GB2085284A - Mutually mobile shelving structures - Google Patents

Abstract

A shelving structure of the kind comprising a number of racks mounted on wheels, movable along a trackway so that the racks may be moved together, and apart to provide access to shelves of the racks has stabilising means provided at upper parts of the structure to reduce tendency of the racks to tip, and which comprises elongate support members (6) secured at one end, either to a wall or ceiling adjacent to the shelving structure, or to an endmost shelving rack, which support member (6) extends through guide apertures (20,22) provided in guide members (16) secured to the upper parts of the shelving racks. In this manner, the risk of a rack tipping up when being moved is reduced, in part by virtue of the inter-engagement between the guide member (16) of said rack and the support member (6), and in part by virtue of the engagement between the support member (6) and the guide members (16) of the other racks. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements relating to shelving structures Description of invention This invention is concerned with improvements relating to shelving structures.

In conventional shelving structures comprising fixed shelving racks, it is necessary to provide an isle between each shelving rack, to gain access to the shelves of the racks.

When there is a limitation on the space, it is conventional to use a shelving structure comprising mobile racks. For example, the racks may be mounted on wheels, movable along a trackway, so that the racks can be moved together, and apart. In this way it is necessary to provide a space sufficient merely for a single isle, and the shelving racks are moved along the trackway, to provide the necessary space to gain access, wherever this may be desired.

It is with shelving structures of the latter kind with which this present invention is concerned.

The need, that individual mobile shelving racks be stable, and do not when being moved tip over, imposes limitations on (inter alia) the height to which the shelving assemblies may be erected, and their loading. A conventional method of stabilising mobile racks is to utilise a track support suspended from the ceiling above the shelving structure, and rolling members attached to the mobile rack. This expedient is however complicated in its construction and expensive to install, and is difficult to set up.

It is one of the various objects of the present invention to provide a stabilising means for shelving structures of the kind comprising mobile racks, whereby the limitations which would otherwise be imposed on the structure to meet the requirement of stability are reduced, whilst avoiding the disadvantages of currently utilised stabilising systems.

According to this invention there is provided a shelving structure comprising mobile racks, in which stabilising means is provided at an upper part of the structure, said stabilising means comprising a plurality of guide members secured to upper parts of some of the shelving racks at least, and at least one horizontally-extending elongate support member which may be slidably received in apertures in the guide members on relative movement between the elongate member and some of the racks.

Preferably the clearance between the support member and the apertures in the guide members is such as permits a running clearance therebetween, but only limited relative vertical movement. In this manner the risk of a rack tipping when being moved is significantly reduced, by virtue of the interengagement, firstly between the guide member of said rack and the support member, and secondly between the support member and other guide members of other racks, serving to support the support member.

The support member may be fixedly secured to a wall adjacent to the shelving structure, extending in a direction parallel to the direction of movement of the shelving racks, or may be supported from the ceiling.

Alternatively however the support member is secured to an endmost rack, so as to extend rigidly therefrom. In such circumstances said endmost rack need not be provided with a guide member, and derives its stability from the inter-engagement of the support member with the guide members of the other racks.

Preferably the structure comprises two support members extending in parallel, spaced relationship in opposite directions, and the guide members are provided with two apertures, one being associated with each support member.

Thus, the support members may extend generally towards one another from opposite directions, there being sufficient overlap to ensure that all the guide members have at least one support member extending through the apertures thereof.

Such a construction may be utilised, whether the support members are secured to end walls, or from the ceiling, or whether they are secured to opposite, endmost racks. In such a latter construction preferably each endmost rack is provided itself with a guide member provided with an aperture adapted to receive the support member extending theretowards from the other endmost rack.

There will now be given detailed descriptions, to be read with reference to the accompanying drawings, of two embodiments of this invention, which have been selected for the purposes of illustrating the invention by way of example.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure l is a perspective view of part of a shelving structure which is the first embodiment of this invention; Figure 2 is a side elevation of part of a shelving structure which is the second embodiment of this invention; and Figure 3 is an enlarged view illustrating a guide member utilised in the performance of the invention.

The shelving structure which is the first embodi mentofthis invention comprises a plurality of shelving racks A, B, C, D, E and F, the racks A and F being end most racks, and the racks B to E being intermediate racks. The racks will be provided with wheeled bases, running in tracks, whereby the racks may be moved individually in the direction Z, to (for example) close the space between the racks C and D to gain access to the rack B.

