Patent Application
20230143156
The present disclosure relates to a rack, and more particularly, a stackable rack and method of using the same. Particularly, the stackable rack comprises a top rack frame which enables it to be secured on a bottom rack frame.
Generally, many forms of racks, stands, shelves, and other such support structures, hereinafter referred to simply as “racks,” have been used for holding articles. The conventional portable racks which are foldable have been widely provided in the current market. For example, the conventional portable racks may be collapsed, folded, or dismantled when not in use, primarily to reduce the space needed to transport empty racks back to their point of origin.
Another general improvement has been provided for the conventional portable racks that are configured to be able to stack vertically on top of other similar racks to utilize space in storage and transportation circumstances. However, the current stackable table may provide designs to secure the two similar racks with one another, but current designs may not be desirable for situations in which quick and safe removal of the rack. In addition, disaggregating rack components may cause a safety hazard if not secured properly in and around assembly line areas. Furthermore, separable components generally result in much longer breakdown times for racks.
To overcome this known problem, past solutions have involved various hinge or bearing mechanisms that have been used to enable the folding of leg or frame structures relative to the rack surface or base. It has also been recognized that it is desirous for safety and convenience reasons to avoid bearing designs in which components protrude from the jointed areas which may, in turn, catch on clothing, machinery, or the articles or parts themselves. To avoid such issues, some designs have utilized a leg or post configuration wherein the leg or support posts slide into or around another structural component of the rack. These designs have often suffered from shaky stability due to loose-fitting parts. Various elaborate mating cuts and welded components have been introduced to increase the strength and stability of such configurations, but at the cost of increased production difficulty, expense, and complication, and often introduce disadvantages such as protruding components that are undesirable for the reasons mentioned above.
All referenced patents, applications, and literature are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Furthermore, where a definition or use of a term in a reference, which is incorporated by reference herein, is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply. The disclosed embodiments may seek to satisfy one or more of the above-mentioned desires. Although the present embodiments may obviate one or more of the above-mentioned desires, it should be understood that some aspects of the embodiments might not necessarily obviate them.
In a general implementation, a stackable rack comprises a bottom rack frame; a top rack frame having a locking assembly that connects with the bottom rack frame; wherein the bottom rack frame comprises a main supporting frame, at least one first supporting frame rotatably coupled with the main supporting frame and supported on a ground, and a second supporting frame having a securing assembly being coupled with the first supporting frame and rotatably coupled with the main supporting frame; wherein the securing assembly comprises at least one locking bracket with a locking cavity being engaged with the first supporting frame.
In another aspect combinable with the general implementation, the top rack frame is positioned above the main supporting frame.
In another aspect combinable with the general implementation, the top rack frame comprises a top locking frame being coupled with the main supporting frame of the bottom rack frame through the locking assembly.
In another aspect combinable with the general implementation, the locking assembly comprises a bottom retainer having a bottom screw hole arranged on the bottom rack frame, a top screw hole formed on a top locking frame of the top rack frame, and a first fastener engaged with the bottom screw hole and the top screw hole.
In another aspect combinable with the general implementation, the second supporting frame is vertically arranged between a pair of the first supporting frames.
In another aspect combinable with the general implementation, the locking brackets are affixed on free ends of the second supporting frame.
In another aspect combinable with the general implementation, the locking bracket is a U-shaped bracket with the locking cavity being faced to the first supporting frame.
In another aspect combinable with the general implementation, the securing assembly comprises a through-hole formed on the locking bracket and a second fastener being passed through the through-hole and the first supporting frame to secure the second supporting frame being coupled with the first supporting frame.
In another aspect combinable with the general implementation, the second supporting frame is rotatably coupled with the main supporting frame through a middle supporting frame.
In another aspect combinable with the general implementation, the second supporting frame is rotated towards the first supporting frame to insert the first supporting frame into the locking cavity.
In another aspect combinable with the general implementation, the bottom rack frame further comprises a bottom locking frame positioned between a pair of the first supporting frames.
In another aspect combinable with the general implementation, the securing assembly comprises a pair of locking brackets, one of the locking brackets being affixed on one side of the second supporting frame and the other one of the locking brackets being affixed on an opposite side of the second supporting frame.
