U.S. patent application number 16/291190 was filed with the patent office on 2020-09-10 for storage system having dual-row pallet bays.
The applicant listed for this patent is FRAZIER INDUSTRIAL COMPANY. Invention is credited to Aaron Iellimo, Domenick Iellimo.
Application Number | 20200283228 16/291190 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005047062 |
Filed Date | 2020-09-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20200283228 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Iellimo; Domenick ; et
al. |
September 10, 2020 |
STORAGE SYSTEM HAVING DUAL-ROW PALLET BAYS
Abstract
A storage system having side-by-side dual pallet bays is
provided. The system includes a single level or stacked multilevel
storage bay. Each bay is defined by a series of vertically
extending supports and a central divider for storing two rows of
pallets. Preferably, there are no vertical supports extending up
from the central divider. Rails are provided on both sides of each
row for supporting pallets and for pallet transportation/inventory
carts to travel under the pallets. The front of the bay should be
configured for access by a dual-four forklift, to insert and remove
two pallets from the bay at a time.
Inventors: |
Iellimo; Domenick; (Forked
River, NJ) ; Iellimo; Aaron; (Califon, NJ) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
FRAZIER INDUSTRIAL COMPANY |
Long Valley |
NJ |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005047062 |
Appl. No.: |
16/291190 |
Filed: |
March 4, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65G 2201/0267 20130101;
B65G 1/0492 20130101; B65D 19/42 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B65G 1/04 20060101
B65G001/04; B65D 19/42 20060101 B65D019/42 |
Claims
1. A storage system, comprising a storage bay sized to include two
side-by-side rows of pallets extending from a front to a rear in a
lengthwise direction, having a left side and a right side from the
perspective of viewing from the front to the rear of the bay, the
left and right sides of the bay defined by left-side and right-side
upwardly extending vertical supports and the bottom of the bay
defined by a horizontal beam attached to and extending from the
left-side vertical support to the right-side vertical support; at
least one central divider having a left-side and a right-side
supported by the horizontal beam and extending in a lengthwise
direction from the front to the rear of the bay to define a left
row and a right row in the lengthwise direction, the left row and
the right row each and adapted to receive and store a left row and
a right row of pallets and no vertical support member extending up
from the front of the central divider; a left outer pallet support
at the left-side vertical support, a right outer pallet support at
the right-side vertical support, a left inner pallet support at the
left-side of the central divider and a right inner pallet support
at the right-side of the central divider; the left outer pallet
support having an upward facing pallet support surface and an
upward facing cart support surface located right of and below the
left outer pallet support surface, the right outer pallet support
having an upward facing pallet support surface and an upward facing
cart support surface located left of and below the right outer
pallet support surface, the left inner pallet support having an
upward facing pallet support surface and an upward facing cart
support surface located left of and below the left inner pallet
support surface, and the right inner pallet support having an
upward facing pallet support surface and an upward facing cart
support surface located right of and below the right inner pallet
support surface, the respective upward facing pallet support
surfaces constructed and positioned to support the edges of a
pallet, and each of the respective upward facing cart support
surfaces constructed and positioned to support a wheel of a pallet
cart positioned in the left or the right row; the vertical
supports, central divider and pallet supports positioned and
arranged to make side-by-side pallets with goods resting on the
pallet support surfaces accessible to a dual fork forklift.
2. The storage system of claim 1, wherein the pallet supports have
a generally "L" shaped cross-section and the pallet support surface
is the top of a vertical leg of the pallet support and the cart
support surface is on the horizontal leg of the pallet support.
3. The storage system of claim 1, wherein there are no vertical
supports rising along the entire length of the central divider.
4. The storage system of claim 1, wherein the horizontal beam is
strong enough to support two 2500 pound pallets positioned one on
each side of the central divider.
5. The storage system of claim 4, wherein the horizontal beam is
formed from 1/4 inch hot rolled structural steel with a C-channel
structure.
6. The storage system of claim 1, wherein the cart support surfaces
of the respective left inner pallet support and right inner pallet
support are about 12-14 inches apart.
7. The storage system of claim 1, wherein the cart support surfaces
of the respective left inner pallet support and right inner pallet
support are about 13-13.25 inches apart.
