Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60P—VEHICLES ADAPTED FOR LOAD TRANSPORTATION OR TO TRANSPORT, TO CARRY, OR TO COMPRISE SPECIAL LOADS OR OBJECTS
  • B60P3/00—Vehicles adapted to transport, to carry or to comprise special loads or objects
  • B60P3/14—Vehicles adapted to transport, to carry or to comprise special loads or objects the object being a workshop for servicing, for maintenance, or for carrying workmen during work

Definitions

• This invention relates to an improved support assembly suitable for supporting storage means or accessories.
• the support assembly may be utilized in or on vehicles or for warehouse storage or the like if desired.
• vehicles such as vans and utility trucks.
• Service and display vans and the like are at present provided with fixed racks, usually placed along each side of the van for storage of articles. Access to these racks can be gained only from inside the vehicle. Due to the limited floor space available and lack of head room such access can be awkward. Furthermore, since the racks are fixed perm ⁇ anently in place and the racks are difficult to empty the vehicle's use is substantially limited to the commercial use for which it has been outfitted.
• al vehicle storage racks include a plurality of detachable containers and these individual containers have to be removed and replaced with alternate containers. This is awkward and may lead to a necessary container being omitted from the racks.
• a further disadvantage of the presently available arrangements is that the storage racks are fixedly screwed or rivetted to the vehicle floor and side walls.
• the fitting of such storage racks has to be done on a one-off basis and costs are high due to the large amount of labour required.
• the present arrangement also imposes severe strain on the rack when the vehicle is used on rough roads. During such use the vehicle body flexes and this flexing is transferred to the racks. This frequently causes cracking due to fatigue or overstressing the rack components.
• vehicles fitted with fixed racks or shelving in which expensive equipment is stored provide a security problem. For example it may not be practical to park a fleet of vehicles in a warehouse each night or over a weekend in order to secure the parts and equipment therein.
• this invention in one aspect resides broadly in a support assembly including a guide assembly detachably securable to a supporting surface; a supporting structure supported by and movable along said guide assembly from a stowed position juxtaposed said guide assembly to an access position at which said supporting structure extends from said guide assembly and limit means adapted to retain said supporting structure in said stowed or access ' positions.
• the limit means may be releasable latching means, and preferably the latching means operates automatically to prevent movement of said supporting structure beyond the travelling or access positions but of course selectively engageable latching means could be provided for locking together the guide assembly and the supporting structure in any desired relative position.
• the latching means includes a spring biassed latch member mounted on the supporting structure and biassed towards engagement with stop means spaced along the guide assembly whereby the latch member engages with the respective stop means to secure the supporting structure in either the stowed po.sition or the access position.
• actuating means for releasing the latch member is positioned adjacent the outer end of said supporting structure whereby the latch means can be released from a position adjacent the outer end of the supporting structure for movement of the supporting structure to the stowed or access positions. It is also preferred that the latch means may be released from the access position to enable the supporting structure to be slidably disengaged from the guide assembly.
• the supporting structure may be used to support storage shelving or the like or ' it may be used to sunoort equipment such as a swaging machine. When utilized in a service van, for example, this would enable swaging to be carried out with the machine supported beyond the vehicle providing ready access thereto.
• wheels mounted on one of them.
• the wheels are mounted on the supporting structure and are arranged to support the supporting structure when disposed remote from the guide assembly whereby the supporting structure may be whee ' i about.
• the wheels may be provided on the i ide assembly and separate carrying means may be utilized for transporting the supporting structure remote from the guide assembly.
• the guide assembly includes upper and lower rails adapted to be engaged by respective wheels spaced along the supporting structure.
• the upper and lower pails are spaced apart a distance greater than the diameter of the wheels so that the supporting surface and the guide assembly attached thereto can flex without transf-: "ring the flexure or torque to the supporting structure. This arrangement prevents overstressing a rigid storage unit or other article which may be secured to the supporting structure .
• each supporting structure may be associated with alternate guide assemblies, including a guide assembly mounted in or en a vehicle and a guide assembly mounted in a warehouse.
• a plurality of supporting structure and associated shelving or the like may be supported in the warehouse in side by side relationship and access may be gained to selected shelving by moving the respective supporting assembly to an access position extending outwardly from the remaining shelving units and supported in cantilever manner from the respective guide assembly.
• Wheels may be provided on the supporting structure which disengage from the tracks of the guide assembly and engage the floor to further support the support structure.
