U.S. patent application number 09/940724 was filed with the patent office on 2002-03-07 for rack assembly for supporting electronic units.
Invention is credited to Ray, Jay D..
Application Number | 20020026753 09/940724 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 26884623 |
Filed Date | 2002-03-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020026753 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ray, Jay D. |
March 7, 2002 |
Rack assembly for supporting electronic units
Abstract
A rack assembly for supporting electronic units which includes a
generally rectangular frame having reinforcing plates welded
thereto to extend outwardly therefrom, and a reinforced mounting
portion disposed at the lower end of the frame and having a length
corresponding generally to the height of the vertical spacing
between a permanent floor and secondary flooring disposed above the
permanent flooring so that the mounting portion can be secured
directly to the permanent flooring and pass upwardly through an
opening in the secondary flooring. A plurality of the rack
assemblies may be arranged in side-by-side relationship in a room,
and the reinforcing plates of adjacent rack assemblies provide wire
management channels.
Inventors: |
Ray, Jay D.; (Saratoga,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
KENNEDY COVINGTON LOBDELL & HICKMAN, LLP
100 N TRYON STREET
BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATE CENTER
CHARLOTTE
NC
28202-4006
US
|
Family ID: |
26884623 |
Appl. No.: |
09/940724 |
Filed: |
August 27, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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09940724 |
Aug 27, 2001 |
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09584589 |
May 31, 2000 |
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6301837 |
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60188951 |
Mar 13, 2000 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
52/27 ; 211/189;
211/26; 52/263; 52/29; 52/36.4 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H05K 7/1488 20130101;
E04F 15/02411 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
52/27 ; 52/29;
52/36.4; 52/263; 211/26; 211/189 |
International
Class: |
E04B 007/00; E04B
005/00; A47B 047/00; A47B 057/00; E04H 014/00; E04H 006/06; A47F
007/00; E04F 019/00; B66B 009/00; A47B 043/00; E04B 001/00 |
Claims
1. A rack assembly for supporting a plurality of electronic units
selectively mounted therein and intended for installation in a room
having a permanent flooring and a secondary flooring having
openings therein, said secondary flooring being disposed above said
permanent flooring to form a vertical spacing therebetween, said
rack assembly including: (a) a generally rectangular frame having
two side elements, a top element and a bottom element, and said
frame being formed with openings therein through which said
electronic units can be mounted; (b) a mounting portion disposed at
the lower end of said frame and having rigid reinforcing members
forming a part of said mounting portion, said mounting portion
having feet formed at the bottom thereof to rest on said permanent
flooring and to be secured directly to said permanent flooring; and
(c) a bottom plate fixed to said frame at the lower end thereof and
positioned to lie in a plane substantially parallel to said
secondary flooring when said mounting portion is attached to said
permanent flooring, whereby said rack assembly can be fixed to said
permanent flooring and extend upwardly through one of said openings
in said secondary flooring without attachment thereto.
2. A rack assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein said mounting
portion has a vertical height corresponding to the vertical spacing
between said permanent flooring and said secondary flooring.
3. A rack assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein said flat bottom
plate is formed with at least one opening positioned to permit
cooling air to flow upwardly from said vertical spacing and into
contact with any electronic units mounted in said frame.
4. A rack assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein a flat top plate
is fixed to said top element of said frame and extends outwardly
from both sides thereof, said flat top plate having upturned
flanges at the outmost edges thereof forming a through for
supporting and containing electrical wires associated with said
electronic units supported in said rack assembly.
5. A rack assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein said frame, said
mounting portion and said flat bottom plate are all made of steel,
and are all joined together solely by welding.
