EP1479622A1

EP1479622A1 - Pull-out platform for a pallet shelf

Info

Publication number: EP1479622A1
Application number: EP03396045A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Niko Sukeva
Original assignee: Modularbox Oy
Current assignee: Modularbox Oy
Priority date: 2003-05-20
Filing date: 2003-05-20
Publication date: 2004-11-24

Abstract

A pull-out platform for a pallet shelf having horizontal beams, fore beams (1) and hind beams (2), which are supported by vertical supports and upon which the pull-out platform is placed horizontally, said pull-out platform comprising a supporting frame (3) which is secured to the fore beam and hind beam and has supporting rails (4), and a pull-out part (5) placed upon the supporting frame and movable horizontally in relation to it and provided with slide bars (8) moving on bearings (6, 7) along the supporting rails. According to the invention, the supporting frame (3) comprises a hind support (9) to be pushed horizontally into contact with the hind beam (2) and simultaneously locked so as to be vertically immovable and a fore support (10) to be placed upon the fore beam (1) so as to be immovable in a direction transverse to the fore beam and horizontally, and at least two parallel supporting rails (4) connecting the front support and the hind support rigidly to each other.

Description

The present invention relates to a pull-out platform as defined in the preamble of claim 1.
Pull-out platforms are generally used on various storage shelves, such as pallet shelves, to allow more versatile use of the shelves. Although pallet shelves are mainly designed for pallets only, so that the pallets are lifted by a fork-lift truck onto horizontal beams supporting the shelves, various different shelf and supporting structures to be mounted separately have been developed for them to allow different storage alternatives without pallets. The pull-out platform is one of the most easy-to-use and versatile devices among these.
Prior-art pull-out platforms consist of frame structures designed to be fastened and locked on top of the horizontal beams and having at their side edges supporting rails, along which a pull-out part, i.e. a shelf platform can be slid, supported by slide bars provided at its side edges.
Prior-art pull-out platforms are in themselves well-working and usable, but they have certain drawbacks. The pull-out platforms have to be separately locked and secured and, when they are to be removed, they also have to be released from the horizontal beams of the pallet shelves. These operations are slow and difficult and even hazardous as they are carried out between the shelves and possibly at a height from the ground.
Another drawback is the relatively large height dimension of the structure of the pull-out platforms, all of which structure is placed on top of the horizontal beams. Thus, when low horizontal beam intervals and low pull-out platform boxes are used, even as much as half of the storage height may be wasted, being taken up by the structures of the horizontal beams and pull-out platforms. Often when smaller objects are to be stored in a box, a pallet provided with pallet collars is lifted onto the pull-out platform. This further increases the height of the structure.
A third drawback is the width of the pull-out platform structures. By placing the supporting rails and slide bars generally side by side and at the edges of the pull-out platform, a lower pull-out platform has been achieved, but at the same time its width has been increased beyond its useful width. Thus, when pull-out platforms are placed side by side on the same horizontal beams, a relatively large empty space is always left between the objects or boxes to be stored on them.
The object of the present invention is to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks. A specific object of the invention is to disclose a new type of pull-out platform for use on pallet shelves that is easy to use, i.e. to lock in place and release, and whose space requirement in both vertical and horizontal directions has been minimized.
As for the features of the invention, reference is made to the claims.
The pull-out platform of the invention is used on pallet shelves having horizontal beams, fore beams and hind beams, which are supported by vertical supports and upon which the pull-out platform is placed horizontally so that it can be pulled out and pushed in. The pull-out platform comprises a supporting frame secured to the fore beam and hind beam and provided with supporting rails, and a pull-out part movable on the supporting frame horizontally in relation to it and provided with slide bars moving on bearings along the supporting rails. According to the invention, the supporting frame comprises a hind support to be pushed horizontally into contact with the hind beam and simultaneously locked so as to be vertically immovable and a fore support to be placed upon the fore beam so as to be horizontally immovable in a direction transverse to the fore beam and at least two parallel supporting rails connecting the front support and the hind support rigidly to each other.
In other words, the hind support comprised in the supporting frame comprises vertical locking, elements, which prevent vertical motion of the hind support relative to the hind beam when it is in contact with the hind beam. Thus, the hind support can not rise or fall in relation to the hind beam.
In a corresponding manner, the fore support comprised in the supporting frame comprises horizontal locking elements, which prevent the fore support from moving horizontally and transversely to the fore beam when the fore support rests upon the fore beam and is supported by it. In addition, as the fore support and the hind support are rigidly connected to each other by the supporting rails so that they are at a distance from each other determined by the distance between the fore beam and the hind beam, the supporting frame is locked accurately and precisely in place by merely pushing the hind support into contact with the hind beam and then lowering the fore support onto the fore beam. In this way, the pull-out platform is pressed down and kept in place by its own weight. Of course, the fore support may be provided with some kind of locking means or a latch, a simple lever or equivalent, which automatically or when engaged locks the fore support in place so that it can not be lifted off its position without releasing the locking. However, in normal use this is unnecessary and only results in somewhat more difficult use.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the hind support is a laterally-opening U-profile of an internal height substantially corresponding to the height of the hind beam. In this case, the flanges of the U-profile form the above-described vertical locking elements.
