Patent ID: 7114789

Claim:
A mobile storage system, comprising: a rail arrangement; and one or more mobile storage units movably mounted to the rail arrangement; wherein the rail arrangement comprises a rail base and a support member; wherein the rail base includes at least first and second aligned base sections, wherein the first and second base sections define first and second adjacent ends, respectively, that form a joint in the base, wherein each base section includes a transverse lower wall defining an upwardly facing surface, wherein the transverse lower walls of the base sections face and engage each other at the joint in the base; wherein the support member includes first and second aligned support member sections, wherein the first and second support member sections define first and second adjacent ends, respectively, that form a joint in the support member, wherein each support member section defines a rectangular cross section and includes an upwardly facing surface engageable with the one or more storage units and a downwardly facing surface facing the base, and wherein the joint in the support member includes a vertically extending tongue extending outwardly from one of the first and second adjacent ends between the upwardly facing surface and the downwardly facing surface of one of the rail sections, and a vertically extending groove extending inwardly from the other of the first and second adjacent ends between the upwardly facing surface and the downwardly facing surface of one of the rail sections, wherein the tongue is engaged within the groove and maintains the first and second rail sections in horizontal alignment with each other; wherein the first and second base sections and the first and second support member sections are arranged such that the joint in the support member is axially offset from the joint in the base; wherein the upwardly facing surfaces of the transverse lower walls of the first and second base sections extend laterally outwardly of the first and second support member sections, respectively, and wherein the joint between the support members overlies and is supported by the transverse lower wall of one of the first and second base sections.