GB2264924A

GB2264924A - Collapsible support rack

Info

Publication number: GB2264924A
Application number: GB9205601A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Edward Albert Duckworth
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1992-03-14
Filing date: 1992-03-14
Publication date: 1993-09-15
Anticipated expiration: 2012-03-14
Also published as: GB2264924B; GB9205601D0

Abstract

A collapsible tiered rack 10 suitable for use as a reel rack comprises a base 11 with castors and upstanding end pieces 12 for holding reel support bars 15 in a tiered manner. The end pieces 12 are hinged on the base 11 so that, for compact storage, each piece 12 folds inwardly towards the other to lie generally flat on the base, after removal of stay 14. The support bars and stay are stored on the base. The hinged-down pieces 12 may be padlocked in position (Figs. 5, not shown). <IMAGE>

Description

RACKS DESCRIPTION This invention relates to racks, and concerns in particular collapsible racks for carrying a multiplicity of reels of cable or the like.

It is common, for display (and other) purposes, to stack or support reels of material, such as reels of electrical cable, of wallpaper or even of carpet, threaded onto elongate bars supported at either end to form tiered racks, and it is usual for these racks to be wheeled so they can relatively easily be moved from one site to another. When empty, though, such a rack takes up a significant amount of room, and it would be beneficial were the rack to be collapsible, or de-mountable, so that it can be quickly and easily be erected when it is required for use but at the same time readily be dismantled for storage purposes.

The invention seeks a novel construction of tiered rack that will be suitable for use as a collapsible reel rack, and proposes that the rack comprise a wheeled elongate base with upstanding end pieces for holding the reel support bars in a tiered manner, these end pieces being hingedly mounted on the base such that for storage purposes each piece folds inwardly towards the other to lie flat on the base (or on the other end piece), whereupon not only can one or more such rack easily be stored on flat top of each other but the thus-collapsed, " compacted" rack can be lifted and carried away rather like a suitcase.

In one aspect, therefore, the invention provides a collapsible tiered rack suitable for use as a reel rack, which rack comprises a wheeled base with upstanding end pieces for holding the reel support bars in a tiered manner, these end pieces being hingedly mounted on the base such that for storage purposes each piece folds inwardly towards the other to lie generally flat on the base, preferably overlying the other end piece.

The rack of the invention is for use as a reel rack. The reel can be of any sort, carrying any rolled-up material (such as wallpaper or carpet, for example), but one particular use for the rack is as a cable rack, to carry reels of cable - electrical cable of various sorts (from light bell cable through mains power cable to coaxial cable or heavy duty cable).

The base is preferably elongate, and is conveniently oblong in overall shape. It may be of any suitable length and breadth, but generally will be about a meter long and a half to three-quarters of a meter wide. While the base could be sheet-like, it is advantageously merely a frame, made up from edge pieces (and perhaps one or more bracing cross piece, depending on its length), conveniently of square-section tube or L-section angle iron (advantageously of mild steel or aluminium), suitably joined one to the next. The base may be wheeled, to allow it to be moved about easily and it is usually most convenient if the wheels be castors, suitably mounted on the underside of the base.

The rack has at each end of the elongate base upstanding end pieces that in use support the bars themselves supporting the reels. These end pieces enable there to be formed a tier of reels, one line above the other, for display purposes. The end pieces may have any suitable form and shape - thus, they may be solid, sheet-like objects of rectangular dimensions - but most preferably each end piece is, like the base, merely a framework (again, conveniently of square-section tube or L-section angle iron, and of mild steel or aluminium), and rather than being oblong is triangular, or A-shaped (such an end piece is referred to as an A-frame, and is used in the embodiment of the accompanying Drawings). In this way the tiers of reel-supporting bars form a prism-shaped construction, having good overall mechanical stability.

The bars themselves may be of any appropriate form and dimensions capable of supporting the reels they are to carry, and need no further comment here. Moreover, the bars may in use be attached to the end pieces in any suitable way, such as by hooks on each bars co-acting with receiver rings on the end pieces, or projecting, possibly spring-loaded lugs or spigots on one or other of bar and end piece slotting releasably into receptacle means on the other, but again that needs no detailed comment here.

It is convenient if, when the rack be in its stowed form, the reel support bars can simply be carried within the base itself (this is shown in the embodiment of the accompanying Drawings).

The end pieces are hingedly mounted on the base such that for storage purposes each piece folds inwardly towards the other to lie flat either on the base or on the other end piece, and it is this feature which might be said to be the key feature of the rack of the invention. The actual manner in which each end piece is so hingedly mounted may be any convenient; plane short door hinges, or longer piano hinges, may be employed. Most preferably, however, there is means to "lock" each end piece into its upstanding position, and prevent it falling down into its stowed position, and while this means could take any appropriate form, such as some spring-loaded catch acting between the end piece and the base, most conveniently the means is quite simply a rigid strut tying the two end pieces together over the length of the base, as shown in the embodiment of the accompanying Drawings.

