US3809234A

US3809234A - Glass shipping rack

Info

Publication number: US3809234A
Application number: US00316781A
Authority: US
Inventors: J Kurick
Original assignee: Libbey Owens Ford Co
Current assignee: Pilkington North America Inc
Priority date: 1971-11-08
Filing date: 1972-12-20
Publication date: 1974-05-07
Anticipated expiration: 1991-05-07

Abstract

A rack for shipping and storing a plurality of individual sheets of glass or the like, and particularly curved automotive glass units. The rack includes resilient brace members which can be adjusted both vertically and horizontally so as to accommodate units of various sizes supported upon edge. The resilient braces and support members have multiplanar surfaces for engaging the units whereby the rack will accommodate a variety of units with different curvatures, dimensions and outlines. Adjustable straps secured to the rack frame at their opposite ends support the top edges of the individual units.

Description

United States Patent [19 1 Kurick May 7, 1974 GLASS SHIPPING RACK 3,147,860 9/1964 Kean, Sr. et a1. 206/62 R 3,375,793 4/1968 Wagner i 206/46 M [75] Invent James Kunck, perrysburgi Ohm 3,519,244 7/1970 Lidgard.... 206/62 R 73 Assignee; Libby 0we nS Fm-d Company, 3,715,993 2/1973 Orlik 105/367 Toledo, Ohio Primary Examiner-William T. Dixson, Jr. [22] led: 1972 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Collins, Oberlin & Darr [21] Appl. No.: 316,781

Related us. Application Data [57] [63] Continuation ofsen No- 196,361Nov 8 1971, A rack for shipping and storing a plurality of individabandoned ual sheets of glass or the like, and particularly curved v automotive glass units. The rack includes resilient 52 us. Cl ..206/448,206/45l,214/10.5, brace members which can be adjusted both vertically y l H /g 292L521 and horizontally so as to accommodate units of vari- 51 m C 365 8'1/02 5 g5/43 5 5/54 ous sizes supported upon edge. The resilient braces 5 Field f Search; 20 2 R, 5 R, 5 B, 4 FR, and support members have multiplanar surfaces for 20 4 2 4 0 05 engaging the units whereby the rack will accommodate a variety of units with different curvatures, di- 5 References Cited mensions and outlines. Adjustable straps secured to UNITED STATES PATENTS the rack frame at their opposite ends support the top edges of the individual units. 4 888,855 5/1908 Sisco 206/65 R 2,9l9,022 12/1959 Lidgard .1, 206/62 R 18 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures EATENTEDMAY 7 e97:-

SHEET 1 BF 4 IN VEN TOR. JAMES F. KURIC minnow 11974 3809234 sum 2 (1F 4 INVENTOR. JAM ES F. KURICK 604% f @MQP PATENTEDM 7 i974 SHEET 3 [IF 4 INVENTOR. JAMES F. KURICK 4 4% faatu AT'I URN 1: YA

GLASS SHIPPING RACK. This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 126,424, filed Mar. 22, 1971 now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention I The present invention relates broadly to the transporting of sheet materials, and more particularly to an improved rack for shipping and storing a plurality of individual automobile Windshields or other curved glass units.

It was formerly common practice to pack such windshield units in disposable wooden boxes or cardboard cartons for shipment to automobile assembly plants. However, with increasing labor and material costs such disposable packaging is not always economically justified. Disposal of the waste material from such packaging is also becoming increasingly difficult. Moreover, wooden or heavy paperboard cartons offer limited protection from breakage for heavy fragile items such as Windshields. Each windshield unit is completely fabricated when shipped, most including a radio antenna and connecting device, and damage to any portion of the unit results in loss of the entire unit and hence involves a substantial economic loss. It has been found that the novel reusable shipping rack of the present invention, with resilient braces and adjustable hold-down straps, provides increased protection during handling and shipping of the glass units and is less expensive in the long run than disposable packaging units.

part. Thus, if the racks will not interchangeably accom- SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore an object of this invention to provide a reusable shipping rack which is adapted to safely contain a relatively large number of curved glass units during the transportation and storage thereof.

