AU724829B1 - An improved storage rack for a wine barrel - Google Patents

Description

Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

Name of Applicant: RGB INDUSTRIES PTY LTD Actual Inventor: Ross Gordon Bourne Address for Service: MADDERNS, 1st Floor, 64 Hindmarsh Square, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia Invention title: "AN IMPROVED STORAGE RACK FOR A WINE BARREL" Details of Associated Provisional Application Nos: PQ 0466 dated 19 th May 1999 and PQ 4676 dated 15 t December 1999 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us.

This invention relates to a storage rack, and in particular to a storage rack designed for storage of wine barrels.

Wine barrels are an essential part of the wine making industry. The barrels have a well known shape where the ends of the barrels are a smaller diameter than the mid or waist section of the barrel. This design is traditional and is used extensively by the vast majority of winemakers.

Wine is stored for a period of time in these barrels prior to bottling, so wineries have the need to store a large number of these barrels for extended periods.

The earliest known technique for storing barrels is to stack them in rows with each barrel supported front and back by wooden wedges. Further barrels are stacked on top again using wooden wedges front and rear.

Such a stacking process was time consuming, and was very inconvenient if it became necessary to remove one of the barrels. The stack would virtually need to be disassembled if one of the lower barrels started leaking.

Increased wine production resulted in the need to store an ever increasing number of barrels. In order to improve the stacking process, the wooden wedges were replaced by a rack which was designed to support a pair of barrels and that could also be placed on the top of a pair of barrels to support the next row. Examples of such racks can be seen in Australian Registered Design Nos. 129611 and 117931.

These storage racks were also designed to be used with fork-lift trucks. This would enable barrels to be moved two at a time.

However, one disadvantage with this racking system is that there is a limit to the number of barrels that can be stacked one on top of another. Current practice is to stack no more than three rows of barrels on a base row, as the stack can begin to lean significantly as the stack height increases. This occurs because the rack that supports 2 the second and subsequent rows is supported by the row beneath and any inaccuracy in placement of the rack or the lower barrels and normal variation in barrel dimensions will result in the stack leaning and possibly becoming unstable. Also the physical load bearing capacity of each barrel is a consideration in determining the maximum number of rows that can be supported by the barrels in the bottom row.

Stability of stacks is a significant work place safety issue so stack height is limited accordingly.

Accordingly, if stacking height is limited, increasing storage requirements will result in the need for further storage facilities. Obviously, there would be significant advantages if a storage system could be provided that would enable much higher stacking heights.

Accordingly, an aim of this invention is to provide a storage system for wine barrels which enables a greater stacking height while at the same time providing safe and adequate stability.

A further problem with the racks shown in the abovementioned Australian Registered Designs is that they are themselves quite high which adds to the resultant height of the stacked barrels. The accumulated height of a stack of three or four rows of barrels and racks is very significant and may also in certain storage facilities, unnecessarily limit the number of barrels that can be stored.

Accordingly, it is also an aim of this invention to minimise the space between adjacent rows of barrels.

In its broadest form, the invention is a wine barrel storage rack comprising: a base member; at least four legs secured to said base member, each of Said legs extending above and below said base member wherein the portion of each said leg above said base member is longer than the portion of each said leg below said base member; feet members on the base of each of said legs that can either support said C 3 storage rack on a floor or the like or support said storage rack on top of another storage rack by each said feet member locating over and engaging a respective leg of said lower storage rack, and barrel supports on said base member, against which the wall of said barrel abuts, that support said barrels horizontally and that prevent movement of said barrels with respect to said base, the height of said legs above and the length of the legs below said base member being such that the space between the top of said barrel and the base member of another storage rack on top is minimised.

Preferably, each storage rack is designed to carry a pair of barrels. This can vary however and will depend largely upon the power of the fork-lift used to move the storage racks.

Preferably, the length of the legs and the location of the horizontal base frame with respect to the legs of each storage rack are such that the waist of each barrel is spaced as close as practically possible to the barrel directly below it. This includes any separation for the location of fork-lift blades between upper and lower barrels. By minimising this space, the total height of the stacked barrels will be as low as possible. Any separation of the barrels should be sufficient to avoid accidental damage to the barrels when forks of a fork-lift truck are inserted beneath the horizontal base frame. The length of each leg above and below the horizontal base frame determines the separation between upper and lower barrels. Increasing either the upper or lower leg lengths will have the effect of increasing the separation between barrels.

Alternatively, the entry point for forks of a fork-lift truck may be spaced either side of a pair of barrels. Adequate clearance will be available either side of the wine barrels even though there is minimal clearance between upper and lower barrels.. Preferably, the forks locate through fork guides that comprise tubes or channels that prevent any sideways movement of the storage rack when being supported by forks.

Preferably, the storage rack has a framework manufactured from steel sections.

Preferably, the steel sections comprise a combination of square tubular steel and angle iron.

In order for the invention to be more fully understood, a preferred embodiment will now be described. However, it should be realised that the scope of the invention is not to be confined or restricted to the precise terms of this embodiment. The embodiment is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a storage rack; and Figure 2 shows three stacked wine barrel storage racks, each holding two wine barrels.

