ADAPTABLE AND LOCKING BRACKET ASSEMBLIES FOR A LOAD STOP AND LOAD LOCK PALLET RACK SYSTEM
The invention depicted herein is a simple connection bracket used in conjunction with standard vertical and horizontal pallet rack beams and locking mechanisms to prevent material handlers from damaging walls during placement of pallets or from removing pallets from storage on or under pallet racks.
This application references U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/675,346 filed on 13 Nov. 2012, entitled “ADAPTABLE BRACKET ASSEMBLY FOR PALLET RACK LOAD STOP SYSTEM,” and references and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/729,409 filed on 22 Nov. 2012, entitled “ADAPTABLE LOCKING BRACKET ASSEMBLY FOR A LOAD LOCK PALLET RACK SYSTEM,” the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUNDThe general purpose of the new adaptable and lockable bracket assemblies is to provide a pallet rack load stop and lock system wherein a novel bracket combines with existing beams to easily create a load stop or lock for use on all storage levels of pallet racks, including at floor-level. There are countless embodiments of the bracket assembly, several of which are herein described and others of which were described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/675,346, but each can be used as either a load stop or a load lock adapter or both. The load stop system prevents damage to walls or inappropriate placement during movement of pallets onto or off of pallet racks. The load locking system prevents unwanted removal of pallets and, thus, pallet rack materials, from storage on or under a pallet rack. The general pallet rack bracket assembly is an adapter bracket made of welded steel with lock-in-place connector pins (a “clip-on” model) or bolt outlets similar to the pins (a “bolt-on” model) and existing pallet rack vertical and horizontal beams with attachment means complimentary to those of the bracket assembly.
This bracket assembly allows for universal use with a variety of pallet rack styles found in hundreds of thousands of existing warehouse facilities. The new adapter presents to manufacturers of pallet racks a low-cost option for creating a physical barrier to removal of pallets and pallet material or a barrier to over-positioning of pallets on racks, as it can be fabricated by repurposing new, leftover, and recycled partially damaged vertical pallet rack beams. Further, the new adapter is compact and easy to stock in supply houses making it readily available for customer acquisition.
The bracket assembly for pallet rack load stopping or locking is designed to connect to pallet rack vertical beams via the same mechanisms as existing pre-engineered horizontal beams, thus making the device highly adaptable and easy to use with existing materials. Since pallet racks can be engineered with different compositions and thicknesses of metal and any of several different types of connectors, the new adaptable bracket assembly can be engineered to compliment any type of pallet rack system.
Descriptions of pallet rack systems commonly reference “beam locking devices.” Though these devices sound as though they are designed or able to be used for securing pallets within pallet bays, they are, however, generally referencing devices for securing horizontal beams to vertical beams in pallet rack construction where the reference “horizontal beams” are actually the beams used to support pallets while housed within a pallet rack system. These prior art crossbeams are designed to be installed once—at the time of construction—and to bear the weight of the pallets and pallet contents. They are not designed to be removed and replaced at will and generally do not have any type of discretionary locking means, and, thus, they cannot be used as pallet rack load locks.
Another commercially available product for securing pallet contents is an “entire cover system,” which likens to a portable storage unit. These systems are expensive and impractical to implement in small or large warehouse settings, and the substantially increased surface area of such systems makes them wholly undesirable in food warehouses due to increased likelihood and difficulty in sterilizing of biological contaminations. The new bracket assembly enables a superior and simpler locking system that does not pose these challenges.
SUMMARYThe general purpose of the new bracket assembly is to provide a simple, yet versatile and adaptable, mechanism for restricting the movement of loaded pallets on and off pallet racks and within any level of pallet rack bay. In general, the bracket assembly converts a horizontal pallet rack beam into a “load stop” by securing the horizontal beam to the back of the pallet rack such that it prevents damage to walls from otherwise protruding forklifts, pallets and other devices that might be used to load and position pallets onto pallet racks. The “load lock” function of the bracket assemblies converts the load stop into a pallet removal prevention tool by enabling a horizontal beam to attached and lock to the front of a pallet rack.
This bracket assembly model can be used alone or, in an alternative embodiment, stacked with another unit to achieve desired clearance for the load lock. The front end 104 connects to the existing pallet rack vertical in the same manner as an existing pallet rack horizontal beam. Alternatively, the front end 104 can be connected (or “piggybacked”) to the back end 106 of a second bracket assembly unit 100 for added clearance. In this embodiment, bracket assembly units can clip together via the teardrop connectors and locking pin. It can be further secured by bolting the units together using the ⅜-inch holes 105—though larger sizes may be used—in the flanges 109 of one bracket assembly unit and the ⅜-inch threaded holes 108 in the side plates of a second unit.
The top of the bracket assembly can be open or solid. Having a solid top does not increase the strength because the bracket assembly is meant to be a connection bracket between a pallet rack vertical and an existing horizontal beam to create a load stop. The solid top, however, keeps the inside of the bracket assembly clean from dust and debris, which is particularly important when used on pallet racks in storage facilities that house consumable products such as produce or other food-based products.