Another object is to provide such a rack which will resiliently, yet firmly, support the units by means of a number of adjustable braces so as to prevent movement, and resulting breakage.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rack which is adjustable so as to accommodate units of different sizes.

Still another object is to provide a rack with bottom supports and adjustable braces having glass unit contacting surfaces lying in more than one plane so as to accommodate a variety of units with different curvatures and peripheral configurations.

Yet another object is to provide a rack which includes means for stacking another similar rack upon the first.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will I become more apparent during the course of the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view from the front of a shipping rack constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view from the rear of a loaded shipping rack with the removable front section of the frame shown separated from the rack;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of a shipping rack, showing in broken lines two windshield units and illustrating the manner in which the rack will accommodate units of different designs;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIGS is an elevational sectional view taken substantially along line 55 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along line 6-6 of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along line .7-7 of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Although not restricted thereto, the shipping apparatus of thisinvention is particularly adapted to the transportation of curved glass sheets, such as the windshields or rear windows of automobiles and trucks. Automobile Windshields are generally curved throughout their length while truck Windshields are more flat in the central region, with sharper curves at the ends. To accommodate these various windshield configurations, the supporting and bracing members on the shipping rack are provided with multiplanar surfaces, that is,

surfaces having flat portions angularly disposed to one 7 another. The rack itself comprises a rigid metal frame, and by the use of a resilient covering on all supporting members, a high level of protection is provided for glass units therewithin. In addition to having multiplanar surfaces, the braces supporting the Windshields are adjustable to vertically andhorizontally in order that the rack can accommodate units of various sizes. Thus, only one basic type of rack is required, thereby providing a savings in construction costs as well as in storage space for spare racks.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a shipping rack constructed in accordance with the invention and designated in its entirety by the numeral 10. As disclosed, the rack 10 comprises an open frame in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped structure and includes tubular vertical

front corner posts

11 and 12, and

rear corner posts

13 and 14, horizontal end angle shaped

members

15 and 16, a lower pair of horizontal front and rear

longitudinal rails

17 and 18, respectively, an upper pair of horizontal front and rear

longitudinal rails

19 and 20, respectively, a pair of upper

horizontal end rails

21 and 22, and two intermediate rear

vertical posts

23 and 24 extending between the lower and upper

longitudinal rails

18 and 20.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the

vertical corner posts

11 and 12 at the front of the frame may be formed of two separable interfitting sections so that a portion of the frame can be readily removed and replaced on the rack so as to permit ready access for loading and unloading while allowing the racks to be stacked one upon another. Thus, each

front corner post

11 and 12 is comprised of a bottom section 25 forming an integral part of the rack, and a removable upper section 26. At the lower ends of the removable upper sections 26 are tapered pegs 27 which are adapted to be received in open upper ends 28 of the respective bottom sections 25.

Within the above structure a plurality of bent glass sheets 30, such as automotive Windshields, are suitably contained for shipment or storage. As viewed in FIG. 2, the glass sheets 30 are supported at their lower edges by a pair of spaced horizontal tubular members 31 extending between the lower

longitudinal rails

17 and 18. As best shown in FIG. 6, to accommodate windshield units of different outlines the top wall of the members 31 comprises flat portions 32a and 32b angularly disposed one to the other. A protective cushion 33 of the resilient nonabrasive material, such as rubber, is provided over the intersecting flat portions 32a and 32b for contacting the edge of different units as will be hereinafter described. The" protective cushion 33 adhered to the portions 32a and 32b preferably has a tough flexible skin with a somewhat more resilient backing lever so as to withstand the wear imposed by the sharp glass edges.

An inclined brace member'or saddle 34 having flat portions 34a and 34b angularly disposed relative to one another and covered with cushion 35 is mounted at each end of the rack for supporting the end edges of the glass sheets and holding the sheets against endwise movement. Each brace member 34 is provided with a pair of brackets 36 having recesses 36a which slide over and along flanges 36b of a pair of inclined angle members or mounting fixtures 37. A bar 38 extends between the spaced brackets 36 to reinforce the complete structure of the brace member 34. Each flange 36b has a number of adjustment holes 39 spaced therealong, and the brace member is fixed in the desired position by a pin 40 received in the appropriate hole 39 and held in place by a retaining spring 41.