When the rack is dismantled for storage purposes the end pieces fold inwardly of the base, one towards the other, to lie flat either on the base or on the other end piece. Where the base is longer than twice the height of each end piece, then clearly each end piece can fold down to lie flat on the base. Where, however, the base is shorter, then one of the end pieces will perforce have to lie at least partially over the other when folded down. In this latter case it is advantageous for that "upper" end piece to be mounted on the base a little higher - a base's depth higher - than the other, so when it folds down it does indeed lie flat on the other.

Depending on, amongst other things, the length of the base (and the reel support bars) and the width of the reels, the rack may carry a single reel on each bar or a multiplicity of reels. Typically, a short cable reel rack might have an effective length of a meter, and carry three reels each about 30 cm wide.

The collapsible rack of the invention enables two or more such racks easily be stored flat on top of each other. Moreover, because of the compact form of the collapsed rack it can be lifted and carried away rather like a suitcase, especially if it be given a carrying handle on one of the base's long edges.

Embodiments of the invention are now described, though by way of illustration only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a diagrammatic perspective view from above and one side of an embodiment of collapsible reel rack of the invention; Figures 2A and B show (see-through) diagrammatic front and end elevations of the embodiment of the rack shown in Figure 1 in its erected, in-use state; Figures 3A and B show diagrammatic front and top plan views of the rack shown in Figures 1 and 2 in its collapsed state; Figures 4A and 4B show respective end elevations of part of another embodiment of reel rack in its erected state; and Figures 5A and 5B show front and top plant views of the rack shown in Figures 4A and 4B in its collapsed state.

The rack shown generally at 10 in Figures 1 to 3B, is basically an oblong angle-iron base frame 11 having hinged thereto, by hinges 21 in Figures 2 & 3 and at either end, angle-iron A-frame end pieces 12, and having four castor wheels 13 to allow it to be moved about easily. The two end pieces 12 are supported in their upright, in-use state by a removable stay bar 14 at the back and by three reel-support bars 15 at the front, the "display" side. These bars 15 are detachably mounted on the A-frames by means not shown.

The front edge of the base frame 11 has centrally affixed thereto a carrying handle 16, by which the whole rack 10 may, when it is collapsed, be picked up and carried.

In Figure 1, the rack 10 is shown supporting two narrow cable reels 17 on its upper bar 15, a single wider reel 18 on its middle bar, and a single long reel 19 on its lower bar.

In Figure 2 the rack 10 is shown in side and front elevation. In the Figure 2B front view, it can be seen to carry a large number of small reels 23 on each bar 15.

In Figures 3A and 3B, there can be seen how the rack 10 is collapsible to fold flat for storage and/or carrying purposes. The reel support bars 15 and the end piece stay bar 14 are detached and laid in the base 11. Then, the two end pieces 12 are folded down one, the right as viewed, under the other, the left as viewed. To enable this "one-on-the-other" state to be achieved, the upper, left-as-viewed, end piece 12 is mounted upon spacers 31 as best seen in Figures 2B & 3 to raise it above the level of the other end piece 12.

Another embodiment of reel rack is shown in Figures 4A to 5B which illustrate in detail some additional features not evident in the first embodiment described above in relation to Figures 1 to 3B.

Referring now to Figure 4A, the left-hand A-frame end piece 42, here shown erected, is hinged at 51 to a generally oblong angle-iron base frame 41 again supported by four castor wheels 43.

The two legs of the left-hand A-frame end piece 42 have short sections 44 of angle-iron secured, for example, by welding, thereto. These short angle-iron sections 44 correspond with short sections of angleiron 54 provided on the legs of the right-hand A-frame end piece 52 shown in Figure 4B. This end piece 52 is also hinged, at 61 to the base frame 41, although in this case, the hinges 61 are mounted upon respective spacers 63 which, in turn, are secured to the base frame 41.

Four reel-support bars 55 have their opposed ends supported at respective sides of the base frame 41 just prior to the A-frame end pieces 42, 52 being folded flat for storage and/or carrying purposes. In use of these reel-support bars 55, they are supported at their respective ends upon the short section angle-irons 44, 54 of the left-hand and right-hand end pieces 42, 52.

Similarly, a stay bar 64 also has its opposed ends supported at respective sides of the base frame 41 adjacent the reel-support bars 55, again for storage and/or carrying purposes.

In use, this stay bar 64 maintains the two end pieces 42, 52 in their upright positions and is secured thereto by means of a pair of manually-operable bolts 67 which engage through respective holes 68, as shown in Figure 5A, in the end pieces 42, 52.