6. A rack assembly for supporting a plurality of electronic units
selectively mounted therein and intended for installation in a room
having a permanent flooring and a secondary flooring having
openings therein, said secondary flooring being disposed above said
permanent flooring to form a vertical spacing therebetween, said
rack assembly including: (a) a generally rectangular frame having
two side elements, a top element and a bottom element, and said
frame being formed with openings therein through which said
electronic units can be mounted; (b) a mounting portion disposed at
the lower end of and entirely below said frame and having rigid
reinforcing members forming a part of said mounting portion, said
mounting portion having feet formed at the bottom thereof to rest
on said permanent flooring and to be secured directly to said
permanent flooring; and (c) a bottom plate attached to said bottom
element of said frame along the length of the bottom element and
positioned to be generally coplanar with said secondary flooring
when said mounting portion is attached to said permanent flooring,
whereby said rack assembly can be fixed to said permanent flooring
and extend upwardly through one of said openings in said secondary
flooring without attachment thereto such that the frame can be
disposed entirely above the secondary flooring.
7. A rack assembly as defined in claim 6, wherein the side elements
of the frame generally define a plane, and wherein a flat side
plate is fixed to each of said side elements of said frame and
extends outwardly from both side edges thereof in a direction
perpendicular to the plane defined generally by the side elements
of the frame to provide reinforcing strength to said side
elements.
8. A rack assembly as defined in claim 6, wherein the frame defines
a front, a back, and two sides, wherein a flat top plate is fixed
to said top element of said frame and extends outwardly from both
sides thereof, said flat top plate having upturned flanges at the
front and back edges thereof forming a trough, the trough extending
in a direction from one side of the frame to the other for
supporting and containing electrical wires associated with said
electronic units supported in said rack assembly.
9. A rack assembly for supporting a plurality of electronic units
selectively mounted therein and intended for installation in a room
having a permanent flooring and a secondary flooring having
openings therein, said secondary flooring being disposed above said
permanent flooring to form a vertical spacing therebetween, said
rack assembly including: (a) a generally rectangular frame having
two side elements, a top element and a bottom element, and said
frame being formed with openings therein through which said
electronic units can be mounted; (b) a mounting portion disposed at
the lower end of and entirely below said frame and having rigid
reinforcing members forming a part of said mounting portion, said
mounting portion having feet formed at the bottom thereof to rest
on said permanent flooring and to be secured directly to said
permanent flooring; and (c) a bottom plate fixed to said bottom
element of said frame to extend outwardly from both side edges
thereof to provide reinforcing strength to said bottom element,
whereby said rack assembly can be fixed to said permanent flooring
and extend upwardly through one of said openings in said secondary
flooring without attachment thereto.
10. A rack assembly as defined in claim 9, wherein the bottom
element of the frame has a C-shaped cross-section.
11. A rack assembly as defined in claim 9, wherein the sub-portion
of the rack assembly between the feet and the bottom of the frame
defines a riser portion, wherein the outermost surfaces of the
riser portion define the perimeter of a first floorspace, wherein
the perimeter of the bottom plate defines the perimeter of a second
floorspace, and wherein the first floorspace and the second
floorspace are generally equal.
12. A rack assembly as defined in claim 9, wherein the sub-portion
of the rack assembly between the feet and the bottom of the frame
defines a riser portion, wherein the outermost surfaces of the
riser portion define the perimeter of a first floorspace, wherein
the sub-portion of the rack assembly above the bottom plate defines
a rack portion, wherein the outermost surfaces of the rack portion
define the perimeter of a second floorspace, and wherein the first
floorspace and the second floorspace are generally equal.
13. A rack assembly as defined in claim 9, wherein said mounting
portion has a vertical height corresponding to the vertical spacing
between said permanent flooring and said secondary flooring.
14. A rack assembly as defined in claim 9, wherein said mounting
portion has a vertical height corresponding to a conventional
elevation of secondary flooring above permanent flooring.
15. A rack assembly as defined in claim 14, wherein the vertical
height of said mounting portion is generally equal to the
conventional elevation of secondary flooring above permanent
flooring.
16. A rack assembly as defined in claim 15, wherein the vertical
height of said mounting portion is between 11 inches and 25
inches.
