Nursery shipping rack with removable shelving

Abstract

A nursery rack that is used to ship plants is often necessary for growers and retailers to easily and quickly move large amounts of plants. The device will be equipped with a plurality of removable shelves that will rest on a plurality of hooks made for that purpose. The user can decide how many shelves and the distance between the shelves depending on the particular use that is anticipated. The device provides a means to lift the device using a forklift or palletjack.

Claims

1. A nursery shipping rack with removable shelving comprising: a base member, wherein the base member comprises a flat top surface and a side having openings configured to receive forklift blades to lift the rack; a plurality of vertical support members, wherein the plurality of vertical support members are attached to the corners of the base member, wherein a corresponding first vertical support member from said plurality of vertical support members is on a corresponding front right corner of the base member, wherein a corresponding second vertical support member from said plurality of vertical support members is on a corresponding front left corner of the base member, wherein a corresponding third vertical support member from said plurality of vertical support members is on a corresponding back right corner of the base member, wherein a corresponding fourth vertical support member from said plurality of vertical support members is on a corresponding back left corner of the base member; a pair of angled support members, wherein one of the pair of angled support members is fastened to and extends from the front right corner of the base member to a top of the back right corresponding third vertical support member respectively, wherein one of the pair of angles support members is fastened to and extends from the front left corner of the base member to a top of the corresponding fourth vertical support member; a plurality of top horizontal top support members, wherein the top horizontal support members extend around three sides of a perimeter of a top portion of the rack; a plurality of hooks, wherein the plurality of hooks are attached on the vertical support members, wherein the plurality of hooks extend a horizontal distance from the vertical support members respectively, wherein each of the plurality of hooks has a vertical surface, wherein the vertical surface extends a vertical distance; a plurality of shelves, wherein each of the plurality of the shelves has a flat top surface, wherein each of the plurality of shelves has a transverse member, wherein each of the plurality of shelves has perimeter support members, wherein the perimeter support members attach to a bottom of the top surface of the corresponding shelves and extend downwardly therefrom, wherein the plurality of shelves are configured to be placed over corresponding hooks from the plurality of hooks to secure the shelves to the vertical support members of the rack.

2. The nursery shipping rack with removable shelving of claim 1, wherein the rack is made from wood.

3. The nursery shipping rack with removable shelving of claim 1, wherein the rack is made from plastic.

4. The nursery shipping rack with removable shelving of claim 1, wherein the rack is made from steel.

5. The nursery shipping rack with removable shelving of claim 1, wherein the plurality of hooks are removable from the vertical support members.

6. The nursery shipping rack with removable shelving of claim 1, wherein the plurality of hooks are integral with the vertical support members.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a front perspective of the nursery rack with removable shelving.

(2) FIG. 2 is a back perspective view of the nursery rack with removable shelving.

(3) FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the nursery rack with removable shelving depicting alternative shelf placement.

(4) FIG. 4 is an in use view of the nursery rack with removable shelving.

NUMBERING REFERENCES

(5) 1 Device 5 Base 6 Openings for forklift blades 10 Vertical Support Members 15 Angled Side Support 16 Angled Back Support 20 Hooks 25 Horizontal Top Support Members 30 Shelf 31 Perimeter supports 35 Transverse Member 40 Base Member

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

(6) The nursey shipping rack 1, will be comprised of a structure that is in the general shape of a cube. It is anticipated that the device 1 will be subjected to extremes in environmental conditions but must be sturdy enough to support different types of plants. It is designed to be transported using a forklift. It is anticipated that the base member 5 may be a variety of different shapes such as either a square or rectangular. The base member 5 will have openings to insert forklift blades to transport the device.

(7) The device will allow the user to ship different sized plants without the necessity of modifying the structure of the existing device.

(8) The nursery shipping rack will have a base 5 that will support the weight that will be placed on the device. Openings for forklift or pallet jack blades will be provided on the base. On top of the base will be a base surface 40, which is a flat surface that will form the top of the base member 5.

(9) A plurality of vertical support members 10 will attach to the base at the bottom and extend a predetermined distance above the base 5; the vertical support members will be identical to each other. In order to form the structure, separate vertical support members 10 will be attached to the corners of the base on the front right corner of the base, the front left corner of the base, the back right corner of the base, the back left corner of the base as depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2.

(10) In order to provide stability to the device a pair of angled support members 15 will be provided such as depicted in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4. Each of the angled support members will extend from the bottom front corner of the base to the top back corner of the vertical member. Additionally, an angled back support 16 will also be provided for added stability and rigidity. The angled back support 16 will extend from the bottom corner on one side of the base to the opposite top corner of the device 1 such as depicted in FIG. 2.

(11) A plurality of horizontal top support members 25 are provided across the top of the unit for stability and to prevent plants from falling off the top shelf 30 during transit. It is anticipated that the horizontal support members 25 will be installed on the sides of the device and the back of the device and leave one side of the top of the device open such as depicted in FIG. 1.

(12) A plurality of hooks 20 will be placed on the vertical support members 10. The plurality of hooks 20 may either be manufactured as part of the vertical support members 10 or openings in the vertical support members may be provided for the hooks 20. The hooks 20 should be manufactured to support the weight of the individual shelves and the weight of the plants on the shelves. The hooks 20 will have a horizontal surface and a vertical surface. The horizontal surface of the hook will extend a predetermined distance away from the vertical support members 10 and the vertical surface of the hook will extend upward a predetermined distance such as depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2. The length of the plurality of the hooks 20 will be determined by the dimension of the shelves that will be placed over the hooks.

(13) A plurality of shelves 30 will be provided that will be placed over the hooks 20. Each of the plurality of shelves 30 will have a flat upper surface and perimeter supports 31 that will extend downward from the flat upper surface of the shelf a predetermined distance. Each of the plurality of shelves 30 can be removed by lifting the shelf off the hooks. The user can use as many shelves as desired for the desired use.

(14) In order to provide additional support for the individual shelf a transverse member 35 such as depicted in FIG. 3 will be provided.

(15) While the embodiments of the invention have been disclosed, certain modifications may be made by those skilled in the art to modify the invention without departing from the spirit of the invention.