JP2024065740A - Assembled storage shelf - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To increase container loading efficiency by stacking prefabricated item shelves in a folded state. [Solution] The prefabricated item shelf 100 of the present invention is characterized in that it has one or more height levels of frame-like shelf sections 130, 150 that can be folded in a pantograph style, a pair of legs of the shelf section 130 on the first level supported by a pair of base frames 111, the mutual distance between the pair of base frames 111 is configured to be expandable and contractable in conjunction with the folding operation of the shelf sections 130, and a connecting member 113 that connects the pair of base frames 111 to each other is configured to be detachable from the base frames 111. [Selected Figure] Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to an assembly-type item shelf suitable for storing items such as automobile tires.

When storing goods such as automobile tires in a warehouse, they are placed vertically on goods shelves (see, for example, the tire rack in Patent Document 1) or stacked horizontally. When tires are shipped from the warehouse, they are transported by truck to the end user if they are produced domestically.

When tires are produced overseas, they are transported by truck from the warehouse to the export port, and then from the import port to the end user. This type of truck transport requires drivers and workers to do heavy work by manually loading and unloading the tires onto the truck bed.

As a result, it has been proposed to make tire racks used for storage in warehouses foldable in a pantograph style, as shown in Figure 5 of Patent Document 2 (JP Patent Publication No. 2021-066339). Such a tire rack can be moved horizontally on casters while still carrying multiple tires, making it easy to load and unload them onto the bed of a truck.

The folding tire rack of Patent Document 2 allows the empty frame-shaped shelf section to be folded vertically after tires have been delivered to the end user, shrinking it in the width direction (left and right direction) around the fulcrum pin. By loading the tire in this folded state and returning it to the sending side, the loading rate can be improved and transportation costs can be reduced by reusing the tire rack.

Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 62-157811 JP 2021-066339 A (FIG. 5)

However, the folding tire rack of Patent Document 2 cannot be folded flat as shown in Fig. 2(a). A tire rack folded vertically cannot be stacked as shown in Fig. 2(b), resulting in poor container loading efficiency. In particular, when tire racks are produced overseas and transported domestically, there is an issue with the loading and unloading processes, where a small number of tire racks can be handled at one time, resulting in poor work efficiency and increased transportation costs. There is also an issue with the storage efficiency of excess tire rack inventory caused by fluctuations in the supply and demand balance, where storage efficiency is poor when the tire racks are simply folded vertically.

The object of the present invention is to increase container loading efficiency by making it possible to stack prefabricated storage shelves in a folded state, to increase work efficiency by making it possible to handle them with a forklift during loading and unloading, and to increase the storage efficiency of the prefabricated storage shelves when they are in stock.

In order to solve the above problem, the present invention provides an assembly-type item shelf that has one or more vertical levels of frame-like shelf sections that can be folded in a pantograph style, a pair of legs of the shelf section on the first level supported by a pair of base frames, and the mutual distance between the pair of base frames is configured to be expandable and contractable in conjunction with the folding operation of the shelf sections, and the assembly-type item shelf is characterized in that the connecting members that connect the pair of base frames to each other are configured to be detachable from the base frames.

The present invention makes it possible to 1) increase container loading efficiency by making it possible to stack prefabricated item shelves in a folded state, 2) increase the efficiency of handling by forklifts when loading and unloading prefabricated item shelves, and 3) increase the storage efficiency of prefabricated item shelves when in stock.

1 is a perspective view of an assembly-type item shelf according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a knockdown storage shelf folded flat, FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the shelf stacked in layers, and FIG. 1A is a front view of the assembly-type article shelf in a tire loading configuration, FIG. 1B is a plan view, FIG. 1C is a side view, and FIG. 1D is a side view when a tire is loaded. 1A is a perspective view of the knockdown article shelf in a temporary storage state, FIG. 1B is a side view, and FIG. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the state in which the connecting member is connected to the base frame of the knockdown type article shelf. 1A is a perspective view of the assembly-type article shelf in a flattened state, FIG. 1B is a front view, and FIG. This shows the procedure for flattening an assembly-type storage shelf, where (a) is an oblique view showing the state where the extension member is removed, (b) and (c) are oblique views showing the state where the connecting member is removed from the base frame, (d) is an oblique view of the state where a pair of base frames are separated to their maximum distance, (e) is an oblique view of the state where the connecting member and extension member are accommodated in the base frame, (f) is an oblique view of the state where the extension member is accommodated in the second accommodating section of the base frame, and (g) is an oblique view of the state where the connecting member is accommodated in the first accommodating section of the base frame.

