EP0760793B1

EP0760793B1 - Transport rack

Info

Publication number: EP0760793B1
Application number: EP94914426A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Pekka Paavilainen; Markku KARHUMÄKI; Timo Konttinen; Mika Aurinen; Jukka Kallela
Original assignee: Pilkington Lamino Oy
Current assignee: Pilkington Automotive Finland Oy
Priority date: 1993-05-10
Filing date: 1994-05-06
Publication date: 1999-01-07
Anticipated expiration: 2014-05-06
Also published as: FI932097A0; WO1994026626A1; FI97371B; AU6680894A; EP0760793A1; FI932097L; FI97371C; ES2129124T3; DE69415832D1; DE69415832T2

Abstract

The invention relates to a transport rack for bent glass sheets or the like. The transport rack comprises a base (1), on which the glass sheets can be placed in the form of a bundle (N). Vertical elements (2a, 2b) extend upwards from two edges of the base, articulated (10) onto the base. The vertical elements (2a, 2b) are connected at the upper part of the transport rack by two horizontal supports (3a, 3b). One or several intermediate supports (4a - 4d) can be placed between the base (1) and the horizontal supports (3a, 3b).

Description

The invention relates to a transport rack for bent glass sheets. The transport rack comprises a substantially rectangular horizontal base supporting a bundle of vertically aligned glass sheets, and vertical elements extending upwardly from opposite lateral sides of the base, wherein said vertical elements are articulated at their lower ends to the base to be pivotable from their substantially vertical operational position to a non-operational position substantially parallel with respect to the base.

A transport rack of the above described type is known from DE-4129058. This transport rack is equipped with a clamping arrangement, whereby each single glass sheet is clamped between the support beams of the transport rack. The vertical parts of the transport rack are arranged to be pivotable at their lower part, but there is no horizontal support arrangement used in the entire transport rack, which makes it very difficult to use the rack for transportation of glass sheets or the like in bundle form.

As to the prior art, reference is also made to US-A-4,010,849 and EP-A-216690. From these publications, particularly from US-A-4,010,849, a shipping rack for bent glass sheets is known having a base element and horizontal supports extending upwards from the edges of the rectangular base. The rearmost fixed vertical supports are further provided with vertical locking devices on a solid horizontal support, which are used for fixing a bundle of bent glass sheets by belts to the transport rack. In the front section of the shipping rack, two vertical supports are provided at the edges of the base, which are pivotable in alignment with the base. In any case, the shipping rack has an L-form when seen from the side also in the non-operational position, which makes it more difficult to handle the rack and increases the requirement for storage space. Further, the shipping rack with a full steel structure is very heavy, thus adding to the transportation costs by the high tare weight. Corresponding disadvantages apply also for the rack of EP-A-216690.

The object of the invention is to present a new type of a transport rack, with the particular purpose of improving the techniques of transporting bent glass sheets in bundle form. In particular, the structure of the transport rack allows for the varying size of bundles of glass sheets to be transported, whereby the transport rack can be modified to be suitable for the respective bundle by a very simple operation. Further, the structure allows for a non-operational position of the transport rack so that the rack can be made substantially compact for intermediate storage and return transportation. It is known that transport racks for bent glass sheets circulate between manufacturers and users for as long as several years. Consequently, particularly the tare weight of the transport racks and the space required in the non-operational position are important factors for optimizing the costs needed for transportation. Said object is achieved by providing a transport rack which is characterized by the features of claim 1.

The transport rack according to the invention provides vertical elements pivotable to a non-operational position, said vertical elements being lockable to at least one horizontal support so that the transport rack forms a substantially rigid unit. By removing said at least one horizontal support from the operational position, by placing it on the bottom of the base, and by turning the vertical elements to the non-operational position, it is possible to reduce the requirement for total space of the transport rack in its non-operational position.

Some advantageous embodiments of the transport rack according to claim 1 are defined in the dependent claims.

In the following description, the transport rack of the invention will be illustrated further with reference to the appended drawings. In the drawings,

Fig. 1: shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the transport rack of the invention in the operational position,
Fig. 2: shows a perspective view of the joint of the vertical element and the horizontal support in an enlarged scale,
Fig. 3: shows a perspective view in an enlarged scale of, firstly, the locking arrangement of the lower part of an intermediate support in connection with the base and,secondly, the locking arrangement between the intermediate support and the upper part in connection with the horizontal support, and
Fig. 4: shows a side view of three transport racks of Fig. 1 piled on top of each other so that the two upper racks are in the operational position and the lowermost rack is in the non-operational position.

With reference to Fig. 1, the transport rack of the invention comprises as main parts a base 1, which is substantially rectangular; two preferably plate-like

vertical elements

2a, 2b, which are parallel to the opposite, preferably shorter sides or edges of the base and have substantially the same width as said edges so that the direction of width of the

vertical elements

2a, 2b is said direction of the base 1; at least one horizontal support (two supports 3a, 3b in the present embodiment shown in Fig. 1) connecting the

vertical elements

2a, 2b in the upper part of the transport rack and at least one substantially vertical intermediate support (four

supports

4a, 4b, 4c, 4d in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1), placed between the horizontal supports 3a, 3b and the base 1.

