Structural member with anti-rotation feature

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10689852-B2
Application number	US-201916517854-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 22, 2019
Priority date	Apr 4, 2018
Publication date	Jun 23, 2020
Grant date	Jun 23, 2020

Abstract

A structural member with a central portion that has a first piece and a second piece which form a cross-sectional L-shape configuration along a longitudinal axis is disclosed herein. When fastened to a horizontal bar, the first piece of the structural member may come into contact with a portion of the horizontal bar, thereby preventing the structural member from rotating. The structural member includes a connection component that extends from an end of the first piece, and the connection component extends substantially perpendicular to the first piece. The connection component may be configured in at least two different embodiments in that the connection component may include two holes or three holes. The implementation of more than one hole on the connection component allows the structural member to be universal in that it can be implemented on varying sized storage racks that employ different sized horizontal bars.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A structural member, comprising:
a beam extending along a longitudinal axis and having a first end, a second end, a beam top wall, a beam side wall, and a connection wall at the first end;
the beam top wall having a first end portion at the first end, a second end portion at the second end, and a central portion between the first end portion and the second end portion, a top surface of the central portion defining a top plane extending in a longitudinal direction;
the first end portion of the beam top wall having a near end at the central portion and a far end at the connection wall, a first end portion top surface of the first end portion of the beam top wall extending from the near end to the far end of the first end portion,
the first end portion top surface of the first end portion defining a sloping plane declined diagonally downward from the top plane, a downward direction defined perpendicular to the top plane, the far end of the of the first end portion is offset in the downward direction with respect to the top plane; and

the connection wall extending in the downward direction from the far end of the first end portion and having an outer surface defining an end plane perpendicular to the top plane.

2. The structural member of claim 1 , wherein the connection wall has at least a first hole and a second hole therethrough, the first and second holes located different distances in the downward direction from the top plane and located at positions through the connection wall to reduce rotation about the first or second holes when the connection wall is fastened to another support member through the first or second holes.

3. The structural member of claim 2 , wherein the first and second holes are off centered on the connection wall and not directly in line in with each other in the downward direction.

4. The structural member of claim 1 , wherein the first hole is closer to the top plane than is the second hole and the first hole is farther from the beam side wall than is the second hole.

5. The structural member of claim 1 , wherein the connection wall has at least a first hole, a second hole and a third hole therethrough, the first, second and third holes each located a different distance in the downward direction from the top plane.

6. The structural member of claim 5 , wherein of the first, second and third holes are aligned diagonally through the connection wall, the first hole is farthest from the beam side wall and closest to the top plane, the second hole is closer to the beam side wall and farther from the top plane than is the first hole, and the third hole is closer than the first or second holes to the beam side wall and farther from the top plane compared to the first and second holes.

7. The structural member of claim 5 , further comprising a horizontal support having a connection hole therethrough, the horizontal support having a longitudinal axis and a height of three inches, three and one-half inches, or four inches, measured perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, wherein:
when the height is three inches, the first hole of the connection wall aligns with the connection hole of the horizontal support;
when the height is three and one-half inches, the second hole of the connection wall aligns with the connection hole of the horizontal support; and
when the height is four inches, the third hole of the connection wall aligns with the connection hole of the horizontal support.

8. The structural member of claim 1 , wherein the first end portion top surface has a first slope portion extending from the near end of the first slope portion defining a first slope plane and a second slope portion extending from the first slope portion to the connecting wall defining a second slope plane, wherein the first slope plane declines from the top plane at an angle different than the angle the second slope plane declines from the top plane.

9. The structural member of claim 8 , wherein the first slope plane declines from the top plane at an angle greater than the second slope plane declines from the top plane.

10. The structural member of claim 8 , wherein the first slope plane declines from the top plane at an angle of about 17 degrees and the second slope plane declines from the top plane at an angle of about 9 degrees.

11. The structural member of claim 7 , wherein the horizontal support has a C-shaped cross section that has an upper flange, a lower flange, and a middle wall positioned from the upper flange to the lower flange, the connection hole through the horizontal support is positioned through the middle wall, and the beam and horizontal support are configured, so that when the beam is connected to the horizontal support, the connection wall is positioned against and extends parallel to the middle wall, with the far end of the first end portion downward from the upper flange.

12. The structural member of claim 11 , wherein the beam and horizontal support are configured and adapted such that when pressure is exerted on the beam, to cause the beam to rotate with respect to the horizontal support, the beam top wall contacts the upper flange of the horizontal support, thereby preventing the beam from rotating further.

13. The structural member of claim 11 , wherein the section of the beam top wall defining the sloping plane of the first end portion top surface contacts a bottom surface of the upper flange of the horizontal support as the beam is rotated about the connection hole.

14. The structural member of claim 1 , comprising a second connection wall extending from the second end portion of the beam top wall, the second connection wall having at least two holes therethrough.

15. The structural member of claim 1 , wherein the connection wall is configured as a flap substantially open except at a connection with the beam top wall, extending in the downward direction from the far end of the first end portion of the beam top wall.

16. A structural support, comprising:
a beam having a first end and a second end, the beam having a beam top wall, a beam side wall and a connection wall at a first end;
the top wall having a main portion between the first and second ends of the beam and a first end portion from the main portion to the first end of the beam, a top surface of the main portion defining a top plane extending in a longitudinal direction;
the first end portion of the top wall having a near end at the main portion and a far end at the connection wall, a top surface of the first end portion of the top wall extending from the near end to the far end, the top surface of the first end portion defining a sloping plane inclined to the top plane and positioned in a downward direction from the top plane, the downward direction perpendicular to the top plane, and the far end of the of the first end portion is offset from the top plane in the downward direction;
the connection wall having an outer surface defining an end plane extending in the downward direction;
a horizontal support having a longitudinal axis and a C-shaped cross section that has an upper flange, a lower flange, and a middle wall positioned in between the upper flange and the lower flange,
the connection wall attached to the middle wall, the top surface of the main portion level with a top surface of the top flange and the far end of the first end portion positioned downward from a lower surface of the top flange.

17. The structural support of claim 16 , wherein the connection wall has a hole therethrough, aligned with a hole in the middle wall, with a bolt through the aligned ho

Assignees

• Frazier Ind Co

Inventors

• Iellimo Domenick
• Iellimo Aaron

Classifications

• E04C3/07 Primary

  at least partly of bent or otherwise deformed strip- or sheet-like material · CPC title

• E04C2003/046

  L- or T-shaped · CPC title

• E04B2001/2457

  Beam to beam connections · CPC title

• E04B2001/2451

  Connections between closed section profiles · CPC title

• E04B1/2403

  Connection details of the elongated load-supporting parts · CPC title