Rack with heavy duty rollers in back

• US 5,887,732 A
• Filed: 02/07/1997
• Issued: 03/30/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Interlake Mecalux, Inc. (United Fixtures Company Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Interlake Companies, Inc.
• Inventors: Zimmer, Gary E., McEachron, Thomas E., Tipton, Richard, Oser, Kenneth J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stodola, Daniel P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, KHOA H
• Application Number:
  US08/798,288
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: 211/59.2, 211/151
• US Class Current: 211/59.2
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/023 Arrangements of article supporting rollers on racks

Abstract

A gravity feed storage rack includes two different types of roller strips. Heavy duty roller strips are located in the back to absorb the impact of products being dropped on the back of the rack. Regular duty roller strips extend to the front of the rack so that products can roll forward to the front of the rack. The heavy duty roller strips may lie behind the regular roller strips or may lie between the regular roller strips in the rear portion of the rack.

Claims

1. A gravity flow rack, comprising:

a plurality of vertical columns connected together to form a rack framework;

at least one product support platform mounted on said vertical columns and including;

a platform frame defining a front, a back, a left side, a right side, and a top surface;

a plurality of regular roller strips extending from the back of said frame to the front of said frame and supported on said frame, each regular roller strip including a beam and a plurality of rollers mounted on said beam, the top surfaces of said rollers lying in a plane which is at a higher elevation in the back of the rack than in the front of the rack, so as to provide a downwardly-sloping path for products to roll down by gravity to the front of the rack; and

impact absorption means comprising a plurality of heavier duty roller strips mounted on said frame and located between said regular roller strips in the back portion of said frame, said heavier duty roller strips each including a set of heavier duty rollers, which can absorb greater impact than the regular rollers without breaking, so that, when a product is dropped onto the back of said platform, said product contacts the heavier duty rollers on said heavier duty roller strips, thereby protecting the adjacent regular roller strips against damage.

2. A gravity flow rack as recited in claim 1, wherein said heavier duty rollers are at the same elevation as the adjacent regular rollers.

3. A gravity flow rack as recited in claim 1, wherein said heavier duty rollers are at a higher elevation than the adjacent regular rollers.

4. A gravity flow rack as recited in claim 1, wherein said heavier duty roller strips are shorter in length than said regular roller strips.

5. A gravity flow rack, comprising:

a plurality of vertical columns connected together to form a rack framework;

at least one product support platform mounted on said vertical columns and including;

a platform frame defining a front, a back, a left side, a right side, and a top surface;

at least three horizontal, toothed beams extending from the left side of said platform frame to the right side of the platform frame, a rear toothed beam extending across the back of said frame, a forward toothed beam extending across the front of said frame, and a median toothed beam extending across said frame intermediate said forward and rear toothed beams;

said median toothed beam having a substantially U-shaped cross-section, including a base and forward and rear upwardly-extending toothed legs;

a plurality of regular roller strips extending from the forward toothed beam to the forward toothed leg of the median toothed beam, each regular roller strip including a beam and a plurality of rollers mounted on said beam, the top surfaces of said rollers lying in a plane which is at a higher elevation in the back of the rack than in the front of the rack, so as to provide a downwardly-sloping path for products to roll down by gravity to the front of the rack; and

impact absorption means comprising a plurality of heavier duty roller strips extending from said rear toothed beam to said rear toothed leg of said intermediate toothed beam, said heavier duty roller strips each including a set of heavier duty rollers, which can absorb greater impact than the regular rollers without breaking, so that, when a product is dropped onto the back of said platform, said product contacts the heavier duty rollers on said heavier duty roller strips, and then rolls forward by gravity onto the regular rollers, thereby protecting the regular rollers against damage.

6. A gravity flow storage rack, comprising:

a plurality of vertical columns connected together to form a rack framework;

at least one product support platform mounted on said vertical columns and including;

a platform frame defining a front, a back, a left side, a right side, and a top surface;

a plurality of regular roller strips extending from the front of said frame toward the back of said frame and supported on said frame, each regular roller strip including a beam and a plurality of rollers mounted on said beam, the top surfaces of said rollers lying in a plane which is at a higher elevation in the back of the rack than in the front of the rack, so as to provide a downwardly-sloping path for products to roll down by gravity to the front of the rack; and

impact absorption means comprising a plurality of heavy duty roller strips mounted on said frame and located in back of said regular roller strips, said heavy duty roller strips each including a set of heavier duty rollers, which can absorb greater impact than the regular rollers without breaking, so that, when a product is dropped onto the back of said platform, said product contacts the heavier duty rollers on said heavy duty roller strips and then rolls forward by gravity onto the regular rollers, thereby protecting the adjacent regular roller strips against damage.