Abstract:
A restraining cable and rack system comprises material-bay dividers with cable restraints that can be laced-through, end-attached, and adjusted to a variety of heights on vertical bars. Long sticks or sheets of material are stood on-end inside the bays for retail display. The restraining cables are positioned to prevent the retail material from falling out of the bays.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to material-rack safety systems, and more particularly to easy-to-disconnect restraining cables that restrain vertical stands of board and stick materials in divided display racks. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     A typical warehouse retail store, e.g., The Home Depot, has divided racks for displaying wood moldings, corrugated roofing, and dimensional lumber. The material is stood on-end, and tilted-in to stay put. But very little keeps the long pieces in place in their divided racks. Not stacking the material right, bumping it, or an earthquake could result in a lot of heavy, dangerous material raining down on customers and workers. 
     So a number of devices have been developed in the prior art to keep such material in their divided racks. Those devices that are too difficult to be installed, don&#39;t get installed. Those that are too difficult to secure, don&#39;t get secured. And those mechanisms that are too difficult to disconnect or open can impede sales, or make the customer seek store-employee help. All of these things can work against the retail sales concept of self-help customers in warehouse stores. 
     A latched beam-to-column storage rack connector is described by Charles Highsmith, et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,045, issued Apr. 29, 1997. Here an improved hook-and-peg arrangement is disclosed. The problem of bumping the retaining bar up and unlatching it inadvertently was recognized. The configuration described supposedly overcomes such troubles. 
     A warehouse material-bay restraining cable system is described by the present inventor, Michael J. Calleja, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,672,546, issued Jan. 6, 2004. Such describes restraining cables that are attached at fixed points to bay dividers. It would be advantageous for the users to be able to freely and easily adjust the height of the restraining cables. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Briefly, a restraining cable and rack system embodiment of the present invention comprises tubular material-bay dividers with wire-rope restraining cable gates and easy-to-release cable clips that can be adjusted to various heights in the bays. Long sticks or sheets of material are stood on-end inside the bays for retail display. The cable clips are mounted on the front edges of the tubular material-bay dividers and the wire-rope restraining cable gates are secured to prevent the retail material from falling out onto the aisleways. A sliding lock on the cable clips has an enlarged hole that can be aligned to allow a beaded end of the wire-rope restraining cable gates to be secured or released. Such sliding lock is loosely attached, and will fall into a cable-locked position when not held up. 
     An advantage of the present invention is that a safety restraint is provided that is easy and simple to use. 
     A further advantage of the present invention is that a material display bay safety restraint is provided that is easy and simple to adjust. 
     Another advantage of the present invention is that a restraining cable and rack system is provided for retail home-improvement warehouse use. 
     A further advantage of the present invention is that a restraining cable system is provided that cannot be bumped or jarred into releasing the restraint gates. 
    
    
     
       The above and still further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of specific embodiments thereof, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a restraining cable and rack system embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the material bay dividers and cable-height adjustment bars used in the system of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view detailing a vertical cable adjustment bar and its attachment to a lobe of an upper part of a material bay divider, as used in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view detailing the snap hook attachment of a restraining cable to a cable-height adjustment bar, as used in  FIGS. 1–3 ; 
         FIG. 5  details a vertical cable restraint anchor bar, as used in  FIGS. 1–3 , for the intermediate dividers; and 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a material-storage system that is an alternative embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a restraining cable and rack system embodiment of the present invention, referred to herein by the reference numeral  100 . The implementation shown here has four bays for vertically standing long boards or material sheets in retail displays in home-improvement warehouse stores, etc. For example, dimensional 2-by-4 lumber studs  101 – 103 . Any number of bays can be used. 
     The restraining cable and rack system  100  comprises side frames  104  and  106  between which are hung lateral beams  108 – 110 . Beams anchors  112 – 114  are laterally adjusted and bolted down to fix the widths of each bay formed by adjacent dividers. A pair of dividers  116  and  118  form an “M” and are bridged at their respective frontal lobes by a vertical cable adjustment bar  120 . Such dividers  116  and  118  can be made of tubular aluminum, or other similar bars and pipes of structural materials. This is typical for all five such dividers shown in  FIG. 1  that make the four bays shown. One or more restraining cables  122  and  123  can be attached at a variety of heights on the vertical cable adjustment bar  120 . Such cables can be wire-rope, such as braided stainless steel, or may be of strong plastic like nylon. The cables  121 – 123  shown in  FIG. 1  bridge the bays and attach to respective vertical cable adjustment bars  120 . However, shorter cables can be used instead to bridge across fewer such bays, e.g., cable  121 . 
     The second through fifth M-divider assemblies are numbered  124 – 127  in  FIG. 1 . These form four bays A–D. 
       FIG. 2  represents a material display divider system  200  with M-dividers and cable-height adjustment bars as used in the system of  FIG. 1 . A complete “M-divider” includes an upper divider  201  and a lower divider  202  which are attached to beam anchors  204 – 206 . These are respectively clamped onto lateral beams  208 – 210 . A vertical bar  212  bridges the frontal lobes of the dividers  201  and  202 . Such has a number of slots and holes in which a restraint cable can be threaded or connected. For example, as shown in  FIGS. 4–5 . 
     Similarly, a second M-divider comprises an upper divider  214  and a lower divider  215  which are attached to beam anchors  216 – 218 . These are also respectively clamped onto lateral beams  208 – 210 . A second vertical bar  220  bridges the frontal lobes of the dividers  214  and  215 . 
       FIG. 3  details a vertical cable restraint anchor bar  300 , as used in  FIGS. 1–2 . The vertical cable restraint anchor bar  300  includes a flat metal body  302  folded into a U-channel to capture the tubing of an M-divider  304 . A carriage bolt  306  and machine nut  308 , or other type of fastener, is used to secure and fasten the assembly. The body  302  is punched or drilled with slots  310 – 311  and holes  312 – 313 . If carriage bolts are to be used, such holes can be square, as shown in the drawings. The intended use of such slots and holes is more apparent in  FIG. 4 . 
       FIG. 4  details a vertical cable restraint anchor bar  400 , as used in  FIGS. 1–3  at each side end. The vertical cable restraint anchor bar  300  includes a structural body  402  that is punched or drilled with slots  404 – 407  and holes  408 – 410 . These allow a snap-hook  412  attached to the end of a restraining cable  414  to be attached by a user at a variety of vertical positions or heights. 
       FIG. 5  details a vertical cable restraint anchor bar  500 , as used in  FIGS. 1–3  for the intermediate dividers. The vertical cable restraint anchor bar  500  includes a structural body  502  that is punched or drilled with slots  504 – 507  and holes  508 – 510 . These allow a snap hook  412  and a restraining cable  512  to be passed through by a user at a variety of vertical positions or heights. For example, a slot 1.5″ by three-eights to one inch wide has proven useful. 
       FIG. 6  represents a material-storage system  600  that is an alternative style to that shown in  FIG. 1 . Here, a cantilever backing frame  602  is fitted with lateral beams  604 – 606 . This allows a set of M-dividers  608 – 612  to be attached and adjusted to suit the material being displayed. Here, four bays are formed by the five M-divider  608 – 612 . The material on display rests on a floor plank  614 . Different restraint cables  616 – 618  are laced and attached at corresponding strategic points along the vertical bars at the front of each M-divider  608 – 612 . 
     Although particular embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated, such is not intended to limit the invention. Modifications and changes will no doubt become apparent to those skilled in the art, and it is intended that the invention only be limited by the scope of the appended claims.