GEAR RACK

A rack may include a central shaft, legs rotatably coupled to a bottom end of the central shaft, and a first set of arms rotatably coupled to an upper region of the central shaft, where the first set of arms are rotatable from a contracted position generally parallel with the central shaft to an extended position extending at approximately a right angle outwards from the central shaft. The rack may also include a second set of arms rotatably and indirectly coupled to the central shaft in the upper region of the central shaft, where the second set of arms are rotatable from the contracted position generally parallel with the central shaft to a parallel position generally parallel with the first set of arms.

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Description

This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/660,090, filed Apr. 19, 2018, entitled PORTABLE TACTICAL RACK, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a gear rack, such as a gear rack for storing tactical gear.

BACKGROUND

Certain groups of people, such as military, law enforcement, fire department, etc. utilize large amounts of gear and may be deployed at remote locations. In such cases, their gear may be heavy and difficult to organize. Additionally, because they are at a remote location, shelving or storage may be limited and difficult to utilize.

The subject matter claimed herein is not limited to embodiments that solve any disadvantages or that operate only in environments such as those described above. Rather, this section is only provided to illustrate one exemplary technology area where some embodiments described herein may be practiced.

SUMMARY

One or more embodiments of the present disclosure may include a rack that includes a central shaft, a plurality of legs rotatably coupled to a bottom end of the central shaft, and a first set of arms rotatably coupled to an upper region of the central shaft, where the first set of arms are rotatable from a contracted position generally parallel with the central shaft to an extended position extending at approximately a right angle outwards from the central shaft. The rack may also include a second set of arms rotatably and indirectly coupled to the central shaft in the upper region of the central shaft, where the second set of arms may be rotatable from the contracted position generally parallel with the central shaft to a parallel position generally parallel with the first set of arms. The rack may also include a spacer coupling the second set of arms to the central shaft, where the spacer displaces the second set of arms away from the first set of arms such that the second set of arms remain generally parallel with the first set of arms when rotated to the parallel position.

One or more additional embodiments of the present disclosure may include a rack that includes a central shaft, a plurality of legs rotatably coupled to a bottom end of the central shaft, and a first set of arms rotatably coupled to an upper region of the central shaft, where the first set of arms are rotatable from a contracted position generally parallel with the central shaft to an extended position extending at approximately a right angle outwards from the central shaft. The rack may also include a second set of arms rotatably and indirectly coupled to the central shaft in the upper region of the central shaft, where the second set of arms may be rotatable from the contracted position generally parallel with the central shaft to a parallel position generally parallel with the first set of arms. The system may also include a system of air-conveying channels within the central shaft and at least one arm. Such an arm may include air vents at a distal end of the arm. The rack may also include an air port at the bottom end of the central shaft that may be configured to receive air to be forced through the air-conveying channels and out the air vents at the distal end of the arm, and a pump configured to provide pressurized air to the air port. The rack may also include a power cord configured to couple to a power source and convey electrical power to the pump and one or more other components of the rack, and a power outlet on an arm of the first set of arms, the power outlet receiving power from the power cord when the power cord is coupled to the power source.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are merely examples and explanatory and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.

Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by the practice of the disclosure. The features and advantages of the disclosure may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. These and other features of the present disclosure will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the disclosure as set forth hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To further clarify the above and other advantages and features of the present disclosure, a more particular description of the disclosure will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only some embodiments of the disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The disclosure will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1A illustrates a front view of an example gear rack in an expanded configuration;

FIG. 1B illustrates a perspective view of the example gear rack of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2 illustrates a front view of the example gear rack of FIG. 1A in a compacted configuration;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example storage compartment in conjunction with an example gear rack;

FIG. 4 illustrates a cut away view of another example gear rack with electrical power and air vents;

FIG. 5 illustrates a cut away view of an additional example gear rack with electrical power

FIG. 6 illustrates an example removable arm of an example gear rack;

FIG. 7 illustrates an example shelf of an example gear rack; and

FIGS. 8A-8D illustrates various example end portions of arms of an example gear rack; all in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

 DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a gear rack for storing and organizing gear at a remote location. For example, military personnel in barracks when deployed have their gear in various random places and piles, which can create a disorderly and messy habitation for the personnel. The present disclosure includes a gear rack that is collapsible such that it is a highly portable rack for storing gear, while being sturdy enough to support heavy gear like a flak jacket, an assault rifle, and a helmet. The gear rack may transition between a compacted configuration and an extended configuration.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are explained with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1A illustrates a front view of an example gear rack 100 in an expanded configuration, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure; and FIG. 1B illustrates the gear rack 100 in an expanded configuration from a perspective view. FIG. 2 illustrates a front view of the gear rack 100 in a compacted configuration;

