CA1228056A - Storage rack having load-leveling trolleys - Google Patents
Storage rack having load-leveling trolleysInfo
- Publication number
- CA1228056A CA1228056A CA000467141A CA467141A CA1228056A CA 1228056 A CA1228056 A CA 1228056A CA 000467141 A CA000467141 A CA 000467141A CA 467141 A CA467141 A CA 467141A CA 1228056 A CA1228056 A CA 1228056A
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- trolley
- rails
- bay
- load
- frame
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Abstract
STORAGE RACK HAVING LOAD-LEVELING TROLLEYS
Abstract of the Disclosure A storage rack comprising a plurality of bays with each bay having a front storage location and a rear storage location and each bay adapted to receive at least two palletized loads through a front entrance with the first-received load being movable between the locations. Each bay comprises an open front end through which the loads can be inserted and removed and rail means extending between the locations. The bay further includes a trolley for carrying the first-received load which is supported by the rail means and is movable on a pair of rails between the front storage location and the rear storage location. The rails are inclined downwardly toward the bay front end so that the trolley is biased by the force of gravity toward the front storage location. The trolley has a support surface for receiving its load which is disposed substantially horizontally whereby the possibility of a lift truck, which has picked up a horizontally disposed palletized load from the floor, knocking the trolley from the rails when the load is placed on the trolley is substantially reduced.
Abstract of the Disclosure A storage rack comprising a plurality of bays with each bay having a front storage location and a rear storage location and each bay adapted to receive at least two palletized loads through a front entrance with the first-received load being movable between the locations. Each bay comprises an open front end through which the loads can be inserted and removed and rail means extending between the locations. The bay further includes a trolley for carrying the first-received load which is supported by the rail means and is movable on a pair of rails between the front storage location and the rear storage location. The rails are inclined downwardly toward the bay front end so that the trolley is biased by the force of gravity toward the front storage location. The trolley has a support surface for receiving its load which is disposed substantially horizontally whereby the possibility of a lift truck, which has picked up a horizontally disposed palletized load from the floor, knocking the trolley from the rails when the load is placed on the trolley is substantially reduced.
Description
f~Sf;
STORAGE RACK I~AVIiJG LOAD--LEVELI~JG TROLLEYS
The present invention relates to warehouse storage arrangements and, more particularly, to storage racks having bays fo~ receiving multiple loads.
Background of the Invention It is common practice in warehouses to store goods at multiple levels using storage racks. Each rack defines an array of storage bays in horizontal and vertical rows. Typically, the racks are situated back-to-back with an aisle spacing each pair of racks, and each bay can receive only a single load of goods.
More specifically, the goods are arranged on a pallet and a forklift truck is used to distribute the palletized loads to their desired storage locations.
It has been recognized that such warehousing arrangement wherein one aisle is required for each pair of racks, with each rack only one load deep, does not provide a particularly efficient use of floor space. To provide greater efficiency, storage racks have been proposed having greater depth so that loads can be stored at more than one location within each bay. One proposed storage rack is adapted to receive two loads of palleted goods through a front end, thereby essentially doubling the amount of storage area associated with each aisle. A first load of goods is placed upon a trolley in the storage bay, and the loaded trolley is moved rearwardly along a track to an inner or rear location when a second load is inserted into the same bay. The trolley, wllich is biased forward by resilient means, returns its load to the front location of the bay when the second load is removed. For further information regarding the structure and operation of this storage rack, reference may be made to U.S. Patent l~o. 4,155,462.
In the system deqcribed in that patent, the weight of the second load prevents the forward return move~ent of the trolley until it is removed. It is recognized in the '462 patent that a light load in front , d~
- ~Z2~ 5~
of the trolley may be insufficient to prevent forward movement of the trolley; however, as the system is intended for use in warehouses of large capacity, this danger is dismissed as minimal. While the danger of a forward-biased trolley pushing a fully loaded pallet into the ai~le may be minimal, such may not be the case when a pallet is nearly empty. In many warehouse facilities, goods will frequently be individually picked from a loaded pallet rather than withdrawn as an entire pallet load. If the load becomes sufficiently light, a forward-biased trolley may dislodge the pallet and shove it and the remaining goods into the aisle.
A recently proposed storage rack has bays which receive multiple loads through a front opening with the first-received load being movable on a trolley between a forward storage location and a rear storage location.
Each bay has inclined rails, sloping downwardly toward the bay front end, 80 that the trolley is biased by the force of gravity toward its forward location. To retain the trolley at the rear location, releasably locking means are provided. ~ith such storage rack, the pallet support surface of the trolley is not horizontal, but i8 disposed generally parallel to the trolley rails. ~hile the slight angle of the support surface is, in most applications, inconsequential, it can be disadvantageous. For example, a forklift truck operator after lifting a palletized load from the floor might not, for one reason or another, angle the pallet QO that its engagement surface matches that of the trolley support surface. Upon roughly setting the load on the trolley, the mismatch of surfaces could result in torque being applied to the trolley which could promote premature wear of rack and/or trolley component~ or, ln an extreme situation, result in derailment of the trolley.
3(~5~
Among the several objects of the present invention may be noted the provision of an improved storase rack having bays for receiving more than one load; the provision of such rack having a trolley for conveniently moving loads between storage locations in each bay; the provision of such rack having inclined rails to utilize the force of gravity to bias trolleys to their forward positions thereby avoiding using springs or other resilient means for such biasing;
the provision of such rack holding trolleymounted loads disposed substantially horizontally to preclude component wear and reduce any chance of trolley derailment during mounting;
and the provision of such rack which is reliable in use, ! has long service life and is simple and economieal to manufaeture.
, Briefly, each bay of the storage rack of the I present invention has an open front end through which loads ; can be inserted and removed and rails extending between a front storage loeation and a rear storage loeation. Eaeh bay further ineludes a trolley for earrying a first-reeeived load with the trolley being supported by the rails and movable on the rails between the front loeation and the rear loeation.
The rails are inelined downwardly toward the front end of , the bay so that the trolley is biased by the foree of gravity ! toward the front storage loeation. Furthermore, the trolley has a support surfaee for reeeiving its load and the support surface is disposed substantially horizontally.
Aeeording to the present invention there is provided a storage rack ineluding a plurality of bays, each bay having a front storage location and a rear storage loeation, each bay being adapted to receive at least two loads through ` a front entranee with the first receiving load being movable i between the loeations. Each bay includes an open front entrance and through which the loads can be inserted and removed.
A pair of spaced parallel rails e~tend between the locations, the rails being inclined downwardly toward the front end.
A wheeled trolley is provided for earrying the first received mab/~
3.~ 56 load, the trolley being supported by the rails and movable on the rails between the locations with the trolleys being biased by the force of gravity towards the front location, the trolley including a frame having a front end, a rear end and a generally planar, substantially horizontal support surface extending from the front end to adjacent the rear end. The trolley further includes a pair of front legs carried by the frame and extending downwardly from the frame front end, each front leg carrying a wheel for engagement with one of the rails. The trolley further includes a pair of rear legs carried by the frame and extending downwardly above both the level of the support surface and the level of the frame adjacent the frame rear end. Each rear leg carries a wheel for engagement with one of the rails, the length of each of the legs being chosen to compensate for the inclination of the rails to cause the support surface to be horizontal.
Brief Description of the Drawinqs FIG. 1 is a sectional side elevational view showing a vertical column of bays of a storage rack of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, with each bay having front and reax storage locations and a trolley for moving a palletized load between the locations, showing the trolley at the rear location;
FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the vertical column of bays of the storage rack of FIG. l;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a rail frame, including a pair of spaced rails, for mounting in each bay of the storage rack;
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the trolley of FIG.
1 for mounting on the rails in each bay;
FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the trolley of FIG. 4; and FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of an alternate preferred embodiment of the trolley of the present invention.
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~-ZZ~3(~i56 Description of the Preferred Embodiments A storage rack of the present invention for mounting on, for example, a warehouse floor in order to support a plurality of loads of goods is generally indicated by reference character 20. The storage rack comprises an OEray of bays 22 arranged in vertical and horizontal rows, one vertical row being shown in FIG.
