Anti-static grounding arrangement for work environment system

Claim 1

In a work environment system for product assembly, storage, packaging and/or shipping operations, wherein the system comprises a plurality of support frames defining one or more work stations and/or storage areas and having relatively nonconductive surfaces, at least one or more work surfaces mounted to at least one support frame, a plurality of containers having conductive properties and means for removably mounting the containers to the support frames, wherein certain of the containers are removably mounted to the support frames, the improvement which comprises: conductive interface means mounted intermediate the containers and the support frames, and providing a conductive interface therebetween; interface grounding means interconnected to the conductive interface means and an earth ground providing a low impedance discharge path to earth ground from the containers, work surfaces and frames; transport carts for transporting the removable containers between work stations; means for removably suspending the removable containers on the carts; transport interface means providing a conductive interface between the removable containers and the transport carts, and comprising metallic grounding plates conductively connected to the transport carts so that each of the containers suspended on the transport carts abuts at least one of the metallic grounding plates; and transport grounding means connected to the transport interface means and comprising at least open conductive caster in contact with ground level and mounted to each of the transport carts, and means to electrically interconnect each of the metallic grounding plates on one of the transport carts to the conductive caster on the one transport cart, wherein the grounding means continuously provides a low impedance discharge path from the transport carts and containers suspended thereon to an earth ground.