The gear rack 100 may include a central shaft 110, a first set of arms 120 (such as the arms 120a and 120b), a second set of arms 140 (such as the arms 140a and 140b) coupled to an upper region 113 of the central shaft 110, and legs 160 (such as the legs 160a-160d) coupled to a bottom end (111) of the central shaft. The central shaft 110, the first set of arms 120, the second set of arms 140, and/or the legs 160 may be moved to an extended configuration, such as that illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B, or a compacted configuration such as that illustrated in FIG. 2. By utilizing the two configurations the gear rack 100 may be utilized in the extended configuration to store gear, and the compacted configuration to be portable and reduce space during storage or moving the gear rack.

The central shaft 110 may function as a central region from which arms, legs, or other components may extend for storing gear. In some embodiments, the central shaft 110 may be extendable to lengthen the central shaft 110. For example, the central shaft 110 may include an inner shaft 112 and an outer shaft 114. The inner shaft 112 may be slidably disposed within the outer shaft 114. The inner shaft 112 may include a spring-button clip 116 that biases a button of the spring-button clip 116 away from the inner shaft 112. As the inner shaft 112 slides within the outer shaft 114, the spring-button clip 116 may pop into one or more holes 115 in the outer shaft 114. For example, the spring-button clip 116 may extend into the hole 115a to lock the central shaft 110 into a fully extended configuration. The spring-button clip 116 may be pressed to force the button of the spring-button clip 116 out of the hole 115a and the inner shaft 112 may be slid further into the outer shaft 114 until the spring-button clip 116 pops into the hole 115b in a partially extended configuration. The spring-button clip 116 may be pressed to force the button of the spring-button clip 116 out of the hole 115b and the inner shaft 112 may be slid further into the outer shaft 114 until the spring-button clip 116 pops into the hole 115c in a compacted configuration. Using the inner shaft 112 and the outer shaft 114, the central shaft 110 may provide a variable-length central shaft for supporting arms for storing gear.

In some embodiments, the central shaft 110 may include a cap 118 at a top end of the central shaft 110. The cap 118 may include a circular shape and may be shaped to support a helmet, hat, or other head-gear. In some embodiments, the cap 118 may be shaped and/or positioned square with the central shaft 110 (e.g., such that a central axis of the central shaft 110 intersects a plane formed by the cap 118 in approximately a perpendicular manner). Additionally or alternatively, the cap 118 may be positioned at an angle relative to the central shaft 110.

The first set of arms 120 may be coupled to the central shaft 110 in a rotatable manner such that the arms 120 may be rotated from a compacted configuration to an extended configuration, and vice versa. In some embodiments, the first set of arms 120 may be coupled to the central shaft 110 via an arm position fixing plate 130. The arm position fixing plate 130 may include a plate with multiple holes 132 (such as the holes 132a-132d) corresponding to various positions in which the arms 120 may be locked. For example, the arm 120a may include a spring-button clip 133a that may be configured to pop into the hole 1321 to lock the arm 120a into an extended configuration. The button of the spring-button clip 133a may be pushed out of the hole 132a and the arm 120a may be rotated downward until the spring-button clip 133a pops into the hole 132b. In these and other embodiments, the hole 132a and 132b may orient the arm 120a approximately ninety degrees off from each other. For example, in the extended configuration corresponding to the hole 132a, the arm 120 may extend horizontally outward away from the central shaft 110, while in the compacted configuration corresponding to the hole 132b, the arm 120 may extend vertically downward generally parallel to the central shaft 110. The arm position fixing plate 130 may operate in a similar manner with respect to the arm 120b and the holes 132c and 132d, for example, locking the arm 120b in an extended configuration using the spring-button clip 133b and the hole 132d and a compacted configuration using the spring-button clip 133b and the hole 132c.

The second set of arms 140, using the arm position fixing plate 134, may operate in a similar manner to the first set of arms 120 using the arm position fixing plate 130. The arm position fixing plate 134 may include holes 136a-136d, which may operate in a similar manner to the arm position fixing plate 130 and the holes 132a-132d. For example, the arm 140a may rotate between an extended configuration corresponding to the hole 136a when the spring-button clip 137a pops into the hole 136a, and a compacted configuration when the spring-button clip 137a pops into the hole 136b. As another example, the arm 140b may rotate between an extended configuration corresponding to the hole 136d when the spring-button clip 137b pops into the hole 136d, and a compacted configuration when the spring-button clip 137b pops into the hole 136c.

