RETAINER

Abstract

The present invention relates to a retainer for pallet racks and the like. In particular, this invention relates to a retainer that is easily and quickly attached to the pallet rack and which is used as a safety barrier to prevent pallets from being pushed off the pallet rack and to assist in locating pallets on the rack at the correct depth. A pallet retainer of the present invention includes at least a plurality of spacer members and at least one upright member, wherein each spacer member includes an opening through which the upright member passes and wherein the spacer member positions the vertical member to substantially prevent a pallet being placed to deeply within a pallet bay.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention generally relates to a retainer for pallet racks and the like. In particular, this invention relates to a retainer that is easily and quickly attached to the pallet rack and which is used as a safety barrier to prevent pallets from being pushed off the pallet rack and to assist in locating pallets on the rack at the correct depth.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Pallet racks provide a vital storage support structure in large warehousing, storage and distribution facilities. In such facilities, forklifts or other vehicles are commonly employed to load or remove pallets from the pallet racks. Large retailing operations have also recently employed pallet racks to both store and display products in the retail showrooms. As the size of the facilities and the direct access of the public to pallet racks systems have increased, the potential for damage and/or injury due to accidental dropping or improper loading of the pallet racks has also increased.

Various safety systems have been contemplated and used to enhance the safety and minimize safety risks from mishandling or misloading of pallet racks, for example, retractable safety net systems which are mounted on pallet racks to prevent accidental dropping. Other forms of apparatus for selectively holding, retaining, supporting, and/or securing objects upon one or more shelves, and prevent such objects from inadvertently falling have also been used. Certain types of apparatus employ a retractable, flexible, elastic barrier, which permits observation and inspection of objects contained within an interior compartment or enclosure on the shelf. The barrier can be stretched and pulled aside to allow access to the compartment or enclosure, which when released, retracts back to an original position to function as a barrier that retains objects within the compartment or enclosure to prevent the inadvertent escape of such objects contained therein. Further systems involve the use of mesh or horizontal bars attached to the rear of the pallet rack to prevent pallets being pushed out through the back of the pallet rack. However, it is possible for a pallet to inadvertently be placed on top of a horizontal bar and therefore be incorrectly stored and also thereby reduce available space for additional pallets to be stored. In yet a further attempt to provide a system for preventing pallets from falling from racks, a system of lateral load beams and brackets has been used. The additional load beams and associated brackets is a complex system that requires significant disruption to warehouse operation, if it is to be retro-fitted to an existing pallet rack structure.

Unfortunately, all of the above-mentioned safety systems have drawbacks, from cost to complexity. The present invention seeks to address the problems and drawbacks of previous retainer systems by providing a simple yet effective solution to effectively retain pallets in racks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a pallet retainer comprising at least a plurality of spacer members and at least one upright member, wherein each spacer member includes an opening through which the upright member passes and wherein the spacer member positions the vertical member to prevent a pallet being placed to deeply within a bay.

In certain embodiments of the present invention at least one of the spacer members is engageable with a rear load beam of a pallet rack. In some embodiments of the present invention at least one of the spacer members is substantially fixed to a rear load beam of a pallet rack. Preferably, the upright member is positioned in a substantially vertical orientation behind the pallet rack.

In certain embodiments of the present invention, the spacer member is constructed of steel or plastic. In some embodiments of the present invention, the upright member is constructed of steel.

The present invention also provides a pallet rack comprising a pallet retainer according to the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 shows the basic structure of a standard pallet rack.

FIG. 2 shows typical arrangements of pallet racks in a warehouse, against a wall (A) or in a double entry arrangement (B).

FIG. 3 shows detail of the rear of a pallet and its interaction with the rear load beam.

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in perspective view as attached to the rear load beam (sketch, A), and plan view (B) and side view (C) of a spacer member. Panel D shows a typical installation of this embodiment of the present invention, from the rear of the pallet rack.

FIG. 5 shows three alternative embodiments of a spacer member of the present invention (A, B and C, D, E and F, G), in plan view (A, C and G), side view (B, D and F), and end-on (E).

FIG. 6 shows further alternative spacer members suitable for use in embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates broadly to a retainer for pallet racks as used, for example, in warehouses.

