Motorized mobile shelving units

Claim 2

Storage apparatus comprising a plurality of mobile storage units, each unit having at least one storage face, guide means cooperating with said mobile units to guide movement of said storage units in a direction normal to said faces of said storage units, a separate motor individual to each of said mobile units for individually driving said unit along said guide means, and control-circuit means for selectively energizing and deenergizing a motor on one unit in response to movement of a different unit, to move said storage units as required to open an aisle between selected storage units.

Claim 3

Storage apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said control-circuit means includes for each unit a manually actuated control-switch actuator against a face thereof, and means responsive to actuation of the control-switch actuator for moving the storage units as required to afford access to said face.

Claim 4

Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein, said control circuit includes first and second limit switches on each of said mobile units said limit switcHes having control members and being open when said control members are in engagement with an adjacent storage unit and closed when in nonengagement with a storage unit, and said limit switches being connected in said control circuit to afford sequential energization of said motors in said mobile units as said limit switches close upon separation of said mobile units and sequential deenergization of said motors as said control members successively engage adjacent storage units.

Claim 5

Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein, said drive means includes a line shaft rotatably supported on each of said mobile units, means drivingly connecting said line shaft to said motor, a drive wheel supported on said mobile unit and engageable with said guide means, and means drivingly connecting said line shaft to said drive wheel.

Claim 6

Apparatus in accordance with claim 4 including a second drive wheel rotatably supported on said mobile unit and engageable with said guide means and means drivingly connecting said line shaft to said second drive wheel.

Claim 7

Apparatus in accordance with claim 4 wherein, said means drivingly connecting said line shaft to said motor means includes a torque-limiting device on said motor.

Claim 8

Storage apparatus comprising a plurality of mobile storage units, each unit having at least one storage face, guide means cooperating with said mobile units to guide movement of said storage units in a direction normal to said faces of said storage units, a separate motor individual to each of said mobile units for individually driving said unit along said guide means, and control-circuit means for selectively energizing each said motor in a sequence in which said storage units are moved as required to open an aisle between selected storage units and wherein each of said mobile units has a vertical partition, a cable-takeup assembly including a vertical track on said partition, a pulley-mounting block movable in said track, a pulley rotatably supported on said block, biasing means connected to said mounting block for drawing said mounting block downwardly in said track, and a second pulley rotatably supported on said storage-unit partition and a cable reeved around said first and second pulleys.

Claim 9

Storage apparatus comprising a plurality of mobile storage units, each unit having at least one storage face, guide means cooperating with said mobile units to guide movement of said storage units in a direction normal to said faces of said storage units, a separate motor individual to each of said mobile units for individually driving said unit along said guide means, and control-circuit means for selectively energizing each said motor in a sequence in which said storage units are moved as required to open an aisle between selected storage units and wherein each of said mobile units has a vertical partition, a cable-takeup assembly including a vertical track on said partition, a pulley-mounting block movable in said track, a pulley rotatably supported on said block, biasing means connected to said mounting block for drawing said mounting block downwardly in said track, and a second pulley rotatably supported on said storage-unit partition and a cable reeved around said first and second pulleys.

Claim 10

Storage apparatus comprising a plurality of mobile-storage units, each unit having at least one storage face, guide means cooperating with said mobile units to guide movement of said storage units in a direction normal to said faces of said storage units, a separate motor individual to each of said mobile units for individually driving said unit along said guide means, and control-circuit means for selectively energizing each said motor in a sequence in which said storage units are moved as required to open an aisle between selected storage units and including floorboards for aisles between said storage units, said floorboards being supported for vertical movement and electrical switches under said floorboards, said switches being actuated by pressure on said floorboards.

