Storage Rack with Multiple Tiers

Abstract

A storage rack with multiple tiers includes at least two rack portions and at least a connecting member. The two rack portions include an upper rack portion and a lower rack portion. The rack portions respectively include at least three support beams and at least a rack tier fixed thereon. Two female screw threads are respectively formed on a bottom of the support beams of the upper rack portion and on a top of the support beams of the lower rack portion. The at least a connecting member is connecting the upper rack portion and the lower rack portion. The connecting member includes a handheld portion and two screw portions. The screwing portions are respectively disposed on two sides of the handheld portion and each having a male screw thread thereon. The male screw threads are configured for threadly engaging the female screw threads of the support beams.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

This application claims the priority of the Chinese patent application No. 200720120772.4 with filing date of Jun. 18, 2007.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates generally relates to a storage rack, and more particularly, to a storage rack with multiple tiers that is safe to use and easy to be assembled and disassembled.

2. Description of the Related Art

A storage rack is often used for storing everyday items. In conventional storage racks, multiple rack tiers are often included but no secure connection mechanism is used to connect the different tiers. As a result, a rack tier on the top may fall apart from the rest of the storage rack in case that not all the connections stay in the same plane, which raises a safety issue.

As an attempt to solve this problem, holes have been formed on the storage rack to accommodate inserted support beams so as to position the rack tiers. However, since no tightening measure is carried out, when a top tier is impacted accidentally, it is still easy for the top tiers to fall apart from the rest of the storage rack.

In addition, for conventional storage racks during assembly operations, different rack tiers have to be stacked one upon another and it is not viable to complete the assembly on the ground and erect the complete storage rack in one operation. Hence it is not convenient to assemble and disassemble the conventional storage racks.

Therefore, what is needed is to provide a storage rack that is safe to use and easy to be assembled and disassembled.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A storage rack with multiple tiers in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention is provided. The storage rack includes at least two rack portions and at least a connecting member. The at least two rack portions include an upper rack portion and a lower rack portion. The upper rack portion is adjacent to and stacked upon the lower rack portion. The rack portions respectively include at least three support beams and at least a rack tier fixed thereon. The support beams of the upper rack portion are vertically coaxially aligned with the support beams of the lower rack portion respectively. Two female screw threads are respectively formed on a bottom of the support beams of the upper rack portion and on a top of the support beams of the lower rack portion. The at least a connecting member is connecting the upper rack portion and the lower rack portion. The connecting member includes a handheld portion and two screw portions. The screwing portions are respectively disposed on two sides of the handheld portion and each having a male screw thread thereon. The male screw threads are configured for threadly engaging the female screw threads of the support beams.

In the embodiments of the present invention, different rack tiers are connected by the connecting members through screw threads. Since connections by screw threads are relatively secure, it is less likely for the storage racks according to the embodiments to fall apart upon accidental impacts. Hence it is relatively safe to use such storage racks. In addition, it is convenient to assemble and disassemble such storage racks by operating on the screws.

Other advantages and novel features will become more apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the present storage racks with multiple tiers can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present storage racks with multiple tiers.

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a storage rack with multiple tiers in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, perspective view of a first rack portion of the storage rack with multiple tiers shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, perspective view of a second rack portion of the storage rack with multiple tiers shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, perspective view of a connecting member of the storage rack with multiple tiers shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a part of the storage rack with multiple tiers shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is an assembly view of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a storage rack with multiple tiers in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention is provided. The storage rack includes a lower rack portion 11, an upper rack portion 12 and a connecting member 13 configured for connecting the upper rack portion 12 and the lower rack portion 11.

Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the lower rack portion 11 includes four support beams 111 and three rack tiers 112 fixed thereon. A top end of each beam 111 defines a screw hole 1111 therein, which has a female screw thread. Understandably, the number of the support beam 111 of the lower rack portion 11 may be three, five, or more five. The number of the rack tiers 112 may be one, two or more three. The upper rack portion 12 includes four support beams 121 and two rack tiers 122 fixed thereon. Two opposite ends of each beam 121 respectively define a screw hole 1211 therein, which has a female screw thread. Understandably, the number of the support beam 121 of the upper rack portion 12 may be three, five, or more five. The number of the rack tiers 122 may be one, two or more three.