The base 1 is a plate-like form piece, whose longer edges, connecting the

vertical elements

2a, 2b, are provided with overhead supporting beams 5. Further, underneath the bottom of the base 1, at the ends of the rack, two supporting runners 6 are provided extending substantially in the direction of width of the

vertical elements

2a, 2b, against the same. By means of the supporting runners 6, the bottom of the base 1 is raised from the floor surface or the like so that the transport rack is accessible by a working machine, particularly a forklift truck, whereby the fork of the forklift truck can be placed underneath the bottom of the base 1. Further in the present embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the base 1 comprises two beams 7 or the like extending in the direction of width of the vertical elements and placed preferaby on the bottom of the base. They comprise a series of holes 8 for receiving the lower part 19 of the rod-like intermediate support 4a-4d, functioning as a series of locking means arranged in the longitudinal direction of the beam 7. Further, the base 1 comprises platform pieces 9 or the like against each

vertical element

2a, 2b, the upper surface of the pieces 9 being exposed particularly when the

vertical elements

2a, 2b are folded in the non-operational position substantially parallel to the base. Thus the platform pieces 9, preferably placed on top of the support beams 5, can receive another transport rack to be placed on top of said transport rack, as shown in Fig. 5.

The

vertical elements

2a, 2b are pivoted with joints 10 onto the side surfaces of the support beams 5 by means of lugs 10a. The lugs 10a are, in turn, fixed onto the side surfaces of the

vertical elements

2a, 2b. The upper part of each

element

2a, 2b is provided with first locking means 11 shown particularly in Fig. 2 and forming a series of substantially horizontal locking means lla, whereby the locking point of the horizontal supports 3a, 3b can be elected substantially according to the dimensions of the bundle N to be transported in the direction of width of the

vertical elements

2a, 2b. The locking means 11a are placed in a longitudinal rod fixed on the inner wall of said

vertical elements

2a, 2b. The locking means lla are formed of notches arranged e.g. at regular intervals in the longitudinal direction of the tubular rod.

The horizontal support 3a, 3b is provided with a spring-loaded 12 locking cam 13 (forming second locking means 15) pivoted with joint 14 and placed into one of the grooves of the locking means, locking the support part 14 by a jaw-like locking in the respective position. Above the first locking means 11, each

vertical element

2a, 2b is provided with the inwards directed horizontal flange 16 of the transport rack. It is intended for receiving the supporting runner 6 of a transport rack to be placed on top of the transport rack in question, as shown particularly in Fig. 5. To maximize the freely available volume inside the transport rack, the horizontal support 3a, 3b comprises a central horizontal element 17 extending substantially in the horizontal direction in the plane of the upper edge of the

vertical element

2a, 2b in the operational position of the transport rack. At the ends of the horizontal element, the horizontal support extends diagonally downwards as end parts 18 equipped with second locking means 15.

The upper part of each intermediate support 4a-4d is provided with a U-formed locking means 20 extending horizontally in the operational position (Fig. 3), whereby the horizontal support 3b is arranged to be placed inside the U form in the operational position of the intermediate support 4a. Both the beams 7 and the intermediate supports 4a-4d are equipped with protective and damping

layers

21, 22 on the outer surface, for protecting the bundle N of bent glass sheets. The bundle N is supported between the intermediate supports, whereby also other intermediate supports can be provided between partial bundles in a bundle comprising several sizes; i.e. three or more horizontal supports, against which the intermediate supports are supported, can be provided according to the bundle structure. The protective layer 22 of the beams 7 is further equipped with cuttings, e.g. cross cuttings 23, against the holes 8, for bringing the lower part 19 of the rod form, functioning as locking means, of the intermediate supports 4a-4d through the protective layer 22 in connection with the holes.

Figure 5 shows three transport racks of the invention placed on top of each other. The lowermost transport rack is in the non-operational position, whereby its

end elements

2a, 2b are bent above the base substantially parallel to the main plane and the longer edges of the base 1. The

end elements

2a, 2b are placed partly on top of each other. The platform pieces 9 of the lowermost transport rack are exposed when the lugs 10a remove the lower part of the vertical elements during their revolution from the location of the platform pieces. Thus the platform pieces 9 can receive the rack shown in the middle in Fig. 5 on top of the lowermost rack in the non-operational position, whereby the supporting runners 6 are placed on the platform pieces 9. The middle transport rack is in the operational position, whereby the horizontal flanges 16 in the upper part of each

vertical element

2a, 2b can receive the supporting runners 6 of a third transport rack placed uppermost in the pile shown in Fig. 5. As shown in Fig. 5, the end part 18 of the horizontal supports 3a, 3b has an angular form so that the support runner can be placed on its entire width in connection with the lowermost transport rack. As further shown in Fig. 5, the

vertical elements

2a, 2b of the lowermost transport platform in the non-operational position are positioned so that a space T is left between their upper surfaces and the bottom of the base 1 of the middle transport rack in the pile, particularly for placing the fork of a forklift truck between the lowermost and the middle transport racks. A corresponding situation is shown also between the middle and the uppermost transport rack. The height of the supporting runners 6 is so dimensioned that the upper surface of the intermediate supports 3a, 3b are in a lower plane than the bottom of the base 1, whereby a corresponding space T is formed between said two racks for the fork of a forklift truck.

