AU2013251223A1

AU2013251223A1 - Inclined shelf case

Info

Publication number: AU2013251223A1
Application number: AU2013251223A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Jens Willach
Original assignee: Gebr Willach GmbH
Current assignee: Gebr Willach GmbH
Priority date: 2012-10-30
Filing date: 2013-10-30
Publication date: 2014-05-15
Anticipated expiration: 2033-10-30
Also published as: DE102012219864B3; EP2727501B1; AU2013251223B2; EP2727501A1

Abstract

Abstract Inclined shelf case The present invention refers to an inclined shelf case (1) comprising a case cor pus (2) with supports (9) having at least one inclined shelf (3) sloping down to wards the take-out side (5) and having an abutment element at its lower end, which element retains stored objects (13, 13a). The at least one inclined shelf (3) is mounted to supports (9) via guide rails (11) and is designed as a pullout running in the guide rails (11). Each guide rail (11) comprises an integrated stop (23). The inclined shelf (3) is provided with a stop device (25) for the inclined shelf (3), the stop device being independent of the stop (23) integrated in the guide rail (11) and cooperating with the case corpus (2). (Fig. 1) -1/2 5,e Fig.1

Description

Australian Patents Act 1990 - Regulation 3.2 ORIGINAL COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title Inclined shelf case The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- Description The present invention relates to an inclined shelf case for receiving rows of ob jects stacked one behind the other on inclined shelves, the lowermost object, which is in a take-out position, abutting against an abutment element. Inclined shelf cases serve to store and provide objects in sales rooms or storage rooms. They are particularly suited to receive rows of similar objects in a space saving manner. It is a particular advantage that when the lowermost object is taken out, the remaining objects move down due to the effect of gravity so that there always is one object in the take-out position. An inclined shelf is advanta geous over an arrangement of objects in vertical columns in that only a part of the weight of the other objects rests on the lowermost object and that the low ermost object is presented in a position for convenient removal so that taking out the same requires little effort. Inclined shelf cases are filled either from the rear side averted from the take-out side, or the inclined shelves are designed as pullouts adapted to be pulled out towards the take-out side. In both cases it is possible to refill the shelves with new objects from the top so that the first-in-first-out principle can be carried out, according to which the goods that were stored first are also taken out first. Filling the inclined shelves from the rear is disadvantageous in that it requires additional depth of a room. Inclined shelf cases are often used in pharmacies, where they are most often made of metal. In known inclined shelf cases, in which the inclined shelves are designed as pullouts, these are mounted to supports via guide rails and can be pulled out until an end stop is reached that is integrated in the guide rails. In most cases the inclined shelves can also be removed completely from the in clined shelf case so that they can be cleaned more easily. For this purpose, the 2 end stops can be overcome, so that an inclined shelf can be pulled out of the guide rails. In particular when in the filled state and when they are made of metal, the in clined shelves are heavy so that in the pulled-out state of the inclined shelf the stop integrated in the guide rails has to bear the entire weight. This can cause problems, if an inclined shelf slips from a user's hand, when it is pulled from the slide-in position in which the inclined shelf is secured, and moves into the pull out position under the effect of gravity, so that it hits the stop integrated in the guide rail in an unbraked manner and with a high momentum. In such an event, there is a risk of the stop integrated in the guide rail being destroyed so that the entire inclined shelf can fall out of the inclined shelf case, which means a high risk of accidents. This risk exists especially since the stops integrated in commer cially available guide rails are most often made of plastic material for reasons of weight and cost. In the applicant's DE 298 16 937 U1 from which an inclined shelf case according to the preamble of claim 1 is known, this problem is solved by guiding the in clined shelf along an arcuate track as it is pulled out, so that the inclined shelf is slowed down when it moves out and a part of the kinetic energy is converted into a lifting movement of the inclined shelf. However, the structure of the known in clined shelf is complicated. It is an object of the present invention to provide an inclined shelf case that has a simple structure and at the same time prevents the risk of accidents occurring when inclined shelves are pulled out. The invention is defined by the features in claim 1. In the present inclined shelf case comprising a case corpus with supports having at least one inclined shelf, preferably a plurality of inclined shelves arranged one above the other, wherein the at least one inclined shelf slopes down towards the take-out side and has an abutment element at its lower end, which element re- 3 tains stored objects, wherein the at least one inclined shelf is mounted to sup ports via guide rails and is designed as a pullout running in the guide rails, and wherein each guide rail comprises an integrated stop, it is provided that the in clined shelf is provided with a preferably mechanical stop device for the inclined shelf, the stop device being independent of the stops integrated in the guide rails and cooperating with the case corpus, preferably with at least one of the sup ports. Thus, the stop device is redundant to the stops integrated in the guide rails and can prevent the inclined shelf from falling out of the inclined shelf case, inde pendent of the stops integrated in the guide rails. Thereby, the risk of accidents during the handling of the present inclined shelf case is significantly reduced. By providing a stop device that is independent of the stops integrated in the guide rails and cooperates with the support, a structurally simple possibility is achieved that allows an improvement in the safety of inclined shelf cases. The stop device can comprise at least one protrusion extending from the inclined shelf and adapted to be moved against a stop at one of the supports. In a struc turally particularly simple manner, such a stop device allows for securing the in clined shelf against moving out unintentionally. In a preferred