US2973100A - Rack and tray structure - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 28, 1961 G. D. WILEY 2,973,100

RACK AND TRAY STRUCTURE Filed June 17, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1i INVENTOR Z8\ W L. E Y 37 26 43 A? M j' ATTORNEY Feb. 28, 1961 G. D. WILEY RACK AND TRAY STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 17, 1960 I] s ll/Irma INVENTDR.

: QQ'WILEY ATTORNEY RACK AND TRAY STRUCTURE George D. Wiley, Cherry Lane, R1). 3, Doylestown, Pa.

Filed June 17, 1960, Ser. No. 36,902

8 Claims. (Cl. 211-126) This invention relates to a novel construction of rack for detachably supporting a plurality of commodity containing trays in superimposed relationship relative to one another in said rack.

More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a rack and tray structure by means of which the rack may be readily loaded with a stack of trays and which rack is provided with means for supporting an uppermost tray in the top portion of the rack so that the contents thereof is readily accessible and whereby said uppermost tray, when emptied, can be readily removed and replaced at the top of the rack by the tray located immediately therebeneath, so that, irrespective of the number of trays remaining in the rack, the uppermost tray will always be supported at the top of the rack.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a rack and tray structure adapted for use in refrigerator units of retail stores and which units have a top access opening directly beneath which the topmost tray of the rack will be supported so that the contents of said tray is readily accessible.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawings, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view, partly in vertical section, showing the rack-and tray structure contained within a compartment of a refrigeration unit;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view, partly broken away, showing the rack and tray structure;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary end elevational view, partly broken away and partly in vertical section, looking from left to right of Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken substantially along the line 44- of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 5-5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 and illustrating a different position of certain of the parts, and

Figure 7 is a perspective view of one element of the rack and tray combination.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the rack and tray combination in its entirety and comprising the invention is designated generally 10 and includes a rack, designated generally 11, and a plurality of corresponding .trays, each designated generally 12.

The rack 11 includes four corresponding corner posts 13, 14, 15 and 16 each of which is of angular cross section, as seen in Figures 2 and 4, and each of which is of the same height. The rack 11 includes bottom side braces 17 and upper side braces 18. One of the bottom side braces 17 extends between and is connected to the lower ends of the posts 13 and 15 and the other bottom side brace is similarly connected to the posts 14 and 16. One

ate nt O of the upper side braces 18 also extends between and connects the posts 13 and 15 and the other upper brace 18 is similarly connected to the posts 14 and 16, as best seen in Figure 2. The braces 18 are disposed beneath and spaced from the upper ends of the corner posts, as seen in Figures 1, 5 and 6.

The posts 13 and 14 are connected to one another by a bottom end brace 19, which extends between the lower ends of said posts. The lower ends of the posts 15 and 16 are connected to one another in the same manner by a second bottom end brace 19. The upper ends of the posts 13 and 14 are connected to one another by an upper end brace 20, and the upper ends of the posts 15 and 16 are similarly connected to one another by a second upper end brace 20, as seen in Figures 1, 2 and 3. The rack parts 1320 provide a rigid rectangular rack frame the upright corner posts of which are rigidly retained in upright positions.

The side flanges 21 of the four corner posts are each provided with a journal opening 22 and an arcuate slot 23 which is located above and inwardly of the journal opening 22 and concentric thereto. The openings 22 and slots 23 are disposed above the level of the upper side braces 18, as seen in Figures 1, 5 and 6. A tray supporting bar 24 extends between the pair of end posts 13 and 14 and a second tray supporting bar 25 extends between the other pair of end posts 15 and 16. The bars 24 and 25 are located within the rack frame and have aligned trunnions 26 projecting from the ends thereof and which extend through and are journaled in the aligned openings 22 of the corner posts between which said supporting bars extend. The trunnions 26 are located adjacent outer longitudinal edges 27 of the support bars 24 and 25, which edges 27 are disposed adjacent the other end flanges 28 of the corner posts. The tray support bars or members 24 and 25 have pins 29 projecting from the ends thereof and which are spaced from the trunnions 26 and slidably engage the arcuate slots 23, each of which slots is of a length to allow the bars 24 and 25 to swing through an arc of approximately between a horizontal and vertical position, as seen in full and dotted lines, respectively, in Figure 5.

