US3862691A - Lock span shelving - Google Patents

Abstract

A storage rack assembly including a post of sheet metal or the like having at least one supporting wall with a front face and a back face. A plurality of slots are formed in the supporting wall and are spaced from each other along the length of the post. A beam of sheet metal or the like has a web portion with a front face and a pair of load carrying tabs struck from the front face and spaced from each other in a direction transverse to the length of the beam. Each of the load carrying tabs are received in one of the slots in the post such that the beam extends transversely of the post. A projection is struck from the front face of the beam and engages an edge of the supporting face so that the beam is firmly secured against horizontal movement with respect to the post. An anti-lift tab is provided on the beam to project through one of the slots to firmly secure the beam against vertical movement with respect to the post.

Description

States Mari et a1.

atent [1 1 1 1 Jan. 28, 1975 1 LOCK SPAN SHELVING [731 Assignee: Lear Siegler, Inc., Kalamazoo,

Mich.

221 Filed: June 1, 1973 211 Appl. No.: 365,940

479,278 ll/l969 Switzerland 211/176 Prinmry ExaminerRamon S. Britts Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Reising, Ethington & Perry [57] ABSTRACT A storage rack assembly including a post of sheet metal or the like having at least one supporting wall with a front face and a back face. A plurality of slots are formed in the supporting wall and are spaced from each other along the length of the post. A beam of sheet metal or the like has a web portion with a front face and a pair of load carrying tabs struck from the front face and spaced from each other in a direction transverse to the length of the beam. Each of the load carrying tabs are received in one of the slots in the post such that the beam extends transversely of the post. A projection is struck from the front face of the beam and engages an edge of the supporting face so that the beam is firmly secured against horizontal movement with respect to the post. An anti-lift tab is provided on the beam to project through one of the slots to firmly secure the beam against vertical movement with respect to the. post.

7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEQ JAN 2 8 I975 sum 10F 2 1 LOCK SPAN SHELVING This invention relates generally to storage racks, and is particularly concerned with storage racks of the type that can be assembled together without the use of fasteners such as conventional nuts and bolts.

A problem with some prior art rack constructions of this general type is that of erecting the rack without the use of fasteners, spring clips, and the like, and without the use of special tools or skills. It is also difficult with some prior art constructions to obtain a tight fit of the joints of the rack construction without the use of separate fasteners.

An object of this invention is to provide a rack construction that can be erected from prefabricated parts with simple tools without the use of fasteners and the like for securing the component parts together.

A further object is to provide a rack construction for storing various types of materials on the shelves of the rack, which shelves are vertically adjustable to suit the size of the material to be stored.

A further object is to provide a storage rack construction that does not have protruding screws, hooks and the like.

A further object is'to provide a storage rack construction wherein the parts can be firmly secured together against movement with respect to each other without the use of conventional fasteners.

The foregoing, and other objects, are achieved by the provision of a storage rack assembly according to the present invention wherein the rack includes posts of sheet metal of the like formed with a supporting wall having a plurality of slots spaced from each other along the length of the post. A beam of sheet metal or the like has a web portion with a pair of load carrying tabs struck from the front face of the beam and spaced from each other in a direction transverse to the length of the beam. Each of the load carrying tabs are received in one of the slots in the post such that the beam extends transversely of the post. A projection is struck from the beam and engages an edge of the supporting face of the post to firmly secure the beam against horizontal movement with respect to the post. An antilift tab is formed on the beam and is bendable to project through one of the slots on the post to firmly secure the beam against vertical movement with respect to the post.

Other objects, advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a storage rack assembly according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view ofa portion of the storage rack of FIG. 1',

FIG. 3 is an elevational view ofa fragmentary portion of the post and beam prior to the engagement of the post and beam with each other;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of a fragmentary portion of the post and beam after they have been assembled together;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along lines 5-5 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along lines 66 of FIG. 4.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 2 collectively designates vtween posts 10.Beams 6 each have an end interlocked with one of theposts 10 in a manner that is set forth in detail below.

