GB2187934A - Nestable racking - Google Patents

Abstract

A nestable racking member comprising a frame having a rear assembly comprised of two parallel posts 4, 5 with a top tie 6a and a front assembly comprised of two parallel posts 2, 3 with top and bottom ties 6, 7, the spacing between the rear assembly posts being greater than the distance between the distal portions of the front assembly posts, two upper 9 and two lower 10 parallel rails having the same spacing apart and complementing shapes joining corresponding upper and lower ends of the posts of the front and rear assemblies and load supporting elements extending between the front and rear assemblies 6 to 6c. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Nestable racking This invention relates to racking for loaded pallets or the like.

It is common in industry to provide racking for the storage of goods and in particular for pallets loaded with goods. It is also common to provide demountable racking that is assembled when required and is dismantled and stored when not required. To facilitate storage demountable racking that is stackable has been developed.

Presently known stackable demountable racking is of the type wherein first rack elements are located on the factory or warehouse floor where storage is to be undertaken and loaded pallets are mounted on the first rack elements. When an upper layer of loaded pallets needs to be stored further rack elements are respectively superimposed in an interlocking manner on the first rack elements, in a one on one arrangement, and loaded pallets are then positioned on the superimposed rack elements. Additional layers of pallets can be stored by repeating the foregoing until a maximum number of pallet layers, as determined by roof height or safety requirements, is achieved.

As will be understood from the foregoing for efficient work practice and to save double handling of pallets it is desirable to first identify where loaded pallets are to be stored and then to place the first rack elements so the first layer of loaded pallets can be placed thereon. Before subsequent layers of pallets can be positioned it is necessary to first place the next layer of racking elements in place in superimposition over the first elements.

It follows that if, due to an oversight in planning or for other reasons, there is never a second or further layer of pallets then the first racking elements are doing no work and might just as well not have been used, their sole purpose being to support the second layer of racking elements. The pallets sitting on the platform-like bases of the racking elements might just as well have been sitting on the warehouse floor. Irrespective of whether the racking elements are hired or owned the cost of racking elements in the first layer is money wasted if there is never a second or further layers of pallets.

This invention provides stackable racking which is used as required, that is, pallets can be positioned anywhere in a warehouse and any one of those pallets can be the first in a tier of pallets because the racking is adapted to be positioned over the loaded pallet and not under it, as with the presently known racking. The next pallet in a tier sits upon the first rack element with the present invention and not the second rack element as with the known system. The advantages are clear, first no racking elements are required until the second pallets of tiers are to be placed in position and any pallet load in a warehouse can be the first in a tier, with the known system a rack element must be put in place first thereby establishing at possibly an inappropriate time the location for a pallet tier and thereby establishing the pallet to be the lowermost in the tier.It also follows therefore that in any tier there is always one less rack element than there is pallet loads with the proposed system whereas in the known system there is an equal number of pallets and rack elements. Clearly the proposed racking provides savings in money over the known racking and at the same time allows flexibility as to the location of a tier.

The present invention can be broadly said to comprise a nestable racking member comprising a frame having a rear assembly comprised of two parallel posts interconnected by a tie member at their upper ends and a front assembly comprised of two parallel posts with their respective upper and lower ends interconnected by tie members, the spacing between the rear assembly posts being greater than the distance between the distal portions of the front assembly posts, two upper and two lower parallel rails having the same spacing apart and complementing shapes joining corresponding upper and lower ends of the posts of the front and rear assemblies and load supporting elements extending between the front and rear assemblies.

The racking of this invention, in a presently preferred form, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred form of racking member looking from the rear, Fig.2 is a top view of the racking member, Fig.3 is a front view of three nested racking members, Fig.4 is a side view of three nested racking members, Fig.5 is a front view of two tiered racking members, Fig.6 is a side view of two tiered racking members, Fig.7 is a fragmentary perspective view showing positions of racking members before interengagement in superimposed relationship, Fig.8 is a fragmentary perspective view of the members of Fig.7 after interengagement, Fig.9 illustrates a base for a tier of racking members, which can be optionally used as required, Fig.10 illustrates a means to anchor a racking member to a load and Fig.1 1 shows the anchor means of Fig.10 when operative.