Below, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the same or equivalent parts are designated by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings, and duplicated explanations will be omitted where appropriate.

(● Overview of the Assembled Storage Shelf)
As shown in Fig. 1, the knockdown storage shelf 100 has a number of frame-like shelf sections 130, 150, 170 that can be folded in a pantograph fashion. That is, the storage shelf 100 has a base section 110, a first shelf section 130, a second shelf section 150, and an extension member 170 that forms a third shelf section. The number of sections of the storage shelf 100 is not limited to three or less, and can be increased to four or five or more sections.

The base section 110 that supports the first shelf section 130 has a pair of base frames 111 and a pair of left and right connecting members 113 that connect the pair of base frames 111 to each other. Each base frame 111 has storage sections 111a and 111b that accommodate the connecting members 113 and the extension members 170 when the item shelf 100 is flattened as shown in FIG. 2, which will be described later.

Each of the pair of base frames 111 has three casters 115. Two casters 115 are attached to both ends of the base frame 111 in the longitudinal direction, and one caster 115 is attached to the bottom of the storage section 111b in the center of the longitudinal direction. The assembled item shelf 100 can be easily moved by sliding the casters 115 on the floor.

The number of casters 115 is arbitrary and is not limited to three per base frame 111. The number of casters 115 may be any number that can maintain the stable self-supporting of the assembly-type item shelf 100. Therefore, the number of casters 115 may be four or more, or one on each end of the longitudinal direction of the base frame 111.

Each caster 115 can be provided with a lock pedal and an unlock pedal as needed. By stepping on the lock pedal, the assembly shelf 100 can be prevented from moving on its own.

The first shelf section 130 and the second shelf section 150 each consist of a pair of rectangular frames (horizontally elongated rectangular frames) crossed in an X-shape so that they can be folded in a pantograph-like manner. By restricting the maximum distance between the pair of base frames 111 with the connecting members 113, the tires can be stably supported even when multiple heavy tires T1, T2, and T3 are loaded in three tiers, as shown in FIG. 3(d) below.

The item shelf 100 according to the present invention is characterized in that the connecting member 113 is removable from the base frame 111, allowing the item shelf 100 to be folded flat as shown in Figures 2(a) to 6. This allows the item shelves 100 folded flat as shown in Figure 2(b) to be stacked, and the loading efficiency when loading into the container C in Figure 2(c) can be significantly improved compared to the vertical state.

(First storage section and second storage section)
The base frame 111 of the item shelf 100 has a first receiving portion 111 b for receiving the two connecting members 113 and a second receiving portion 111 a for receiving the four extension members 170 .

The first storage section 111b is disposed in the longitudinal center of the base frame 111. The second storage section 111a is disposed at both longitudinal ends of the base frame 111.

The first storage section 111b is integral with the base frame 111 and is composed of an elongated member with a U-shaped cross section that opens upward as shown in FIG. 7(g). The connecting member 113 can be stored from above in the storage groove 111b1 of the first storage section 111b.

Pin holes 111b2 are formed at both longitudinal ends of the first storage section 111b. With the connecting member 113 housed in the first storage section 111b, a stopper pin 113b is inserted into the pin hole 111b2. This prevents the connecting member 113 and the stopper pin 113b from falling off or becoming lost.

The second storage section 111a is made of a square timber that is integral with the base frame 111, as shown in FIG. 7(f). The extension member 170 can be stored in the second storage section 111a by inserting it through a keyhole-shaped insertion hole 111a1 formed at one end of the second storage section 111a. After being stored in the second storage section 111a, the extension member 170 can be locked in the second storage section 111a by rotating it a predetermined angle around its longitudinal axis.

The lower end (insertion end) of the extension member 170 is formed with a protrusion 170a that protrudes perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the extension member 170. This protrusion 170a is configured to be able to engage with the recess of the keyhole-shaped insertion hole 111a1 of the second storage section 111a.