Referring to all the drawings wherein like reference numerals designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, the following description refers to the specific, illustrated embodiments of the present invention and is in no way intended to limit the scope of the present invention to the specific, illustrated embodiments.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a typical pallet rack generally has three main components: posts 10, connectors 20 and load beams 30,31; wherein two adjacent posts 10 are generally joined by a plurality of horizontal and diagonal braces 15 to form a frame end 40. Two frame ends 40 may be joined by load beams 30,31 to form a frame. A bay is the area into which pallets are placed and are defined by load beams 30,31 (upon which the pallet is placed) and two frame ends 40. In normal use, a pallet rests on a rear load beam 30 and a front load beam 31. Another important feature of a pallet rack is the connector 20 between the load beams 30,31 and the posts 10 to which they are attached. The weight of a load placed on the beams 30,31 is transferred through the connector 20 to the posts 10. The posts 10 thus ultimately carry the total weight within the rack.

Pallet racks are generally free standing but with structures positioned behind them. Such structures include walls or fencing 60 (FIG. 2A) or other pallet racks (FIG. 2B). Arrows in FIG. 2 illustrate the direction of entry of pallets into racks arranged in such manners. Pallets are placed in bays by a forklift driver, generally from an obscured position, often resulting in the pallet being placed too deeply within the bay or with incorrect alignment such that the pallet does not sit properly or securely upon the load beams. Such situations may result in damage to the product, stock, neighbouring pallets, walls or fencing in the vicinity of the pallet.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the pallet 85 often includes a portion 80 for interacting with, usually, the rear load beam 30 to securely locate the pallet in the bay.

The present invention provides a pallet retainer comprising at least a plurality of spacer members and an upright member, wherein each spacer member includes an opening through which the upright member passes and wherein the spacer member positions the vertical member to prevent a pallet being placed to deeply within a bay. In certain forms of the invention each of the spacer members is engagable with a rear load beam of a pallet rack to position the upright member a predetermined distance behind the pallet rack.

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of a pallet retainer according to the present invention; wherein the pallet retainer comprises a spacer member 100 and an upright member 110, wherein the spacer member 100 includes an opening 105 through which the upright member 110 passes. In the illustrated embodiment, the spacer member 100 includes an engagement portion 108 which is adapted to engage with a rear load beam 30 of a pallet rack. FIG. 4A shows an “in use” arrangement of this embodiment of the invention, wherein the engagement portion 108 engages with the rear load beam 30 of a pallet rack. The engagement portion 108 may be of any suitable shape to permit engagement of the spacer member 100 with the rear load beam 30, such that, in use, if force is applied to the upright member 110 by a pallet being pushed up against it, that force is distributed to the rear load beam 30 via the spacer member 100 to which it is attached. In use, a plurality of spacer members 100 would be used, in particular, there would be at least one additional spacer member 100 positioned on a rear load beam 30 above and/or below the rear load beam illustrated in FIG. 4A. This arrangement allows the upright member 110 to be positioned firmly so that there would be minimal movement of the upright member 110 when a pallet is pushed against it. Exemplary arrangements of engagement portions 108 are illustrated in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6. However, alternative arrangements are envisaged, for example as illustrated in FIG. 6C and discussed further below, the spacer member 100 could include means by which it could be fixed directly to the rear load beam 30 by any method known in the art, including but not limited to: bolting, screwing and/or welding.

The purpose of the spacer member 100 is to space the upright member 110 away from the rear of the pallet rack. The spacer member 100 includes an opening 105 through which the upright member 110 passes. The position of the opening 105 is such that when a pallet is in a bay, but not pushed too far into the bay, the upright member 110 does not contact the pallet. FIG. 4 shows illustrations of an exemplary spacer member 100 and the distance marked “a” provides a gap between the rear of the rear load beam 30 and the upright member 110 such that the pallet can be correctly positioned within the bay without contacting the upright member 110. In certain embodiments of the present invention the dimension “a” will be in the order of 10 to 100 mm greater than the overhang 80 of the pallet 85. In specific embodiments, the dimension “a” will be in the order of 10 to 50 mm, or 10 to 25 mm, or 13 mm greater than the overhang 80 of the pallet 85. If the pallet 85 is placed too far into the bay, it will contact the upright member 110 instead of damaging other product, stock, neighbouring pallets, walls or fencing located behind the pallet rack.