Similarly, the fore support is preferably a downwards-opening U-profile having an inner width substantially corresponding to the width of the fore beam, the flanges of the U-profile forming the above-described horizontal locking elements.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the supporting rails connecting the fore and hind supports to each other extend between the fore support and the hind support below the horizontal plane defined by their upper surfaces. Thus, they do not form any extra structural height above the upper surfaces of the fore and hind beams. The supporting rails are thus placed substantially between the fore beam and the hind beam, below the horizontal plane defined by their upper surfaces.
The pull-out part, i.e. the shelf ledge upon which the objects to be stored can be placed, preferably consists of a rigid plate, to whose lower surface the slide bars are secured. In a particularly preferable solution, the slide bars are mounted parallel to each other so that they extend from one edge of the rigid plate to the other, but at a distance from the other two edges of the rigid plate. The position of the slide bars on the lower surface of the rigid plate has been so chosen that the entire pull-out platform can be lifted by the fork arms of a fork-lift truck and moved from one place to another, the fork arms engaging the bottom of the rigid plate at positions outside the slide bars.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the rigid plate consists of a stiffened metal plate, e.g. a metal plate with its edges bent upwards or downwards to form stiffeners having a height of a few centimeters. It is also possible that the rigid plate consists of a wood-based plate, such as a thick plywood plate. A further possibility is to use various combination plates.
Likewise, on top of the rigid plate described above, it is possible to use various structures depending on the goods or material to be stored in each case. Such structures may include platform collars and platform edgings, boxes, brackets, cages, gratings etc. of various sizes and types. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the plate-like pull-out part is provided with edgings forming a fixed part of it so that the pull-out part is an upwards-opening pull-out box. The box may additionally be provided with partitions and compartments of different sizes as required. Such a pull-out box structure allows very efficient and space-saving storage of small objects in connection with traditional fork-liftable shelves.
The supporting rails and slide bars placed against each other are preferably oppositely placed C-profiles, although many other kinds of rail profiles may also be used. It is only essential that the rails and bars used provide sufficient support and a suitable bearing surface for the bearings or bearing supports, one of which is secured to the supporting rail and the other to the slide bar.
As compared with prior art, the pallet shelf pull-out platform of the invention has significant advantages. The pull-out platform of the invention is very simple to mount and dismount. It is only lifted into place e.g. by means of a fork-lift truck onto the beams, without any actual fastening or locking operations. It is held in position by its own weight, while the load placed on it only increases the hold and ensures that it remains in position. Secondly, the pull-out platform is of a very low structure, which means that, as compared with traditional pull-out platforms, the pull-out platform of the invention provides 20-40% more of effective storage volume in the vertical direction, depending on platform spacing. Thirdly, the pull-out platform allows efficient space utilization in the widthwise direction, so that the movable pull-out parts can be placed closely side by side practically without any gaps between them. This also increases the storage capacity by about 10% as compared with traditional solutions. It is also to be noted that the pull-out platform of the invention is not locked in place, so its lateral displacement is easy to accomplish. Thus, they can be easily placed tightly side by side.
In the following, the invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings, wherein
Fig. 1 presents a pull-out platform according to the invention in an oblique view from below,
Fig. 2 presents a diagrammatic side view of the pull-out platform in Fig. 1, and
Fig. 3 presents a detail of the pull-out platform in Fig. 1 and 2.
The pull-out platform presented in Fig. 1 comprises a supporting frame 3, which comprises two adjacent and parallel supporting rails 4, which are C-profiles placed against each other as shown in Fig. 3. Fastened to the first end of the C-profiles is a hind support 9, i.e. a U-profile opening horizontally away from the supporting frame. Mounted at the second end of the C-profiles is a downwards-opening U-profile, which forms a fore support 10.
Supported on top of the supporting frame 3 is a pull-out part 5, i.e. a rigid plate 11. Mounted on the edges of the rigid plate 11 is a platform frame 12, which together with the plate 11 forms a box open at the top. Secured to the lower surface of the rigid plate 11 are two slide bars 8, which are placed at a distance between them equal to the distance between the supporting rails 4. The slide bars 8 are downwards-opening C-profiles as shown in more detail in Fig. 3, mounted in alignment with the supporting rails 4.
The supporting rails 4 and the slide bars 8 are connected to each other by bearings 6 and 7 as follows. Close to the fore support 10, fastened to the inner bottom of the profile of the supporting rail 4 is a bearing support 13, and bearings 6 secured to its other end are supported inside the slide bar 8 by the inner surfaces of the profile. In a corresponding manner, close to the hind support 9 there is a bearing support 14 fastened to the inner bottom of the slide bar 8 profile, and bearings 7 secured to the other end of the bearing support 14 are supported inside the supporting rail 4 by the inner surfaces of the profile.
The bearings 7 function in a manner known in itself when the pull-out part 5 is pulled outwards. Supported by the bearings, the slide bars 8 move along the supporting rails 4 until the bearing supports 13 and 14 meet. When pushed towards the closed position, the bearing support 14 on the slide bar 8 finally meets the hind support 9, unless a suitable stopper has been placed on its path at an earlier point. In the same way it is naturally possible in connection with the pull-out movement to limit the path of motion with separate stoppers.
In the foregoing, the invention has been described by way of example with reference to the attached drawings while different embodiments of the invention are possible in the scope defined in the claims.

