Corner post and manufacturing process for making same
A post for a rack. The post is formed of a sheet constructed of a malleable, bendable material. The sheet has a first end and an opposed second end. The first end forms a lower portion of the post and the opposed second end forms an upper portion of the post. The sheet has a first side and an opposed second side with the first and second sides extending generally between the first end and the second end of the sheet. The sheet is formed into a folded box section configuration wherein at least a portion of the first side overlaps a portion of the second side to provide an overlapping portion. The post can be used for forming a European Telecommunications Standards Institute conforming rack.
This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 11/215,525, filed on Aug. 30, 2005, which is a continuation application of U.S. Ser. No. 10/403,226, filed on Mar. 31, 2003, which claims priority to the provisional patent application identified by U.S. Ser. No. 60/369,215 entitled Folded Box Section and Manufacturing Process for a Corner Post of a Standard Rack Frame, filed on Apr. 1, 2002, the entire contents of which are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENTNot applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONStandard racks are used for holding rack-mounted electronic equipment, such as servers and telecommunications equipment, in a space-efficient configuration. The electronic equipment is configured with flanges for mounting to a rack.
The present invention is generally drawn to a closed steel box section formed from sheet metal and a process to manufacture the closed steel box section. More particularly, the present invention is drawn to a folded, closed steel box section and manufacturing process for a corner post of an equipment rack.
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention is drawn to a folded box section and manufacturing process for a corner post for a European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) conforming equipment rack, and a standard rack design based on the folded box section corner post construction and locations.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt is an object of the present invention to provide a closed steel box section and manufacturing process for a corner post of an equipment rack through folding of sheet metal, without any welding.
It is another object of the invention to provide a folded, closed steel box section and manufacturing process for a corner post having an equipment rack that weighs approximately thirty percent less than prior art designs.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a folded, closed steel box section and manufacturing process for a corner post of an equipment rack that costs approximately thirty percent less than prior art designs.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide an ETSI standard rack using the folded, closed steel box section and manufacturing process for a corner post.
It is another object of the invention to provide an ETSI standard rack using sheet metal frame components manufactured using hard pressed tooling.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a folded, closed steel box section and manufacturing process for a corner post of an equipment rack that provides a very stable construction and a precise fit.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide an ETSI standard rack that can be shipped unassembled and easily assembled on site where the electronic components are to be installed.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide an ETSI standard rack that can be shipped as a “flat pack” that greatly reduces bulk and, thus, shipping costs.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to
The rack 10 is also provided with one or more posts 16, and one or more posts 18. The rack 10 will be described hereinafter as the European Telecommunication Standards Institute conforming equipment rack wherein the lower and upper panels 12a and 12b have a rectangular shape, and the posts 16 are characterized as “rear posts”, and the posts 18 are characterized as “front posts”. However, it should be understood that the rack 10 does not have to be a European Telecommunication Standards Institute conforming equipment rack and, in such case, the lower and upper panels 12a and 12b can be formed of any geometric, asymmetric, or fanciful shape. Further, the posts 16 and 18 can be positioned on any location with respect to the lower panel and upper panels 12a and 12b.
The lower and upper panels 12a and 12b are horizontally disposed and parallel to each other. Each of the panels 12 is provided with a horizontal wall 24 having an outer peripheral edge 26. The panel 12 is also provided with at least one, and preferably a plurality of vertical walls 28 that form four corners 30. A plurality of slots 34 are formed in the horizontal wall 24 for receiving complimentary tabs 36 formed on an end of the posts 16 and 18.
The corner posts 16 and 18 are typically of equal length and have the tabs 36 on each end, which are complimentary to the slots 34 formed in the horizontal wall 24 of the lower and upper panels 12a and 12b. The rear posts 16 are precisely located with respect to the lower and upper panels 12a and 12b by the tabs 36 and are rigidly connected to the lower and upper panels 12a and 12b as will be described in more detail below.
The front posts 18 are also precisely located with respect to the lower and upper panels 12a and 12b via the tabs 36 and slots 34. The posts 18 are rigidly connected to the lower and upper panels 12a and 12b as will be described in more detail below.
Referring now to
Shown in
The sheet 50 is formed into a folded box section configuration wherein at least a portion of the first side 60 overlaps a portion of the second side 62 to provide an overlapping portion 64. The sheet 50 is preformed with a first series of holes 68 extending between the first end 52 and the second end 54of the sheet 50. The sheet 50 is also preformed with a second series of holes 70, as well as a series of notches 74. The second series of holes 70 and the notches 74 extend between the first end 52 and the second end 54 of the sheet 50. The series of notches 74 are provided to assist in the final bending step used in forming the post 18. As shown in
As discussed above, the post 18 is desirably precisely located with respect to the lower panel 12a and upper panel 12b when the rack 10 is assembled. In one preferred embodiment, the post 18 is aligned with the lower and upper panels 12a and 12b by the tab 36 and corresponding slots 34 formed between the post 18 and lower and upper panels 12a and 12b.
The post 18 is also provided with various openings 76 and cutouts for connecting the post 18 to the lower panel 12a and the upper panel 12b.
Referring now to
The fronts posts 18 are of equal length and have an “L” shaped cross-section wherein the L comprises a horizontal dimension X and a vertical dimension Y. The sheet 50 includes a width W.
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The sum of the distance A and the distance C about equals the dimension X. The sum of the distance C and the distance D also about equals the dimension X.
