Patent Abstract:
An end support unit for supporting the ends of at least one front and one rear cross beam including: a front support post having a column of slots along its length for receiving at least one slot engaging member of the front cross beam; a rear support post having a column of slots along its length for receiving at least one slot engaging member of the rear cross beam; an upper brace fixedly extending from the upper end of the front support post to the upper end of the rear support post; a lower brace fixedly extending from the lower end of the front support post to the lower end of the rear support post; and a diagonal brace extending diagonally between the front support post and the rear support post.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 61/050,992, filed on May 6, 2008, in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a modular rack assembly. While there are a variety of modular rack assemblies that have been designed to store various items, they are not easily configurable for shipping. Further, conventional modular racks are not formed of a simple construction and may be expensive to manufacture and difficult to assemble and adjust. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    An embodiment of the present invention provides an end support unit for supporting the ends of at least one front and one rear cross beam including: a generally vertical front support post having at least one column of slots along its length for receiving at least one slot engaging member of the front cross beam; a generally vertical rear support post having at least one column of slots along its length for receiving at least one slot engaging member of the rear cross beam; a generally horizontal upper brace fixedly attached to and extending from the upper end of the front support post to the upper end of the rear support post; a generally horizontal lower brace fixedly attached to and extending from the lower end of the front support post to the lower end of the rear support post; and at least one diagonal brace fixedly attached to and extending diagonally between the front support post and the rear support post. 
         [0004]    The upper brace may have at least one hole for receiving the shaft of a connector for securely mounting a secondary component to the end support unit. 
         [0005]    The lower brace may have at least one hole for receiving the shaft of an anchor for securely anchoring the end support unit to a floor location or a connector for securely mounting a secondary component to the end support unit. 
         [0006]    The slots may be key-hole shaped. The slot engaging members may be rivets. The slots may be wedge-shaped. The slot engaging members may be lances. 
         [0007]    The end support units may be about 3 inches wide, about 17 inches deep, and about 36 inches high. 
         [0008]    The support posts may be c-shaped. The braces may be c-shaped. 
         [0009]    Another embodiment of the present invention provides an end support unit assembly including an upper end support unit stacked on top of a lower end support unit for supporting the ends of at least one front and one rear cross beam. Each end support unit includes: a generally vertical front support post having at least one column of slots along its length for receiving at least one slot engaging member of the front cross beam; a generally vertical rear support post having at least one column of slots along its length for receiving at least one slot engaging member of the rear cross beam; a generally horizontal upper brace fixedly attached to and extending from the upper end of the front support post to the upper end of the rear support post; a generally horizontal lower brace fixedly attached to and extending from the lower end of the front support post to the lower end of the rear support post; at least one diagonal brace fixedly attached to and extending diagonally between the front support post and the rear support post; and a pair of connectors extending through holes in the lower brace of the upper end support unit and the upper brace of the lower end support unit to secure the upper end support unit to the lower end support unit. 
         [0010]    Each connector may include a bolt, a lock washer, and a nut. 
         [0011]    Another embodiment of the present invention provides a storage rack including: at least one left end support unit and at least one right end support unit for supporting the ends of at least one front and one rear cross beam. Each end support unit includes: a generally vertical front support post having at least one column of slots along its length for receiving at least one slot engaging member of the front cross beam; a generally vertical rear support post having at least one column of slots along its length for receiving at least one slot engaging member of the rear cross beams; a generally horizontal upper brace fixedly attached to and extending from the upper end of the front support post to the upper end of the rear support post; a generally horizontal lower brace fixedly attached to and extending from the lower end of the front support post to the lower end of the rear support post; and at least one diagonal brace fixedly attached to and extending diagonally between the front support post and the rear support post; at least one front cross beam, wherein the at least one front cross beam is mounted on and extending between the left and right front support posts of the left and right end support units; at least one rear cross beam, wherein the at least one rear cross beam is mounted on and extending between the rear support posts of the right and left end support units at about the same elevation as the front cross beam; and at least one shelf panel, wherein the at least one shelf panel is supported at its front and rear edges by at least one front and rear cross beam. 
