U.S. patent application number 12/827824 was filed with the patent office on 2012-01-05 for glass storage and transport rack with pivoting arms.
Invention is credited to Paul T. Arato, Randal Huszczo, Richard Montana, Robert Vandenham, Jeff Young.
Application Number | 20120000866 12/827824 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45398893 |
Filed Date | 2012-01-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120000866 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Huszczo; Randal ; et
al. |
January 5, 2012 |
Glass Storage and Transport Rack with Pivoting Arms
Abstract
The present invention is operable to store or transport one or
more sheets of any material, including fragile materials. The
present invention may be utilized to store or transport a wide
variety of materials including, panes of glass, laminated glass,
insulated glass, plastic sheets, or any other rigid panels of any
material. The transport rack includes slots wherein one or more
glass panes may be loaded and supported. One or more rotatable
gripping arms may be utilized to support the one or more panes of
glass positioned within the slots. Cushioning material may cover or
coat the supporting members and/or gripping arm. One or more glass
panes positioned in the transport rack may be protected from
breakage during storage or transport.
Inventors: |
Huszczo; Randal; (Brantford,
CA) ; Young; Jeff; (Brantford, CA) ; Montana;
Richard; (Amery, WI) ; Arato; Paul T.;
(Toronto, CA) ; Vandenham; Robert; (Toronto,
CA) |
Family ID: |
45398893 |
Appl. No.: |
12/827824 |
Filed: |
June 30, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
211/41.14 ;
211/41.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 19/44 20130101;
B65D 85/48 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
211/41.14 ;
211/41.1 |
International
Class: |
B65D 85/48 20060101
B65D085/48 |
Claims
1) A rack for transporting one or more sheets of material,
comprising: a) a base member; b) a vertical member attached to the
base member; and c) one or more slot members forming one or more
slots, said one or more slots members having a cushioning material
attached thereto, and said one or more slot members being attached
to the base member and being operable to receive at least one of
the one or more sheets of material in one of the one or more slots
whereby the at least one sheet of material is held in position by
at least one of the one or more slot members; and whereby the one
or more sheets of material are protected from damage while
positioned in the one or more slots.
2) The rack of claim 1, further comprising one or more vertical
slot members being attached to the vertical member to form one or
more vertical slots, said one or more vertical slots being aligned
with the one or more slots of the base member.
3) The rack of claim 1, further comprising one or more rotatable
arms attached to the vertical member being rotatable to varying
positions, and at least one of the one or more rotatable arms
contacting the one or more glass panes positioned within one of the
one or more slots and holding the one or more glass panes in
position.
4) The rack of claim 3, further comprising the one or more
rotatable arms having the cushioning material attached thereto
where the rotatable arms contact the at least one sheet of
material.
5) The rack of claim 3, further comprising the one or more
rotatable arms having a pivotable tip that contacts the at least
one sheet of material, said pivotable tip having cushioning
material attached thereto, whereby the cushioning material contacts
the at least one sheet of material.
6) The rack of claim 3, further comprising a vertical member having
a bar at its uppermost end, and said one or more rotatable arms
being attached to the bar in a manner whereby the rotatable arms
rotate around the bar.
7) The rack of claim 3, further comprising one or more rotatable
arms being rotatable from a storage position to a holding position,
whereby the one or more rotatable arms grip the at least one sheet
of material positioned in the one or more slots when the one or
more rotatable arms are in the holding position.
8) The rack of claim 3, further comprising a vertical member having
at least one restraining element operable to restrain the one or
more rotatable arms from contacting the at least one sheet of
material when the one or more rotatable arms are in the storage
position.
9) The rack of claim 3, further comprising at least one of the one
or more rotatable arms being adjustable, by way of an adjustment
means incorporated in the one or more rotatable arms, whereby the
one or more rotatable arms may contact and hold in a position
within the one or more slots the at least one sheet of material and
said at least one sheet of material may be of variant vertical
heights.
10) The rack of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more
slot members or one or more vertical slot members may be formed of
a flexible material.
