket 20 away from the face of slotwall panel 10 . When generally “J” shaped hook 22 is hooked over and engages an edge 13 of a generally “T” shaped slat 12 , hook 23 will be positioned adjacent edge 13 of a lower adjacent generally “T” shaped slat 12 . Leg 27 will be positioned behind the lower adjacent generally “T” shaped slat 12 in undercut 14 . The moment produced by spring arm 28 pressing against the inside of upper adjacent “T” shaped slat 12 will drive leg 27 into contact with the inner surface of lower adjacent generally “T” shaped slat 12 thus friction locking hanger bracket 20 in place. When a device such as a hook device 40 is attached to support portion and a load is placed on the hook device, the downward force on the hook device will drive hanger bracket 20 toward slotwall panel 10 until leg 27 engages the bottom wall 15 of the generally “T” shaped slot 11 . The length D of leg 27 can be 12.1 mm and can be slightly greater than the width d of undercut 14 which can be 5.0 mm plus the thickness e of slat 12 which can be 7.0 mm. Thus, hanger bracket 20 can be held out of contact with the face of slat 12 over which it is installed, whether loaded or unloaded. The distance A from the inside of first leg 24 of “J” shaped hook 22 to the inside of first let 26 of “J” shaped hook 23 can be 75.2 mm compared to the center to center spacing a of slots and slats which can be 76.2 mm. When hanger bracket 20 is installed on a generally “T” shaped slat 12 with leg 24 of “J” shaped hook 22 engaging an edge 13 , leg 26 of “J” shaped hook 23 will not engage edge 13 of adjacent slat 12 . Thus, hanger bracket 20 can pivot between the position shown in FIG. 2 to the position shown in FIG. 3 as a load is applied to hanger bracket 20 by an attached hook device such as 40 .

[0041] Referring to FIG. 7 , FIG. 8 and FIG. 8A, a cabinet 50 is shown mounted on a slotwall panel 10 . Cabinet 50 can be provided with another embodiment of hanger brackets mounted to one wall of cabinet 50 . Cabinet brackets 30 can extend generally the full width of cabinet 50 . Alternately, cabinet brackets 30 can extend less than the full width of cabinet 50 and multiple cabinet brackets 30 can be installed across the width of cabinet 50 . Cabinet bracket 30 can include a support portion 31 for mounting the cabinet bracket 30 to a cabinet 50 . A generally “J” shaped hook 32 can be provided on one edge of support portion 31 . Another generally “J” shaped hook 33 can be provided on an opposite edge of support portion 31 . Generally “ 3 ” shaped hook 32 can include a first leg 34 extending generally perpendicular to support portion 31 and a second leg 35 extending from the distal end of first leg 34 generally parallel to support portion 31 . Generally “J” shaped hook 33 can include a first leg 36 extending generally perpendicular to support portion 31 and a second leg extending from the distal end of first leg 36 generally parallel to support 31 and in the same direction as second leg 35 . Cabinet brackets 30 can be dimensioned so that a cabinet bracket can be mounted to a slotwall panel without tipping the cabinet bracket 30 . In order to mount a cabinet bracket without tipping the cabinet bracket 30 , the length of second legs 35 and 37 should be less than width b the opening of “T” slots 11 in FIG. 4B . Similarly, the spacing of generally “J” shaped hooks 32 and 33 should correspond to center to center dimension a of the generally “T” shaped slots in FIG. 4 .

[0042] Referring to FIG. 8 , the dimensions of one embodiment of a cabinet hanger bracket 30 adapted for use with a slotwall panel as shown in FIG. 4 through FIG. 4F can be as provided in the following table. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the following dimensions are approximate and that cabinet brackets having different dimensions can be provided in accordance with the invention as desired for use with slotwall panels having different dimensions. 3

[0043] Cabinet brackets 30 can be formed of metal. Cabinet bracket 30 as shown in FIG. 8 can be formed of extruded aluminum cut to lengths corresponding to the width of the cabinet or device to which the particular cabinet bracket will be attached.

[0044] As with the case of hanger bracket 20 , cabinet bracket 30 can have a dimension A′ from the inside of generally “J” shaped hook 32 to the inside of generally “J” shaped hook 33 that is slightly less than the center to center dimension a of the slotwall panel in FIG. 4 . When dimension A′ is slightly less than the center to center dimension a of slotwall panel, the load on cabinet bracket 30 produced by cabinet 50 will be on generally “J” shaped hook 32 and first leg 34 engaging edge 13 of generally “T” shaped slat 12 . Because generally “J” shaped hook 32 engages an edge 13 of a generally “T” shaped slat 12 before generally “J” shaped hook 33 , cabinet bracket 30 is held parallel to slotwall panel 10 and does not tip out at the top.