(First shelf section and second shelf section)
1, the first shelf section 130 is configured by connecting a rectangular outer frame 131 and an inner frame 133 in an X-shape at both longitudinal ends by fulcrum pins 135. The lower ends (legs) of the outer frame 131 and the inner frame 133 are rotatably connected to the upper surface of the base frame 111 by hinges 111c. A pair of U-shaped handles 131c, 133c are provided on the upper ends of the outer frame 131 and the inner frame 133, one on each side.

Instead of the U-shaped handles 131c and 133c, handles 131c' may be used, which are formed by partially cutting out the frames 131 and 133, as shown in the upper part of Figure 1. Such handles 131c' do not protrude outward and do not interfere with other components, allowing the item shelf 100 to be folded more compactly.

The second shelf section 150 is made by connecting a rectangular outer frame 151 and an inner frame 153 in an X-shape with fulcrum pins 155 at both ends in the longitudinal direction. The lower ends of the outer frame 151 and the inner frame 153 are rotatably connected by four hinge parts 156 arranged at the front, rear, left and right of the upper ends of the outer frame 131 and the inner frame 133 of the first shelf section 130.

An extension member 170 that forms the third shelf section is detachably connected to the upper ends of the outer frame 151 and inner frame 153 of the second shelf section 150. Short pipe-shaped insertion sections 151a, 153a are provided at the upper ends of the outer frame 151 and inner frame 153 for inserting the extension member 170 from the longitudinal direction.

The insertion parts 151a, 153a are disposed at the corners of the outer frame 151 and the inner frame 153 in the extension direction of the short sides of each frame 151, 153. Spiral grooves 151b, 153b are formed along the side walls of the insertion parts 151a, 153a.

The extension direction of the insertion parts 151a, 153a may be slightly inclined inward (the direction in which the upper ends of the insertion parts 151a, 153a approach each other). By inclining inward in this manner, it becomes easier to bring the extension member 170 into contact with the side of the tire T3 mounted on the third shelf part as shown in FIG. 3(d).

On the other hand, the lower end (insertion end) of the extension member 170 is formed with a convex portion 170a as described above. When the lower end of the extension member 170 is inserted into the insertion portions 151a, 153a, the convex portion 170a is engaged with the spiral groove portions 151b, 153b. This prevents the extension member 170 from slipping out upward.

The outer frame 151 and inner frame 153 of the second shelf section 150 are provided with multiple U-shaped handles 151c, 153c, respectively. That is, the handles 151c, 153c are provided at two locations on the left and right of each long side and at two locations on the top and bottom of each short side of the outer frame 151 and inner frame 153.

The handles 151c, 153c of the second shelf section 150 are intended to facilitate the rotation of the frames 131, 133, 151, 153 of the first shelf section 130 and the second shelf section 150 when folding the item shelf 100 flat as shown in Figures 2(a) and 6, or vertically as shown in Figure 4(b), or when unfolding it from the flat or vertical shape into the tire mounting configuration of Figure 1.

(●Connecting parts)
The above-mentioned connecting member 113 is connected to the base frame 111 as shown in Fig. 5. That is, tail caps 111f having insertion holes 111g opening on the side facing the mating base frame 111 are disposed on both longitudinal ends of the pair of base frames 111.

On the opposite side to the tail cap 111f, a hole 111d is formed in the corner of the square pipe material that constitutes the base frame 111. A stopper piece 111e is formed on the edge of this hole 111d. This stopper piece 111e is for receiving a stopper pin 113b (described below) of the connecting member 113 in the temporary storage form shown in Figure 4.

A hole 113a into which a stopper pin 113b can be removably inserted is formed on both ends of the connecting member 113, penetrating the connecting member 113 on both radial sides. Both ends of the connecting member 113 are inserted into the insertion hole 111g of the tail cap 111f without the stopper pin 113b.

When both ends of the connecting member 113 are fully inserted into the base frame 111, both ends of the connecting member 113 are visible through the hole 111d of the base frame 111. In this state, rotate the connecting member 113 appropriately so that its hole 113a is visible through the hole 111d of the base frame 111.

In other words, the hole 113a is tilted outward at 45 degrees from the vertical. In this state, the stopper pin 113b is inserted into the hole 113a of the connecting member 113.