In Figures 4B and 5A, this pair of bolts 67 for the stay bar 64 are shown in a non-use position mounted in the base frame 41 for storage and/or carrying purposes.

Thus, just prior to the end pieces 42, 52 being folded flat, the reel-support bars 55, stay bar 64 and associated bolts 67 are stored with respect to the base frame 41, as shown in Figures 4A and 4B.

Then, the left-hand end piece 42 is folded downwardly about its hinges 51 and, subsequently, the right-hand end piece 52 is also folded down about its hinges 61, to overlie the left-hand end piece 42, as shown in Figures 5A and 5B.

A small rigid tab 70, as shown in Figures 4A and 5B, mounted on the horizontal base element of the Aframe end piece 42 is now located in a position to prevent the stored reel-support bars 55 from having their ends removed from the left-hand side of the base frame 41. This storage position of the tab 70 is shown in dashed lines in Figure 4A, as well as in Figure SB.

Thus, the reel-support bars 55 and stay bar 64 are so to speak "locked" in their storage position with respect to the base frame 41, whilst the knobs 67 for the stay bar 64 are also retained in position between the base frame 41 and the right-hand end piece 52.

In this manner, those components are secured safely within the folded rack.

A hinged flap 80 on the apex of the right-hand end piece 52 has a slot (not shown) adjacent its free end, which engages over an eye 81 through which a padlock 82 engages. This arrangement locks the whole rack together, so that the end pieces 42, 52 cannot be raised, thereby maintaining the bars 55, 56 and bolts 67 securely located therein for storage and/or carrying purposes by means of the carrying handle 66.

In order to erect the reel rack, the folding-down procedure described above is reversed, with the stay bar 64 being placed in position between the two end pieces 42, 52 and retained there by means of the bolts 67 being engaged through the holes 68.

It is to be appreciated that modifications can be made to the rack without departing from the basic innovative concept. For instance, the stay bar 14, 64 could be repositioned to extend between the apexes of the A-frame end pieces 12 and 42, 52, in which case, it, or one of the reel support bars 15, 155 located in the same position could be used as a carrying handle when the rack is erected and in use.

Claims

1. A collapsible tiered rack suitable for use as a reel rack and comprising a base with upstanding end pieces for holding reel support bars in a tiered manner, the end pieces being hingedly mounted on the base such that, for storage purposes, each piece folds inwardly towards the other to lie generally flat on the base.

2. A rack according to claim 1, wherein one of the end pieces overlies the other end piece when the pieces are folded inwardly towards each other to lie generally flat on the base.

3. A rack according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the base is oblong in overall shape.

4. A rack according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the base is sheet-like.

5. A rack according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the base is a frame made up from edge pieces.

6. A rack according to claim 5, wherein the base has one or more bracing cross-pieces.

7. A rack according to any preceding claim, wherein the based is wheeled.

8. A rack according to any preceding claim, wherein the end pieces are solid, sheet-like and of rectangular dimensions.

9. A rack according to any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the end pieces are framework.

10. A rack according to claim 9, wherein the end pieces are triangular or A-shaped, so that the tiers of rack support bars form a prism-shaped construction having good overall mechanical stability.

11. A rack according to any preceding claim, wherein the end pieces are locked into their upstanding positions.

12. A rack according to claim 11, wherein the end pieces are locked into their upstanding positions by means of spring-loaded catch acting between the end pieces and the base.

13. A rack according to claim 11, wherein the end pieces are locked into their upstanding positions by means of a rigid strut tying the end pieces together over the length of the base.

14. A rack according to any preceding claim, wherein the reel support bars are, in use, attached to the end pieces by means of hooks on each bar co-acting with receiver rings on the end pieces.

15. A rack according to any of claim 1 to 13, wherein the reel support bars are, in use, attached to the end pieces by means of projecting lugs or spigots on one or other of the base and end pieces slotting releasably into receptacle means on the other.

16. A rack according to claim 15, wherein the projecting lugs or spigots are spring-loaded.

17. A rack according to any preceding claim, wherein the reel support bars can be carried within the base for storage purposes when the rack is in its stowed form.

18. A rack according to claim 18, wherein the end pieces overlie the rack support bars when the latter are carried within the base and the former are folded down on to the base, for storage purposes.

19. A rack according to any preceding claim, wherein the end pieces are hingedly mounted to the base at different levels, such that, when they are folded down on to the base with one end piece overlying the other, then lie flat on each other.

20. A rack according to any preceding claim, which is portable when the end pieces are folded down on to the base.

21. A rack according to any preceding claim, including a carrying handle on one of the base's long edges, for carrying purposes when the end pieces are folded down on to the base.

22. A collapsible tiered rack substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.