U.S. patent application number 10/419683 was filed with the patent office on 2003-11-13 for transportable part rack.
Invention is credited to Cook, Joseph L., Noble, Jamie E., Vest, Randall B..
Application Number | 20030209504 10/419683 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25178367 |
Filed Date | 2003-11-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030209504 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Cook, Joseph L. ; et
al. |
November 13, 2003 |
Transportable part rack
Abstract
A rack for the transport of thin wall parts such as automotive
body panels stampings has a steel frame with two parallel channels
positioned on either side of a planar floor member. Each channel
has a series of parallel slots which receive tabs extending
downwardly from parallel plastic leaves. The leaves are restricted
from removal from the rack by rods which extend through the frame
beneath the channels and through rod openings in the tabs. The
plastic leaves are of two types having side structures which do not
nest. Because the leaves are not hinged to the floor member, they
will stay in either position due to gravity. The non-nesting leaf
side structures permit a plurality of leaves to be flipped from one
position to the other simultaneously.
Inventors: |
Cook, Joseph L.; (Utica,
MI) ; Noble, Jamie E.; (Windsor, WI) ; Vest,
Randall B.; (Portage, WI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BLACKWELL SANDERS PEPER MARTIN LLP
TWO PERSHING SQUARE
2300 MAIN STREET, SUITE 1000
KANSAS CITY
MO
64108
US
|
Family ID: |
25178367 |
Appl. No.: |
10/419683 |
Filed: |
April 21, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10419683 |
Apr 21, 2003 |
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09800432 |
Mar 5, 2001 |
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6550623 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
211/13.1 ;
206/448; 211/41.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B62D 65/18 20130101;
B65D 88/129 20130101; B65D 2585/6882 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
211/13.1 ;
211/41.1; 206/448 |
International
Class: |
A47F 007/00 |
Claims
I claim:
1. A rack assembly for supporting a plurality of workpieces, the
rack assembly comprising: a rigid frame having a top wall having
portions defining a plurality of sidewardly extending slots, the
slots being spaced parallel to one another in a front to back
direction; a plurality of upwardly extending panels, wherein each
panel has at least one downwardly extending tab which extends
through one of said frame slots; portions of each panel tab
defining a rod opening; and a first rod extending from front to
back through a tab of each of the panels, the rod being positioned
beneath the frame top wall, wherein the panels are restricted
against upward removal from the frame by engagement with the first
rod and are free to pivot within the slots between a first position
spaced from an adjoining panel to define a loading opening, and a
second position in contact with the adjoining panel.
Description
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] Not applicable.
STATEMENT AS TO RIGHTS TO INVENTIONS MADE UNDER FEDERALLY SPONSORED
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention relates to racks for the transport of
tin wall parts in general, and more particularly to racks which
have the capacity to be loaded and unloaded at the top sides.
[0004] Many sheet metal stampings, plastic panels, and composite
carbon fiber panels go into the construction of an automobile. In
particular, exterior body panels are often formed of thin wall
parts. The parts are fabricated, for example, in stamping mills,
and are then transported to assembly lines where the panels are
assembled and painted. Because many of these stamped parts are
visible to the customer, it is imperative that they be free of
scratches, dings, or distortions. At the same time, for efficient
transport and assembly it is desirable that these parts be readily
and conveniently accessible, while also being protected from
contact with exterior objects or with other adjacent parts.
[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 4,976,092 discloses a rack having a steel
frame open to the top and sides, and having a horizontal plywood
board to which a series of parallel plastic leaves are connected by
living hinges which are screwed in place. The plastic leaves are
formed as single sheet thermoformed thermoplastic parts which have
projecting edge portions which allow the edges of adjacent leaves
to nest. This rack receives individual metal parts between pairs of
plastic leaves. The rack is loaded with parts at the place of
manufacture, then transported on a forklift vehicle, for loading
and transport to eventually reach its final destination where the
metal parts are removed. Although such a rack provides advantageous
clearance for side loading, it provides certain deficiencies.
Because the leaves are hinged directly to the plywood board, they
have a tendency to return to an initial orientation, rather than
remaining where positioned. In addition, the nesting edge portions
can cause the adjacent leaves to lock together to prevent multiple
leaves from being flipped at once between loading and transport
positions. Moreover, as the plastic leaves must be replaced from
time to time to reconfigure the rack for new parts, the removal and
reattachment of the leaves to the plywood board is laborious and
time-consuming, and costly in terms of additional fasteners
required.
[0006] What is needed is a side or top loading part rack which is
rapidly assembled, easily operated, easily maintained and which
avoids locking or interference of adjacent leaves when being turned
in groups.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] A rack for the transport of thin wall parts such as
automotive body panels stampings has a steel frame with two
parallel channels positioned on either side of a planar floor
member. Each channel has a series of parallel slots which receive
tabs extending downwardly from parallel plastic leaves. The leaves
are restricted from removal from the rack by rods which extend
through the frame beneath the channels and through rod openings in
the tabs. The plastic leaves are of two types having side
structures which do not nest. Because the leaves are not hinged to
the floor member, they will stay in either position due to gravity.