embodiment it is provided that the protrusion is displaceable on the inclined shelf with respect to the support, preferably with respect to the stop. Thereby, it can be ensured that the inclined shelf can be removed entirely from the inclined shelf case by displacing the protrusion with respect to the support so that it can slide past the stop. Thus, the inclined shelf can be removed from the inclined shelf case for cleaning. In a preferred embodiment of the invention it is provided that the inclined shelf is designed as a pull-out tray with side walls and a front wall forming the abutment element. Here, it may be provided that the protrusion extends sideways from one of the side walls. Thus, an advantageous cooperation of the protrusion and 4 the support is possible, since the protrusion extends towards the supports ar ranged laterally of the inclined shelves. In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention it is provided that the side walls are resiliently deformable towards the inner side of the pull-out tray, whereby the protrusion can be displaced relative to the support by resilient de formation. Thus, it is provided that the side walls can be resiliently bent inward, whereby the protrusion can be guided past the stop in order to remove the inclined shelf completely from the inclined shelf case. The invention advantageously provides that the protrusion comprises a lead-in chamfer cooperating with the support, preferably with the stop. When inserting the inclined shelf into the inclined shelf case, the lead-in chamfer may cause the protrusion to be pressed aside and be displaced relative to the support by simply pushing in the inclined shelf, whereby the protrusion can be guided past the stop. Thus, an inclined shelf can be inserted into an inclined shelf case in a very simple manner. The protrusion may be situated at the rear end of the side wall. Here, the rear end of the side wall is the end of the side wall opposite the front wall. The pull-out tray may have a rear wall with a gap provided between the rear wall and the side wall having the protrusion. Thus, it can be ensured that enough space is available for a resilient bending of the side wall. The width of the gap may be adapted to the width of the protrusion so that it can be reliably ensured that the protrusion can be guided past the stop when the inclined shelf is re moved completely from the inclined shelf case. It may be provided that the stop protrudes upward from the support. In this em bodiment, the protrusion can be guided above the support and advantageously cooperate with the stop. In such an arrangement, the embodiment can be real ized in a particularly advantageous manner with a resiliently formed side wall, 5 since the protrusion can be arranged at the upper edge of the side wall so that a resilient deformation and thus a displacement of the protrusion are possible in a particularly advantageous manner. Here, the protrusion is situated at the portion of the side wall that can be deformed to the greatest extent, since the side wall has its lower edge fastened to the bottom plate of the inclined shelf. In the pulled-out state of the inclined shelf, the protrusion may contact the stop. This means that the stop device acts before the stops integrated in the guide rails cause a stopping of the inclined shelf. Thereby, the stops integrated in the guide rails, which stops are often made of plastic material, are spared, since in normal use the stop device effects the stopping of the inclined shelf. When an inclined shelf is removed completely, the stop device is disengaged, for example, by moving the protrusion past the stop, and thereafter, the stop integrated in the guide rail is detached. This has the particular advantage that the stop integrated in the guide rail can become effective only after the stop device has been over come. In this case, it is highly probable that the inclined shelf has already been slowed down so that the stop integrated in the guide rail is subjected to only a reduced load. Thereby, a very high level of safety can be ensured. The invention may provide that the guide rails are two- or three-piece telescopic rails. The invention will be described in detail hereunder with reference to the following Figures. In the Figures: Fig. 1 is a schematic illustration of the inclined shelf case of the present invention, shown in partial section, and Fig. 2 is a schematic top plan view on an inclined shelf of an inclined shelf case of the present invention. Fig. 1 schematically illustrates an inclined shelf case of the present invention in side elevational view and in partial section. The inclined shelf case 1 comprises a 6 plurality of inclined shelves 3 arranged one above the other that slope down towards the take-out side 5. The inclined shelves 3 are designed as pullouts 7, wherein each pullout is mounted to lateral supports 9. Guide rails 11 are provided between the supports 9 and the inclined shelves 3 so that the pullouts 7 can run in these guide rails 11 and can be pulled out from the inclined shelf case. Each inclined shelf 3 is supported at two supports 9 having one guide rail 11 each. As schematically illustrated in Fig. 1, a plurality of objects 13, 13a is placed in the inclined shelf 3, which rest against an abutment element due to gravity acting in the direction of the take-out side 5. When the lowermost object 13a is removed, the other objects 13 slide down until the next following object 13 abuts against the abutment element. As can be seen best in Fig. 2 which schematically illustrates a single inclined shelf 3 in top plan view, the inclined shelf 3 is designed as pull-out tray and has side walls 15, a rear wall 19, as well as a front wall 17 forming the abutment element. The front wall 17 can be made from glass, for instance, so that the objects held by the inclined shelf 3 are well visible to a user from the take-out side 5 of the inclined shelf case 1. The inclined shelf 3 may further comprise partitions 21 that delimit paths for the objects 13, 13a. The guide rail 11 which is arranged between the support 9 and the inclined shelf 3 and by which the inclined shelf 3 is mounted to the support 9, is configured as a telescopic rail, for instance a three-piece telescopic rail. A stop 23 is integrated in the guide rail 11, the stop limiting a maximum pull-out of the guide rail 11. In order to allow for a complete removal of the inclined shelf 3 from the inclined shelf case 1, for example to enable cleaning the inclined shelf 3 in an advantageous manner, the stop 23 integrated in the guide rail 11 is detachable so that the integrated stop 23 can be overcome in order to remove the inclined shelf 3 completely.