         [0012]    The storage rack may include four pairs of front and rear cross beams, four shelves, and four end support units, and wherein the disassembled storage rack is packaged in a space that is about 39 inches by about 17 inches by about 16 inches. 
         [0013]    The front and rear cross beams may include at each end an L-shaped flange with a pair of slot engaging members extending inwardly from the flange to engage the slots. 
         [0014]    The front and rear cross beams may include a ledge for receiving the shelf panel. 
         [0015]    Another embodiment of the present invention provides a work bench assembly including: right and left end support units for supporting the ends of at least one front and one rear cross beam. Each end support unit includes: a generally vertical front support post having at least one column of slots along its length for receiving at least one slot engaging member of the front cross beam; a generally vertical rear support post having at least one column of slots along its length for receiving at least one slot engaging member of the rear cross beam; a generally horizontal upper brace fixedly attached to and extending from the upper end of the front support post to the upper end of the rear support post; a generally horizontal lower brace fixedly attached to and extending from the lower end of the front support post to the lower end of the rear support post; at least one diagonal brace fixedly attached to and extending diagonally between the front support post and the rear support post; an upper front cross beam extending between the upper ends of the front support posts of the right and left end support units; an upper rear cross beam extending between the upper ends of the rear support posts of the right and left end support units; a lower rear cross beam extending between a lower portion of the rear support posts of the right and left end support units; a top panel having front and rear edge portions supported at its front and rear edge portions by the upper front cross beam and upper rear cross beam; right and left upright supports mounted to and extending upwardly from a rear portion of the right and left end support units; a cross beam mounted to and extending between the upper ends of the right and left upright supports; and a generally vertical panel extending between at least a portion of the right and left upright supports and below the cross-beam that extends between the upper ends of the upright supports. 
         [0016]    The generally vertical panel may include pegboard. 
         [0017]    The generally vertical panel may include upper and lower pegboard panels connected by an elongated strip connector having a generally H-shaped cross-sectional configuration that forms a pair of grooves for receiving the lower end of the upper pegboard panel and the upper edge of the lower pegboard panel. 
         [0018]    The workbench assembly may further include a cover mounted over the upper braces. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0019]    The accompanying drawings, together with the specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present invention. 
           [0020]      FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a storage rack according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0021]      FIG. 1   a  is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the storage rack of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0022]      FIG. 2  is a front perspective view of a storage rack according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0023]      FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the storage rack shown in  FIG. 2 . 
           [0024]      FIG. 4  is a front perspective view of a storage rack according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0025]      FIG. 5  is perspective view of the components of the storage rack shown in  FIGS. 2-4  arranged for shipping. 
           [0026]      FIG. 6  is an end-view of the exemplary storage racks shown in  FIGS. 2-4  assembled for shipping. 
           [0027]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a storage rack according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0028]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a storage rack according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0029]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a storage rack according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0030]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a storage rack according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0031]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view of a storage rack according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0032]      FIG. 12  is a perspective view of a storage rack according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0033]    In the following detailed description, only certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, simply by way of illustration. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive. Like reference numerals designate like elements throughout the specification. 
         [0034]    With reference to  FIG. 1  there is shown a boltless storage rack assembly  10  according to an embodiment of the present invention. The rack assembly  10  comprises right and left end support units  12 , each end support unit  12  comprising a front support post  13 , a rear support post  14 , an upper brace  18 , a lower brace  20 , and a diagonal brace  22 . The upper, lower and diagonal braces  18 ,  20 ,  22  are fixedly attached at their ends, preferably by welding, to the front and rear support posts  13  and  14 . The front and rear support posts  13  and  14  include at least one column of aligned slots  16  for receiving slot engaging members of cross beams  26 ,  28 . The front and rear support posts  13  and  14  of the end support units  12  may include right and left columns of slots  16 . Front cross beams  26  are boltlessly mounted at their ends to the front posts  13  of right and left end support units  12 . Rear cross beams  28  are likewise boltlessly mounted at their ends to the rear support posts  14  of the right and left end support units  12  at the same elevations as the front cross beams  26 . 
