The present inventions relate generally to storage devices that support pallets and other loads. More particularly, the present inventions relate to storage carts that are moveable between an open position where loads may be accessed and a closed position for storage. The storage carts of the present inventions are capable of supporting heavy loads, yet are efficiently moveable to permit easy access, may be secured against undesired movement and are guided against undesired lateral movement.
There are numerous types of storage systems available to store a variety of loads. For example, in the warehouse industry, shelf type storage systems are widely used. In general, many of these systems are configured to form shelves to support loads, pallets and their loads, and the like. Access to the stored loads is typically limited to warehouse personnel using fork lifts and the like.
At typical consumer warehouse stores, such as home improvement warehouses, inventory goods are stored in areas out of the reach of the public. In the same facility, individual items are accessible to the public and made available for consumer purchase. As a result of the increasing presence and popularity of such consumer warehouse stores, a need has developed to accommodate the efficient storage of heavy items (for example, bags of sand, concrete and gravel), while at the same time permitting convenient and safe access to these items by consumers and/or store personnel.
In a typical home improvement warehouse store, storage racks are arranged to form aisles for consumer and employee access. These racks are typically arranged in back to back arrays that may extend from the floor to ceiling height. A typical home improvement warehouse store receives a wide variety of goods that arrive on pallets. For inventory item storage, pallets and their loads are placed on shelves on the upper portion of the racks, usually above the reach of the consumer. The lower portion of the racks, which are under the upper storage shelves, form bays which are used to make individual items accessible to the consumer. For many types of items, displays or shelves are used within the bays to enable the selection of individual items by the consumer. Many such items may be easily reached by the consumer, regardless of whether those items are at the front of the bay or the rear of the bay. In this manner, the most inventory possible can be stored in the available space and the consumer has access to the products.
However, the storage and accessibility of relatively heavy items available at warehouse stores has created problems and potential safety hazards. For example, a home improvement warehouse store selling bags of ready mix concrete typically puts a pallet full of individual bags for consumer access in the storage bay created under the inventory storage shelves or racks. As the bags in the front of the pallet are sold, the remaining bags are on the rear of the pallet are located in the rear of the bay under the shelves. Because of their weight and location, these items become extremely difficult and awkward to access.
In such situations, store personnel could shift the pallet (or items on the pallet) to make the remaining items accessible, restock the pallet with additional items, or potentially lose a sale because a consumer foregoes a purchase when the item cannot be reached. However, personal injury could result to the consumer or store employee who attempts to lift a heavy item in an awkward position in the back of the storage bay. Another way to avoid these problems is to place a load of the heavy items in the aisle, end cap or other area where there would be relatively unobstructed access to them. However, this is an inefficient use of space, can block aisles and lead to other problems.
To overcome the accessibility and other problems, some have attempted to develop moveable drawers for such items. These drawers are designed to be moveable from a rear position underneath the bay to a forward position generally into the aisle, where items on the rear of the pallet may be accessed. However, known devices suffer from a number of problems, including poor or difficult operation, waste of vertical space, complexity and expense.
The present inventions overcome the problems associated with the storage of and access to heavy items. For example, the present inventions provide a storage cart system having a storage cart capable of front to back movement of a load on a generally flat surface, the storage cart having a guide rail and wheels. A guide assembly secured to the generally flat surface is provided, the guide assembly cooperating with the guide rail to permit front to back movement of the cart without undesired lateral movement, and a handle or control arm pivotably mounted to the cart. The wheels of the wheeled cart of the present invention may include four wheel assemblies, each wheel assembly having two pairs of wheels on each side of a web of a support stringer of the cart. An axle that is flexibly mounted on the cart to permit vertical movement of the wheels is also provided. The guide assembly may further include a base, locking flanges, guide brackets and guide bearings.
The present inventions further provide for a storage cart for supporting a pallet or other load on a generally flat surface, the cart being moveable between a closed position and an open position, and having a guide rail. A guide assembly having a base secured to the generally flat surface, a guide bracket and a guide bearing attached to the guide bracket that cooperates with the guide rail are also provided. A control arm pivotably mounted to the cart and permitting the selective movement of the cart, typically from an open position to a closed position is also provided, as well as a locking flange to help prevent undesired movement.