The storage rack 10 comprises an horizontal base frame 11 which is rectangular in plan form. Legs 12 are positioned at each corner of the base frame 11, and are each provided with feet 13.

The legs 12 may extend further below the base frame 11 with a similar reduction in height above the base frame 11 while maintaining the recuired spacial relationship between barrels 14 in upper and lower storage racks The feet 13 are pressed metal components which enable the feet to support the storage rack 10 on a floor or ground surface, but also are provided with recesses into which the upper ends of the legs 12 may locate to enable the storage racks 10 to be stacked one on top of the other. Each foot 13 comprises a flared tubular member with a lower opening that is larger in size than the upper ends of the legs 12.

The base frame 11 has bracing members 15. The legs 12 are each supported by a pair of angled supports 16. These are positioned so that they provide maximum stability for each of the legs 12 while at the same time providing adequate clearance from the end of each of the barrels.

Sets of barrel supports 17 are attached to the bracing member 15. Each barrel support 17 comprises a spigot that has an end 18 formed at an angle that provides a supporting surface that is parallel to the wall of the barrel 14. Each barrel is supported by the ends 18 of four barrel supports 17. This design enables stable support of a range of different diameter barrels.

The barrel supports 17 have a height that holds the waist or mid section of the barrel above the lower edge 20 of the base frame 11. Ideally, the mid section is above the lower edge 20 of the base frame 11 to provide adequate clearance from the forks of a fork-lift truck as will be explained below.

Fork guides comprising channels 19 are provided beneath the base frame 11 through which forks of a fork-lift truck locate. They prevent sideways movement of the storage rack 10 with respect to the forks. When a storage rack 10 is lifted, the forks lift against the lower edge 20 of the base frame 11. The barrels above the base frame 11 are held clear of the lower edge 20 and are also clear of the forks.

The height of the legs above and below the base frame 11 provide sufficient clearance to enable the forks to locate through the channels 19 without touching the barrels below the base frame 11. This clearance is kept to a minimum to keep the overall stacked height of two or more storage racks 10 as low as possible.

The storage rack 10 clearly does not rely upon the barrels to provide structural support when stacking, as is the case with the abovementioned Australian Registered Designs. As shown in Figure 2, the structural support is provided by the legs 12, and as a result there is greater strength and stability which means that a greater number of storage racks can be stacked one on top of the other. In addition, the height of the legs 12 can be such that the distance between the mid section of an upper lower barrel is minimised. This in turn means that the accumulated stack height is not increased significantly. In addition, the length of legs 12 above and below the base frame 11 can be selected to provide the required space between upper and lower barrels.

As can be seen from the above description, the invention has sufficient strength to allow a greater number of rows and height of stacking than currently possible.

However, the cumulative height of a-given number of rows will be less than currently possible. Accordingly, there is a significant cost advantage in the storage racks since existing buildings will be able to store a greater number of barrels rather than having to build additional storage facilities. The storage rack will also be much more stable by comparison to existing stacking systems which will lead to increased safety. The logistics of using the storage rack means that stacking will be much easier than the existing methods as there will be no need for the exercise of skill in aligning the upper barrels to ensure even vertical stacking and stability. Variation in barrel size, which was a significant problem with previous methods, will be of no concern.

Claims (9)

1. A wine barrel storage rack comprising: a base member; at least four legs secured to said base member, each of said legs extending above and below said base member wherein the portion of each said leg above said base member is longer than the portion of each said leg below said base member; feet members on the base of each of said legs that can either support said storage rack on a floor or the like or support said storage rack on top of another storage rack by each said feet member locating over and engaging a respective leg of said lower storage rack; and barrel supports on said base member, against which the wall of said barrel abuts, that support said barrels horizontally and that prevent movement of said barrels with respect to said base, the height of said legs above and the length of the legs below said base member being such that the space between the top of said barrel and the base member of another storage rack on top is mninimised.

2. A wine barrel storage rack according to claim 1 wherein said space between the top of said barrel and the base member of said other storage rack is sufficient to locate the forks of a fork lift truck therethrough without touching or interfering with either barrels in said upper and lower storage racks.

3. A wine barrel storage rack according to claim 2 further comprising fork guides attached to said base member.

4. A wine barrel storage rack according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said barrel supports for each barrel comprise two pairs of spigots attached to said base member, said pairs of spigots supporting opposite ends of said barrel. 8 A wine barrel storage rack according to claim 4 wherein each of said spigots comprises a vertical post with an end formed at an angle to provide a supporting surface against which said barrel wall abuts.

6. A wine barrel storage rack according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said base member comprises a pair of side frame members and a front and rear frame member that are connected to form a rectalinear base member.

7. A wine barrel storage rack according to claim 6 wherein said base member is rectangular and supports two wine barrels.

8. A wine barrel storage rack according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said base member and legs are tubular steel having a square cross-section.

9. A wine barrel storage rack according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said feet members comprise a flared tubular member with a lower opening that is larger than the upper end of each said leg so that said upper end of each said leg locates into a respective said foot member.

10. A wine barrel storage rack substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Dated this 31st day of July, 2000. RGB INDUSTRIES PTY LTD By its Patent Attorneys MADDERNS