LOCK RACK FOR HYDRO, ISOLATION OR TEST BLINDS

Description

BACKGROUND

Technical Field

The disclosure relates to the field of racks for the storage of hydro, isolation or test blinds, blind flanges, or paddle blinds, which may be used in various industries such as in the petrochemical industry.

For industrial plants, managing the storage, transportation, and minimizing loss of numerous blind flanges has always posed challenges. Accordingly, there is a need in the field to address storage, transportation, and security issues often associated with conventional blinds, blind flanges, or paddle blinds management.

As blind flanges are often thick disks made of heavy material, they are often cumbersome to transport, and the blinds or blind flanges will often shift and slide if transported conventionally in a vertical stack. The blinds can also be expensive to replace. Conventional blind storage can waste time, cause damage to the blinds, and is a potential injury risk to workers. Blinds also come in many sizes, and these many sizes are often stored at the same general area. Blinds which are flat stacked for transportation tend to get mixed up with various sizes mixed in the stack requiring greater effort in managing their inventory and resulting in even more opportunity to damage the blinds'seal faces. Further, it is difficult to prevent blinds from getting lost or stolen if left unsecured on flat pallets or racks. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved storage solution for blinds which allows storing the blinds as packed tightly together, sorted by size, and secured to prevent damage, loss, and theft of the blinds.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The disclosure relates to an improved rack apparatus for storing a plurality of blinds having a support frame including a horizontal frame member, the improved rack apparatus further having: a first arm slidably movable towards and away from a first end of the horizontal frame member and towards and away from a second end of the horizontal frame member; a first collar lock releasably securable from the first arm; and a second arm fixed to a determined position on the horizontal frame member, wherein the first arm and the second arm extend away from the support frame.

The disclosure relates to an improved rack apparatus for storing a plurality of blinds having a support frame including a horizontal frame member, having a first arm slidably movable towards and away from a first end of the horizontal frame member and towards and away from a second end of the horizontal frame member; and/or a first collar lock releasably securable from the first arm; and/or a second arm fixed to a determined position on the horizontal frame member, and/or wherein the first arm and the second arm extend away from the support frame; and/or a track mounted along a length of the horizontal frame member; and/or wherein the first arm is fixed to a body slidably mounted to the track; and/or wherein the track defines a track profile in cross section and/or further wherein the body defines a body profile in cross section complementary to the track profile; and/or a fastener configured to loosen and tighten the body against the track; and/or a tether anchored at a first end of the tether to the first collar lock, and/or wherein the tether is anchored at a second end of the tether to the fastener; and/or wherein the first arm and the second arm are inserted into a first opening and a second opening, and/or wherein the first opening and second opening are both defined in a first blind of the plurality of blinds; and/or wherein the first collar lock has a diameter larger than the diameter of the first opening of the first blind and prevents the first blind from removal from the first arm when the first collar lock is in an engaged position on the first arm; and/or a first end bar connected to the first end of the horizontal frame member, and a second end bar connected to the second end of the horizontal frame member.

The disclosure also relates to a method for using a blind rack for storing a plurality of blinds having a support frame, having the steps of adjusting a first arm along a horizontal frame member of the support frame to a desired position, and/or wherein the first arm extends away from the support frame; and/or securing the first arm to the desired position; and/or disengaging a first collar lock on the first arm; and/or removing the first collar lock from the first arm; and/or inserting a free end of the first arm into a first opening defined in a first blind of the plurality of blinds; and/or providing a track connected to a length along the horizontal frame member; and/or providing a body slidable along the track; and/or wherein the track defines a keyed track profile in cross section, and/or an interior surface of the body defines a body profile complementary to the keyed track profile; and/or wherein the step of removing the first collar lock is by sliding the first collar lock off the first arm; and/or inserting the first collar lock onto the first arm, and/or sliding the first collar lock up to the first blind, and/or engaging or securing the first collar lock onto the first arm and abutting the first blind; and/or preventing the first blind from being removed from the first arm; and/or inserting a second arm into a second opening defined in the first blind, and/or wherein the second arm is fixed into position onto the horizontal frame member; and/or wherein the step of securing the first arm comprises the step of tightening a fastener and securing the body to the track; and/or tethering the first collar lock to the fastener; and/or preventing the first arm and the body from sliding off the track via an end bar at a first end of the horizontal frame member and/or at a second end of the horizontal frame member.