[0045] Referring to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 , the operation of cabinet brackets 30 can be seen. As the load on cabinet bracket 30 is increased by the load placed in cabinet 50 , the edge 13 of slat 12 under generally “J” shaped hook 32 deforms allowing generally “J” shaped hook 33 to engage edge 13 of adjacent slat 12 thus increasing support for the cabinet bracket. Thus, cabinet brackets 30 initially transfer the load of cabinet 50 through generally “J” shaped hook 32 to the slotwall panel 10 by engagement of leg 34 with edge 13 of a generally “T” shaped slat 12 . Generally “J” shaped hook 33 only engages the lower adjacent generally “T” shaped slat 12 when the load in cabinet 50 is sufficient to deform edge 13 of slat 12 on which leg 34 is resting.

[0046] Referring again to FIG. 8 A, FIG. 11 , FIG. 11 A and FIG. 12 a plurality of square holes 39 can be provided in cabinet bracket 30 for mounting cabinet bracket 30 to cabinet 50 . Cabinet 50 can be provided with a plurality of mounting holes 51 adjacent the top of cabinet 50 for a top cabinet bracket spaced to correspond to the spacing of mounting holes 39 in cabinet bracket 30 . Mounting holes 51 can be round to permit mounting of a top cabinet bracket 30 in a fixed position adjacent the top of cabinet 50 . One or more additional rows of mounting holes 52 can be provided below mounting holes 51 to allow mounting of one or more lower cabinet brackets 30 . Mounting holes 52 can be vertically elongated slots to permit vertical adjustment of the lower cabinet brackets to insure that each cabinet bracket upper generally “J” shaped hook 32 engages a slat edge 13 .

[0047] In order to install a cabinet 50 on a slotwall panel, a top cabinet bracket can be attached to cabinet 50 utilizing a plurality of mounting bolts 55 inserted with the head in cabinet bracket 30 and the threaded portion projecting through mounting holes 51 into cabinet 50 . Mounting bolts can be a carriage bolt or similar fastening device that can be tightened without access to the head. Suitable fasteners, not shown, can be threaded on mounting bolts 55 and tightened to secure top cabinet bracket 30 to cabinet 50 . Next, one or more lower cabinet brackets can be attached to cabinet 50 utilizing a plurality of mounting bolts 55 inserted with the head in cabinet bracket 30 and the threaded portion projecting through vertical slot mounting holes 52 into cabinet 50 . Suitable fasteners, not shown can be threaded on mounting bolts 55 and left loose to permit adjustment of the position of the one or more cabinet brackets 30 on cabinet 50 relative to the slotwall panel 10 . Cabinet 50 can then be mounted on slotwall panels that have mounted or attached to a wall structure. The top cabinet bracket 30 is first hooked on a selected slotwall panel slat 12 with leg 34 engaging a slat edge 13 . Next, the lower cabinet bracket or brackets 30 are vertically adjusted so that each generally “J” shaped hook 32 engages a slotwall panel slat 12 with leg 34 engaging a slat edge 13 . After the one or more lower cabinet brackets 30 are all positioned hooked over a slotwall panel slat 12 with leg 34 engaging a slat edge 13 the fasteners can be tightened securing the one or more cabinet brackets to the cabinet 50 . As mentioned above, the vertically elongated mounting holes provide sufficient vertical adjustment to allow multiple cabinet brackets to be employed for mounting a cabinet to a plurality of slotwall panels 10 with each cabinet bracket transferring load from the cabinet 50 to the slotwall panel to spread the load in cabinet 50 across multiple slotwall panels 10 and slats 12 .

[0048] Referring to FIG. 13 , hanger brackets 20 can be combined to support plural mounting hooks 40 ′. FIG. 13 also illustrates yard tools carried on the mounting hooks on a slotwall storage system occupying a section of a wall. As shown in FIG. 13 , slotwall panels 10 can be fastened to a wall using a plurality of fasteners such as screws 29 . In the embodiment shown in FIG. 13 a plurality of screws 29 are fastened through the slotwall panels 10 in each slot 11 spaced apart by the distance between underlying studs or wall support structures. Those skilled in the art will understand that fasteners 29 can be used in alternate generally “T” shaped slots 11 , or other patterns as desired depending on the anticipated loading on the slotwall panels 10 . Likewise, fasteners 29 could be driven into alternate studs or wall supports. The specific mounting hooks shown and the yard tools carried are only examples to show how the slotwall storage system can be used. Those skilled in the art will understand that many other hooks or storage devices could be attached to one or more hanger brackets to store any desired objects. In the embodiment of FIG. 13 , two hanger brackets can be connected with a pair of connecting rods 41 to which three mounting hooks 40 ′ are attached. The connecting rods can be welded to hanger brackets 20 and mounting hooks 40 ′ can be welded to connecting rods 41 . The combined mounting hook device can be mounted on a slotwall panel 10 in the same manner as a single hanger bracket as described above. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the combined mounting hook device shown in the embodiment of FIG. 13 is only one possible arrangement of multiple mounting hooks and that more or less than three mounting hooks could be attached to two or more connected hanger brackets.