11) The rack of claim 10, wherein the flexible material is
high-density polyethylene.
12) The rack of claim 1, wherein the cushioning material is
retractable when force is exerted thereon, and expandable when
force is not exerted thereon, whereby the cushioning material
expands and retracts to support the at least one sheet of material
being of variant thicknesses within the one or more slots and
between the one or more slot members.
13) The rack of claim 1, wherein the cushioning material is foamed
skinned urethane manufactured by a thermoset process of reaction
injection moulding.
14) The rack of claim 1, wherein the cushioning material has a
tacky surface, whereby the cushioning material grips the at least
one sheet of material positioned within the one or more slots.
15) The rack of claim 1, wherein the base member is operable to
swivel in a manner to incline the base member on an angle, whereby
the angle of the base member facilitates ease of loading the at
least one sheet of material onto the rack.
16) The rack of claim 14, wherein the base member is adjustable to
be swiveled to varying inclined positions by way of an adjustment
means.
17) The rack of claim 1, wherein the at least one sheet of material
is a fragile material including at least one of the following:
glass panes, laminated glass, insulated glass, plastic sheets,
rigid panels of any material.
18) A method for transporting and storing one or more sheets of
material in a rack, comprising the steps of: a) loading at least
one of the one or more sheets of material in the rack, said rack
being formed of: i) a base member; ii) a vertical member attached
to the base member; iii) one or more rotatable arms attached to the
vertical member in a rotatable manner, said one or more rotatable
arms having cushioning material attached thereto at the end distant
from the vertical member; and iv) one or more slot members forming
one or more slots, said one or more slots members having a
cushioning material attached thereto, and said one or more slot
members being attached to the base member and being operable to
receive at least one of the one or more sheets of material in one
of the one or more slots whereby the at least one sheet of material
is held in position by at least one of the one or more slot
members; and b) positioning the at least one of the one or more
sheets of material within at least one of the one or more slots,
whereby the at least one of the one or more sheets of material is
positioned between the one or more slot members; and c) rotating at
least one of the one or more rotatable arms to position the arm to
support the at least one of the one or more sheets of material,
whereby the cushioning material attached to the at least one of the
one or more rotatable arms contacts the at least one of the one or
more sheets of material; and whereby the at least one of the one or
more sheets of material is positioned in the rack and is supported
therein in a manner that averts breakage or damage to the at least
one of the one or more sheets of material.
19) The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of
adjusting the incline angle of the base member, whereby the ease of
loading the at least one of the one or more sheets of material into
the rack is increased.
Description
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates in general to the field of a storage
and transport rack for storing and/or transporting one or more
glass sheets.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The storage and transport of sheets or panels of fragile
materials, such as glass sheets, can be difficult because such
materials can easily break due to impact or other reasons. It can
be beneficial to store and transport sheets or panels of fragile
materials in an upright position, as the pressure created by
stacking these materials, such as stacking horizontally, can create
a force capable of cracking or breaking the materials. As such
materials are required to be transferred and stored regularly the
prior art includes several suggested storage and transport systems
to address this problem.
[0003] U.S. Patent Application No. 2004/0238465 discloses a rack
for storing panels, comprising a base having a top surface, a rear
structure vertically extending from the base, a plurality of
supports in at least one of the top surfaces of the base and the
rear structure for supporting the panels in a vertical position,
and a plurality of non-pivotable arms extending from the rear
structure for engaging top edges of the panels to retain the panels
in the vertical position. The vertical structure and base include
slots wherein a panel or pane of glass may be positioned. The arms
function with a locking pin to hold the panels in place.
[0004] U.S. Patent Application No. 2006/0196838 discloses a rack
for storing at least one panel, comprising a base having a top
surface, a rear structure vertically extending from the base, at
least one support in at least one of the top surfaces of the base
and the rear structure for supporting the panel in a vertical
position, and at least one arm including a connecting member
connecting the arm to the rear structure, a retaining member
engaging a top edge of the panel to retain the panel in the
vertical position, and a flexible portion between the connecting
member and the retaining member. The vertical structure and base
include slots wherein a panel or pane of glass may be positioned.