         [0035]    It is understood that the cross-sectional configuration of the support posts and braces may vary as desired. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the cross-sectional configuration of the posts and braces are generally C-shaped. 
         [0036]    Likewise the cross-sectional configuration of the cross beams may vary as desired. In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the cross beams  26 ,  28  have cross-sectional configurations as shown in  FIG. 1   a.  Here, the cross beams have a ledge for receiving a shelf panel  32 . The cross beams  26  and  28  have an L-shaped flange  29  at each end. A pair of slot engaging members (in this case lances)  30  extend inwardly from the flange  29  to engage wedge-shaped slots  16  in the support posts  13  and  14 . 
         [0037]    The slots  16  and slot engaging members  30  may also vary as desired. For example, in another exemplary embodiment, the slots have a key-hole shape and the slot engaging members are rivets that extend inwardly from the ends of the cross beams. 
         [0038]    The dimensions of the end support units  12  and cross beams  26  and  28  may also vary. In one embodiment, the end support units  12  are about 3 inches high and about 17 inches deep. In one embodiment, the length of the cross beams is about 39 inches so that the overall width of the rack is about 41 inches. 
         [0039]    With reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , there is shown a stacked rack assembly  38  according to an embodiment of the present invention. The stacked rack assembly  38  comprises right and left end support assemblies  40 , each end support assembly  40  including a pair of end support units  12   a,    12   b  stacked one on top of the other. The upper end support unit  12   a  is securely mounted to the lower end support unit  12   b  with connectors  42 , e.g., bolts which extend through holes  24  in the lower brace  20  of the upper end support unit  12   a  and aligned holes  24  in the upper brace  18  of the lower end support unit  12   b.  The bolts  42  are secured with appropriate lock washers and nuts. It is to be understood that any suitable connector may be used. 
         [0040]    A plurality of front and rear cross beams  26  and  28  are boltlessly mounted to the front and rear support posts  13  and  14  of the end support units  12  that make up the end support assemblies  40 . Shelf panels  32  are positioned between and supported at their front and rear edge portions by the front and rear cross beams  26  and  28 . As shown, the stacked rack assembly  38  can be anchored at a particular floor location by means of anchors  28  or the like which extend through holes  24  in the lower brace  20  of the lower end support unit  12   b  and into the floor. The type of anchor will vary depending on the material of the floor. For example, expandable wedge anchors, sleeve anchors, etc., as are well-known in the art may be used with concrete floors, whereas leg bolts or the like may be used for wood floors. 
         [0041]    Another modular rack assembly  44  according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 4 . As shown in this embodiment, the upper and lower end support units  12   a  and  12   b  may be secured together by means of front and rear cross beams  26  and  28  wherein the upper slot engaging members  30  at each end of the cross beams engage the lowest slot  16  in the front and rear posts  13  and  14  of the upper end support unit  12   a  and the lower slot-engaging members  30  of the cross beams engage the uppermost slot  16  of the front and rear post  13  and  14  of the lower end support unit  12   b.  In this way, seating of the slot-engaging members  30  into the slots  16  secures the upper and lower end-support units  12   a  and  12   b  together. Optionally, the upper and lower end support units  12   a  and  12   b  may be further secured together by bolts  42  or the like, as described with respect to  FIGS. 2 and 3 . 