17. A rack assembly as defined in claim 16, wherein the vertical
height of said mounting portion is about 12 inches.
18. A rack assembly as defined in claim 16, wherein the vertical
height of said mounting portion is about 24 inches.
19. A rack assembly as defined in claim 9, wherein the lateral
dimensions of the rack assembly are substantially uniform from
immediately above the feet to the top of the frame, wherein the
size of the rack assembly at any given elevation on the rack
assembly is defined as the area defined by the outermost surfaces
of the rack assembly at the given elevation.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is entitled to the benefit of, and claims
priority to, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/584,589, filed May
31, 2000, entitled "RACK ASSEMBLY FOR SUPPORTING ELECTRONIC UNITS,"
and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/188,951,
filed Mar. 13, 2000, entitled "SEISMIC EQUIPMENT RACK."
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to racks for
supporting self-contained units, and more particularly to rack
assemblies of this type which are used to support electronic units
such as, for example, electronic internet server units.
[0003] In general, racks designed for this purpose include a
rectangular frame that extends vertically upwardly from the floor,
and the sides of the frame are provided with apertures or openings
for receiving screws and the like which are used to mount a
plurality of the electronic units in the frame so that they are
vertically stacked in close proximity to one another to conserve
space. Usually, each electronic unit is self-contained, operates
independently of the other units, and requires its own wiring. For
example, it is common practice for one company to maintain a large
number of internet server units in one room, with each such unit
being wired directly to the company which controls the internet
server contained within that unit. It will be understood that the
number of electronic units that are placed within a rack will vary
significantly depending on the vertical height of the rack and the
vertical dimensions of the electronic units, but in a
representative rack housing internet server units, there may be
approximately five units mounted in a single rack.
[0004] Since the electronic units will generally house sensitive
electronic equipment, it is important that the racks be mounted in
place so that the electronics units are not subjected to undue
movement or vibration which could render the unit inoperative.
Accordingly, most racks of this type are mounted directly to the
raised or secondary flooring of a room (e.g. a floor formed by
tiles held in place in a metal frame) by foot members that rest on
top of the secondary flooring, and long bolts or the like are
passed through the foot members and the secondary flooring so that
they can be anchored to a primary floor (e.g. concrete flooring)
located below the secondary flooring in spaced relation thereto to
provide a vertical space for containing wiring, ductwork, and other
construction elements, all as well known in the construction
industry.
[0005] While these known racks are generally secure enough to
properly support sensitive electronic units under normal
conditions, they are woefully inadequate if there is an abnormal
condition, such as an earthquake of a certain size somewhere in the
vicinity of the room in which the racks are housed. Under these
conditions, the secondary flooring to which the racks are directly
connected and which are relatively lightweight and thin in
construction, will often buckle or collapse to an extent that the
racks secured thereto will also collapse, become twisted, or
otherwise be moved to an extent that the sensitive electronic
elements supported within the racks will be rendered inoperative.
This problem is exacerbated by the fact that these known racks are
usually made primarily from aluminum, and at least some of the
components of the rack are usually bolted together, all of which
creates a somewhat flimsy rack structure.
[0006] One effort to solve the problem of properly supporting the
racks under these adverse conditions has been to build a specially
designed seismic bracing cage that surrounds the rack and adds
additional support to the rack, but this is an expensive remedy,
both in terms of material and installation costs, and it increases
the floor space required to accommodate each rack supported in this
manner.
[0007] Since it will be understood that racks of this type are
being utilized in very large numbers in Silicon Valley and other
areas which are prone to experience earthquakes at periodic
intervals, and since each of these racks contains a substantial
number of independent electronic units upon which many different
companies may depend on a daily basis, the seriousness of this
problem will be readily apparent.
[0008] Additionally, the procedure for installing racks of this
general type is relatively complicated. More specifically, in a
typical installation, a plurality of the racks are brought to the
room in which they are to be installed, and they are temporarily
lined up at their expected positions on the secondary flooring so
that the secondary flooring can be appropriately marked with
indicia showing where all of the connecting bolts will be located.