Referring to FIG. 4, the connecting member 13 includes a handheld portion 131 and two screw portions 132, 133 respectively disposed on each side of the handheld portion 131. Multiple anti-sliding grooves are defined in the surface of the handheld portion 131 in the axial direction of the handheld portion 131. The screw portions 132 and 133, which are cylindrical, vertically coaxially aligned to each other and having equal vertical length, each has a male screw thread formed thereon. The male screw threads on the screw portion 132 and the screw portion 133 have opposite screwing directions.

Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the support beams 121 of the upper rack portion 12 are configured to be vertically coaxially aligned with support beams 111 of the lower rack portion 11 respectively. In other words, if the upper rack portion 12 is stacked on the lower rack portion 11, the vertical axes of the support beams 121 are respectively aligned to the vertical axes of the support beams 111. The female screw threads of the screw holes 1211, 1111 have opposite screwing directions and are configured for threadly engaging with the male screw threads of the connecting member 13. In this embodiment, the female screw thread of the screw hole 1211 is a right screw thread and the female screw thread of the screw hole 1111 is a left screw thread.

In a storage rack with multiple tiers in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, the two screw portions on the two sides of the handheld portion respectively have screw threads of the same screwing directions. In addition, the rack tiers can be disassembled from the upper and the lower rack portions. In an assembly operation, the four support beams can be assembled to the upper rack portion first and then the rack tier is assembled to the support beams. In this embodiment, it is easy to achieve a secure engagement between the connecting member and the support beams so that different rack portions can be fixed to each other securely.

In the above embodiments, different rack tiers are connected by the connecting members through screw threads. Since connections by screw threads are relatively secure, it is less likely for the storage racks according to the embodiments to fall apart upon accidental impacts. Hence it is relatively safe to use such storage racks. In addition, it is convenient to assemble and disassemble such storage racks by operating on the screws.

It is believed that the present embodiments and their advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the examples hereinbefore described merely being preferred or exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A storage rack with multiple tiers comprising:

at least two rack portions, comprising an upper rack portion and a lower rack portion, the upper rack portion being adjacent to and stacked upon the lower rack portion, each rack portion comprising at least three support beams and a rack tier fixed thereon, the support beams of the upper rack portion being vertically coaxially aligned with the support beams of the lower rack portion respectively, two female screw threads being respectively formed in a bottom of the support beam of the upper rack portion and on a top of the support beam of the lower rack portion; and

at least a connecting member for connecting the upper rack portion and the lower rack portion comprising a handheld portion, two screw portions with male screw threads disposed on two sides of the handheld portion respectively, the male screw threads being configured for engaging with the female screw threads of the support beams.

2. The storage rack with multiple tiers according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of anti-sliding grooves is defined on the surface of the handheld portion and the two screw portions of the connecting member are vertically coaxially aligned to each other.

3. The storage rack with multiple tiers according to claim 2, wherein the male screw threads of the two screw portions have a same screwing direction.

4. The storage rack with multiple tiers according to claim 2, wherein the male screw threads of the two screw portions have an opposite screwing direction and two screw portions have a same length.

5. The storage rack with multiple tiers according to claim 1, wherein the rack portions respectively comprises four support beams and four connecting members.

6. A storage rack with multiple tiers comprising:

a lower rack portion having at least three support beams and at least a rack tier fixed thereon, a top end of each support beam defining a screw hole therein;

an upper rack portion being adjacent to and stacked upon the lower rack portion, the upper rack portion having at least three support beams coaxially aligned with the support beams of the lower rack portion and at least one rack tier fixed thereon, two opposite ends of each support beams defining a screw hole therein; and

a plurality of connecting members for connecting the upper rack portion and the lower rack portion, each connecting member having a handheld portion with two screws disposed on two sides of the handheld portion respectively, wherein the screws of each connecting member are engaged in the screw holes of each support beam of the lower rack portion and each support beam of the upper rack portion.

7. The storage rack with multiple tiers according to claim 6, wherein pluralities of anti-sliding grooves are defined in the surface of the handheld portion and the two screw portions of the connecting member are vertically coaxially aligned to each other.

8. The storage rack with multiple tiers according to claim 7, wherein the two screw portions of each connecting member have male screw threads in a same screwing direction.

9. The storage rack with multiple tiers according to claim 7, wherein the two screw portions of the connecting member have male screw threads in opposite screwing directions and two screw portions have the same length.

10. The storage rack with multiple tiers according to claim 6, wherein the lower rack portion and the upper rack portion respectively comprise four support beams and four connecting members.