To maintain the stacked sheets in an upright position, atthe rear of the shipping rack an upper pair of vertically adjustable back braces 42 and a lower pair of back braces 43 are mounted on the intermediate

vertical posts

23 and 24. So that they may accommodate sheets of different curvature, the upper and lower back braces have angularly disposed

flat portions

42a and 42b and 43a and 43b, respectively, covered with cushions 44 which engage the surface of the rear sheet. The

intermediate posts

23 and 24 have a number of spaced holes 45 which receive retaining pins 46 extending through the braces 42 so as to provide vertical adjustment therefor. Angle shaped brackets 42c (FIG. 1) affixed to the arms of the braces 42 bear against the

posts

23 and 24 to hold the braces in an outwardly extended position. A bar 47 extends between the upper back braces to join them as a unit and carry the hold-down straps as will be hereinafter explained.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 and more particularly in FIGS. 5 and 7, difierent sizes of glass sheets 30 can be accommodated by adjusting the positions of the inclined brace member or saddle 34 at each end of the rack and the upper pair of back braces 42. Also, since the bottom tubular members 31, the inclined. brace members 34, and the back braces 42 and 43 have surfaces disposed at. a plurality of angles, portions thereof will fully engage sheets having different curvatures. Thus, it will be apparent the novel shipping rack can be used for shipping curved glass sheets of various sizes, peripheral configurations, and shapes.

Generally stated, the glass sheets are supported on their lower edges by the tubular members 31 and at their end edges by the brace members 34, and they are stacked in face-to-face relation with the rear unit against the upper and lower back braces 42 and 43. To secure the units against relative movement within all of the supporting members, adjustable hold-down straps 50 are employed. Each hold-down strap 50 has a hook 51 at one end and a buckle assembly 52 with an attached hook 53 at the opposite end to provide ,an adjuatment for holding glass sheets of various sizes. The

hold-down strap is secured to the rack frame at one end by engaging the hook 51 to a link 54-mounted on the frame as shown in FIG. 5. At the other end of the strap, the hook 53 is attached to an anchor ring 55 and held in the desired location by a positioning rod 56 extending through a forked opening in the buckle assembly between the hook and the strap. As shown in FIG. 6, the anchor ring 55 and positioning rod 56 are affixed at one end to the longitudinal rail 18 and at the other end to the horizontal tubular members 31. The buckle assembly 52 provides the adjustment to tighten or loosen the strap. To protect the straps while applying a downward force against the top edges of the glass sheets and urging the stacked units against the back braces, the straps extend through runners or protective strips 57 .of, for example, wood, plastic or fiber, across the top of the stack and around the bar 47. In order to remove the glass sheets from the rack, the buckles 52 are released, the straps are loosened, the hooks 51 are disengaged from the links 54, and the straps are cleared from the front of the rack.

Paperboard strips may be used at several points for added protection of the glass sheets. A number of spacers 60 may, if desired, be folded around the end edges of every other one of the glass sheets to prevent each sheet from being in contact with, and marring the surfaces of, the adjacent glass sheets. To provide a flexible and cushioned surface between the wooden runners 57.

and the top edges of the glass sheets, a corrugated paperboard strip 61 may be used. As shown in FIG. 2, two

separate corrugated paperboard strips 61 are prefera-' bly used when shipping antenna Windshields on the rack. The antenna wire connections 62 can be pulled up from the sheet edges and into the open space provided between the two strips, thus preventing the wire connections from being wedged between the glass sheets. Additional paperboard strips 63 may be used between the first glass sheet of the stack at the rear of the shipping rack and the upper and lower back braces 42 and 43. These strips 63 offer a more cushioned support from the back braces for the stacked glass sheets and further reduce the possibility of damage to the shipment.