The disclosure further relates to an improved rack apparatus having a support frame including a horizontal frame member for storing a first plurality of blinds and a second plurality of blinds, having a first plurality of arms slidably movable towards and away from a first end of the horizontal frame member and towards and away from a second end of the horizontal frame member; and/or a first collar lock releasably securable from a first end of the first arm; and/or a second plurality of arms fixed to a determined position on the horizontal frame member, and/or wherein the first plurality of arms and the second plurality of arms extend away from the support frame; and/or wherein the first plurality of blinds defines a set of first blind openings into which a first subset of the second plurality of arms is inserted; and/or wherein the second plurality of blinds define a second set of blind openings into which the first plurality of arms is inserted, and/or wherein the second plurality of blinds also define a third set of blind openings into which a second subset of the second plurality of arms is inserted; and/or a second collar lock releasably securable from the first subset of the second plurality of arms; and/or a track mounted along a length of the horizontal frame member; and/or wherein the first plurality of arms is fixed to a body slidably mounted to the track; and/or wherein the track defines a track profile in cross section and/or further wherein the body defines a body profile in cross section complementary to the track profile.

The disclosure further relates to an improved rack apparatus for storing a plurality of blinds having a support frame including a horizontal frame member, having a first arm slidably movable towards and away from a first end of the horizontal frame member and/or towards and away from a second end of the horizontal frame member; and/or a first collar lock releasably securable from the first arm; and/or a track mounted along a length of the horizontal frame member; and/or wherein the first arm is fixed to a body slidably mounted to the track; and/or wherein the first arm is inserted into the plurality of blinds; and/or wherein the first arm comprises a plurality of arms fixed onto the body; and/or wherein the plurality of arms supports an exterior surface of the plurality of blinds.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The exemplary embodiments may be better understood, and numerous objects, features, and advantages made apparent to those skilled in the art by referencing the accompanying drawings. These drawings are used to illustrate only exemplary embodiments and are not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the disclosure may admit to other equally effective exemplary embodiments. The figures are not necessarily to scale and certain features and certain views of the figures may be shown exaggerated in scale or in schematic in the interest of clarity and conciseness.

FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a full assembly of the improved rack.

FIG. 2 depicts an enlarged perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the sliding arm assembly.

FIG. 3 depicts an enlarged perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a top row of a full assembly of the improved rack.

FIG. 4 depicts an enlarged perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of an assembled improved rack with a sliding arm body, sliding collar, and lanyard with a blind.

FIG. 5 depicts an enlarged perspective view of an alternative exemplary embodiment of an assembled improved rack with a sliding arm body, a fixed arm, a sliding collar, and lanyard of with multiple blinds on the sliding arm body and the fixed arm.

FIG. 6 depicts an enlarged perspective view of an alternative exemplary embodiment of a sliding arm assembly.

FIG. 7 depicts a side perspective view of an alternate exemplary embodiment of a full assembly of the improved rack.

FIG. 8 depicts a perspective view of a further alternate exemplary embodiment of a full assembly of the improved rack.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT(S)

The description that follows includes exemplary apparatus, methods, techniques, and instruction sequences that embody techniques of the inventive subject matter. However, it is understood that the described embodiments may be practiced without these specific details.

FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of a full assembly of the improved rack 10 having blinds, blind flanges, or paddle blinds 50 stored thereon. The improved rack 10 may have a base 17 onto which a support frame 11 is mounted. The support frame 11 includes vertical tubes, bars, or vertical frame members 12 which are connected vertically to the base 17, and horizontal tubes, bars, or horizontal frame members 40 which connect said vertical tubes, bars, or frame members 12. Each horizontal frame member 40 may have a plurality of arms, hangers, pins, or rods 20 extending away from the horizontal frame member 40 on the front and/or rear sides 14, 15 of the rack 10. Each horizontal frame member 40 may also be vertically indexed along the vertical frame members 12. One or more blinds 50 may be stored on each arm 20 (or for larger sized blinds 50, one or more blinds 50 may be stored on two arms 20 for added stability), thus the horizontal frame members 40 may each form a row 18 of arms 20 of stored blinds 50. The ends of the rows 18 may each include an end arm or end tube 16 extending away from the horizontal frame member 40. Each row 18 of blinds 50 may further include a covering or door 13 which can fold down and cover the tops of the blinds 50, and protects and assists in retaining the blinds 50 in place when the door 13 is closed and locked via a lock or other securing mechanism (not illustrated) inserted into the opening 13a defined through the door 13, and the opening 16a defined through the end arms 16.

In the improved rack 10, each of the horizontal frame members 40 may further include one or more keyed horizontal rail or tracks 41 mounted onto a partial length of the horizontal frame member 40. The keyed horizontal rail or track 41 defines at least one extension member, slot, keyed profile or other profile 43. In certain exemplary embodiments, and as depicted at least in FIG. 3, the keyed horizontal rail or track 41 may be a T-rail 42, having a letter “T” shaped cross section.

An exemplary embodiment of the improved rack 10 may include at least two different types of arms 20: a fixed arm, pin, or rod 21, and a sliding arm, pin, or rod 22 on a maneuverable or sliding arm assembly 60. Smaller size or diameter blinds 50 may be stored on a singular fixed arm 21 via inserting the arm 21 through an opening 51 defined on the blind 50. For a larger size or larger diameter blind 50, it may be preferable to store these blinds 50 onto two arms 20, one which may be a fixed arm 21 and one which may be a sliding arm 22 (via inserting a fixed arm 21 through a first opening 51 defined on the blind 50, and inserting a sliding arm 22 through a second opening 51 defined on the blind 50, although the use of two sliding arms 22 to support a single blind 50 is also considered within the scope of the disclosure). The use of two arms 20 provides additional support, security and stability for retaining the blinds 50 on the improved rack 10, especially for travel or movement of the rack 10 over longer distances. Blinds 50 of the same size may be stored on the same arm or arms 20 for ease of organizing, sorting, and storing on the improved rack 10. In alternate exemplary embodiments of the improved rack 10, blinds 50 which are stored on single arms 20, may optionally be stored on a single sliding arm 22.

Referring to the enlarged views in FIGS. 2-3, each of the arms 20, including the fixed arms 21 and sliding arms 22, have a free end 20a and a mounted end 20b. For both the fixed arms 21 and sliding arms 22, the free end 20a is configured to be inserted into the blinds 50. For the fixed arms 21, the mounted end 20b may be fixedly connected to the horizontal frame member 40. Each mounted end 20b of the sliding arms 22, as shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 2, is part of a sliding arm assembly or maneuverable sliding arm assembly 60, and may be fixedly connected to a sliding body 23 at the mounted end 20b.

Each sliding arm assembly 60, includes at least a sliding arm 22, a sliding body 23, and a tightening mechanism 25. The sliding body 23 has an interior surface 27 abutting the horizontal rail or track 41. Each interior surface 27 of the sliding body 23 defines a complementary slot, profile, pattern, or opening 24 which engages with the keyed profile or extension members 43 of the horizontal track 41, and allows the sliding body 23 to slidably move or maneuver from a first end of the horizontal track 41 (of row 18) to the opposite end of same, when the tightening mechanism 25 is disengaged or unfastened. The sliding arm assembly 60 may in certain exemplary embodiments, be a T-bar hanger, especially when used in connection with a T-rail 42. The end arms 16 are situated at the end of the horizontal frame members 40 (or row 18) to prevent the sliding arm assembly 60 and the blinds 50 mounted thereon, from falling off the ends of the horizontal track 41. The ability to adjust the position or location of the sliding arm assembly 60 enables improved rack 10 to accommodate multiple sizes of the blinds or flanges 50.

