SYSTEM FOR FACILITATING THE TRANSPORTATION OF HANGERS

Abstract

A rack includes a first and second substantially horizontal rail extending between a first and second substantially vertical rail. Upper portions of hangers used to suspend parts for powder coating, are suspended over an upper surface of the first substantially horizontal rail. A second substantially horizontal rail is moveably attached to the vertical rails so that it may be selectively moved into contact with the first substantially horizontal rail, thereby trapping the upper portion of the suspended hangers between the first and second substantially horizontal rails so they may be transported for cleaning.

Claims

1. A rack for securing and transporting a plurality of hangers for suspending parts for powder coating, the rack comprising: a first and second substantially vertical rail; a first substantially horizontal rail extending between said first and second substantially vertical rails and configured to accept the plurality of hangers in a suspended arrangement wherein an upper portion of each of said hangers extends across an upper surface of the first substantially horizontal rail; and a second substantially horizontal rail extending between said first and second substantially vertical rails and moveably attached thereto in a fashion which permits the second substantially horizontal rail to be selectively moved into contact with the first substantially horizontal rail to trap the upper portion of each of said suspended hangers between the first and second substantially horizontal rails.

2. The rack of claim 1 wherein: the second substantially horizontal rail is located above the first substantially horizontal rail.

3. The rack of claim 2 wherein: said first and second substantially vertical rails extend substantially parallel with one another.

4. The rack of claim 3 wherein: said first and second substantially horizontal rails extend substantially parallel with one another.

5. The rack of claim 1 wherein: the movement of said second substantially horizontal rail is guided by channels formed in said substantially vertical rails.

6. The rack of claim 5 further comprising: a substantially vertical slot located within the substantially vertical rail; and a substantially horizontal slot located within the substantially vertical rail and connected to said substantially vertical slot.

7. The rack of claim 6 further comprising: a first and second fastener located on each end of the second substantially horizontal rail and configured to be placed within said slots.

8. The rack of claim 7 wherein: the slots are located such that said second substantially horizontal rail may be selectively secured apart from the first substantially horizontal rail and may be selectively moved into contact with the first substantially horizontal rail.

9. The rack of claim of claim 1 further comprising: a third substantially horizontal rail extending between said first and second substantially vertical rails and configured to accept the plurality of hangers in a suspended arrangement wherein an upper portion of each of said hangers extends across an upper surface of the third substantially horizontal rail; and a fourth substantially horizontal rail extending between said first and second substantially vertical rails and moveably attached thereto in a way which permits the fourth substantially horizontal rail to be selectively moved into contact with the third substantially horizontal rail to trap the upper portion of each of said suspended hangers between the third and fourth substantially horizontal rails.

10. The rack of claim 1 further comprising: a base structure located at the lower end of each of said first and second substantially rails.

11. The rack of claim 1 further comprising: a first handle located on the first substantially vertical rail; and a second handle located on the second substantially vertical rail.

12. A rack for securing and transporting a plurality of hangers for suspending parts for powder coating, the rack comprising: a first and second vertical rail; a base structure located at the lower end of each of said first and second vertical rails; a first plurality of horizontal rails extending between said first and second vertical rails and configured to accept the plurality of hangers in a suspended arrangement wherein an upper hook of each of said hangers extends across an upper surface of each of the first plurality of horizontal rail; and a second plurality of horizontal rails extending between said first and second vertical rails and moveably attached thereto in a way which permits the second plurality of horizontal rails to be selectively moved into contact with the first plurality of horizontal rails to trap the upper hook of each of said suspended hangers between the first and second plurality of horizontal rails.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein: the movement of said second plurality of horizontal rails is guided by channels formed in said vertical rails; said channels comprise a vertical slot and a horizontal slot, wherein the slots are configured to permit the second plurality of horizontal rails to be selectively moved vertically and horizontally relative to the first plurality of horizontal rails.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein: said channels are each configured to accommodate a fastener located on said second plurality of horizontal rails.

15. The system of claim 12 further comprising: a second rack for the transportation of a plurality of said racks, the second rack comprising: a first and second vertical member, a horizontal member attached at its ends to the upper ends of said vertical members, and a second base structure comprising a first and second member oriented substantially parallel to one another and substantially perpendicular to said vertical members, wherein the lower ends of said vertical members are attached to said second base structure; wherein said second rack is configured to accept a plurality of said racks.

16. The system of claim 15 further comprising: a lifting eye located on the horizontal member.

17. The system of claim 15 further comprising: a plurality of openings in the second base structure configured to accept the forks of a lift truck.

18. The system of claim 12 further comprising: at least one handle located on the first or second vertical rail.

19. The system of claim 12 wherein: said first and second substantially vertical rails extend substantially parallel with one another; and each of said first plurality of horizontal rails extends substantially in parallel with each of said second plurality of horizontal rails.