Claims

Pull-out platform for a pallet shelf having horizontal beams, fore beams (1) and hind beams (2), which are supported by vertical supports and upon which the pull-out platform is placed horizontally, said pull-out platform comprising a supporting frame (3) which is secured to the fore beam and hind beam and has supporting rails (4), and a pull-out part (5) placed upon the supporting frame and movable horizontally in relation to it, said pull-out part being provided with slide bars (8) moving on bearings (6, 7) along the supporting rails, characterized in that the supporting frame (3) comprises a hind support (9) to be pushed horizontally into contact with the hind beam (2) and simultaneously locked so as to be vertically immovable and a fore support (10) to be placed upon the fore beam (1) so as to be immovable in a direction transverse to the fore beam and horizontally, and at least two parallel supporting rails (4) connecting the front support and the hind support rigidly to each other.
Pull-out platform according to claim 1, characterized in that the hind support (9) is a laterally open U-profile having an internal height substantially corresponding to the height of the hind beam (2).
Pull-out platform according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that the fore support (10) is a downwards open U-profile having an internal width substantially corresponding to the width of the fore beam (1).
Pull-out platform according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that the supporting rails (4) are placed between the fore support (10) and the hind support (9), below the horizontal plane defined by their upper surfaces.
Pull-out platform according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that the supporting rails (4) are placed substantially between the fore beam (1) and the hind beam (2), below the horizontal plane defined by their upper surfaces.
Pull-out platform according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that the pull-out part (5) consists of a rigid plate (11), to whose lower surface the slide bars (8) are secured.
Pull-out platform according to claim 6, characterized in that the slide bars (8) are mounted at a distance from the edges of the rigid plate (11).
Pull-out platform according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the rigid plate (11) consists of a stiffened metal plate.
Pull-out platform according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the rigid plate (11) consists of a wood-based plate.
Pull-out platform according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that the supporting rails (4) and the slide bars (8) are C-profiles placed against each other.
Pull-out platform according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that the pull-out part (5) consists of a rigid plate (11) provided with fixed or detachable sides, the slide bars (8) being secured to the lower surface of said plate.