The arms are comprised of a flexible rod and slideable retaining
member. The slideable retaining members may engage with the panels.
Moreover, each slideable retaining member may be slideably moved so
as to be positioned along the flexible rod at various
locations.
[0005] U.S. Patent Application No. 2006/0213846 discloses a storage
rack for storing a plurality of articles such as glass sheets. The
storage rack includes a substantially horizontal portion, and a
substantially vertical portion. The substantially horizontal
portion of the rack includes one or more flexible supports, each of
which includes at least one channel defined therein. Along at least
part of the channel, a plurality of slits are provided in the
flexible support so as to define a plurality of flexible lips or
tabs. The lips or tabs are designed so that when a glass sheet is
inserted into the channel, the lips or tabs support the sheet
against movement in multiple directions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a rack for
transporting one or more sheets of material, comprising: a base
member; a vertical member attached to the base member; and one or
more slot members forming one or more slots, said one or more slots
members having a cushioning material attached thereto, and said one
or more slot members being attached to the base member and being
operable to receive at least one of the one or more sheets of
material in one of the one or more slots whereby the at least one
sheet of material is held in position by at least one of the one or
more slot members; and whereby the one or more sheets of material
are protected from damage while positioned in the one or more
slots.
[0007] In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to a
method for transporting and storing one or more sheets of material
in a rack, comprising the steps of: loading at least one of the one
or more sheets of material in the rack, said rack being formed of:
a base member; a vertical member attached to the base member; one
or more rotatable arms attached to the vertical member in a
rotatable manner, said one or more rotatable arms having cushioning
material attached thereto at the end distant from the vertical
member; and one or more slot members forming one or more slots,
said one or more slots members having a cushioning material
attached thereto, and said one or more slot members being attached
to the base member and being operable to receive at least one of
the one or more sheets of material in one of the one or more slots
whereby the at least one sheet of material is held in position by
at least one of the one or more slot members; and positioning the
at least one of the one or more sheets of material within at least
one of the one or more slots, whereby the at least one of the one
or more sheets of material is positioned between the one or more
slot members; and rotating at least one of the one or more
rotatable arms to position the arm to support the at least one of
the one or more sheets of material, whereby the cushioning material
attached to the at least one of the one or more rotatable arms
contacts the at least one of the one or more sheets of material;
and whereby the at least one of the one or more sheets of material
is positioned in the rack and is supported therein in a manner that
averts breakage or damage to the at least one of the one or more
sheets of material.
[0008] In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment
of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the
invention is not limited in its application to the details of
construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in
the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The
invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced
and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that
the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose
of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The invention will be better understood and objects of the
invention will become apparent when consideration is given to the
following detailed description thereof. Such description makes
reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of the present
invention.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of the present invention
having a sheet of glass positioned therein.
[0012] FIG. 3a is a top view of a slotted support bearing bar of
the present invention.
[0013] FIG. 3b is a side view of a slotted support bearing bar of
the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 3c is a top view of a slotted support bearing bar for
monolithic (mono) glass (e.g., a single pane of glass) of the
present invention.
[0015] FIG. 4a is a top view of a vertical support for mono glass
of the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 4b is a top view of a vertical support of the present
invention.
[0017] FIG. 4c is a side view of a vertical support of the present
invention.
[0018] FIG. 5a is a top view of a glass support base for mono glass
of the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 5b is a top view of a glass support base of the present
invention.
[0020] FIG. 5c is a side view of a glass support base of the
present invention.
[0021] FIG. 6a is a top view of a glass support assembly for mono
glass of the present invention.
[0022] FIG. 6b is a side view of a glass support assembly
attachment means for mono glass of the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 6c is a top view of a glass support assembly of the
present invention.
[0024] FIG. 6d is a side view of a glass support assembly
attachment means of the present invention.
[0025] FIG. 6e is a side view of a glass support assembly of the
present invention.
[0026] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present
invention have an adjustable base member.
