Patent Abstract:
A protector for an upright column of a product storage rack has a V-shaped body with flat side walls joined to a convex curved vertical apex section. Pairs of studs cooperate with keyhole slots in the column to releasably mount the protector on the column. A releasable latch mounted on the protector engages the column to prevent removal of the protector from the column. The latch can be moved out of engagement from the column to permit the protector to be removed from the column.

Full Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The invention relates to protectors for columns or posts of racks for storing products to prevent damage to the racks from product handling vehicles. The protectors are releasably attached and locked to boltless columns of pallet racks.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Pallet racks are frame structures having a number of upright columns or posts connected to generally horizontal beams. Decks, such as wire grids, supported on the beams, are used to carry products, boxes and pallets loaded with goods. The lower ends of the columns are supported on floors and other support surfaces. Material handling vehicles, such as fork trucks, are used to load and unload pallets and product from the racks. When the vehicles or pallets carried by the vehicles impact the columns, they can be bent and cause products to spill from the racks. The repair of damaged racks requires considerable time, labor, and cost. Post protectors are used to guard rack columns from shock and impact forces caused by forklifts and other vehicles hitting the columns. Examples of post protectors for rack columns are described in the following U.S. patents.  
           [0003]    D. C. Mittag in U.S. Pat. No. 4,113,110 discloses a conventional storage rack having upright posts with keyhole slots and horizontal beams connected to the posts. A protector having an arcuate front section joined to inwardly directed legs is secured to a channel member. Attachment studs secured to the channel member coact with the keyhole slots in the posts to mount the protector on the post. The curved arcuate surface of the front section functions to laterally direct or glance off blows directed against the protector.  
           [0004]    W. R. Vargo in U.S. Pat. No. 5,369,925 discloses pallet rack post protectors located around the lower portion of a post. Pins anchor protectors to the floor adjacent the bottom ends of the posts. The protectors have a general U-shape with a V base. Flanges on the lower end of protectors accommodate an elastic membrane which allows the protector to elastically move upon impact thereby absorbing the impact force of a vehicle hitting the protectors.  
           [0005]    C. S. Ferchat et al in U.S. Pat. No. 6,003,697 discloses a support assembly for attaching a sign to a pallet rack. The pallet rack has upright posts connected to horizontal beams and horizontal base members. The support assembly has a lower semi-cylindrical bumper member jointed to the upright member.  
           [0006]    J. D. MacDonald in U.S. Pat. No. 6,332,549 discloses a repair kit for a pallet rack frame having a front upright post. An angle deflector  22  is mounted on the lower portion of post  14 . The bend in the angle deflector faces forward to deflect collisions from equipment such as forklifts. The deflector is secured with welds to the post to reinforce the base of the post.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    The invention is a protective device for storage rack columns. The device is a column protector used to guard lower sections of columns or posts from direct impact forces from material handling vehicles, such as forklifts. The protector has a rigid body having outwardly diverging walls joined to a convex curved apex section. The walls and apex section of the body are impact barriers that absorb and deflect impact forces caused by forklifts that strike the protector. The protector is releasably mounted with connectors on the column. Bolts, welds, and other types of fasteners that require tools to attach the protector to the column are not used to mount the protector of the invention on the column. The protector can be mounted on existing storage rack columns. A releasable latch mounted on the protector cooperates with the column to prevent the protector from being removed from the column. The latch must be retracted from the column to allow the column to be moved to a position whereby the connectors can be disengaged from column to separate the protector from the column.  
