Universal rack assembly

Abstract

A universal rack assembly has multiple connecting heads, a framework, multiple shelf supports, and multiple positioning units. Each connecting head has a body and multiple insert structures extending from multiple side surfaces of the body. The framework has multiple support tubes for the multiple insert structures to be inserted into. Part of the multiple support tubes are multiple extruded tubes disposed along a height direction and each having a slide rail. Each shelf support has a slider and a support seat connected to each other. The slider is slidably mounted in the slide rail along a height direction. Each positioning unit is configured to be screwed with and mounted through the slider to abut against the slide rail. Thereby, the multiple shelf supports and shelf boards placed on the multiple shelf supports are height-adjustable by sliding the slider and can be repositioned by the multiple positioning units.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to an assembly having great variety in constructing a cabinet or a rack, and particularly to a universal rack assembly.2. Description of Related Art

[0002] Rack assemblies nowadays have various configurations. A conventional rack assembly is constructed by multiple connecting heads and multiple support tubes between the multiple connecting heads. If the rack assembly further has shelf boards or cabinet boards, then the rack assembly may construct a piece of furniture such as a wardrobe or a shoe cabinet or construct a rack such as a display stand or a storage rack.

[0003] In the conventional rack assembly, said shelf board is disposed at a fixed height position by multiple conventional shelf supports such as support boards or support seats. Specifically, the multiple conventional shelf supports are respectively formed on the multiple connecting heads or the multiple support tubes by machining. Thereby, the shelf board can be stably supported by the multiple conventional shelf supports. Also, the shelf board may be directly fixed to said connecting heads, said support tubes, or even said cabinet boards by bolts and nuts.

[0004] However, if said shelf board is disposed by the multiple conventional shelf supports, a height of each said shelf board can only be adjusted by adding more conventional shelf supports (specifically by preparing more said connecting heads or additionally machining the multiple support tubes). Cost of the conventional rack assembly thus increases. If said shelf board is fixed by bolts and nuts, the conventional rack assembly cannot adjust the height of each shelf board arbitrarily. Therefore, the conventional rack assembly cannot flexibly adjust the height of each shelf board, and spaces between the multiple shelf boards are monotonous and lack variability.

[0005] To overcome the aforementioned problems of the conventional rack assembly, the present invention provides a universal rack assembly to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The main objective of the present invention is to provide a universal rack assembly that can be adjusted to form variable spaces between shelf boards for storing different objects and improving flexibility of storage.

[0007] The universal rack assembly has multiple connecting heads, at least one framework, multiple shelf supports, and multiple positioning units. Each one of the multiple connecting heads has a body and multiple insert structures. The body has multiple side surfaces respectively facing different directions. Each one of the multiple insert structures protrudes from one of the multiple side surfaces. The at least one framework has multiple support tubes. Each end portion of each one of the multiple support tubes is configured for said insert structure to be inserted into. Part of the multiple support tubes are multiple extruded tubes disposed along a height direction of the universal rack assembly, and each one of the multiple extruded tubes has at least one slide rail extending along the height direction to two opposite ends of said extruded tube. The multiple shelf supports are respectively mounted on the multiple extruded tubes, and each one of the multiple shelf supports has a slider and a support. The slider is mounted in said slide rail of the corresponding extruded tube and configured to slide along the height direction in said slide rail. The support seat is connected to the slider and located outside said slide rail. Each one of the multiple positioning units is configured to be screwed with and mounted through the slider of a respective one of the multiple shelf supports to abut against said slide rail of a respective one of the multiple extruded tubes for positioning the corresponding shelf support on the corresponding extruded tube.

