Device for retaining panels

Abstract

A rack for storing at least one panel, comprising a base having a top surface, a rear structure vertically extending from the base, at least one support in at least one of the top surface of the base and the rear structure for supporting the panel in a vertical position, and at least one arm including a connecting member connecting the arm to the rear structure, a retaining member engaging a top edge of the panel to retain the panel in the vertical position, and a flexible portion between the connecting member and the retaining member. A method using the rack defined hereinbefore. Said improved rack and method allow easy access to a desired panel.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to cases or racks for storing panels, particularly glass panels. The invention also relates to a method for storing said panels.

2. Background Art

Racks for glass panels usually receive the panels leaning against one another in a near-vertical fashion. FIG. 1 illustrates an A-frame and FIG. 2 a L-frame, both of which are well known. When these frames are used with different sized panels, the larger panels are usually placed first against the frame, with progressively smaller panels in front. Because the panels are leaning one against another, getting access to the panels placed at the rear generally involves moving all the panels in front, which increases manipulation time and effort as well as the risk of damaging one or several panels.

U.S. application Ser. No. 10/798,452 filed Mar. 12, 2004 by the applicants of the present application discloses a rack for holding such panels so as to allow access to any panel without the need to displace the other panels. The panels are retained in a vertical position by arms extending from a rear structure, and locking mechanisms are used to maintain the arms in contact with the panels. However, the locking mechanisms add a level of complexity to accessing the panels, and represent movable parts that can require maintenance or repairs.

Accordingly, there is a need for an improved rack for storing panels which allows easy access to a desired panel.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

It is therefore an aim of the present invention to provide an improved rack for storing panels.

It is a further aim of the present invention to provide a rack for storing panels in which retaining members can be locked in place with a simple locking mechanism.

It is a further aim of the present invention to provide a method for storing panels.

Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a rack for storing at least one panel, comprising a base having a top surface, a rear structure vertically extending from the base, at least one support in at least one of the top surface of the base and the rear structure for supporting the panel in a vertical position, and at least one arm including a connecting member connecting the arm to the rear structure, a retaining member engaging a top edge of the panel to retain the panel in the vertical position, and a flexible portion between the connecting member and the retaining member.

Further in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method for storing a panel within a rack having a base, a rear structure, and at least one flexible arm extending from the rear structure over the base, the method comprising the steps of sliding the flexible arm with respect to the rear structure until a first distance between a retaining member of the flexible arm and the base is smaller than a height of the panel, bending the flexible arm about the rear structure to raise the retaining member until a second distance between the retaining member and the base is greater than the height of the panel, placing the panel in a vertical position on the base in a support of the rack aligned with the retaining member, and lowering the retaining member to engage and retain the panel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, showing by way of illustration a preferred embodiment of the present invention and in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a frame for holding panels in accordance with the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a second frame for holding panels in accordance with the prior art;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a rack for holding panels in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective, partially exploded view of an arm and part of the rack of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the arm of FIG. 4, in a locked position without a panel; and

FIG. 6 is a side view of the arm of FIG. 4, showing in plain lines the arm in a locked position prior to engagement to a panel and in broken lines the arm engaged to the panel.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is an improvement of the rack disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 10/798,452 filed Mar. 12, 2004 by the applicants of the present application, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Referring to FIG. 3, a preferred embodiment of a rack for holding panels 11 such as glass sheets or sealed glass panel units is generally indicated at 10. The rack 10 comprises a base 12 supported by four (4) vertical posts 14. The vertical posts 14 are preferably tubular members having a square cross-section. Loop members 16 are provided under the base 12 to be engaged by a fork of a lift truck such as to ease the handling of the rack 10. Two (2) of the vertical posts 14, located at the rear side of the base 12, support a rear structure 18 extending vertically from the base 12.

The rear structure 18 comprises first, second and third horizontal bars 19,20,21 as well as a vertical plate 28, which all extend between the rear vertical posts 14. The horizontal bars 19,20,21 are preferably “L” shaped members. The first horizontal bar 19 extends between the top ends of the vertical posts 14. The vertical plate 28 is sandwiched between the second and third horizontal bars 20,21, with the third horizontal bar 21 being adjacent to a top surface of the base 12. The first horizontal bar 19 includes a plurality of slots 22 (see FIG. 4) on a bottom side thereof and the second horizontal bar 20 includes a plurality of similar slots 23 on a top surface thereof, the slots 22,23 being aligned.

A plurality of parallel horizontal grooves 26 are defined in the top surface of the base 12. Each horizontal groove 26 extends substantially perpendicularly to the rear structure 18. Although each horizontal groove 26 is preferably sized to receive the bottom edge of a single panel 11, it is also considered to have grooves 26 which each receive more than one panel edge. Parallel vertical grooves 32 are provided on a front surface of the second and third horizontal bars 20,21. Each vertical groove 32 of the second horizontal bar 20 is aligned with one of the vertical grooves 32 of the third horizontal bar 21 as well as with one of the horizontal grooves 26 of the base 12. Although not shown, it is also considered to provide a plurality of parallel vertical grooves in the vertical plate 28, aligned with the horizontal grooves 26. The grooves 26,32 form supports which are designed to receive the panels 11 in a vertical position, perpendicularly to the rear structure 18.

