GB2136411A - Racking with forward-feed - Google Patents

Abstract

A racking assembly has uprights (10, 12) supporting sloping roller tracks (40) which run from front to rear, the tracks being adjustable laterally and lockable in their lateral spacing by locking means (80); preferably the front and/or rear of the track supports (16, 20) are adjustable for height up or down the uprights with a further fine height adjustment (22). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Racking The present invention relates to racking.

Racking assemblies or systems with shelves running from front to rear are well known. It has been the practice in large racking installations to load the shelves with goods from the rear and cause these goods to be fed towards the front as the goods are removed periodically from the front.

To assist this movement it has been proposed to tilt the shelves and provide roller tracks running from the front to rear. These tracks may be tilted at angle to cause the goods to run under gravity from the rear to the front of the racks. The rear side of the roller shelves may be referred to as the "on-load" side or end and the front side may be referred to as the "off-load" side or end.

Since the goods stored on the racks are of various sizes and boxed or otherwise in different materials it may be necessary to vary the width between roller tracks and also to vary the inclination of the tracks.

Problems have been encountered in known systems in both variations.

An object of the present invention is to improve the variability of such racking.

A racking assembly according to one aspect of the invention comprises roller tracks supported at least at the front and rear of the assembly, locking means movable from front to rear so as to lock each track in a set spaced relationship laterally from the next track.

The locking means may be provided at both the front and rear ends of the tracks.

Preferably, the tracks are formed as substantially 'U' shaped channel members with rollers between the channel arms, a shaped base to the channel providing a guide for the locking means which is provided at its extremity with one or more projections, the projections engaging with slots or holes in a laterally extending plate at the front and/or rear of the assembly.

Lateral adjustment of the tracks is acheived by sliding the locking means towards the track center, shifting the track to one side and sliding the locking back to the front or rear to engage with the slotted or holed plate. Adjustment is therefore quick and easy and has the advantage that the locking means can easily be reached by the operator.

A racking assembly according to another aspect of the invention comprises upright engagement means at the front and or rear to adjust the track level by preset amounts corresponding to slots or holes in the racking assembly uprights and variable level means acting between at least one upright engagement means to provide further track level adjustment between the preset amounts.

The variable level means suitably comprises a jacking screw.

Preferably the racking assembly according to both aspects of the invention has a front upright inclined rearwardly to the vertical. This enables the front end of superimposed racks to be stepped rearwardly to improve front access.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a racking assembly according to the invention, Figure 2 is a side view of the on-load plate of the assembly of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a side view of the off-load plate of the assembly of Figure 1, Figure 4 is a perspective view of a locking means at the off-load plate of Figure 3, Figure 5 is a sectional view from A in Figure 4 showing a track end with the locking means of Figure 4, Figure 6 is an end view of a track with the locking means of Figure 4, and Figure 7 is a plan view of the locking means of Figure 4.

In Figure 1 the general layout of the racking assembly is shown at each lateral side of the racks an upright component 8 is provided comprising a rearwardly tilted front upright member 10 angled at 10 to the vertical, and a vertical rear upright member 12, and suitable cross bracing indicated in broken lines at 1 4.

The uprights 10 and 1 2 are conventional racking uprights provided with the usual holes or slots for horizontal racking members. The holes or slots in the uprights are of course spaced apart vertically by preset amounts to provide preset vertical adjustment for the horizontal members.

In the present racking assembly a front vertically adjustable horizontal beam 1 6 is provided to which is hooked a front to rear angle member 1 8. The angle or side member 1 8 is supported at the rear by a variable level means 20 formed as a bracket 21 with hooks engaging in slots or holes in the upright 12 so as to be adjustable by hhe preset distance between the holes or slots in the upright. A screw 22 is provided on the bracket 21, the top of which screw engages the bottom of the side member 1 8 so as to jack up the entire member 18. Normally the member 18 is set at 50 to the horizontal sloping towards the front. Adjustment of the screw enables a setting of 30 to 7210 to the horizontal.