[0008] Other objectives, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] FIGS. 1 and 2 are exploded views of connecting heads and support tubes of a universal rack assembly in accordance with the present invention;

[0010] FIGS. 3A to 3E are perspective views of the connecting heads of the universal rack assembly in FIG. 1 in different configurations;

[0011] FIGS. 3F to 3H are perspective views of the connecting heads of the universal rack assembly in FIG. 1 in different sizes;

[0012] FIGS. 4 and 5 are perspective views of multiple shelf boards placed on multiple shelf supports of the universal rack assembly in FIG. 1;

[0013] FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the multiple shelf supports and the multiple shelf boards in FIG. 4;

[0014] FIG. 7 is a bottom side view of said shelf support being positioned on an extruded tube of the universal rack assembly in FIG. 1;

[0015] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the universal rack assembly in accordance with the present invention;

[0016] FIG. 9 is a side view of the universal rack assembly in FIG. 8;

[0017] FIG. 10 is an operational view of the multiple shelf supports of the universal rack assembly in FIG. 8;

[0018] FIG. 11 is an exploded view of another embodiment of the universal rack assembly in accordance with the present invention having a pivoting-door structure;

[0019] FIG. 12 is an exploded view of another embodiment of the universal rack assembly in accordance with the present invention having another pivoting-door structure;

[0020] FIGS. 13A to 13D are perspective views of door connecting heads of the universal rack assembly in FIGS. 11 and 12 in different configurations;

[0021] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the universal rack assembly in accordance with the present invention setting a sliding-door structure;

[0022] FIG. 15 is a partial perspective view of another embodiment of the universal rack assembly in accordance with the present invention constructing a multi-storage cabinet;

[0023] FIG. 16 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the universal rack assembly in accordance with the present invention constructing another cabinet;

[0024] FIG. 17 is a partially exploded view of the cabinet in FIG. 16;

[0025] FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a display stand being extendable from the universal rack assembly in accordance with the present invention; and

[0026] FIG. 19 is a partially exploded view of the display stand in FIG. 18.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0027] With reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 5, the present invention provides a universal rack assembly having multiple connecting heads 10, 10I, multiple support tubes, multiple shelf supports 30, and multiple positioning units 40. The multiple connecting heads 10, 10I and the multiple support tubes are connected via insertion and form an architecture of the universal rack assembly. The multiple shelf supports 30 are respectively disposed on multiple said support tubes. Each one of the multiple positioning units 40 is configured to position a respective one of the multiple shelf supports 30 on the corresponding support tube.

[0028] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, each one of the multiple connecting heads 10, 10I has a body 11 and multiple insert structures 12. With reference to FIGS. 3A to 3H, specifically, the body 11 has a cube-like structure with six side surfaces 111 connected to each other perpendicularly. Each one of the multiple insert structures 12 protrudes from one of multiple said side surfaces 111 of the body 11 perpendicularly to be inserted into a respective one of the multiple support tubes. With reference to FIGS. 3A to 3E, each one of the multiple insert structures 12 has at least one protruding post. A shape and a number of said protruding post may be determined in consideration of structural strength and convenience of production. The body 11 may be designed in consideration of shapes of the multiple insert structures 12, structural strength, or others.

[0029] The number of the multiple insert structures 12 and which side surface 111 said insert structure 12 protrudes from may be determined according to a position of said connecting head 10 in the universal rack assembly, which may refer to the multiple connecting heads 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E in FIGS. 3A to 3H. E.g., the connecting head 10B in FIG. 3 is located at a corner of the universal rack assembly, so the connecting head 10B has only three insert structures 12 respectively protruding from adjacent three side surfaces 111 to be inserted into three said support tubes. If said connecting head is disposed at a center of the universal rack assembly, the connecting head needs to have six insert structures 12 respectively on the six side surfaces 111 to be respectively inserted into six said support tubes on front side and rear side, left side and right side, top side and bottom side.

[0030] Moreover, with reference to FIGS. 3F to 3H, said connecting heads 10F, 10G, 10H may have different sizes. In the smaller-sized connecting head 10F, since a cross section of said side surface 111 is smaller, each said insert structure 12 has only one said protruding post to avoid having a small section area and insufficient structural strength. In the moderate-sized connecting head 10G, each said insert structure 12 may have multiple said protruding posts and have higher flexibility in design of shapes of the multiple protruding posts. In the larger-sized connecting head 10H, each said insert structure 12 may have more said protruding posts to improve stability of assembling the connecting head 10H, said support tube, and other components.