In some embodiments, the arm position fixing plates 130 and 134 may include any number of holes corresponding to any number of locked positions for the arms 120a and 120b, and the arms 140a and 140b, respectively. While illustrated as rotating downward, in some embodiments, the arm position fixing plates 130 and/or 134 may include holes corresponding to an upward rotation of the arms to move from an extended configuration to a compacted configuration.

In some embodiments the first set of arms 120 and the second set of arms 140 may be generally parallel. In these and other embodiments, the first set of arms 120 and the second set of arms 140 may be offset from each other. For example, the first set of arms 120 may be further up the upper region 113 towards the top end of the central shaft than the second set of arms 140, or vice versa. Additionally or alternatively, the first set of arms 120 and the second set of arms 140 may be offset laterally from each other. For example, the first set of arms 120 may be coupled to a back face of the central shaft 110 and the second set of arms 140 may be coupled to a front face of the central shaft 110. In some embodiments, a spacer 174 may be used to couple the first set of arms 120 to the central shaft 110. In these and other embodiments, a gap may be introduced between the first set of arms 120 and the second set of arms 140 to facilitate the hanging of gear on the arms.

In some embodiments, various attaching mechanisms or other tools or features may be disposed on distal end regions of the arms 120/140. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 1A-2, the arm 120a may include an eye-bolt 122a and a hanging loop 124a coupled to the distal end region of the arm 120a. In some embodiments, multiple arms may include the same components, such as the arms 120a, 120b, and 120c including the eye-bolt 122a, 122b, and 142a respectively, and the hanging loops 124a, 124b, and 144b, respectively. In some embodiments, multiple arms may include different components such as the arm 140b including a bracket 150 at the distal region of the arm 140b different from the arms 120a, 120b, and 140a. In these and other embodiments, the arms 120/140 may be configured to support a substantial amount of weight when in the expanded configuration. For example, the arms 120/140 may support up to thirty pounds per arm, fifty pounds per arm, sixty pounds per arm, seventy five pounds per arm, and/or a hundred pounds per arm.

In some embodiments, the bracket 150 may be configured to support one or more firearms via the gear rack 100. In some embodiments, a firearm may be placed within the bracket 150 and a locking pin may be slid through the holes 152 to lock the firearm into place in the bracket 150. For example, the locking pin may be slid through the trigger guard of a firearm. In some embodiments, a large firearm, such as an assault rifle, may be disposed within the bracket while a smaller firearm, such as a pistol, may be disposed on the outside of the bracket such that both firearms may be supported simultaneously via the locking pin and the bracket 150. In these and other embodiments, the trigger guards of both firearms may be generally parallel with each other and the arms of the bracket 150.

In some embodiments, the arms 120 and/or the arms 140 may include a cap 126/146 (such as the caps 126a, 126b, 146a, and 146b). For example, the arms 120 and/or the arms 140 may be hollow and may include the caps 126/146 to prevent debris from entering the arms and/or to cap sharp edges of the arms 120/140. Additionally or alternatively, the legs 160 and/or the central shaft 110 may include such a cap.

The legs 160 may be rotatably coupled to the central shaft 110 such that the legs 160 may transition between an extended configuration (as illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B) and a compacted configuration (as illustrated in FIG. 2). In these and other embodiments, the legs 160 may operate using leg position fixing plates 165 (such as the leg fixing position plates 165a and 165b, corresponding to the legs 160a/160b and 160c/160d, respectively). In a similar manner to the arm position fixing plates 130 and 134, the leg position fixing plates 165 may include multiple holes corresponding to different positions. For example, the leg position fixing plates 165 may include a hole for each leg 160 corresponding to the extended configuration and a hole for each leg 160 corresponding to the compacted configuration. With reference to the leg 160a, the leg 160a may include a spring-button clip 168a that may pop into the hole 166b in the extended configuration and may pop into the hole 166a in the compacted configuration. Similar holes and spring button clips may be included for the other legs.

In some embodiments, the legs 160 may correspond to holes 166 such that in the extended configuration the legs 160 may be generally in a plane with each other and the bottom end 111 of the central shaft 110. In some embodiments, the legs 160 may correspond to holes 166 such that the legs 160 may be offset from the plane of the bottom end 111 of the central shaft 110 by a small amount to prop the gear rack 100 slightly off the ground (e.g., the legs 160 may be offset from the plane by between zero and forty-five degrees, or between five and thirty degrees, or between ten and twenty five degrees).

In some embodiments, the legs 160 may rotate upwards from the extended configuration towards the upper region 113 of the central shaft 110 to the compacted configuration. In some embodiments, the legs 160 may be locked into a position generally parallel with the central shaft 110 in the compacted configuration.

In some embodiments, the gear rack 100 may include an eye bolt 176 coupled to the central shaft 110 in the upper region 113 of the central shaft 110. For example, the eye bolt 176 may be coupled to the central shaft 110 via the arm position fixing plate 134. In some embodiments, the eye bolt 176 may be coupled to the central shaft 110 such that the eye bolt 176 forms approximately a right angle with each of the arms 140a and 140b, as well as with the central shaft 110, or stated another way, the eye bolt 176 may be coupled to the central shaft 110 such that the eye bolt 176 is orthogonal to a plane parallel to the central shaft 110 and the arms 140a and 140b.

In some embodiments, the gear rack 100 may include a name plate 172 coupled to the central shaft 110. The name plate 172 may take any shape or form. For example, in some circumstances, the name plate 172 may be shaped to fit military, law enforcement, fire department, etc. issued patches that display a rank and/or name of a user. In some embodiments, the name plate 172 may include VELCRO® or other reattachable fastener via which the patches may be coupled to the name plate 172.

Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to the gear rack 100 without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the gear rack 100 may include more or fewer elements than those illustrated in FIGS. 1A-2. As another example, the gear rack 100 may include any number of legs and any number of arms oriented in any direction. As another example, the gear rack 100 may include any number of holes to lock the arms, legs, or central shaft into any particular configuration, length, etc. As an additional example, the gear rack 100 may be sized based on the particular use (e.g., the gear rack 100 may be taller to accommodate fire fighter gear while the gear rack 100 may be shorter to accommodate military gear).

FIG. 3 illustrates an example storage compartment 320 in conjunction with an example gear rack 300, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. The gear rack 300 may be similar or comparable to the other gear racks of the present disclosure. For example, the central shaft 310 may be similar or comparable to the central shaft 110 of FIGS. 1A-2, and the leg position fixing plates 365 may be similar or comparable to the leg position fixing plates 165 of FIGS. 1A-2.

The gear rack 300 may include a storage compartment 320 that may be coupled to a central shaft 310 of the gear rack 300. The storage compartment 320 may include a lid or be open. In some embodiments, the storage compartment 320 may be fixedly coupled to the central shaft such that the storage compartment 320 is suspended above the leg position fixing plates 365. In some embodiments, the storage compartment 320 may be coupled to the top of, and/or resting upon the leg position fixing plates 365.

In some embodiments, the storage compartment 320 may include a lock 312. For example, the storage compartment 320 may be configured to lock up a small firearm. The lock 312 may include any type of lock (e.g., a keyed lock, a combination lock, etc.).

In some embodiment, the storage compartment 320 may be removable. For example, the storage compartment may snap or slide into place on supports such that the storage compartment 320 may be removed when the legs are in a compacted configuration and attached when the legs are in an extended configuration. Additionally or alternatively, the storage compartment 320 may be sized or positioned to have a minimal or small impact on the range of motion of the legs when moving to a compacted configuration. In some embodiments, the legs may rotate downward into the compacted configuration to accommodate the storage compartment 320. In these and other embodiments, the position of the legs in the extended configuration may be angled such that the legs hold the leg fixing position plate up off of the ground.

Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to the gear rack 300 without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the gear rack 300 may include more or fewer elements than those illustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 illustrates a cut away view of another example gear rack 400 with electrical power and air vents, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. While illustrated in FIG. 4 with both electrical power and air vents, it will be appreciated that the gear rack 400 may include electrical power, air vents, or both, but need not have both. The gear rack 400 may be similar or comparable to the other gear racks of the present disclosure. For example, the central shaft 410 may be similar or comparable to the central shaft 110 of FIGS. 1A-2, and the arms 440a and 440b may be similar or comparable to the arms 140a and 140b of FIGS. 1A-2.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, in some embodiments, the gear rack 400 may include a system of air-conveying channels to convey air through the gear rack 400 and out air vents 442 (such as the air vents 442a and/or 442b) that may be used to dry and/or ventilate gear on the gear rack 400. Air may be forced through the central shaft 410 and out into the arms 440 and out the air vents 442. In some embodiments, the air vents 442 may be located at a distal end of the arms 440, or may be disposed all along the arms 440.