The racks are then moved away, and appropriate floor tiles are
removed from the metal frame in which they are mounted so that they
can be drilled with holes at the locations indicated by the
markings. It is also then necessary to place markings on the
concrete primary flooring at each location at which one of the long
mounting bolts or all-threads are to be anchored, and since these
markings obviously must be coordinated with the holes drilled in
the tiles, it is usually necessary to reinstall the tiles and use
the holes in the tiles as guides for installing concrete anchors
and all-threads in the concrete flooring. Then, the floor tiles are
put back in place and the racks are bolted to the floor tiles and
to the concrete flooring. Thus, this installation procedure is very
time consuming, labor intensive and, therefore, expensive.
[0009] Accordingly, known racks in which electronic units and the
like are mounted suffer serious drawbacks. Most importantly, they
are susceptible to major damage in the event of a significant
seismic event, and they are difficult and expensive to install. In
accordance with the present invention, a rack assembly is provided
which overcomes these drawbacks of known constructions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] The present invention provides a rack assembly for
supporting a plurality of electronic units selectively mounted
therein and intended for installation in a room having a permanent
flooring and a secondary flooring having openings therein, with the
secondary flooring being disposed above the permanent flooring to
form a vertical spacing therebetween, in accordance with standard
building practices. The rack assembly includes a generally
rectangular frame having two side elements, a top element and a
bottom element, and the frame is formed with openings therein
through which electronic units can be mounted. A mounting portion
is disposed at the lower end of the frame and has reinforcing
members connected thereto, and the mounting portion has feet formed
at the bottom thereof to permit the rack assembly to be secured
directly to the permanent flooring. A bottom plate is fixed to the
frame at the lower end thereof and is positioned to lie in a plane
substantially parallel to the plane of the secondary flooring when
the mounting portion is attached to the permanent flooring.
Accordingly, the rack assembly can be fixed to the permanent
flooring and extend upwardly through one of the openings in the
secondary flooring without attachment thereto.
[0011] In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
mounting portion of the rack assembly is provided with a plurality
of reinforcing members disposed between the feet and the bottom
plate, including two downwardly extending flat plates to which the
feet are attached and a plurality of tubes extending vertically
along the downwardly extending flat plates. Two cross braces may
also be provided to extend diagonally between the bottom end of one
the plates and the top of the other the plates. Also, the mounting
portion has a vertical height corresponding to the vertical spacing
between the concrete flooring and the secondary flooring.
[0012] Additionally, in the preferred embodiment of the present
invention, a pair of flat side plates are fixed, preferably by
welding, to the side elements of the frame and extend outwardly
from both side edges thereof to provide reinforcing strength to the
side elements, and these side plates are formed with a plurality of
openings therein which are positioned to permit individual
electrical wires to pass through one of the openings for connection
to each one of the electronic units mounted in the rack
assembly.
[0013] It is also preferred that the aforesaid flat bottom plate be
formed with at least one opening positioned to permit cooling air
to flow upwardly from the vertical spacing and into contact with
any electronic units mounted in the frame, and that a flat top
plate be fixed to the top element of the frame and extend outwardly
from both sides thereof. Moreover the flat top plate may have
upturned flanges at the outmost edges thereof forming a through for
supporting and containing electrical wires associated with the
electronic units supported in the rack assembly.
[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, the side
elements of the frame are V-shaped, with each leg being formed with
the openings through which the electronic units can be mounted; in
an alternate embodiment the side elements of the frame are
U-shaped, with each leg portion being formed with the openings
through which the electronic units can be mounted and with the
bottom portion being formed with opening disposed adjacent to each
of the positions at which the electronic units are mounted, whereby
the U-shaped side element can serve as channels through which
cooling air can be delivered to the electronic units mounted
thereon.