STORAGE RACK I~AVIiJG LOAD--LEVELI~JG TROLLEYS
The present invention relates to warehouse storage arrangements and, more particularly, to storage racks having bays fo~ receiving multiple loads.
Background of the Invention It is common practice in warehouses to store goods at multiple levels using storage racks. Each rack defines an array of storage bays in horizontal and vertical rows. Typically, the racks are situated back-to-back with an aisle spacing each pair of racks, and each bay can receive only a single load of goods.
More specifically, the goods are arranged on a pallet and a forklift truck is used to distribute the palletized loads to their desired storage locations.
It has been recognized that such warehousing arrangement wherein one aisle is required for each pair of racks, with each rack only one load deep, does not provide a particularly efficient use of floor space. To provide greater efficiency, storage racks have been proposed having greater depth so that loads can be stored at more than one location within each bay. One proposed storage rack is adapted to receive two loads of palleted goods through a front end, thereby essentially doubling the amount of storage area associated with each aisle. A first load of goods is placed upon a trolley in the storage bay, and the loaded trolley is moved rearwardly along a track to an inner or rear location when a second load is inserted into the same bay. The trolley, wllich is biased forward by resilient means, returns its load to the front location of the bay when the second load is removed. For further information regarding the structure and operation of this storage rack, reference may be made to U.S. Patent l~o. 4,155,462.
In the system deqcribed in that patent, the weight of the second load prevents the forward return move~ent of the trolley until it is removed. It is recognized in the '462 patent that a light load in front , d~
- ~Z2~ 5~
of the trolley may be insufficient to prevent forward movement of the trolley; however, as the system is intended for use in warehouses of large capacity, this danger is dismissed as minimal. While the danger of a forward-biased trolley pushing a fully loaded pallet into the ai~le may be minimal, such may not be the case when a pallet is nearly empty. In many warehouse facilities, goods will frequently be individually picked from a loaded pallet rather than withdrawn as an entire pallet load. If the load becomes sufficiently light, a forward-biased trolley may dislodge the pallet and shove it and the remaining goods into the aisle.
A recently proposed storage rack has bays which receive multiple loads through a front opening with the first-received load being movable on a trolley between a forward storage location and a rear storage location.
Each bay has inclined rails, sloping downwardly toward the bay front end, 80 that the trolley is biased by the force of gravity toward its forward location. To retain the trolley at the rear location, releasably locking means are provided. ~ith such storage rack, the pallet support surface of the trolley is not horizontal, but i8 disposed generally parallel to the trolley rails. ~hile the slight angle of the support surface is, in most applications, inconsequential, it can be disadvantageous. For example, a forklift truck operator after lifting a palletized load from the floor might not, for one reason or another, angle the pallet QO that its engagement surface matches that of the trolley support surface. Upon roughly setting the load on the trolley, the mismatch of surfaces could result in torque being applied to the trolley which could promote premature wear of rack and/or trolley component~ or, ln an extreme situation, result in derailment of the trolley.
3(~5~
Among the several objects of the present invention may be noted the provision of an improved storase rack having bays for receiving more than one load; the provision of such rack having a trolley for conveniently moving loads between storage locations in each bay; the provision of such rack having inclined rails to utilize the force of gravity to bias trolleys to their forward positions thereby avoiding using springs or other resilient means for such biasing;
the provision of such rack holding trolleymounted loads disposed substantially horizontally to preclude component wear and reduce any chance of trolley derailment during mounting;
and the provision of such rack which is reliable in use, ! has long service life and is simple and economieal to manufaeture.
, Briefly, each bay of the storage rack of the I present invention has an open front end through which loads ; can be inserted and removed and rails extending between a front storage loeation and a rear storage loeation. Eaeh bay further ineludes a trolley for earrying a first-reeeived load with the trolley being supported by the rails and movable on the rails between the front loeation and the rear loeation.
The rails are inelined downwardly toward the front end of , the bay so that the trolley is biased by the foree of gravity ! toward the front storage loeation. Furthermore, the trolley has a support surfaee for reeeiving its load and the support surface is disposed substantially horizontally.