In another aspect combinable with the general implementation, the bottom rack frame is supported on the ground with the top rack frame being placed on the bottom rack frame.
Among the many possible implementations of a method of forming a stackable rack comprising:
providing a bottom rack frame comprising a main supporting frame, at least one first supporting frame rotatably coupled with the main supporting frame and a second supporting frame having a securing assembly being coupled with the first supporting frame and vertically arranged between a pair of the first supporting frames;
rotating the first supporting frame with the main supporting frame towards the second supporting frame;
rotating the second supporting frame with the main supporting frame towards the first supporting frame;
engaging the first supporting frame with a locking cavity formed on a locking bracket of the securing assembly; and
coupling the top rack frame on the bottom rack frame by the locking assembly.
Further, it is contemplated that the method further comprises:
providing a top locking frame of the top rack frame being coupled with the main supporting frame of the bottom rack frame.
In the alternative, the method further comprises:
providing a bottom retainer having a bottom screw hole arranged on the bottom rack frame and a top screw hole formed on a top locking frame of the top rack frame; and
engaging a first fastener with the bottom screw hole and the top screw hole.
It is still further contemplated that the method further comprises: supporting the top rack frame on the ground by the first supporting frame and the second supporting frame; and
placing the top rack frame on the main supporting frame of the bottom rack frame.
In one embodiment, the method further comprises: providing a through-hole formed on the locking bracket and a second fastener being passed through the through-hole and the first supporting frame to secure the second supporting frame being coupled with the first supporting frame.
In still one embodiment, the securing assembly comprises a pair of locking brackets, one of the locking brackets being affixed on one side of the second supporting frame and the other one of the locking brackets being affixed on an opposite side of the second supporting frame.
While this specification contains many specific implementation details, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of any inventions or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular implementations of particular inventions. Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate implementations can also be implemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single implementation can also be implemented in multiple implementations separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover, although features may be described above and below as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.
A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. For example, example operations, methods, or processes described herein may include more steps or fewer steps than those described. Further, the steps in such example operations, methods, or processes may be performed in different successions than that described or illustrated in the figures. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.
The details of one or more implementations of the subject matter described in this disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims.
It should be noted that the drawing figures may be in simplified form and might not be to precise scale. In reference to the disclosure herein, for purposes of convenience and clarity only, directional terms such as top, bottom, left, right, up, down, over, above, below, beneath, rear, front, distal, and proximal are used with respect to the accompanying drawings. Such directional terms should not be construed to limit the scope of the embodiment in any manner.
The different aspects of the various embodiments can now be better understood by turning to the following detailed description of the embodiments, which are presented as illustrated examples of the embodiments defined in the claims. It is expressly understood that the embodiments as defined by the claims may be broader than the illustrated embodiments described below.
The term “a” or “an” entity refers to one or more of that entity. As such, the terms “a” (or “an”), “one or more” and “at least one” can be used interchangeably herein. It is also to be noted that the terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” can be used interchangeably.
It shall be understood that the term “means,” as used herein, shall be given its broadest possible interpretation in accordance with 35 U.S.C., Section 112(f). Accordingly, a claim incorporating the term “means” shall cover all structures, materials, or acts set forth herein, and all of the equivalents thereof. Further, the structures, materials, or acts and the equivalents thereof shall include all those described in the summary of the invention, brief description of the drawings, detailed description, abstract, and claims themselves.
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and position terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains. Although many methods and materials similar, modified, or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice of the present invention without undue experimentation, the preferred materials and methods are described herein. In describing and claiming the present invention, the following terminology will be used in accordance with the definitions set out below.
Referring to
In some embodiments, the stackable frame 100 may further comprise a locking assembly 30 which may be utilized to connect the top rack frame 10 with the bottom rack frame 20. For one example, the top rack frame 10 may be positioned above a main supporting frame 21 of the bottom rack frame 20 and may be locked on the bottom rack frame 20 through the locking assembly 30. It should be noted that, in some embodiments, the bottom rack frame 20 may be supported on a ground 50 with the top rack frame 10 being placed on the bottom rack frame 20.