           [0008]    The preferred embodiment of the protector is used with an upright column having a wall with vertical rows of keyhole slots. The keyhole slots in each row of slots are vertically spaced from each other and converge in a downward direction. The vertical rows of keyhole slots allows the protector to be mounted on the column in selected vertical positions. The protector has a V-shaped metal body having first and second walls joined with a convex curved apex section. The body is a one-piece right angle member. The walls have flat outside surfaces that merge with the apex section whereby impact forces applied to the protector deflect or glance off laterally thereby reducing forces on the column. A top wall is secured to the upper portions of the first and second walls and apex section. Upper and lower transverse plates are connected to the outer edges of the first and second walls. The top wall and transverse plates laterally reinforce the first and second walls of the body. A first pair of first studs are secured to and extend rearwardly from the upper plate. A second pair of second studs are secured and extended rearwardly from the lower plate. The second studs are vertically aligned with the first studs. Each stud has an enlarged head adapted to be inserted through the large portion of a keyhole slot and moved down into engagement with the wall of the column to mount the protector on the column. The protector must be moved in an upward direction to release the studs from the column before the protector can be removed from the column. A latch having a lock pin extended through a keyhole slot and engageable with the column prevents the protector from being moved upwardly thereby preventing removal of the protector from column. A member mounted on the upper plate holds the lock pin in locking engagement with the column. When lock pin is moved out of engagement with the column, the protector can be moved upward and removed from the column. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING  
       [0009]    [0009]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the column protector of the invention;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of FIG. 1;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 3 is a top plan view of FIG. 1;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of FIG. 1;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the left side of FIG. 1;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 6 is a rear elevational view of FIG. 1;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line  7 - 7  of FIG. 2;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line  8 - 8  of FIG. 6;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line  9 - 9  of FIG. 2;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 10 is a front elevational view of the protector mounted on a column of a rack;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 11 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line  11 - 11  of FIG. 10;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 12 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line  12 - 12  of FIG. 10; and  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 13 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line  113 - 13  of FIG. 10. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0022]    Protector  10 , shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, is a shield and guard for a column of a rack. In use, protector  10  is mounted on a lower portion of a column or post to prevent damage to the column from material handling vehicles and pallets and articles transported by their vehicle. Protector  10  is adapted to be mounted on columns of storage racks in use in warehouses and locations using product racks.  
         [0023]    Protector  10  has a right angle body  11  having first and second rectangular walls  12  and  13  joined to an upright linear apex section  14 . Walls  12  and  13  are identical in size and shape and extend from the bottom to the top of protector  10 . The width of each wall is uniform throughout the length of the wall. As shown in FIG. 3, walls  12  and  13  are orientated 90 degrees relative to each other. Other angular relationships can be used for walls  12  and  13 . Apex section  14  has a rounded or convex curved outer surface with no sharp edges. Walls  12  and  13  have flat upright rectangular outer surfaces that merge with the convex curved outer surface of apex section  14 . The flat outside diverging surfaces of walls  12  and  13  and convex curved apex section  14  cause impact forces to deflect or glace off laterally thereby reducing the forces applied to the column supporting the protector  10 . Walls  12  and  13  have upright linear outside edges  16  and  17 . Body  11  is a one-piece strong metal member, such as steel. Other materials, such as ultra high molecular weight plastic, can be used for body  11 .  
         [0024]    As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a triangular top wall  18  is secured with welds  19  to the top of walls  12  and  13  and apex section  144 . Wall  18  is a metal plate located flush with the tops of walls  12  and  13 . Wall  18  has a transverse linear rear edge  20  extended between edges  16  and  17  of walls  12  and  13 .  
         [0025]    An upper plate  21 , shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, located below top wall  18  is secured with welds  23  and  24  to walls  12  and  13 . Plate  21  is a flat metal member extended transversely between edges  16  and  17  of walls  12  and  13 . Plate  21  has transversely spaced holes  31  and  32  accommodating studs  26  and  27 . Stud  26  has a cylindrical body  33  joined to a cylindrical neck  34  in contact with the outside surface of plate  21 . An enlarged head  36  joined to neck  34  is spaced by neck  34  outwardly of the outside surface of plate  21 . Body  33  has a tight friction force fit in hole  31  to permanently join stud  26  to plate  21 . Stud  27  has the same structure as stud  26 , shown as cylindrical body  37 , cylindrical neck  38  and head  39 . Body  37  has a tight friction force fit in hole  32  to permanently join stud  27  to plate  21 . Studs  26  and  27  are transversely spaced from each other a distance corresponding to keyhole slots in a column of a rack.  