8. The storage system of claim 1, wherein the inner edges of the
left inner pallet support and right inner pallet support are about
7-9 inches apart.
9. The storage system of claim 1, wherein the inner edges of the
left inner pallet support and right inner pallet support are about
8-8.25 inches apart.
10. The storage system of claim 1 and comprising a lower bay under
the storage bay, the lower bay having a lower left outer pallet
support at the left-side vertical support, a right outer pallet
support at the right-side vertical support, a lower left inner
pallet support at a lower central divider and a lower right inner
pallet support at the lower central divider; the lower left outer
pallet support, lower right outer pallet support, lower left inner
pallet support, and the lower right inner pallet support each
having a lower upward facing pallet support surface constructed and
positioned to support the edges of a pallet, and a lower upward
facing cart support surface located inward and below the respective
lower left and right pallet support services, the lower cart
support surfaces constructed and positioned to support the wheels
of a lower left row and a lower right row pallet cart positioned on
the lower left row and lower right row cart support surfaces; the
lower central divider supported by ground; the vertical supports,
lower central divider and lower pallet supports positioned and
arranged to make side-by-side pallets with goods resting on the
pallet support surfaces accessible to a dual fork forklift and to
have no bather to prevent a vehicle from driving on the ground,
into the lower storage bay.
11. A storage system, comprising a storage bay extending from a
front to a rear in a lengthwise direction, having a left side and a
right side from the perspective of viewing from the front to the
rear of the bay, the left and right sides of the bay defined by
left-side and right-side upwardly extending vertical supports and
the bottom of the bay defined by a horizontal beam attached to and
extending from the left-side vertical support to the right-side
vertical support; at least one central divider having a left-side
and a right-side supported by the horizontal beam and extending in
a lengthwise direction from the front to the rear of the bay to
define a left row and a right row in the lengthwise direction; a
left outer pallet support at the left-side vertical support, a
right outer pallet support at the right-side vertical support, a
left inner pallet support at the left-side of the central divider
and a right inner pallet support at the right-side of the central
divider; the left outer pallet support, the right outer pallet
support, the left inner pallet support, and the right inner pallet
support each having an upward facing pallet support surface
constructed and positioned to support the edges of a pallet, and an
upward facing cart support surface constructed and positioned to
support a wheel of a pallet cart; at least one positioning guide
above the left and the right inner pallet support surfaces and the
left and the right outer pallet support surfaces, adapted to guide
the pallets into position on the pallet support surfaces as the
pallets are installed on the pallet support surfaces.
12. The storage system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the
positioning guides comprises inclined surfaces, having an angle
between about 55.degree. to 75.degree. from horizontal, above the
pallet support surfaces.
13. The storage system of claim 12, wherein the positioning guide
comprises inclined surfaces, having an angle between about
70.degree. to 60.degree., from horizontal, above the pallet support
surfaces.
14. The storage system of claim 11, wherein a centering guide is
located over the central divider and has a generally trapezoidal
cross section.
15. The storage system of claim 11, wherein a centering guide
having inclined surfaces is located over the central divider and
has a vertical height of over 2 inches.
16. The storage system of claim 14, wherein the centering guide has
a vertical height of about 3 to 5 inches.
17. The storage system of claim 11, wherein a centering guide is
located over the left outer pallet support surface and the right
outer pallet support surface and each has a generally triangular
cross section.
18. The storage system of claim 11, wherein a centering guide is
located over the left outer pallet support surface and the right
outer pallet support surface and each has a vertical height of
about 5 to 8 inches.
19. The storage system of claim 11, wherein an end of a centering
guide is located over the left outer pallet support surface and the
right outer pallet support surface and each is inclined outwardly,
to help guide a pallet into the bay as a pallet is installed into
the bay.
20. The storage system of claim 11, wherein an end of a centering
guide is located over the left inner pallet support surface and
over the right inner pallet support surface and an end of another
centering guide is located over the left and the right outer pallet
support surfaces and both ends are inclined outwardly, to help
guide a pallet into a bay as a pallet is installed into the
bay.