With reference to FIGS. 2-6, each of theposts 10 includes a pair of supportingwalls 12 extending at a right angle to each other. Each of the supportingwalls 12 has a front face-l4 and aback face 16. A plurality ofslots 18 are formed in each. supportingwall 12, the slots being spaced from each other along the length of the post.

Each of the slots. 18 hasend walls 20 andside walls 22. Theside walls 22 are shaped such that eachslot 18 has a width greater at its mid portion than at theend wall 20.

Each of thebeams 6 is of sheet metal or like material and has aweb portion 23 with afront face 24 and a back face 26. A pair ofload carrying tabs 28 is struck from theweb 23 and projects from thefront face 24. Theload carrying tabs 28 are spaced from each other in a direction transverse to the length of thebeams 6. As shown in the drawings, when thetabs 28 are each received in oneof theslots 18, the beam extends transversely of thepost 10. As shown particularly in FIGS. 4 and 5, when theload carrying tabs 28 are received in arespective opening 18, the tabs support the beams on theend wall 20 of therespective openings 18.

Abead 30 of substantially V-shaped in cross section is formed in the upper edgeof theload carrying tabs 28 to provide additional stiffness to the tab. Each of thetabs 28 is also formed with an outwardly extendinglip 32 to make it easier to insert the tabs intotheslots 18.

When theload carrying tabs 28 are received in theslots 18 as shown inFIGS. 4 and 5, for example, aprojection 34 on the front face of thebeam 6 engages anedge 36 of the supportingwall 12 of the post. Theprojection 34 extends from the front face of the beam a distance greater than theload carrying tabs 28 to provide a spacer to protect the tabs during shipment and storage of the beams prior to assembly of the storage rack. Theprojection 34 is struck from and is'integral with the material of theweb 23. As shown in the drawings, theprojection 34 includes abase portion 38 spaced from and substantially parallel to theweb 23,

and is connected with theweb 23 byleg portions 40. The engagement of the twoload carrying tabs 28 with theend wall 20 of theslots 18, together with the engagement of theprojection 34 with theedge 36 provides a stable, rectangular path for the forces exerted on the post by thebeams 6. The engagement of theprojection 34 with theedge 36 of the supportingwall 12 provides increased resistance to bending of the beam '6 under load and also prevents displacement of thebeam 6 with respect to thepost 10 in a horizontal direction, that is, in a direction parallel to thebeam 6 as shown in the drawings.

Ananti-lift tab 42 is formed on the beam for engagementwith the post to prevent disengagement of theload carrying tabs 28 from theslots 18; The anti-lift tab is struck from the material of theweb 23 and is disposed in the plane of theweb 23 prior to assembly. When theload carrying tabs 28 are inserted into theslots 18, thetab 42 is bent by a screw driver or similar tool to project through thelower slot 18 as shown in FIG. 4 so that thebeam 6 cannot be vertically displaced with respect to thepost 10.

As shown most clearly in FIG. 6, theedge 36 of the supportingwall 12 is defined by a flange projecting rearwardly from thefront wall 14.

The supportingwall 12 of the post has a channel portion formed thereon such that the front face has arecessed portion 44, and theslots 18 are formed in the recessed portion of the front face. Theanti-lift tabs 42, when bent to project through an opening 18, do not therefore project beyond thefront face 14 because of the recessed portion of theslots 18 with respect to thefront face 14. Moreover, the recessed portion of thefront face 14, together with theedge portion 36, engages thefront face 24 of thebeam 6 to further provide stability to the connection between the two members.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, thebeam 6 includes upper and lower, rearwardly projectingflanges 46 and 48, respectively. The upper flange is spaced below the upper edge 50 (see FIG. of the web to define astop flange 52 for engaging the edge of the decking 4 so that the decking 4 cannot slide off of thebeams 6 and is, in effect, received in a recess and supported on theupper flanges 46. I

As shown in FIG. 2, the end of theflanges 46 and 48 are mitered at 54 so that the flanges of the beams extending at right angles to each other do not interfere with each other.

