Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02381886 2002-04-17
NESTING RACK
Field of the Invention
This invention relates to racks. In particular, this invention relates to a
nesting rack
which reduces storage space requirements.
Background of the Invention
So-called "bakery racks" are widely used in commercial premises such as
bakeries, to
temporarily store products such as baked goods. A typical bakery rack
comprises a
rectangular side frames welded to a base frame mounted on castors, having a
series of
pan supports vertically aligned on the sides of the frame. A pan on which
baked
to goods, for example pastries, are baked can be removed from the oven and
placed in
the bakery rack for storage, where the pan is supported along its side edges
by the pan
supports.
Such bakery racks provide the advantages of being relatively lightweight,
since the
baking pan itself forming a shelf when placed on the pan supports and
therefore built-
in shelves are not required. Further, the open design of bakery racks allows
for baked
products to cool properly, without locking in moisture or humidity.
However, bakery racks take up a significant amount of floor space. An
industrial or
commercial premises such as a bakery may require many bakery racks to handle
the
daily production and inventory of baked goods, and at any particular point in
time
2o some of the bakery racks will be in use and some will be in storage.
However, a
conventional rectangular bakery rack takes up the same amount of space whether
it is
in use or in storage. Bakery racks are typically made from metal, for example
aluminum, and are thus heavy and usually quite bulky, so reorienting bakery
racks for
stacking or to maximize space usage in a storage area is unfeasible. As such,
bakery
racks must be left upright on the floor even when not in use. In many
industrial and
especially commercial premises, floor space is at a premium and at any time
when a
number of bakery racks are in storage and not in use, a substantial amount of
floor
space is wasted.
-1-
CA 02381886 2002-04-17
Summary of the Invention
The present invention provides a bakery rack having a configuration which
allows the
bakery rack to abut another like bakery rack in a nested relation when stored.
Accordingly, while the side-to-side space taken up by the stored bakery rack
is the
same as in the case of any conventional rectangular bakery rack, the front-to-
back
space required for storage is significantly reduced where a number of bakery
racks are
stored nested one in the other.
In the bakery rack according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a
pair of
substantially identical side frames on which the pan supports are mounted, are
in turn
on a base comprising base members which are substantially identical to one
another.
The base members are also substantially identical to top members ion a top
frame
affixed to the top of the bakery rack, which helps to maintain the side frames
in proper
vertical alignment. A cross brace extends between the rear end of one base
member
and the front end of the other base member, and a cross brace similarly
extends
between the rear end of one top member and the front end of the other top
member.
Each cross brace is further supported by truss members, to maintain the
selected
angular orientation of the cross brace in the top or bottom frame. Also, in
the preferred
embodiment a secondary cross brace extends between a rear portion of one side
frame
and a front portion of the other side frame.
2o A bakery rack according to one embodiment of the invention is thus easy and
inexpensive to manufacture, providing both lateral and vertical symmetry and
utilizing substantially identical components for many different purposes. The
invention at the same time provides a nesting rack which takes up
significantly less
storage space than a conventional rectangular bakery rack.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the top frame is mounted inside the
side
frames, and the side frames have curved shoulders.
The present invention thus provides a rack, comprising a base frame comprising
a pair
of spaced apart base members connected by a cross brace extending from a rear
portion of one base member to a front portion of the other base member; side
frames
-2-
CA 02381886 2002-04-17
mounted to the base frame, each side frame comprising a series of pan supports
affixed in vertically spaced relation to front and back risers; and a top
frame mounted
to the side frames, comprising a pair of spaced apart top members connected by
a
cross brace extending from a rear portion of one top member to a front portion
of the
other top member; whereby a plurality of racks can be stored in nested
relation with a
portion of one rack disposed between the side frames of another rack.
Brief Description of the Draw__ ings
In drawings which illustrate by way of example only a preferred embodiment of
the
invention,
1o Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bakery rack according to a first
embodiment of the
invention.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the bakery rack of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a front elevation of the bakery rack of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a top plan view of the bakery rack of Figure 1, showing a
plurality of
15 bakery racks in nested relation.
Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of the bakery rack of Figure 1.
Figure 6 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of a bakery rack
according to
the invention.
Figure 7 is a side elevation of the bakery rack of Figure 6.
2o Figure 8 is a front elevation of the bakery rack of Figure 6.
Figure 9 is a top plan view of the bakery rack of Figure 6.
Figure 10 is a bottom plan view of the bakery rack of Figure 6.
-3-
CA 02381886 2002-04-17
Detailed Description of the Invention
A first embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figures 1 to 5. In this
embodiment, the bakery rack '10 according to the invention comprises a pair of
side
frames 20 mounted to a base 30 and capped by a top 40.
The side frames 20 are preferably substantially identical, and each comprises
front and
back risers 22, 24 and an intermediate riser 26 which is generally centred
between the
front and back risers 22, 24. Affixed, for example welded, to the risers 22,
24, 26, are
a series of pan supports 28 which may conventionally comprise a supporting
plate 28a
depending substantially orthogonally from a back plate 28b. In the preferred
I o embodiment the pan supports are substantially evenly spaced along the
risers 22, 24,
26. All components of the side frames are preferably formed from food grade
stainless
steel, but may alternatively be formed from plastic or another suitable
material.
The risers 22, 24, 26 are mounted on and affixed, for example welded, to a
base frame
30 comprising base members 32. The base members 32 are preferably
substantially
I 5 identical, and each has mounted to its underside at the front and rear
ends,
respectively, a castor 34 to facilitate transporting the rack 10 about a
commercial
premises. The base members 32 are connected by a cross brace 36 which is
suitably
affixed, for example welded, to a rear portion of one base member 32 and a
front
portion of the other base member 32. Trusses 38 are similarly affixed between
the
20 cross brace 36 and each respective base member 32, to maintain the selected
angular
orientation of the cross brace 36 relative to the base members 32 and form a
structurally secure, integrated base frame 30.
In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 to 5, the risers 22, 24, 26 are
affixed at their
top ends to a top frame comprising a pair of top members 42. The top members
42 are
25 connected by a cross brace 46, which is suitably affixed, for example
welded, to a rear
portion of one top member 42 and a front portion of the other top member 42.
The top
frame 40, which is thus substantially identical to the bottom frame 30, serves
to retain
the top ends of the side frames 20 in spaced apart relation and to hold the
side frames
20 in a vertical orientation.
-4-
CA 02381886 2002-04-17
In the preferred embodiment a secondary cross brace 50 is affixed to side
brace
members 54, which are respectively affixed on one side between the front riser
22 and
the intermediate riser 26, and on the other side between the rear riser 24 and
the
intermediate riser 26. The secondary cross brace 50 is preferably disposed in
a bottom
portion of the rack 10, and advantageously immediately beneath a pair of pan
supports
28 so as not to interfere with the loading of the rack 10.
In use, the bakery rack 10 serves as a storage area for pans 2, which for
example may
be used for baking and subsequently storing baked goods. The pan 2 is slid
onto pan
supports 28, as shown in phantom in Figure 2, and a series of pans 2 can thus
be
1 o stacked into the rack 10 for cooling and temporary storage of the baked
goods.
When the rack 10 is not in use, it can be wheeled up against another rack so
that the
racks 10 abut in nested relation, as shown in Figure 4. This configuration
occupies
considerably less floor space than the cumulative floor space occupied by each
individual rack 10.
15 A further embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figures 6 to 10. In
this
embodiment the top frame 40 is affixed to interior surfaces of top rails 60.
The ends of
each top rail 60 join the front and rear risers 22, 24 at curved shoulder
portions 62, so
affixing the top frame 40 to the interior surfaces of the top rails 60 allows
for a more
secure attachment between the top and side frames 60, 20. The construction and
use of
2o this embodiment of the invention are otherwise as previously described in
relation to
the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 to 5.
Various embodiments of the present invention having been thus described in
detail by
way of example, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that
variations and
modifications may be made without departing from the invention. The invention
25 includes all such variations and modifications as fall within the scope of
the appended
claims.
-5-