[0027] In the drawings, embodiments of the invention are
illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood
that the description and drawings are only for the purpose of
illustration and as an aid to understanding, and are not intended
as a definition of the limits of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0028] The present invention is operable to store or transport one
or more sheets of any material, including fragile materials. The
present invention may be utilized to store or transport a wide
variety of materials including, panes of glass, laminated glass,
insulated glass, plastic sheets, or any other rigid panels of any
material. All references to panes of glass herein should therefore
be understood to include sheets of other types of rigid materials
formed into sheets or panes, including any fragile materials.
[0029] The present invention is a rack for storing and transporting
one or more panes of glass. The rack includes a base having a
structure extending vertically therefrom at one end. The upper
surface of the base and the interior surface of the vertically
extending structure include one or more supporting members for
supporting panes of glass. Said supporting members may be covered
or coated with a cushioning material. The combined supporting
members and cushioning material attached thereto may be expandable
and retractable so as to receive varying thicknesses of glass panes
and to securely hold one or more glass panes within or between the
supporting members. One or more gripping arms may further be
attached to the vertical structure of the rack and said arms may be
storable in manner whereby the gripping arms may be blocked from
contact with the panes of glass. The gripping arms may be rotatable
so as to rotate from a storage position to a holding position,
whereby the gripping arms may contact one or more panes of glass to
support the one or more panes of glass positioned within the
supporting members in a manner whereby the one or more panes of
glass may be supported to avert breakage during storage and/or
transport.
[0030] The present invention may be utilized to store or transport
glass panes, other fragile materials, or any other forms of
materials having a planar configuration. The present invention may
also be utilized to store or transport a variety of heights,
lengths and thicknesses of planar materials, such glass panes. The
present disclosure will reference glass panes or glass sheets for
ease of disclosure, but any reference to glass panels or glass
sheets may be read to encompass any planar material.
[0031] The supporting members may include a series of supporting
members, each being configured to support the glass panes at
various positions. The positions of the supporting members may be
fixed within the rack of the present invention, but the positions
of the contact of the supporting members with a pane of glass will
depend upon the length, height and thickness of the pane.
[0032] In an embodiment of the present invention the gripping arms
may be a series of gripping arms that are pivotally secured to a
horizontal bar located near the top of the vertical structure of
the present invention. The gripping arms may be formed of a rigid
material. Each gripping arm may be operable to engage with one or
more panes of glass positioned in the slots in the base of the
rack. The slots may be formed to secure, support and otherwise hold
a monolithic glass (e.g., single pane of glass) or multiple glass
(e.g., multiple panes of glass). The gripping arms may engage with
the one or more panes of glass in a manner that stabilizes the top
of the glass pane and holds it in a particular position. The arms
include a gripping means that facilitates contact with an edge of
one or more glass panes. The section of the gripping means that
contacts the one or more panes of glass may be covered or coated
with a cushioning material that is capable of expanding and
retracting. The cushioning material may receive varying thickness
of glass panes and hold these securely along the edge where the
gripping arm contacts the glass panes.
[0033] The gripping arms may pivot to 360 degrees of motion or
virtually 360 degrees of motion. The gripping arms may be stored in
a position whereby the gripping arms are restrained or blocked from
contacting the one or more panes of glass in the rack of the
present invention when the arms are in the storage position. In one
embodiment of the present invention the gripping arms may be stored
at the exterior surface of the vertical structure. In this storage
position the gripping arms may be restrained from contact with the
glass panes by barriers built into the vertical structure. The
gripping arms may pivot from the storage position to engage with
panes of glass of varying heights.
[0034] The present invention may offer benefits over the prior art.
One benefit of the present invention is that it may reduce breakage
or damage to sheets of glass occurring during transport and/or
storage. Cushioning material may coat or cover the surfaces that
come into contact with any sheet of glass positioned within the
rack of the present invention. The cushioning material may be
operable to absorb any shocks, vibrations or force that may be
exerted upon the glass such as, for example any shock, vibrations
or force created by movement of the rack as may occur if the rack
is moved or hit by some other object. The present invention may
further engage the glass sheet along three edges and thereby
increase the stability of the glass while it is positioned within
the rack of the present invention.
