CA2610897A1

CA2610897A1 - Load-supporting socket

Info

Publication number: CA2610897A1
Application number: CA 2610897
Authority: CA
Inventors: Lynne Isabelle Sharp; Jeremy John Holmes
Original assignee: PRIME STEEL Inc
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-11-15
Filing date: 2007-11-15
Publication date: 2009-05-15

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to supports attached to and projecting from vertical surfaces and more particularly to a socket for supporting a load and for use in conjunction with a conventional bracket-support attached to a vertical wall.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Relatively small items which are shipped in boxcars of freight trains or the boxes of trucks are usually packed in cardboard boxes and are placed on shelves in the interior of the boxcars or truck boxes. The cardboard containers can vary widely in size and to accommodate the various sizes, use is made of shelves supported by brackets. The brackets are connected to bracket-supports which are attached to the vertical walls of the boxcars and truck boxes. The advantage of such brackets and bracket-supports is of course that the position of the shelves can be easily changed to accommodate the various sizes of cardboard containers.

Larger items such as appliances and heavy machinery are usually protected from damage during shipment by dividers which prevent the items from sliding into contact with other items in the boxcars and truck boxes. The dividers, like the shelves, are attached to the vertical walls of boxcars and boxes of trucks by brackets and bracket-supports.

A shortcoming of conventional brackets and bracket-supports when used to support shelves and dividers in a boxcar and truck box is that the brackets can separate from the supports should the boxcars or truck boxes be subject to sudden movement. Boxcars of freight trains, for example, are subject to sudden violent jerks when the brakes of the train are applied or when the train is starting or stopping. Truck boxes can also be subject to sudden movement when a curve in a highway is being rounded rapidly or when brakes are applied suddenly.

The load-bearing socket of the subject invention is used in conjunction with a convent-ional bracket-support and is a substitute for the bracket described above. The socket is an improvement over the bracket when used for the purposes described above since it substantially diminishes the possibility that the socket may separate from the bracket-support when a boxcar or a truck box is subject to sudden movement.

Briefly, the load-bearing socket of the subject invention has a front wall;
and a cleat which extends outwardly from said front wall and which is adapted to fit into separate openings in a conventional bracket-support. The cleat has a base defined by oppositely facing side walls which extend outward from the front wall and terminate at horns. Each horn is spaced apart from the front wall and extends laterally from a separate side wall in a direction opposite that of the other horn. Both horns terminate at oppositely facing end walls. The cleat has a length measured from from one end wall to the other greater than height of the openings and each horn has a length, measured from the side wall from which the horn extends to its end wall. The lengths of the two horns are unequal.

The load-bearing socket of the invention is described with reference to the accompanying illustrations in which:

2 Figure 1 is a perspective view of the socket in conjunction with a conventional bracket-support;

Figure 2 is an elevation of the socket from a side;
Figure 3 is an elevation of the socket from the front;
Figure 4 is an elevation of the socket from the rear;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the socket from the front;
Figure 6 is another perspective view of the socket of Figure 5 from the side opposite that shown in Figure 5;

Figure 7 is an elevation of a third embodiment of the socket from a side;
Figure 8 is an elevation of the socket of Figure 7 from the front; and Figure 9 is a perspective view of the socket of Figure 7 in the interior of a boxcar.
Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the description fo the drawings.
With reference to Figure 1, the load-bearing socket, generally 10, is shown in conjunction with a bracket-support, generally 12. The bracket-support is conventional and has a front face 14 which is spaced apart from a rear face 16. The rear face is provided with a number of apertures (not illustrated) which receive screws or nails for fastening the bracket-support to a vertical wall, generally 18. A number of elongated vertically extending openings 20 are spaced along the front wall of the bracket-support.

With reference to Figures 2 and 3, the socket has a front wall 22 to which a cleat 24 is

3 = CA 02610897 2007-11-15 attached. The cleat extends outwardly from the front wall and is adapted to fit into any of openings 20 in the bracket-support. The cleat is composed of a base 26 having oppositely facing side walls 28a,b. The side walls extend outwardly from the front wall of the socket and terminate at a pair of horns 30, 32. Each horn is spaced apart from the front wall and extends laterally from a separate side wall 28 in a direction opposite that of the other horn. The horns terminate at end walls 30a, 32a.

