Abstract:
A rack includes vertical columns and horizontal beams and connecting clips that connect accessories, such as roller tracks, to the horizontal beams. The connecting clips are connected to the beams by inserting arms of the clips into slots of the beams and pivoting the clips into position. Then attachments are mounted to the clips.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to racks, and, in particular, to a clip arrangement for mounting accessories onto racks. Many different arrangements are known for mounting accessories onto racks. Most have drawbacks. For example, they may be difficult to assemble, or they may not be completely secure. It is desirable for the arrangements to be inexpensive to manufacture and easy to use. It is also desirable for the arrangements to be secure, so that they do not permit the accessories to shift or be removed unintentionally from the rack, and to be strong, so they can support the loads that are put on the accessories. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a mounting arrangement that meets the needs described above. The attachment clips can be mounted onto the beams of the rack without using tools. The clips are inserted into slots in the beams and then are pivoted into position. In the preferred embodiment, the beams are stepped beams and define a substantially vertical wall which provides substantial structural support to the clips. The only way to remove the clips from the beam without destroying the clips or the beams is to pivot the clips back into a position in which the clips can then be removed from the slots. Once an elongated attachment is connected to two clips, the clips are prevented from pivoting, so they cannot be accidentally removed from the beam. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a rack made in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a view taken along the line  2 — 2  of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a view taken along the line  3 — 3  of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the connector clip on the left side of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the connector clip of FIG. 4 as it is being mounted on a beam; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the connector clip of FIG. 4 mounted on a beam; 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the connector clip on the right side of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the connector clip of FIG. 6 mounted on a beam; and 
     FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the connector clip and beam of FIG. 7 together with an attachment member. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1 shows an example of a rack  10 , made in accordance with the present invention. The rack  10  is made up of a plurality of substantially vertical columns  12  and a plurality of substantially horizontal beams  14  mounted onto the columns  12 . Extending between the rear or first beams  14  and the front or second beams  14  are elongated members  16 , which, in this embodiment, carry rollers  18 . As shown in FIG. 1, two of these racks may be placed back-to-back with an aisle between them. A forklift deposits products onto the front of the racks, and the products roll down the sloped elongated members  16  on the rollers  18  to the rear of the rack, where they are picked up by workers and placed onto a conveyor  19 . In this arrangement, there is a conveyor  19  accessible to workers at floor level, and another conveyor  19  accessible to workers on a catwalk  21  at a higher level, and there may be many levels of elongated members  16  providing products to the workers at various levels. There may also be decks  23  mounted on the beams  14  between the elongated members  16  in order to prevent people and products from falling through. 
     As shown in FIG. 2, the rear beam  14  is at a lower elevation than the front beam  14 , and the elongated member  16  is mounted lower relative to the front beam  14  than it is relative to the rear beam  14 , so the downward slope of the elongated member  16  from front to back is less than it would be if it were connected in the same manner to both beams. Nevertheless, there is still a downwardly-sloping angle alpha on the elongated member  16  relative to the horizontal, so that products that are put onto the rack in the front will roll downwardly to the back. There is also an intermediate beam  14 A which is supported by columns  12  and which supports the elongated members  16 . 
     A first clip  20  mounts the elongated member  16  to the first or rear beam  14 , and a second clip  22  mounts the elongated member  16  to the second or front beam  14 . The first clip  20  is substantially flat. The second clip  22  is also substantially flat but has a stepped shape, which permits the elongated member  16  to be mounted lower relative to the front beam  14  than to the rear beam  14 . It should also be noted in FIG. 2 that the beams  14  have a stepped top surface, including an upper substantially horizontal portion  24  and a lower substantially horizontal portion  26  separated by a substantially vertical wall  28 . By mounting the front of the elongated member  16  lower relative to the front beam  14 , the top of the front of the elongated member  16  is very close to the level of the upper portion  24  of the second or front beam  14 , so that, when a forklift lifts a product onto the top of the front beam  14 , the product easily moves onto the rollers  18 , without bumping into the front of the elongated member  16 . Both the front and rear of the elongated member  16  are notched to permit the elongated member to fit close to the respective front and rear beams  14 , with at least a portion of the elongated member  16  overlying both the front and rear beams  14 . An angle  38  is also mounted on the front clips  22  to support the decking  23 . 