         [0026]    As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, a latch  41  mounted on plate  21  is operable to lock protector  10  on the column. Latch  41  has a lock pin  42  extended through hole  43  in plate  21  and an aligned slot in the column. Pin  42  when in the lock position prevent the protector  10  from being moved upward and separated from the column. Hole  43  is located below and vertically aligned with stud  27 . Pin  42  is secured to a flat bar  44  located behind plate  21 . Member or flat bar  44  has an outside U-shaped tab  46  extended into a slot  47  in a lower portion of plate  21 . Tab  46  pivotally retains member  44  on plate  21 . As shown in FIG. 8, when the lower end  48  of member  44  is moved in the direction of arrow  48 , pin  42  moves in the direction of arrow  51  to an unlock or release position whereby protector  10  can be moved upward and removed from the column. An ear  52  on bar  44  adjacent pin  42  is a stop member that contacts wall  13  to limit movement of pin  42  in the direction of arrow  51  so as to retain a portion of pin  42  in hole  43 . When the force on end  48  of member  44  is released, bar  44  springs back adjacent plate  21  thereby projecting pin  42  laterally of plate  21  to its lock position.  
         [0027]    As shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, studs  28  and  29  are laterally spaced from each other and longitudinally aligned with studs  26  and  27 . Stud  28  has a cylindrical body  56  extended through hole  53  in plate  22 . Body  56  has a tight force fit with plate  22  to anchor stud  28  on plate  22 . A Cylindrical neck  57  joined to body  56  supports a head  58 . Stud  29  has a cylindrical body force fitted in a hole  54  in plate  22 . A cylindrical neck  61  joined to body  48  is connected to a head  62 . Studs  26 - 29  are metal members. Other materials for the studs and connections to plates  21  and  22  can be used.  
         [0028]    An example of one embodiment of protector  10  has a ⅜ inch right angled steel body  11  having a length of 12 inches. Each wall  12  and  13  has a width of 2 inches. The convex curve of the apex has a 0.5 inch radius with opposite portions coextensive with the outside rectangular surfaces of walls  12  and  13 . The necks of studs  26 - 29  has 0.375 inch diameters joined to heads having 0.62 inch diameters. Studs  26  and  27  are laterally spaced 1.5 inches. Studs  28  and  29  are vertically aligned with studs  28  and  29  and laterally spaced 1.5 inches. Studs  26  and  27  are longitudinally spaced 8 inches from studs  28  and  29 . Protector  10  can be made of high strength materials other than steel, such as high density plastic and composite materials. The size and shape of the body and locations of the studs can be changed to accommodate different types of rack columns and slots in the columns.  
         [0029]    In use, as shown in FIGS.  10 - 13 , column protector  10  is mounted on a rack column  63  secured to a base  64  resting on a support  66 , such as a floor. Column  63  is an upright rectangular metal member or post having vertical rows of keyhole-shaped slots or holes  67  and  68  in one or more side walls of the column. Adjacent keyhole-shaped slots are vertically spaced from each other along the length of column  63 . The upper ends of slots  67  and  68  are larger than heads  36 ,  39 ,  58  and  62  of studs  26 - 29  to allow the heads to be moved through the slots. The lower ends of slots  67  and  68  are smaller than heads  36 ,  39 ,  58  and  62  of studs  26 - 29  whereby the heads retain protector  10  on column  63 . Protector  10  is mounted on column  63  by positioning the protector adjacent the side of column  63  with studs  26 - 29  aligned with the upper ends of slots  67  and  68 . Protector  10  is then moved toward column  63  and downward to locate studs  26 - 29  in the bottom sections of slots  67  and  68  to mount protector  10  on column  63 . As shown in FIG. 12, lock pin  42  extends through slot  68  when protector  10  is in the down attached position. Pin  42  located in the upper section of slot  68  prevents protector  10  from moving up to its release position. Pin  42  must be retracted from slot  68  to allow protector  10  to be moved up to a release position before protector can be moved upward and removed from column  63 .  
         [0030]    The described column protector is one embodiment of the invention. Changes in materials, arrangement and combinations of structures and parts can be made by persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0