The front flanges can be comprised of repurposed male teardrop connection plates, locking pin clip, and locking pin hole that are pre-engineered for horizontal beams. Or, the flanges can be welded onto both sides of the front plate to align the bracket assembly when connecting to a vertical beam or when piggybacking to another adapter unit. 1½″-deep flanges are depicted, but the precise depth is not critical to the function of the flanges. The back plate is derived from existing vertical pallet rack beams that are pre-engineered with female teardrop connectors. The bracket assembly can be fabricated with other materials but it is less costly to repurpose materials used to make pallet rack horizontal and vertical beams with only a few necessary modifications.
In use, one snaps the front plate of the bracket assembly onto an existing pallet rack vertical via insertion of male connectors into the female connectors of the vertical at the desired height, then locking them in place with the locking pin just as one would attach a horizontal beam to a pallet rack vertical beam. Then, an existing horizontal beam having male connectors can be attached to the back plate of the bracket assembly by inserting the male connectors of the beam into the female connectors of the bracket assembly. A first padlock can be used to secure the bracket to the vertical beam by inserting one prong of the horseshoe mechanism through the four aligned holes of the bracket flanges and the vertical beam and then engaging the locking mechanism. A second padlock can be used to secure the bracket to a horizontal beam by latching through the aligned side panel hole of the bracket and corresponding hole in the abutting panel of the horizontal beam. The result is a height-adjustable, locked barrier to pallet removal.
As to further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of this invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention, the use of which results in a pallet rack locking system.
Although the description presented heretofore contains specificities for the benefit of illustration, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments but rather as illustrative examples of some of the several embodiments. For example, bracket assemblies may primarily be made from 14-gauge steel since most existing pre-engineered standard duty pallet rack uprights are made of 14-gauge steel. There exist, however, other pre-engineered heavy duty and light duty pallet rack uprights and horizontal beams that are made of a thicker or lighter gauge depending on the required support. Bracket assembly load stop adapters can and should be made from steel of a gauge thickness and connection type complimentary to that used in the uprights and horizontal beams with which the bracket assembly will be utilized. Further, the locking mechanism could employ a means other than a padlock, such as a zip tie, depending on the specific use of the load lock. Thus, the scope of the embodiments should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents rather than by the examples provided.
In terms of production value, this model does not require welding and is less costly to produce than most other embodiments. Some pallet racks do not have an open back so the front bolt on will not work for closed back pallet rack vertical beams.
Claims
1. An adaptable bracket assembly for a pallet rack, comprising:
- first end means being two parts spaced ⅛-inch apart, each having a plurality of connection members of a suitable quantity, shape and arrangement for attachment to a vertical pallet rack beam;
- second end means having a plurality of connection members of such quantity, shape and arrangement as suitable for attachment to a horizontal pallet rack beam;
- support means for connecting said first and second end means, orienting said first and second end means such that the first end means attaches to the second end means and where each of two opposing sides of the support means is secured at an angle generally perpendicular to each of the said first and second end means.
2. An adaptable bracket assembly for a pallet rack as described in claim 1, wherein the support means is a plurality of metal pieces attaching the first and second end means, making the bracket assembly, generally, rectangular.
3. An adaptable bracket assembly for a pallet rack as described in claim 2, wherein each support means contains one or more holes enabling insertion of a locking means, such as a bolt or padlock.
4. An adaptable bracket assembly for a pallet rack as described in claim 1, wherein the connection members of the first end means are pallet rack connection members of a style chosen from the group comprising slotted, speedrack, interlake, old style teardrop, keystone, sturdibilt, T-bolt, slide-and-lock, lynx, structural, teardrop and simple bolt-and-hole.
5. An adaptable bracket assembly for a pallet rack as described in claim 1, wherein the connection members of the second end means are pallet rack connection members of a style chosen from the group comprising slotted, speedrack, interlake, old style teardrop, keystone, sturdibilt, T-bolt, slide-and-lock, lynx, structural, teardrop and simple bolt-and-hole.
6. An adaptable bracket assembly for a pallet rack as described in claim 1, further comprising one or more extension means, wherein an edge of each extension means is welded at an angle generally perpendicular to a vertical edge of the first end means, thereby creating one or more flange(s) for facilitating guidance in connecting a bracket assembly to a vertical pallet rack beam.
7. The extension means of claim 6 comprising a plurality of attachment points for further securing in place or temporarily locking a bracket assembly to a vertical pallet rack beam.
8. An adaptable bracket assembly for a pallet rack as described in claim 1, wherein the first end means extends vertically beyond the body means in one or both directions by a length sufficient to accommodate an industrial-grade bolt hole and further comprising one or more said bolt holes positioned as to overlap with one or more holes in a vertical pallet rack beam when the said bracket assembly is attached to the vertical beam.