[0015] In accordance with one feature of the present invention, the
top, bottom and side elements of the frame are each provided with
flat steel reinforcing plates extending outwardly therefrom as
described above, and thereby forming a reinforcing rectangular box
surrounding the frame, with the reinforcing rectangular box being
disposed above the mounting portion. Accordingly, the rack assembly
can be fixed to the permanent flooring and extend upwardly through
one of the openings in the secondary flooring without attachment
thereto and with the reinforcing rectangular box being disposed
above the secondary flooring.
[0016] The present invention also contemplates a room construction
for housing a plurality of the individual aforesaid rack assemblies
that are arranged in the room with each rack assembly being
supported directly to the permanent (e.g. concrete) flooring, with
the mounting portion of the rack assemblies disposed between the
permanent and secondary flooring, and with the frame portion of
each rack assembly extending upwardly through an opening in the
secondary flooring without attachment thereto. In this form of the
present invention, it is preferred that at least some of the rack
assemblies be arranged in side-by-side relationship with the side
plates of one such rack assembly being disposed adjacent to and
spaced from the side plate of another such rack assembly so as to
form a channel therebetween for containing electrical wires
extending to the electronic units. Also, at least some of the rack
assemblies can be arranged in side-by-side relationship with the
flat top plates of one such rack assembly being disposed adjacent
to and spaced from the top plate of another such rack assembly with
the upstanding flanges of the top plates being disposed in parallel
planes so as to form a channel therebetween for containing
electrical wires extending between the rack assemblies.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rack assembly according to
the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 2 illustrates the rack assembly shown in FIG. 1 mounted
in place to a permanent floor.
[0019] FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a plurality of rack assemblies
arranged in a room;
[0020] FIGS. 4 and 4(a) are detail views of one embodiment of the
frame portion of the rack assembly of the present invention;
and
[0021] FIGS. 5 and 5(a) are detail views of another embodiment of
the frame portion of the rack assembly of the present
invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0022] Looking now in greater detail at the accompanying drawings,
FIG. 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of a rack assembly 10
according to the present invention. It includes a generally
rectangular frame 12 consisting of two side elements 14, a top
element 16, and a bottom element 18, all of which include a large
plurality of apertures or holes 20 for receiving mounting bolts
(not shown) for attaching conventional electronic units (not shown)
in vertically stacked relationship to one another within the frame
12, all in a fashion well-known in the art.
[0023] In one embodiment of the present invention, the side, top
and bottom elements 14, 16 and 18 have a W-shaped configuration
with the openings 20 extending through both legs of the elements as
best illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 5(a). In an alternate embodiment of
the present invention, which is best illustrated in FIGS. 4 and
4(a), the two side elements 14 of the frame 12 have a U-shaped
configuration with the mounting holes 20 being formed in the two
leg portions of the elements, and the bottom portion of the
U-shaped elements are formed with enlarged openings 22 through
which cooling air can flow in a manner to be described
presently.
[0024] Each of the side elements 14 of the frame 12 has welded
thereto, side reinforcing plates 24 that extend outwardly in both
directions from the side elements 14 and which extend vertically
along the full extent of the side elements 14. These side plates 24
are formed with openings 26 which are positioned to permit
individual electrical wires to pass through such openings 26 for
connection to one of the electronic units to be mounted in the rack
assembly 10.
[0025] The bottom element 18 of the frame 12 is fixed, preferably
by welding, to a flat bottom plate 28, and this plate 28 extends
outwardly from each side of the bottom element 18 and is formed in
both such side portions with a plurality of openings 30 having a
purpose to be described presently.
[0026] The top element 16 of the frame 12 has attached thereto,
preferably by welding, a flat top plate 32 which extends outwardly
in both directions from the top element 16. The top plate 32 also
has upturned flanges 34 at the outermost edges thereof, and these
flanges 34, together with the flat portion of the top plate 32,
form a trough for supporting and containing electrical wires
associated with the electronic units to be supported in the rack
assembly 10.
