AU2013366646B2

AU2013366646B2 - Hook part

Info

Publication number: AU2013366646B2
Application number: AU2013366646A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Ulrich Bohnacker
Original assignee: Tegometall International AG
Current assignee: Tegometall International AG
Priority date: 2012-12-21
Filing date: 2013-12-19
Publication date: 2017-01-05
Anticipated expiration: 2033-12-19
Also published as: DE202012012380U1; EP2934237A1; AU2013366646A1; CN104869866A; WO2014096190A1; PH12015501414A1; NZ709251A; EP2934237B1; EA201500674A1; JP2016511643A; TW201433283A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a hook part for connecting a foot part (2) to a column (3) in a shelving system, typically as part of store fittings. The hook part is assembled in a layer‑like manner from at least two sheet‑metal parts (20, 30), wherein the upper side of the hook part is formed by the upper side of a first sheet-metal part (20), whereas the lower side of the hook part is formed by the lower side of a second sheet‑metal part (30). The front portion (11) of the hook part is designed to be fastened to the foot part, whereas the rear portion (13) of the hook part is designed to be fastened to the column. In the layer‑like structure, lateral parts (21, 22) of the first sheet‑metal part and lateral parts (31, 32) of the second sheet-metal part, which in each case belong to the rear portion, are respectively folded upwardly and downwardly in order to allow the rear portion to be latched into the correspondingly formed hole in the column (3).

Description

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Hook Element

In rack systems, it is important to connect the base element with the back columns in a reliable manner and without clearance or slackness. In particular, rack systems for shop 5 fitting are regularly required to support high loads, such that this connection is particularly important for the statics of the rack system, in particular in view of the risks of tilting and overturning.

Known systems have rectangular holes in their back columns, into which the cantilever-type base element, at the bottom, and the rack panels, further above, can be 10 engaged via so-called hook elements. The hook elements are fixed to the base element at one side, for example by welding, and engaged with the rectangular holes of the corresponding back column at the other side. In order to achieve a torsionaily stiff connection, typically two hook elements, an upper one and a lower one, are provided for the connection with the respective back column. 15 In Figs. 4 and 5, a base element with known hook elements fixed to it and a back column with holes before and after engaging them with one another are shown.

The hook elements can be of different types in view of shape, materials and fixation to the base element, depending on the manufacturer and the prescribed load. A known lower hook element is produced from a square-end material by mechanical 20 processing such as sawing, milling, drilling, cutting and/or thread machining. On the one side it is accommodated in the pillar of a base element and is connected to it via welding points. On this side, it further comprises a thread hole extending upwards for receiving a screwable base plate of the base element. On the other side of the hook element, where it protrudes from the base element pillar, it is formed such as to be hook-engaged with the back column. 25 A further known hook element is a forged member which has undergone additional mechanical machining steps (drilling and milling) and which is to be inserted into a tube-like base element pillar and welded therein.

Both above-described hook elements have a relatively high weight and require extensive mechanical processing. Therefore, both material costs and processing costs are 30 comparably high.

It is desirable that embodiments of the invention provide a hook element with the required stabilisation characteristics and with lower material and processing costs. It is also desirable that embodiments of the invention provide a hook element suited both for pillars of sheet metal base elements and for tube-like base element pillars. 2013366646 18 Oct 2016 -2 -

According to the present invention, there is provided a hook element for connecting a base element with a column in a rack system, wherein the hook element Is formed of at least two sheet metal parts in a layered conf iguration; wherein the upper side of the hook element is formed by the upper side of a first sheet metal part, while the lower side of the hook 5 element is formed by the lower side of a second sheet metal part, wherein a front portion of the hook element is configured such as to be fixed in the base element, and a back portion of the hook element is configured such as to be engaged with a hole which is open towards the bottom and provided at the lower end of the front side of the column, and so to be fixed to the column, wherein side parts of the first sheet metal part and side parts of the second sheet 10 metal pad, respectively forming part of the back portion, are flapped upwards and downwards, respectively, in order to allow the engagement of the back portion into an accordingly shaped hole in the column, and wherein the front portion comprises a throughhole extending through the at least two sheet meta! parts and provided with a thread for allowing a foot shaft of a foot of the base element with an appropriate thread to be i 5 screwed info it.

For comparable stability requirements, a hook element made of layered sheet metal parts requires less material than a massive hook element (such as a square-end hook element or forged hook element). Further, such sheet metal parts can be processed more cost-efficiently than massive hook elements. 20 Further improvements of the hook element as described in claims 2 and 3 maintain the simple configuration and processing and also ensure that the hook element can be engaged with or hooked Into the column. The improvements according to claim 4 concerns the connection of the hook element with the base element and its back foot. The remaining claims introduce further advantageous features. .25 The present invention wiii now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the hook element according to the embodiment of the present invention and the lower back and of the base element pillar;

Figure 2 shows a side view of the base element cantilever part and, fixed in it, the 30 hook element;

Figure 3 shows a top view on the base element· cantilever part and. fixed in it, the hook element;

Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the base element cantilever part and, fixed in it, the conventional hook element and the rack column before engagement; 2013366646 18 Oct 2016

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Figure 5 shows a perspective view of the base element cantilever part and the rack column after the engagement of the conventional hook elements into the rack column;

Figure 6 shows a top view on the hook element;

Figure 7 shows a side view of the hook element; 5 Figure 8 shows a back view of the hook element.

As shown in Figure 1, the hook element 1 of the embodiment is formed of an upper sheet metal part 20 and a lower sheet metal part 30. The hook element has a front portion 11 to be fixed in a base element 2, a back portion 13 for engaging with a rack column 3 and a narrower intermediate portion 12 between the front 3 and back portions 11 and 13. In the front portion 11, a thread hole 15 extends through the two sheet metal parts 20, 30. In the back portion, side parts 21,22 of the upper sheet metal part 20 are flapped upwards, while corresponding opposite side parts 31, 32 of the lower sheet metal part are flapped downwards. The downwards-flapped side parts of the second sheet metal part are longer than the upwards-flapped side parts of the first sheet metal part in a preferred embodiment. However, they can also be shorter or of the same length. The flapping angle can be 90° for the side parts of both sheet metal parts or can be different from 90° for at least one of the pairs of side parts.

Both side parts are connected with each other via welding points or by clinching, possibly additionally by crimping, in the front and back portions. However, a larger number of welding points or other connection types may be used.

Figures 2 and 3 show the base element cantilever part 2 and, fixed in it, the upper and lower hook elements 1 and 5. The lower hook element 1 is the hook element shown in Figure 1. It is engaged from below into a lowest hole 6 of a rack column 3 as shown in Figure 4, while the upper hook element 5 is engaged into a hole 7 of the rack column 3. The lowest hole 6 is located adjacent to the lower edge of the front part of the column 3 and is open towards the bottom. The lower hook element can thus be shifted into the rack column from below such that the back portion of the hook element is located inside the column and the intermediate portion inside the hole. The back portion 13 of the hook element is arranged such as to fill up the inside of the column entirely, if possible, and such that its width is greater than the width of the column hole.

The base element cantilever part has a back foot 4, the thread shaft 14 of which is threaded inside the base element cantilever part 2 into the thread hole 15 in the hook element. The front portion 11 of the hook element is configured such as to fill up the inside of the base element pillar as entirely as possible. In addition, it is fixedly attached to the base element pillar from inside, preferably by point welding or gas-shielded welding. The base element can be formed tube-like or can be composed of sheet metal parts.

In Figures 6 to 8, the hook element is again shown from all sides. Deviations from this form are possible, as long as the layered configuration and the hooking or engaging functionality of the hook element are maintained. The inclusion of a third or further sheet metal layers is easily conceivable.

The hook element of this embodiment can be made of steel. In this case, its weight is about 100 g, while corresponding milled or forged hook elements have a weight of about 200 g. It can be manufactured on a fully automatic press 2013366646 18 Oct 2016

It^naUntcrMivaiWUPonhJUX'CVXAX11776107.1 Aocx> I SHIWfllfi -4- with coil supply, where the two sheet metal parts are welded together automatically and an M 10-thread hole is formed. In contrast to the conventionally used hook elements, a considerably improved cycle time and also clearly reduced labour requirements can be achieved. Manufacturing costs are thus reduced considerably. 5 The hook element of the embodiment ensures a high security of the rack system against tipping or overturning. When rack systems are used in shop fittings, the load requirements are regularly particularly high such that the reliability of a clearance-free and torsionally stiff connection of the rack column with the base elements in particular via the lower hook elements is of high importance. 10 While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not by way of limitation. It will be apparent to a person skilled in the relevant art that various changes in form and detail can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention should not be limited by any of the above described 15 exemplary embodiments.

Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires 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. 20 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 general knowledge in the field of endeavour to which this specification relates.

Claims

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. Hook element for connecting a base element with a column in a rack system, wherein the hook element is formed of at least two sheet metal parts in a layered configuration; wherein the upper side of the hook element is formed by the upper side of a first sheet metal part, while the lower side of the hook element is formed by the lower side of a second sheet meta! part, wherein a front portion of the hook element is configured such as to be fixed in the base element, and a back portion of the hook element is configured such as to be engaged with a hole which is open towards the bottom and provided at the lower end of the front side of the column, and so to be fixed to the column, wherein side parts of the first sheet metal part and side parts of the second sheet metal part, respectively forming part of the back portion, are flapped upwards and downwards, respectively, in order to allow the engagement of the back portion into an accordingly shaped hole In the column, and wherein the front portion comprises a throughhole extending through the at least two sheet metal parts arid provided with a thread for allowing a foot shaft of a foot of the base element with an appropriate thread to be screwed into it.
2. Hook element according to claim 1, wherein the upwards-flapped side parts of the first sheet metal part are shorter in the vertical direction than the downwards-flapped side parts of the second sheet metal part,
3. Hook element according to claim 1, wherein the upwards-flapped side parts of the first sheet metal part and the downwards-flapped .side parts of the second sheet metal part are equally long in the vertical direction.
4. Hook element according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the hook element comprises an intermediate portion between the front and back portions, which is narrower than the front and back portions,
5. Hook element according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least two sheet metal parts are welded onto each other or are bonded to each other in a different manner, for example by clinging and/or crimping.
6. Hook element according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising precisely two sheet metal elements, namely the first one and the second one.
7. Hook element according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising three, four or more sheet metal parts.
8. Hook element according to any one of the preceding claims, consisting only of the at least two sheet metal parts.
9. Hook element according to any one of the preceding claims, configured to be used in rack systems for shop fitting.