The present inventions also provide, among other things, a storage cart for moveably storing a load, the cart being capable of movement along a generally horizontal support surface between a closed and an open position, the cart having a guide rail. The moveable storage cart also including wheel means for rollably supporting the cart on the surface, guide means for cooperating with the guide rail and preventing undesired lateral movement of the cart, control arm means for enabling the selective movement of the cart and locking means for securing the cart against undesired movement between an open and closed position.
The present invention further provides for a storage cart selectively moveable between a forward and rear position, including a guide assembly and a control arm assembly having a rotatable control axle, a hinge assembly and a control handle. The control axle may also include locking pins that cooperate with upturned locking flanges to secure the cart in the forward or rear position and prevent undesired movement or operation.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide storage carts that may be moved between an open position and a closed position to provide ready access to goods stored on the carts.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a moveable storage cart that may be secured against undesired opening or closing.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a storage cart that has wheels that may move vertically to accommodate irregularity of the ground or horizontal support surface.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a moveable storage cart that may be moved as desired, but is controlled against undesired lateral movement.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a selectively moveable storage cart having the components necessary for selective operation integral within the width of the cart.
Yet an additional object of the present invention is to provide a storage cart for use in storing heavy items in warehouse stores that may be selectively moved to an open position for access to the items and may be selectively moved out of the aisle and closed.
Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a moveable storage cart that can be retrofitted into existing rack storage systems.
Inventor's Definition of the Terms
The terms used in the claims of this patent are intended to have their broadest meaning consistent with the requirements of law. Where alternative meanings are possible, the broadest meaning is intended. All words used in the claims are intended to be used in the normal, customary usage of grammar and the English language.
The stated and unstated features and advantages of the present inventions will become apparent from the following descriptions and drawings wherein like reference numerals represent like elements in the various views, and in which:
Set forth below is a description of what is currently believed to be the preferred embodiments or best representative examples of the inventions claimed. Future and present alternatives and modifications to the embodiments and preferred embodiments are contemplated. Any alternatives or modifications which make insubstantial changes in function, purpose, structure or result are intended to be covered by the claims of this patent.
Typically, there is a front side of the storage rack structure of a warehouse store which is adjacent to an access aisle and a back side of the system which usually abuts another storage rack and to which there is typically no access from the front aisle. The present inventions will be described herein in non-limiting detail by reference to shelf-type storage systems that are typically found in consumer warehouse stores which are accessed only from one side, that is, the front or access aisle. However, the present inventions are fully applicable to a wide variety of other storage applications as well.
A preferred embodiment of a storage cart of the present invention is shown generally as 10 in
It will be understood by those of skill in the art that the components of storage cart 10 and its related assemblies may be constructed from a wide variety of materials (e.g., wood, iron, steel or aluminum) having a variety of cross-sectional shapes (such as channels, angles, tubing, I-beams and S-beams). However, these particular standard structural components are not required to practice the inventions, as other structural members of different cross sections may also be advantageously fabricated and employed to practice the claimed inventions.
The storage casts of the present invention generally include three principal component systems. As shown in
Cart assembly 20 also includes wheel assemblies 27, preferably at each corner of the cart assembly 20. As shown in
Axle 29 passes through a hole (not shown) located in the web 31 (see also
In the preferred embodiment, the lower flange 32 of each side stringer 21 and 22 is provided with a notch 33 to permit the pair of wheels 28 on the outside of cart assembly 20 to contact the ground, slab or other surface (not shown). Because standard structural channels are used for the side stringers 21 and 22 for the described embodiment, no notches are required for the pair of wheels on the interior of cart assembly 20. It will be understood, however, that any structural member may be used and a notch 33 may or may not be necessary.
Guide assembly 40 of the present invention is best seen by reference to
A right guide bracket 46 and a left guide bracket 47 are also provided which may be attached to base 41 by welding or other well known means. Each guide bracket 46 and 47 has a front end 48 and a rear end 49. Guide bearings 50 are attached to guide brackets 46 and 47. Guide bearings 50 may be rollers, wheels, pads or other preferably low friction devices as will be understood by those of skill in the art. The spacing between right bracket 46 and left bracket 47, as well as the placement of guide bearings 50, is designed to movably cooperate with guide rail 26 of cart assembly 20, so that cart assembly 20 may be moved forward into the aisle and backward out of the aisle without undesired lateral movement or skewing. In a preferred embodiment, guide brackets 46 and 47 also serve to limit or contain the amount of cart movement between the open and closed positions, as hereinafter described.