[0035] An additional benefit of the present invention may be that
the transported glass sheets may be of varying height, length or
thicknesses and the rack will be able to hold each of these in
position by way of a combination of supporting members and gripping
arms. In particular the transport rack may be capable of
transporting or storing made to order glass which may have a wide
range of dimensions and thicknesses. Another benefit is that the
point or points where the one or more glass panes contact the rack
may be coated by a cushioning material that possesses good shock
resistance and vibration dampening and stability characteristics.
In particular, the transport rack may hold panes of glass in place
within a slot and prevent lateral movement of the glass during
storage and/or transport. Generally, the transport rack may
diminish the occasions when the glass is handled and thereby
prevent scratches and breakage of the glass during storage and/or
transport.
[0036] Yet another benefit of the present invention may be that the
transport rack is a single unit. The elimination of removable
modular components reduces the time required to load and unload the
glass and eliminates unnecessary rearrangement and storage of
transport rack equipment.
[0037] Still another benefit of the present invention may be that
the transport rack may prevent damage to any coating applied to
coated glass that is stored and/or transported in the transport
rack. The transport rack may prevent the coated glass from being
scratched during transport, storage and any loading or unloading of
the coated glass.
[0038] Another benefit of the present invention is that the slots
of the transport rack may be numbered or otherwise ordered in an
identifiable manner. Therefore it may be possible to load glass
into specific slots and/or identify the specific slot where a pane
of glass is ordered. In this manner glass having a particular
dimension and/or thickness, such as made to order glass, can be
easily identified as being loaded into a particular slot.
Additionally, glass can be loaded in to particular slots so that
the glass is in a sequential order. The sequential order may
represent the order that the glass will be unloaded in, or the
order the glass is to be installed in, etc.
[0039] The present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, may be a rack 10
comprising a base member 14 and a vertical member 16. The vertical
member may be positioned at one end of a rectangular base member in
a perpendicular or near perpendicular manner. The vertical member
may be formed for an outer frame, including two parallel or near
parallel side posts 20 and a top post joining the side posts. The
top post may be joined to the side posts by way of a locknut 58
inserted through the side post and into the top post, or any
attachment means. A head cap screw 57 may further be utilized to
attach the top post and the side posts. The side posts and top post
may be formed of any metal or other rigid material. One or more
additional cross posts 12 may be positioned between the side
posts.
[0040] The top post may be round or other shape to facilitate the
attachment of one or more rotatable gripping arms 55. The gripping
arms may be formed to include a rounded edge having a hole therein
shaped to encircle the top post and whereby the gripping arm may
rotate and/or pivot around the top post. A skilled reader will
recognize that the rounded edge and rotation of the gripping arm
around the top post may be facilitated by a variety of means. The
gripping arms may be rotatable 360 degrees around the top post, or
virtually 360 degrees around the top post. The gripping arms may be
positioned to hang from the top post and the rotation path of the
gripping arms may be restrained from rotating in the direction of
the cross posts by the cross posts. A skilled reader will recognize
that embodiments of the present invention may not include any arms,
or the transport rack may be utilized to store and/or transport
glass without the use of any arms included in the invention.
[0041] As shown in FIGS. 4a-4c, the supporting members of the
vertical member may include vertical supporting members having
slots therein. The vertical supporting members may alight one or
more glass panes vertically and thereby prevent lateral movement of
the one or more glass panes during storage and/or transport. The
slots may be formed to varying widths to facilitate the storage and
transport of one or more panes of glass within one slot, and
various widths of glass. The vertical supporting members may form a
slotted support capable of holding any glass pane or multiple glass
panes. The width of the slot may vary so as to hold glass panes of
varying thickness, or to hold single vs. multiple glass panes.