21. The storage system of claim 11, comprising a lower storage bay
extending from the front to the rear in the lengthwise direction,
under the storage bay, having a lower left-side and a lower
right-side from the perspective of viewing from the front to the
rear of the bay, the left and right sides of the lower storage bay
defined by the left-side and right-side upwardly extending vertical
supports and the bottom of the bay defined by a ground surface; at
least one lower central divider having a left-side and a right-side
supported by the ground, the lower central divider extending in a
lengthwise direction from the front to the rear of the bay to
define a left row and a right row in the lengthwise direction; a
lower left outer pallet support at the left-side vertical support,
a lower right outer pallet support at the right-side vertical
support, a lower left inner pallet support at the left-side of the
central divider and a lower right inner pallet support at the
right-side of the central divider; the lower left outer pallet
support, lower right outer pallet support, lower left inner pallet
support, and lower right inner pallet support each having an upward
facing lower pallet support surface constructed and positioned to
support the edges of a pallet, and a lower upward facing cart
support surface located inward and below the respective left and
right lower pallet support surfaces; at least one lower positioning
guide above the left and the right lower inner pallet support
surfaces and the left and the right lower outer pallet support
surfaces, adapted to guide the pallets into position on the lower
pallet support surfaces as the pallets are installed on the lower
pallet support surfaces.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The disclosure relates to systems for storing, transporting
and managing pallets of goods and more particularly, to a storage
bay that can be accessed by a dual-fork forklift, which can lift
and transport two pallets of goods at a time.
[0002] Storage systems are used in warehouses, department stores,
cold storage areas and other storage facilities to store containers
of goods. Certain storage systems employ extensive storage rack
systems, often called deep rack storage, to store large amounts of
a variety of different products. Some of these systems have columns
formed of rows of storage bays stacked on top of each other, with
two to seven or higher levels and no aisles between columns of
storage bays.
[0003] Due to the density of the storage area and the limited sight
lines and access, it can be time consuming and present logistical
problems to maintain accurate inventory records of the goods
remaining in storage on the racks. It can also be inconvenient to
access goods in the middle of a rack, which is not accessible to a
forklift. Some conventional storage systems employ automated mobile
data collection and pallet transportation carts that travel under
the pallets in storage racks and record inventory information as
well as transport pallets within the row. These pallet carts can
travel on rail systems located under the pallet storage racks. The
bays can be 250 feet long, or longer. Thus, to bring a pallet from
one end of the bay to the other, or from a central portion of the
bay to an end, an automatically raiseable platform on the cart is
used to lift the pallet and transport it to the desired location in
the bay.
[0004] A conventional multi-level, multi-column rack storage system
with no aisles between many of the columns of storage rows of is
shown generally in FIG. 1 as a rack storage system 100. Rack
storage system 100 includes an array of vertical supports 110,
which support horizontal beams 115, to provide structural support.
Storage system 100 also includes an array of support rails 120.
Rails 120 include a pallet support surface 121, on which a
plurality of pallets 130, with a variety of goods 131 are
supported.
[0005] As indicated above, modern storage systems commonly employ a
plurality of robotic pallet transportation carts 140, for both
transporting pallets throughout storage system 100 and optionally
for collecting inventory information. Pallet transportation cart
140 includes a raiseable surface 160, which can be raised up until
it contacts and lifts the bottom of pallet 130. Cart 140 also
includes four automatically driven wheels 170. Wheels 170 travel on
a cart transportation surface 125 of rail 120. Thus, rails 120
extend into a pallet storage bay 180 and permit carts 140 to travel
under pallets 130 along the entire length of each bay 180.
[0006] Pallet storage bay 180 is one pallet wide. It is designed to
be accessed by a conventional forklift, with a single fork for
lifting and transporting a single pallet. However, modern storage
facilities have begun to use the dual pallet forklifts. A dual
pallet forklift 200 with a double fork 250 is shown generally in
FIG. 2. As evident from FIG. 2, double fork 250 is designed to lift
and transport two pallets at the same time. However, conventional
pallet storage rack systems with pallet transportation carts
traveling under the racks of pallets are not sufficiently
compatible with dual pallet forklifts. It can be difficult,
particularly when a storage bay is three, four or five rows high,
to conveniently load or unload two pallets at a time, into a
conventionally designed bay. Accordingly, it can be necessary to
use a dual fork forklift to transport the pallets around the
facility, but to load and unload the pallets onto the rack one
pallet at a time.