[0031] With reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 5, the multiple support tubes include multiple crossbeams 20A, 20A1 and multiple extruded tubes 20B, 20B1. Each one of the multiple crossbeams 20A, 20A1 is disposed along a length direction or a width direction of the universal rack assembly. Each one of the multiple extruded tubes 20B, 20B1 is disposed along a height direction H of the universal rack assembly. Each one of the multiple support tubes has at least one insert opening 200 on each one of its two end portions for said insert structure 12 to be inserted into. A number and a shape of said insert opening 200 may be determined according to the number and the shape of said protrusion post of the corresponding insert structure 12.

[0032] Preferably, in the multiple connecting heads 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E, 10F, 10G, 10H with reference to FIGS. 3A to 3H, each said side surface 111 with said insert structure 12 protruding therefrom has at least one abutting area. Said abutting area is located on an exterior side of the corresponding insert structure 12. Hence, apart from adopting an aluminum extrusion to form said insert opening 200 for said insert structure 12 to be inserted into, the support tube may adopt a stainless-steel tube directly sheathed onto the insert structure 12 and abut the abutting area of said side surface 111, which allows a periphery of the stainless-steel tube to be flush with an edge of said side surface 111. The stainless-steel tube can be regarded as another possibility of said support tube.

[0033] With reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 5, each one of the multiple extruded tubes 20B, 20B1 has at least one slide rail 22. Said slide rail 22 extends along the height direction H to the two opposite end portions of said extruded tube 20B, 20B1 for mounting at least one of the multiple shelf supports 30. Preferably, said slide rail 22 can be formed by extrusion; i.e., said slide rail 22 can be formed in one piece with said extruded tube 20B, 20B1 without extra machining, which reduces production cost.

[0034] With reference to FIGS. 4 to 6, the multiple shelf supports 30 are respectively mounted on the multiple extruded tubes 20B. With reference to FIGS. 5 to 7, each one of the multiple shelf supports 30 has a slider 31 and a support seat 32. The slider 31 is mounted in said slide rail 22 of the corresponding extruded tube 20B and is configured to slide along the height direction H in said slide rail 22. The support seat 32 is connected to the slider 31 and located outside said slide rail 22. The support seat 32 is configured for a shelf board to be placed onto. A shelf board can be stably placed on multiple said shelf supports 30 to form separated spaces for storage purposes.

[0035] With reference to FIGS. 5 to 7, each one of the multiple positioning units 40 is screwed with and mounted through the slider 31 of a respective one of the multiple shelf supports 30 to abut against said slide rail 22 of a respective one of the multiple extruded tubes 20B, which positions said shelf support 30 on said slide rail 22 of the corresponding extruded tube 20B. Specifically, the slider 31 has a positioning hole 33 defined therethrough for the corresponding positioning unit 40 to be screwed with and mounted through. When trying to position said shelf support 30 or cancel the above-mentioned positioning, said positioning unit 40 abuts or is withdrawn from said slide rail 22 via tightening or loosening said positioning unit 40.

[0036] In an embodiment with reference to FIG. 7, each one of the multiple shelf supports 30 has two engaging grooves 36 formed between the slider 31 and the support seat 32. The two engaging grooves 36 are arranged at a spaced interval and respectively face two opposite directions. Each said slide rail 22 of each one of the multiple extruded tubes 20B forms two engaging hooks 23 facing each other. The two engaging hooks 23 are respectively inserted into the two engaging grooves 36. When said positioning unit 40 is tightened and abuts an inner wall of said slide rail 22, the two engaging hooks 23 are engaged with the slider 31 such that said shelf support can be tightened and positioned.

[0037] In other embodiments, said slide rail 22 may have multiple recesses or holes on a bottom of an inner groove of said slide rail 22. The multiple recesses or holes are arranged along the height direction H at spaced intervals, which allows said positioning unit 40 to abut one of the multiple recesses or holes for tightening and positioning.

[0038] With reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, an embodiment of the universal rack assembly has two frameworks 80. Each one of the two frameworks 80 has two cube-shaped structures formed by multiple said support tubes. The two frameworks 80 are connected to each other via the multiple connecting heads 10, and a connecting side of each one of the two frameworks 80 is overlapped and connected with the other one of the two frameworks 80. Two said connecting sides of the two frameworks 80 share multiple said support tubes together. The multiple shelf supports 30 are respectively disposed on multiple said extruded tubes 20B in the two frameworks 80 for placing shelf boards 92.

