Elevator rack

Claim 2

A rack for supporting a plurality of trays at vertically spaced levels and for successively lifting simultaneously all supported trays from one support level to the next support level by repeated actuating operations, said rack comprising a base, a fixed pair of multilevel tray-supporting structures fixedly mounted laterally opposite each other on said base for releasably engaging and supporting at predetermined vertically spaced levels the laterally opposite sides of trays received therebetween, said fixed pair of tray-supporting structures comprising two laterally spaced, vertical posts fixed to said base, a plurality of independently movable tray supports vertically aligned and mounted on each of said posts at corresponding predetermined support levels, each of said movable tray supports comprising a fixed horizontal aligned guide, a slide freely slidable in said guide toward and away from the other of said tray supporting structures and to and between extended tray-engaging and retracted disengaging positions, means resiliently biasing said slides to their extended engaging and supporting position, said slides having a projecting inclined camming surface adapted to cam said slide into its retracted position against the force supplied by said resilient biasing means upon application of an upwardly directed force, a pair of movable multilevel tray-supporting structures, one of said pair being adjacent one of said fixed tray-supporting structures and the other of said pair being adjacent the other of said fixed tray structures, for releasably engaging and movably supporting the laterally opposite sides of trays received therebetween in fixed vertically spaced relationship at and between adjacent levels of support of said fixed supporting structures and for passing supported trays from supported engagement at one level of said fixed supporting structure to the next higher level of supported engagement, said movable supporting structures being interconnected to each other and to an actuating lever for moving said movable traysupporting structuRes together the distance between adjacent support levels and in the direction from one tray support level of said fixed supporting structures to the next higher of such levels.

Claim 3

A rack for supporting a plurality of trays at vertically spaced levels and for successively lifting simultaneously all supported trays from one support level to the next support level by repeated actuating operations, said rack comprising a base, a fixed pair of multilevel tray-supporting structures fixedly mounted laterally opposite each other on said base for releasably engaging and supporting at predetermined vertically spaced levels the laterally opposite sides of trays received therebetween, a pair of movable multilevel tray-supporting structures, one of said pair being adjacent one of said fixed tray-supporting structures and the other of said pair being adjacent the other of said fixed tray structures, for releasably engaging and movably supporting the laterally opposite sides of trays received therebetween in fixed vertically spaced relationship at and between adjacent levels of support of said fixed supporting structures and for passing supported trays from supported engagement at one level of said fixed supporting structure to the next higher level of supported engagement, said movable supporting structures being interconnected to each other and to an actuating lever for moving said movable tray-supporting structures together the distance between adjacent support levels and in the direction from one tray support level of said fixed supporting structures to the next higher of such levels, said movable tray-supporting structures comprising a generally U-shaped lifting assembly having a pair of laterally spaced-apart longitudinally extending lifting columns passing through and movable up and down with respect to said base, a horizontal yoke element connecting the lower ends of said lifting columns together beneath said base for holding said columns in a fixed lateral relationship and for engagement with stops having a fixed relationship with the underside of said base upon operation of said actuating lever to insure the equal elevation of said connected lifting columns, and tray-supporting and engaging means mounted on each of said lifting columns and each movable between extended tray-engaging and supporting and retracted disengaging positions, biasing means tending to urge said tray-engaging means toward the extended position, said tray-engaging and supporting means adapted to be cammed into its retracted position against the force of said biasing means upon application of an upwardly directed force.

Claim 4

A rack for supporting a plurality of trays at vertically spaced levels and for successively lifting simultaneously all supported trays from one support level to the next support level by repeated actuating operations, said rack comprising a base, a fixed pair of multilevel tray-supporting structures fixedly mounted laterally opposite each other on said base for releasably engaging and supporting at predetermined vertically spaced levels the laterally opposite sides of trays received therebetween, a pair of movable multilevel tray-supporting structures, one of said pair being adjacent one of said fixed tray-supporting structures and the other of said pair being adjacent the other of said fixed tray structures, for releasably engaging and movably supporting the laterally opposite sides of trays received therebetween in fixed vertically spaced relationship at and between adjacent levels of support of said fixed supporting structures and for passing supported trays from supported engagement at one level of said fixed supporting structure to the next higher level of supported engagement, said movable supporting structures being interconnected to each other and to an actuating lever for moving said movable tray-supporting structures together the distance between adjacent support levels and in the direction from one tray support level of said fixed supporting structures to the next higher of such levels, said movable tray-supporting structures comprising a generally U-shaped lifting assembly having a pair of laterally spaced-apart longitudinally extending lifting columns passing through and movable up and down with respect to said base, a horizontal yoke element connecting the lower ends of said lifting columns together beneath said base for holding said columns in a fixed lateral relationship and for engagement with stops having a fixed relationship with the underside of said base upon operation of said actuating lever to insure the equal elevation of said connected lifting columns, and tray-supporting and engaging means mounted on each of said lifting columns and each movable between extended tray-engaging and supporting and retracted disengaging positions, biasing means tending to urge said tray-engaging means toward the extended position, said tray-engaging and supporting means adapted to be cammed into its retracted position against the force of said biasing means upon application of an upwardly directed force.

Claim 5

The rack according to claim 2 in which said tray-engaging and supporting means are spaced on said lifting column to support trays engaged by them at vertical intervals corresponding to the intervals between the tray support levels provided by said multilevel tray-supporting structures and in which said lifting columns are movable up and down a distance at least slightly greater than the intervals between said tray support levels.