Vertical supporting members may include one or more slots 40 and
each slot may have inclined sides, as shown in FIG. 4c. The slots
may be formed to varying widths to facilitate the storage and
transport of one or more panes of glass within one slot, and
various widths of glass. As shown in FIG. 4b, the vertical
supporting members may be attached to the vertical member by way of
an attachment means, such as a screw. A skilled reader will
recognize that other attachment means may be utilized.
[0042] As shown in FIG. 1, supporting members that are support
assembly members 21 may also be attached to the vertical member. As
shown in FIGS. 6a-6e, support assembly members may be formed of a
material that is flexible, such as plastic. The support assembly
members may also be coated by a cushioning material, for example,
such as a foamed skinned urethane or any thermoset
polyurethane.
[0043] In particular, foamed skinned urethane cushioning material
may be manufactured through a thermoset process called reaction
injection moulding. The foamed skinned urethane may be a tough,
wear resistant and dimensionally stable product. In one embodiment
of the present invention, the foamed skinned urethane cushioning
material may have a physically tough skin with a cell foam interior
processed for a targeted density and compression. The skin may
prevent cuts and abrasions upon the glass pane loaded between the
support assembly members. The skin may further provide a smooth and
tacky surface. The foam within the skin may be designed to compress
sufficiently so that a range of glass pane thicknesses may be
loaded between the support assembly members. The foam may further
decompress when one or more glass panes are loaded between the
support assembly members and the decompressed foam may apply force
to mechanically hold the glass pane in a position between the
support assembly members.
[0044] The foam skinned urethane cushioning material may also be
attached to the ends of the gripping arms where the gripping arms
come into contact with the glass panes. The combination of the
support assembly members, mounted on the base and/or the vertical
section of the rack, and the pivotally rotatable arms therefore may
secure the one or more glass panes for storage and/or transport and
prevent breakage and/or damage of the one or more glass panes. A
skilled reader will recognize that a variety of cushioning
materials may be utilized in the present invention. A skilled
reader will also recognize that cushioning material may be attached
to other elements of the present invention to improve the
invention's overall ability to protect the one or more glass panes
stored or transported in the transport rack from damage or
breakage.
[0045] The support assembly members units 62 may also be shaped to
cushion the movement of the panes of glass and absorption of the
force of vibration of such movement. Slots 60 may be formed between
support assembly members units. As shown in FIGS. 6a and 6c, the
support assembly members may be attached to the vertical member by
way of an attachment means, such as a screw. A skilled reader will
recognize that other attachment means may be utilized.
[0046] The base member may be rectangular and may have one or more
types of supporting members attached thereto. The supporting
members may include bearing bar members 22, as shown in FIGS.
3a-3c, having slots 30 therein. The slots may be formed to varying
widths to facilitate the storage and transport of one or more panes
of glass within one slot, and various widths of glass. The bearing
bar members may form a slotted support capable of holding any glass
pane or multiple glass panes. The width of the slot may vary so as
to hold glass panes of varying thickness, or to hold single vs.
multiple glass panes. As shown in FIGS. 3a and 3c, the bearing bar
members may be attached to the base member by way of an attachment
means, such as a screw. A skilled reader will recognize that other
attachment means may be utilized.
[0047] Additional types of supporting members may be attached to
the base member, such as support assembly members 21, as described
above and shown in FIGS. 6a-6e. The support assembly members may be
attached to the base member by way of an attachment means, such as
a screw. A skilled reader will recognize that other attachment
means may be utilized.
[0048] A skilled reader will recognize that other types of
supporting members may further be utilized in the present
invention. Such supporting members may include slots formed to a
particular shape capable of facilitating support of one or more
glass panes positioned within the slots in a particular manner. The
supporting members may form a slotted support capable of holding
any glass pane or multiple glass panes. The width of the slot may
vary so as to hold glass panes of varying thickness, or to hold
single vs. multiple glass panes. For example, supporting members
may include support base members as shown in FIGS. 5a-5c. Support
base members may have slots 50 having higher sides formed of
flexible material, such as plastic, that may reach higher up the
sides of the glass pane and thereby provide support to a higher
position on the one or more glass panes positioned within the slot.
