FREESTANDING LADDER STORAGE RACK
20230413995 ยท 2023-12-28
Inventors
Cpc classification
A47B81/005
HUMAN NECESSITIES
International classification
A47B57/48
HUMAN NECESSITIES
A47B81/00
HUMAN NECESSITIES
Abstract
The present invention relates in general to racks for storing elongated objects, such as ladders, lumber, and/or piping, and more specifically, to a freestanding ladder storage rack that may utilized individually or in a series to store objects of varying lengths, sizes, and kinds. A purpose of the invention is to provide an improved storage rack that is adjustable in length and height to provide for optimal storage capacity. In an exemplary embodiment, the storage rack may comprise a plurality of cantilevered, elongated arms having a closed first end removably secured to a vertical frame and an opposite open second end for placing objects thereon. In some instances, the storage rack may include at least one shelf and/or a table accessory when used in series. The plurality of arms, at least one shelf, and table may be adjustable in height along the vertical frame of the storage rack depending on requirements of an operator.
Claims
1: A storage rack, comprising: a base frame, comprising: a) a front horizontal member; b) a rear horizontal member; c) a left side horizontal member; d) a right side horizontal member; e) a cubicle positioned therein; a vertical frame, comprising: a) a left side vertical member; b) a right side vertical member; c) a top horizontal member connecting the left side and right side vertical members; the vertical frame being connected to the base frame to form a framework for the storage rack; a plurality of arms designed to support objects thereon for storage purposes, each arm comprising: a) a closed first end removably secured to either the left side or the right side vertical members of the vertical frame; b) an open second end opposite the closed first end; c) the open second end having a fixed end cap or an adjustable end cap; d) wherein the arm slopes downwardly from the open second end towards the closed first end removably secured to either the left side or the right side vertical members of the vertical frame; e) the arm being adjustable in height along the left side or the right side vertical members of the vertical frame to fit varying lengths, sizes, and kinds of objects; at least one shelf removably secured to the left side and right side vertical members of the vertical frame, the shelf transitional between an upright position and a downward position; the storage rack being freestanding without securement to a wall of a facility; the storage rack being used in series with at least one additional storage rack; each storage rack of the series being independent wherein the series of storage racks do not have interlocking cross-pieces between the storage racks to provide support; and the series of storage racks being adjustable in length to fit varying lengths, sizes, and kinds of objects.
2: The storage rack of claim 1, the base frame further comprising: at least four height adjustment knobs; and each height adjustment knob independently height adjustable for leveling the storage rack on uneven surfaces.
3: The storage rack of claim 1, further comprising: a peg board attached to a rear of the base frame and vertical frame; the peg board configured to provide support to the framework of the storage rack; and the peg board comprising a series of holes designed to accept hooks or hanging bins for storing objects.
4: The storage rack of claim 1, further comprising: the fixed end cap rigidly secured to the open second end of the arm; and the fixed end cap designed to prevent an object from falling off the arm.
5: The storage rack of claim 1, further comprising: the adjustable end cap rotatably coupled to the open second end of the arm; the adjustable end cap designed to increase or decrease a stop angle; the stop angle movable between: a) a sharp incline to prevent an object from falling off the arm; and b) a reduced incline to provide for placement or removal of objects from the arm.
6: The storage rack of claim 1, further comprising: at least one spacer; the spacer designed for the arm to be removably secured to a first side of spacer, wherein an opposite second side of the spacer may be removably secured to the left side or right side vertical members of the vertical frame; and the spacer utilized to shorten a distance between a pair of arms removably secured to the vertical frame in parallel.
7: The storage rack of claim 6, further comprising: a table; the table removably secured to an exterior side of the left side and right side vertical members of two adjacent storage racks in series; and the table configured to act as a workbench or to provide additional storage space.
8: The storage rack of claim 7, further comprising: at least one attachment mechanism; the at least one attachment mechanism comprising a round pin having a head, a shank, and a shank end; a series of keyhole slots spaced along a length of the left side and right side vertical members of the vertical frame; and the shank head designed to removably fit inside and rotatably lock within the series of keyhole slots; wherein the plurality of arms, at least one shelf, and table are removably secured to the left side and/or right side vertical members of the vertical frame using at least one attachment mechanism and the series of keyhole slots.
9: The storage rack of claim 8, wherein the plurality of arms, at least one shelf, and table are adjustable in height using the attachment mechanism and series of keyhole slots to fit varying lengths, sizes, and kinds of objects.