[0007] Accordingly, an improved system for storing and transporting
pallets of goods that overcomes drawbacks of the prior art is
desirable.
SUMMARY
[0008] Generally speaking, in accordance with the invention, a
storage system having side-by-side dual pallet bays is provided.
The system includes a single level or stacked multilevel storage
bay, extending lengthwise from a front, proximal end to a rear,
distal end. Each bay is defined by a series of vertically extending
supports. If the storage system is multi-level, horizontal beams
extend across the width of the storage bay and a second bay is
positioned directly over the first bay, and so forth. Even if the
storage bay is a single level, the bay must be raised to provide
room for a pallet transportation cart to travel under the rack of
stored pallets.
[0009] From the perspective of viewing into the bay, from
front-to-rear, the system includes a left-side pallet row and a
right-side pallet row. Each left-side pallet row and right-side
pallet row include a left and right pair of a left-side pallet
support surface and a right-side pallet support surface. Each
left-side pallet support surface and right-side pallet support
surface are spaced slightly narrower than the approximate width of
a typical pallet (e.g., spaced less than 36''), to provide a
surface for supporting a row of pallets extending into the bay.
Bays can be 100, 200, or 250 feet deep, or deeper.
[0010] The left-side pallet row and right-side pallet row are
divided by a central divider. The central divider includes the
right side of the left-side pallet row and the left side of the
right-side pallet row. There should be no vertical supports
extending up from the central divider, at least at the front of
each bay and preferably, along the entire length of the central
divider. The lack of vertical supports permits the pallets to be
stored more closely together.
[0011] Each bay also includes a pair of pallet cart rails,
extending down the length of the left-side pallet row and the
right-side pallet row. The pallet cart rails are located below and
inside the spacing of the pair of left-side pallet support surface
and right-side pallet support surface. A pallet cart, which can be
automated and can be provided to move the pallets and/or collect
information regarding the inventory of the pallets includes wheels
designed to ride on the rails. The cart is thin enough in height,
and the wheels on the cart are positioned such that the top of the
cart is below the left-side and right-side pallet support surfaces.
Therefore, the cart can travel on the pallet cart rails, underneath
a row of pallets located in the storage bay. It can be used to
transport pallets (and goods) throughout the bay.
[0012] The left-side and right-side pallet rows should be spaced
closely enough so that the pallets can be positioned close enough
to be installed and removed by a dual pallet forklift. Thus, the
central divider should be narrow enough to space the pallets close
enough to be engaged by a dual fork forklift. In addition,
centering cams (guide ramps) can be provided to help properly
position a pallet on the support surface, which may be tens of feet
off the ground, as it is loaded into or removed from the bay.
[0013] Other objects, advantages and embodiments of the invention
will be apparent from the specification and the drawings and the
scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional rack storage
system;
[0015] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a double-fork forklift;
[0016] FIG. 3 is a front view of a storage system in accordance
with an embodiment of the invention;
[0017] FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial front view of a portion of the
storage system of FIG. 3.
[0018] FIG. 5 is a side view of a centering cam for use with a
central divider, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the
invention;
[0019] FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of a section of the
centering cam of FIG. 5, taken along line 6-6;
[0020] FIG. 7 is a side view of a side centering cam, in accordance
with a preferred embodiment of the invention;
[0021] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the side centering cam
of FIG. 7, taken along line 8-8, in accordance with a preferred
embodiment of the invention; and
[0022] FIG. 9 is a partial top view of the end of the centering cam
of FIG. 7.
[0023] Throughout the specification, like reference numerals will
be used to indicate similar elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0024] The present disclosure may be understood more readily by
reference to the following detailed description of the disclosure,
taken in connection with the accompanying figures, which form a
part of this disclosure. It is to be understood that this
disclosure is not limited to the specific devices, methods,
conditions or parameters described and/or shown herein, and that
the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing
particular embodiments by way of example only and is not intended
to be limiting of the claimed disclosure.