As shown in FIGS. 5a and 5b, the support base members may be
attached to the vertical member and/or base member by way of an
attachment means, such as a screw. The supporting members may be
formed of a variety of materials, for example, such as plastic. The
base component of the support base members may be over-molded and
thereby be altered to a support member akin to those shown in FIGS.
6a-6e. A skilled reader will recognize that other attachment means
may be utilized. One or more supporting members may be further
attached to the frame of the base member and/or vertical member by
way of a shoulder bolt 54, as shown in FIG. 1, or other attachment
means, to facilitate further stability of the rack.
[0049] Collectively the supporting members of the base member and
vertical member facilitate the positioning of glass panes. The
slots of the supporting members, even those of different types, may
be aligned so that one or more panes of glass may be positioned
within the slots. This positioning of the glass panes may have the
effect of protecting the glass pane from undue breakage, by
limiting and cushioning the movement of the glass panes within the
rack. The aligned slots may further be numbered or otherwise
labeled, so that the storage position of one or more panes of glass
within the rack may be easily identified.
[0050] Once a glass pane is positioned within the rack of the
present invention, one or more gripping arms may be rotated to a
position whereby it has contact with one or more panes of glass, as
shown in FIG. 2. The gripping arm 56 may have a gripping edge 52
positioned on the edge of the gripping arm that contacts the one or
more panes of glass. For example, a gripping edge may have a slot
cut therein and the slot may be covered or coated with cushioning
material. The one or more panes of glass may be fit within the slot
in the gripping edge. The gripping arm and gripping edge may
thereby function to stabilize the one or more panes of glass in
their position within the supporting members. The gripping edge may
additionally absorb any shocks, vibrations or force exerted upon
the glass pane. The gripping arm may function to avert breakage of
the one or more panes of glass.
[0051] In one embodiment of the present invention the gripping edge
may incorporate a pivoting tip. For example, the whole of the
gripping edge may be pivotable, or a portion of the pivoting tip
may be pivotable. The pivotable tip of the gripping edge may
facilitate horizontal alignment with the top of the one or more
glass panes that the gripping edge contacts. The pivoting tip may
further be covered or coated with cushioning material. The
cushioning material may further have a tacky surface whereby the
cushioning material may grip the one or more glass panels where the
pivoting tip contacts said glass panel(s). The grip achieved on the
one or more glass panels may facilitate an increased stability of
the glass panel within its position in the rack of the present
invention.
[0052] In one embodiment of the present invention the one or more
gripping arms may be extendable. An extendable gripping arm may be
formed to include a shaft having multiple sections. These sections
may be of varying widths, whereby the section of the smallest width
may fit within a section with a wider width. Thus, one or more
sections of the shaft may be fit within other sections of the
shaft. These sections may be extended in a telescoping manner to
extend the length of the shaft. The extendable gripping arm may be
locked by way of a locking pin to be held at a specific state of
extension or in a non-extended state. The extending gripping arm
may be extended or retracted to particular lengths to facilitate
the arm coming into contact with the one or more panels of glass at
a particular position on the edge of the glass panel(s). This
facilitates utility of present invention with a wide variety of
sizes of glass panels.
[0053] In another embodiment of the present invention, when a
gripping arm is not in contact with one or more panes of glass, the
arm may be held in position hanging so as to be restrained from
rotating into the area where glass is positioned by the one or more
cross posts. The gripping arm may be locked into this position by a
locking pin.
[0054] In one embodiment of the present invention the base member
may be on an incline. The incline may be such that the base member
rises away from the vertical member. The incline may have the
result of causing the one or more panes of glass positioned in the
rack to lean towards the vertical member. This may increase the
stability of the one or more panes of glass positioned within the
rack.
[0055] As described above, cushioning material may be utilized to
cover or coat sections of the present invention, such as the
gripping edge of the gripping arm, and the supporting members. The
cushioning material may be any material capable of providing shock
resistance and vibration dampening properties, such as, for example
foam materials or rubber materials. The cushioning material may
have a tacky surface, to facilitate a grip between the one or more
glass panels positioned upon the cushioning material and the
cushioning material. The tacky surface may facilitate additional
stability of the one or more glass panels within a position in the
rack of the present invention. The tacky surface cushioning
material may be of several materials, such as, for example
thermoset polyurethane having a tacky integral skin surface.