Claim 6

The rack according to claim 2 in which said movable tray-engaging supporting means comprises a plate slidably mounted on and associated with each lifting column by at least two inclined slots in said plate and associated pins extending from its associated column and received in their associated slots to permit said plates lifting assembly of one of said movable tray-supporting structures to move in one direction upwardly and away from the other of said movable tray-supporting structures to a retracted position and in the opposite direction t an extended position, each of said plates having a plurality of projections spaced up and down said plates at intervals corresponding to the spacing of said tray support levels of said fixed tray-supporting structures and extending from one toward the other of said movable tray-supporting structures, each of said projections having an inclined cam adapted to cam said projection and the plate it comprises into its retracted position upon application of an upwardly directed force.

Claim 7

The rack according to claim 1 in which each of said movable tray-supporting structures comprises a generally U-shaped lifting assembly having a pair of laterally spaced-apart longitudinally extending lifting columns passing through and movable up and down with respect to said base, a horizontal yoke element connecting the lower ends of said lifting columns together beneath said base for holding said columns in a fixed lateral relationship and for engagement with stops having a fixed relationship with the underside of said base upon operation of said actuating lever to insure the equal elevation of said connected lifting columns, and tray engaging and supporting means mounted on each of said lifting columns and each movable between extended tray engaging and supporting and retracted disengaging positions, biasing means tending to urge said tray engaging means toward the extended position, said tray-engaging and supporting means adapted to be cammed into its retracted position against the force of said basing means upon application of an upwardly directed force.

Claim 8

The rack according to claim 5 in which said vertical posts and said lifting columns comprise longitudinally extending channel sections, each having an open-channeled face and a flat face, and in which each post has lifting column associated with it, the open-channeled faces of associated posts and lifting columns facing toward each other and fitted together for guiding engagement of the movable lifting columns by the fixed posts during relative longitudinal movement between them, and with the flat faces of associated posts and lifting columns facing away from each other, said movable tray supports being mounted on the flat faces of said posts and said tray engaging and supporting means being mounted on the flat faces of said lifting columns.

Claim 9

A rack for supporting a plurality of trays at vertically spaced levels and for successively lifting simultaneously all supported trays from one support level to the next support level by repeated actuating operations, said rack comprising a base, a fixed pair of multilevel tray-supporting structures fixedly mounted laterally opposite each other on said base for releasably engaging and supporting at predetermined vertically spaced levels the laterally opposite sides of trays received therebetween, said fixed pair of tray-supporting structures comprising two laterally vertical posts of channel cross section having an open-channeled face and a flat face, said posts being fixed to said base, and a plurality of independently movable tray supports vertically aligned and mounted on the flat face of each of said posts at corresponding predetermined support levels, and a pair of movable multilevel tray-supporting structures, one of said pair being adjacent one of said fixed tray-supporting structures and the other of said pair being adjacent the other of said fixed tray structures, for releasably engaging and movably supporting the laterally opposite sides of trays received therebetween in fixed vertically spaced relationship and and between adjacent levels of support of said fixed supporting structures and for passing supported trays from supported engagement at one level of said fixed supporting structure to the next higher level of supported engagement, said movable supporting structures being interconnected to each other and to an actuating lever for moving said movable tray-supporting structures together the distance between adjacent support levels and in the direction from one tray support level of said fixed supporting structures to the next higher of such levels, each of said movable tray-supporting structures comprising a lifting column associated with each of said posts and passing through and movable up and down with respect to said base, said lifting columns being of channel cross section having an open-channeled face and a flaT face, and a plurality of tray engaging and supporting means mounted on the flat face of each of said lifting columns at vertically spaced intervals corresponding to said predetermined support levels, the open-channeled faces of associated posts and lifting columns facing toward each other and fitted together for guiding engagement of the movable lifting columns by the fixed posts during relative longitudinal movement between them.

Claim 10

A rack for supporting a plurality of trays at vertically spaced levels and for successively lifting simultaneously all supported trays from one support level to the next support level by repeated actuating operations, said rack comprising a base, a fixed pair of multilevel tray-supporting structures fixedly mounted laterally opposite each other on said base for releasably engaging and supporting at predetermined vertically spaced levels the laterally opposite sides of trays received therebetween, said fixed pair of tray-supporting structures comprising two laterally vertical posts of channel cross section having an open-channeled face and a flat face, said posts being fixed to said base, and a plurality of independently movable tray supports vertically aligned and mounted on the flat face of each of said posts at corresponding predetermined support levels, and a pair of movable multilevel tray-supporting structures, one of said pair being adjacent one of said fixed tray-supporting structures and the other of said pair being adjacent the other of said fixed tray structures, for releasably engaging and movably supporting the laterally opposite sides of trays received therebetween in fixed vertically spaced relationship and and between adjacent levels of support of said fixed supporting structures and for passing supported trays from supported engagement at one level of said fixed supporting structure to the next higher level of supported engagement, said movable supporting structures being interconnected to each other and to an actuating lever for moving said movable tray-supporting structures together the distance between adjacent support levels and in the direction from one tray support level of said fixed supporting structures to the next higher of such levels, each of said movable tray-supporting structures comprising a lifting column associated with each of said posts and passing through and movable up and down with respect to said base, said lifting columns being of channel cross section having an open-channeled face and a flaT face, and a plurality of tray engaging and supporting means mounted on the flat face of each of said lifting columns at vertically spaced intervals corresponding to said predetermined support levels, the open-channeled faces of associated posts and lifting columns facing toward each other and fitted together for guiding engagement of the movable lifting columns by the fixed posts during relative longitudinal movement between them.