Patent Application
20080302747
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to shelving assemblies. More particularly, the present invention relates to a lock for a shelving assembly that fastens shelf components to standards or uprights having shelf bracket engagement openings formed therein, usually at spaced intervals, to lock the shelves at adjustable heights.
2. Description of the Related Art
Prefabricated shelving is in common use in many environments, e.g., warehouses and other storage facilities, so-called “big box” stores, etc. Such shelving generally have uprights and horizontal crossmembers, which have connector ends that attach removably to the uprights by pins fitting into cooperating slots in the uprights. The uprights generally include a large number of closely spaced slots, with the slots usually having a “teardrop” or “keyhole” shape, i.e., being wider at the upper portion thereof to allow the passage of the wider head of the attachment pin, and narrower at the lower portion in order for the narrower shank of the pin to rest therein and capture the wider head of the pin behind the upright.
The above-described structure allows the components to be assembled quickly and easily, and provides for considerable adjustment in the height of the crossmembers and corresponding shelves. This configuration is commonly used for large and heavy-duty shelving assemblies in warehouses and the like for the storage of palletized goods, which are placed upon and retrieved from the shelving by fork lift equipment or the like.
One problem that can occur in such an environment is that the tines of the forklift may be placed inadvertently beneath the crossmember of the shelving structure, or perhaps for the pallet or other article to become caught on the shelving crossmember. When this occurs, the crossmember becomes dislodged from its installation to the adjacent upright when the tines of the forklift are raised. The result is the dropping of at least one end of the crossmember and all of the goods resting upon that shelf level, unless the forklift operator recognizes the problem in time and is able to get some assistance in reinstalling the crossmember. Even so, the reinstallation of a shelving crossmember when the shelf is loaded is not a trivial task, and may prove to be impossible under the circumstances.
Accordingly, a large number of fasteners of various types have been developed to lock the shelving crossmembers to their respective uprights in order to prevent such accidents. One exemplary device is described in Swiss Patent No. 602,438, published on Jul. 31, 1978. According to the drawings and English abstract, the device comprises an adjustable height shelving system for pallets, with the uprights having a plurality of keyhole slots therein for receiving pins extending from the connector ends of the horizontal members.
Thus, a lock for a shelving assembly solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
The lock for a shelving assembly provides for the locking together of the crossmembers and uprights of a prefabricated shelf system to prevent their inadvertent disassembly. The lock comprises a rigid, inflexible lock bar stamped or otherwise formed of a single, unitary metal plate. The lock includes a peripheral frame defining a central passage therethrough, with the attachment end of the lock bar frame being hooked upon a lance tab extending outwardly from the connector end of the crossmember. A spring is installed between the attachment end of the lock bar frame and the underlying structure of the connector end component, with the spring urging the attachment end of the lock bar outwardly, i.e., away from the connector end. The opposite distal end of the lock bar is thus urged toward the connector end as the lock bar pivots about the fulcrum defined by the lance tab.
The distal end of the lock bar includes a lock tab extending normal thereto, i.e., toward the connector end component and underlying upright. The lock tab is preferably stamped and formed as an integral unit from the lock bar plate, and engages aligned holes through the connector end component and underlying upright. When the lock bar tab is so engaged, the tab prevents the connector end component from moving parallel to the underlying upright, thereby preventing the attachment pins of the connector end from disengaging from their seats within the upright passages and assuring that the shelving assembly remains assembled.
These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.
The present invention relates to various embodiments of a lock for a shelving assembly, assuring that the horizontal crossmembers or shelf support members cannot be lifted from their attachment to the standards or uprights of the assembly.
Each of the connector pin passages 14 includes a relatively wider upper portion 16 dimensioned to allow the passage therethrough of the relatively wider head of the connector pin, and a relatively narrower lower portion 18 supporting the narrower shank of the pin therein and capturing the wider head of the pin therebehind. Each of the connector pin passages 14 illustrated in the drawings comprises a “teardrop” shape, i.e., having a smoothly tapering side extending between the wider upper portion 16 and narrower lower portion 18 thereof. However, other passage shapes having relatively wider upper portions and narrower lower portions, e.g., “keyhole” configuration, etc., may be used.