10: The storage rack of claim 1, wherein arms of each storage rack in series are positional at the same height to provide support to elongated objects stored across the series.
11: A storage rack, comprising: a base frame; a vertical frame; the vertical frame being connected to the base frame to form a framework for the storage rack; a plurality of arms designed to support objects thereon for storage purposes, each arm comprising: f) a closed first end removably secured to the vertical frame; g) an open second end opposite the closed first end; h) wherein the arm slopes downwardly from the open second end towards the closed first end; i) the arm being adjustable in height along the vertical frame to fit varying lengths, sizes, and kinds of objects; and the storage rack being freestanding without securement to a wall of a facility.
12: The storage rack of claim 11, further comprising: at least one shelf removably secured to the vertical frame, the shelf transitional between an upright position and a downward position.
13: The storage rack of claim 11, further comprising: the storage rack being used in series with at least one additional storage rack; each storage rack of the series being independent wherein the series of storage racks do not have interlocking cross-pieces between the storage racks to provide support; and the series of storage racks being adjustable in length to fit varying lengths, sizes, and kinds of objects.
14: The storage rack of claim 11, wherein the open second end of each arm comprises: a fixed end cap rigidly secured to the open second end of the arm; or an adjustable end cap rotatably coupled to the open second end of the arm.
15: The storage rack of claim 14, further comprising: the fixed end cap designed to prevent an object from falling off the arm; the adjustable end cap designed to increase or decrease a stop angle; the stop angle movable between: c) a sharp incline to prevent an object from falling off the arm; and d) a reduced incline to provide for placement or removal of objects from the arm.
16: The storage rack of claim 11, further comprising: at least one spacer; the spacer designed for the arm to be removably secured to a first side of spacer, wherein an opposite second side of the spacer may be removably secured to the vertical frame; and the spacer utilized to shorten a distance between a pair of arms removably secured to the vertical frame in parallel.
17: The storage rack of claim 16, further comprising: a table; the table removably secured to the vertical frame of two adjacent storage racks in series; and the table configured to act as a workbench or to provide additional storage space.
18: The storage rack of claim 17, further comprising: at least one attachment mechanism; a series of keyhole slots spaced along a length of the vertical frame; the attachment mechanism designed to removably fit inside and rotatably lock within the series of keyhole slots; the plurality of arms, at least one shelf, and table removably secured to the vertical frame using at least one attachment mechanism and the series of keyhole slots; and the plurality of arms, at least one shelf, and table are adjustable in height using the attachment mechanism and series of keyhole slots to fit varying lengths, sizes, and kinds of objects.
19: A method of storing objects, comprising: providing objects to be stored; providing a storage rack, comprising: a) a base frame; b) a vertical frame; c) the vertical frame being connected to the base frame to form a framework for the storage rack; d) a plurality of arms designed to support objects thereon for storage purposes, each arm comprising: i. a closed first end removably secured to the vertical frame; ii. an open second end opposite the closed first end; iii. wherein the arm slopes downwardly from the open second end towards the closed first end; iv. the arm being adjustable in height along the vertical frame to fit varying lengths, sizes, and kinds of objects; e) the storage rack being freestanding without securement to a wall of a facility; placing the storage rack adjacent to an interior wall of a facility without permanently, semi-permanently, or temporarily securing the storage rack to the wall of the facility; placing additional storage racks adjacent to the interior wall of the facility in series; adjusting the distance between each storage rack in series; adjusting the height of arms of each storage rack in series; positioning arms of each storage rack at a uniform height to provide support to objects stored across the series of storage racks; and storing objects on the arms of the storage racks in series.
20: The method of claim 19, further comprising at least one of the following steps: providing at least one shelf removably secured to the vertical frame, the shelf transitional between an upright position and a downward position; providing a table, the table removably secured to the vertical frame of two adjacent storage racks in series; wherein the at least one shelf and table are configured to provide additional storage space to the storage racks in series.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0024] Referring generally to
[0025] It must be noted that the singular terms a, an, and the as used herein may include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. As used herein, in particular aspects, the terms about or approximately when preceding a numerical value indicates the value plus or minus a range of 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 or 0.5 inch. In other aspects, the terms about or approximately when preceding a numerical value indicates the value plus or minus a range of 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, or 1 inch. In still further aspects, the terms about or approximately when preceding a numerical value indicates the value plus or minus a range of 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 inches. In additional aspects, the terms about or approximately when preceding a numerical value indicates the value plus or minus a range of 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 inches. Furthermore the transitional phrase comprising that is synonymous with including, containing, and characterized by as used herein is inclusive or open-ended and does not exclude additional, unrecited elements, steps or ingredients. Alternatively the transitional phrase consisting of as used herein is closed and excludes any element, step or ingredient not specified. The term generally as used herein is defined as being mostly but not necessarily wholly that which is specified. The term larger as used herein is defined as exceeding most other things of like kind especially in size. The term smaller as used herein is defined as having a comparatively little size or slight dimensions.
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[0027] In some instances, the front horizontal member 14 of the base frame 12 may include an advertisement panel (not shown) attached to a forward-facing exterior surface of the front horizontal member 14. The advertisement panel is designed for placing a logo thereon for commercial purposes by the manufacturer, and may comprise slightly larger dimensions than the front horizontal member 14. In other instances, the advertisement panel may simply comprise the forward-facing exterior surface of the front horizontal member 14 for placing a manufacturer's logo thereon.
[0028] Shown in
[0029] In some instances, the base frame 12 may further include at least four height adjustment knobs 24. The height adjustment knobs 24 may be positioned on a bottom surface of each corner of the base frame 12. Each height adjustment knob 24 may be independently height adjustable to assist with leveling the storage rack 10 on uneven surfaces. In other instances, the base frame 12 may not include the at least four height adjustment knobs 24, wherein the base frame 12 simply rests upon a floor of the facility.
[0030] Further shown in
[0031] The vertical frame 26 may be connected to a top surface of the base frame 12 to form an overall framework for the storage rack 10. The vertical frame 26 and the base frame 12 may be formed integrally together in the manufacturing process, or alternatively, formed separately and thereafter attached together using, e.g., welds, adhesives, nuts/bolts, and/or screws, to form the overall framework. The vertical frame 26 and the base frame 12 may be formed of lightweight, durable materials such as, but not limited to, stainless steel, wood, plastics, metal, aluminum, or similar materials.
[0032] Still further shown in
[0033] In some instances, certain arms 34 may include a fixed end cap 40 rigidly secured to the open second end 38. In other instances, certain arms 14 may include an adjustable end cap 42 rotatably coupled to the open second end 38. In further instances, each parallel pair of arms 34 may include both a fixed end cap 40 and an adjustable end cap 42. The fixed end cap is designed to prevent an object from unintentionally falling off the arm 34 and injuring an operator thereunder. The adjustable end cap 42 is designed to permit an operator to increase or decrease a stop angle 44. The stop angle 44 may be movable between a sharper incline to prevent an object from unintentionally falling off the arm 34 and a reduced incline to provide for easier placement on or removal of objects from the arm 34 without sacrificing the safety of the operator from unintentional falls.
[0034] Shown in
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[0036] Further shown in
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[0038] Still further shown in
[0039] Also shown in
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[0042] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a method of storing elongated objects, including but not limited to, ladders, lumber, and/or piping, using the storage rack 10 disclosed in
[0043] The method may next comprise adjusting the height of the arms 34 of each storage rack 10 in series 72 using the attachment mechanism 66 and series of keyhole slots 70 to further fit varying lengths, sizes, and kinds of objects. Additionally, the arms 34 of each storage rack 10 in series 72 may be positioned at a uniform height to provide support to elongated objects stored across the series 72. The shelves 46 of each storage rack 10 may be transitioned to the upright position 48 or the downward position 50 depending on particular objects to be stored by the device. Optionally, the table 74 may be removably secured to the left side and right side vertical members 28, 30 of adjacent storage racks 10 in series 72 using the at least one attachment mechanism 66 and the series of keyhole slots 70 to provide for a workbench or additional storage space. After the arms 34, shelves 46, and optional table 74 are removably secured to the storage racks 10 at their desired position, objects may be stored thereon. Objects may be further stored using the peg board 52 for mounting, storing and accessing tool accessories, along with the cubicle 22 of the base frame 12 for storing additional materials, such as but not limited to an open box or closed container for holding smaller objects. Thus, the method of using the storage rack 10 of the present disclosure provides for adjustability in length and height to fit varying lengths, sizes, and kinds of objects to provide for optimal storage capacity.
[0044] The freestanding ladder storage rack 10 and method of use of the present disclosure are universally applicable to ladders of all makes, manners and manufacturers. Furthermore, the storage rack 10 is designed to be inexpensive to manufacture, convenient to use, and comprised of lightweight and durable materials. Although the disclosure has been described and illustrated with respect to preferred aspects thereof, it is not to be so limited since changes, modifications, and combinations thereof may be made which are within the full intended scope of the disclosure.