Abstract:
A welding support system, for example, formed as a wagon or cart, includes at least one shelf having configurable support components for supporting different configurations of welding equipment, and legs interconnecting the shelve. The at least one shelf is angled in a manner that provides enhanced visibility of and/or access to welding equipment supported thereon.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e)(1) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/777,788, filed on Mar. 12, 2013, which is incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    This specification relates to welding support equipment, such as used to facilitate different types of welding. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Welding is a fabrication or sculptural process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by causing coalescence. This is often done by melting the workpieces and adding a filler material to form a pool of molten material (the weld pool) that cools to become a strong joint, with pressure sometimes used in conjunction with heat, or by itself, to produce the weld. Many different energy sources can be used for welding, including a gas flame, an electric arc, a laser, an electron beam, friction, and ultrasound. Different types of welding include Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (sometimes referred to as TIG or GTAW welding), Water Cooled welding, Gas Metal Arc Welding (sometimes referred to as MIG or GMAW welding), Shielded Metal Arc Welding (sometimes referred to as STICK or SMAW welding), Oxygen and Acetylene welding (sometimes referred to as Oxy/Acetylene welding), and Plasma Torch welding. Generally speaking, different types of welding require different items of associated equipment of varying shapes, sizes and usage parameters. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    This specification describes a welding support system, for example, implemented as a wagon or cart, that may include at least one shelf having configurable support components for supporting different configurations of welding equipment, and legs interconnecting the shelf. The at least one shelf is angled in a manner that provides enhanced visibility of and/or access to welding equipment/instrumentation supported thereon. The system may further include one or more of removable wheels, handles formed as bullhorn hooks, and lifting eyes. 
         [0005]    The system may include a tool-less tank restraint comprising one or more tank receiving recesses, a rotatable cross-bar, and a tightening lever. 
         [0006]    The system may include a telescoping boom configured to telescope from, and retract into, one of the legs, the telescoping boom further configured to hold one or more cables at a height of the boom. 
         [0007]    The system may further include integrated forklift pockets configured to accommodate the forks of a standard forklift. 
         [0008]    Particular implementations of the subject matter described in this specification may be configured to realize various potential advantages. For example, by providing a welding support system having a customizable, modular middle shelf, many different types, sizes, shapes and configurations of welding equipment may be facilitated. In addition, angling the middle shelf significant enhances the ease with which the welding equipment disposed thereon can be viewed and accessed. Providing a tool-less tank restraint system enhances the speed and ease with which gas tanks may be loaded and/or replaced on the welding support system. Providing a telescoping cable guiding boom helps keep welding cables and leads off the floor, and optionally above the welder&#39;s head, thereby reducing the risks of tripping, entanglement and/or other potential hazards. Providing the welding support system with integrated forklift pockets enables the system to easily, quickly and safely be transported by a forklift. Similarly, integrated lifting eyes enable the welding support system to be hooked and hoisted into the air as needed (e.g., for theft prevention purposes, for loading onto a ship, or oil platform) particularly suitable in shipyard or oil platform environments. Having system handles formed as bullhorn hooks facilitates the dual purpose of providing robust handles for manipulating or moving the cart as well as providing convenient hooks for holding various items of equipment. Removable wheels on the welding support system enable the system to be mobile when desired but also, when the wheels are removed and replaced with fixed feet, used in a stationary environment. Having the upper and lower shelves recessed, and/or potentially enclosed with a lockable closure, enables personnel to safely and securely store welding materials and other supplies without fear of theft and allows all necessary tools and supplies to be within reach of the operator which results in a significant time savings. 
         [0009]    Details of one or more implementations of the subject matter described in this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and potential advantages of the subject matter will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a right-side view of a welding support system. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a front view of a welding support system. 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a front perspective view of a welding support system. 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a left-side view of a welding support system. 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a front view of a welding support system. 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a front view of a welding support system. 
           [0016]      FIG. 7A  is a right-side view of a welding support system. 
           [0017]      FIG. 7B  is a front perspective view of a welding support system. 
           [0018]      FIG. 8A  is a right-side view of a welding support system. 
           [0019]      FIG. 8B  is a front perspective view of a welding support system. 
       
    
    
       [0020]    Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0021]    The present inventor recognized the potential benefits and advantages in providing a mobile, self-contained welding support system that, among other things, holds and transports, in a secure, convenient and safety-enhancing manner, essentially all of the welding and peripheral equipment and supplies needed by a commercial, industrial, and/or shipyard welder during a typical 8-12 hour work shift. 