[0039] With reference to FIG. 10, by loosening the multiple positioning units 40 from the corresponding slide rail 22, each one of the multiple shelf supports 30 can slide along the corresponding slide rail 22 via the slider 31 to adjust its position on the height direction H. After adjustment, said shelf support 30 can be re-positioned by said positioning unit 40. Thereby, a height of placing said shelf boards 92 can be adjusted.

[0040] Besides, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, each one of the multiple supporting tubes has two board grooves 21. When assembling, each one of the two board grooves 21 is configured for a cabinet board 91 to be inserted into. Thence, the universal rack assembly may construct a rack with open spaces such as a storage rack or a display rack with said shelf boards 92, further construct a table or a chair with table board or chair back, or further construct a cabinet with enclosed spaces such as a shoe cabinet or a wardrobe with said cabinet boards 91. The universal rack assembly allows for a wide range of application and has high flexibility to adjust said shelf boards 92. Additionally, the two board grooves 21 extend to two opposite ends of said support tube along a length direction of said support tube and thus can be formed by extrusion without extra machining to reduce production cost.

[0041] With reference to FIGS. 3A to 3H, the body 11 of each one of the multiple connecting heads 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E, 10F, 10G, 10H further has at least one board notch 112. Said cabinet board 91 is inserted into said board notch 112 and said board groove 21 at the same time, which improves stability of assembling said cabinet board 91, said connecting head, and said support tube. A number of said at least one board notch 112 may be determined as a position of said connecting head in the universal rack assembly. In addition, with reference to FIG. 3H, in the larger-sized connecting head 10H, a part of said protruding posts of said insert structure 12H may also abut said cabinet board 91 to improve stability of assembling.

[0042] With said slide rail 22 of said extruded tube 20B, the multiple shelf supports 30, and the multiple positioning units 40, when the universal rack assembly constructs various kinds of racks, cabinets, or furniture, said shelf support 30 can slide along the height direction H for height adjustment and be re-positioned by said positioning unit 40. Heights of said shelf boards placed on the multiple shelf supports can be flexibly adjusted. Compared to the conventional rack assembly, the universal rack assembly of the present invention has better flexibility in use and wider range of application. Also, the universal rack assembly allows height-adjustment of said shelf boards without extra connecting heads or extra machining on supporting tubes, which reduces production cost.

[0043] In addition, with reference to FIGS. 4 and 8, said extruded tubes 20B, 20B1 may have one or two said slide rail(s) 22 according to their positions in the universal rack assembly. Specifically, said extruded tube 20B1 located between other two said extruded tubes 20B has two said slide rails 22. Two said shelf supports 30 are disposed on the extruded tube 20B1 and respectively support two shelf boards with said shelf supports 30 on other two said extruded tubes 20B. Therefore, the universal rack assembly needs not have other two said extruded tubes 20B between the two extruded tubes 20B spaced from each other, which further reduces production cost.

[0044] Further, the multiple shelf supports 30 may adopt different configurations for placing said shelf board. With reference to FIG. 6, when said shelf board is a wood plank 92A, each one of the multiple shelf supports 30 may have a protrusion 34 protruding from a top surface of the support seat 32 along the height direction H, and the wood plank 92A has multiple recesses 921 on a bottom surface thereof. Said protrusions 34 of the multiple shelf supports 30 are respectively inserted into the multiple recesses 921, which allows the wood plank 92A to be placed on the multiple shelf supports 30 more stably.

[0045] With reference to FIG. 7, in other configurations, the wood plank 92A may be directly fixed to multiple said shelf supports 30 via multiple fixing units such as bolts. E.g., each one of the multiple shelf supports 30 may have a mounting hole 35 defined through the support seat 32 along the height direction H. By mounting a bolt through the mounting hole 35 and screwing the bolt into the wood plank 92A or through the wood plank 92A to be screwed with a nut, the wood plank 92A can be fixed on said support seats 32 of the multiple shelf supports 30.

[0046] Additionally, with reference to FIG. 6, when said shelf board is a glass board 92B, the universal rack assembly may adopt said shelf support 30 with the mounting hole 35. Specifically, the universal rack assembly further has multiple suction cups 93 respectively disposed in said mounting holes 35 on the support seat 32, and the glass board 92B is positioned on the multiple suction cups 93. The glass board 92B can also be placed stably.