The tightening mechanism 25 may be, in certain exemplary embodiments and not be limited to, a thumb screw 26, or any other fastener 26. The tightening mechanism 25 may be inserted through the sliding body 23 and the end of the tightening mechanism 25 engages, or fastens against, the keyed horizontal track 41. Upon sufficient engagement or tightening of the tightening mechanism 25 or fastener 26 at the desired location on the horizontal track 41, the sliding body 23 will be secured into place and can provide sufficient support for the blinds 50 without the sliding body 23 falling off the track 41. The tightening mechanism 25 may be loosened and repositioned as desired along the horizontal track 41 to change the position of the sliding arm 22 and to accommodate different sizes of blinds 50 and/or spacing of blind openings 51. In certain alternative exemplary embodiments as shown in FIG. 5, the tightening mechanism or locking screw 25 or thumbscrew 26 may be located on the vertical exterior face or surface 28 of the adjustable or sliding body 23.

Each arm 20 may also have a slip collar, continuously indexing collar, locking safety collar, sliding collar, or shaft collar 30 mounted thereon, abutting or adjacent to the stack of blinds 50 towards the free end 20a of the arm 20, so as to limit or prevent the blinds 50 from falling off the arm 20. The sliding collar 30 may be mounted around any one of the either the fixed arms 21 or the sliding arms 22 as desired, and may be one example of a continuously indexing one directional clutch mechanism. When a set of two arms 20 are used to insert through or support a blind 50 (such as, by way of example and not to be limited to, one fixed arm 21 and one sliding arm 22 each through a first opening 51 and second opening 51 of a single blind 50), only a single sliding collar 30 may be used on one arm 20, as such should be sufficient for preventing the blind 50 from falling off the arms 20. The sliding collar 30 is of greater diameter than the blind openings 51, and when placed on the end 20a of the arm 20, prevents the blinds 51 from being removed off the arm 20 while the sliding collar 30 is engaged or secured. When in the disengaged position, the sliding collars 30 can be easily moved along the length of the arm 20 as needed to compress, pack, or stack the blinds 50 together, and the sliding collar 30 can be secured or engaged at any position along the length of the arm 20 as desired by the operator and to prevent the removal of the flanges when the doors 13 to the improved rack 10 are locked. In order to remove the blinds 50, the sliding collar 30 should first be disengaged and slid off, or removed off the arm 20 before sliding the blinds 50 off the free end 20a of the arm 20. The sliding lock collars 30 may be commercially available conventional shaft collars sold under the following brand, including, but not limited to: FASTLOCK slip or sliding collars 31 as available from MAGNETIC TECHNOLOGIES LTD, and other brands as may be known to one of ordinary skill in the art.

As shown in the enlarged view of the sliding collar 30 in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, each of the sliding collars 30 may also be tethered to the rack 10 so as to prevent misplacement of the sliding collars 30 as they may be frequently moved on and off the arms 20 for access to the blinds 50. This may, in certain exemplary embodiments, be a lanyard or tether 33, which is connected a first end 34 of the lanyard 33 to the sliding collar 30, and at a second end 35 of the lanyard 33 to the support frame 11. The first end 34 of the lanyard 33 may be anchored or tied to the sliding collar 30 via a slot 32 defined on the sliding collar 30. If the sliding collar 30 is located on a fixed arm 21, the second end 35 of the lanyard 33 may be anchored, by way of example only and not to be limited to, the horizontal tube or frame member 40, or other fastening mechanism on the support frame 11, including a fastener or thumbscrew, or other protrusion or slot defined on the support frame 11. For a sliding collar 30 on a sliding arm 22 or sliding arm assembly 60, the second end of the lanyard may be secured to, by way of example only, and not to limited to, the tightening mechanism 25 or thumbscrew 26, or a protrusion or slot defined on the sliding body 23, or other location on the support frame 11.

