Patent Application
20090056070
1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to large, heavy display cases having height-adjustable legs and, more particularly, to an adapter for removable mounting a caster on such a leg.
2. Background Art
Manufacturers of heavy refrigerated and other types of display cases often must move the cases from location to location during the manufacturing process, and must move them onto trucks for delivery after the manufacturing process is completed. These cases are of the type shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,560,842 and 6,111,224. These cases usually weigh in excess of 100 pounds when completed and are not readily movable manually. After delivery it is necessary to move these cases to an operational location of a store. Thereafter, it is often necessary to move these cases later because of a reconfiguration of the equipment used in the store layout.
Such cases cannot be merely picked up and moved by human power. Conventionally, during manufacture, such a case is lifted by fork lift and placed on a pallet that has casters. Then the case and pallet may be manually rolled to a new location, where it is usually off-loaded by fork lift. The case may be left on the pallet, which ties up a pallet and requires that the casters be chocked to maintain the case in position for subsequent assembly.
One solution to the problem of moving these heavy cases is to mount casters on the pallets, and then lift the case onto the pallet, which is then moved to the desired location. Such arrangements are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,450,515 and 4,576,391. However, when the desired location is reached, the case must be lifted off the pallet; subsequent movement requires re-palletizing and de-palletizing the case.
There is a need for a means and method of moving heavy cases during construction, and thereafter, that does not require palletizing and de-palletizing the case repeatedly.
It is usual to provide these heavy cases with four height-adjustable legs to enable leveling on non-level support surfaces, such as a floor of a store. These legs usually have a screw mechanism to enable selected legs to be manually extended for leveling. It has been proposed to provide such a screw mechanism with a cap or with an integral caster to enable movement of the case. However, this caster is an integral part of the extension mechanism, which prevents removal when an operational location for the case has been reached, requiring that the casters be chocked to prevent movement.
It would be desirable to provide a case with extensible legs that can be selectively move without palletizing, yet does not require chocking of the casters to immobilize the case.
It is an object of this invention to provide a means and method of moving heavy cases during construction, and thereafter, that does not require palletizing and de-palletizing the case repeatedly.
It is another object of this invention to provide a case with extensible legs that can be selectively move without palletizing, yet does not require chocking of the casters to immobilize the case.
In one aspect, this invention comprises an adapter for mounting a caster on an extensible leg of a heavy case. The extensible leg includes a cylindrical base mounted on the case, an inner cylindrical member carried within the base for engaging a support surface, and threaded means interconnecting the base and inner member for enabling extension and retraction of the inner member relative to the base. The adapter has a body with a cavity that is closed at its distal end by a first flange, which is fastened to the first flange to a second flange mounted on a caster. The cavity is open at its proximal end to receive the inner member. Second connecting means releasably secure the adapter body to the leg inner member.
In another aspect, this invention comprises a method of moving a heavy display case during construction that comprises the steps of
providing the case with extensible legs, removably mounting a flanged adapter on each leg for movement therewith,
removably mounting a flanged caster on each adapter by connecting the flanges, moving the case on the rollers as needed during construction of the case,
lifting the case and removing the casters, and
lowering the case on a pallet by securing the adapter flange to the pallet.
These and other objects and features of this invention will become more readily apparent upon reference to the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:
Referring now to
As shown in
As shown in
Thus, it is readily apparent that adapter 28 and caster 42 may be easily attached to leg 12 to enable movement of display case 10 during construction and, when completed and delivered, around the store to a desired location. When lifted slightly, adapter 28 is easily removed for display case final installation. If it is ever desired to move display case 10 to a different location, the case is lifted, one leg at a time, and adapter 28 and caster 42 easily installed.
It is common to palletize these display cases for shipment. Once the adapter is mounted on the leg, the caster can be readily removed for palletizing (for delivery to a location), by removing the bolts to remove the caster and bolting or nailing the adapter flanges to the pallet. When the delivery is made, the bolts or nails are removed, case is lifted slightly by a fork lift, and the casters are bolted again to the adapter flanges. The case can then be readily rolled to the desired operational location.
While only a preferred embodiment has been described and shown, obvious modifications are contemplated within the scope of this invention as defined by the following claims.
