Safety apparatus for electrical equipment rack

• US 10,390,619 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2018
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hewitt, James, Holyoake, Colin I., Postlethwaite, Richard, Thomas, Caroline J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Krycinski, Stanton L
• Application Number:
  US16/199,316
• Publication Number:
  US 20190090637A1
• Time in Patent Office: 274 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 88/50 Safety devices or the like for drawers locks specially adapted for a plurality of drawers E05B65/46
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 96/061 Cantilever brackets
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1488 Cabinets therefor, e.g. chassis or racks or mechanical interfaces between blades and support structures

Abstract

A safety apparatus for an electrical equipment rack includes a retractable safety device for preventing, when in an operational position, the extending of an extendable rail and an electrical equipment unit mounted thereon from a position internal to the rack to a position external to the rack, and for allowing the same when in a non-operational position. The position of the retractable safety device is linked to the position of a retractable rack support such that when the retractable rack support is lowered in its operative position the retractable safety device is in a non-operational position, and when it is raised in a raised inoperative position the retractable safety device is in an operational position preventing the extending of the extendable rail and an electrical equipment unit mounted thereon to a position external to the rack.

Claims

1. A safety apparatus for an electrical equipment rack, the rack comprising a frame comprising mounting arrangements for extendable rails for mounting electrical equipment units, the extendable rails allowing the electrical equipment units to be extended on the extendable rails from a position internal to the rack to a position external to the rack, and retractable rack supports which when extended from raised inoperative positions to lowered operative positions support the rack on the surface, the safety apparatus comprising:

a retractable safety device for preventing, when in an operational position, the extending of one of said extendable rails and one of said electrical equipment units mounted on the extendable rail from a position internal to the rack to a position external to the rack, and for allowing the extending of the extendable rail and the electrical equipment unit mounted on the extendable rail when in a non-operational position, the position of the retractable safety device being linked to the position of one of said retractable rack supports such that;

when the retractable rack support is lowered in the lowered operative position to support the rack, the retractable safety device is in the non-operational position; and

when the retractable rack support is raised in the raised inoperative position the retractable safety device is in the operational position preventing the extending of the extendable rail and the electrical equipment unit mounted on the extendable rail to a position external to the rack.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the retractable safety device is mechanically linked to the retractable rack support such that movement of the retractable rack support relative to the rack produces a movement of the retractable safety device.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the mechanical link comprises a thread engaging element engaging a thread of the retractable rack support when the retractable rack support is in the raised inoperative position, and ceasing to engage the thread when the support is in the lowered operative position, and further comprising a biasing device for moving the retractable safety device to the non-operational position when the thread engaging element is no longer engaged with the thread.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the mechanical link comprises a linkage mechanism producing continuing movement of the retractable safety device between the operational position when the retractable rack support is in the raised inoperative position and the non-operational position when the support is in the lowered operative position.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the retractable safety device comprises a physical barrier to extending of the electrical equipment unit on the extendable rail when in the operational position.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the physical barrier comprises a plate.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the plate is operable for guided movement by a guiding support at a top and bottom of the plate.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the retractable safety device comprises an element protruding in to a recess in the electrical equipment unit when in the operational position.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electrical equipment unit comprises one or more of a data handling unit, a server computer unit, a telecommunications unit, or a data storage unit.

10. An electrical equipment rack comprising:

a frame comprising mounting arrangements for extendable rails for mounting electrical equipment units, the extendable rails allowing the electrical equipment units to be extended on the extendable rails from a position internal to the rack to a position external to the rack;

retractable rack supports which when extended from raised inoperative positions to lowered operative positions support the rack on the surface; and

a safety apparatus, the safety apparatus comprising;

a retractable safety device for preventing, when in an operational position, the extending of one of said extendable rails and one of said electrical equipment units mounted on the extendable rail from a position internal to the rack to a position external to the rack, and for allowing the extending of the extendable rail and the electrical equipment unit mounted on the extendable rail when in a non-operational position, the position of the retractable safety device being linked to the position of one of said retractable rack supports such that;

when the retractable rack support is lowered in the lowered operative position to support the rack, the retractable safety device is in the non-operational position; and

when the retractable rack support is raised in the raised inoperative position the retractable safety device is in the operational position preventing the extending of the extendable rail and the electrical equipment unit mounted on the extendable rail to a position external to the rack.

11. The electrical equipment rack of claim 10, wherein the retractable safety device is mechanically linked to the retractable rack support so that movement of the retractable rack support relative to the rack produces a movement of the retractable safety device.

12. The electrical equipment rack of claim 11, wherein the mechanical link comprises a thread engaging element engaging a thread of the retractable rack support when the retractable rack support is in the raised inoperative position, and ceasing to engage the thread when the support is in the lowered operative position, and further comprising a biasing device for moving the retractable safety device to the non-operational position when the thread engaging element is no longer engaged with the thread.

13. The electrical equipment rack of claim 11, wherein the mechanical link comprises a linkage mechanism producing continuing movement of the retractable safety device between the operational position when the retractable rack support is in the raised inoperative position and a non-operational position when the support is in the lowered operative position.

14. The electrical equipment rack of claim 10, wherein the retractable safety device comprises a physical barrier to extending of the electrical equipment unit on the extendable rail when in the operational position.

15. The electrical equipment rack of claim 14, wherein the retractable safety device comprises a plate.

16. The electrical equipment rack of claim 15, wherein the plate is operable for guided movement by a guiding support at a top and bottom of the plate.

17. The electrical equipment rack of claim 10, wherein the retractable safety device comprises an element protruding in to a recess in the electrical equipment unit when in the operational position.

18. The electrical equipment rack of claim 10, wherein the electrical equipment unit comprises one or more of a data handling unit, a server computer unit, a telecommunications unit, or a data storage unit.