         [0042]    One of the benefits of the present invention is that a 72-inch high by 17 inch deep by 41 inch wide rack assembly having four pairs of front and rear cross-beams and four shelves may be packaged in a space having the dimensions 39 inches by 17 inches by less than 16 inches. This allows the rack assembly to be packaged in a container that is 40 inches by 18 inches by 16 inches. Such a packaged arrangement provides significant cost savings as compared to racks having 72-inch long side support units. For example, this set of dimensions enables three packages to fit on a standard forty inch by forty-eight inch pallet. An exemplary arrangement of the components for packaging is shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . 
         [0043]    The end support units  12  may also be used as intermediate support units in larger shelf and/or bench assemblies. For example,  FIG. 7  shows another exemplary assembly comprising four end-support units  12  used to form an elongated workbench with three shelf panels  32 . 
         [0044]      FIG. 8  shows another exemplary assembly including left and middle support assemblies  40   a,    40   b,  which each include three stacked end support units  12 . The right support assembly  40   c  includes two stacked end support units  12 . Cross-beams  26  and  28  are mounted between the left and middle end-support assemblies  40   a  and  40   b  to provide support for four shelf panels  32 . Cross-beams  26  and  28  are mounted on and extended between the middle and right support unit assemblies  40   b  and  40   c  to provide three shelf panels  32 , as shown.  FIGS. 9 and 10  show other exemplary assemblies using end support units  12 . 
         [0045]    The present invention also provides work benches that utilize the benefits of the end support units  12  described above. With the reference to  FIG. 11 , there is provided a work bench  50  with a pair of opposing right and left end support units  12 , and front and rear cross-beams  26  and  28  are mounted on and extend between the left and right front and rear support posts  13  and  14  of the right and left end support units  12  at the top of the support posts  13  and  14 . For stabilization, a lower rear cross-beam  28  extends between the rear posts  13  of the right and left end support units  12  at a lower portion of those support posts. A panel  32  is supported at its front and rear edge portions by the upper front and rear cross beams  26  and  28 . 
         [0046]    A cover  52  is mounted over the upper braces  18  of the right and left end support units  12  to create a generally flat surface at about the same level as the top surfaces of shelf panel  32 . In an embodiment of the present invention, the cover  52  has the same cross-sectional configuration as the support posts  13 ,  14  of the end-support units  12 , but without the slots. 
         [0047]    A pair of upright supports  54  extend upwardly from the rearward portion of the end support units  12 . In an embodiment of the present invention, the uprights supports  54  are made of the same material and have the same cross-sectional configuration of the support posts  13 ,  14  of the end-support units  12 . The upright supports  54  have a generally horizontal flange  56  at their lower ends. The flange  56  extends forwardly and has a hole that aligns with holes in the cover  52  and upper brace  18  of the end support units  12 . The upright supports  54  may be secured to the end support units  12  by connectors, such as bolts as previously described. A cross-beam  58  is mounted at its ends to and extends between top ends of the left and right upright supports  54 . In the embodiment shown, there is provided a pegboard assembly  60  which extends between the left and right upright supports  54  and between the top of the workbench  50  and the cross-beam  58  at the upper end of the upright supports  54 . The pegboard assembly  60  preferably comprises two pegboard panels  62   a  and  62   b  connected together by a plastic strip connector  64  having an H-shaped cross-sectional configuration. Such a connector  64  comprises a pair of grooves or recesses for receiving the lower edge of the upper pegboard panel  62   a  and the upper edge of a lower pegboard panel  62   b.    
         [0048]    In the exemplary embodiment shown in  FIG. 11 , the workbench  50  comprises a drawer assembly. Any suitable drawer assembly may be used. Likewise, the workbench  50  could be provided with a lower shelf for storage purposes, if desired. 
         [0049]    With reference to  FIG. 12 , there is shown another exemplary workbench constructed according to another embodiment of the present invention. As can be seen, the workbench comprises two workbench assemblies as generally as described in  FIG. 11 , except that the middle end support unit  12  and upright support  54  provide common support for both workbench units. 
         [0050]    While the present invention has been described in connection with certain exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements thereof.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0