It is advantageous that the base 1 and the vertical elements are manufactured of a wood-based plate structure, preferably fibre board, reinforced with a spike plate. Thus a sufficiently strong and yet lightweight transport rack is obtained. The horizontal supports 3a, 3b as well as the rod-like inner part of the intermediate supports 4a-4d can be manufactured of a suitable metal material, e.g. steel. In the protective and damping layers, suitable cellular plastic can be used. In some embodiments, the locking means 11, 15 can also be placed in connection with one vertical element only, whereby e.g. a horizontal support with a telescopic extension is e.g. articulated in connection with the opposite vertical support.

Claims

Transport rack for bent glass sheets or the like, wherein the transport rack comprises a substantially rectangular horizontal base (1) supporting a bundle of vertically aligned glass sheets, and vertical elements (2a, 2b) extending upwardly from opposite lateral sides of the base, wherein

said vertical elements (2a, 2b) are articulated at their lower ends to the base (1) to be pivotable from their substantially vertical operational position to a non-operational position substantially parallel with respect to the base (1),

said transport rack being characterized by

at least one horizontal support (3a, 3b) connecting the vertical elements (2a, 2b) at the upper part of the transport rack in the operational position of the vertical elements, wherein

for positioning the glass sheets or the like in a bundle form (N) according to their dimensions, each element (2a, 2b) and said at,least one horizontal support (3a, 3b) is provided with first and second interengaging locking means (11, 15) for achieving releasable locking between at least one vertical element (2a, 2b) and the horizontal support (3a, 3b);

said first locking means (11) being preferably related to the vertical elements (2a, 2b) consist of a plurality of substantially horizontally extending locking supports (11a), wherein the location of engagement between said first and second locking means is selectable substantially in the widthwise direction of the vertical elements (2a, 2b) according to the dimensions of the bundle (N); and by

at least one substantially vertical intermediate support (4a-4d) provided between at least one horizontal support (3a, 3b) and the base (1), said intermediate support having locking means (19, 20) at its upper and lower ends for selectively and releasably locking the intermediate support (4a-4d) to the transport rack.
Transport rack according to claim 1, characterised in that the vertical elements (2a, 2b) are plate-like, preferably of rectangular shape, and being articulated to the opposite shorter sides of the rectangular base (1).
Transport rack according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the base (1) comprises a plurality of connecting means (8) for selectively receiving the intermediate supports (4a-4d), wherein the plurality of connecting means is provided in the widthwise direction of the vertical element (2a, 2b).
Transport rack according to claim 3, characterized in that the plurality of connecting means is constituted by a plurality of holes (8) acting as attaching means and arranged in a beam (7), preferably mounted on the base (1), and in that the upper part of the intermediate supports (4a-4d) is provided with a preferably U-shaped attaching means (20), wherein the horizontal support (3a, 3b) is arranged to be placed inside said U-shaped attaching means, the beam (7) and the intermediate support (4a-4d) being equipped with protective and damping layers (21, 22) on their outer surfaces.
Transport rack according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the upper part of each vertical element (2a, 2b) is equipped with an inwardly-extending horizontal flange (16) for receiving a supporting runner (6) of a second superposed transport rack, wherein the first locking means (11) are provided below said horizontal flange (16), and that the horizontal support (3a, 3b) comprises a supporting element (17) extending substantially at the level of the upper edge of the vertical element (2a, 2b), and further comprising end parts (18) diverging downwardly from the opposite ends of said horizontal elements, each end part being equipped with said second locking means (15).
Transport rack according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that platform pieces (9) or the like are provided against each vertical element (2a, 2b) in the widthwise direction of the vertical elements (2a, 2b), said vertical elements (2a, 2b) being arranged in the non-operational position to be placed aside from the platform pieces (9) in order to receive the supporting runners (6) of a second transport rack to be placed above the transport rack placed in the non-operational position, wherein the vertical elements (2a, 2b) are pivoted to the non-operational position to leave a space (T) for a fork of a handling device, which is insertable between the vertical elements (2a, 2b) and the bottom of the base (1) of the second transport rack placed above the transport rack in the non-operational position.
Transport rack according to any of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the base (1) and the vertical elements (2a, 2b) are manufactured of a wood-based plate structure, preferably a fibre plate, reinforced with a spike plate.
Transport rack according to any of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the vertical elements (2a, 2b) are articulated to the base (1) by means of lugs (10a), wherein the axis of articulation (10) is provided at the base (1).