Claim 11

Storage apparatus comprising a plurality of mobile-storage units, each unit having at least one storage face, guide means cooperating with said mobile units to guide movement of said storage units in a direction normal to said faces of said storage units, a separate motor individual to each of said mobile units for individually driving said unit along said guide means, and control-circuit means for selectively energizing each said motor in a sequence in which said storage units are moved as required to open an aisle between selected storage units and including floorboards for aisles between said storage units, said floorboards being supported for vertical movement and electrical switches under said floorboards, said switches being actuated by pressure on said floorboards.

Claim 12

Storage apparatus comprising a plurality of mobile storage units, each unit having at least one storage face, guide means cooperating with said mobile units to guide movement of said storage units in a direction normal to said faces of said storage units, a separate motor individual to each of said mobile units for individually driving said unit along said guide means, and control-circuit means for selectively energizing each said motor in a sequence in which said storage units are moved as required to open an aisle between selected storage units and wherein, said guide means comprises a plurality of spaced guide rails and wherein each of said mobile storage units has a carriage having a pair of spaced sills at right angles with said guide rails and shelf assemblies supported on said sills, said sills being interconnected by pairs of crossmembers having spaced vertical flanges, load wheel assemblies located between said vertical flanges, each of said load wheel assemblies including a pair of spaced sideplates, first and second load wheels between said sideplates and engaging said guide rails, said load wheels having horizontal axles supported in said sideplates and an intermediate axle connecting said sideplates and located between said load wheels, said intermediate axle being journaled in said vertical flanges for supporting said load wheel assemblies and said carriages.

Claim 13

Storage apparatus comprising a plurality of mobile storage units, each unit having at least one storage face, guide means cooperating with said mobile units to guide movement of said storage units in a direction normal to said faces of said storage units, a separate motor individual to each of said mobile units for individually driving said unit along said guide means, and control-circuit means for selectively energizing each said motor in a sequence in which said storage units are moved as required to open an aisle between selected storage units and wherein, said guide means comprises a plurality of spaced guide rails and wherein each of said mobile storage units has a carriage having a pair of spaced sills at right angles with said guide rails and shelf assemblies supported on said sills, said sills being interconnected by pairs of crossmembers having spaced vertical flanges, load wheel assemblies located between said vertical flanges, each of said load wheel assemblies including a pair of spaced sideplates, first and second load wheels between said sideplates and engaging said guide rails, said load wheels having horizontal axles supported in said sideplates and an intermediate axle connecting said sideplates and located between said load wheels, said intermediate axle being journaled in said vertical flanges for supporting said load wheel assemblies and said carriages.

Claim 14

Storage apparatus comprising a pair of spaced stationary storage units, first and second mobile storage units, each of said units having shelving faces and a carriage, guide rails cooperating with said carriages to guide movement of said storage units in a direction normal to said faces of said storage units and between said stationary storage units, reversible motors for each of said mobile storage units, drive means connected to said motors for moving said mobile storage units and a control circuit including directional control switches on said mobile units, first and second limit switches on each of said mobile units and limit switch stops on each of said stationary storage units, said limit switches being open when faces of said storage units are abutting and closed when said faces are spaced apart, said directional control switches and limit switches being electrically connected to said motors so that actuation of one of said directional control switches will initially cause energization of said motor in said mobile storage unit which has a closed limit switch and sequentially energize the motor of said other mobile storage unit as said limit switch of said other unit closes as said first unit to be energized moves away from said other unit, and said motor for said first mobile storage unit becoming deenergized as one of said limit switches on said first said mobile storage unit engages a stop on one of said stationary storage units and said motor on said other mobile storage unit being sequentially deenergized as said other mobile unit moves to the desired position and one of said limit switches on said other unit engages a limit switch stop.