As illustrated in Fig. 1 the racking member comprises a frame having a front and a rear assembly each comprised of interconnected posts. Specifically, there are two front posts 2 and 3 and two rear posts 4 and 5. The posts 2 and 3 are connected by upper and lower ties 6 and 7 to form the front assembly. The posts 4 and 5, which are interconnected at their upper ends by a tie 6a, are spaced apart by a distance greater than the distance between the distal portions of the front posts 2 and 3, which are spaced apart sufficiently to allow a loaded pallet to pass therebetween. The ties 6 and 6a are joined by bars 8 and the posts 2,4 and 3,5 are respectively joined by upper and lower rails 9 and 10. The rails 9 present upwardly convergent sides to provide a ridge and the rails 10 present downwardly diverging sides to provide Vee grooves.There are ties 6b and 6c between the bars 8. The ties and bars 6 to 6c and 8 provide a support structure for loads to be supported by the racking member.

In a tier of racking members the grooves formed by lower rails 10 overlie the ridges formed by the inverted angles 9. It is to be noted that the posts 2 and 3 are welded to the inner edges of the rails 9 and 10 and the posts 4 and 5 are welded to the outer edges of the rails 9 and 10, in order to place the posts 4 and 5 further apart than the posts 2 and 3. It is to be noted also that the rails 10 have out-turned flanges 11 to provide greater load support surface for ground engagement.

From Fig.2 it will be seen that the posts 4 and 5 are respectively located in line with the tie 6a and in front of the tie 6a, they are thus laterally mis-aligned. This facilitates side by side nesting of the racking members when they are placed side by side. The nesting of the posts 4 and 5 of adjacent racking members provides mutual bracing against any front-to-back movement of individual racking members. This is a desirable characteristic but not an essential of the invention which is primarily concerned with nesting of members one inside the other as shown in Fig.3.

There are load positioning bars 12 fixed to the bars 8 and the bars 12 have notches 13 at their "front" ends and stop plates 14 at their "rear" ends. The components 13 and 14 serve both to locate an upper racking member over a lower member so the posts of the two are axially aligned and to interlock the tiered members, as will hereinafter be explained. It is to be noted that the leading outer corners of the rails 9 are cut away at 15 to facilitate entry into the grooves of lower rails 10 during a member tiering operation.

Figs.3 and 4 are respectively front and side views of three racking members illustrating the manner in which a number can be nested for storage. Figs.5 and 6 are respectively front and side views of two tiered racking members.

Figs.7 and 8 show fragmentary perspective views respectively of two racking members with the rails of the members not engaged and with the rails of the two racking members engaged. It will be understood that tiering is achieved by lowering the upper member onto the lower member, with the posts 2 and 3 of the upper member forward of the posts 2 and 3 of the lower member, until the rails 10 of the upper member engage over the rails 9 of the lower member. The upper member is then slid rearwardly so that the ends 15 of the rails 10 engage under lugs 16 on the stops 14. At the same time the tie 7 engages in the notches 13 of the bars 12.The result is accurate side alignment of the members due to the engagement of the rails 9 and 10, accurate front to back positioning of the members with posts in axial alignment by means of the stops 14 and ends of the notches 13 and restraint against upward separation of the members by engagement under the lugs 16 and in the notches 13. When so tiered the down thrust due to the load of a pallet on the bars 6 to 6c is transferred directly through the posts 2 to 5 directly to the floor, see Figs. 5 and 6.

Fig.7 is a base plate 17 that can be placed under the first pallet in a tier, if desired, to provide a "loaded foot" or anchor to which the first racking member in a tier of members can be connected. The loading for the foot or anchor is the weight of the first loaded pallet in the tier.

