Fences for attachment to wire shelving and related methods

Abstract

Various aspects of the present disclosure provide various exemplary embodiments of shelf fences that can, for example, be attached to wire shelves. In one exemplary embodiment, a fence generally includes an upper horizontal rod member and a lower horizontal rod member. The lower horizontal rod member can be spaced below and generally parallel to the upper horizontal rod member. The shelf also includes one or more wire members extending between the fence's upper and lower horizontal rod members. The one or more wire members can have at least one curved section including first and second retaining portions for engagingly receiving the upper and lower support members of the wire shelf, to thereby allow the fence to be attached to the wire shelf.

1 . A fence for attachment to a wire shelf having a plurality of wires and support members forming a shelf deck, at least one upper support member, and at least one lower support member spaced below the upper support member, the fence comprising: 
 an upper horizontal rod member;    a lower horizontal rod member spaced below and generally parallel to the upper horizontal rod member; and    one or more wire members extending between the fence's upper and lower horizontal rod members, the wire members having at least one curved section including first and second retaining portions for engagingly receiving the upper and lower support members of the wire shelf to thereby allow the fence to be attached to the wire shelf, whereby the fence can help retain one or more objects on the shelf deck.    
   
   
       2 . The fence of  claim 1 , wherein the curved section is configured to fit generally between the upper and lower support members of the wire shelf.  
   
   
       3 . The fence of  claim 1 , wherein the curved section is configured to resiliently expand the spacing between the first and second retaining portions to permit the first and second retaining portions to be fit over the respective upper and lower support members of the wire shelf to thereby engage the first and second retaining portions with the upper and lower support members of the wire shelf.  
   
   
       4 . The fence of  claim 1 , wherein the curved section is configured to be resiliently compressed to permit the upper and lower support members of the wire shelf to be received within the respective first and second retaining portions of the fence.  
   
   
       5 . The fence of  claim 4 , wherein the curved section includes a camming portion configured to be resiliently compressed between the upper and lower support members of the wire shelf when the fence is rotated about the shelf's upper support member engagingly received within the fence's first retaining portion.  
   
   
       6 . The fence of  claim 1 , wherein the curved section includes at least one camming surface for causing the curved section to resiliently compress when the camming surface contacts at least one of the upper and lower support members of the wire shelf, whereby said compression reduces a size of the curved section facilitating positioning of the curved section generally between the upper and lower support members of the wire shelf and engagement of the first and second retaining portions with the upper and lower support members of the wire shelf.  
   
   
       7 . The fence of  claim 6 , wherein the at least one camming surface includes upper and lower camming surfaces for respectively contacting the upper and lower support members of the wire shelf for causing said compression of the curved section.  
   
   
       8 . The fence of  claim 1 , wherein the curved section includes at least one camming surface for causing the curved section to resiliently compress when the camming surface contacts the upper support member of the wire shelf as the fence is rotated about the lower support member of the wire shelf engagingly received within the fence's second retaining portion, whereby said compression reduces a size of the curved section thereby allowing the curved section to move across the upper support member of the wire shelf for engaging said upper support member within the fence's first retaining portion.  
   
   
       9 . The fence of  claim 1 , wherein the curved section includes at least one camming surface for causing the curved section to resiliently compress when the camming surface contacts the lower support member of the wire shelf's downwardly extending portion as the fence is rotated about the upper support member of the wire shelf's downwardly extending portion engagingly received within the fence's first retaining portion, whereby said compression reduces a size of the curved section thereby allowing the curved section to move across the lower support member of the wire shelf's downwardly extending portion for engaging said lower support member within the fence's second retaining portion.  
   
   
       10 . The fence of  claim 1 , wherein the fence is configured for attachment to the wire shelf in a manner such that the fence resists separation from the wire shelf when the fence is pulled in a direction generally outwardly away from the wire shelf's downwardly extending portion.  
   
   
       11 . The fence of  claim 1 , further comprising an intermediate horizontal rod member vertically-spaced between and generally parallel to the upper and lower horizontal rod members, the intermediate horizontal rod member spaced above the curved section.  
   
   
       12 . The fence of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second retaining portions include upper and lower hook members having generally u-shaped transverse profiles.  
   
   
       13 . The fence of  claim 12 , wherein the fence's lower horizontal rod member is connected to one of the legs forming the generally u-shaped second retaining portion.  
   
   
       14 . The fence of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the fence's wire members include a generally vertical portion connected to and extending downwardly from the fence's upper horizontal rod member to the curved section, the curved section having a plurality of curved portions alternating in curvature and extending from the generally vertical portion towards a rod support end portion to which the fence's lower horizontal rod member is connected.  
   
   
       15 . The fence of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the fence's wire members include a generally vertical portion connected to and extending downwardly from the fence's upper horizontal rod member, a generally slanted portion slanting inwardly from the generally vertical portion to the curved section, the curved section having a plurality of curved portions alternating in curvature and extending from the generally slanted portion towards a rod support end portion to which the fence's lower horizontal rod member is connected.  
   
   
       16 . The fence of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second retaining portions of the fence are releasably attachable to the upper and lower support members of the wire shelf's downwardly extending portion.  
   
   
       17 . A wire shelf comprising a plurality of wires and support members forming a shelf deck, at least one upper support member, and at least one lower support member spaced below the upper support member, and at least one shelf fence of  claim 1  attached to the upper and lower support members of the wire shelf.  
   
   
       18 . The wire shelf of  claim 17 , wherein the upper and lower support members and the fence attached thereto are located at a front edge portion of the wire shelf.  
   
   
       19 . A fence for a wire shelf having spaced-apart upper and lower support members, the fence comprising: 
 an upper horizontal rod member;    a lower horizontal rod member spaced below and generally parallel to the upper horizontal rod member; and    one or more wire members extending between and connected to the fence's upper and lower rod members, the wire members including a curved section defining an upper attachment portion and a lower attachment portion, the upper attachment portion defining a space for receiving an upper support member of a wire shelf, the lower attachment portion defining a space for receiving a lower support member of the wire shelf, the curved section being configured to resiliently vary the spacing between the upper and lower attachment portions to permit assembly of the upper and lower attachment portions onto spaced-apart upper and lower support members of a wire shelf.    
   
   
       20 . The fence of  claim 19 , wherein the fence is attached by positioning the upper attachment portion against an upper support member of a wire shelf, and resiliently compressing the curved section to permit a lower support member of the wire shelf to be received within the lower attachment portion of the fence.  
   
   
       21 . The fence of  claim 19 , wherein the fence is attached by positioning the lower attachment portion against a lower support member of a wire shelf, and resiliently expanding the curved section to permit an upper support member of the wire shelf to be received within the upper attachment portion of the fence.  
   
   
       22 . A method for assembling a fence having at least first and second attachment portions to a wire shelf having first and second support members, the method comprising: 
 positioning the first attachment portion of the fence against the wire shelf's first support member; and    resiliently flexing the fence to permit the wire shelf's second support member to be engagingly received within the second attachment portion of the fence.    
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein resiliently flexing the fence comprises resiliently compressing at least one curved section of the fence to fit between the first and second support members of the wire shelf.  
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein resiliently flexing the fence comprises resiliently expanding at least one curved section of the fence to fit the first and second attachment portions of the shelf over the first and second support members of the wire shelf.