[0025] Also, as used in the specification and including the
appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include
the plural, and reference to a particular numerical value includes
at least that particular value, unless the context clearly dictates
otherwise. Ranges may be expressed herein as from "about" or
"approximately" one particular value and/or to "about" or
"approximately" another particular value. When such a range is
expressed, another embodiment includes from the one particular
value and/or to the other particular value. Similarly, when values
are expressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent "about,"
it will be understood that the particular value forms another
embodiment.
[0026] FIG. 3 shows one column of a storage rack system 300 in
accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention. System 300
includes a plurality of vertically rising vertical supports 310
having horizontal supports 320 connected therebetween. The pair of
vertical supports 310 with the horizontal support 320 therebetween
define a dual pallet storage bay 330. From the perspective of
looking from a near proximal end lengthwise to a far distal end of
storage bay 330 defines a left side defined by left vertical
support 310a and a right side defined by a right vertical support
310b. A plurality of storage bays 330 can be stacked on top of each
other and positioned side-to-side with each other.
[0027] Each storage bay 330 also includes a central divider 350,
which is supported by horizontal beam 320. Central divider 350
preferably does not have any vertical supports rising therefrom. A
left-side outer support rail 341 is attached to left vertical
support 310a; a right-side outer support rail 342 is attached to
right vertical support 310b; a left side inner support rail 343 is
attached to the left side of central divider 350; and a right side
inner support rail 344 is attached to the right side of central
divider 350.
[0028] In one embodiment of the invention, the lowest storage bay
does not have a horizontal beam extending across the vertical
supports. In this embodiment of the invention, the outer support
rails for the lowest bay are attached to the vertical supports as
otherwise discussed herein, and the inner support rails are
supported by the ground, e.g., resting on the ground/floor or
supported by a post or stanchion, which rests on the ground/floor.
With this embodiment of the invention, when there are no pallets
stored in this lower storage bay, it is convenient to walk through
the storage bay or to drive a floor cleaner or other vehicle into
the storage bay, without the obstruction of the horizontal beam or
otherwise.
[0029] Support rails 341-344 can be formed with an "L" shaped
cross-section, with a vertical leg and a horizontal leg. The upper
surface of the vertical leg of support rails 341-344 forms a
plurality of pallet supporting surfaces 341a-344a, respectively.
The upper surface of the horizontal leg forms a plurality of cart
supporting surface 341b-344b, respectively. Pallet supporting
surfaces 341a-344a are used to support a row of pallets 361 loaded
with goods 362. The row of pallets can be 100 feet deep, 250 feet
deep or deeper.
[0030] Referring to FIG. 4, a pallet cart 400 includes an upper
surface 410. Upper surface 410 includes a raiseable platform. If
cart 400 is positioned under a pallet 361 and the platform is
raised, cart 400 can be used to lift and transport pallet 361 and
goods 362 to a selected position within bay 330. When positioned at
an end of the bay, one or two pallets 361 with goods 362 can be
removed from bay 330 with a forklift.
[0031] Cart 410 can include four wheels 420, which ride on cart
surfaces 341b-344b. Cart 400 can include a drive motor and a
battery for driving the motor. It can also include RF transponders,
memory and wireless and wired connections for receiving
instructions and/or transmitting data, such as inventory data
detected as cart 400 travels under pallets 362, along the length of
bay 330.
[0032] It is preferred to provide each bay 330 with centering
(camming) guide ramps, for the proper positioning of the pallets
during loading and unloading. This permits narrower bays.
Accordingly, center divider 350 includes a two-sided centering
guide 461 to help guide the pallets onto pallet surface 343a or
344a. Similarly, a left side centering (camming) guide 462 and a
right side centering (camming) guide 463 are attached to left
vertical support 310a and right vertical support 310b,
respectively, to properly position the pallets on pallet support
surfaces 341a and 342a, respectively. These camming surfaces also
assist in the smooth removal of pallets from the storage bays.
