US2972418A - Storage rack unit accessory - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 21, 1961 D, s, BURNS ETAL 2,972,418

STORAGE RACK UNIT ACCESSORY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 25, 1958 Feb. 2l, 1961 D. s. BURNS ET AL 2,972,418

STORAGE RACK UNIT ACCESSORY Filed April 25, 195e 2 sheets-sheet 2 Aggie.

STORAGE RACK UNIT AECESSORY Donald St Burns, Corona Del Mar., and .ohn L. Williams, Anaheim, Calif., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Ekco Products Company, Chicago, lil., a corporation or' Delaware Filed Apr. 25, 1958, Ser. No. 739,975

4 Claims. (Cl. 211---7'1) The present invention relates to racks and' similar equipment for handling and storing articles 1n organized spaced apart relation and more particularly a rack unit accessory for joining a pair of self supporting mobile simplicity of construction, relatively inexpensive manu..

facturing cost, as well as sanitary and attractive design.

These, together with other objects and advantages which will become apparent, reside in the details of construction and assembly as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, in which:

Fig. l is an expanded top perspective view, with parts broken away, showing a rack installation embodying the use of a rack unit accessory in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged end elevation disclosing details of assembly between a sel-f supporting rack unit anda rack unit accessory as contemplated by this invention.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional View taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken along line 5- 5 of Fig. 2.

A pair of mobile self supporting storage racks of identical design and construction are illustrated in the drawings in conjunction with a rack accessory unit for the purpose of presenting a specific embodiment of the present invention as applied to such pair of racks. As shown, each of said pair of racks includes a iirst inverted U-shaped tubular frame having legs and 11 joined in spaced parallel relation by an upper bridge section 12 and a second similarframe having legs 13 and 14 joined in spaced parallel relation by an upper bridge section 15. These frames are rigidly joined in spaced parallel relation at a uniform distance apart by anupper bracing member 16 having opposedparallel arms 17, a lower bracing member 13 having opposedparallel arms 19, andanintermediate bracing member 20 having opposedparallel arms 21. Thus thearms 17, 19 and 21 at one side of themembers 16, 18 and 2li' provide rigid horizontal supports joining the legs 1t) and 13 while thearms 17, 19 and 21 at the opposite side ofmembers 16, 18 and 20 provide similar supports joining thelegs 11 and 14 of each of the pair of rack frames. Each of the legs 1t), 11, 13 and 14 may be provided with adjustable feet so that the racks may be levelled despite irregularities in the door. In

i i ttes Pate-nt other instances, the legs may be 1'itted withcaster wheels 22 for convenience in moving the racks from placetov` place.A Horizontally extending shelf or pan supporting4 runners Z3 bridging the area between the legs-10 and 13l at selected vertically spaced apart positions are provided by means of arunner section 24 secured to and con necting the legs 1d and 13 of each rack unit frame and simi-lar runners 23 extending between thelegs 11 and 14 in horizontalalignment with therunners 23 extending between legs iti and 13 are provided by means of a tion on the racks.

While accordingly functioning as storage racks, and-` with the aid of an accessory rack unit as contemplated by{ the present invention, said racks are adapted to be joined in iixed spaced relation at a selected distance apart and the area therebetween made available for similar storage of additional pans, shelves, etc. Such an accessory unit', as shown in Fig. 2, includes a series ofbridging members 25, 26 and 27 of uniform size and dimension and each provided atopposite endwise portions thereof with a pair of downwardlybent hook portions 28 joined by an`v integral connectingmember 28a. As shown in the drawings,l the hooks 23Y ofbridging member 25 have engage-- ment with thearm 17 ofupper bracing member 16 at one* side of one of the racks and with thearm 17 of the upperv bracing member 16V of other rack.Hooks 28 of bridging'4rmembers 26 and 27 have similar engagement with theyarms 17 of the intermediate andlower bracing members 2d and 18 respectively. While thus supported in operativeposition between the racks to maintain said racks in fixed spaced apart relation, thebridging members 25, 26 and 27 provide horizontally extending load supporting shelves across the space between the racks. the connectingmember 28"L is ofset in the direction of the area within thehook portions 28 joined thereby. Thus stress is. applied by the connecting member 23a against the@ surface of the arm of the bracing member opposite thereto? to yieldably resist accidental unfastening of thehook portions 28 from a position of operative engagement with said arm of the bracing member. An accessory unit forming the subject of this invention also provides means for utilizing the area between thebridging members 25, 26 and 27 for the storage of pans, shelves, etc. in the same manner that such pans, shelves, etc. are accommodated by the supportingrunners 23 of the rack units. Accordingly, the accessory unit includes a pair of end members, each consisting of a pair oflegs 29 and 30 connected in spaced parallel relation by supportingrunners 31 arranged in parallel spaced apart relation along saidlegs 29 and 3i). Thelegs 29 and 30 are provided at their upper ends with ahook portion 32 for detachable engagement with thearms 17 of the racks on which theupper bridging member 25 is supported. Thelegs 29 and 30 are thus suspended from thearms 17 of the racks to position therunners 31 of each end member in horizontally paired alignment so that saidrunners 31 function in the same manner as therunners 23 of the rack unit. Each of thelegs 29 is made up of an upper section and a lower section joined by aplate 33 to which said sections are welded. Thelegs 30 likewise comprise upper and lower sections joined by asimilar plate 34.Similar plates 35 and 36 are secured to the lower ends of the lower section of thelegs 29' and 30 respectively. When thelegs 29 and 30 are in supported position on thearms 17 of the racks, theplates 33 and 34 are positioned opposite thearm 21 of the middle bracing member 2@ and theplates 35 and 36 are situated opposite thearm 19 of the lower Patented Fei.V 21, 1961u Asshown in Fig. 5,-