As is illustrated in Figure 1, the shelving structure which is the first embodiment of this invention comprises stabilising means provided at the upper parts of the racks. The stabilising means comprises two elongate support members, afforded by a rod 6 secured to a bracket 8 on the endmost rack A, said rod 6 extending towards the end most rack F, and a rod 10 secured to a bracket 12 on the endmost rack F, said rod 10 extending towards the rack A.

Each of the racks B to E has secured theretwo two guide members, afforded by plates 16. The plates 16 are secured to upper end portions of the racks by angle brackets 18, by means of bolts passing through vertically elongate holes 19 in a flange of the bracket 18, and horizontally elongate holes 17 in the plate 16 itself. In this manner, the plate may be moved both vertically and horizontally to a correct position relatively easily.

Each of the plates 16 is provided with upper and lower apertures 20, 22 respectively.

Each of the rods 6 and 10 is of such a length, that there is an overlap therebetween of a distance greater than the maximum spacing between adjacent shelving racks. In this manner each guide member 16 always has at least one of the rods extending through one of the apertures 20 or 22 thereof.

The free end of each of the support members 6 and 10 is tapered, to provide an alignment between the member on entry into and passage through one of the apertures 20 and 22.

Although as shown in Figure 1, the stabilising means is provided on one side only of the shelving structure, it will be appreciated that it may be desirable to provide a similar stabilising means on the other side of the shelving structure, at a similar upper part thereof.

The movement of the shelving racks, as is necessary in the use thereof, will in no way, or only minimally, be impeded by the inter-engagement between the support members and the guide members. It will be appreciated that, although the support members are secured to the endmost racks A and F, they derive their stability primarily by their interengagement within the apertures of the guide members of the other shelving racks, together with the guide members which are in fact fitted on the shelving racks A and F themselves. Thus, the inter-engagement between one or both of the support members with the two guide members secured to one side of a shelving rack being moved will prevent said shelving rack from tipping over, whilst the inter-engagement between the support members within the apertures of the other guide members will stably support the support members themselves.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 2, in which similar numerals with the suffix a have been used to identify like parts, a single support member is provided on one side of the shelving structure, which extends through apertures in the guide members secured to all of the shelving racks. Again it is to be appreciated that although the support member 6a derives some support by virtue of it being secured to the wall, additional support which enables it to prevent a rack being moved from tipping over is derived by virtue of the engagement of the support member 1 6a within the apertures of the guide members of the other racks.

In the second embodiment, the support member 6a need be secured to a wall at one end of the shelving structure along, although (as in the first embodiment) a similar support member is provided, extending in parallel spaced relationship, from the said wall on the other side of the shelving structure.

Claims (11)

1. A shelving structure comprising mobile racks, in which stabilising means is provided at an upper part of the structure, said stabilising means comprising a plurality of guide means secured to upper parts of some of the shelving racks at least, and at least one horizontally-extending elongate support membey which may be slidably received in guide apertures afforded by the guide means on relative movement between the elongate member and some of the racks.

2. A shelving structure according to Claim 1 wherein the guide means comprises guide members secured to upper parts of the shelving racks, each guide member comprising at least one guide aperture.

3. A shelving structure according to one of Claims 1 and 2 wherein the clearance between the support members and the apertures afforded by the guide means is such as permits a running clearance therebetween, but only limited relative vertical movement.

4. A shelving structure according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the support member is fixedly secured adjacent to the shelving structure, and extends in a direction parallel to the direction of movement of the shelving racks.

5. Ashelving structure according to Claim 4 wherein the support member is fixedly secured at one end thereof to a wall or ceiling.

6. A shelving structure according to any one of Claims 1,2 and 3 wherein the support member is secured to an endmost rack, so as to extend rigidly therefrom.

7. A shelving structure according to any one of the preceding claims comprising two support members extending in parallel, spaced relationship and the guide means each afford two apertures, one being associated with each support member.

8. A shelving structure according to Claim 7 wherein said support members extend generally towards one another from opposite directions, there being sufficient overlap to ensure that all the guide means have a support member extending through at least one of the guide apertures provided thereby.

9. A shelving structure according to one of Claims 7 and 8wherein each guide means comprises a guide member secured to an upper part of its associated shelving rack, and each guide member is provided with two apertures through which the support members move.

10. A shelving structure comprising mobile racks, constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference (a) to Figure 1, or (b) to Figure 2 ofthe accompanying drawings.

11. Any novel feature or novel combination of features disclosed herein and/or shown in the accompanying drawings.