Stackable and nestable racks

Details Stackable and nestable racks Stackable and nestable racks

1998-04-23

2001-11-20

Stodola, Daniel P. (Department: 3634)

Supports: racks

Of wire

C211S194000, C211S149000, C211S126700, C211S188000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06318570

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Various styles of racks are available in the prior art, many of them relate to types of racks that have industrial application, such as for holding bottles, letters, or other components in a stacked relationship. Domestically, stackable and nestable racks have been available of a particular design, such as can be seen in the United States patents to Massoudnia, et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,035,335 and 5,152,407. These patents are owned by an assignee affiliated with the applicants herein. As can be seen in these prior patents, the shown racks are both stackable, one on top the other, and can be erected into multiple heights, and in addition, as when not in use, the racks are nestable, one on top of the other, so as to reduce their size when undergoing shipment, placed in storage, or when displayed for sale. The essence of these previous racks is to provide an upstanding handle, proximate each end of the rack, that furnishes clearance between the upper part of the handle, and the platform or surface formed of the rack, so that the turned foot of the supra-adjacent rack may engage in some manner with the raised handle, to provide for their securement, and hold together, when two or more of the racks are lifted, but likewise, to provide for securement of the racks together, when stacked.
Various other prior art embodiments for miscellaneous types of racks are available in the art, to provide for stacking of one rack upon the other, such as can be seen in the previous United States patent to Barbier, U.S. Pat. No. 2,814,390; von Stein, et al, U.S. Pat. No.4,079,836; Beach, U.S. Pat. No. 2,600,191; Pfeifer, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,785; Ondrasick, U.S. Pat. No.4,821,885; Cassel, U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,238; Chesley, U.S. Pat. No. 3,435,958; and, vanDerTog, U.S. Pat. No.2,975,906. The shelves and racks as shown in these prior patents are far more complex of construction than that of this current invention, in many instances, were designed for industrial purposes, and just do not lend themselves well for use for simplified application for domestic storage and stacking of household goods, or for use for organizing closets. The United States patent to Chap, U.S. Pat. No. 4,444,320, discloses a stackable shelf unit, it is not identified as a nestable type shelf, but it discloses how the bottom of the legs of the shown unit are bent inwardly, and downwardly, so as to locate through the surface for the shown shelf. But, while this shelf unit may stack, it is not identified as one which may be nested, and furthermore, even when a plurality of such shelf units are stacked, one upon the other, they will not hold together, because the bent leg portions will simply separate from any subjacent unit, by sliding free of the same when lifted.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the principal object of this invention to provide a stackable and nestable rack, which affords a uniform platform entirely across the top of the formed rack, without any interference from any components forming the styled rack, but at the same time, providing interlocking means that hold one or more of the racks together, when stacked one upon the other, so that all of the racks may be lifted simultaneously, without separation.
It is another principal object of this invention to provide a rack of the foregoing design, and which is also nestable.
This invention contemplates the formation of a particularly styled rack, formed of a simplified design, but yet is quite unique in structure, appearance, affording a minimum of components to provide for its fabrication, but yet furnishes an attractive rack that may be both stackable, one upon the other, for assistance in organizing the storage of household or other goods, and at the same time, can be easily nested into a very contracted state, when a plurality of the racks are desired to be stored or shipped. Each of the racks is formed having an upper platform, of uniform planar dimension, and which upper platform provides a smooth transition from end to end, and likewise widthwise, without any further elevated components, so as to assure that goods may be easily stored thereon, as desired. Each of the racks is formed having down turned legs, at each end, and more specifically at each corner, of the formed platform, to provide elevation for the rack when stood upon a surface. The downward end of each rack incorporates an out turned foot portion, that has width slightly less than the dimensions between the grid work forming the upper surface platform, so that the foot portions may be inserted through a proximate corner grids, forming the surface platform, and underlie any transverse rod that form the end of the rack platform, to furnish interconnection of stacked racks together, even when a plurality of them are stacked, and are subject to a lifting force. Between each foot portion of a rack, there is provided a transverse integral rod, arranged slightly upwardly of the formed corner feet for the rack, and that rod comes to rest upon any longitudinal rods forming the surface platform for the rack, when a pair or more of the racks are stacked one upon the other, in the manner as previously described.
Another unique aspect of this invention is the method for formation of the described racks. The racks may generally be fabricated as a two-dimensional design, having the feet and transverse rod portions of the foot for the intended rack being either welded in place, or bent from integral wire structure, and then have at approximate its center portion the arrangement of the surface platform, formed by the upper end rods for the platform, the wire grid structure that forms the platform itself, and following this assembly, the legs may simply be bent down and formed into other angles, as may be necessary, to furnish the desired elevation to the finished rack, and also, to allow them to be stacked and nested, in the manner as previously explained.
Where the surface formed platform for the rack does not include any longitudinal wires, but only a series of transverse rods forming the surface, as can be understood, the racks, when stacked one upon the other, will not remain elevated, because the legs will simply slide through the surface platform of the subjacent rack and not remain suspended in its desired elevated position, when stacked one upon the other. Hence, it is intended that various types of protrusions may be provided proximate the lower end of the leg portions of each rack, and these protrusions may either be configured from an integral bending of the wires forming the legs, or have welded components fabricated thereto, which protrusions extend laterally and then engage the longitudinal wires forming the sides for the elevated surface platform, for the rack, and prevent the further descending of legs once they are inserted and installed as when a pair of racks are stacked one upon the other. Nevertheless, racks of this design and nature may yet be fabricated in a related lineal length, to facilitate the initial manufacture and set-up of the rack when being assembled, all of the various components may be spot welded in place, the feet and transverse rods forming the lower segment of the legs, in addition to the structural protrusions, may be preformed, and then the racks may be either shipped in that condition, for subsequent bending at their destination, just prior to their final coating, and shipment for marketing to the trade. This particular method and style for manufacture and assemble of racks of this design, particularly because they are fabricated of a simplified design with a minimum of components, and no moving or interengaging parts, are especially adaptive to their initial fabrication, for example, by a manufacturer overseas, shipped to a final assembly plant at a distant destination, and then finally bent, coated, painted, or otherwise treated for final appearance, and then shipped to a customer for display, marketing, and sale.
It is, therefore, the principal object of this invention to provide a stackable and nestable rack that may be fabricated gene

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