Pallet rack with camber beams

• US 20040155003A1
• Filed: 02/04/2003
• Published: 08/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Steel King Industries, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Steel King Industries, Inc.
• Inventors: Krueger, Steven E., Rosenberg, Gary J., Anderson, Jayce S., Sniff, William R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,007,815 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 211/191
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 47/021 Racks or shelf units A47B47/03 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 47/027 with frames only A47B47/0058 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 96/1441 Horizontal struts
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 5/01 made of tubes or wire A47F5/0807 takes precedence foldable or adjustable A47F5/13
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/02 Storage devices furniture A47B; shop fittings A47F

Abstract

A storage rack has upright columns supporting vertically cambered beams having step box or channel shapes accommodating a generally horizontal deck for carrying pallets and product loads. The beams have upward cambers or convex curvatures that increase the load carrying capacity of the rack.

Claims

1. A storage rack comprising:

a first upright frame having a first pair of upright columns,

a second upright frame having a second pair of upright columns laterally spaced from the first pair of upright columns,

at least one pair of beams for supporting a load extended between said first and second pairs of upright columns, each of said beams having an upward convex curvature along the length thereof, whereby a portion of the weight of the load is taken up by the amount of weight required to overcome or flex the convex curved beam toward a downwardly curved configuration, and

connectors attaching the beams to the first and second columns.

3. The rack of claim 1 wherein:

each of said beams is deformed from a linear straight beam into a beam having said convex curvature.

4. The rack of claim 1 wherein:

each beam is a step box beam deformed into a camber beam from a linear straight step box beam.

5. The rack of claim 1 wherein:

each beam is a channel member.

6. The rack of claim 5 wherein, each of said channel members is deformed from a linear straight channel member into a beam having said upward convex curvature.

7. The rack of claim 1 including:

a deck extended between and mounted on said pair of beams.

8. The rack of claim 1 wherein:

said connectors and columns having cooperating means for releasably mounting the connectors on the columns.

2. The rack of claim 2 wherein:

said upward convex curvature of each beam is an arc of a circle.

9. A storage rack comprising:

first and second upright columns laterally spaced from each other,

beam means for supporting a load extended between said first and second columns, said beam means having elongated beams with upward convex curvatures along the lengths thereof whereby a portion of the weight of the load is taken up by the amount of weight required to overcome the convex curvatures of the beams, and connector means for mounting the beam means on the first and second columns.

10. The rack of claim 9 wherein:

said upward convex curvature of each beam is about {fraction (1/32)} inch for each foot of beam length.

11. The rack of claim 9 wherein:

each of said beams is deformed from a linear straight beam into a beam having said convex curvature.

12. The rack of claim 9 wherein:

each beam is a step box beam.

13. The rack of claim 9 wherein:

each beam is a channel member.

14. The rack of claim 9 wherein, each of said beams is a step box beam deformed from a linear straight step box beam into a beam having said upward convex curvature.

15. The rack of claim 9 wherein:

each beam is a channel member deformed from a linear straight channel member into a beam having said upward convex curvature.

16. The rack of claim 9 wherein:

said connector means and beam means have cooperating means for releasably mounting the connector means on the column means.

17. An elongated beam for a storage rack comprising:

an elongated box-shaped metal member having an upward convex curvature along the length thereof.

18. The beam of claim 17 wherein:

said upward convex curvature of said member is about {fraction (1/32)} inch for each foot of beam length.

19. The beam of claim 17 wherein:

said member is deformed from a linear straight member into said member having said convex curvature.

20. The beam of claim 17 wherein:

said member has opposite ends, and connectors having right angle flanges secured to said opposite ends of the member.

21. The beam of claim 17 wherein:

said member has a convex curvature that generally conforms with an arc of a circle.