Supports: racks – Article locking
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-26
2001-01-16
Stodola, Daniel P. (Department: 3634)
Supports: racks
Article locking
C211S070600, C224S324000, C224S567000, C224S570000, C224S571000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06173842
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to racks, and more particularly, to a tool rack that can securely hold several weedeaters. Preferably, the multiple weedeater rack of the present invention is mounted on a truck or trailer, however, the multiple weedeater rack can be placed in any suitable location.
2. Description of the Related Art
Weed cutting devices, also known as weeders or “weedeaters”, as well as other lawn maintenance equipment are typically transported from one site to another site on a frequent basis. Often the lawn maintenance equipment is damaged because the equipment is not secured within the vehicle and therefore, the equipment is free to be tossed around as the vehicle moves. The damage to the equipment caused by the equipment being thrown around inside the vehicle due to the motion of the vehicle can be costly, for example, there are repair costs, replacement costs, and loss revenue due to a diminished workforce because there is less equipment to use. Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a lawn maintenance equipment storage rack that could be mounted in an appropriate location on a vehicle and onto which elongated, tubular equipment like weedeaters could be stored for transport.
Unsecured lawn maintenance equipment like weedeaters can be easily stolen, therefore, it is important to have a convenient means to both readily store and secure such equipment. Any securement means used to secure an elongated, tubular piece of lawn maintenance equipment such as string trimmer should be relatively easy to open and close, and should effectively prevent the unauthorized removal of a piece of equipment.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,291,430 issued on Jan. 14, 1919 to H. F. Davenport, U.S. Pat. No. 2,946,452 issued on Jul. 26, 1960 to J. Caloiero et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,438,506 issued on Apr. 15, 1969 to G. L. Groth, U.S. Pat. No. 3,767,093 issued on Oct. 23, 1973 to M. L. Pinkerton et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,027,798 issued on Jun. 7, 1977 to G. C. Swaim, U.S. Pat. No. 4,132,315 issued on Jan. 2, 1979 to B. Y. Young, U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,405 issued on Sep. 29, 1987 to P. M. Waring, U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,228 issued on Sep. 1, 1992 to W. D. Arnold, U.S. Pat. No. 5,411,191 issued on May 2, 1995 to R. Bunn, Jr, U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,489 issued on Jul. 15, 1997, and German Pat. No. 654,127 published in February, 1937 describe rack assemblies used to store a variety of items.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a lawn maintenance equipment rack that is easy to open and closed.
It is another object of the invention to provide a lawn maintenance equipment that sturdy and durable.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a lawn maintenance equipment rack that can readily store and secure a multiple number of weedeaters.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a lawn maintenance equipment rack that has multiple security features to prevent the unauthorized removal of equipment.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in a lawn maintenance equipment rack for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
To meet the above objectives, the present invention provides for a multi-weeder rack comprising a rectangular frame with side brackets for each weeder. The rectangular frame of the multiweeder rack comprises an inner and outer frame made of welded steel. The inner and outer frames of the multi-weeder are slidably engaged, with the outer frame capable of vertical movement relative to the inner frame which is stationary.
The multi-weeder rack of the present invention has a handle mechanism with an open position for inserting and removing a weeder, and a closed position for securing the weeders in place. A pair of hooks supports each weeder and a locking pin associated with each hook prevents the weeder from being removed from inside the hook when the handle mechanism is in the closed position. When the handle mechanism is in the open position, the locking pin is vertically displaced from the mouth of the hook to a distance sufficient to allow easy insertion or removal of a weeder.
The multi-weeder rack has security pins that prevent the removal of the outer frame of the rack from the inner frame of the rack. Furthermore, the multi-weeder rack has two configured portions, one on the inner frame and the second on the outer frame, that when aligned allow for the installation of a padlock to prevent the multi-weeder rack from being opened by the handle mechanism.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1291430 (1919-01-01), Davenport
patent: 2088741 (1937-08-01), Hanson
patent: 2946452 (1960-07-01), Caloiero
patent: 3326385 (1967-06-01), Pinkerton et al.
patent: 3438506 (1969-04-01), Groth
patent: 3767093 (1973-10-01), Pinkerton et al.
patent: 4027798 (1977-06-01), Swaim
patent: 4132315 (1979-01-01), Young
patent: 4139100 (1979-02-01), Reed
patent: 4249726 (1981-02-01), Faust
patent: 4316608 (1982-02-01), Lundberg
patent: 4535985 (1985-08-01), Mask
patent: 4696405 (1987-09-01), Waring
patent: 4730828 (1988-03-01), Lane
patent: 5050868 (1991-09-01), Pearson
patent: 5143228 (1992-09-01), Arnold
patent: 5303858 (1994-04-01), Price
patent: 5411191 (1995-05-01), Bunn, Jr.
patent: 5647489 (1997-07-01), Bellis, Jr.
patent: 5676257 (1997-10-01), Adkins
patent: 5762590 (1998-06-01), St. Fleur et al.
patent: 654127 (1937-02-01), None
Litman Richard C.
Stodola Daniel P.
Tran Khoa
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