[0056] In one embodiment of the present invention the cushioning
material may be thermoset polyurethane. In another embodiment of
the present invention may be a foamed skinned urethane described
above. The cushioning material may be attached to elements of the
invention through a variety of means, by adherence (e.g., by glue,
etc.), by moulding, by injection, by attachment (e.g., by screws,
nails, etc.), by coating, or any other means whereby the cushioning
material is joined, permanently or non-permanently, to one or more
elements of the invention.
[0057] Additional means of lessening the effect of any force
exerted upon the rack having the potential to causing vibration or
movement of the one or more glass panes positioned within the rack
may be incorporated in the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1,
one or more plastic extrusions 42 may utilized in the construction
of the base member and/or vertical member, to provide cushioning
between elements of the invention and thereby dampen vibrations.
Additionally, or alternatively, high-density polyethylene may be
utilized to shape some elements of the invention, or may be
positioned in the construction of the base member and/or vertical
member, to provide cushioning between elements of the invention and
thereby dampen vibrations. The general effect of the inclusion of
such materials in the present invention, either as elements, or
between elements, is to decrease the any shocks, vibrations or
force exerted upon the glass panes and thereby avert breakage.
[0058] In one embodiment of the present invention, the slots in the
base member and/or the slots in the vertical member may be
positioned on an angle. The slots in the base member and/or the
slots in the vertical member may be adjustable to be positioned on
an angle that permits the glass panels may be slid onto the rack
and into the slots of the rack with minimal resistance. For
example, as shown in FIG. 7, a rack 70 may include slots in the
base member that are adjustable. The base member slots may be
operable so as to swivel. The swivel movement of the base member
may be controlled by way of one or more adjustment means, such as,
for example one or more handles 72 connected to one or more of the
slots. A skilled reader will recognize that a variety of adjustment
means may be utilized in the present invention.
[0059] The slots of the base member 74 may be operable to swivel in
a variety of manners, such as, for example a swivel mounting may be
attached to the bottom of one or more C-channels. Said C-channels
may have one or more slots mounted thereon. Said slots may have
cushioning material attached thereto. A skilled reader will
recognize that other configurations may be included in the present
invention to cause the slots to swivel.
[0060] As an example of the adjustment and/or swivel function of an
embodiment of the present invention, the slots may be rotated to be
angled so that the front of the slots of the base member are lower
than the back of the slots of the base member. A skilled reader
will recognize that a variety of angles of the slots of the base
member may achieve this positioning. When the slots of the base
member are angled towards the front of the base member one or more
glass panels may be slid into one or more slots in the rack. The
angle of the slots may facilitate sliding the one or more glass
panels into the one or more slots with virtually no resistance.
Once the one or more glass panels are loaded into the rack and are
positioned within the one or more slots the slots may be adjusted,
such as for example by swiveling, so that the slots are in a level
position, or the slots are angled to be lower in the back of the
base member and higher in the front of the base member. The
swiveling to achieve this angle may cause the slots to engage the
one or more glass panels loaded in the rack. A skilled reader will
recognize that an adjustable or swiveling embodiment of the present
invention may involve a variety of configurations.
[0061] In one embodiment of the present invention, the rack may be
positioned on the bed of a trailer, such as the trailer bed of a
transport truck. The rack may have elements to facilitate the
lifting of the rack onto and off of a trailer bed. The cushioning
effect of the present invention may be designed to withstand the
shock, vibrations or force exerted upon the one or more glass panes
positioned within the rack during travel, such as bumps due to
uneven pavement, as well those caused by loading and unloading the
rack from the trailer bed.
[0062] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that
other variations of the embodiments described herein may also be
practiced without departing from the scope of the invention. Other
modifications are therefore possible.
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