Referring to the embodiment of the engagement portion 108 as illustrated in the various Figures, dimension “b” will be approximately the height of the rear load beam 30. In typical pallet racks the dimension “b” will be in the range of about 50 to 150 mm. Dimension “c” will be approximately the width of the rear load beam 30. In typical pallet racks, the dimension “c” will be in the range of about 30 to 60 mm. Dimensions “b” and “c” are chosen to provide a close fit of region 108 to the rear load beam 30, so that the spacer member 100 will not readily fall off the rear load beam. The dimension “d” may be any suitable size, such as, but not limited to: 50 to 300 mm, or 50 to 200 mm, or 70 to 150 mm, or 80 to 120 mm.

As illustrated in FIG. 2B, rows of pallet racks may be placed back-to-back (double entry rack) such that when a pallet is put into a bay from a first side, it may come into contact with a pallet in the bay located therebehind. This can result in pallets resting on or against each other which could have detrimental effects, such as reducing the number of pallets that can be stored, making pallets difficult to access and/or remove, or damaging the pallets and/or their contents. In a typical arrangement, the distance between racks in a double entry rack arrangement is approximately 380 mm. In such situations, it is desirable to have a pallet retainer according to the present invention located between the adjacent pallet racks. This may be achieved by having a spacer member that spans the distance between the rear load beams of adjacent pallet racks. Illustrated in FIGS. 5A to 5E are embodiments of spacer members that may be used in such a situation. The dimension “e” will typically be the distance between the racks plus twice the width of the rear load beams, so that a close fit is achieved. The opening 105 in such spacer members would typically be substantially centrally located across the width of the spacer member as illustrated. The embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 5C to 5E also includes a rib portion 109 to add strength to the section of spacer member 100 that spans the gap between adjacent pallet racks.

In circumstances where double entry racks are not a standard distance apart, it may be desirable to have individual spacer members (see FIGS. 5F and G) that overlap such that an upright member may pass through aligned openings. In order to allow for some degree of overlap between the spacer members, the opening 105 may be slightly elongated, such as illustrated in FIG. 5G.

It is envisaged that the spacer members 100 will be constructed of a strong material able to withstand the considerable forces that may be applied when a heavy pallet is pushed hard against the upright member 110, such as, but not limited to: steel, aluminium or plastic. Preferably, the spacer member is constructed of steel.

The upright member 110 passes through the opening 105 in the spacer member 100. The upright member 110 may be any sufficiently strong elongate member, such as, but not limited to a pipe. In such embodiments, the upright member 110 may have a substantially circular cross-section. The opening 105 in the spacer member 100 should provide a close fit to the upright member 110 in order to provide efficient transfer of force to the rear load beam 30, as discussed above. Also encompassed by the present invention are upright members 110 being non-circular in cross-section, for example, being of substantially square cross-section. In certain embodiments of the present invention, the upright member 110 is a pipe having a circular cross-section of 25 to 100 mm, or 30 to 75 mm, or of approximately 50 mm in diameter. The length of the upright member 110 will depend upon the specific application. It will need to be approximately as high as the pallet rack if all bays are to be protected. Installation of such upright member 110 may be difficult, therefore it is envisaged that in certain circumstances it is desirable for the upright member 110 to be comprised of more than one length of material. When more than one length of material is used, they may be joined by a joining piece that substantially maintains the strength of the upright member 110. The skilled addressee would realise that it is most preferred to keep the upright member 110 as a single piece of material; however, if it is to be composed of multiple pieces, then it should be kept to as few separate pieces as possible to maintain its strength and to potentially reduce manufacturing costs.