[0033] The guiding surfaces of centering guide ramps 461, 462 and
463 should be about 80.degree.-50.degree. from horizontal,
preferably about 70.degree.-60.degree., most preferably about
65.degree.. It should have a vertical height over 2 inches,
preferably about 3 to 5 inches, most preferably about 4 inches.
Centering guide 461 is also shown in side view and cross-sectional
view in FIGS. 5 and 6, respectively. The top surface of centering
guide 461 should be narrow enough, for the tight stacking of
pallets. Accordingly, it should be less than about 5 inches and
more preferably, less than about 4 inches wide, most preferably
about 3.5 inches wide. For similar reasons, the base of centering
guide 461 should be less than 9 inches wide, preferably less than 8
inches wide and most preferably about 7 inches wide. A front end
472 and a rear end 473 should also be beveled, to assist with
smooth movement of pallets in the bay. Thus, ends 472 and 473
should be at an angle of about 30.degree. to 60.degree., preferably
40.degree. to 50.degree. and most preferably about 45.degree. to
horizontal.
[0034] Left or right side centering guide 462 or 463 is shown in
side view in FIG. 7. An end cross-sectional view of side centering
guide 462 (463), taken along line 8-8, is shown in FIG. 8. As shown
in FIG. 8, side centering guide 462 (463) has a C-channel
construction and is angled from horizontal, to provide a camming
surface, to assist in the proper insertion and removal of pallets
from bay 330. Preferably, this angle is about 60.degree. to
80.degree., more preferably 65.degree. to 75.degree. and most
preferably, about 68.degree.. Side centering guide 462 (463) should
be about 5 to 8 inches in vertical height, preferably about 6 to 7
inches high.
[0035] An end 474 of side centering guide 462 (463) should be
beveled, to promote smooth insertion and removal of pallets from
bay 330. A top view of the end of side centering guide 462 (463) is
shown in FIG. 9. This angle should be about 35.degree. to
55.degree., preferably 40.degree. to 50.degree., most preferably
about 45.degree..
[0036] Each bay 330 should have an inner clearance of about 92
inches to store pallets side-by-side. 90 to 94 inches inner
clearance is acceptable, 91-93 is preferred. The height of each bay
should be able to store a pallet-plus-goods at least 52 inches
high, preferably 55-60 inches. The spacing between the pallet
support surfaces should be at least 35 inches, 35-45 inches is
preferred, 38-42 inches is more preferred and about 39.5-40.5
inches is most preferred. About 2-6 inches clearance should be
provided between the pallets and goods and either the adjacent
pallet or the adjacent vertical support. About 3.5-4.5 inches is
more preferred.
[0037] The respective ends of the cart support surfaces of the
support rails should be sufficiently close to each other, to permit
the pallets in the left and right rows of a bay to be close enough
to be accessed by a dual fork forklift. Preferably, the ends of the
cart support surfaces should be about 10-15 inches apart,
preferably 12-14 inches apart, most preferably 13-13.25 inches. The
outer edges of the pallet support surfaces supported by the central
divider should be about 6-10, preferably 7-9, most preferably
7.5-8.5 inches apart.
[0038] The horizontal beams should be strong enough to hold two
pallets plus goods, totaling at least about 2000 pounds each,
preferably over about 2500 pounds each and even up to 3000 pounds
each. Accordingly, the horizontal beams should be formed from 4
gauge quarter-inch thick steel. The beams should have a C-channel
construction. In particular, the horizontal beam should be formed
from 1/4 inch hot rolled structural steel with a C-channel
structure.
[0039] Note that where this application has listed the steps of a
method or procedure in a specific order, it may be possible, or
even expedient in certain circumstances, to change the order in
which some steps are performed, and it is intended that the
particular steps of the method or procedure claim set forth
herebelow not be construed as being order-specific unless such
order specificity is expressly stated in the claims.
[0040] While the preferred embodiments of the devices and methods
have been described in reference to the environment in which they
were developed, they are merely illustrative of the principles of
the inventions. Modification or combinations of the above-described
assemblies, other embodiments, configurations, and methods for
carrying out the invention, and variations of aspects of the
invention that are obvious to those of skill in the art are
intended to be within the scope of the claims.
* * * * *