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The rack 10 is provided with modular construction and is typically configured for supporting electronic equipment 120, such as a server or telecom equipment. The rack 10 can be shipped when unassembled and then assembled on-site without any sacrifice of structural integrity or quality of the finally assembled rack 10. The rack 10 is typically supplied complete with front/rear doors, side panels, top and base plates, fan plate assembly, adjustable feet, grounding kit, depth members and adjustable mounting verticals. Other optional accessory parts, include plain/vented front panels, cable trays, chassis runners, sliding shelves, fixed shelves, front stabilizing foot, and castors.
The posts 18 having the folded box section construction also provide part of the means for mounting of ETSI Equipment. The posts 18, as well as the remaining components, are preferably formed from sheet metal using hard press tooling.
The precision location of the post 18 to the base/top panel/plate ensures consistently accurate placement and fixing of the frame structure. The folded box section construction gives the strength of a standard box section, but without the need to machine holes and cutout profiles on dedicated machines or use more expensive welding or extruding equipment. All holes and profiles are desirably generated while the sheet 50 is flat. The modular nature of the construction is also suitable for use with “flat pack” assemblies.
While presently preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described herein, one skilled in the art will recognize that many changes or alterations can be made to the preferred embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It is therefore intended that all such modifications, alterations and other changes be encompassed by the claims.
Claims
1. A post for a rack, the post comprising:
- a sheet constructed of a malleable, bendable material, the sheet having a first end and an opposed second end, the first end forming a lower portion of the post and the opposed second end forming an upper portion of the post, the sheet having a first side and an opposed second side with the first and second sides extending generally between the first end and the second end of the sheet, the sheet formed into a folded box section configuration wherein at least a portion of the first side overlaps a portion of the second side to provide an overlapping portion; and
- means for locating the first end and the second end of the sheet with respect to a top panel or a base panel.
2. The post of claim 1, wherein the sheet is pre-formed with a first series of holes extending between the lower portion of the sheet and the upper portion of the sheet.
3. The post of claim 2, wherein the sheet is pre-formed with a second series of holes extending between the lower portion of the sheet and the upper portion of the sheet.
4. The post of claim 3, wherein the first and second series of holes are located on the sheet such that upon forming the sheet into the folded box section configuration the first and second series of holes are provided and aligned on the overlapping portion of the sheet.
5. The post of claim 1, wherein the means for precisely locating the first end and the second end of the sheet in the folded box section includes at least one tab extending a distance from the first end of the sheet, and at least one tab extending from the second end of the sheet.
6. The post of claim 1, wherein the post is shaped and dimensioned for use in forming a European Telecommunication Standards Institute rack.
7. The post of claim 1, wherein the sheet further comprises a series of notches formed therein, the series of notches extending generally between the first side and the second side of the sheet, at least one of the bends utilized in forming the folded box section configuration being on the series of notches.
8. The post of claim 7, wherein the bend on the series of notches utilized in forming the folded box section configuration is the final bend.
9. A rack, comprising:
- a panel;
- at least one post connected to the panel, the post constructed from a sheet of malleable, bendable material, the sheet having a first end and an opposed second end, the first end forming a lower portion of the post and the opposed second end forming an upper portion of the post, the sheet having a first side and an opposed second side with the first and second sides extending generally between the first end and the second end of the sheet, the sheet being formed to provide the post with a folded box section configuration; and
- means for precisely locating the upper portion and the lower portion of the post in the folded box section configuration with respect to a top panel on a base panel.
10. The rack of claim 9, wherein the sheet forming the post is pre-formed with a first series of holes extending between the lower portion of the sheet and the upper portion of the sheet.
11. The rack of claim 10, wherein the sheet forming the post is pre-formed with a second series of holes extending between the lower portion of the sheet and the upper portion of the sheet.
12. The rack of claim 11, wherein the first and second series of holes are located on the sheet such that upon forming the sheet into the folded box section configuration the first and second series of holes are provided and aligned on an overlapping portion of the sheet.
13. The rack of claim 9, wherein the means for precisely locating the upper portion and lower portion of the post in the folded box section includes at least one tab extending from the upper portion of the post, and at least one tab extending from the lower portion of the post.
14. The rack of claim 9, wherein the post is shaped and dimensioned for use in forming a European Telecommunication Standards Institute rack.
15. The rack of claim 9, wherein the sheet forming the post further comprises a series of notches formed therein, the series of notches extending generally between the first side and the second side of the sheet, at least one of the bends utilized in forming the folded box section configuration being on the series of notches.
16. The rack of claim 15, wherein the bend on the series of notches utilized in forming the folded box section configuration is the final bend.
17. A post for a rack, the post comprising:
- a sheet constructed of a malleable, bendable material, the sheet having a first end and an opposed second end, the first end forming a lower portion of the post and the opposed second end forming an upper portion of the post, the sheet having a first side and an opposed second side with the first and second sides extending generally between the first end and the second end of the sheet, the sheet formed into a folded substantially L-shaped section configuration wherein at least a portion of the first side overlaps a portion of the second side to provide an overlapping portion.
18. The post of claim 17, wherein the sheet is pre-formed with a first series of holes extending between the lower portion of the sheet and the upper portion of the sheet.
19. The post of claim 18, wherein the sheet is pre-formed with a second series of holes extending between the lower portion of the sheet and the upper portion of the sheet.
20. The post of claim 19, wherein the first and second series of holes are located on the sheet such that upon forming the sheet into the folded box section configuration the first and second series of holes are provided and aligned on the overlapping portion of the sheet.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 10, 2006
Publication Date: Mar 15, 2007
Inventors: Brendan Wyatt (Shanghai), Barry Kiernan (Shanghai)
Application Number: 11/595,714
International Classification: A47F 7/00 (20060101);