A plurality of vertical bars 40 are also part of the rear structure 18 and are received in aligned slots 22,23 of the first and second horizontal bars 19,20 such as to extend between the two. The vertical bars 40 and slots 22,23 preferably have a rectangular cross-section, although it is also considered to provide bars 40 and slots 22,23 having a different cross-section, for example square or circular. Screws 41 (see FIG. 4) are engaged to the ends of each vertical bar 40, above the first horizontal bar 19 and below the second horizontal bar 20, to retain the vertical bar 40 within the slots 22,23. One flexible arm 24 is retained on each vertical bar 40 to extend from the rear structure 18 over the base 12. Each arm 24 thus retains at least one of the panels 11 in corresponding grooves 26,32 of the rack 10 such as to maintain the panel 11 within the grooves in a vertical position, as shown in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 4, each arm 24 comprises a connecting member 43 including a slot 45 near a front end thereof to slidably receive the vertical bar 40. An angled member 47 is integral with the front end of the connecting member 43 and is downwardly inclined with respect thereto. The angled member 47 is connected to a flexible rod 49 extending over the base 12.

A retaining member 51 is slidably received at the free end of the flexible rod 49 and includes on a bottom edge thereof at least one groove 53 which is designed to engage a top edge of a panel 11 and preferably the top front corner thereof. When the arm 24 is installed on the rack 10, the groove 53 is aligned with the corresponding groove 26 on the top surface of the base 12 (see FIG. 1). The retaining member 51 can be slid to a desired position on the flexible rod 49 and can also be easily removed and replaced. It is also considered to provide a retaining member 51 having at least two different groove profiles on opposed sides thereof such as to be able to accommodate two different kinds of panels.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the drawings, the flexible rod 49 has a rectangular cross-section and the retaining member 51 has a longitudinal opening provided with a corresponding rectangular cross-section. This selection is particularly preferred as it allows to prevent said retaining member 51 to rotate when only one panel is contacted by one groove 53. Also, if the retaining member 51 is provided with other groove(s) of different profile (not illustrated) on an other surface of said member 51 (for example on a surface opposite the one having grooves 53), the selection of the appropriate grooves may be achieved by merely removing the retaining member 51 from the flexible rod 49 (by sliding toward the free end of said flexible rod) and replace it on said flexible rod with the selected grooves properly oriented downwardly.

Alternatively, if the flexible rod has a circular cross-section, then the retaining member has a longitudinal opening having a corresponding cross-section to allow, by rotating the retaining member 51, to have the appropriate groove profile on the bottom.

Referring to FIG. 5, when not engaged to a panel, the action of gravity causes the arm 24 to pivot about the vertical bar 40 to be inclined toward the base 12, thus being in a locked position at a set height. The connecting member 43 is inclined so that a rear end thereof is higher than the slot 45. This inclination of the connecting member 43 causes the slot 45 to be angled with respect to the vertical bar 40. The angle of the slot 45 brings the walls thereof in frictional contact with the vertical bar 40, effectively preventing a sliding motion of the arm 24. Thus, the arm 24 is prevented from sliding down under the action of gravity.

Referring to FIG. 6, the arm 24 is engaged to a panel 11 according to the following. First, a downward pressure is applied on the rear end of the connecting member 43 such as to pivot the arm 24 about the vertical bar 40 to break the frictional contact between the walls of the slot 45 and the vertical bar 40. The arm 24 is slid downward until the retaining member 51 is lower than the height of the panel 11 to be retained. The arm 24 is then released such as to pivot back to a locked position which is illustrated by the plain lines in FIG. 6.

Then, the retaining member 51 is elevated with the connecting member 43 being maintained at the same height, effectively bending the flexible rod 49, until the panel can be inserted under the retaining member 51. The retaining member 51 is then released so that the groove 53 (see FIG. 4) contains the top edge of the panel 11. The relative height of the retaining member 51 and the connecting member 43 are such that the flexible rod 49 is bent and the connecting member 43 is inclined so that the rear end is lower than the slot 45, as is illustrated in broken lines in FIG. 6. This inclination, like the inclination illustrated in FIG. 5, causes the walls of the slot 45 to be in frictional contact with the vertical bar 40, effectively preventing a sliding motion of the arm 24. Thus, the arm 24 is prevented from sliding up and as such effectively retains the panel 11.

Because of the flexibility of the rod 49, the retaining member 51 can be easily manually lifted to disengage the panel 11 when access to the panel 11 is required.

Accordingly, the present invention provides for a rack with arms that retain panels either individually or in small groups. Thus, an individual panel, or a small group of panels, can be removed from the rack by disengaging the corresponding arm, without the need to displace or access the other panels retained on the rack. The present invention therefore allows for easy and selective access to a desired panel, or small group of panels, regardless of the number and disposition of the other panels within the rack.

In addition, the present invention provides a rack with arms that can be easily locked at a desired height when not in use, locked when engaging a panel and unlocked when needed, all of which is done using a simple arm design, without any locking mechanism involving moving parts that are complex to manipulate and at risk of breaking.

Although in FIG. 3 only a few arms 24 have been illustrated for clarity, it is to be understood that a vertical bar 40 supporting an arm 24 can be provided for every set of aligned slots 22,23 in the horizontal bars 20,21, so that a panel 11 can be retained in every set of corresponding grooves 26,32.

The elements of the rack 10 are preferably made of metal, with the exception of the flexible rod which is preferably made of fiberglass or another suitably flexible material, and of the various elements coming in contact with the panels 11, such as the retaining member 51 and the grooves 26,32, which are preferably made of plastic to minimize the risk of damage to the panels. A preferred plastic is high density polyethylene (HDPE).

The grooves 53 may have various shape to fit with the profile of the edge of the panel to be engaged. Alternatively, various kinds of grooves 53 may be provided on opposite faces of the retaining member 51.

Additionally, walls can be provided between the vertical posts 14 such as to obtain a closed structure containing the panels 11. To facilitate access to the panels, the front wall should preferably be completely removable or hingedly connected to another wall. Also, reinforcing members can be provided on the rack, for example supplementary horizontal bars extending between the vertical posts 14, according to the weight of the panels to be transported within the rack.

Although the panels have been described as glass panels, the present invention can also be used to stock and transport various types of paneling, including, but not limited to, plastic, wood, and metal panels.

The embodiments of the invention described above are intended to be exemplary. Those skilled in the art will therefore appreciate that the foregoing description is illustrative only, and that various alternatives and modifications can be devised without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, the present is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variances which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A rack for storing at least one panel, comprising:

a base having a top surface;

a rear structure vertically extending from the base;

at least one support in at least one of the top surface of the base and the rear structure for supporting the panel in a vertical position; and

at least one arm including: a connecting member connecting the arm to the rear structure; a retaining member engaging a top edge of the panel to retain the panel in the vertical position; and a flexible portion between the connecting member and the retaining member.

2. The rack according to claim 1, wherein the vertical position is substantially perpendicular to the rear structure.

3. The rack according to claim 1, wherein the arm is vertically slidable with respect to the rear structure.

4. The rack according to claim 3, wherein the arm can be locked at various heights.

5. The rack according to claim 1, wherein the rear structure includes at least one vertical bar and the connecting member includes a slot receiving the vertical bar, the slot allowing a sliding motion of the connecting member with respect to the vertical bar at a first inclination of the connecting member, and the slot providing frictional contact between walls thereof and the vertical bar at a second inclination of the connecting member to prevent the sliding motion and lock the arm at a desired height.

6. The rack according to claim 1, wherein the rear structure includes at least two horizontal bars.

7. The rack according to claim 6, wherein the arm is supported between two of the horizontal bars.

8. The rack according to claim 1, wherein the at least one support includes at least one horizontal groove in the top surface of the base for receiving a bottom edge of the panel.

9. The rack according to claim 8, wherein the at least one horizontal groove extends substantially perpendicularly to the rear structure.

10. The rack according to claim 1, wherein the at least one support includes at least one vertical groove in the rear structure for receiving a rear edge of the panel.

11. The rack according to claim 1, wherein the top edge of the panel is engaged in a groove extending along a bottom surface of the retaining member.

12. The rack according to claim 1, wherein the panels are glass panels.

13. The rack according to claim 1, wherein the flexible portion is bent when the retaining member is engaging the top edge of the panel.

14. A method for storing a panel within a rack having a base, a rear structure, and at least one flexible arm extending from the rear structure over the base, the method comprising the steps of:

sliding the flexible arm with respect to the rear structure until a first distance between a retaining member of the flexible arm and the base is smaller than a height of the panel;

bending the flexible arm about the rear structure to raise the retaining member until a second distance between the retaining member and the base is greater than the height of the panel;

placing the panel in a vertical position on the base in a support of the rack aligned with the retaining member; and

lowering the retaining member to engage and retain the panel.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the flexible arm remains at least partially bent after the step of lowering the retaining member.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the flexible arm includes a connecting member with a slot defined therein, the slot slidably receiving a vertical bar of the rear structure, and the step of sliding the flexible arm includes sliding the connecting member with respect to the vertical bar.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising a step of locking a height of the flexible arm with respect to the rear structure by inclining the connecting member to bring walls defining the slot into frictional contact with the vertical bar such as to prevent the sliding of the connecting member.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the flexible arm remains at least partially bent after the step of lowering the retaining member, forcing the inclination of the connecting member to lock the flexible arm against the panel.