The non-nesting leaf side structures permit a plurality of leaves
to be flipped from one position to the other simultaneously.
[0008] It is an object of the present invention to provide a rack
for metal stampings having a plurality of plastic leaves which are
readily removed and replaced.
[0009] It is another object of the present invention to provide a
rack for metal stampings in which multiple plastic leaves may be
pivoted simultaneously without interference is between each
other.
[0010] It is also an object of the present invention to provide a
rack for metal stampings in which individual plastic leaves remain
where positioned and do not have a tendency to return to an initial
position.
[0011] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a
rack which eliminates any hinged connection between the plastic
leaves and the rack.
[0012] Further objects, features and advantages of the invention
will be apparent from the following detailed description when taken
in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is an exploded isometric view of the rack of this
invention.
[0014] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the rack of FIG. 1, a
first leaf being partially broken away to reveal a second leaf
having different side structure.
[0015] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the rack of FIG. 2 taken
along section line 3-3.
[0016] FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a leaf of
the rack of FIG. 2 shown in relation to a frame channel illustrated
in phantom view.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0017] Referring more particularly to FIGS. 1-4, wherein like
numbers refer to similar parts, a rack 20 is shown in FIG. 1. The
rack 20 has a steel frame 22 which has two parallel channels 24
positioned on either side of a planar floor member 26. Each channel
has a series of parallel slots 28 which receive tabs 30 which
extend downwardly from plastic leaves 32. The leaves 32 are
restricted from removal from the frame 22 by rods 34 which extend
through rod openings 36 in the tabs 30.
[0018] The frame 22 has a base structure 38 comprised of square and
rectangular metal tubing 44 welded together to provide four way
entry openings 40 adapted to receive the protruding tines of a
forklift vehicle. Four corner posts 42 extend upwardly from the
frame base structure 38. The height of the corner posts 42 is
determined by the size of the parts to be accommodated by the rack
20, but will generally be between 12 and 100 inches tall. Inclined
ramps 46 are fixed to the front corner posts. The ramps 46 support
the inclined leaves 32 when they are loaded with sheet metal or
other thin wall parts 48. The leaves are also supported by two
angled front plates 50 which are fixed to a front crossbar 52, a
front horizontal member 54 which extends rearwardly from the front
crossbar 52, and a front bar 56 which extends upwardly from the
base structure 38 rearward of the horizontal member 54. This front
structure serves to maintain the parallelism of the panels during
shipment, and the particular arrangement of ramps, angled front
plates, or bars will vary depending on the geometry of a particular
part to be transported.
[0019] The channels 24 may be formed of 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick
sheet. As shown in FIG. 1, the channels 24 are fixed to the base
structure 38 of the frame 22. As shown in FIG. 4, each channel has
a top wall 58 which has portions defining an array of parallel
slots 28. The two channels 24 are positioned such that the slots of
one channel are aligned with the slots of the other. The channel
top wall 58 is spaced above the base structure 38 by two parallel
channel side walls 60 which have outwardly extending flanges 62
which are fixed to the base structure 38 such as by welding. Each
slot is about five inches wide, and the slots are separated from
each other on about 2.5 inch centers. However, the spacing or index
of the slots may range from 1 to 5 inches. Each slot is
approximately three times the thickness of the plastic at the tab,
thus for a 1/8 inch thick tab as illustrated, the slot is about 3/8
inch wide.
[0020] The floor member 26 extends between the two channels 24 and
has a top surface which is at approximately the same level as the
top wall 58 of the channels. The floor member 26 may be composed of
two strips 64 of three-quarter inch plywood which extend in the
front to back direction and which are fastened to the base
structure 38, and a single sheet 66 of one-half inch plywood which
is fastened to the strips.
[0021] The two rods 34 may be one-half inch diameter solid steel
rods which taper to {fraction (3/16)} inches in diameter at
one-half inch long tapered ends 68. The front beam 70 and the rear
beam 72 of the base structure 38 are provided with oblong holes 74
through which the rods 34 are inserted within the channels 24.
Flanges 76 extend downwardly at the front and rear of the channels
24, as shown in FIG. 2, and have circular or oblong slots routed or
punched therein through which the rods 34 extend. In addition, a
downwardly extending plate with a similar sized slot in is welded
extending downwardly from the channel top walls 58 at a position
approximately centered between the front and the rear of each
channel 24. When received within the slots in the flanges 76 and
the center plates, the rods 34, which may be about 86 inches long,
are restrained from excessive bending. Once the rods are positioned
to extend through the openings in the leaf tabs 30, cotter pins 77
are inserted through {fraction (3/16)} inch diameter holes in the
ends of the rods to restrain the escape of the rods from the frame.
It should be noted that the rods may also be fabricated from non
round parts, and from tubular parts.