To add one or more blinds 50 to the improved rack 10, wherein the blind 50 is capable of being supported by a singular arm 20 or a fixed arm 21, the door 13, if not previously unlocked and open already, should be first unlocked and rotated about its hinge away from the arms 20 or rotated into the open position (see e.g. the position of the door 13 at the front 14 in FIG. 1). The user may first disengage the sliding collar 30 off of a fixed arm 21. The sliding collar 30 may stay tethered to the improved rack 10 via the lanyard 33. The blind 50 is loaded onto the fixed arm 21 by inserting the free end 20a into the opening 51 of the blind 50. The blind 50 is slid along the fixed arm 21 towards the second end 20b of the fixed arm 21, until it abuts or is adjacent to the horizontal frame member 40 or rack 10, or other blinds 50 already on the fixed arm 21. The sliding collar 30 is then reinserted onto the fixed arm 21, maneuvered or slid along the arm length until the sliding collar 30 abuts or is adjacent to the blind 50 or a horizontal stack of blinds 50, preferably. Then the operator can engage or otherwise secure the sliding collar 30 so that the blinds 50 are prevented from removal off the fixed arm 21. The blinds 50 may be further secured by rotating the door 13 into the closed position and locking or securing the door 13 (see e.g. door 13 in closed position at the rear 15 in FIG. 1). If removal of one or more of the blinds 50 is desired, the sliding collar 30 is disengaged, slid off the fixed arm 21, and the blinds 50 can be easily removed off the fixed arm 21. In alternative exemplary embodiments, a blind 50 capable of being supported by a singular arm 20, may also be loaded onto a singular sliding arm 22 or sliding arm assembly 60, previously adjusted and fixed into place along the track 41. All doors 13 should be locked into a closed position with a locking mechanism, and all blinds 50 securely packed or retained together into horizontal stacks where applicable via sliding lock collars 30 prior to transporting the improved rack 10.

To add one or more blinds 50 to the improved rack 10, wherein the blind 50 requires the support of two arms 20, the door 13, if not previously unlocked and open already, should be first unlocked and rotated about its hinge away from the arms 20 or rotated into the open position (see e.g. the position of the door 13 at the front 14 in FIG. 1). The user may, if repositioning of the arms 20 is needed to accommodate the size of the blind 50 being added, first loosen the tightening mechanism 25 on the sliding body 23. Then the sliding arm assembly 60 may be slid, adjusted, or maneuvered along the track 41 to a desired location adjacent to another or second arm 20, wherein the location of the arms 20 will be suitable for the spacing of the blind openings 51 on the blind 50. In the exemplary embodiment described in this paragraph, the second arm 20 may be a fixed arm 21, although in alternative exemplary embodiments, the second arm 20 may be a second sliding arm 22 or sliding arm assembly 60. Once the sliding arm 22 is at the desired location on the track 41, the tightening mechanism 25 can be secured or engaged, thus temporarily fixing the sliding arm 22 to the location. Then, the sliding collar 30 may be disengaged off of the sliding arm 22. The sliding collar 30 may stay tethered to the improved rack 10 via the lanyard 33. The blind 50 is loaded onto the sliding arm 22 and the second arm 20 by inserting the free ends 20a of these arms 20 into the openings 51 of the blind 50. The blind 50 is slid along both of the arms 20 towards the second end 20b of the arms 20, until it abuts or is adjacent to the track 41, or rack 10, or other blinds 50 already on the arms 20. The sliding collar 30 is then reinserted onto the sliding arm 22, maneuvered or slid along the arm length until the sliding collar 30 abuts or is adjacent to the blind 50 or a horizontal stack of blinds 50, preferably. Then the operator can engage or otherwise secure the sliding collar 30 so that the blinds 50 are prevented from removal off the arms 20. The blinds 50 may be further secured by rotating the door 13 into the closed position and locking or securing the door 13 (see e.g. door 13 in closed position at the rear 15 in FIG. 1). If removal of one or more of the blinds 50 is desired, the sliding collar 30 is disengaged, slid off the sliding arm 22, and the blinds 50 can be easily removed off both arms 20. All doors 13 should be locked into a closed position with a locking mechanism, and all blinds 50 securely packed or retained together into horizontal stacks where applicable via sliding lock collars 30 prior to transporting the improved rack 10.

