Modular rack system and components therefor
First Claim
1. A modular rack array, comprising:
- a plurality of elongated beams, each beam having a pair of opposed ends, each end having a locking hole;
a plurality of coupler blocks, each of which has a plurality of external faces, each face having an aperture for receiving an end of a beam, and each aperture having associated therewith a pin retaining hole anda locking mechanism associated with each aperture for releaseably locking the received end of a beam therein, said locking mechanism comprising a retaining pin which is removably insertable within said pin retaining hole, said retaining pin passing through the locking hole of the received end.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A new modular rack system is provided which can be ganged, expanded, contacted and modified in various ways, depending on the type of merchandise to be transported or stored. It can be readily moved by forklift and lifted by cables. Once the new modular rack system has fulfilled its transportation or storage function, it can be easily disassembled, transported, and stowed until needed for subsequent transportation and/or storage missions. In its most basic embodiment, the modular rack system generally comprises a plurality of beams, each beam consisting of an elongated member having first and second ends; and a plurality of coupler blocks, each block consisting of a three-dimensional polygonal body having a plurality of faces, each face having an aperture for receiving a single end of a beam, and each aperture including a retaining mechanism which releasably locks the received end within the aperture. For a preferred embodiment of the rack system, each coupler block has six cubically-arranged faces. Thus, by interconnecting multiple coupler blocks with multiple beams, cubic rack arrays of various shapes and sizes may be assembled. The length of the beams may be varied to accommodate various sizes and shapes of merchandise. The system further contemplates the incorporation of multiple shock absorbing feet, each of which is nestingly secured to a coupler block positioned at each lowermost corner of the rack array.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. A modular rack array, comprising:
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a plurality of elongated beams, each beam having a pair of opposed ends, each end having a locking hole; a plurality of coupler blocks, each of which has a plurality of external faces, each face having an aperture for receiving an end of a beam, and each aperture having associated therewith a pin retaining hole and a locking mechanism associated with each aperture for releaseably locking the received end of a beam therein, said locking mechanism comprising a retaining pin which is removably insertable within said pin retaining hole, said retaining pin passing through the locking hole of the received end. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A modular rack array comprising:
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a plurality of elongated beams, each beam having a pair of opposed ends, each end having a locking hole therein; two retaining pins for each beam; and a plurality of coupler blocks, each of which has six cubically-arranged external faces, each face having an aperture for receiving an end of a beam, each aperture having associated therewith a pin insertion hole for receiving a retaining pin, said retaining pin passing through the locking hole in the end of a beam when a beam is inserted within the aperture, thereby releasably locking the beam end within the aperture. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification