Adjustable snap-in rail assembly for storage rack

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9629276-B2
Application number	US-201514725336-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 29, 2015
Priority date	May 29, 2015
Publication date	Apr 18, 2017
Grant date	Apr 18, 2017

Abstract

A rail assembly for a storage rack that includes, in one aspect, a first rail member, a second rail member, and a nut assembly slidably mounted to the second rail member. The first rail member may include a first mounting aperture extending through a body of the first rail member and the second rail member may include a first mounting slot extending through a body of the second rail member for a predefined dimension along a longitudinal axis. The sliding nut assembly may be slidably mounted adjacent the first mounting slot to a longitudinal position aligned with the first mounting aperture such that a fastener may be received through the first mounting aperture and first mounting slot and threaded into the first nut assembly to lock the first and second rack members against relative movement and fix the rail assembly to the front and rear pillars.

First claim

We claim:

1. A rail assembly for a computing device storage rack, comprising:
a first rail member including a first body, a first mounting tab extending from the first body that is configured to engage with one of a front or rear vertical pillar of a storage rack, and at least a first mounting aperture extending through the first body;
a second rail member including a second body, a second mounting tab extending from the second body that is configured to engage with the other of the front and rear vertical pillar of the storage rack, at least a first mounting slot extending through the second body that extends along a longitudinal axis, and at least a first nut slidable over the first mounting slot along the longitudinal axis adjacent a first side of the second body, wherein the first and second bodies are slidably attached to each other for movement in first and second opposite directions so that the first aperture is slidable over the first mounting slot along the longitudinal axis adjacent an opposite second side of the second body, wherein the second rail member further includes a sliding nut assembly, and wherein the sliding nut assembly includes:
a guide member that is rigidly attached to the second body over the first side of the at least one slot; and
a carrier member including the first nut attached thereto, wherein the carrier member is slidable relative to the guide member to slidably position the first nut over the first mounting slot along the longitudinal axis adjacent the first side of the second body.

2. The rail assembly of claim 1 , further including at least one fastener receivable through the first aperture and the first slot and into the first nut to inhibit sliding movement of the first and second bodies relative to each other and inhibit sliding movement of the first nut relative to the second body.

3. The rail assembly of claim 1 , wherein the guide member includes first and second guiding tracks, and wherein the carrier member includes first and second sliding members that are respectively slidably received in the first and second guiding tracks for sliding movement of the carrier member relative to the guide member.

4. The rail assembly of claim 1 , wherein the guide member includes at least one slot therethrough that extends along a longitudinal axis, wherein the carrier member includes at least one aperture therethough that is configured to slide over the at least one slot of the guide member along the longitudinal axis thereof, and wherein the sliding nut assembly further includes a pin received through the at least one aperture of the carrier member and the at least one slot of the guide member to constrain sliding movement of the at least one nut to a predefined linear range that corresponds to a length of the first slot of the second body along the longitudinal axis thereof.

5. The rail assembly of claim 4 , wherein a length of the at least one slot of the guide member along the longitudinal axis thereof is approximately equal to the length of the first slot of the second body.

6. The rail assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first body further includes a second aperture therethrough, wherein the second body further includes a second mounting slot extending therethrough along a longitudinal axis, and wherein the carrier member further includes a second nut attached thereto, wherein the carrier member is slidable relative to the guide member to simultaneously slidably position the first nut over the first mounting slot along the longitudinal axis thereof adjacent the first side of the second body and the second nut over the second slot along a longitudinal axis thereof adjacent the first side of the second body.

7. The rail assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first body further includes a second aperture therethrough, wherein the second body further includes a second mounting slot extending therethrough along a longitudinal axis, and wherein the second rail member further includes a second nut slidably mounted over the second mounting slot along the longitudinal axis thereof adjacent the first side of the second body.

8. The rail assembly of claim 7 , wherein the first nut is adjacent a first end of the second body and wherein the second nut is adjacent a second end of the second body.

9. The rail assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first rail member comprises a substantially C-shaped channel and the second rail member comprises a substantially C-shaped channel.

10. The rail assembly of claim 9 , wherein the first and second rail members slidably interlock to resist relative movement along an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis.

11. The rail assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first mounting tab comprises at least one L-shaped member.

12. A rail assembly for a computing device storage rack, comprising:
a first rail member including a first body, a first mounting tab extending from the first body that is configured to engage with one of a front or rear vertical pillar of a storage rack, and at least a first mounting aperture extending through the first body;
a second rail member including a second body, a second mounting tab extending from the second body that is configured to engage with the other of the front and rear vertical pillar of the storage rack, at least a first mounting slot extending through the second body that extends along a longitudinal axis, and at least a first nut slidable over the mounting slot along the longitudinal axis adjacent a first side of the second body, wherein the first and second bodies are slidably attached to each other for movement in first and second opposite directions so that the first aperture is slidable over the mounting slot along the longitudinal axis adjacent an opposite second side of the second body, wherein the second body includes a sliding slot therethrough, wherein the first body includes at least one protrusion extending therefrom that is slidably receivable in the sliding slot on the second side of the second body;
at least one mounting bracket positionable over the sliding slot on the first side of the second body and securable to the at least one protrusion to facilitate the slidable attachment of the first and second rail members to each other; and
at least one fastener receivable through the first aperture and the first mounting slot and into the first nut to selectively inhibit sliding movement of the first and second bodies relative to each other and inhibit sliding movement of the first nut relative to the second body.

13. The rail assembly of claim 12 , wherein the first rail member comprises a substantially C-shaped channel and the second rail member comprises a substantially C-shaped channel.

14. The rail assembly of claim 13 , wherein the first and second rail members slidably interlock to resist relative movement along an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis.

15. The rail assembly of claim 12 , wherein the first mounting tab comprises at least one L-shaped member.

16. The rail assembly of claim 12 , wherein the first body further includes a second aperture therethrough, wherein the second body further includes a second mounting slot extending therethrough along a longitudinal axis, and wherein the second rail member further includes a second nut slidable over the second mounting slot along the longitudinal axis thereof adjacent the first side of the second body.

17. The rail assembly of claim 16 , wherein the first nut is adjacent a first end of the second body and wherein the second nut is slidably a second end of the second body.

Assignees

• Oracle Int Corp

Inventors

• Sampath Ramanan
• Vazirizad Tina
• Gelfond Yefim

Classifications

• A47B96/1441

  Horizontal struts · CPC title

• H05K7/183

  support rails therefor · CPC title

• H05K7/1489 Primary

  characterized by the mounting of blades therein, e.g. brackets, rails, trays (H05K7/1491 takes precedence) · CPC title