In 1978 a company patented a shelving system that was both adjustable and wall-mounted. It consisted of a vertical slotted wall mounted support and shelf support brackets which slipped onto the bar. The support brackets varied in length to hold different depth shelves. The system is easy to mount and has an extremely versatile design in that in can be made use of either as a single shelf or from floor to ceiling.

The original was clever, but it did have some problems. The bars are of an unattractive appearance and the combination of these bars has an unfinished look.  As a result of these drawbacks, the systems are mostly used as cheap, utilitarian shelving systems, in for example, garages, garden sheds and other places where appearances are not important.

Another, more important problem was shelf instability. It is possible to displace shelves from brackets and brackets from the bar if accidently knocked from underneath. Situating too much weight on one side of the shelf could cause it to tip over. The brackets themselves could twist around as well if hit.

Another company set out to design a system to solve all of these difficulties, but still be inexpensive and easy to assemble. Another benefit of the new system is that it has an attractive appearance and could be used anywhere in the home.

The new system has a heavy duty steel insert which is similar to the original design but the inserts are cased in plastic and this has solved the twisting problem.