Aeeording to the present invention there is provided a storage rack ineluding a plurality of bays, each bay having a front storage location and a rear storage loeation, each bay being adapted to receive at least two loads through ` a front entranee with the first receiving load being movable i between the loeations. Each bay includes an open front entrance and through which the loads can be inserted and removed.
A pair of spaced parallel rails e~tend between the locations, the rails being inclined downwardly toward the front end.
A wheeled trolley is provided for earrying the first received mab/~
3.~ 56 load, the trolley being supported by the rails and movable on the rails between the locations with the trolleys being biased by the force of gravity towards the front location, the trolley including a frame having a front end, a rear end and a generally planar, substantially horizontal support surface extending from the front end to adjacent the rear end. The trolley further includes a pair of front legs carried by the frame and extending downwardly from the frame front end, each front leg carrying a wheel for engagement with one of the rails. The trolley further includes a pair of rear legs carried by the frame and extending downwardly above both the level of the support surface and the level of the frame adjacent the frame rear end. Each rear leg carries a wheel for engagement with one of the rails, the length of each of the legs being chosen to compensate for the inclination of the rails to cause the support surface to be horizontal.
Brief Description of the Drawinqs FIG. 1 is a sectional side elevational view showing a vertical column of bays of a storage rack of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, with each bay having front and reax storage locations and a trolley for moving a palletized load between the locations, showing the trolley at the rear location;
FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the vertical column of bays of the storage rack of FIG. l;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a rail frame, including a pair of spaced rails, for mounting in each bay of the storage rack;
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the trolley of FIG.
1 for mounting on the rails in each bay;
FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the trolley of FIG. 4; and FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of an alternate preferred embodiment of the trolley of the present invention.
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~-ZZ~3(~i56 Description of the Preferred Embodiments A storage rack of the present invention for mounting on, for example, a warehouse floor in order to support a plurality of loads of goods is generally indicated by reference character 20. The storage rack comprises an OEray of bays 22 arranged in vertical and horizontal rows, one vertical row being shown in FIG.
2. As shown in FIG. 1, each bay 22 is adapted to receive a pair of loads 24, 26 of goods, and each bay includes a forward storage location 2~ and a rear storage location 30. Each bay has a pair of rails 32, 34 extending between the storage locations and, furthermore, includes a trolley 36 supported by the rails and movable between t~e storage locations for shuttling the first-received load 24 between the storage locations. Hhile the partial rack shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has four superimposed bays 22 in the vertical row, it will be appreciated that the particular arrangement of number of vertical and horizontal rows is dictated by the physical layout of the warehouse wherein the storage racks are placed. Additionally, the number of storage location~ in each bay is shown to be two; however, there could be three and possibly more storage locations in each bay. Such a number of locations is made possible using telescoping trolleys, as shown in co~monly-assigned United States Patent No. 4,4G2,500 issued July 31, 1984.
More specifically, as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, storage rack 20 haq a frame formed by a series of regulOE ly spaced forwOE d vertical posts 3~ and a series of corresponding regularly spaced rear vertical posts 40. Interconnecting corresponding forward and rear posts OE e fore-and-aft extendlng x-bracing 42 and straight braces 44 with each set of po8t8 3~3, 40 with its interconnecting bracing 42, 44 forming an upright truss 46. The trusses are laterally spaced to define the vertical rows of bays 22. Interconnecting each adjacent pair of trusses are a series of superimposed ~ ~2~('5~
rail frames 48 which define the horizontal rows of bays 22. The rail frames 4~3 can be attached directly to posts 3~, 40 or the trusses can be provided with fore-and-aft extending inclined brackets 50. As shown in FIG. 1, each truss 46 carries four superimposed brackets on each side of posts 3~, 40 with matching brackets forming pairs for cradling a rail frame 4 therebetween.
The storage rack skeleton thus formed can be reinforced as necessary in view of the loading requirements. For example, reinforcing vertical posts 52 can be added to back up posts in high load-carrying portions, such as at the lower ends of forward vertical posts 3~3. Additionally, supplementary x-bracing can be 1~ use~ to interc~nnect adjacent rear posts 40. Further lateral stability can be achieved by the use of laterally extending stringers to further interconnect the trusses 46.