As depicted, the improved rack 10 may include both fixed arms 21 and sliding arm assemblies 60 to support a wide variety of blind sizes 50, including multiple rows 18 on the rack 10. As shown by way of example in FIG. 1, a sliding track 41 having a combination of fixed arms 21 and sliding arms 22 may be on half of a top row 18, whereas the other half of the same row 18 may have only fixed arms 21; on another exemplary row in FIG. 1, there may be a whole row 18 having a sliding track 41 on either half of the rack 10, where each sliding track has fixed arms 21 and adjustable sliding arm 22 or sliding arm assemblies 60. Moreover, in further alternative exemplary embodiments, the improved rack 10 may include any combination of the sliding track 41, sliding arm assemblies 60 and fixed arms 21 as described on only one of the side 14 or side 15 of the rack 10, or both sides 14, 15. The improvements described for the rack 10 may also be used for a single row 18 if desired.

The sliding or keyed track 41 of the improved rack 10 may be utilized in connection with further alternate exemplary embodiments of sliding arm assemblies 60 having a sliding body 23 with corresponding keyed surface 24. FIG. 6 depicts an enlarged perspective view of one such alternative exemplary embodiment of a sliding arm assembly 60. The sliding arm assembly 60 as shown in FIG. 6 includes a sliding body 23 having multiple sliding arms 22 each affixed at one end 20b of the sliding arm 22 to the sliding body 23. The sliding arms 22 may be arranged on the sliding body 23 to support the exterior surface, or perimeter and weight of the blinds 50 (as compared with inserting the sliding arm 22 into or through the blind 50 as shown in FIGS. 3-5). A plate covering 61 defining plate openings 62 may be inserted onto the free end 20a of the arms 22, which can protect and support the blinds 50 from damage, and also helps to retain the blinds 50 onto the arms 22. The sliding collar 31 may be inserted onto at least one of the arms 22 and over the plate 61 (in further alternate exemplary embodiments, each arm 22 on the sliding body 23 may have a sliding collar 31 mounted at the end 20a). Other combinations of the sliding body 23, track 41, and sliding arms 22 are possible for mounting onto the rack 10 to support different shapes and sizes of blinds 50.

FIG. 7 depicts a perspective view of an alternate exemplary embodiment of a full assembly of the improved rack 10; and FIG. 8 depicts a perspective view of yet another alternate exemplary embodiment of a full assembly of the improved rack 10. In FIG. 7, the alternative exemplary embodiment of the rack 10 includes, on a first side 14 of rack 10, at least, a sliding arm assembly 60 with sliding arm 22, a fixed arm 21, and a continuously indexing collar 30 (shown in FIG. 7 on fixed arm 21, but may optionally be located on sliding arm 22), and performs substantially as described and depicted in FIGS. 1-6. On the second, or opposite side 15 of the rack 10 in FIG. 7, the rack 10 may include a commercially available means of storing racks or blinds, such as, by way of example only, and not to be limited to, the described embodiments U.S. Pat. No. 9,546,889 titled “Lock Rack for Hydro, Isolation, or Test Blinds” as issued on Jan. 17, 2017. The second or opposite side 15 may be specifically configured for storing paddle blinds, in FIG. 7. FIG. 8 depicts a further alternative exemplary embodiment of the improved rack 10. The rack 10 of FIG. 8 only includes storage on a first side 14 of the rack 10. The rack 10 depicted in FIG. 8 may have greater length than the other exemplary embodiments of racks 10 shown & described for FIGS. 1-6, but otherwise performs substantially identical to the racks 10 as described in FIGS. 1-6 with the sliding arm assembly 60 (having sliding arm 22), the fixed arm 21, and the sliding collar 30, on a similar support frame 11. Due to the extended length in the rack 10 as shown in FIG. 8, the rack 10 may include reinforcements or braces 19 between the base 17 and the frame 11 to provide additional support and stability to the long rack 10.

While the embodiments are described with reference to various implementations and exploitations, it will be understood that these embodiments are illustrative and that the scope of the inventive subject matter is not limited to them. Many variations, modifications, additions, and improvements are possible.

Plural instances may be provided for components, operations or structures described herein as a single instance. In general, structures and functionality presented as separate components in the exemplary configurations may be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a single component may be implemented as separate components. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements may fall within the scope of the inventive subject matter.