[0047] Furthermore, in the embodiment with reference to FIG. 7, said slide rail 22 of each one of the multiple extruded tubes 20B has a ditch 24 formed on the inner wall of said slide rail 22. The ditch 24 extends along the height direction H, and an edge of the ditch 24 is V-shaped for fitting a tip of said positioning unit 40. When abutting the inner wall of said slide rail 22 of the corresponding extruded tube 20B, said positioning unit 40 abuts the ditch 24. Thus, said positioning unit 40 can be tightened on a fixed direction, and said shelf support 30 can be prevented from deflection.

[0048] Preferably, in the embodiment with reference to FIG. 8, when constructing a cabinet, the universal rack assembly may further have a pivoting-door structure. Specifically, with reference to FIGS. 8 and 11, two of the multiple connecting heads 10 are two door connecting heads 10J respectively connected to the two opposite ends of one of the multiple support tubes. Each one of the two door connecting heads 10J has a pivot shaft 13A extending perpendicularly from one of the multiple insert structures 12, and two said pivot shafts 13A of the two door connecting heads 10J extend toward each other. The two door connecting heads 10J are configured for a pivoting door 94 to be disposed therebetween, pivot about the two pivot shafts 13A, and serve as a door for opening and closing the cabinet.

[0049] With reference to FIGS. 8 and 11, specifically, the universal rack assembly has a door frame 50 having a pivot hole 51 and a door support 52. The pivot hole 51 extends toward the two door connecting heads 10J, and the two pivot shafts 13A of the two door connecting heads 10J are respectively inserted into the pivot hole 51 from two opposite ends of the pivot hole 51. The door support 52 extends toward the two door connecting heads 10J as well and has an L-shaped recess. Thus, the pivoting door 94 abuts and is disposed in the L-shaped recess of the door support 52, and the door support 52 stably supports the pivoting door 94.

[0050] With reference to FIG. 11, more specifically, the universal rack assembly has two spacer sheets 60. Each one of the two spacer sheets 60 has a through hole 61 and multiple fixing holes. The two pivot shafts 13A of the two door connecting heads 10J are respectively mounted through two said through holes 61 of the two spacer sheets 60 and inserted into the pivot hole 51 from two opposite ends of the pivot hole 51. The multiple fixing holes of said spacer sheet 60 is configured for a screw to be mounted through and fastened to the pivoting door 94. The pivoting door 94 is fixed between the two spacer sheets 60 to be disposed in the L-shaped recess of the door support 52. The two spacer sheets 60 increase structural strength of the pivoting door 94 near the two pivot shafts 13A and reduce risk of damage.

[0051] With reference to FIG. 12, in another embodiment, the universal rack assembly may omit the door frame 50. Specifically, the pivoting door 94 is made of a material having higher rigidity and may have a door pivot hole 941 formed through the pivoting door 94 or two door pivot holes 941 extending toward each other from two opposite ends of the pivoting door 94. The two pivot shafts 13A of the two door connecting heads 10J1 are respectively mounted through the two through holes 61 of the two spacer sheets 60 to be inserted into said door pivot holes 941. The pivoting door 94 may also pivot about said pivot shaft 13A. The pivot structure is not limited to the door frame 50 mentioned above.

[0052] With reference to FIGS. 13A to 13D, said door connecting heads 10J2, 10J3, 10J4, 10J5 also have different embodiments. With reference to FIG. 13A, the pivot shaft 13A may extend perpendicularly from one of the multiple insert structures 12. With reference to FIG. 13B, the pivot shaft 13A may also extend perpendicularly from one of the multiple side surfaces 111. One of the door connecting heads 10J2, 10J3 may be adopted according to reserved space, supporting strength, and a pivoting range of the pivoting-door structure. Further, said pivot shafts 13A, 13B are formed in one piece with said insert structure 12, which ensures said pivot shafts 13A, 13B to have sufficient structural strength.