The third principal assembly, control arm assembly 60 is best seen by reference to
It will be understood by those of skill in the art that, although preferred, it is not required that control arm assembly 60 have a pivotably mounted handle 61 or that it be provided with means to lock the cart against undesired movement. In fact, a single pull type handle (not shown) may be attached to the cart assembly 20 to be pulled or pushed when movement of the cart is desired.
Having now described the primary assemblies and associated components of preferred embodiments of the present invention, its operation may be better seen by reference to
When access to items (not shown) on the rear of the cart assembly 20 is desired, handle 61 may be rotated upward to an intermediate position as shown in
As shown in
After unloading or as otherwise desired, handle 61 may be rotated vertically upward (see
In a preferred embodiment, locking flange 43 is provided with a handle locking hole 72. Locking hole 72 is provided so that handle 61 may be locked into the lowered position by a pad lock or other device inserted in locking hole 72 and prevent the lifting and upward rotation of handle 61. Also in a preferred embodiment, handle 61 includes a rear alignment plate 64. Alignment plate 64 contacts the outer edge of rear stringer 24 during the rotation of handle 61. In this manner, when handle 61 is lifted and pulled or pushed to move cart assembly 20, handle 61 is kept in alignment with the edge of cart assembly 20. In other embodiments of control arm assembly 60, alignment tabs 64 are not necessary (
As shown in
An alternative embodiment of control arm assembly 60 is shown in
Control axle 80 is rotatably mounted on cart assembly 20 between rear support stringer 24 and front support stringer 23. Control axle 80 may be rotatably mounted by any well known means, such as bolts, washers and the like. As shown in
In the preferred embodiment, rear end 85 of control axle 80 is rotatably mounted through a hole in the support stringer 24 by well known means. Front end 86 of control axle 80 is adapted to receive or manufactured to include a member to function as part of hinge assembly 82. In a preferred embodiment, front end 86 is adapted to receive a flattened flange 87 or other member that is removably attached to front end 86, and which protrudes through front support stringer 23. The flattened flange 87 or other member may be secured to control axle 80 by any well known means, such as bolts, locking nuts and the like. Similarly, the opposite end 88 of control handle 81 is also adapted to receive or provided with a flattened flange 89 or similar member (see e.g.,
As a result of the configuration of hinge assembly 82, control handle 81 may be rotated in the horizontal and vertical directions. When control handle 81 is rotated in the vertical direction, control axle 80 is caused to rotate (in this example, in a counter-clockwise direction). Control axle 80 is provided with a front locking pin 91 and a rear locking pin 92. Thus, when control axle 80 is caused to rotate, locking pins 91 and 92 rotate as well.
When operation of this embodiment of the cart assembly 20 is desired, control handle 81 is rotated horizontally and vertically. As control handle 81 is rotated vertically, control axle 80 is rotated and front locking pin 91 disengages rear edge 45 of locking flange 43 (see
When cart assembly 20 is in its forward most position, as shown in
When desired, control handle 81 is rotated horizontally and vertically, causing control axle 80 to rotate and rear locking pin 92 disengages upturned flange 43. This permits cart assembly 20 to be pushed rearward and locked in a fully retracted position (see
This embodiment of control arm assembly 60 is particularly useful is situations where pallets or loads on cart assembly 20 overhang the left side support stringer 21 and/or the rear side support stringer 22. It is also useful where no additional space is available to accommodate a control arm assembly 60 that is located outside by the width of cart assembly 20.
The above description is not intended to limit the meaning of the words used in or the scope of the following claims that define the invention. Rather, it is contemplated that future modifications in structure, function or result will exist that are not substantial changes and that all such insubstantial changes in what is claimed are intended to be covered by the claims. Thus, while preferred embodiments of the present inventions have been illustrated and described, it will be understood that changes and modifications can be made without departing from the claimed invention.
Various features of the present inventions are set forth in the following claims.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/874,657, filed on Jun. 22, 2004.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 10874657 | Jun 2004 | US |
Child | 10990130 | US |