Referring to FIG. 3, a rail frame 4~ is generally rectangular in plan and includes spaced side beams 54, 55 interconnected by front and rear end members 56, 5~ respectively. Beam 54 has a lower inwardly extending flange which constitutes rail 32 while beam 55 similarly has a lower inwardly extending flange which constitutes rail 34. Side beams 54, 55 are interconnected intermediate their ends by a cross beam 60 having a support surface 61 and further strength and rigidity can be obtained by adding diagonal bracing 62, as required. The rails 32, 34 serve as a track for the trolley 36. As best shown in FIG. 1, the rail .rames 4 are mounted between trusses 46 so that the rails are inclined, sloping downwardly toward a front opening 64 of the bay 22 to bias the trolley to the front storage location, due to the force of gravity. It should be noted that cross beam G0 generally underlies the rails and is canted ~ith respect thereto so that when frame 4~3 is mounted with the rails inclined, support surface 61 ~ Z2~ S6 is disposed substantially horizontal. The beam 60 does not directly interconnect beams 54, 55, but connects brackets 65 attached to the underside of each of the beams so that the trolley can move without interference from beam 60.
One embodiment of a trolley for use in each bay 22, is best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Trolley 36 has a frame made up of spaced front and rear beams 66, 68 interconnected by spaced supports 70. A central cross beam 71 may also be included. The beams and the supports of the trolley define a support surface 72 for receiving a palletized load of goods. Fixed to the ends of front beam 66 are a pair of do~nwardly extending legs 74 preferably formed of box section beams. Carried by the respective ends of ~rolley fra~e rear beam 68 are a pair of shorter downwardly extending legs 76 also preferably formed of box section beams. Each leg 74, 76 rotatably carries a wheel 78 generally at a corner of the trolley, and each wheel has a circumferential surface 80 for engaging its corresponding rail.
Furthermore, each wheel carries an interior flange 82 with the various wheel flanges being flanked by the rails 32, 34 to prevent substantial lateral movement of the trolley relative to the rails. The lengths of the 25 legs 74, 76 are chosen to compensate for the inclination of rails 32, 34 so that the support surface 72 is disposed substantially horizontal.
The storage rack 20 also preferably includes other features such as shock absorber means for 30 absorbing the kinetic energy of the trolley as it approache~ the limit of its forward travel: stop means for li~iting rearward travel of the trolley; trolley hold down brackets; locking means for releasably holding the trolley at the rear storage location; and speed 35 governing means (such as hysteresis wheels for engaging w'neels 78) for limiting the speed of the trolley. In the interest of brevity, such features ~ay not be fully l ZZ~ 56 ,..., ~
shown herein; however, these features are fully shown and described in United States Patent ~o. 4,462,500.
Operation of the storage rack 20 of the present invention is as follows: Loads of goods 24, 26 are supported on pallets 84 adapted for raising by a forklift truck or the like. The truck lifts the palletized load 24 of the desired bay without rotational movement of the load. Thus the lower engagement surface of the pallet and the support surface 72 of the trolley both are generally horizontally disposed. As the pallet bottom surface and support surface 72 are angularly matched, the placement of the first-received load 24 on trolley 36 does not result in the application of significant torque to the trolley which could result in premature wear to rall and~or trolley components, or, in an extreme situation, result in derailment of the trolley. This simple alignment of the support surface 72 with the floor instead of with the rails has the unexpected advantage of being able to very greatly simplify the job of the forklift operator and reduce the overall time it takes to perfectly position the loads 24 When the forklift operator desires to place a second load 26 in this bay, he aligns the load with the front bay opening 64. As he drives the forklift toward the storage rack, the pallet of the second load 26 engages the trolley and causes it to be rolled from the forward storage location to the rear storage location where releasable locking means maintains it until return to the forward location is desired. The palletized load 26 is then simply set on the cross beam 60 and the front end member 56 at the forward storage location. Load 26 is also generally horizontally disposed because the top of the member 56 and the support surface 61 of beam 60 lie in a common horizontal plane. The greater height of the front end of the trolley 36 eases the task of the ,,.
" .