In some embodiments, the central shaft 410 may be hollow and the central shaft 410 itself may operate as an air conveying channel to carry air towards the arms 440. In these and other embodiments, there may be corresponding holes in both the central shaft 410 and the arms 440 such that as the arms are in the extended configuration, the holes in the central shaft 410 align with the holes in the arms 440 so that air from the central shaft 410 may be conveyed into the arms 440. In some embodiments, there may be a seal 436 (including the seal 436a associated with the arm 440a and the seal 436b associated with the arm 440b), such as an o-ring or washer that may facilitate the air from the central shaft 410 passing into the arms 440. For example, the seals 435 may facilitate an air-tight seal between the arms 440 and the central shaft 410.

In some embodiments, the central shaft 410 may include caps at the top end and bottom end of the central shaft. Such caps may be air-tight, or may reduce the amount of escaping air. Additionally or alternatively, a seal (not illustrated) may be disposed between an inner and an outer shaft of the central shaft 410. In some embodiments, the arms 440 may include a cap at the distal end of the arms 440 (e.g., the end away from the central shaft 410) or may include an additional air-vent at the far distal end of the arms 440.

In some embodiments, the central shaft 410 may include one or more tubes 432 or hoses to carry air from an air port 430 to the arms 440. The tube 432 may include an air tight connection with the air port 430, a branch component 433, and flexible tubing 434 spanning between the central shaft 410 and the arms 440. The air may flow up the tube 432, through the branch component 433, through the flexible tubing 434, and into the arms 440. In some embodiments, the flexible tubing may be long enough and flexible enough such that the flexible tubing 434 retains the air communication between the central shaft 410 and the arms 440 whether the arms are in the expanded configuration (e.g., as illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B) or the compacted configuration (e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 2).

In some embodiments, the gear rack 400 may include a pump 450 configured to force air through the air port 430 into the central shaft 410. Additionally or alternatively, the air port may include a coupling such that an air compressor hose or other forced air providing device may be coupled to the air port 430.

In some embodiments, the pump 450 may include any of a variety of components to treat the air prior to pumping the air into the gear rack 400. For example, the pump 450 may include a heater to heat the air before pumping it into the gear rack 400. As another example, the pump 450 may include an air conditioner to cool the air, a humidifier to add humidity to the air, a dehumidifier to remove humidity from the air, etc.

In some embodiments the pump 450 may include a power cord 422 to provide electrical power to the pump 450. For example, the power cord 422 may plug into a typical wall outlet, a generator, etc. Additionally or alternatively, the pump 450 may be battery powered.

In some embodiments, the pump 450 may operate as a power source for other components of the gear rack 400. For example, a power cord 424 may traverse the inside of the central shaft 410 from the pump 450 to a power outlet 460. The power outlet 460 may be configured to provide any type of power, such as alternating current (AC), direct current (DC), and may do so via any outlet, such as a universal serial bus (USB) port, a typical wall outlet, etc. While illustrated on the central shaft 410, the power outlet 460 may be located anywhere on the gear rack 400, such as on one of the arms 440.

Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to the gear rack 400 without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the gear rack 400 may include more or fewer elements than those illustrated in FIG. 4. For example, the gear rack 400 may include multiple power outlets at a variety of locations. As another example, the gear rack 400 may include any number of air vents at any number of locations along the arms and/or the central shaft, including at the top end of the central shaft and/or in a top cap.

FIG. 5 illustrates a cut away view of an additional example gear rack 500 with electrical power, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. The gear rack 500 may include one or more solar panels 550 to provide power to one or more power outlets 560. The gear rack 500 may be similar or comparable to the other gear racks of the present disclosure. For example, the central shaft 510 may be similar or comparable to the central shaft 110 of FIGS. 1A-2, the arm 520 may be similar or comparable to the arms 120 of FIGS. 1A-2, and the power outlets 560 may be similar or comparable to the power outlet 460 of FIG. 4.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, in some embodiments the gear rack 500 may include a one or more solar panels 550 such that, even in remote locations, the gear rack 500 may be able to provide power to various components of the gear rack 500, such as the power outlets 560.

In some embodiments, the solar panels 550 (such as the solar panels 550a and 550b) may be configured to draw in solar energy from sunshine or other light and convert that energy into electrical energy. The solar panels 550 may be configured to provide that electrical energy to the power outlets 560 via one or more power cords 524. In some embodiments, the solar panels 550 may be electrically coupled to a battery pack (not illustrated) such that the solar energy converted to electrical energy may be stored in the battery pack and the power outlets 560 may be configured to draw electricity from the battery pack.

Various power cords 524 may connect the various components of the gear rack 500 to maintain them in electrical communication. For example, a first solar panel 550a coupled to the top end of the central shaft 510 may be in electrical communication with a first power outlet 560a via a first power cord 5241, the first power outlet 560a may be in electrical communication via a second power cord 524b with a second solar panel 550b coupled to a distal portion of the arm 520. Continuing the example, the second solar panel 550b may be in electrical communication with a second power outlet 560b disposed on a distal portion of the arm 520.

Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to the gear rack 500 without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the gear rack 500 may include more or fewer elements than those illustrated in FIG. 5. For example, the gear rack 500 may include multiple power outlets at a variety of locations, including multiple kinds like a USB power outlet and a typical wall socket. As another example, the gear rack 400 may include any number of air vents at any number of locations along the arms and/or the central shaft.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example removable arm 622 of an example gear rack 600, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. The gear rack 600 may be similar or comparable to the other gear racks of the present disclosure. For example, the central shaft 610 may be similar or comparable to the central shaft 110 of FIGS. 1A-2, and the arm 620 may be similar or comparable to the arms 120 of FIGS. 1A-2 subject to the variations described with reference to FIG. 6.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, in some embodiments the arm 620 may include a distal portion that is the removable arm 622. For example, the removable arm 622 and the arm 620 may operate using a spring-button clip 628 and hole 626 in a similar manner to the extension of the central shaft 110 of FIGS. 1A-2. For example, the arm 620 may include the spring-button clip 628 and the removable arm 622 may include the hole 626 (or vice versa). As the removable arm 622 is slid onto the arm 620, the spring-button clip 628 may pop into the hole 626 locking the removable arm 622 onto the arm 620.

Using the removable arm 622 of FIG. 6, any of a variety of components may be swapped out and replaced on the arms of the gear rack 600. For example, if multiple brackets 150 illustrated in FIGS. 1A-2 were desired, a previous removable arm may be removed and a new removable arm with an additional bracket may be added to the gear rack 600 by coupling the new removable arm to the gear rack 600. Any other of a variety of functional components may also be coupled to the arms of the gear rack 600, such as those illustrated in FIGS. 8A-8D.

In some embodiments, the removable arm 622 may include a powered component and may include an electrical connector with a corresponding electrical connector positioned on the arm 620 such that when the removable arm 622 is attached to the arm 620 and locked into place, the two electrical connectors are joined to be in electrical communication such that electrical power in the arm 620 may be conveyed to the removable arm 622.

Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to the gear rack 600 without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the gear rack 600 may include more or fewer elements than those illustrated in FIG. 6.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example shelf 720 of an example gear rack 700, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. The gear rack 700 may be similar or comparable to the other gear racks of the present disclosure. For example, the central shaft 710 may be similar or comparable to the central shaft 110 of FIGS. 1A-2.

In some embodiments, the gear rack 700 may include the shelf 720 coupled to the central shaft 710. The shelf 720 may take any shape and dimension. In some embodiments, the shelf 720 may be sized to not extend beyond the arms of the gear rack 700 when in a compacted configuration.

In some embodiments, the shelf 720 may be coupled to the gear rack 700 via a hinge that may permit the shelf 720 to fold flush with a face of the central shaft when not in use, and fold downward to a position at approximately a right angle with the central shaft. In some embodiments, the hinge may include a locking component to lock the shelf into either or both of the extended position and the folded flush position.

In some embodiments, the shelf 720 may include a lip around the outside of the shelf.

Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to the gear rack 700 without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the gear rack 700 may include more or fewer elements than those illustrated in FIG. 7.

FIGS. 8A-8D illustrates various example end portions of arms 820 of an example gear rack, in accordance with one or more embodiments, of the present disclosure. The arms 820 of the gear racks illustrated in FIGS. 8A-8D may be similar or comparable to the other arms of the present disclosure.

As illustrated in FIG. 8A, the arm 820a may include a hook 824 for supporting an intravenous (IV) fluid bag 850 or other medical equipment. For example, when used in a remote location, the gear rack may function to support medical devices or equipment in such remote locations.

As illustrated in FIG. 8B, the arm 820b may include a light 830. The light 830 may be any variety of light and used for any of a variety of purposes. For example, the light 830 may be a traffic light or warning light used be construction workers or law enforcement. As another example, the light 830 may be a flood light or spot light to provide light to a specific working area.