9. An adaptable bracket assembly for a pallet rack as described in claim 1, further comprising a restriction means.
10. The restriction means of claim 9, wherein said restriction means comprises an opening, such as a hole, in the first end means enabling employment of said restriction means and an insertion means positioned through the opening and/or connected to the back, non-connector side of the first end means of a shape and size such that it can be inserted via an insertion means, such as pushing or pulling against a spring or another placement mechanism, into the open space of a female connection member of a vertical pallet rack beam or another bracket assembly while the attached bracket assembly is in proper position, whereby said restriction means restricts mobility of the male connection members of the attached bracket assembly inside the female connection members of the vertical beam or other bracket assembly and, thus, prevents unintended dissociation of the attached bracket assembly.
11. An adjustable U-shaped bracket assembly for a pallet rack, comprising:
- a support means of two vertical, parallel side plates;
- a first end means of two vertical, parallel flanges, the inside surface of which is roughly coplanar with and extends from the outer surface of said support means such that the inner distance between the flanges is greater than the distance between the side plates, the flanges being a suitable width apart as to fit neatly against two opposing outer sides of a vertical pallet rack beam and having a plurality of opening means of such quantity, shape and arrangement as suitable for attachment to a horizontal pallet rack beam;
- second end means having a plurality of connection members of such quantity, shape and arrangement as suitable for attachment to a horizontal pallet rack beam.
12. An adjustable U-shaped bracket assembly for a pallet rack as described in claim 11, wherein said flanges are created by vertically crimping the support means, having a length intended for the completed bracket assembly, at a horizontal location that is less than the minimum desired clearance.
13. An adjustable U-shaped bracket assembly for a pallet rack as described in claim 11, wherein said flanges are created by welding the edges of two extension means onto the support means.
14. An adjustable U-shaped bracket assembly for a pallet rack as described in claim 11, wherein the opening means of the first end means are horizontal series of discrete holes identically placed in each flange and of a size and spacing that allows for insertion and securing of a bolt through opposing holes in the flanges and simultaneously through opposing holes in the sides of the vertical beam that abut the fitted flanges.
15. An adjustable U-shaped bracket assembly for a pallet rack as described in claim 11, wherein the opening means of the first end means are two horizontal slots identically placed in each flange and of a size and spacing that allows for insertion and securing of a bolt through opposing slots in the flanges and simultaneously through opposing holes in the sides of the vertical beam that abut the fitted flanges.
16. A multi-piece adjustable U-shaped bracket assembly for a pallet rack, comprising an end means having a plurality of connection members of such quantity, shape and arrangement as suitable for attachment to a horizontal pallet rack beam; two parallel side plates perpendicular to the end means, each having a plurality of openings; two extension means generally of the height of said side plates and positioned against said plates such that a primary surface of each extension means abuts the outer surface of one of the parallel side plates, the extension means further having a plurality of openings positioned as to substantially overlap the openings in the side plates; a plurality of attachment means each spanning an overlapping openings of each side plate and associated extension means.
17. New use of an adaptable bracket assembly to create a locking mechanism for securing loaded pallets within pallet rack bays, the bracket assembly comprising a first end means having a plurality of connection members of a suitable quantity, shape and arrangement for attachment to a vertical pallet rack beam, a second end means having a plurality of connection members of such quantity, shape and arrangement as suitable for attachment to a horizontal pallet rack beam, a support means for connecting said first and second end means, orienting said first and second end means such that the first end means attaches to the second end means and where each of two opposing sides of the support means is secured at an angle generally perpendicular to each of the said first and second end means, and each support means having one or more holes enabling insertion of a locking means, such as a bolt or padlock, one hole of which is positioned in the lower corners of the sides of the support means nearest the second end means, and flanges extending vertically and perpendicular to the first end means with at least one hole on each flange, positioned identically on each flange, and positioned as to overlap with an equal number of holes on the inner sides of the vertical beam, the new use comprising:
- mounting of said second end means of two bracket assemblies to the longitudinal ends of a horizontal pallet rack beam such that the bracket assemblies are parallel to each other and each is perpendicular to the horizontal beam;
- mounting of said first end means of the two bracket assemblies to two vertical pallet rack beams such that the bracket assemblies are at equal height and the attached horizontal beam is perpendicular to the attached vertical beams;
- insertion of a first locking means through opposing holes in the flanges of the bracket assembly and the vertical beam;
- insertion of a second locking means through the hole of the support means and the corresponding hole of the abutting vertical beam;
- securing of each locking means to disable detachment of the bracket assemblies from the vertical or horizontal beams.
18. The use of claim 14, whereby the locking means is of a style chosen from the group comprising padlock, chain, bolt, fibrous or metal woven element, plastic element, rod, latch, locking latch, hook, and combination or other lock.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 15, 2013
Publication Date: May 22, 2014
Inventor: ROBERT M. CONSAUL (SAN CARLOS, CA)
Application Number: 13/844,763
International Classification: A47B 96/06 (20060101);