In some embodiments, the bottom rack frame 20 may comprise the main supporting frame 21, at least one first supporting frame 22 rotatably coupled with the main supporting frame 21, and a second supporting frame 23 rotatably coupled with the main supporting frame 21 through a middle supporting frame 24. For one example, the bottom rack frame 20 may comprise two pairs of first supporting frames 22 rotatably coupled with the main supporting frame 21.
In some embodiments, the first supporting frame 22 may comprise a top end 221 rotatably coupled with a bottom side of the main supporting frame 21, and a bottom end 222 being supported on the ground 50. For one example, the second supporting frame 23 may be supported between a pair of the first supporting frames 22A, 22C by a securing assembly 25. For another example, the second supporting frame 23 may be vertically arranged between the pair of the first supporting frames 22A, 22C. For still another example, the middle supporting frame 24 may be rotatably coupled with the main supporting frame 21.
As shown in further details in
In some embodiments, the top rack frame 10 may further comprise at least one first-top supporting frame 12 where the top locking frame 11 are coupled therewith. For one example, the top locking frame 11 may be arranged between a pair of the first-top supporting frames 12. For another example, the top locking frame 11 may be vertically arranged with the first-top supporting frames 12.
It should be noted that, in one embodiment, the first-top supporting frame 12 may comprise a first top end 121 rotatably coupled with a first main supporting frame 13 and a first bottom end 122 opposite of the first top end 121, wherein the top locking frame 11 may be arranged adjacent to the first bottom end 122 of the first-top supporting frame 12. In another embodiment, the top locking frame 11 may be vertically arranged with the first bottom end 122 of the first-top supporting frame 12.
Referring to
In some embodiments, the locking bracket may be affixed on a free end of the second supporting frame 23. For one example, referring to details of
In some embodiments, the locking bracket 251 may be a U-shaped bracket with the locking cavity 252 being faced to the first supporting frame 22. The middle supporting frame 24 of the bottom rack frame 20 may be vertically arranged with the second supporting frame 23, wherein the middle supporting fame 24 may be rotatably coupled with the main supporting frame 21, as shown in
Turning now to
Referring to
In some embodiments, the one of the pair of the locking brackets 251A may be affixed on the first free end 231 of the second supporting frame 23, and the other one of the pair of the locking brackets 251B may be affixed on the second free end 232 of the second supporting frame 23.
Continuing to
In some embodiments, the securing assembly 25 may comprise a through-hole 253 formed on the locking bracket 251 and a second fastener 254 being passed through the through-hole 253 and the first supporting frame 22 to secure the second supporting frame 23 being coupled with the first supporting frame 22, as shown in
In some embodiments, the securing assembly 25 may further comprise a pair of locking brackets, including a first locking bracket 251A and a second locking bracket 251B, wherein the first locking bracket 251A may be affixed on the first free end 231 of the second supporting frame 23 and the second locking bracket 251B may be affixed on the second free end 232 of the second supporting frame 23.
The first locking bracket 251A of
In some embodiments, the second locking bracket 251B of
From the above descriptions, in some embodiments, the first locking bracket 251A and the second locking bracket 251B may be both U-shaped brackets, wherein the first locking bracket 251A may comprise a first locking cavity 252A formed between the first affixed side and the first free side, wherein the second locking bracket 251B may comprise a second locking cavity 252B formed between the second affixed side and the second free side.
As shown in further details in
In some embodiments, the main supporting frame 21 may be positioned above the first supporting frame 22 and the second supporting frame 23. In other words, the main supporting frame 21 may be arranged on the top end 221 of the first supporting frame and the bottom end 222 of the first supporting frame may be in contact with the ground.
The contemplated embodiment may include:
providing a bottom rack frame 20 comprising a main supporting frame 21, at least one first supporting frame 22 rotatably coupled with the main supporting frame 21 and a second supporting frame 23 having a securing assembly being coupled with the first supporting frame 22, the second supporting frame 23 vertically arranged between a pair of the first supporting frames 22;
rotating the first supporting frame 22 with the main supporting frame 21 towards the second supporting frame 23;
rotating the second supporting frame 23 with the main supporting frame 21 towards the first supporting frame 22;
engaging the first supporting frame 22 with a locking cavity 252A(252B) formed on a locking bracket 251A(251B); and
securing the top rack frame 10 on the bottom rack frame 20 by the locking assembly.