[0022] As shown in FIG. 2, each leaf 32 has two downwardly
extending tabs 30, as best shown in FIG. 4, which are received
within a pair of slots 28 in the opposed channels. Each leaf 32 is
configured with customized dunnage structure 78. The dunnage
structure 78 may be an arrangement of protrusions and recesses
configured to engage and retain a particular metal part 48 between
the leaves 32. For example, semicircular shells 80 may have slots
routed in them to retain the lower edges of the sheet metal parts
48. In any event, the dunnage structure 78 may very depending upon
the type of part which is intended to be conveyed within the rack
20.
[0023] When the leaves 32 are formed as single sheet thermoformed
parts, every projection on one surface has a corresponding recess
on the opposed surface. In the prior art racks, this relationship
between adjacent leaves resulted in nesting engagement between
leaves in the course of pivoting a leaf from a loaded to an
unloaded position. When the leaves nested--generally at the
position perpendicular to the floor--adjacent leaves would become
locked together and would pivot no further. Hence, to avoid this
nesting, it became necessary to pivot the leaves one by one. The
rack 20 of this invention eliminates entirely this tendency to lock
and permits simultaneous pivoting of groups of leaves. Nesting is
eliminated by providing nonidentical molded leaves 32: a first leaf
82 which has side margins 83 which project frontwardly from a
flange around the dunnage structure, and a second leaf 84 which has
side margins 86 which project rearwardly from a flange around the
dunnage structure. The dunnage structure is substantially the same
on both the first leaves 82 and the second leaves 84. The leaves
are interspersed on the frame alternating between a first leaf 82
and a second leaf 84. As shown in FIG. 3, the result of this
arrangement is that the frontwardly protruding side margins of each
first leaf 82 will engage against the rearwardly protruding side
margins of a preceding second leaf 84. Moreover, the flanges from
which the side margins protrude will engage against each other
without nesting, to permit unhindered sliding movement between
adjacent side margins as the leaves are pivoted in groups from one
working position to the other.
[0024] As shown in FIG. 4, each leaf has three ribs above each tab,
which help to stiffen the leaf in the vicinity of the tab, to carry
loads away from the tab, and to support the leaves at a desired
repose angle in both the loaded and unloaded positions. A center
rib 88 projects rearwardly, while two side ribs 90 project
frontwardly, one on each side of the center rib. The lower edges of
the ribs 88, 90 are positioned at approximately the same level as
the lower margin 94 of the leaf adjacent to the tabs 30. The lower
margin 94 of each leaf is generally supported on the top surface 92
of the floor member 26.
[0025] As shown in FIG. 3, the leaves 32 are each movable between
two positions of repose. In a first unloaded position, the leaves
are inclined toward the rear of the rack 20, and toward a brace
assembly 96 mounted to a rear cross bar 98 which extends between
the rear corner posts 42. In the unloaded position, each leaf is
inclined from the horizontal plane of the top walls 58 of the
channels 24. The second, loaded, position is rotated from
approximately 10.degree. to 60.degree. from the first position,
into a position in which the tabs 30 are inclined slightly toward
the front of the rack. The amount of inclination will vary
depending on the transported part. In the first unloaded position,
the center rib 88 will generally be close to or engaging the top
wall 58 of the channels 24, while in the second loaded position,
the side ribs 90 will generally be close to or engaging the top
wall of the channels.
[0026] The rack 20 will typically be used in a manufacturing
facility in proximity to a source of formed sheet metal parts 48.
In its initial setup, all but the first leaves 32 are pivoted
toward the rear of the rack, in the unloaded position. The first
leaf 32 is pivoted toward the front of the rack in the loaded
position. The first part 48 is positioned inclined against the
first leaf 32, with the lower edge of the part 48 being restrained
by the semicircular shells 80. The second leaf 32 is then pivoted
from the unloaded to the loaded position to overlie the first leaf
and to surround the part 48. The edge structure and other
protrusions of the dunnage structure 78 protect the part 48 and
prevent its contact with other parts. These steps are repeated
until each leaf 32 is loaded with a part 48. Then, the brace
assembly 96 is pivoted toward the front of the rack to restrain all
the leaves in the loaded position.
[0027] As shown in FIG. 1, the brace assembly 96 has two upwardly
extending members 100 connected by a cross member 102. The lower
ends of the members 100 are mounted by pins to brackets 104 which
project frontwardly from the rear crossbar 98. One of the upwardly
extending members 100 has a spring-loaded pin is extendable into a
pin hole in one of the brackets 104 and which which retains the
brace assembly in a nonengaged position during loading of the
parts. A toothed cam 106 extends frontwardly from the rear crossbar
98 alongside one of the upwardly extending members 100. Another
spring-loaded pin 108 is fixed to an upwardly extending member 100,
and acts as a ratchet against the toothed cam 106 to allow the
brace assembly to be pressed down to engage the loaded leaves.
During shipment the parts may shift or compress, which could allow
a front to back movement of the parts. The weight of the cross
member 102 can automatically cause the brace assembly 96 to ratchet
into tighter engagement to take up any looseness.
[0028] It is understood that the invention is not limited to the
particular construction and arrangement of parts herein illustrated
and described, but embraces all such modified forms thereof as come
within the scope of the following claims.
* * * * *