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forklift operator to engage the front surface with the rear surface of the second pallet and thus also facilitates the insertion of the second load 26 into a bay. Recall of the loads 24, 26 is achieved by simply 5 reversing the aforementioned loading procedure.
Referring to FIG. 6, an alternative embodiment of the trolley of the present invention is illustrated, generally indicated by reference character 36A, that is particularly adapted to conserve storage space in a 10 vertical direction. Components of trolley 36A generally corresponding to components of trolley 36 are designated by the reference character assigned to the component of trolley 36 with the addition of the suffix "A". The primary difference in the alternative embodiment is that 15 back trolley legs 76A extend upwardly o that the axles of the rear wheels are actually disposed above the level of support surface 72A. The lengths of the legs 74A, 76A are again selected to compensate for the inclination of the rails so that the support surface 72A is 20 generally horizontal. Because the trolley 36A has a lower profile than trolley 36 and because the major portion of the trolley 36A actually occupies the horizontal space lying between the pair of rails, the trolley 36A can accommodate a higher pallet load than 25 trolley 36 in a storage bay of the same dimension wherein the back legs of the trolley 36 extend downwardl~ so that the rear wheel axles lie well below the level of support surface ?2. The arrangement of trolley 36A can easily conserve 6 to ~3 inches of storage 30 space in each bay which can be very important to a warehousing operation. For a pallet wider than the spacing between legs 76A, the pallet would abut leg 76A
but could overlie the legs 74A. If the pallet used is narrower than the spacing between the rear legs, the 35 pallet could extend therebetween.
As various changes could be made without departing from the scope of the invention, it is ~.Z2~ S~
intended that all matter contained in the above description shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
More specifically, as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, storage rack 20 haq a frame formed by a series of regulOE ly spaced forwOE d vertical posts 3~ and a series of corresponding regularly spaced rear vertical posts 40. Interconnecting corresponding forward and rear posts OE e fore-and-aft extendlng x-bracing 42 and straight braces 44 with each set of po8t8 3~3, 40 with its interconnecting bracing 42, 44 forming an upright truss 46. The trusses are laterally spaced to define the vertical rows of bays 22. Interconnecting each adjacent pair of trusses are a series of superimposed ~ ~2~('5~
rail frames 48 which define the horizontal rows of bays 22. The rail frames 4~3 can be attached directly to posts 3~, 40 or the trusses can be provided with fore-and-aft extending inclined brackets 50. As shown in FIG. 1, each truss 46 carries four superimposed brackets on each side of posts 3~, 40 with matching brackets forming pairs for cradling a rail frame 4 therebetween.
The storage rack skeleton thus formed can be reinforced as necessary in view of the loading requirements. For example, reinforcing vertical posts 52 can be added to back up posts in high load-carrying portions, such as at the lower ends of forward vertical posts 3~3. Additionally, supplementary x-bracing can be 1~ use~ to interc~nnect adjacent rear posts 40. Further lateral stability can be achieved by the use of laterally extending stringers to further interconnect the trusses 46.
Referring to FIG. 3, a rail frame 4~ is generally rectangular in plan and includes spaced side beams 54, 55 interconnected by front and rear end members 56, 5~ respectively. Beam 54 has a lower inwardly extending flange which constitutes rail 32 while beam 55 similarly has a lower inwardly extending flange which constitutes rail 34. Side beams 54, 55 are interconnected intermediate their ends by a cross beam 60 having a support surface 61 and further strength and rigidity can be obtained by adding diagonal bracing 62, as required. The rails 32, 34 serve as a track for the trolley 36. As best shown in FIG. 1, the rail .rames 4 are mounted between trusses 46 so that the rails are inclined, sloping downwardly toward a front opening 64 of the bay 22 to bias the trolley to the front storage location, due to the force of gravity. It should be noted that cross beam G0 generally underlies the rails and is canted ~ith respect thereto so that when frame 4~3 is mounted with the rails inclined, support surface 61 ~ Z2~ S6 is disposed substantially horizontal. The beam 60 does not directly interconnect beams 54, 55, but connects brackets 65 attached to the underside of each of the beams so that the trolley can move without interference from beam 60.