[0049] Referring to FIG. 14, a cabinet bracket 30 can be attached to a shelf 42 to support shelf 42 on slotwall panels 10 . In the embodiment shown in FIG. 14, a cabinet bracket 30 can be attached to shelf 42 using threaded fasteners as used in connection with the cabinet as described above, or permanently attached to shelf 42 by welding. Shelf 42 can be mounted on slotwall panel 10 by inserting “J” shaped hooks 32 and 33 into adjoining slots 11 and sliding shelf 42 and cabinet bracket 30 down over adjoining slat edges 13 .

[0050] Referring to FIG. 15 , hanger brackets 20 can be combined to support a basket 43 on slotwall panels 10 . In the embodiment shown in FIG. 15 two hanger brackets 20 can be attached to a basket 43 by welding. The basket 43 can be mounted on a slotwall panel in the same manner as a single hanger bracket as described above in detail.

[0051] Referring to FIG. 16 and FIG. 16 A, another embodiment of a slotwall panel 10 ′ is shown. In the embodiment of FIG. 16 and FIG. 16A repeating ruler markings 45 and 46 can be provided on the bottom wall 15 of generally “T” shaped slot 11 on either side of groove 19 ′. Ruler markings 45 can be repeating 1-16 inch marks while ruler markings 46 can be repeating 1-24 inch marks. Repeating ruler markings can facilitate mounting of slotwall panels on conventional stud wall construction. Once a stud is located for a mounting screw 29 , adjacent screws can be inserted at the same number in the repeating sequence as the first screw since most stud walls are built on 16 inch or 24 inch centers. The provision of the repeating markings eliminates the need to measure and mark the location of subsequent studs for mounting screws once the first mounting screw 29 is driven into a stud. As shown if FIG. 16 A, the repeating markings can be provided in alternate generally “T” shaped slots 11 . Those skilled in the art will recognize that other patterns of repeating markings could be used such as in one generally “T” shaped slot per slotwall panel 10 .

[0052] Referring to FIG. 17 another embodiment of slotwall panel is shown. The slotwall panel 10 ″ can be fabricated of metal such as extruded aluminum. The slotwall panel 10 ″ of the embodiment shown in FIG. 17 can have dimensions a″, b″ and d″ corresponding to the same dimensions in slotwall panel 10 as shown in FIG. 4 . The slotwall panel 10 ″ can support hanger brackets 20 and cabinet brackets 30 in the same manner as described above even though the thickness e″ of slat 12 ″ is less than the thickness e of slat 12 . As shown in FIG. 17 a groove 49 can be provided in the center of slat 12 ″. The provision of a slat groove 49 will make the appearance of slats 12 ″ the same as a joint between adjoining slotwall panels 10 ″ where adjoining half slats 16 ″ meet. Those skilled in the art will recognize that a groove 49 can be provided in slat 12 of the embodiment of the slotwall panel 10 shown in FIG. 4 - FIG. 4E to provide the same function as in the embodiment of FIG. 17 .

[0053] Referring to FIG. 18 and FIG. 18 A, other embodiments of the slotwall panel are shown. In FIG. 18 slotwall panel 10 ′″ can have a connecting rib 17 ′ and connecting groove 18 ′ that are offset toward half slat 16 ′″ instead of offset toward the opposite surface of the slotwall panel as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 - FIG. 4E . In FIG. 18 A, slotwall panel 10 ″″ can have a connecting rib 17 ″ and connecting groove 18 ″ that are centered in slotwall panel 10 ″″. Those skilled in the art will understand that the connecting rib and connecting groove can have a configuration other than as shown in FIG. 4 - FIG. 4 E and FIG. 18 and FIG. 18A . Such other rib and connecting groove configurations could include semicircular, triangular, trapezoidal or other shapes. The rib and connecting groove configuration could also be interlocking with one panel hooking into and interlocking with an adjacent panel.

[0054] The material used to form slotwall panels 10 can be extruded foamed CPVC/PVC material as disclosed in co-pending patent application US20020205 mentioned above. Alternately, slotwall panels can be extruded of foamed PVC material as is known in the art. Slotwall panels can also be formed of wood panels by removing material to form the generally “T” shaped slots which in turn form the generally “T” shaped slats. Particle board material could be used to form the slotwall panels instead of wood or extruded foamed PVC material. Particle board slotwall panels could be formed by removing material to form generally “T” shaped slots. Alternately, particle board slotwall panels could be formed by attaching generally “T” shaped slats to a particle board. Plywood slotwall panels could be formed by removing material to form generally “T” shaped slots or by attaching generally “T” shaped slats as in the case of particle board.

[0055] While the invention has been specifically described in connection with certain specific embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that this is by way of illustration and not of limitation, and the scope of the appended claims should be construed as broadly as the prior art will permit.