Rack for supporting circularly symmetrical containers

• US 20020036178A1
• Filed: 09/21/2001
• Published: 03/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tonnellerie Baron
• Original Assignee: Tonnellerie Baron
• Inventors: Tombu, Nicolas
• Granted Patent: US 6,637,607 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 211/74
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 81/007 Racks for cylindrical or barrel-like objects, e.g. casks, rolls
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/02 Storage devices furniture A47B; shop fittings A47F

Abstract

The invention relates to a rack for supporting cask-type containers. The rack comprises a plurality of modular structures each suitable for receiving a single container, each modular structure presenting a back vertical mean plane and a substantially parallel front vertical mean plane, and having top fixing points, bottom fixing points, and support means close to said bottom fixing points, said support means being substantially contained in a horizontal plane so as to support a container. The modular structures are connected to one another via their fixing points on a horizontal axis and on a vertical axis so that each upper modular structure straddles two lower modular structures.

Claims

1. / A rack for supporting cask-type containers presenting respective longitudinal axes,

the rack comprising:

a plurality of modular structures each suitable for receiving a single container, each modular structure presenting a back vertical mean plane and a substantially parallel front vertical mean plane, and each comprising top fixing points, bottom fixing points, and support means close to said bottom fixing points, said support means lying substantially in a horizontal plane so as to support a container whose longitudinal axis is substantially perpendicular to said back and front vertical mean planes;

and wherein said modular structures are interconnected via their fixing points on a horizontal axis and on a vertical axis so that the front vertical mean planes and the back vertical mean planes of said modular structures coincide and so that every upper modular structure straddles two lower modular structures, thereby enabling said containers to be placed in a staggered configuration in a vertical plane, thereby permitting free access to the top portion of each of said containers.

2. / A rack for supporting containers according to claim 1, wherein each modular structure comprises:

a back structure element and a front structure element facing each other, each structure element being constituted by two facing arcs, the mean line of an arc being substantially vertical so that each arc presents a top end and a bottom end, said arcs being interconnected by a link arc so that the concave sides of said two arcs and of the link arc all face towards the inside of said structure, and so that each of said structure elements is substantially in the form of a portion of a circle whose diameter is greater than the maximum diameter of the cask;

link rods suitable for interconnecting said back and front structure elements;

and wherein said top and bottom ends of said two arcs of said back and front structure elements respectively contained in said back and front vertical mean planes, respectively constitute said top fixing points and said bottom fixing points of said modular structure.

3. / A rack for supporting containers according to claim 2, wherein said support means are constituted by rolling members, each rolling member being free to rotate about the first end of a shaft;

and wherein each bottom end of said back and front structure elements has a rolling member connected to said bottom end by the second end of the shaft of said support means.

4. / A rack for supporting containers according to claim 2, wherein each structure element forms a single piece, said two facing arcs and said link arc being constituted by a single hoop portion presenting two free ends separated by a gap.

5. / A rack for supporting containers according to claim 2, wherein the back structure element and the facing front structure element are mechanically interconnected by link rods that are substantially perpendicular to said back and front vertical mean planes.

6. / A rack for supporting containers according to claim 3, wherein said second ends of the shafts of said rolling members also form fixing means suitable for connecting the top fixing points of a modular structure to the bottom fixing points of a modular structure above it.

7. / A rack for supporting containers according to claim 4, wherein said free ends of said hoops constitute the top fixing points of the modular structure enabling said modular structure to present a space in its top portion suitable for being penetrated, at least between said free ends.

8. / A rack for supporting containers according to claim 5, wherein the link rod mechanically connects the top portion of each arc of a back structure element to the top portion of the arc of the facing front structure element.

9. / A rack for supporting containers according to claim 1, the rack further comprising bottom link members suitable for interconnecting two contiguous bottom modular structures, and top link members suitable for interconnecting two contiguous top modular structures.

10. / A rack for supporting containers according to claim 2, wherein said support means are constituted by shaft portions, each bottom end of an arc of said back and front structure elements including a shaft portion.