• spaced pairs of wheels which can engage the floor when the supportin structure is fully disengaged from the guide assembly to enable the support structure and associated storage to be wheeled to and operatively engaged with a further guide assembly mounted in a vehicle for example.
• service vans can be unloaded efficiently by transferring the support structure and associated storage to a secure storage area whic. may include if desired further guide assemblies to enaLie access to be gained to the contents thereof while permitting effective utilization of storage space.
• this invention resides broadly in a van assembly including storage means utilizing a support asse oiy as defined above and supporting storage means there ⁇ on.
• the support assembly is arranged such that the guide mear.s is supported longitudinally along the van floor whereby the storage means may be moved to an access position through a rear door opening.
• There may be provided a plurality of storage assemblies arranged in side by side relationship together with a further storage assembly dis ⁇ posed transversly for movement to the access position through a side ⁇ - * oor.
• the guide means could be elevated rails if desired and the supporting structure could be arranged to hang from the guide means.
• this invention resides in a method of outfitting a service vehicle with storage means, the method including obtaining or preforming a support assembly as defined above; preforming on said supporting structure suitable storage means; installing the guide means in or on the vehicle and subsequently engaging said supporting structure slidably on said guide assembly.
• the support assembly may be mass produced and held in stock so that very little time is required for actual fitting work on the vehicle which can be utilized while the storage means is being constructed.
• Fig 1 is a perspective view of a typical van installation
• Fig 2 is a perspective view from beneath of the rear support assembly illustrated in Fig 1 ;
• Fig 3 is a cress-sectional view taken along the lines
• Fig 4 is a cross-sectioned view taken along the lines 4-4 of Fig 2 and illustrating the latch assembly
• Fig 5 is a broken away side view illustrating the relationship between the wheels and rails
• Fig 6 is a perspective view of the side support assembly illustrated in Fig 1;
• Fig 7 is a side view illustrating a typical mobile trolley adapted to be associated with the support assembly
• Fig 8 is a side view illustrating an alternate form of retaining means for the support assembly
• Fig 9 is a perspective view of a typical warehouse storage installation.
• a van 10 can be fitted with a plurality of support assemblies 11 and 12 each adapted to support respective storage shelving 13 and 14 for movement from an access position, as illus ⁇ trated, to a stowed position within the van 10.
• the support assembly 11 as illustrated in Fig 2 include a guide rail assembly 15 adapted to be fixed to the floor 16 of the van 10 and a supporting frame 17 slidable along the rail assembly 15.
• the rail assembly 15 includes a pair of spaced parallel rails 18 connected together by transverse bar-like cross members 19 which are apertured at 20 to enable the rail assembly to be bolted to the floor 16.
• Each rail 18 is of open C-section member arranged with its, open face innermost to receive the wheels 21 mounted on the supporting frame 17.
• sealed ball bearings are utilized for the wheels 21 and these mount on axles 22 which extend between and are fixed to angle- form side rails 23.
• the ends of the axles 22 terminate in ⁇ side of the outer extremity of the top flanges 24 so that the wheels 21 do not project beyond the supporting frame 17 which may include a base platform 25 upon which the shelving 13 is supported.
• FIGs 2 and 5 there are provided front and rear pairs of wheels 26 and 27 respectively adjacent the extremeties of the supporting frame 17 and intermediate pairs of wheels 28 spaced therebetween.
• the front and intermediate pairs of wheels 26 and 28 are arranged with their axes co-planar and for contact with the lower rail surface 30 while the rear pair of wheels 27 is supported with its axis slightly above the plane containing the remaining wheel axes and arranged for contact with the top rail surface 31.
• This arrangement enables the rear wheels 27 to prevent upward movement of the supporting frame 17 as it is moved outwardly to an access position in which it is supported in cantilever manner by the rail assembly 15.
• the outermost access position of the supporting frame corresponds to a position at which both the rear wheels 27 and the rearmost intermediate wheels 28 remain engaged in the channel shaped rails 18. Movement beyond this position is prevented by engagement of the latch member 32 of a latch assembly 33 into engagement with an outer aperture 34 in one side rail 18.
• the latch assembly 34 includes the latch member 32 which is carried slidably in a U-shaped bracket 35 welded to the axle 22a of the rearmost intermediate wheels. The latch member 32 also passes slidably through the vertical flange 36 of the support frame 17.
• a compression spring 39 is mounted between the arm 40 of the bracket 35 remote from the flange 36 and a stop 41 fixed to the member 32 so that the spring 39 urges the latch member 32 to an extended position at which its outer end passes through the aperture 34.
• a further aperture 42 is provided in the rail 18 at a position corresponding to the stowed position so that as the supporting frame 17 is returned to its stowed position the latch member 32 will automatically pass into this aperture 42 to hold the supporting frame 17 in the stowed attitude.
• a welded on stop may be fixed to the outer end of the frame 17 to prevent the storage units moving forward should the latch assembly fail.