Supported at the front 'on-beam' 16 is an 'off ioad' plate 30 and supported at each lateral side of the assembly by a member 18 are horizontal box beams 33 and 34. Tube 32 supports the rear of plate 30. Tube 35 supports the front of an 'onload' plate 38. Beams 33 and 34 support central portions of roller tracks 40, a number of which are spaced laterally between the upright components 8. The front end of each track 40 is supported by a flange 42 of 'off-load' plate 30 and the rear end of each track 40 is supported by a flange 44 of 'onload' plate 38. Details of plates 30 and 38 are shown in Figures 3 and 2 respectively.

The 'off-load' plate 30 comprises as mentioned above flange 42, an upright web 46 with a slotted lower portion 48 and an upper goods stop portion 50. The plate 30 further has a sloping goods reception portion 52 and upright stop portion 54 and a hook portion 56 hooking over beam 1 6. In Figure 4 slots 60 can be seen in slotted portion 48. The slots are spaced apart at a suitable spacing of 13.5 mm. A strip 62 with slot number indicators as at 64 is stuck or painted to the upper surface of flange 42. A similar indication strip is provided on flange 44 of 'on-load' plate 38.

'On-load' plate 38 shown in Figure 2 has as described flange 44, upright web 66, 'on-load' portion 68 and rear and bottom webs 71 and 73.

The tracks 40 are carried as described above on the "on" and "off-load" plates and lateral beams 33 and 34. Locking means comprising plastics members 70 are fitted snugly into the ends of track "U" shaped channel members 72 which comprise upright arms 74 carrying flanged or plain rollers 76 and a bulged out base portion 78 which lightly grips the plastics members 70.

Each member 70 is substantially "H" shaped having two locking projections 80 which fit into.

slots 60. Projections 80 are inter connected by web 82 and base 84. To lock the track to plate 30 it is merely necessary to place a finger on web 82 and ease the member 70 into engagement with slotted portion 48 of the plate at a selected position indicated by numerals 64.-A similar locking arrangement is at the rear end of each track to lock it to plate 38.

The dimensions of locking members 70 and metal channel members 72 is such that the members are reasonably rigidly held into locking engagement.

The finger action on web 82 enables easy lateral adjustment of the tracks 40 whilst track level can be controlled coarsely by movement of bracket up and down upright 12 and finely by adjustment of bracket screw 22.

Variations in the design of the locking means may be made for instance a single 'tooth' may engage holes in portion 48 or 66.

The sloping of upright 10 rearwardly enables easy access to the fronts of superimposed racks formed by plates 30 and 38 and tracks 40. In this way boxes of goods e.g. wine boxes may be broken open at the front of the assembly and bottles lifted out without being jammed under superimposed similar racks.

Claims (11)

1. A racking assembly comprising front and rear upright members supporting at the front and rear roller tracks running from the rear to the front and spaced laterally apart, locking means movable from front to rear and/or the reverse so as to lock each track in a set spaced relationship laterally from the next track.

2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the locking means are provided at both the front and rear ends of the tracks.

3. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the tracks comprise 'U' shaped channel members with rollers between the channel arms.

4. An assembly as claimed in claim 3 wherein a shaped base to each channel member provides a guide for the locking means which is provided at its outer extremity with one or more projections, the projections engaging with slots or holes in a laterally extending member at the front and/or rear of the assembly.

5. An assembly as claimed in claim 4 wherein the locking means comprises a pair of longitudinal portions ending at the outer extremity with the projections, the longitudinal portions being interconnected by a lateral web.

6. An assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the front and rear of the tracks is supported adjustably for height on the uprights.

7. An assembly as claimed in claim 6 wherein the height adjustment is by means of a slot and hook arrangement.

8. An assembly as claimed in claim 6 or 7 wherein a further height adjustment controlled by a screw means is provided to further control the height of the front or rear of the tracks.

9. An assembly as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 8 wherein the front of the tracks are supported on a member laterally perforated to provide lateral track adjustment, which member projects forwardly to provide an offloading platform connected in turn to a hooked portion hooking over a lateral beam adjustably supported for height by a forward upright of the assembly.

10. An assembly as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 9 wherein the rear of the tracks are supported on a member laterally perforated to provide lateral track adjustment, which member projects rearwardly to provide an on-loading platform supported on a member adjustably supported for height by a rear upright of the assembly.

11. A racking assembly substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.