In this state, the stopper pin 113b cannot move further to the right than the stopper piece 111e in FIG. 4(a), but it can move in the opposite direction to the stopper piece 111e. The maximum movement length in this opposite direction is restricted by the tail cap 111f, as described below.

The holes 113a are formed in the same position so that the inclination angle (45 degrees) of the stopper pins 113b is the same at both ends of the connecting member 113. With the stopper pins 113b inclined at 45 degrees, the base frames 111 are separated from each other.

Then, the stopper pin 113b of the connecting member 113 comes into contact with the inside of the tail cap 111f as shown in FIG. 5(c). As a result, the movement of the first shelf portion 130, the second shelf portion 150, and the extension member 170, which tend to spread horizontally due to the load when the tire is loaded as shown in FIG. 3(d), is restricted by the connecting member 113 and the tail cap 111f.

(Temporary storage on shelves)
In order to fold up the item shelf 100 after removing the tires and emptying it for temporary storage (provisional storage), the pair of base frames 111 are brought closest to each other as shown in Fig. 4. At this time, the U-shaped handles 151c, 153c of the second shelf section 150 are held by hand and the shelves 130, 150 are rotated so as to fold vertically.

As a result, both ends of the connecting member 113 are pushed into the foundation frame 111, and the stopper pins 113b at both ends of the connecting member 113 come into contact with the stopper pieces 111e at the edges of the holes 111d of the pair of foundation frames 111. To prevent the first and second shelf sections 130 and 150 from naturally unfolding from this state to the state shown in FIG. 1, a hook or the like for preventing unfolding can be provided between the pair of rectangular frames of the first shelf section 130 or the second shelf section 150 as necessary. Also, instead of providing such a hook or the like, the pair of foundation frames 111 may be configured to be prevented from moving away from each other by rotating the stopper pin 113b around its axis (for example, 45 degrees).

(● Bunning of goods shelves)
To fold the item shelf 100 after removing the tires and emptying it for bunking, first, as shown in Fig. 7(a), the four extension members 170 are pulled out from the insertion sections 151a, 153a of the second shelf section 150. Next, as shown in Fig. 7(b), the stopper pin 113b is pulled out from the hole 113a at the end of the connecting member 113 visible in the hole 111d of the base frame 111. Then, as shown in Fig. 7(c), both ends of the connecting member 113 are pulled out from the pair of base frames 111.

This allows the pair of left and right foundation frames 111 to move freely away from each other. Next, the left and right foundation frames 111 are pulled apart as far as possible, as shown in Figure 7(d). This causes the first shelf section 130 and the second shelf section 150 to rotate around the fulcrum pins 135 and 155, respectively, and flatten out, stacking compactly on top of the foundation section 110.

The left and right base frames 111 are also rotated upward around the hinges 111c with the first shelf 130. This eliminates the lateral protrusion of the second storage section 111a, and the flattened configuration of FIG. 6 becomes more compact in the vertical direction. In this state, all six casters 115 face outward in the lateral direction.

The second storage section 111a faces upward at each corner in the flattened configuration of Figs. 2(a) to 6. Therefore, when stacked in a flattened configuration as shown in Fig. 2(b), the second storage section 111a can also function as a support leg between each item shelf 100.

In this state, the four extension members 170 are inserted into the four second storage sections 111a of the left and right base frames 111 as shown in Figures 7(e) and (f). At this time, the convex portion 170a at one end of the extension members 170 is engaged with the concave portion of the keyhole-shaped insertion hole 111a1 of the second storage section 111a. This prevents the extension members 170 from falling out of the second storage section 111a.

Meanwhile, the connecting member 113 that has been pulled out from the base frame 111 is accommodated in the first storage portion 111b of the base frame 111 as shown in Figures 7(e) and (g). After the connecting member 113 is accommodated in the first storage portion 111b, the stopper pin 113b is inserted vertically into the hole portion 113a of the connecting member 113 through the pin hole 111b2 of the first storage portion 111b. This allows the connecting member 113 to be fixed to the first storage portion 111b.

The flattened article shelves 100 as shown in Fig. 2(a) to Fig. 6 can be stacked for vanning as shown in Fig. 2(a) ⇒ (b). The number of stacked article shelves 100 is arbitrary, but Fig. 2(b) shows 12 article shelves 100 stacked.