[0053] Besides, with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12, two of the multiple crossbeams 20A are two pivoting-door beams 20C, 20D connected to said door connecting heads 10J, 10J1. In some embodiments, each said pivoting-door beam 20C, 20D has a blocking portion 25. After assembling the pivoting-door structure, the blocking portion 25 is located on an inner side of the pivoting door 94, which limits the pivoting door 94 to pivot outward only.

[0054] With reference to FIGS. 13C and 13D, in some embodiments, said door connecting heads 10J4, 10J5 each have a protruding seat 14 protruding from one of the multiple side surfaces of the body 11. The pivot shaft 13C extends perpendicularly from the protruding seat 14. After the pivoting door 94 is mounted on the pivot shaft 13C, the pivoting door 94 covers said door connecting heads 10J4, 10J5, said pivoting-door beams 20C, 20D connected to said door connecting heads 10J4, 10J5, and other support tubes, which improves appearance of the cabinet constructed by the universal rack assembly.

[0055] With reference to FIG. 14, in some embodiments, two of the multiple crossbeams 20A are two sliding-door beams 20E, 20F. One of the two sliding-door beams 20E has two slide grooves 26 being parallel to each other and extending toward the two opposite ends of said sliding-door beam 20E. The other one of the two sliding-door beams 20F has two ribs 27 being parallel to each other and extending toward the two opposite ends of said sliding-door beam 20F. The two ribs 27 respectively face toward the two slide grooves 26. With the two slide grooves 26 and the two ribs 27, a sliding-door structure differing from the pivoting-door structure can be disposed between the two sliding-door beams 20E, 20F.

[0056] With reference to FIG. 14, specifically, the universal rack assembly further has two sliding doors 95. Each one of the two sliding doors 95 is disposed between a respective one of the two slide grooves 26 and said rib 27 facing said slide groove 26. A top of said sliding door 95 is inserted into the corresponding slide groove 26, and a bottom of each one of the two sliding doors 95 has a slide base 96 disposed thereto. The slide base 96 has several sliding wheels 961 disposed on the corresponding rib 27. Therefore, each one of the two sliding doors 95 is slidable along the corresponding rib 27 and the corresponding slide groove 26.

[0057] Preferably, the blocking portion 25, the two slide grooves 26, and the two ribs 27 extend to the two opposite ends of the corresponding pivoting-door beam 20C, 20D or the corresponding sliding-door beam 20E, 20F along a length direction of the beam. Thence, the blocking portion 25, the two slide grooves 26, and the two ribs 27 can also be formed by extrusion mentioned above, i.e., formed in one piece with the corresponding pivoting-door beam 20C, 20D or the corresponding sliding-door beam 20E, 20F without extra machining. The universal rack assembly thus improves production efficiency and reduces production cost.

[0058] With reference to FIG. 15, an embodiment of the universal rack assembly in accordance with the present invention constructs a multi-storage cabinet. In this embodiment, the universal rack assembly has one said framework, and the framework has three cuboid structures respectively being a top layer 80A, a middle layer 80B, and a bottom layer 80C. The top layer 80A has the sliding-door structure shown in FIG. 14, which allows objects to be stored in the top layer 80A by pushing the two sliding doors 95 to slide. The middle layer 80B forms an open space without any door for directly placing objects therein. The bottom layer 80C has the pivoting-door structure shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, which allows objects to be stored in the bottom layer 80C by pivoting and opening two said pivoting doors 94. The multi-storage cabinet may adopt said extruded tubes 20B, said shelf supports 30, and said positioning units 40 in any one of the top layer 80A, the middle layer 80B, and the bottom layer 80C for placing and adjusting positions of said shelf boards 92. Therefore, the multi-storage cabinet has various configurations for storage.

[0059] In other embodiments, the universal rack assembly may have a different number of support tubes to construct said framework having a different number of layers or having different sizes. Also, the universal rack assembly may have one or multiple said frameworks. By having the multiple frameworks connected to each other continuously via the multiple connecting heads 10 and the configuration of said extruded tubes 20, said shelf supports 30, and said positioning units 40, the universal rack assembly may construct tables, chairs, display stands, or storage racks of different sizes. By further assembling said cabinet boards 91 and selectively having the pivoting-door structure and the sliding-door structure, the universal rack assembly may construct cabinets of different sizes or different storage configurations. The universal rack assembly in accordance with the present invention has great variety and high flexibility.