Accordingly, the method may further comprise: providing a top locking frame 11 of the top rack frame 10 being coupled with the main supporting frame 21 of the bottom rack frame 20 through the locking assembly.
In some embodiments, as shown in
Accordingly, the method may further comprise: supporting the top rack frame 10 on the ground by the first supporting frame 22 and the second supporting frame 23; and
placing the top rack frame 10 on the main supporting frame 21 of the bottom rack frame 20.
As shown further details in
Accordingly, the method may further comprise:
providing a bottom retainer 31 having a bottom screw hole 310 arranged on the bottom rack frame 20, a top screw hole 320 formed on a top locking frame 11 of the top rack frame, as shown in
engaging the first fastener 330 with the bottom screw hole and the top screw hole.
As shown in further details in
As shown further details in
providing a through-hole 2511A(2511B) formed on the locking bracket and a second fastener 254 being passed through the through-hole 2511A(2511B) and the first supporting frame 22 to secure the second supporting frame 23 being coupled with the first supporting frame.
In some embodiments, the securing assembly may further comprise a pair of locking brackets, including a first locking bracket and a second locking bracket, wherein the first locking bracket may be affixed on the first free end of the second supporting frame 23 and the second locking bracket may be affixed on the second free end of the second supporting frame 23.
In some embodiments, the stackable rack may include a pair of the first supporting frames 22, wherein one of the pair of the first supporting frames 22 may be rotated towards one direction, and the other one of the pair of the first supporting frames 22 may be rotated towards an opposite direction. The one direction is opposite of the opposite direction. In other words, the one of the pair of the first supporting frames 22 may be rotated towards the other one of the pair of the first supporting frames 22 to perform the bottom rack being in an opened position.
Similarly, while operations and/or methods may be depicted in the drawings in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations and/or method steps be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.
Many alterations and modifications may be made by those having ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosed embodiments. Therefore, it must be understood that the illustrated embodiments have been set forth only for the purposes of example and that it should not be taken as limiting the embodiments as defined by the following claims. For example, notwithstanding the fact that the elements of a claim are set forth below in a certain combination, it must be expressly understood that the embodiment includes other combinations of fewer, more, or different elements, which are disclosed herein even when not initially claimed in such combinations.
Thus, specific embodiments and applications of stackable rack and method of using the same have been disclosed. It should be apparent, however, to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those already described are possible without departing from the disclosed concepts herein. The disclosed embodiments, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims. Moreover, in interpreting both the specification and the claims, all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context. In particular, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” should be interpreted as referring to elements, components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that the referenced elements, components, or steps may be present, or utilized, or combined with other elements, components, or steps that are not expressly referenced. Insubstantial changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalent within the scope of the claims. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements. The claims are thus to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, what can be obviously substituted and also what essentially incorporates the essential idea of the embodiments. In addition, where the specification and claims refer to at least one of something selected from the group consisting of A, B, C . . . and N, the text should be interpreted as requiring at least one element from the group which includes N, not A plus N, or B plus N, etc.
The words used in this specification to describe the various embodiments are to be understood not only in the sense of their commonly defined meanings, but to include by special definition in this specification structure, material or acts beyond the scope of the commonly defined meanings. Thus, if an element can be understood in the context of this specification as including more than one meaning, then its use in a claim must be understood as being generic to all possible meanings supported by the specification and by the word itself.
The definitions of the words or elements of the following claims therefore include not only the combination of elements which are literally set forth, but all equivalent structure, material or acts for performing substantially the same function in substantially the same way to obtain substantially the same result. In this sense it is therefore contemplated that an equivalent substitution of two or more elements may be made for any one of the elements in the claims below or that a single element may be substituted for two or more elements in a claim. Although elements may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, it is to be expressly understood that one or more elements from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination and that the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.