         [0022]      FIG. 1  shows a right-side view of a welding support system  100 , in this example implemented as a mobile wagon, having a set of four caster wheels  105 , two of which (in front, corresponding to the right side of the figure) swivel thereby enabling the system  100  to be moved and steered by a single person. In addition, the wheels  105  may optionally be removed and replaced with fixed feet (not shown), which may be useful, e.g., if the system  100  is to be used in a shipyard environment or other stationary setting. The frame of the system  100  is formed from vertical support members  110  a rectangular top shelf  120 , a rectangular bottom shelf  115 , and a rectangular middle shelf  117 . In the illustrated configuration, the system also includes forklift pockets  125 , into which the forks of a standard forklift may be inserted so that the system  100  can be lifted and moved by the forklift to a desired location, which might not otherwise be reachable by pushing the system  100  on its wheels  105 . 
         [0023]    The system  100  also includes lifting eyes  130 , disposed on each corner of top shelf  120 , to which, e.g., crane hooks can be attached to hoist the system  100  in the air, e.g., either to lift the system  100  aboard a ship or the like, or simply to hoist the system  100  in the air out of human reach to avoid pilfering or mischievous use of the equipment supported by the system  100 . In addition, the system  100  includes bullhorns  135 , which not only act as handles for the system  100 , but also serve as convenient and sturdy hooks on which to hang items such as welding cables, hats, masks, coats and the like. 
         [0024]    As shown, the system  100  includes a rectangular storage shelf  140  having sidewalls  145  for holding items such as cylinders of compressed air or other gas (not shown). The storage area  140 , which in this configuration accommodates two large gas cylinders, sits behind the rear wheels  105  and is about 1.5 inches above ground level. 
         [0025]      FIG. 2  shows a front view of the welding support system  100  in which the bottom shelf  115  is configured as an enclosed locker which is formed by fixed walls (not shown) on three of its sides (left, right, back) and a lockable door  205  having a lock mechanism  210 . This locker configuration allows the welder to lock away, and thereby secure, personal effects and/or supplies, while away from the system  100 . 
         [0026]    On the left and right-hand sides of the system  100 , lead holders  215  are disposed. These lead holders  215 , formed as U-shaped hooks, are designed to support cabling or leads and/or serve as general purpose hooks on which the welder can hang gear such as welding masks, gloves, jacket and the like. 
         [0027]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the welding support system  100  showing the top shelf  120 , which in this configuration is recessed to prevent work pieces and the like from rolling or otherwise falling off the top of the system, e.g., while it is being pushed or otherwise transported. The recess is formed by four one-and a half inch-square bars  305  affixed together at their ends along the periphery of the top shelf  120 . Although not shown in  FIG. 3 , a welding work surface can be affixed by one or more hinges to one of the bars  305  to provide a surface upon which welding may be performed, while still providing the recess in which to hold work pieces (i.e., between the welding work surface and the top shelf  120 ). 
         [0028]      FIG. 4  is a left-side view of the welding support system  100  showing the middle shelf  117 , which is formed at an angle, front-to-back, with the front edge  402  being higher than the back edge  401 . As can be seen in  FIG. 5 , which is a front view of the welding support system  100 , the angle of the middle shelf  117  provides the welder with enhanced access to and/or visibility of any welding equipment  505 ,  510  positioned on the middle shelf  117 . 
         [0029]    As further can be seen in  FIG. 4 , middle shelf  117  includes an optional partition  405  that is formed of two vertical support bars  415  affixed to the top surface of the middle shelf  117 , and two cross-bars (namely, middle cross-bar  420  and top cross-bar  410 ) affixed between the vertical support bars. The partition  405 , which effectively creates a left-hand side and a right-hand side of the middle shelf  117 , serves to separate, and/or provide secure retention of, welding equipment that is positioned in each of the left and right-hand sides. In addition, as can be seen in  FIG. 5 , the partition  405  is disposed on the middle shelf  117  at a position such that the left-hand side of middle shelf  117  is larger than the right-hand side of middle shelf  117 . Among other benefits, this positioning enables the system to accommodate most standard sizes of welding equipment (i.e., not only welding machines but also peripheral equipment such as power sources, suitcase feeders and air coolers). In that regard, the specific equipment shown in  FIG. 5  includes a power source  505  and a suitcase welder  510 . In a variation of the system  100 , the partition  405  can be movable so that the relative sizes of the right and left-hand sides of the middle shelf  117  can be varied. 