[0060] With reference to FIGS. 16 and 17, another embodiment of the universal rack assembly in accordance with the present invention constructs another multi-storage cabinet. In this embodiment, the universal rack assembly has one said framework. The framework has two cuboid structures respectively being a bottom layer 80D and an upper layer 80E. The universal rack assembly further has multiple shelf brackets 70. The bottom layer 80D has the pivoting-door structure and may adopt the configuration of said extruded tubes 20, said shelf supports 30, and said positioning units 40 to place said shelf boards 92 and form spaces of different sizes for storage.

[0061] In the upper layer 80E, part of the multiple support tubes are multiple stainless-steel tubes 20G. Each one of the multiple stainless-steel tubes 20G is disposed along the height direction H, has multiple adjusting holes 28, and is directly sheathed onto said insert structure 12 of said connecting head 10 as described above. Each one of the multiple shelf brackets 70 is detachably mounted to said adjusting holes 28 of the multiple stainless-steel tubes 20G at a same height, which provides another configuration for placing said shelf boards 92.

[0062] With reference to FIGS. 16 and 17, specifically, each one of the multiple shelf brackets 70 has two mounting arms 71 and two lateral bars 72. Each one of the two mounting arms 71 has two fork portions 73 and multiple notches 74. The two fork portions 73 are respectively located at two opposite ends of said mounting arm 71 and mounted to two said stainless-steel tubes 20G, wherein each one of the two fork portions 73 is inserted into adjacent two of the multiple adjusting holes 28 of said stainless-steel tube 20G. The multiple notches 74 are respectively formed on the two fork portions 73. Each one of the multiple notches 74 faces downward for an edge of said adjusting hole 28 to be engaged into. The two lateral bars 72 are disposed across and fixed to the two mounting arms 71.

[0063] By inserting the two fork portions 73 of each one of the two mounting arms 71 into different said adjusting holes 28 on the height direction H, said shelf bracket 70 and said shelf board 92 placed on the two mounting arms 71 and the two lateral bars 72 of said shelf bracket 70 can be disposed at different heights. After said fork portion 73 is inserted into two of the multiple adjusting holes 28, said shelf bracket 70 descends due to gravity, such that the edge of each one of the two adjusting holes 28 is engaged into a respective one of the multiple notches 74. Thereby, said mounting arm 71 can be prevented from inadvertently departing from said adjusting hole 28.

[0064] With reference to FIGS. 18 and 19, another embodiment of the universal rack assembly may extend to have a display stand applying multiple said stainless-steel tubes 20G. The display stand has two said frameworks 80F and multiple shelf brackets 70. Part of the multiple support tubes of each said framework 80F are multiple said stainless-steel tubes 20G and multiple connecting beams 20H, and each said framework 80F has multiple connecting tubes 97. A part of the multiple stainless-steel tubes 20G are connected with the multiple connecting beams 20H via multiple said connecting heads 10. Each one of the multiple connecting tubes 97 is connected to another said connecting tube 97 and connected between two said connecting beams at a same height.

[0065] The other part of the multiple stainless-steel tubes 20G are connected between two said connecting tubes 97 being parallel to each other on the height direction H. Specifically, said connecting tube 97 may have multiple tube bodies with different lengths, and said stainless-steel tube 20G and said tube bodies of said connecting tube 97 can be connected with each other via said connecting head 10. In other embodiments, said connecting tube 97 may have a single tube body forming an inserting post to be inserted into an end of said stainless-steel tube 20G for assembling said connecting tube 97 and said stainless-steel tube 20G. The multiple shelf brackets 70 can be mounted on said stainless-steel tubes 20G between two said connecting tubes 97 or said stainless-steel tubes 20G connected to said connecting beam 20H for placing shelf boards 92, which constructs the display stand having great variety.

[0066] With reference to FIG. 19, specifically, different from said shelf brackets 70 in the previous embodiment in FIG. 17, each one of the multiple shelf brackets 70A in this embodiment only consists of the two mounting arms 71A. Each one of the two mounting arms 71A has only one said fork portion 73A located on an end of said mounting arm 71A. The fork portion 73A is inserted into adjacent four of the multiple adjusting holes 28 of the corresponding stainless-steel tube 20G. Also, each one of the two mounting arms 71A has three said notches 74 formed on the fork portion 73A respectively for said edges of three of the four adjusting holes 28 to be engaged into.