[0027] The rack assembly 10 also includes a mounting portion 36
which is disposed at the lower end of the frame 12. This mounting
portion 36 consists of two downwardly extending flat plates 38,
which are a continuation of the above-described side plates 24, and
each plate 38 has a foot member 40 welded thereto at its bottom
edge, the foot member 40 having connecting holes 42 formed therein.
The mounting portion includes two reinforcing cross braces 44 which
extend from the bottom of one of the downwardly extending plates 38
to the upper end of the other of such plates 38. Additionally, a
plurality of reinforcing tube elements or channels 46 extend
vertically along the inner surfaces of both of the downwardly
extending plates 38.
[0028] In contrast to the difficult and expensive installation
procedures for known rack assemblies as described above, the rack
assembly of the present invention can be quickly and easily
installed. More specifically, in looking at FIG. 2, the rack
assembly 10 is illustrated in conjunction with a room having a
typical permanent concrete floor 48 and secondary flooring 50,
sometimes referred to as the computer floor, where rack assemblies
of the type in question are installed, which is generally formed by
plurality of tiles 52 removable mounted in a tile frame 52'. Again,
in conventional structures of this type, the secondary flooring 50
is disposed approximately two feet above the concrete flooring 48
to provide a vertical space therebetween which can be used for a
variety of known building construction functions.
[0029] To install the rack assembly 10 of the present invention, it
is only necessary to remove one of the removable floor tiles 52,
and then drop the mounting portion 36 of the rack assembly 10
through the opening created by the removal of the floor tile 52 and
install the mounting portion 36 directly into the concrete flooring
48 using appropriate connecting bolts (not shown) which pass
through the holes 42 in the foot members 40. Then, a portion of the
removed tile 52 having dimensions slightly larger than the
horizontal cross sectional area of the rack assembly 10 is cut
away, and the tile 52 is then put back into the supporting floor
tile frame. It will be apparent that this installation procedure
can be done much more quickly, and much more inexpensively than
conventional installation procedures which are described in detail
above.
[0030] As best seen in FIG. 2, after the rack assembly 10 has been
installed, it is securely attached to the permanent concrete
flooring 48 by the mounting portion 36, and it extends upwardly
through an opening in the secondary or computer flooring 50 without
any attachment to the computer floor 50. This is an important
advantage in the event of an earthquake because the computer floor
50, which generally consists of a metal framework 52' and supported
tiles 52, does not have the structural integrity of permanent
flooring, and it therefore tends to buckle or collapse under the
influence of significant seismic vibration. Obviously, if the rack
assembly 10 were bolted or otherwise secured to the computer floor
50, it will tend to be twisted or otherwise corrupted by the
buckled or collapsed computer floor 50.
[0031] Moreover, it will be noted that the mounting portion 36 of
the rack assembly 10 has a vertical height corresponding generally
to the spacing between the concrete flooring 48 and the computer
floor 50 so that it can accept significant reinforcement members,
such as the cross braces 44 and the tubes or channels 46, without
interfering in any way with the frame 12 and its ability to
properly support electronic units. It will also be noted that the
frame 12, which is disposed above the computer floor 50, has
significant reinforcement capabilities, again without interfering
in any way with the frame 12. Thus, each of the elements 14, 16 and
18 is welded to its own steel reinforcing plate 24, 32, and 28,
respectively, which form a reinforcing rectangular box completely
surrounding the frame 12, and this rectangular reinforcing box is
disposed above the mounting portion 36 and above the computer floor
50. This box-like configuration of the plates 24, 28, and 32 and
its location above the computer floor 50 combine nicely with the
substantially reinforced mounting portion 36 below the computer
floor 50 to provide the frame 12 and any electronic units mounted
therein with extraordinary protection against earthquakes.
[0032] In accordance with another feature of the present invention,
it will be noted that when the rack assembly 10 is mounted in place
as shown in FIG. 2, the bottom plate 28 lies in the same plane as
the computer floor 50 and substantially fills the opening in the
computer floor 50 which is made to receive the rack assembly 10.