Most present day Windshields have a greater length at their base than at the top due to the current trend of automotive designs favoring inwardly inclined corner posts. Since these windshield units are larger at their base, they are more easily supported in an inverted position on the shipping rack. Thus, in the present invention the tops of the units are supported upon the horizontal tubular member 31, the bases of the windsields are held by the adjustable hold-down straps 50, and the inclined brace members 34 engage the ends or sides of the units.

It is known that automobile Windshields generally are more tapered at their end edges and curved throughout their length, while truck Windshields are almost flat in the central region and have less taper at the end edges. To accommodate both the automobile windshield configuration shown in broken lines at a (FIG. 3) and the truck windshield configuration shown at b, all of the supporting members of the rack are provided with multiplanar surfaces, that is, surface portions inclined at different angles as shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 6. One portion of the supporting surfaces is adapted to engage the automobile windshield configuration a, and another portion is adapted to engage the truck windshield configuration b. Since the upper back braces 42, the holddown straps 50, and the inclined brace members 34 are adjustable, different sizes and shapes of windshield units other than the configurations shown in FIG. 3 can also be accommodated. In this regard, the rack may also be adapted to accommodate two stacks of smaller units such as automobile side lites side-by-side. To this end, a removable divider-wall (not shown) is provided in the central region and extending transversely of the rack. Stake pockets may be affixed to the

lower rails

17 and 18, with projections at the bottom of the wall fitting into the pockets so that the wall will remain erect but can be easily removed to again convert the rack to shipment of larger units. A second horizontal member 31 may be provided on either side of the wall for supporting the smaller lites. Thus, with the divider wall in place, separate stacks of smaller lites may be placed on both sides thereof with the saddles or brace members 34 holding them against the divider wall.

For added protection to the corners of the glass as well as to provide an area for attaching identifying cards and labels, a cross member 70 may be mounted to the corner posts at each end as, for example, by bolts 71 and angle brackets 72. The end cross members 70 may be of metal covered with a resilient material or they may be wide strips of wood, so that cards and labels may be stapled or tacked thereto. Since they are attached to the corner posts below the upper horizontal end rails 21 and 22, the end cross members provide protection for the shipment from objects outside the shipping rack. As shown in FIG. 3, the top corners of some glass sheets may be vulnerable to damage without the end cross members.

To adapt the shipping rack for stacking and handling, runners 75 extending between the corner posts 1l14 and 12-13 are provided for supporting the rack upon the floor, with the lower ends of the corner posts spaced slightly above the support surface. Each runner 75 is formed with a substantially flat center portion 76 and upwardly directed end portions 77 secured to the respective horizontal

end angle members

15 or 16 as well as to the corner posts. Vertically disposed reinforcing plates 78 are secured between the runners 75 and the horizontal end angle members, with openings on either side of the reinforcing plates between the runner and end angle member for receiving the forks of a conventional lift truck.

After the shipping rack is loaded with glass sheets and the sheets are secured in the manner outlined above, it is finally prepared for transporting by assembling the front removable upper section 26 with the tapered pegs 27 thereof inserted in the open upper ends '28 of the front bottom sections 25. The loaded shipping apparatus can then be moved by fork lift into a truck or railroad car for transportation or, to an area of temporary storage. In any event, several racks can be stacked one above the other with the tapered feet of an upper shipping rack being received in the open upper ends 81 of the corner posts of a lower shipping rack.

It is to be understood that the forms of the invention herewith shown and described are to be taken as preferred embodiments only of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

1 claim:

1. In a shipping rack adapted to accommodate a plurality of sheets of glass of different curvatures and configurations, comprising an open frame generally in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped, including pairs of front and rear upstanding corner posts, upper and lower longitudinal rails extending between said pair of front corner posts and between said pair of rear corner posts, upper and lower end rails extending between each of the corresponding front and rear corner posts, a pair of spaced elongated support members extending between and carried'by saidfront and rear lower'longitudinal rails and upon which the lower edges of said sheets are supported, brace means carried by the rear upper and lower longitudinal rails for engaging the rearmost one of the sheets, and means adapted to ex tend over the top edges of said sheets and urge said sheets downwardly against said support members and rearwardly towards said brace means, the improvement comprising a saddle affixed to each said lower end rail and having a portion for engaging the ends of said sheets, each said saddle being movable longitudinally of said rack to selected positions along an inclined path whereby said saddle can be adjusted to engage the ends of said sheets of said different curvatures and configurations.