As illustrated in Figures 3 and 1, the length 34 of the cleat measured between the end walls 30a, 32a is greater than the height 36 of openings 20 in the bracket-support.

To minimizing wobbling of the socket when the cleat in within an opening in the bracket-support, inside walls 30b, 32b of the horns are parallel to the front wall 22 of the socket.

Each horn has a length 40, 42 measured from the side wall from which the horn extends to its end wall. It will be observed from Figures 2 and 3 that the length of horn 40 which extends upwardly from the base is greater than that of horn 42.

As illustrated in Figures 1 and 4, the socket is open at the back for receipt of timbers 44 for supporting a load.

With reference to Figures 5 and 6, the socket, generally 50 has a tubular forward compon-ent 52 of generally rectangular cross-section and a rear triangular component 54. The latter component is attached to the lower end of the forward component. A cleat 56 is attached to the front wall 58 of the forward component and beneath the cleat is a oblong protuberance 60.

4 Cleat 56 has the same construction as cleat 24 and its longer horn 62 extends upwardly while its shorter horn 64 extends downwardly. The length of the cleat is longer than the height of the openings in the bracket-support while the length of the protuberance is slightly less.

The cleat and bracket are spaced apart sufficiently such that when the cleat is within an opening in the bracket-support, the protuberance fits into a lower opening in the bracket-support.
With reference to Figures 7 and 8, socket, generally 80 has a flat upper wall 82, an outwardly projecting intermediate wal184 and an L-shaped lower wall 86. A side wall 90 extends upwardly from the horizontal component 86a of the lower wall and terminates at the vertical component 86b of the lower wall. A cleat and protuberance 92, 94 of the same construction as the cleat and protuberance of Figures 6 and 7 are fastened to the front surface 82a of the upper wall With reference to Figure 9 the socket of Figures 7 and 8 is shown in conjunction with a conventional bracket-support 100 which is inset into vertical wall 102.
Protective ribs 104 are attached to the lower part of the vertical wall. Such ribs are commonly provided in the interior of a boxcar or box of a tractor trailer..

With reference to Figure 7 and 9, the upper wall 82 and the vertical component 86b of the lower wall of the socket are parallel to one another and are spaced apart a distance 110 approx-imately equal to the thickness of the ribs. That thickness is the distance which the ribs project outwardly from the vertical wall 102.

` ' = CA 02610897 2007-11-15 When the socket is attached to the bracket-support as illustrated in Figure 9, the socket accommodates conventional timbers such as 2 x 4's. The timbers minimize shifting of loads within the boxcar while the loads are in transit. Protuberance 94 minimizes lateral movement of the socket and timbers at such time.

It will be understood, of course, that modifications can be made in the structure of the load bearing socket of the invention without departing from the scope and purview of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

We claim:

1. A load-bearing socket for use in conjunction with a bracket-support adapted to be attach-ed to a vertical wall, said bracket-support having a front face which is spaced apart from said vertical wall and which has a plurality of spaced apart elongated vertically extending openings formed therein, said openings being defined by upper and lower edges and a pair of spaced apart side edges of said front face, said opening having a height which is bounded by said upper and lower edges, said socket having a front wall; and a cleat extending outwardly from said front wall and adapted to fit into separate said openings, said cleat having a base defined by oppositely facing side walls which extend outward from said front wall and terminate at horns, each said horn being spaced apart from said front wall and extending laterally from a separate said side wall in a direction opposite that of the other said horn and terminating at an end wall, said cleat having a length from one said end wall to the other said end wall greater than the height of said openings and each said horn having a length, measured from the side wall from which the last mentioned said horn extends to its said end wall, the lengths of said horns being unequal.

2. The socket of claim 1 wherein each said horn has a lower wall which faces said front wall and is parallel thereto.

3. The socket of claim 1 wherein said side walls and said end walls are all parallel to one another and said horn has a lower wall which faces said front wall and is parallel thereto.

4. The socket of claim 1 further including a protuberance which extends outwardly from said front wall and which is in a position such that when said cleat is in one said opening in said bracket-support, said protuberance fits into another said opening beneath said one opening.