One embodiment of a trolley for use in each bay 22, is best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Trolley 36 has a frame made up of spaced front and rear beams 66, 68 interconnected by spaced supports 70. A central cross beam 71 may also be included. The beams and the supports of the trolley define a support surface 72 for receiving a palletized load of goods. Fixed to the ends of front beam 66 are a pair of do~nwardly extending legs 74 preferably formed of box section beams. Carried by the respective ends of ~rolley fra~e rear beam 68 are a pair of shorter downwardly extending legs 76 also preferably formed of box section beams. Each leg 74, 76 rotatably carries a wheel 78 generally at a corner of the trolley, and each wheel has a circumferential surface 80 for engaging its corresponding rail.
Furthermore, each wheel carries an interior flange 82 with the various wheel flanges being flanked by the rails 32, 34 to prevent substantial lateral movement of the trolley relative to the rails. The lengths of the 25 legs 74, 76 are chosen to compensate for the inclination of rails 32, 34 so that the support surface 72 is disposed substantially horizontal.
The storage rack 20 also preferably includes other features such as shock absorber means for 30 absorbing the kinetic energy of the trolley as it approache~ the limit of its forward travel: stop means for li~iting rearward travel of the trolley; trolley hold down brackets; locking means for releasably holding the trolley at the rear storage location; and speed 35 governing means (such as hysteresis wheels for engaging w'neels 78) for limiting the speed of the trolley. In the interest of brevity, such features ~ay not be fully l ZZ~ 56 ,..., ~
shown herein; however, these features are fully shown and described in United States Patent ~o. 4,462,500.
Operation of the storage rack 20 of the present invention is as follows: Loads of goods 24, 26 are supported on pallets 84 adapted for raising by a forklift truck or the like. The truck lifts the palletized load 24 of the desired bay without rotational movement of the load. Thus the lower engagement surface of the pallet and the support surface 72 of the trolley both are generally horizontally disposed. As the pallet bottom surface and support surface 72 are angularly matched, the placement of the first-received load 24 on trolley 36 does not result in the application of significant torque to the trolley which could result in premature wear to rall and~or trolley components, or, in an extreme situation, result in derailment of the trolley. This simple alignment of the support surface 72 with the floor instead of with the rails has the unexpected advantage of being able to very greatly simplify the job of the forklift operator and reduce the overall time it takes to perfectly position the loads 24 When the forklift operator desires to place a second load 26 in this bay, he aligns the load with the front bay opening 64. As he drives the forklift toward the storage rack, the pallet of the second load 26 engages the trolley and causes it to be rolled from the forward storage location to the rear storage location where releasable locking means maintains it until return to the forward location is desired. The palletized load 26 is then simply set on the cross beam 60 and the front end member 56 at the forward storage location. Load 26 is also generally horizontally disposed because the top of the member 56 and the support surface 61 of beam 60 lie in a common horizontal plane. The greater height of the front end of the trolley 36 eases the task of the ,,.
" .
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forklift operator to engage the front surface with the rear surface of the second pallet and thus also facilitates the insertion of the second load 26 into a bay. Recall of the loads 24, 26 is achieved by simply 5 reversing the aforementioned loading procedure.
Referring to FIG. 6, an alternative embodiment of the trolley of the present invention is illustrated, generally indicated by reference character 36A, that is particularly adapted to conserve storage space in a 10 vertical direction. Components of trolley 36A generally corresponding to components of trolley 36 are designated by the reference character assigned to the component of trolley 36 with the addition of the suffix "A". The primary difference in the alternative embodiment is that 15 back trolley legs 76A extend upwardly o that the axles of the rear wheels are actually disposed above the level of support surface 72A. The lengths of the legs 74A, 76A are again selected to compensate for the inclination of the rails so that the support surface 72A is 20 generally horizontal. Because the trolley 36A has a lower profile than trolley 36 and because the major portion of the trolley 36A actually occupies the horizontal space lying between the pair of rails, the trolley 36A can accommodate a higher pallet load than 25 trolley 36 in a storage bay of the same dimension wherein the back legs of the trolley 36 extend downwardl~ so that the rear wheel axles lie well below the level of support surface ?2. The arrangement of trolley 36A can easily conserve 6 to ~3 inches of storage 30 space in each bay which can be very important to a warehousing operation. For a pallet wider than the spacing between legs 76A, the pallet would abut leg 76A
but could overlie the legs 74A. If the pallet used is narrower than the spacing between the rear legs, the 35 pallet could extend therebetween.
