US3244290A

US3244290A - Rack unit

Info

Publication number: US3244290A
Application number: US361973A
Authority: US
Inventors: Kaufman Morris; James R Astorino
Original assignee: Ekco Products Co
Current assignee: Ekco Products Co
Priority date: 1964-04-23
Filing date: 1964-04-23
Publication date: 1966-04-05
Anticipated expiration: 1983-04-05

Description

April 1966 M. KAUFYMAN ETAL I 3,244,290

RACK uNrT Filed April 23, 1964 2 Sheets-Shaet l I N VEN TORS NORk/S K4 F 14 April 5, 1966' M. KAUFMAN ETAL RACK UNIT Filed April 23, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS.

United States I Patent RACK UNIT Morris Kaufman, Morton Grove, and James R. Astorino,

Chicago, Ill., assignors to Ekco Products Company,

Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 23, 1964, Ser. No. 361,973 1 Claim. (Cl. 211-148) The present invention relates to a rack unit which incorporates a structural assembly featuring novel connecting means.

A rack unit embodying this invention provides for as sembly and installation at the point of use without requiring special tools or equipment and thus enabling the unit to be stored and shipped in dismantled condition to said point of use prior to assembly. l

Another object of this invention is to provide a joint or connection between members of the assembly inwhich a web on one of said members has engagement with a pair of ears formed integrally with a second member;

A further object of this invention resides in the provision of a strong and rigid connection between structural members of a rack unit. A

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rack unit incorporating a structural assembly in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary top perspective view of rack unit structural members as the same appear when in operatively connected relation.

FIG. 3 is a similar view showing the rack unit members preparatory to assembly in operatively connected relation.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged front elevation of the members of the rack unit as shown in FIG. 2.

A rack unit embodying a structural assembly exemplifying the features of this invention, as shown in FIG. 1, includes oppositely arranged frames defined by upright members interconnected in spaced apart parallel relation by horizontally extending rail members 12. Each rail member includes an upright wing 13 and a horizontal wing 14 extending from the lower edge of wing 13 in a direction away from the upright member 10 to which the rail member is operatively joined.

A fixed connection between each member 10 and the rail member associated therewith is established by means of complementary holding sections provided integrally with each of said members. As best shown in FIG. 3, the holding section of member 12 is defined by a pair of equally dimensioned ears 15 and 16 which. are severed from the member 12 along a line 17 which extends parallel to the longitudinal axis of the member 12. The ears 15 and 16 are spaced apart lengthwise of said shear line 17 via a shear line intersecting the upper edges of wing 13 and shear line 17 to form a gap 18 therebetween and said ears are bent to occupy aligned positions in a plane offset from the surface of the wing 13 bordering the area containing the ears 15 and 16 in the direction of the upright member 10 to which the rail members containing said ears are ultimately connected. The holding section of the upright member 10 includes a web 19 which is formed by an area bridging the distance separating a pair of equally dimensioned slots 20 formed in the member 10 in spaced apart relation extending lengthwise to the rail member 12 associated therewith. The slots 20 can be described as having an upper portion 21 and a lower portion 22. The upper portion of each slot is enlarged in the direction of its companion slot to provide an entrance area having mating relation with the ears 15 and 16 of the member 12 when said ears are presented horizontally toward said entrance area so as to accept said ears within the confines of said entrance area. It will be noted that the offset condition of the cars 15 and 16 relative to the surface of 3,244,290 Patented Apr. 5, 1966 the wing 13 bordering said ears as to permit the surface of the ears 15 and 16 facing in the direction from which the ears are admitted to said entrance area of the slots 20 as to be vertically aligned with the area opposite the surface of the web 19 which faces away from the position occupied by the rail member 12. The ears 15 and 16 are therefore free to drop into a seating area of the slots 20 defined by the lower portion 22 of said slots so as to become interlocked with the surface of the web 19 opposite thereto. The ears 15 and 16 are accordingly retained against horizontal withdrawal. from the slots 20 when occupying said seating area of the slots 20. The contour of the seating portion of the slots 20 and the portion of thewears contained therein is in such conformity as to thereby establish a tightly locked connection between the rail member 12 and the upright 10.

