Connector for beam storage racks

Claim 1

In a locking construction for a storage rack of the type having pairs of front and rear posts with vertically spaced outwardly pressed louvers having sidewalls, and beams with end connectors each of which has a plurality of vertically spaced downwardly extending teeth receivable by said louvers, an upwardly extending tab on one of the teeth in the same plane as the main portions of the teeth, the entire connector including the tab being a single piece of uniform thickness, the relative dimensions of the parts being such that the upper edge of said tab will snap into position beneath one of the louvers when the teeth are inserted in a group of adjacent louvers and one sidewall of said one louver will be in obstructing relation with the upper edge of said tab, the space between said one sidewall and said upper tab edge being less than the length of teeth insertion, so that the teeth cannot be withdrawn unless the tab is pried out of position, and the end connector will be retained and guided by said tab should the tab temporarily enter the louver above it when said teeth are momentarily withdrawn, the sidewalls of said louvers flaring in opposite directions, whereby said teeth may be inserted in either direction in said louvers with the louvers wedging said end connector against said posts and said tab snapping into position as aforesaid.