As various changes could be made without departing from the scope of the invention, it is ~.Z2~ S~
intended that all matter contained in the above description shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
Claims (4)
1. A storage rack comprising a plurality of bays, each bay having a front storage location and a rear storage location, each bay being adapted to receive at least two loads through a front entrance with the first-received load being movable between said locations, each bay comprising:
an open front entrance end through which said loads can be inserted and removed;
a pair of spaced parallel rails extending between said locations, said rails being inclined downwardly toward said front end; and a wheeled trolley for carrying said first-received load, said trolley being supported by said rails and movable on said rails between said locations with the trolley being biased by the force of gravity toward said front location, said trolley comprising a frame having a front end, a rear end and a generally planar, substantially horizontal support surface extending from said front end to adjacent said rear end, said trolley further comprising a pair of front legs carried by said frame and extending downwardly from said frame front end, each front leg carrying a wheel for engagement with one of said rails, said trolley further comprising a pair of rear legs carried by said frame and extending upwardly above both the level of said support surface and the level of said frame adjacent said frame rear end, each rear leg carrying a wheel for engagement with one of said rails, the length of each of said legs being chosen to compensate for the inclination of said rails to cause said support surface to be horizontal.
an open front entrance end through which said loads can be inserted and removed;
a pair of spaced parallel rails extending between said locations, said rails being inclined downwardly toward said front end; and a wheeled trolley for carrying said first-received load, said trolley being supported by said rails and movable on said rails between said locations with the trolley being biased by the force of gravity toward said front location, said trolley comprising a frame having a front end, a rear end and a generally planar, substantially horizontal support surface extending from said front end to adjacent said rear end, said trolley further comprising a pair of front legs carried by said frame and extending downwardly from said frame front end, each front leg carrying a wheel for engagement with one of said rails, said trolley further comprising a pair of rear legs carried by said frame and extending upwardly above both the level of said support surface and the level of said frame adjacent said frame rear end, each rear leg carrying a wheel for engagement with one of said rails, the length of each of said legs being chosen to compensate for the inclination of said rails to cause said support surface to be horizontal.
2. A storage rack as set forth in Claim 1 wherein said rear legs extend rearwardly of said frame.
3. A storage rack as set forth in Claim 1 including at least one pair of vertically extending upright trusses and an integral rail frame having a front end and a rear end and structurally interconnecting said trusses, said rail frame comprising said rails and further comprising a front transverse member interconnecting said rails and an intermediate transverse member extending between said rails, said intermediate transverse member being disposed closer to said rail frame front end than to said rail frame rear end, said intermediate transverse member having a support surface lying in a common, substantially horizontal plane with the top of said front transverse member.
4. A storage rack as set forth in Claim 3 wherein each of said rails is part of a longitudinally extending beam, said intermediate transverse member being affixed to an undersurface of each of said beams.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US55266783A | 1983-11-17 | 1983-11-17 | |
| US552,667 | 1995-11-03 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1228056A true CA1228056A (en) | 1987-10-13 |
Family
ID=24206284
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000467141A Expired CA1228056A (en) | 1983-11-17 | 1984-11-06 | Storage rack having load-leveling trolleys |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| JP (1) | JPS60118503A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1228056A (en) |
Families Citing this family (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPH0225764Y2 (en) * | 1985-07-29 | 1990-07-16 | ||
| JPH0626966B2 (en) * | 1990-01-11 | 1994-04-13 | 日本ファイリング株式会社 | Fluid shelf |
| JP2507260B2 (en) * | 1992-09-29 | 1996-06-12 | 日本ファイリング株式会社 | Fluid shelves |
-
1984
- 1984-11-06 CA CA000467141A patent/CA1228056A/en not_active Expired
- 1984-11-16 JP JP24216884A patent/JPS60118503A/en active Pending
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| JPS60118503A (en) | 1985-06-26 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |