Modular rack for transporting and horizontally storing gas cylinders
A modular rack for storing gas cylinders includes a plurality of vertical posts spaced from one another. A plurality of sleeves are removably sleeved onto the posts. At least one tray is removably attached to this post and sleeves. The tray includes a plurality of cradles, or spaced apart beams, adapted to at least partially retain a horizontally positioned gas cylinder therein.
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The present invention generally relates to racks and carts for gas tanks, such as compressed gas cylinders. More particularly, the present invention relates to a modular rack or cart which is assembled for storing and transporting such gas cylinders.
There are many gases which are stored in cylindrical tanks for later use. Many of these gases are compressed. Such compressed gas cylinders may contain compressed oxygen for medical or manufacturing purposes, helium, such as for use in children's' balloons, and other gases, such as those used in welding and the like. Due to the high pressure and the dangers associated with this high pressure, and at times the volatile nature of the contents of the cylinder, OSHA and DOT have set forth safety regulations and placed certain guidelines on the storage and transportation of such compressed gas cylinders. It will be appreciated to those skilled in the art that given the compressed gas within the cylinder, if a cylinder were to fall over and the outlet valve be damaged or broken, the compressed gas would escape and the cylinder could act as a rocket, causing much damage. Accordingly, the proper storage and transportation of these cylinders is very important.
Compressed gas cylinder carts and racks have been designed and manufactured by various companies for many years. However, they are all comprised of welded steel construction. This presents many drawbacks. First, manufacturing of these units is very expensive as it requires a skilled welder to weld all the joints of the cart or rack. Moreover, shipping and storage of these units is very costly as they occupy a large volume.
There do exit modular racks, such as that illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,263 to Chang. However, these racks are not configured to store and transport compressed gas cylinders. For example, the modular rack of Chang includes trays having a wire rack for supporting articles thereon. However, the trays are not configured to securely store compressed gas cylinders thereon, or any other object capable of rolling due to the fact that the wires or rods of the trays are so close to one another that the compressed gas cylinders would easily roll to the left or to the right. Given the danger associated with dropping a compressed gas cylinder, such racks would be totally unacceptable for transportation and storage purposes and would not meet the safety regulations set forth by OSHA and DOT.
Accordingly, there is a continuing need for a modular rack or cart for storing gas cylinders which can be transported in a disassembled state so as to save on shipping and storage, yet is easily assembled with little skill and simple tools. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention resides in a modular rack or cart adapted to store compressed gas cylinders and the like. The modular rack of the present invention generally comprises a plurality of vertical posts spaced from one another. Typically, the vertical posts consist of four posts spaced from one another in a generally rectangular configuration. At least one tray is removably attached to the vertical posts. The tray has a plurality of positioning tubes for receiving the vertical posts therethrough. The tray further includes a plurality of cradles each adapted to at least partially retain a horizontally positioned gas cylinder therein. Typically, a plurality of trays removably attached to the posts in spaced apart relation. The tray comprises generally parallel outer frame members having a plurality of elongated cross-beams extending therebetween. A pair of the cross beams are spaced apart from one another less than an outer diameter of the gas cylinder to be stored so as to form a gas cylinder retaining cradle.
A plurality of sleeves are removably sleeved on the posts and configured to engage the positioning tubes of the at least one or more trays. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the sleeves comprise first and second portions which are snap-fit to one another surrounding the posts. The vertical posts typically include a plurality of spaced apart annular retaining grooves formed on an outer surface thereof. The sleeves include radially inward protrusions adapted to be received within the annular retaining grooves of the posts. The sleeves are configured to be matingly received within the positioning tubes. In one particularly preferred embodiment, a lower portion of the sleeve is of a wider diameter than an upper portion of the sleeve. The positioning tube defines a correspondingly tapered inner surface so that a frictional engagement is formed therebetween.
In one embodiment, the plurality of posts comprise a first set of posts and a second set of posts. The first and second sets of posts are connected end to end with the post connector disposed between each connected set of posts. The post connector has a generally cylindrical configuration with a ledge extending radially outward intermediate the ends thereof. The ends of the post connector are configured to be removably inserted into open ends of the posts. Wheels may be operably associated with each post so as to transport the gas cylinders.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe accompanying drawings illustrate the invention. In such drawings:
As shown in the accompanying drawings, for purposes of illustration, the present invention is directed to a modular rack or cart, generally referred to by the reference number 10. A benefit of the rack of the present invention is that it is designed so as to be modular and assembled in simple fashion, typically only utilizing a hammer to assemble the pieces to one another. That is, various components thereof are removably attached to one another such that the rack tends to be fairly compact when not assembled for storage and transport. As described above, such racks or carts are typically offered as a single unit, requiring a significant amount of welds between the various metallic components thereof. Due to the large space requirements, such prior art containers are costly to ship and store in a warehouse, etc. The rack of the present invention overcomes these disadvantages.