Claim 15

Storage apparatus comprising a pair of spaced stationary storage units, first and second mobile storage units, each of said units having shelving faces and a carriage, guide rails cooperating with said carriages to guide movement of said storage units in a direction normal to said faces of said storage units and between said stationary storage units, reversible motors for each of said mobile storage units, drive means connected to said motors for moving said mobile storage units and a control circuit including directional control switches on said mobile units, first and second limit switches on each of said mobile units and limit switch stops on each of said stationary storage units, said limit switches being open when faces of said storage units are abutting and closed when said faces are spaced apart, said directional control switches and limit switches being electrically connected to said motors so that actuation of one of said directional control switches will initially cause energization of said motor in said mobile storage unit which has a closed limit switch and sequentially energize the motor of said other mobile storage unit as said limit switch of said other unit closes as said first unit to be energized moves away from said other unit, and said motor for said first mobile storage unit becoming deenergized as one of said limit switches on said first said mobile storage unit engages a stop on one of said stationary storage units and said motor on said other mobile storage unit being sequentially deenergized as said other mobile unit moves to the desired position and one of said limit switches on said other unit engages a limit switch stop.

Claim 16

Apparatus in accordance with claim 10 wherein, said control circuit includes right and left directional control relays supported on each of said mobile units and a low voltage power source on one of said mobile units for energizing said relays and an electrical cable interconnecting said relays on each of said mobile units.

Claim 17

Storage apparatus comprising a plurality of mobile storage units, each unit having at least one storage face, guide means cooperating with said mobile units to guide movements of said storage units in a direction normal to said faces of said storage units, a separate motor individual to each of said mobile units for individually driving said unit along said guide means, and control circuit means for selectively energizing each said motor in a sequence in which said storage units are moved as required to open an aisle between selected storage units and wherein, said control circuit means include limit switches for said motors, said limit switches being located in the paths of movement of said units for sequential actuation of said motors as said units move sequentially on said paths.

Claim 18

Storage apparatus comprising a plurality of mobile storage units, each unit having at least one storage face, guide means cooperating with said mobile units to guide movements of said storage units in a direction normal to said faces of said storage units, a separate motor individual to each of said mobile units for individually driving said unit along said guide means, and control circuit means for selectively energizing each said motor in a sequence in which said storage units are moved as required to open an aisle between selected storage units and wherein, said control circuit means include limit switches for said motors, said limit switches being located in the paths of movement of said units for sequential actuation of said motors as said units move sequentially on said paths.

Claim 19

Storage apparatus comprising a plurality of mobile storage units, guide means for guiding movement of said storage units and a separate motor supported in each of said mobile units for moving said mobile units along said guide means to open an access aisle between selected storage units, each of said mobile units having a manually actuated control means and right and left limit switches, said switches being electrically connected to the unit motor, means for actuating said right limit switch when an adjacent unit is at the right of the unit with no aisle space therebetween, means for actuating said left limit switch when an adjacent unit is at the left of the unit with no aisle space therebetween, and control circuit means including said right and left limit switches to energize the unit motor to move the unit in the direction of an open aisle space when a manually actuated control means is actuated.

Claim 20

Storage apparatus comprising a plurality of mobile storage units, guide means for guiding movement of said storage units and a separate motor supported in each of said mobile units for moving said mobile units along said guide means to open an access aisle between selected storage units, each of said mobile units having a manually actuated control means and right and left limit switches, said switches being electrically connected to the unit motor, means for actuating said right limit switch when an adjacent unit is at the right of the unit with no aisle space therebetween, means for actuating said left limit switch when an adjacent unit is at the left of the unit with no aisle space therebetween, and control circuit means including said right and left limit switches to energize the unit motor to move the unit in the direction of an open aisle space when a manually actuated control means is actuated.

Claim 21

Apparatus in accordance with claim 13 including a drive wheel supported on each of said mobile units and drivingly engaged with said guide means and means connecting said motors to said drive wheels.

Claim 22

The apparatus of claim 13 in which the means for actuating one of said left and right limit switches comprises a shiftable rod physically actuated by an adjacent unit.

Claim 23

The apparatus of claim 14 in which the means for actuating said left and right limit switches comprises aligned shiftable rods mounted on adjacent units and by which motion is transmitted from one rod to another.