As illustrated in FIG. 8C, the arm 820c may include a bracket 826 or other holding component to support a sign 840. For example, the arm 820c may support a construction sign or a traffic sign. In some embodiments, the bracket 826 may include a feature to grip the sign 840, such as a pin to close the bracket 826, a lining of material in the inside of the bracket 826 to grip the sign 840, etc.

As illustrated in FIG. 8D, the arm 820d may include a post 828 to support or fixedly couple to another component such as a speaker 860. In some embodiments, the post 828 may be threaded in a manner that corresponds to a female threaded portion in the speaker 860.

Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to the various arms 820 illustrated in FIGS. 8A-8D without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the gear rack arms 820 may include more or fewer elements than those illustrated in FIGS. 8A-8D. Additionally, it will be appreciated that the examples of FIGS. 8A-8D are in no way limiting, but merely provide a few examples to illustrate the breadth of areas in which gear racks of the present disclosure may be utilized.

In accordance with common practice, the various features illustrated in the drawings may not be drawn to scale. The illustrations presented in the present disclosure are not meant to be actual views of any particular apparatus (e.g., device, system, etc.) or method, but are merely idealized representations that are employed to describe various embodiments of the disclosure. Accordingly, the dimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity. In addition, some of the drawings may be simplified for clarity. Thus, the drawings may not depict all of the components of a given apparatus (e.g., device) or all operations of a particular method.

Terms used in the present disclosure and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including, but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes, but is not limited to,” among others).

Additionally, if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations.

In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” or “one or more of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended to include A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B, and C together, etc.

However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to embodiments containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations.

Further, any disjunctive word or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” should be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”

Additionally, the use of the terms “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., are not necessarily used herein to connote a specific order or number of elements. Generally, the terms “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., are used to distinguish between different elements as generic identifiers. Absence a showing that the terms “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., connote a specific order, these terms should not be understood to connote a specific order. Furthermore, absence a showing that the terms “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., connote a specific number of elements, these terms should not be understood to connote a specific number of elements. For example, a first widget may be described as having a first side and a second widget may be described as having a second side. The use of the term “second side” with respect to the second widget may be to distinguish such side of the second widget from the “first side” of the first widget and not to connote that the second widget has two sides.

The use of relative terms such as “approximately,” “around,” about,” “generally,” etc. are used herein as that term would be understood by an ordinarily skilled artisan in the pertinent art. For example, in some circumstances, such terms may mean within 10%, within 5% or within 1%. As another example, if two arms are “generally parallel,” it may be understand that they may be parallel within +/− five degrees of each other, etc. In some circumstances, such terms may mean within manufacturing tolerances. If one such term is used in one location, and not in another, it is to be understood that such a circumstance in no way conveys that the location that does not include the term is to be interpreted as being exact.

All examples and conditional language recited in the present disclosure are intended for pedagogical objects to aid the reader in understanding the invention and the concepts contributed by the inventor to furthering the art, and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions. Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail, it should be understood that the various changes, substitutions, and alterations could be made hereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A rack comprising:

a central shaft;
a plurality of legs rotatably coupled to a bottom end of the central shaft;
a first set of arms rotatably coupled to an upper region of the central shaft, the first set of arms rotatable from a contracted position generally parallel with the central shaft to an extended position extending at approximately a right angle outwards from the central shaft;
a second set of arms rotatably indirectly coupled to the central shaft in the upper region of the central shaft, the second set of arms rotatable from the contracted position generally parallel with the central shaft to a parallel position generally parallel with the first set of arms; and
a spacer coupling the second set of arms to the central shaft, the spacer displacing the second set of arms away from the first set of arms such that the second set of arms remain generally parallel with the first set of arms when rotated to the parallel position.

2. The rack of claim 1, further comprising a cap at a top end of the central shaft, the cap shaped to support a hat.

3. The rack of claim 1, further comprising a bracket at a distal end of an arm of the first set of arms, the bracket sized to support a firearm.

4. The rack of claim 3, further comprising a pin traversing the bracket to pass through a trigger guard of the firearm within the bracket and through a second trigger guard of a second firearm adjacent the bracket.

5. The rack of claim 1, further comprising one of any of hooks, brackets, loops, or caps at a distal end of each of the arms of the first set of arms and the second set of arms.