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In accordance with these safety regulations, the tray 20 of the present invention is configured to securely retain and store such gas cylinders 22. Each tray 20 includes generally parallel outer frame members 68 and 70. A plurality of elongated cross beams 72-82 extend between the outer frame members 68 and 70. The number of cross beams 72-82 depends upon the length of the outer frame member 68 and 70, and the desired number of gas cylinders 22 to be stored on each tray 20. The cross beams 72-82 are spaced apart from one another less than an outer diameter of the gas cylinder so as to form a gas cylinder retaining cradle therebetween, as illustrated in
Although several embodiments have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited, except as by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A modular rack for storing gas cylinders, comprising:
- a plurality of vertical posts spaced apart from one another;
- at least one tray having a plurality of positioning tubes for receiving the vertical posts therethrough, the at least one tray further including a plurality of cradles each adapted to at least partially retain a horizontally positioned gas cylinder therein; and
- a plurality of sleeves removably sleeved on the posts and configured to engage the positioning tubes of the at least one tray.
2. The modular rack of claim 1, wherein the plurality of vertical posts comprise four posts in spaced apart relation.
3. The modular rack of claim 1, wherein the vertical posts include a plurality of spaced apart annular retaining grooves formed on an outer surface thereof.
4. The modular rack of claim 3, wherein the sleeves include radially inward protrusions adapted to be received within the annular retaining grooves of the posts.
5. The modular rack of claim 1, wherein the sleeves comprise first and second portions snap-fit to one another surrounding the post.
6. The modular rack of claim 1, wherein the sleeves are configured to be matingly received within the positioning tubes.
7. The modular rack of claim 6, wherein lower portions of the sleeves are of a wider diameter than upper portions of the sleeves, and wherein the positioning tubes define correspondingly tapered inner surfaces.
8. The modular rack of claim 1, wherein the at least one tray comprises a plurality of trays removably attached to the posts and sleeves in spaced apart relation.
9. The modular rack of claim 1, wherein the at least one tray comprises generally parallel outer frame members having a plurality of elongated cross-beams extending therebetween.
10. The modular rack of claim 9, wherein a pair of the cross-beams are spaced apart from one another less than an outer diameter of the gas cylinder so as to form a gas cylinder retaining cradle.
11. The modular rack of claim 1, including wheels operably associated with each post.
12. The modular rack of claim 1, wherein the plurality of posts comprise first and second sets of posts connected end to end with a post connector disposed between each connected set of posts.
13. The modular rack of claim 12, wherein the post connector has a generally cylindrical configuration with a ledge extending radially outward intermediate ends thereof, the ends of the post connector configured to be removably inserted into open ends of the posts.
14. A modular rack for storing gas cylinders, comprising:
- four vertical posts spaced apart from one another in a generally rectangular configuration;
- a plurality of sleeves removably sleeved on the posts, each sleeve comprising first and second portions snap-fit to one another surrounding the post;
- a plurality of trays having a plurality of positioning tubes for receiving the vertical posts therethrough and configured to removably engage the sleeves such that the trays are disposed in vertical spaced relation on the posts, the trays including generally parallel outer frame members having a plurality of cross-beams extending therebetween, adjacent cross beams spaced apart from one another sufficiently so as to cradle and retain a horizontally positioned gas cylinder therebetween.
15. The modular rack of claim 14, wherein the vertical posts include a plurality of spaced apart annular retaining grooves formed on an outer surface thereof, and wherein the sleeves include radially inward protrusions adapted to be received within the annular retaining grooves of the posts.
16. The modular rack of claim 14, wherein lower portions of the sleeves are of a wider diameter than upper portions of the sleeves, and wherein the positioning tubes define correspondingly tapered inner surfaces.
17. The modular rack of claim 14, including wheels operably associated with each post.
18. The modular rack of claim 14, wherein the plurality of posts comprise first and second sets of posts connected end to end with a post connector disposed between each connected set of posts.
19. The modular rack of claim 18, wherein the post connector has a generally cylindrical configuration with a ledge extending radially outward intermediate ends thereof, the ends of the post connector configured to be removably inserted into open ends of the posts.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 30, 2006
Publication Date: Dec 21, 2006
Applicant: DISCOUNT CARTS & RACKS INC. (Simi Valley, CA)
Inventor: Sean Farley (Woodland Hills, CA)
Application Number: 11/468,321
International Classification: A47B 57/00 (20060101);