Each of the horizontal shelf support crossmembers 20 includes opposite distal ends 22, with each of the ends 22 having a connector 24 extending therefrom. Each of the connectors 24 has an outwardly facing lock bar contact face 26 and an opposite, inwardly facing upright contact face 28, with the upright contact face 28 being shown most clearly in the cross-sectional views of
As shown in
The lock bar 40 comprises a rigid, inflexible bar stamped or otherwise formed of a relatively heavy sheet of durable metal, e.g., steel. The bar 40 is preferably treated after forming to increase its strength and durability further, e.g., case hardening, etc. Each lock bar 40 includes an attachment end 42 and an opposite distal lock tab end 44, mutually opposed first and second lateral edges 46 and 48, a front face 50, and an opposite connector contact face 52. The two ends 42, 44 and edges 46, 48 define a passage 54 formed through the bar, with the passage permitting removable attachment of the bar 40 to the lance tab 34 of the corresponding connector 24. Specifically, the lance tab attachment end 42 of the bar 40 extends across the outwardly extending leg 36 of the lance tab 34, with the leg 36 passing through the lock bar passage 54. The attachment end portion 42 of the bar is captured between the parallel leg 38 of the lance tab 34 and the underlying lock bar contact surface 26 of the connector 24 to pivotally secure the lock bar 40 to the connector 24. The passage 54 through the lock bar 40 may be enlarged to serve as a connector pin clearance opening, allowing the lock bar 40 to seat directly upon the lock bar contact surface 26 of the connector 24 around the protruding attachment end of the adjacent connector pin 30.
A lock tab 56 protrudes from the connector contact face 52 of the lock tab end 44 of the lock bar 40, generally normal to the plane of the bar 40. The lock tab 56 is preferably formed integrally with the remainder of the bar 40 of the same metal as the plate or sheet used to form the bar 40. The flat stock used to form the lock bar 40 before bending includes first and second end distal extensions 58 that are bent to form the protruding portion of the lock tab 56, and laterally opposed first and second intermediate extensions 60 that are mutually folded back against the connector contact face 52 of the bar 40. Alternatively, the tab 56 could be formed as a separate component (bolt, rivet, pin, etc.) mechanically secured through or welded to the lock tab end 44 of the bar 40 to extend from the connector contact face 52 of the bar.
The lock bar 40 has a finger lift tab 62 extending from the lock tab end 44 of the bar. This finger lift tab 62 is preferably formed in the same manner as the lock tab 56 described above, i.e., formed integrally with the remainder of the bar 40 of the same metal as the plate or sheet used to form the bar 40. The finger lift tab 62 is bent to protrude outwardly from the front face 50 of the bar 40 in order to facilitate manipulation of the lift tab 62. It is preferred to incorporate the finger lift tab 62 when forming the lock bar 40, as the protruding finger lift tab 62 extends outwardly, i.e., spaced away from the outer face 26 of the connector 24, at least even with the outwardly protruding lance tab 34. Thus, in the event of contact with the shelving assembly 10 by a massive object, e.g., by a fork lift or the like during maneuvering, the outwardly protruding finger lift tab 62 serves to protect the remaining structure of the lock bar 40 and associated lance tab 34 from damage or deformation.
The lock bar 40 is held in place upon the lance tab 34 of the respective connector 24 by a spring 64. The spring 64 is formed of a relatively thin and resilient metal leaf having a narrow, generally U-shaped cross section, as shown in
The spring 64 exerts a torque that urges the lock bar attachment end 42 of the bar 40 upwardly against the junction of the outward extending leg 36 and parallel leg 38 of the lance tab 34, and further urges the lock bar attachment end 42 outwardly away from the front face 50 of the connector 24. The upper edge of the lock bar attachment end 42, i.e., the edge defining the lower edge of the connector pin clearance opening 54 in the center of the lock bar 40, may have a bevel or chamfer 72 to fit more closely with the inner radius of the bend or junction between the two legs 36 and 38 of the lance tab 34.
As the junction of the outward extending leg 36 and parallel leg 38 of the lance tab 34 acts as a fulcrum or pivot point for the lock bar 40, it will be seen that the distal lock tab end portion 44 of the lock bar 40 is urged toward the front face 50 of the connector 24, thereby also urging the lock tab 56 into the aligned lock tab passage 32 and upper portion 16 of a connector pin passage 14. Thus, once the lock bar 40 is installed with its spring 64, the lock tab 56 automatically engages the connector 24 and underlying upright 12 to prevent the connector 24 from lifting relative to the upright 12, thereby assuring that the shelving assembly 10 cannot be disassembled either intentionally or inadvertently without positively and intentionally pivoting the lock bar 40 outwardly away from the front face 50 of the connector 24 against the pressure of the spring 64. Yet, the lock bar 40 is easily released by intentionally pulling or prying outwardly upon the upwardly disposed finger lift tab 62, thereby pulling the lock tab from the upper portion 16 of the connector pin passage 14 with which it was engaged, thus allowing the connector bracket 24 (and any attached crossmember 22) to be lifted for removal or relocation along the corresponding upright 12.
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/929,013, filed Jun. 8, 2007.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60929013 | Jun 2007 | US |