The first racking member, when required, would placed over the loaded pallet and it would be interconnected with the foot 17 in the same way as two racking members are interconnected, namely, by engagement below the lugs 16 on the stops 14 and in the notches 13.

In Figs. 10 and 11 another type of anchoring device is shown, namely, a swingable dog 18 which can be positioned between pallet battens 19.

If desired tier-to-tier ties of any suitable form may be used to provide enhanced sideto-side stability for a plurality of tiers of racking members in a row of such tiers. Alternatively, only the iast two tiers of members in a row of tiered members may be tied together.

One way to provide ties is to fix lugs 20 to the posts 4 and/or 5 so that when the racking members are nested in a row of members the lugs 20 on the post 4 or the post 5 will respectively engage the other of the posts 4 or 5 of adjacent racking members. The backto-front stability, as explained previously, is ensured by the nesting of the posts 4 and 5 in a row of racking members.

The specific arrangements for interlocking rails are illustrative and variations can be provided. For example the lugs 16 and/or 13 can be replaced by laterally extending lugs fixed to the bar 12. This would involve, in the case of the replacement of the notch 13 by such a lug, an extended sliding engagement of the rails which can be impractical for some locations where the racking members are use. It would also be possible, but less desirable, to have only the lugs 16 or the notches 13 to restrain upwards removal of tiered aligned racking members one from another. It is clear that the positioning lugs 14 and the lugs 16 and notches 13 fulfill a useful purpose but they are not essential provided care is taken in the tiering of racking members one on another. The features 13, 14 and 16 are merely desirable features to facilitate rapid and accurate tiering. Similarly the staggered locations of the posts 4 and 5 are desirable and not essential as is the provision of the lugs 20.

Claims (11)

1. A nestable racking member comprising a frame having a rear assembly comprised of two parallel posts interconnected by a tie member at their upper ends and a front assembly comprised of two parallel posts with their respective upper and lower ends interconnected by tie members, the spacing between the rear assembly posts being greater than the distance between the distal portions of the front assembly posts, two upper and two lower parallel rails having the same spacing apart and complementing shapes joining corresponding upper and lower ends of the posts of the front and rear assemblies and load supporting elements extending between the front and rear assemblies.

2. A nestable racking member as claimed in claim 1 including location means to locate a second racking member when placed in rail on rail superimposition on a first racking member with the posts of the front and rear assemblies of the superimposed racking members respectively axially aligned.

3. A nestable racking member as claimed in claim 2 wherein said location means includes first catch means adjacent the upper ends of the posts of the rear assembly adapted to engage the lower rails of a second racking member when placed in rail on rail superimposition on a first racking member.

4. A nestable racking member as claimed in claim 3 wherein the location means includes further catch means adjacent the upper ends of the posts of the front assembly adapted to engage the tie between the bottoms of the posts of the front assembly of a second racking member when placed in rail on rail superimposition on a first racking member.

5. A nestable racking member as claimed in claim 2 wherein the first catch means is of hook form so as to be engaged by the rails of a second racking member in rail on rail superimposition on a first racking member upon relative sliding of the rails of the two racking members to bring the location means into operation.

6. A nestable racking member as claimed in claim 3 wherein the further catch means is of hook form so as to be engaged by the tie between the lower ends of the posts of the front assembly of a second racking member in rail on rail superimposition on a first racking member upon relative sliding of the rails of the two racking members to bring the location means into operation.

7. A nestable racking member as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 6 wherein the upper and lower rails respectively provide a ridge and a groove for complementing engagement.

8. A nestable racking member as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 7 wherein the rails are positioned between the outer surfaces of the posts of the front assembly and the inner surfaces of the posts of the rear assembly.

9. A nestable racking member as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 8 wherein the posts of the rear assembly are located out of lateral alignment so that when two racking members as herein claimed are positioned side by side the two adjacent rear posts thereof will be laterally misaligned allowing one to lie in front of the other.

10. A nestable racking member as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 9 wherein the lower rails have outwardly directed flanges.

11. A nestable racking member as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.