Stackable rolling rack apparatus

Abstract

A stackable rolling rack apparatus capable of being stacked on a similar rolling rack apparatus includes a base unit having a generally horizontal frame assembly and a plurality of upright side members. Wheels are mounted to the base unit and extend below the lower surface of the frame assembly. Mounting plates are attached to the base unit such that upon stacking each mounting plate cooperatively engages an upright side member of the lower similar rolling rack apparatus. The apparatus includes support assemblies pivotally connected to the base unit. Each support assembly has an upright position and a lowered position. In the upright position each support assembly extends vertically above an upper end portion of the upright side members, and in the lowered position each support assembly is lower than the upper end portion of the upright side members.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60 / 623,029, filed Oct. 28, 2004.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The invention relates to portable rolling rack apparatus for supporting various items, as for example a number of pipes, and more particularly relates to portable rolling rack apparatus having upright supports members for supporting various items with the rolling rack apparatus being stackable for ease of storage or shipping. [0004] 2. Description of the Related Art [0005] There are many prior art rolling dollies, carriages and rack apparatus in existence which are used for a variety of purposes. There are many instances, such as for storage or shipping, in which it is desirable to be able to stack the rolling dollies, carriages and rack apparatus. Following are some prior art patents disclosing a variety of portable wheeled units having a stacking feature...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0015] Typically, to ship numbers of its pipe rack products the mobile pipe rack apparatus are stacked and are typically encapsulated in a plastic sheath or are otherwise secured in stacked or nested relation. For stacking, the wheels or casters are typically removed. They can easily become lose or damaged when removed from the pipe rack cart.

[0016] The present invention of the rolling rack apparatus includes the following features that promote stacking or nesting of the rack apparatus while eliminating the need for disassembly of components and the potential for lost components. The upright members are pivotally mounted to the base unit to enable pivotal movement from an upright position to a lowered position for stacking. In the upright position, the upright members are preferably locked by spring-loaded pins. In the lowered position, the upright members are efficiently secured. The upper ends of the four corner uprights are received by rectangular holes in the caster mounting plates to assist in stabilizing the stacked or nested positions of the carts. The casters are mounted to the caster mounting plates so as to be located inboard of the corner uprights. This feature eliminates the need for removal of the casters when stacking.

[0017] Most importantly, no disassembly or unbolting is required on the part of the party receiving the stacked carts. Shipping costs are significantly low because the stacked or nested arrangement minimizes the space required for a number of stacked carts. To ready the pipe rack carts for use, the receive party will first unstack them. Then the uprights will be pivoted from the lowered position to the upright positions and locked by the spring-loaded pins. For storage by the user, the spring-loaded pins are moved to their unlocking positions by pulling on the rings. The uprights can then be pivoted to their lowered position.

Problems solved by technology

They can easily become lose or damaged when removed from the pipe rack cart.

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