Supports: racks – Knockdown – Foldable or collapsible
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-10
2001-08-28
Gibson, Jr., Robert W. (Department: 3634)
Supports: racks
Knockdown
Foldable or collapsible
C211S194000, C211S085500, C108S055100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06279763
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to collapsible pallet racks and more particularly to a collapsible and stackable steel rack for shipping and storing heavy roll goods.
2. Description of the Related Art
Collapsible steel pallet racks were first developed in the late 1950s by the Clark Equipment Co. of Battle Creek, Mich., to replace wooden pallets for storing and transporting heavy awkward articles, such as automobile engines. An exemplary prior art steel pallet is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,956,763 which issued on Oct. 18, 1960, to Nicholas D'Arca.
During the 1960s, the textile industry developed various heavy duty, strong racks for yarn-carrying beams. Examples are given in U.S. Pat. No. 3,084,803 which issued to Bayers on Apr. 9, 1963; in U.S. Pat. No. 3,355,029 which issued to Eurey on Nov. 28, 1967; and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,430,773 which issued to Hancock on Mar. 4, 1969.
During the 1970s, improved foldable shipping racks for heavy items, such as automobile engines, were developed in both the United States and Japan. Such racks are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,804,033 which issued to Izawa et al. on Apr. 16, 1974, and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,098,409 which issued to Massey on Jul. 4, 1978. These developments were satisfactory to carry industry through the 1980s.
However, during the 1990s, a need developed for more durable, reusable, foldable, transporting and packaging racks for mechanically sensitive goods in the form of large rolls. This need was met by various racks manufactured in both the United States and Germany. Such racks are illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,821 which issued to Gleffe et al. on Jul. 20, 1993; U.S. Pat. No. 5,242,255 which also issued to Gleffe et al. on Sep. 7, 1993; U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,625 which issued to Filipescu et al. on Dec. 2, 1997; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,398 which issued to Harris on Aug. 24, 1999.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a collapsible and a stackable pallet rack with a hinged arrangement that allows the rack to fold inwardly and downwardly at its sides. This rack provides a shipping unit that prevents damage to heavy roll goods during transit and simultaneously provides a cost-effective stackable storage unit.
A secondary object of the present invention is to provide a cradle that includes a holddown plate which prevents a mandrel from accidently coming off during transit. The cradle has a deep inset and the holddown plate are innovative to collapsible pallet racks. Thus, the present invention returns freight shipping efficiencies not obtainable with prior art devices.
A tertiary object of the present invention is to use cotter pins to secure upright corner posts in the rack. Such cotter pins are placed above the hinges and are included as a basic safety feature. Another safety feature is the use of trapezoidal foot plates reinforced with seven-gauge angle iron to provide added strength in stacking the racks in a nesting arrangement.
In summary, the present invention is a pallet formed of steel in a manner like no other in the industry. It should provide manufacturers and users of large volume papers and films with an economical way to handle a reusable product. Furthermore, the present invention is intended to replace the use of end boards, wooden pallets and cardboard or plastic core plugs that have a limited life and perform only marginally in protecting large product rolls during shipment and storage.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2699911 (1955-01-01), Chase et al.
patent: 2954197 (1960-09-01), Laird
patent: 2956763 (1960-10-01), D'Arca
patent: 2962167 (1960-11-01), Storey et al.
patent: 3084803 (1963-04-01), Bayers
patent: 3355029 (1967-11-01), Eurey
patent: 3430773 (1969-03-01), Hancock
patent: 3499398 (1970-03-01), Murray
patent: 3565018 (1971-02-01), Jay
patent: 3804033 (1974-04-01), Izawa et al.
patent: 3857494 (1974-12-01), Giardini
patent: 4098409 (1978-07-01), Massey
patent: 4773547 (1988-09-01), Bell
patent: 5228821 (1993-07-01), Gleffe et al.
patent: 5242255 (1993-09-01), Gleffe et al.
patent: 5507237 (1996-04-01), Barrow et al.
patent: 5692625 (1997-12-01), Filipescu et al.
patent: 5941398 (1999-08-01), Harris
Gibson , Jr. Robert W.
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
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