         [0030]    Other variations may involve (i) making the partition  405  completely removable to make the entire width of middle shelf  117  available to hold a single large piece of equipment, (ii) using shorter partitions, for example, stubs that may be only an inch or more in height, (iii) forming a pattern of slots on the middle shelf  117  into which angle iron pieces may be bolted or otherwise fastened to provide a customizable and configurable mechanism for forming various patterns to hold different shapes and sizes of welding equipment. In general, the middle shelf  117  can be implemented to be highly configurable to accommodate many different types, sizes and shapes of welding equipment. 
         [0031]      FIG. 6 , which is a front view of the welding support system  100 , shows one of many possible configurations of the system  100 , namely, with the middle shelf  117  configured to support a TIG welding machine  605  and an accompanying water cooler  610 , one of several different types of welding machine accessories. 
         [0032]      FIGS. 7A and 7B , which respectively are a right side view and a rear view of the welding support system  100 , illustrate aspects of the system&#39;s tool-less tank restraint, which is designed to securely hold and support two tanks  705 ,  707 , which typically contain compressed gas used for welding. As shown in  FIG. 7B , the tool-less tank restraint is formed of two concave, semi-circular recesses  710 , each one configured to accommodate a respective tank. Between the recesses  710 , a lever axis arm  720  extends rearward terminating in a lever handle  725 , which is rotatably connected to the lever axis arm  720  by means of a threaded screw (not visible). Lever handle  725  can be rotated in directions A and B causing it to rotate on the threaded screw and either tighten (i.e., move toward lever axis arm  720 ) when rotated in direction B or loosen (i.e., move away from lever axis arm  720 ) when rotated in direction A. 
         [0033]    When positioned in the recesses  710 , the tanks  705 ,  707  are held in place by a rotatable cross-bar  715 , which can be rotated in directions C and D. To load the tanks  705 ,  707 , an operator turns lever handle  725  in direction A to loosen it sufficiently such that cross-bar  715  can be freely rotated in either direction C or D. Then, the operator rotates cross-bar  715  in direction C until it is in a substantially vertical orientation, thereby providing unhindered access to the recesses  710 . Next, the operator inserts tanks  705 ,  707  into respective ones of recesses  710 , rotates the cross-bar  715  in direction D to cause it to assume a horizontal position, and then rotates lever handle  725  in direction B until the level handle  725  sufficiently tightens to cause cross-bar  715  to come in contact with, and provide an urging force against, both of the tanks  705 ,  707 , thereby holding the tanks  705 ,  707  in a secure manner to facilitate, e.g., safe transport of the welding support system  100 . Accordingly, the tool-less tank restraint provides several potential advantages including, e.g., the ability to quickly and easily exchange, load and hold tanks in a safe and secure manner. 
         [0034]      FIGS. 8A and 8B , which respectively are a right side view and a front perspective view of the welding support system  100 , illustrate another safety and convenience-enhancing feature of the system  100 , namely, a telescoping cable boom  815  that can be raised or lowered as desired and which, in its raised state, can hold cables and leads over the head of the welder so that the cables and leads do not pose a risk of tripping or entanglement. In an implementation, the cable boom  815  is formed as a one inch square tube, which is operatively connected to a retractable mast  805  by means of an angle bracket  810 , which can be freely rotated (thereby rotating the boom  815 ) about the mast  805  in 360 degrees. The boom  815  can be raised or lowered by respectively extending or retracting the mast  805 , which slip-fits inside leg  825  of the system  100 . In addition, the boom  815  can be moved back and forth (in directions A and B) relative to the angle bracket  810 . 
         [0035]    As can be seen in  FIG. 8B , the mast  805  can be raised sufficiently high so that the boom  815  is above head-height—that is, high enough so that a welder can walk underneath the boom  815  without hitting his or her head on the boom  815 . In addition, the welding lead  825  can be fed through the cable guides  820 , effectively causing the lead  825  to remain in relatively close proximity to the boom  815  such that the lead  825  is held above head-height. As a result, the welder can work and move about the welding support system  100  as needed without having to worry about tripping over, or becoming entangled with, the lead  815 . 
         [0036]    Particular implementations of the subject matter have been described. Other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.