Thebeams 6 can be removed from the posts simply by bending theanti-lift tab 42 with a screw driver out of engagement with itsslot 18. The beams can then be removed simply by lifting thetabs 28 out of theslots 18.

As shown in FIG. 4, when theload carrying tabs 28 are seated fully in therespective slots 18, they have a force fit relationship with theside walls 22 at the lower ends of the slots. Consequently a sharp blow from a mallet or the like may be required to engage and disengage thetabs 28 with the slots. Furthermore, some interference is also preferably designed into the assembly such that there is a force fit relationship betweenprojection 34 andedge 36 as well as between thetab 28 and theside wall 22 of theslot 18nearest edge 36 to provide a rigid connection when the parts are assembled together.

While a specific form of the invention has been described in the foregoing specification and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the invention is not limited to the exact construction shown. Modifications in the construction and arrangement of parts, all falling within the spirit and scope of the invention, will become apparent to those skilled in the art.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A storage rack assembly comprising: a post of sheet metal or the like having at least one supporting wall with a front face and a back face; a plurality of slots in said supporting wall spaced from each other along the length of said post; a one-piece beam of sheet metal or the like having a web portion with a front face; a pair of integralload carrying tabs struck from the web of the beam and projecting from the front face of said beam and spaced from each other in a direction transverse to the length of said beam, each of said load carrying tabs being received in one of the slots in said post such that said beam extends transversely of said post; and an integral projection on the front face of said beam engaging an edge of the supporting wall of said post, said projection extending from said front face of said beam a distance greater than said load carrying tabs, said projection being struck from the material of said beam, and further including antiJift means formed integrally on said beam engageable with said post to prevent disengagement of said load carrying tabs from said slots.

2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein said anti-lift means comprises an anti-lift tab struck from the web of said beam, said anti-lift tab being disposed in the plane ofthe web portion of said beam prior to assembly and being bendable to project through one of said slots.

3. An assembly as claimed in claim 2 wherein the supporting wall of said post has a channel portion formed thereon such that said front face has a recessed portion, said slots being formed in the recessed portion of said front face.

4. An assembly as claimed in claim 3 wherein the edge of said supporting wall engaged by said projection is defined by a flange projecting rearwardly from said front wall.

5. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein said beam includes upper and lower flanges projecting said web on the opposite side thereof from the front face of said front face.

Claims (7)

1. A storage rack assembly comprising: a post of sheet metal or the like having at least one supporting wall with a front face and a back face; a plurality of slots in said supporting wall spaced from each other along the length of said post; a one-piece beam of sheet metal or the like having a web portion with a front face; a pair of integral load carrying tabs struck from the web of the beam and projecting from the front face of said beam and spaced from each other in a direction transverse to the length of said beam, each of said load carrying tabs being received in one of the slots in said post such that said beam extends transversely of said post; and an integral projection on the front face of said beam engaging an edge of the supporting wall of said post, said projection extending from said front face of said beam a distance greater than said load carrying tabs, said projection being struck from the material of said beam, and further including anti-lift means formed integrally on said beam engageable with said post to prevent disengagement of said load carrying tabs from said slots.

2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wheRein said anti-lift means comprises an anti-lift tab struck from the web of said beam, said anti-lift tab being disposed in the plane of the web portion of said beam prior to assembly and being bendable to project through one of said slots.

3. An assembly as claimed in claim 2 wherein the supporting wall of said post has a channel portion formed thereon such that said front face has a recessed portion, said slots being formed in the recessed portion of said front face.

4. An assembly as claimed in claim 3 wherein the edge of said supporting wall engaged by said projection is defined by a flange projecting rearwardly from said front wall.

5. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein said beam includes upper and lower flanges projecting said web on the opposite side thereof from the front face thereof.

6. An assembly as claimed in claim 5 wherein said upper flange is spaced below the upper edge of said web to define a stop flange for engaging the edge of decking adapted to be supported on said beam.

7. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the supporting wall of said post has a channel portion formed thereon such that said front face has a recessed portion, said slots being formed in the recessed portion of said front face.

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