6. The rack of claim 1, wherein the central shaft is extendable along a length of the central shaft from a compact configuration to an extended configuration, the compact configuration at least as long as an arm of the first set of arms and a leg of the plurality of legs combined.

7. The rack of claim 6, wherein the central shaft includes an outer shaft with at least a first hole corresponding to the compact position and a second hole corresponding to the extended position, and an inner shaft with a spring-button clip configured to extend into any of the first hole or the second hole to lock the outer shaft and the inner shaft relative to each other.

8. The rack of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of arm position fixing plates, each of the arm position fixing plates including at least a first hole corresponding to a first position and a second hole corresponding to a second position of a respective arm of the first set of arms or second set of arms;
wherein the respective arm includes a spring-button clip configured to extend into any of the first hole or the second hole to lock the respective arm into one of the first position when in the first hole or the second position when in the second hole.

9. The rack of claim 1, further comprising:

a system of air-conveying channels within the central shaft and at least one arm of the first set of arms and the second set of arms, wherein the at least one arm includes air vents at a distal end of the at least one arm; and
an air port at the bottom end of the central shaft, the air port configured to receive air to be forced through the air-conveying channels and out the air vents at the distal end of the at least one arm.

10. The rack of claim 9, further comprising:

a pump configured to provide pressurized air to the air port; and
a heater configured to heat the air provided to the air port.

11. The rack of claim 9, further comprising a shaft cap at a top end of the central shaft and arm caps at distal ends of each arm of the first set of arms and the second set of arms.

12. The rack of claim 9, further comprising flexible tubing to connect a shaft air-conveying channel disposed within the central shaft to an arm air-conveying channel disposed within an arm of the first set of arms.

13. The rack of claim 1, wherein

the first set of arms are configured to rotate from the contracted position to the extended position in a direction from a top of the central shaft towards the bottom end of the central shaft; and
the second set of arms are configured to rotate from the contracted position to the parallel position in the direction from the top of the central shaft towards the bottom end of the central shaft.

14. The rack of claim 1, wherein

the first set of arms are configured to rotate from the contracted position to the extended position in a direction from the bottom end of the central shaft towards a top of the central shaft; and
the second set of arms are configured to rotate from the contracted position to the parallel position in the direction from the bottom end of the central shaft towards a top of the central shaft.

15. The rack of claim 1, further comprising a lockable storage compartment coupled to the central shaft proximate the bottom end of the central shaft.

16. The rack of claim 1, further comprising an eye bolt coupled to a front face of the central shaft proximate the first set of arms, the eye bolt projecting away from the central shaft at approximately a right angle with the central shaft and approximately a right angle with at least one arm of the first set of arms.

17. The rack of claim 1, further comprising a name plate coupled to a front face of the central shaft proximate the first set of arms.

18. The rack of claim 1, wherein the first set of arms in the extended position are configured to support at least fifty pounds per arm.

19. The rack of claim 1, further comprising:

a power cord; and
a power outlet on an arm of the first set of arms, the power outlet receiving power from the power cord when the power cord is coupled to a power source.

20. A rack comprising:

a central shaft;
a plurality of legs rotatably coupled to a bottom end of the central shaft;
a first set of arms rotatably coupled to an upper region of the central shaft, the first set of arms rotatable from a contracted position generally parallel with the central shaft to an extended position extending at approximately a right angle outwards from the central shaft;
a second set of arms rotatably indirectly coupled to the central shaft in the upper region of the central shaft, the second set of arms rotatable from the contracted position generally parallel with the central shaft to a parallel position generally parallel with the first set of arms, the second set of arms coupled to an opposite side of the central shaft from the first set of arms;
a system of air-conveying channels within the central shaft and at least one arm of the first set of arms and the second set of arms, wherein the at least one arm includes air vents at a distal end of the at least one arm;
an air port at the bottom end of the central shaft, the air port configured to receive air to be forced through the air-conveying channels and out the air vents at the distal end of the at least one arm;
a pump configured to provide pressurized air to the air port;
a power cord configured to couple to a power source and convey electrical power to the pump and one or more other components of the rack; and
a power outlet on an arm of the first set of arms, the power outlet receiving power from the power cord when the power cord is coupled to the power source.
Patent History
Publication number: 20190320794
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 9, 2019
Publication Date: Oct 24, 2019
Inventors: Jesse Sanchez (South Jordan, UT), Johnny J.C. Sanchez (Concord, CA)
Application Number: 16/379,538
Classifications
International Classification: A47B 81/00 (20060101); A47B 43/00 (20060101); F41A 23/18 (20060101);