Moreover, the openings 30 in the bottom plate 28 permit the cooler
air that is usually present in the spacing between the concrete
floor 48 and the computer floor 50 to flow upwardly and provide
ambient cooling of the electronic units mounted in the rack
assembly 10. If additional cooling is needed, the alternate
embodiment of the side elements 14, which is illustrated in FIGS. 4
and 4(a) and described in greater detail above, may be utilized, in
which case any suitable and conventional source of cooling air (not
shown) can be pumped into the interior of the U-shaped side
elements 14 to be discharged through the openings 22 and directed
toward the electronic units mounted in the rack assembly 10.
[0033] The rack assembly 10 of the present invention also takes
advantage of the reinforcing side plates 24 and the reinforcing top
plate 32 to provide wire maintenance capabilities without adding
any additional construction. More specifically, and as best
illustrated in FIG. 3, it is a common practice to use a plurality
of rack assemblies 10 within a single room, and the rack assemblies
10 are also usually arranged in side-by-side arrangement to occupy
as little floor space as possible while still providing convenient
access to the electronic units mounted in the rack assemblies 10.
It will be understood that the rack assemblies illustrated in FIG.
3 are secured to the concrete floor 50 to extend upwardly through
the secondary floor 50 in the same manner as that illustrated in
FIG. 2 and described above, and because the rack assemblies 10 are
arranged in side-by-side arrangements, one of the side plates 24 of
one of the rack assemblies 10 can be arranged and spaced in
parallel relationship to a facing side plate 24 of an adjacent rack
assembly 10 as illustrated in FIG. 3. These two side plates 24 form
a natural channel through which the numerous electrical wires (not
shown) can be contained and managed. If necessary or desired, it is
a simple matter to also put a cover (not shown) over the spacings
between the adjacent side plates 24 to more fully contain the
electrical wires. In this same regard, it will also be noted that
the openings 26 in the side plates 24 provide a convenient access
opening through which individual electrical wires contained,
between two adjacent side plates 24 can be passed to a connection
with any one of the electronic units mounted in the rack assembly
10. This convenient wire management feature is in contrast to known
rack assemblies of this general type which require the attachment
of a separate wire management channel to each side of a rack
assembly which not only increases the cost of the overall system,
but also requires additional installation, time and expense.
[0034] As also best illustrated in FIG. 3, it will be noted that
when rack assemblies 10 are mounted in side-by-side relationship,
the top plates 32 thereof all lie in the same plane, and the
upstanding flanges 34 similarly lie in the same plane. Accordingly,
the troughs formed by these top plates 32 provide a convenient
channel for managing electrical wires (not shown) which pass over
the rack assembles 10 and which pass from one rack assembly 10 to
another. Again, this convenient wire management feature is made
available without installing or providing any additional structure
to the existing rack assemblies 10.
[0035] It will be apparent from all of the above that the unique
rack assembly 10 of the present invention provides a number of
advantages, particularly with regard to its ability to withstand
significant earthquake conditions, and the ease with which the rack
assemblies 10 can be installed at a very modest expense.
[0036] It will, therefore, be readily understood by those persons
skilled in the art that the present invention is susceptible of
broad utility and application. Many embodiments and adaptations of
the present invention other than those herein described, as well as
many variations, modifications and equivalent arrangements, will be
apparent from or reasonably suggested by the present invention and
the foregoing description thereof, without departing from the
substance or scope of the present invention. Accordingly, while the
present invention has been described herein in detail in relation
to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that this
disclosure is only illustrative and exemplary of the present
invention and is made merely for purposes of providing a full and
enabling disclosure of the invention. The foregoing disclosure is
not intended or to be construed to limit the present invention or
otherwise to exclude any such other embodiments, adaptations,
variations, modifications and equivalent arrangements, the present
invention being limited only by the claims appended hereto and the
equivalents thereof.
* * * * *