     Looking at FIG. 3, the lower portion  26  of the top surface of the beams  14  defines a plurality of evenly-spaced slots  30 . The clips  20 ,  22  have arms  20 A,  22 A, that fit into the slots  30 , as will be explained below. A portion of each clip  20 ,  22  is supported on the top surface  26  of its respective beam  14 , and a portion of each clip  20 ,  22  projects inwardly from its respective beam and defines mounting holes  32 , which receive bolts  34  that bolt the elongated member  16  to the clips  20 ,  22 . The front clips  22  also support the angles  38  in the front of the rack. The angles  38  support the decking  23  in the front of the rack, and the rear portion of the decking  23  is supported on the lower level  26  of the rear beams  14 . 
     FIGS. 4,  4 A, and  5  show the first clip  20  being mounted onto its respective first beam  14 . The clip  20  is made up of a substantially flat body, with left and right arms  20 A, which are substantially L-shaped. The substantially flat body is made of a material with a relatively thin vertical thickness, and the left and right arms are formed by bending the material downwardly, so that the horizontal thickness of the arms is substantially the same as the vertical thickness of the body. The first, longer leg  23  of the “L”, is parallel to the substantially flat body of the clip and projects rearwardly from the clip body. The second, shorter leg  25  of the “L” connects the longer leg  23  to the clip body and extends substantially vertically, so that the arms  20 A project downwardly and rearwardly from the clip  20 . The L-shaped arms  20 A define an exterior angle  21  and an interior angle  21 A, each of which is approximately a right angle, and the exterior angle  21  is rounded to facilitate insertion of the arms  20 A into the beam  14 . The height of the longer legs  23  is slightly shorter than the length of the slots  30 , and the width of the arms  20 A is slightly less than the width of the slots  30 , so that, as shown in FIG. 4A, the clip  20  can be oriented vertically (shown in phantom), permitting the legs  23  to enter downwardly into the respective slots  30 . When the legs  23  have moved downwardly to the point that the clip body abuts the top of the portion  26  of the beam  14  (at substantially the same point where the two legs  23 ,  25  of the “L” intersect), then the clip can be pivoted downwardly approximately 90° to the position shown in solid lines in FIG. 4A, with the main body of the clip  20  extending beyond the top surface  26  so as to be cantilevered off of the beam  14  and so as to provide a cantilevered support surface for supporting loads. Mounting holes  32  are located in the cantilevered portion of the clip  20  in order to secure a load. When a load is placed on the cantilevered top surface of the clip  20 , it causes the top surfaces of the L-shaped arms  20 A to push upwardly against the bottom of the vertical wall portion  28  of the beam  14 . 
     At this point, the bottom surface of the clip body  20  is supported on the top of the beam surface  26 , and the upper edge of the rearwardly-projecting leg  23  of each “L”-shaped arm  20 A bears upwardly against the vertical wall  28  of the beam  14 . From this position, the only way to remove the clip  20  from the beam  14  is to pivot it upwardly to remove the arms  20 A from their slots  30 , reversing the process used to install the clip. 
     FIGS. 6-8 show the second clip  22 . This clip  22  is the same as the first clip  20 , except that it is formed into a stepped shape, so that its main body includes an upper substantially flat portion  35 , a lower substantially flat portion  36 , and a substantially vertical wall  37  connecting the upper portion  35  to the lower portion  36 . As shown in FIG. 6, the arms  22 A of the stepped clip  22  project downwardly and rearwardly from the main body of the clip  22 , just as in the first clip  20 . The arms  22 A of the stepped clip  22  are inserted into the slots  30  of the beam  14  in the same manner as the first clip  20 . The difference is that the portion  36  of the stepped clip that defines the mounting holes  32  is at a lower elevation, so that the elongated member  16  that is mounted on the stepped clip is at a lower elevation relative to the beam  14  on which it is mounted. 
     Once the first clip  20  is installed on the first or rear beam  14 , the second clip  22  is installed on the second or front beam  14 , the angle  38  is bolted onto the second clips  22 , and the elongated roller track  16  is bolted onto the first and second clips  20 ,  22 . At this point, the roller track  16  is firmly mounted on the beams  14 . The clips  20 ,  22  prevent the track  16  from moving in any direction relative to the beams. Only by removing the track  16  from the clips  20 ,  22  can the clips be rotated to a vertical position to be removed. Thus, this arrangement provides a secure mechanism for attaching the elongated member  16  to the rack. While this preferred arrangement uses different clips in the front and back of the rack, the same clip could be used both in front and in back. Also, while the elongated member  16  shown in this embodiment is a roller track, various other elongated member attachments could be installed in the same manner. 
     It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the embodiment described above without departing from the scope of the present invention.