20. A rack for securing and transporting a plurality of hangers for suspending parts for powder coating, the rack comprising: a first and second substantially vertical rail; a base structure located at a lower end of each of said first and second substantially vertical rails; a first plurality of horizontal rails extending between said first and second vertical rails and configured to accept the plurality of hangers in a suspended arrangement wherein an upper hook of each of said hangers extends across an upper surface of each of the first plurality of horizontal rail; and a second plurality of horizontal rails extending between said first and second vertical rails and moveably attached thereto in a way which permits the second plurality of horizontal rails to be selectively moved into contact with the first plurality of horizontal rails to trap the upper hook of each of said suspended hangers between the first and second plurality of horizontal rails; and a second rack comprising: a first and second vertical member, a horizontal member attached at its ends to an upper end of said vertical members, and a second base structure comprising a first and second member oriented substantially parallel to each other and substantially perpendicular to said vertical members and attached to a lower end of said vertical members, wherein said second rack is configured to accept a plurality of said racks.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] In addition to the features mentioned above, other aspects of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following descriptions of the drawings and exemplary embodiments, wherein like reference numerals across the several views refer to identical or equivalent features, and wherein:

[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention illustrating a rack and a rack transporting device;

[0010] FIG. 2 is a view of a first and second horizontal rail in an embodiment of the invention; and

[0011] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention illustrating the positioning of multiple racks positioned in a rack transporting device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT(S)

[0012] Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, specific details such as detailed configuration and components are merely provided to assist the overall understanding of these embodiments of the present invention. Therefore, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications of the embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions are omitted for clarity and conciseness.

[0013] Referring to FIG. 1, an example embodiment is shown with a plurality of horizontal hanging rails 102. As is illustrated, these rails may be located between a pair of vertical rails 104 to form a cleaning rack structure 106. In addition to the horizontal 102 and vertical rails 104, embodiments of the invention may also comprise a base structure 108. In certain embodiments of the invention, the base structure 108 illustrated in FIG. 1 is intended for insertion into a rack transportation frame 110. Other embodiments of the cleaning rack 106 may also be configured with a base structure that will support the cleaning rack in an upright position without the need for a transportation frame. Embodiments of the invention may also comprise handling devices such as handles 112 to facilitate easy handling of the racks as they are inserted and removed from the transportation frame.

[0014] As is illustrated in FIG. 2, the horizontal hanging rails 102 may be secured without fasteners through the use of welding or a similar process as illustrated at 201. This may be particularly beneficial for the upper most and lowest rails of a cleaning rack 106 to permit the formation of a more rigid cleaning rack structure. As is shown, a horizontal hanging rail 102 may also be secured to a vertical rail 104 by the use of a fastener 206. Such a fastener may include, but is not limited to, screws, nuts and bolts, or rivets. The use of a removable fastener such as a nut and bolt may permit the horizontal rails to be repositioned or removed as needed to accommodate larger hangers. For example, should a situation arise wherein the hangers are sufficiently long as to impact the hanging rail below the rail upon which the hangers are hung, interfering hanging rail and upper rail may be removed to permit the longer hangers to be suspended from a hanging rail 102 unimpeded.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 2, an upper rail 202 may be positioned above the handing rail 102. This upper rail may be positioned such that it may be moved to a second position in order to secure hangers suspended from the hanging rail. This is illustrated at 212. As is shown in FIG. 2, a slot 210 may be formed in a horizontal rail such that the upper rail 202 may be moved from a first position shown at 211 to a second position illustrated at 212. In certain embodiments of the invention, such a slot 210 may comprise a vertical portion and a horizontal portion such that the upper rail may be lifted up held in such a position by a fastener 208 that is moved into a horizontal portion of the slot 210, resulting in the upper rail being suspended above the hanging rail 102. In other embodiments, the slot 210 may comprise only a vertical portion and use a fastener 208 that may be tightened in order to hold the upper rail 202 away from the hanging rail 102 while hangers are positioned on the hanging rail for cleaning. As is illustrated at 212, when upper rail 202 is lowered, it may trap a plurality of hangers 214 against the hanging rail 102, thereby preventing the hangers from falling from the hanging rail during transportation. In certain embodiments of the invention, the fastener 208 may be tightened to further secure the hangers 214 between the rails.

[0016] Referring again to FIG. 1, in order to facilitate efficient transportation of cleaning racks 106 to a burn-off location, a plurality of cleaning racks may be positioned in a rack transportation frame 110. As is shown at 108, in certain embodiments of the invention, cleaning racks 106 may be equipped with a foot structure 108 that may be inserted into a rail or other interface for receiving such a foot on the rack transportation frame 110. As is shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of cleaning racks 106 may be inserted into a rack transportation frame 110 prior to transportation of the cleaning racks to a burn-off facility. As is shown in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the transportation frame 110 may comprise features that allow the frame to be easily transported or maneuvered. Examples include lifting eyes 304 and forklift channels 302. Other embodiments may also comprise wheels or skids to enable the easy movement of the transportation frame when loaded with cleaning racks 106.

[0017] Any embodiment of the present invention may include any of the optional or preferred features of the other embodiments of the present invention. The exemplary embodiments herein disclosed are not intended to be exhaustive or to unnecessarily limit the scope of the invention. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the present invention so that others skilled in the art may practice the invention. Having shown and described exemplary embodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art will realize that many variations and modifications may be made to the described invention. Many of those variations and modifications will provide the same result and fall within the spirit of the claimed invention. It is the intention, therefore, to limit the invention only as indicated by the scope of the claims.