• a cable 43 passes from the latch member 32 about a sheave 44 secured to the axle 22a to an actuating handle or ring 45 adjacent the handle 46 used to move the supporting assembly 17 between its access and stowed position.
• the wheels 21 on the supporting frame 17 may be engaged with further rails 50 on a trolley 51 having wheels 52 carried on scissor-action legs adapted to be pivoted relative to one another for raising or lowering the rails.
• a hand wheel operated control bar 5 which extends through and is mounted for rotation only in a pivotable bearing block * 55 connected to one leg assembly 53 to engage threadedly with a bearing nut 56 mounted pivot- ally on the other leg assembly 58.
• the leg assembly 53 connects pivotally at 59 to the rails 50 while the leg assembly 53 connects slidably at 57 to the rails 50.
• the trolley may be used to transport the supporting frame and its associated storage to any convenient location.
• the mounting frame 60 illustrated in Fig 6 utilizes a fixed guide frame 61 having rollers 62 thereon which engage within C-sectioned rails 63 which are connected together to form the supporting frame 64.
• a plate mounting 65 may be used for mounting a machine such as a saw or a press or the like.
• the support assembly is slidable through the side door of a van and it is elevated above the floor whereby the rails . 18 for the rear support assembly 11 can extend beneath the mounting frame 60 as shown in dotted outline.
• This enables the associated supporting frame 17 to extend beyond the storage shelving fixed thereto so that the latter can be moved to an access position at which all storage shelving is accessible beyond the rear of the vehicle.
• the extended portion of the supporting frame 17 is retained in the rails to provide the necessary support.
• both the side and rear support assemblies are moved to a stowed attitude substantially all the interior space of the van can be utilized for accessible storage.
• substantially all the interior space of the van can be utilized for accessible storage.
• an additional rear support assembly may be provided beside that illustrated at 11.
• Fig 8 illustrates an alternate quick-release connection for connecting the rail assembly 70 to a support- ing surface such as a van floor 71.
• the forward end 72 of the rail assembly 70 is provided with a forwardly projecting cleat 73 which is adapted to engage slidably beneath a retaining bracket 74 secured to the van floor 71.
• the rear end 75 of the rail assembly 70 is provided with a downwardly projecting pin 76 which is adapted to pass through a locating aperture 77 in the floor 71.
• the outer end of. the pin 76 is provided with a recess 78 in which the tongue 79 of a locking assembly may engage to prevent retraction of the pin 76 through the aperture 77.
• the tongue may be spring biassed towards its engaged position and provided with a head portion 80 which may be grasped to retract the tongue to enable the pin to be withdrawn and the rail assembly retracted from the van.
• the rail assembly may be quickl removed from the vehicle so that it can be used for other purposes, such as carting gravel and quickly replaced when required.
• the support assembly or a plurality of them may be supported in transverly extending relationship on a flat-top tray of a truck or utility.
• actuating means for the latching assembly are provided at each end of the supporting frame so that it can be moved to an accessible position at either side of the truck platform.
• the storage means used with the supporting frames will vary with the particular application and it could comprise, for example, a hanging assembly for clothes, storage racks for tools or spare parts, mountings for additional seats or mountings for machinery as aforesaid.
• a plurality of narrow assemblies may be provided to support display boards for video cassettes or the like so that many can be stored in a van and withdrawn in racks for display.
• the rails or tracks could be formed integrally with the vehicle and various types of holding down or securing arrangements could be provided to hold the mobile part in position during transit.
• a typical warehouse installation provided a plurality of rail assemblies- 80 similar to the rail assembly 15 (only one of which is shown) secured in spaced side by side arrangement on a floor so that the storage means 81 supported by the supporting assemblies which engage with the rails 81 extend in adjacent face to face relationship.
• Any selected one of the storage means may be withdrawn to gain access to a particular storage compartment.
• the storage means may be arranged in spaced rows for economical utilization of space.
• the supporting assembly could be slidable along a differential member slidable with respect to the guide means to provide further extensions.
• under ⁇ carriage for transporting the storage means between respect ⁇ ive guide rails or remote therefrom may be arranged to fold down from the supporting structure.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Transportation (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Warehouses Or Storage Devices (AREA)
• Harvester Elements (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=3770269

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

Families Citing this family (12)

Citations (2)

Family Cites Families (15)

• 1984
  • 1984-08-03 JP JP59503023A patent/JPS60501940A/ja active Pending
  • 1984-08-03 AU AU32130/84A patent/AU582544B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 1984-08-03 EP EP19840902902 patent/EP0151603A4/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1984-08-03 WO PCT/AU1984/000149 patent/WO1985000733A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1984-09-27 IT IT48698/84A patent/IT1177958B/it active

Patent Citations (2)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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