2. A shipping rack as claimed in claim 1, wherein each said portion for engaging the ends of said sheets comprises an elongated plate member having a resilient covering facing said sheets.

3. A shipping rack as claimed in claim 2, including a pair of spaced angle shaped mounting fixtures carried by each said lower end rail, each said mounting fixture having one of its flanges lying in a substantially vertical plane and its other flange in a plane inclined upwardly and outwardly relative to said rack to define said inclined path, a matching pair of brackets affixed to said elongated plate member, each said bracket having a portion slidingly engaging one of said other flanges, and means releasably locking said portions of said other flanges at selected locations therealong.

4. A shipping rack as claimed in claim 3, wherein said elongated plate member includes longitudinally extending adjacent segments disposed at an angle to one another whereby different ones of said segments are adapted to engage the edges of said sheets having said different configurations.

5. A shipping rack as claimed in claim 4, including a layer of cushioning material extending over the surface of said adjacent segments of said plate member facing said edges of said sheets.

6. A shipping rack as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means adapted to extend over the top of said plurality of sheets includes a protective strip running transversely of and in contact with the edges of said sheets and a strap assembly over said protective strip, said strap assembly being secured at its ends to the base framework of said rack whereby upon tightening of said straps said sheets are urged against said support members and brace means.

7. A shipping rack as claimed in claim 1, wherein said brace means for engaging the rearmost one of said sheets comprises a pair of spaced intermediate vertical posts extending between said rear upper, and lower longitudinal rails,'a lower brace secured to each said intermediate vertical post for engaging the lower portion of said rearmost sheet, and a pair of spaced upper braces secured to said intermediate vertical posts above said lower braces for engaging said rearmost sheet in the upper region thereof,.said upper braces being vertically adjustable along said intermediate posts to accommodate sheets of different heights.

8. A shipping rack as claimed in claim 7, in which each of said upper and lower braces comprises a strut extending outwardly from one of said intermediate ver tical posts-and a brace plate secured to said strut, said brace plate having flat portions angularly disposed to one another whereby sheets of different curvatures engage different portions of said brace plate.

-9. A shipping rackas claimed in claim 8, including a layer of resilient material covering the surfaces of said brace plates facing said glass sheet.

10. A shipping rack as claimed in claim 1, wherein each said front corner post is comprised of upper and lower interfitting sections, and said upper longitudinal rail extending between said pair of front corner posts is secured to said upper sections whereby said upperv 12. A shipping rack as claimed in claim 11, including a layer of resilient material over said flat portions.

13. A shipping rack as claimed in claim 1, including a removable divider wall carried by and extending transversely of said shipping rack intermediate the ends thereof, whereby said rack accommodates a stack of sheets on either side of said divider wall between said divider wall and said saddles at the ends of said rack.

14. A shipping rack as claimed in claim 13, including pocket means on each of said front and rear lower longitudinal rails, means at the bottom of said divider wall extending into said pockets for securing said divider wall in upstanding position, and a spaced pair of said support members between said divider wall and each of said saddles at the ends of said rack.

15. In a shipping rack adapted to accommodate a plurality of upstanding sheets of glass of different curvatures and configurations including a generally rectangular base upon which said sheets are supported upon edge, the improvement comprising a saddle at the end of said base engaging the end edges of said sheets, said saddle being movable longitudinally of said rack to selected positions along a path inclined relative to said base whereby said saddle can be adjusted to engage said end edges of said sheets of said different curvatures and configurations.