As best seen in Figure 4, anchor pins 31 extend outwardly from the upper side braces 13, adjacent the ends thereof, and a contractile coil spring 31 is anchored at one end thereof to each of the pins 34). The other ends of the coil springs 31 are connected to the outer ends of the pins 29, located adjacent said pins 30, so that the springs 31 extend downwardly and inwardly from the pins 29 to urge said pins and the support bars 24 and 25, from which the pins project, to swing downwardly to the horizontal, operative position of said bars. The slots 23 prevent the tray support members 24 and 25 from swinging downwardly past horizontal positions.

One post at each end of the rack 11 contains a pair of vertically spaced bearing elements 32. As illustrated, the bearing elements 32 are shown secured to the end flanges 28 of the corner posts 14 and 16 and said bearings 32 project from the inner edges of said flanges and are disposed in vertical alignment with one another and beneath and spaced from the upper end braces 20 and above the slots 23. Each pair of bearings 32 slidably and turnably support a latch 33, as best seen in Figure 7, having a shaft portion 34 which slidably and rotatably engages the bearings 32. Each latch 33 has a handle 35 extending laterally from the upper end of the shaft portion 34 and a hook 36 which is laterally offset from and disposed below the shaft 34. One of the latches 33 is shown in an inoperative position in Figure 6 and in an operative position, in dotted lines, in Figure 5.

The rack 11 also includes four hold-down members 3 lower ends of the leaf springs 37 are secured in any conventional manner as by fastenings 38 to the upper portions of the end flanges 28 of the four corner posts. The leaf springs 37 extend upwardly from the upper ends of said flanges 28 and are outwardly bowed, asfbest illustrated in Figures 1, 5 and 6, for a purposewhich will hereinafter be described.

Each tray 12 includes a bottom 39 which is preferably fiat and which may be provided with perforations 40, as seen in Figures 2 and 3. Each tray 12 has upstanding side walls 41 and end walls 42, which walls completly surround the bottom 39 and extend to the same height. Each tray 12 is provided with two bail-type handles 43 which extend crosswise thereof and are located adjacent to but spaced from the tray ends. Each handle 43 includes a substantially horizontal top portion 44 and depending end portions 45. The end portions 45 may be secured in any conventional manner to the tray sides 41 and/or the tray bottom 39.

The rack and tray structure is primarily adapted for use in a compartment 46-01" a refrigerator unit 47, as illustrated in Figure 1, of the type conventionally utilized in retail stores and having an access opening 48 in the top wall 49 thereof. The rack 11 is of a size to be inserted into the refrigerator compartment 46 through its access opening 48, and said rack is of a height such that when its bottom or lower end is resting on the bottom 50 of the compartment 46, the upper end of the rack 11 will be slightly beneath the level of the underside of the top wall 49 and so that the upper ends of the four hold-down members 37 will engage under portions of the underside of the top wall 49 located immediately adjacent the access opening 48. It will be understood that the hold-down members 37 will be sprung inwardly as the rack 11 is inserted into the compartment 46 and will spring outwardly back to their normal positions of Figure 1 after clearing the opening 48. Thus, the rack 11 cannot be lifted upwardly from its position within the compartment 46 without first manually dis placing the hold-down members 37 inwardly so that said members can move upwardly through the opening 48. The rack 11 is thus applied to the compartment 46 before the trays 12 are applied thereto.

The trays 12, before being applied to the rack 11, are filled with items to be kept refrigerated. For example, the trays 12 may be filled with dishes of ice cream previously prepared or with any other items to be kept refrigerated and which do not extend to above the upper portions 44 of the handles when disposed to rest on the tray bottom 39. In order to load the rack 11 with the previously filled trays, the tray supports 24 and 25 are swung upwardly to vertical positions against the 'end flanges 28. The latch handles are manually engaged for swinging the latches so that the hooks 36 thereof will swing inwardly from the full line position of the hook 36, as seen in Figure 6, to the full line position of said book as seen in Figure 5, during which movement the hook passes over the upper edge of the support member 24 or 25, with which it is associated. When the latch 33 has thus been turned to its full line position of Figure 5 it is then displaced downwardly to its dotted line position so that the hook will engage the inner side of the upper free edge of the support member 24, as illustrated in Figure 5, to latch said member 24 inits Vertical dotted line and inoperative position. The other support member 25 is latched in the same manner in an inoperative position. The previously filled trays 12 are then inserted into the rack 11 and stack edtherein, after which the latch members 33 are displaced upwardly to release the tray supports 24 and 25 so that'said tray supports will be swung downwardly by the springs 31 to their horizontal, operative positions. The latch members 33, after the hooks 36 thereof disengage the supports 24 and 25, are swung to their fully inoperative positions, as seen in Figure 6. This may be accomplished either before or after the last tray is applied. If the last tr ay is thereafter applied the end portions of the bottom 39 thereof will come to rest upon the two horizontal supports 24 and 25 and if accomplished after the last tray is applied, said topmost tray is lifted upwardly and the end walls thereof will engage the undersides of the supports 24 and 25 to swing said supports upwardly toward vertical inoperative positions. When the tray has passed above the upper edges of the supports, the springs 31 will return the supports to horizontal positions so that the tray can be lowered to rest thereon. After the contents of the uppermost tray has been emptied, the tray is removed from the rack 11 and the tray disposed directly therebeneath is raised past the supports 24 and 25, as just previously described, and thereafter lowered to rest upon said supports in an uppermost position within the rack, as illustrated by the uppermost tray 12 in Figures 1 and 3. The hold-down members 37 prevent the rack 11 from being displaced upwardly as the trays 12 are raised relative to the rack.