In order to accommodate the upright member 110, the opening 105 may be of similar shape to the cross-section of the upright member 110. In the illustrated embodiments, the opening 105 is substantially circular. The opening 105 may be slightly larger than the cross-section of the upright member 110, for example approximately 2 to 5 mm larger in diameter in the case of a circular opening. The slightly larger size may facilitate assembly of the pallet retainer.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, pallet racks 1 are usually arranged such that pallet bays are arranged one on top of the other, in for example, “columns”. Therefore, it is envisaged that a pallet retainer according to the present invention will also be arranged substantially vertically. In particular, the upright member 110 will generally be positioned in a substantially vertical orientation to provide a barrier behind the pallet rack 1 to prevent a pallet being pushed too far into a bay. Furthermore, in certain embodiments of the present invention, there may be more than one pallet retainer for each column of pallet bays. While the lower end of the upright member 110 may rest against the floor, it may also be held in a substantially fixed location by the use of standard hardware, such as, but not limited to, a fencing flange and appropriate floor fixings. Alternatively, a floor flange 120 may be employed, wherein the floor flange 120 is similar to a fencing flange but having a higher return portion to more securely accommodate the upright member 110.

The embodiments of the present invention described herein are intended to provide an understanding of the invention but are not intended to limit it in any way. For example, it is within the scope of the present invention to use more than one retainer behind each pallet rack. In addition, FIG. 6A illustrates an alternative shape for the spacer member 100 that may find application in certain situations by providing a larger area of the rear load beam 30 over which any forces are to be distributed. The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6B is similar to that illustrated in FIG. 3, except that a cut out region 107 is provided to facilitate assembly of the pallet retainer. In particular, the upright member 110 could be installed without the need to provide the upright member 110 in multiple pieces. The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6C is similar to that illustrated in FIG. 6B, except that the spacer member 100 is intended to be permanently affixed to the rear load beam 30, for example by welding. Such spacer members could readily be incorporated into the rear load beam 30 during manufacture of the rear load beam 30. The illustrated embodiment also includes a cut out region 107 that would facilitate assembly of the pallet retainer in a similar manner to that described above.

In yet a further embodiment, the spacer member 100 may include a further opening to allow the spacer member 100 to be fixed to rear load beam 30. Such additional openings may be provided in combination with, or as an alternative to, the rear load beam engaging region 108. Suitable fasteners for such fixing include, but are not limited to, bolts, screws and rivets.

The present invention also provides a pallet rack comprising a pallet retainer according to the present invention. In certain embodiments, the retainer may be retro-fitted to an existing pallet rack. In other embodiments, the spacer members 100 may be supplied already attached to rear load beams 30 for use in the assembly of a pallet rack. Once such a pallet rack has been assembled, an upright member 110 may be added to complete the pallet rack comprising a pallet retainer. As discussed above, in certain embodiments of the present invention, more than one pallet retainer may be used per bay of a pallet rack. For example, two or more pallet retainers may be used per bay.

The upright member of the pallet retainer of the present invention may also provide a mounting for various additional components, such as, but not limited to: (i) a barrier in order to create a dividing wall or a secure area; (ii) netting or mesh to form a barrier to prevent stock from falling from the rear of a pallet; and (iii) fire sprinkler services.

Where the terms “comprise”, “comprises”, “comprised” or “comprising” are used in this specification, they are to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components referred to, but not to preclude the presence or addition of one or more other feature, integer, step, component or group thereof.

Further, any prior art reference or statement provided in the specification is not to be taken as an admission that such art constitutes, or is to be understood as constituting, part of the common general knowledge.

Claims

1. A pallet retainer comprising a plurality of spacer members and an upright member, wherein each spacer member includes an opening through which the upright member passes, and wherein the spacer member positions the upright member to prevent a pallet being placed too deeply within a pallet bay.

2. A pallet retainer according to claim 1, wherein each of the spacer members is engageable with a rear load beam of a pallet rack.

3. A pallet retainer according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the spacer members is substantially fixed to a rear load beam of a pallet rack.

4. A pallet retainer according to claim 1, wherein the upright member is positioned in a substantially vertical orientation.

5. A pallet retainer according to claim 1, wherein the spacer member is constructed of steel.

6. A pallet retainer according to claim 1, wherein the spacer member is constructed of plastic.

7. A pallet retainer according to claim 1, wherein the upright member is constructed of steel.

8. A pallet rack comprising a pallet retainer according to claim 1.