7 The inclined shelf 3 further comprises a stop device 25 independent of the stop 23 integrated in the guide rail 11, which in the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 2 comprises a protrusion 27 extending laterally from the side wall 15. The protrusion 27 cooperates with a stop 29 provided at the support 9. Here, the protrusion 27 abuts against the stop 29 in the pulled-out state of the inclined shelf 3. It is thereby ensured that, in the event of an unintentional slipping of the inclined shelf 3 during a pull-out operation, the momentum caused by the gravity-related acceleration and the weight of the inclined shelf 3 is absorbed by the protrusion 27 and the stop 29. In the fully pulled out state of the inclined shelf, the stop 23 integrated in the guide rail 11 is not engaged. A gap 31 is provided between the side wall 15 and the rear wall 19. The side wall 15 is designed resiliently deformable so that the protrusion 27 can be displaced relative to the support 9 by pressure exerted from outside on the side wall 15. It is thereby ensured that the inclined shelf 3 can be removed completely from the inclined shelf case by enabling the protrusion 27 to be moved past the stop 29 by resiliently deforming the side wall 15 during the pull-out operation. When the protrusion 27 has been moved past the stop 29, the stop 23 integrated in the guide rail 11 is engaged. The same can then be detached in the usual manner. Owing to the fact that the stop device 25 is effective before the stop 23 integrated in the guide rail 11, it can be ensured that the integrated stop 23, which is often made of plastic material, is not damaged or destroyed by the inclined shelf 3 sliding out in an uncontrolled manner. Thus, the inclined shelf 3 is reliably secured against falling out. The protrusion 27 is arranged at the rear end of the side wall 15 opposite the take-out side 5. At the side averted from the take-out side 5, the protrusion 27 has a lead-in chamfer 33 so that, when the inclined shelf 3 is inserted, the protrusion 27 is pressed against a part of the support 9, i.e. the stop 29 in the embodiment illustrated, and is thereby automatically pushed aside, whereby it can be moved 8 past the stop 29. Thereby, the inclined shelf 3 can be inserted in a very simple manner. The pullout 7 can be made entirely from sheet metal, with the side wall 15 and the rear wall 19 being formed by upturned edges. The protrusion 27 may also be formed in an upturning process by folding the upper edge of the side wall 15 together with the protrusion 27 with respect to the side wall. Each inclined shelf 3 may include locking means, not illustrated herein, by means of which the inclined shelf 3 is locked in the fully inserted state so that the inclined shelf 3 remains in the inserted position against the effect of gravity. Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context re quires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps. The reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or admission or any form of suggestion that that prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common gen eral knowledge in the field of endeavor to which this specification relates. The reference numerals in the following claims do not in any way limit the scope of the respective claims.