The trays 12 are of a length and width to fit loosely within the rack 11 and so that the corners thereof will engage in the angular corner posts of the rack; however, the trays are of a length so that the trays can pass downwardly between the two latch hooks 36 when said latch hooks are disposed to support the bars 24 and 25 in vertical inoperative positions, as illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 5.

The rack and trays may obviously be made in various sizes depending upon the refrigeration compartment in which the rack is to be contained and the size of the access opening thereof. The tray handles 43 are made sufliciently strong to support the weight of all of the trays disposed above the bottommost tray, including the contents of said trays.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may be resorted to, without departing from the function or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A rack and tray structure comprising a rack having an open upper end and including upright corner posts of angular cross section and disposed to open inwardly thereof, a plurality of commodity supporting trays stacked one upon the other within said rack, a pair of tray supporting members, means swingably mounting said tray supporting members within said rack, said means engaging said corner posts for mounting one of the tray supporting members between two of said corner posts and the other tray supporting member between the other two corner posts, means copnecting the tray supporting members to corner posts thereof for preventing swinging movement of said tray supporting members downwardly and inwardly of the rack beyond substantially horizontal positions, said tray supporting members being disposed near the top of the rack and engaging under the uppermost tray for supporting the uppermost tray within the top of the rack when said support members are in horizontal positions, and said support members being swingable upwardly to permit a tray to be drawn upwardly therebetween and being released by movement of the tray thereabove for return to horizontal positions to support the tray thereon.

2. A rack and tray structure as in claim 1, and latch means carried by portions of the rack and engageable with said tray support members for releasably retaining the tray support members in substantially vertical inoperative positions for passage of the trays therebetween during loading of the rack.

3. A rack and tray structure as in claim 1, and spring means anchored to the rack and connected to said tray support members for urging the tray support members to swing downwardly and inwardly toward substantially horizontal coplanar positions.

4. A rack and tray structure as in claim 1, said rack being adapted to be contained in a freezer compartment beneath an access opening thereof, and hold-down members carried by the rack adapted to releasably engage parts of the freezer compartment to releasably retain the rack against upward displacement.

5. A rack and tray structure as in claim 4, each of said trays having a pair of spaced bail-like rigid handles extending upwardly therefrom and forming supports on which superimposed trays are stacked.

6. A rack and tray structure as in claim 1, each of said trays including a bottom, upstanding surrounding walls and two upstanding bail-like handles, said handles providing supports engaging the bottom of a superposed tray of the stack.

7. In combination with a plurality of commodity containing trays each including a tray bottom and two upstanding bail-like handles; an open top rack in which the trays are confined in stacked relation to one another with the tray bottoms resting upon the handles of trays disposed therebeneath, tray supporting members carried by said rack and engaging under the bottom of the uppermost tray for supporting said tray within the upper part of the rack when said tray support members are in substantially coplanar horizontal positions, and means mounting said tray support members for swinging movement upwardly and away from one another to inoperative positions by upward displacement of one tray within the rack from below said tray support members for successively positioning the stacked trays in uppermost positions to be supported by said tray support members.

8. A combination as defined by claim 7, means carried by the rack for latching said tray support members in inoperative positions for stacking the trays within the rack.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,936,077 Carpenter May 10, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 633,323 Great Britain Dec. 12, 1949

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