In the stacked state shown in FIG. 2(b), the second storage section 111a of the base frame 111 functions as a support section between each of the item shelves 100. Therefore, the flattened first shelf section 130 and second shelf section 150 can be safely stored in the space formed between each of the item shelves 100.

In addition, in the stacked state shown in FIG. 2(b), the tail caps 111f at the four corners of the bottom shelf 100 are grounded. These tail caps 111f support the vertical load of the multiple shelf units 100 stacked above. The tail caps 111f are fixed to the ends of the square pipe material and are integrally formed with the second storage section 111a, so that even a large load can be stably supported.

As a result, even if the container C shown in FIG. 2(c) sways or tilts while the goods rack 100 is loaded onto the container C and transported by sea, the stacked state shown in FIG. 2(b) can be stably maintained. This makes it possible to prevent damage to the first shelf section 130, the second shelf section 150, etc., caused by the collapse of cargo in the stacked configuration. In addition, the stacked configuration of the goods rack 100 is advantageous in terms of reducing storage space (improving storage efficiency during inventory) and ease of handling in temporary storage and inventory storage at tire production plants.

(● De-vanning of storage shelves)
When the container C in Fig. 2(c) is returned to the sending side, the stacked goods shelves 100 in the container C in Fig. 2(b) are debunked using a forklift. After that, in order to reuse the goods shelves 100, they are unfolded as shown in Fig. 1 by following the procedure described above in reverse.

By reusing the item shelf 100, transportation costs can be significantly reduced. In addition, no special tools are required to unfold and assemble the shelf from the stacked configuration to the tire-mounted configuration shown in Figure 1, so it can be quickly assembled regardless of the destination.

The above describes one embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be modified in various ways. For example, in the above embodiment, the item shelf 100 is used as a tire rack, but the item shelf 100 of the present invention is not limited to tire racks and can be used for any item that can be stored on a shelf. In addition, the positions of the storage sections 111a and 111b that store the connecting member 113 and the extension member 170 are not limited to the positions described above and can be any position on the base frame 111.

It is also possible to configure the two connecting members 113 and the four extension members 170 from a common material. This makes it possible to standardize the first storage section 111b and the second storage section 111a, reducing the number of parts and costs, as well as improving work efficiency during vanning and devanning.

Reference Signs List 100: Assembled item shelf 110: Base 111: Base frame 111a: Second storage section 111a1: Insertion hole 111b: First storage section 111b1: Storage groove 111b2: Pin hole 111c: Hinge section 111d: Hole 111e: Stopper piece 111f: Tail cap 111g: Insertion hole 113: Connecting member 113a: Hole 113b: Stopper pin 115: Caster 130: First shelf section 131: Outer frame 131c: Handle 133: Inner frame 133c: Handle 135: Fulcrum pin 150: Second shelf section 151: Outer frame 151a: Insertion section 151b: Groove 151c: Handle 153: Inner frame 153a: Insertion section 153b: Groove 153c: Handle 155: Pivot pin 156: Hinge portion 170: Extension member 170a: Protrusion 300: Tire rack 310: Foundation frame C: Container T1-T3: Tire

Claims (6)

An assembly-type article shelf having one or more height-wise stages of frame-like shelf sections that can be folded in a pantograph manner, a pair of legs of the shelf section of the first stage being supported by a pair of base frames, and the mutual distance between the pair of base frames being expandable and contractable in conjunction with the folding operation of the shelf sections,
A knockdown shelf, characterized in that a connecting member which connects the pair of base frames to each other is configured to be detachable from the base frames. The assembly shelf of claim 1, characterized in that the one or more shelves are configured to be foldable into a flat shape. The assembly-type item shelf according to claim 2, characterized in that the shelf portion is folded flat so that the assembly-type item shelf can be stacked. A knockdown shelf according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the base frame is formed with a storage section for the connecting member. The assembly-type item shelf of claim 4, characterized in that when the shelf section is folded flat and stackable, the storage section functions as a support leg between the assembly-type item shelves. A knockdown shelf according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the pair of base frames are equipped with multiple casters, and the multiple casters face outward in the lateral direction when the shelf section is folded flat.

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