16. In a shipping rack adapted to accommodate a plurality of upstanding sheets of glass of different curvatures and configurations including an open frame generally in the form of a rectangular parallelapiped, the improvement comprising a saddle at the lower end of said rack having a portion for engaging the end edges of said sheets, said saddle being movable longitudinally of said rack to selected positions along an inclined path whereby said saddle can be adjusted to engage the ends of said sheets of said different curvatures and configua rations.

17. A shipping rack as claimed in claim 16, including a second one of said saddles at the opposite lower end of said rack.

18. A shipping rack as claimed in claim 16, in which said portion for engaging the end edges of saidsheets comprises an elongated plate member having a resilient covering facing said sheets.

522 3 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION 3,809,234 Dated May 7, 1974 Patent No.

Inventor(s) James K rick It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

F C01. 1

lines

2 and 3 should read --This is a continuation of application Ser. N0. 196,361, filed Nov. 8, 1971 now abandoned--.

Signed and sealed this 17th day of September 1974.

(SEAL) Attest:

McCOY M. GIBSON JR. C. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents

Claims

1. In a shipping rack adapted to accommodate a plurality of sheets of glass of different curvatures and configurations, comprising an open frame generally in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped, including pairs of front and rear upstanding corner posts, upper and lower longitudinal rails extending between said pair of front corner posts and between said pair of rear corner posts, upper and lower end rails extending between each of the corresponding front and rear corner posts, a pair of spaced elongated support members extending between and carried by said front and rear lower longitudinal rails and upon which the lower edges of said sheets are supported, brace means carried by the rear upper and lower longitudinal rails for engaging the rearmost one of the sheets, and means adapted to extend over the top edges of said sheets and urge said sheets downwardly against said support members and rearwardly towards said brace means, the improvement comprising a saddle affixed to each said lower end rail and having a portion for engaging the ends of said sheets, each said saddle being movable longitudinally of said rack to selected positions along an inclined path whereby said saddle can be adjusted to engage the ends of said sheets of said different curvatures and configurations.

7. A shipping rack as claimed in claim 1, wherein said brace means for engaging the rearmost one of said sheets comprises a pair of spaced intermediate vertical posts extending between said rear upper and lower longitudinal rails, a lower brace secured to each said intermediate vertical post for engaging the lower portion of said rearmost sheet, and a pair of spaced upper braces secured to said intermediate vertical posts above said lower braces for engaging said rearmost sheet in the upper region thereof, said upper braces being vertically adjustable along said intermediate posts to accommodate sheets of different heights.

8. A shipping rack as claimed in claim 7, in which each of said upper and lower braces comprises a strut extending outwardly from one of said intermediate vertical posts and a brace plate secured to said strut, said brace plate having flat portions angularly disposed to one another whereby sheets of different curvatures engage different portions of said brace plate.

9. A shipping rack as claimed in claim 8, including a layer of resilient material covering the surfaces of said brace plates facing said glass sheet.

10. A shipping rack as claimed in claim 1, wherein each said front corner post is comprised of upper and lower interfitting sections, and said upper longitudinal rail extending between said pair of front corner posts is secured to said upper sections whereby said upper sections and upper longitudinal rail form a removable front section.

11. A shipping rack as claimed in claim 1, in which the upper surface of each said elongated support member facing the bottom edges of said sheets is comprised of a plurality of angularly disposed adjacent flat portions for supporting sheets of different configurations.

12. A shipping rack as claimed in claim 11, including a layer of resilient material over said flat portions.

16. In a shipping rack adapted to accommodate a plurality of upstanding sheets of glass of different curvatures and configurations including an open frame generally in the form of a rectangular parallelapiped, the improvement comprising a saddle at the lower end of said rack having a portion for engaging the end edges of said sheets, said saddle being movable longitudinally of said rack to selected positions along an inclined path whereby said saddle can be adjusted to engage the ends of said sheets of said different curvatures and configurations.

18. A shipping rack as claimed in claim 16, in which said portion for engaging the end edges of said sheets comprises an elongated plate member having a resilient covering facing said sheets.