While such locked connection is provided between the .web 19 and the ears 15 and 16 via the slots 20, an indentation 23 formed on the wing 13 along the shear line 17 has upward engagement with a downwardlyfacing shoulder 24 provided by an indentation in the surface of the upright member 10 opposite thereto to prevent upward movement of the cats 15 and 16 from a position in the seating area of the slots 20 to the entrance area of the said slots.

The web 19 is also provided with an integral central rib 25 along a line extending above and below the portion of the web which separates the enlarged upper portions of the slots 20 so as to furnish added resistance to any strains applied to said web 19 under force of a load carried by the horizontal wing 14 of the member 12. It will be noted that the rib defines an elongated indentation to form a depression facing the area occupied by the wing 13 of the rail member and is positioned in vertical alignment with the locking indentation 23 on the wing 13.

Reference numeral 26 designates a bar having opposite ends thereof acceptable in openings 27 formed in the upright members 10 so as to establish a rigid link between opposite frames of the rack unit as shown in FIG, 1. A notch 28 formed in each of the ends of the bar 26 has downward locked engagement with the lower edge of the opening 27 opposite thereto to maintain the bar 26 against relative horizontal movement while the underside of the horizontal wing 14 directly upward of said bar 26 presents a surface with which the bar 26 has engagement to retain the bar against upward withdrawal from an engaged position with the lower edge of the opening 27 containing said bar.

While there has been illustrated and described a particular form of construction embodying the invention, it is to be understood that it is not intended to thereby limit the invention. Various other modifications of the invention, Without departing from the spirit thereof, will become apparent to those familiar with the art involved.

What is claimed is:

A structural assembly including a pair of upright members, a rail member having a first wing and a second wing and means including holding sections on said members operatively connecting said rail member in fixed bridging relation to said upright members with the first wing of said rail member in face to face contact with said upright members and said second wing extending from the lower edge of said first wing, said holding section of the upright member being defined by a web bridging the distance between a pair of slots formed in each upright member, each of said slots having an entrance area and a seating area forming a downward extension of said entrance area, said holding section of said rail member being defined by a pair of ears lanced only from an area of the rail member bordering the upper edge of the first wing of said rail member via a first shear line extending lengthwise of said rail, and a second shear line intersecting said upper edge and which ears are spaced apart lengthwise of said first shear line and'occupying aligned positions in a plane ofiset from the surface of the wing bordering the area containing said ears, in the direction of the uprightmem- =ber with which said wing has contact, said ears and said entrance area having such mating relation as to freely admit said ears to said slots via said entrance area without interference With said Web and said ears :and said seating area and the portion of the web bordering said seating area having such mating relation as to permit said ears to move from said entrance area to said seating area but said latter portion of the web being dimensioned at such variance to said ears measured lengthwise of the distance between said ears as to establish engagement between said latter portion ofthe web and said ears along surfaces of the ears which face in the direction from which said ears have admission to said entrance area of the slots whereby said ears are retained against withdrawal from said slots when said ears are in said seating area of said slots except by movement of said ears from said seating area to said entrance area, a locking indentation formed in an area of said first wing of said rail member bordering said first shear line, an indentation in the surface of the upright member defining a downwardly'facing shoulder with which said locking indentation on the rail member opposite thereto has engagement to prevent movement of said ears to said entrance area from a position in said seating area, an elongated indentation provided in said web, said elongated indentation extending above and below that .part of the web which separates the entrance areas of said slots and defining a depression facing toward the area occupied by the wing of the rail member with which said web is operatively associated and in vertically aligned relation with the locking indentation in said latter wing of the rail member.

v References Cited by the Examiner V UNITED STATES PATENTS CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

25 W. D, LOULAN, Assistant Examiner.