I agreguebracing member 18. Each of theplates 33 and 34 are joined by abolt 38 to clampingmembers 37 engaging thearm 21 to establish an interlocked connection between thelegs 29 and 30 and the rack on which saidlegs 29 and 30 are supported. Theplates 35 and 36 are likewise joined by a bolt 3S to clampingmember 37 engaging thearm 19 of thelower bracing member 18.

As thus assembled and operatively connected to the racks, the accessory unit forming the subject of this invention affords strong, rigid, low cost storage facilities utilizing as its end supports the sides of self supporting storage racks to which said accessory unit is connected.

, The ease with which the accessory unit of this invention can be applied to and removed from a state of operative assembly is highly advantageous in that it renders assembling and re-arranging of the storage facilities to suit a wide range of reqirements a very simple and easy matter.

Obviously the invention is not limited to the details of the illustrated accessory unit or to the details of the rack units to which it is applied since these details may be variously modified. Moreover, it is not indispensable that all the features of the invention be used conjointly since various features may be used to advantage in different combinations and sub-combinations.

What is claimed is:

1. A rack installation comprising a pair of rack units, each being supportable in self standing relation to the other unit and provided with caster-mounted wheels, and means for detachably joining said units in fixed spaced apart relation for collective movement as a single unit, said means including bridging members detachably connected to said rack units, said bridging members each providing horizontally disposed load supporting surface across the space between said rack units when the latter are so joined, and each of said rack units provided with a detachable frame member supported in upright relation along the side of the rack unit facing the space between said rack units, and each of said frame members having runners, with the runners of each frame in horizontal alignment with the runners of the other frame, said runners extending inwardly of the space between said rack units to provide surfaces with which separate load supporting members disposed between said frame members have supporting engagement.

2. A rack installation according toclaim 1, wherein each frame member has detachable connection to its supporting rack unit via means including a hook provided at the upper end of each frame engageable with cooperating means on the rack unit.

3. A rack installationv according toclaim 1, wherein each frame member has detachable connection to its supporting rack unit via means including a series of clamping members on each rack unit to which the associated frame member is joined by a bolt.

4. A rack installation comprising a pair of rack units, each being supportable in self standing relation to the other unit, means for detachably joining said units in lixed spaced apart relation, said means including bridging members detachablyconnected to said rack units, each said bridging member providing a horizontally disposed load supporting surface disposed across the space between said rack units when the latter are so joined, and each of said rack units provided with a detachable frame member supported in upright relation along the side of the rack unit facing the space between said rack units, and each of said frame members having runners, with the runners of each frame in horizontal alignment with the runners of the other frame, said runners extending inwardly of the space between said rack units to provide surfaces with which separate load supporting members disposed between said frame members have supporting engagement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 442,468 Wegener Dec. 9, 1890 890,986 Jones .lune 16, 1908 1,059,464 Hine Apr. 22, 1913 1,593,945 Macklem July 27, 1926 1,665,593 Bulman Jan. 10, 1928 1,772,497 Richardson Aug. 12, 1930 1,793,637 Rockwell Feb. 24, 1931 1,943,023 Langenkamp et al. Jan. 9, 1934v 2,315,595 Chappory Apr. 6, 1943 2,544,368 Thorne Mar. 6, 1951 2,591,467 Rodefer Apr. l, 1952 FOREGN PATENTS 209,327 Australia July l5, 1957

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