Claims

1. An inclined shelf case (1) comprising a case corpus (2) with supports (9) having at least one inclined shelf (3) sloping down towards the take-out side (5) and having an abutment element at its lower end, which element retains stored objects (13, 13a), wherein the at least one inclined shelf (3) is mounted to supports (9) via guide rails (11) and is designed as a pullout running in the guide rails (11), wherein each guide rail (11) comprises an integrated stop (23), characterized in that the inclined shelf (3) is provided with a stop device (25) for the inclined shelf (3), the stop device being independent of the stop (23) integrated in the guide rail (11) and cooperating with the case corpus (2).

2. The inclined shelf case of claim 1, characterized in that the stop device (25) cooperates with at least one of the supports (9).

3. The inclined shelf case of claim 2, characterized in that the stop device (25) comprises at least one protrusion (27) extending from the inclined shelf (3), the protrusion being adapted to be moved against a stop (29) at one of the supports (9).

4. The inclined shelf case of claim 3, characterized in that the protrusion (27) is displaceable on the inclined shelf (3) with respect to the support (9).

5. The inclined shelf case of one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the inclined shelf (3) is configured as a pull-out tray with side walls (15) and a front wall (17) forming the abutment element. 10

6. The inclined shelf case of claim 4, characterized in that this protrusion ex tends sideways from one of the side walls (15).

7. The inclined shelf case of claim 6, characterized in that the side walls (15) are resiliently deformable towards the inner side of the pull-out tray, wherein the protrusion (27) is displaceable with respect to the support (9) by a resilient deformation of a side wall (15).

8. The inclined shelf case of one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that the protrusion (27) comprises a lead-in chamfer (33) cooperating with the support (9).

9. The inclined shelf case of one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that the protrusion (27) is provided at the rear end of the side wall (15).

10. The inclined shelf case of one of claims 5 to 9, characterized in that the pull-out tray has a rear wall (19), wherein a gap (31) is provided between the rear wall (19) an the side wall (15) having the protrusion (27).

11. The inclined shelf case of one of claims 3 to 10, characterized in that the stop (29) extends upward from the support (9).

12. The inclined shelf case of one of claims 3 to 11, characterized in that in the pulled-out state of the inclined shelf (3), the protrusion (27) contacts the stop (29).

13. The inclined shelf case of one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the guide rails (11) are two- or three-piece telescopic rails.