[0067] Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and features of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only. Changes may be made in the details, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0027]With reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 5, the present invention provides a universal rack assembly having multiple connecting heads 10, 10I, multiple support tubes, multiple shelf supports 30, and multiple positioning units 40. The multiple connecting heads 10, 10I and the multiple support tubes are connected via insertion and form an architecture of the universal rack assembly. The multiple shelf supports 30 are respectively disposed on multiple said support tubes. Each one of the multiple positioning units 40 is configured to position a respective one of the multiple shelf supports 30 on the corresponding support tube.

[0028]With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, each one of the multiple connecting heads 10, 10I has a body 11 and multiple insert structures 12. With reference to FIGS. 3A to 3H, specifically, the body 11 has a cube-like structure with six side surfaces 111 connected to each other perpendicularly. Each one of the multiple insert structures 12 protrudes from one of multi...

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to an assembly having great variety in constructing a cabinet or a rack, and particularly to a universal rack assembly.2. Description of Related Art

[0002] Rack assemblies nowadays have various configurations. A conventional rack assembly is constructed by multiple connecting heads and multiple support tubes between the multiple connecting heads. If the rack assembly further has shelf boards or cabinet boards, then the rack assembly may construct a piece of furniture such as a wardrobe or a shoe cabinet or construct a rack such as a display stand or a storage rack.

[0003] In the conventional rack assembly, said shelf board is disposed at a fixed height position by multiple conventional shelf supports such as support boards or support seats. Specifically, the multiple conventional shelf supports are respectively formed on the multiple connecting heads or the multiple support tubes by machining. Thereby, the shelf board can be stably supported by the multiple conventional shelf supports. Also, the shelf board may be directly fixed to said connecting heads, said support tubes, or even said cabinet boards by bolts and nuts.

[0004] However, if said shelf board is disposed by the multiple conventional shelf supports, a height of each said shelf board can only be adjusted by adding more conventional shelf supports (specifically by preparing more said connecting heads or additionally machining the multiple support tubes). Cost of the conventional rack assembly thus increases. If said shelf board is fixed by bolts and nuts, the conventional rack assembly cannot adjust the height of each shelf board arbitrarily. Therefore, the conventional rack assembly cannot flexibly adjust the height of each shelf board, and spaces between the multiple shelf boards are monotonous and lack variability.

[0005] To overcome the aforementioned problems of the conventional rack assembly, the present invention provides a universal rack assembly to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The main objective of the present invention is to provide a universal rack assembly that can be adjusted to form variable spaces between shelf boards for storing different objects and improving flexibility of storage.

[0007] The universal rack assembly has multiple connecting heads, at least one framework, multiple shelf supports, and multiple positioning units. Each one of the multiple connecting heads has a body and multiple insert structures. The body has multiple side surfaces respectively facing different directions. Each one of the multiple insert structures protrudes from one of the multiple side surfaces. The at least one framework has multiple support tubes. Each end portion of each one of the multiple support tubes is configured for said insert structure to be inserted into. Part of the multiple support tubes are multiple extruded tubes disposed along a height direction of the universal rack assembly, and each one of the multiple extruded tubes has at least one slide rail extending along the height direction to two opposite ends of said extruded tube. The multiple shelf supports are respectively mounted on the multiple extruded tubes, and each one of the multiple shelf supports has a slider and a support. The slider is mounted in said slide rail of the corresponding extruded tube and configured to slide along the height direction in said slide rail. The support seat is connected to the slider and located outside said slide rail. Each one of the multiple positioning units is configured to be screwed with and mounted through the slider of a respective one of the multiple shelf supports to abut against said slide rail of a respective one of the multiple extruded tubes for positioning the corresponding shelf support on the corresponding extruded tube.

[0008] Other objectives, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] FIGS. 1 and 2 are exploded views of connecting heads and support tubes of a universal rack assembly in accordance with the present invention;

[0010] FIGS. 3A to 3E are perspective views of the connecting heads of the universal rack assembly in FIG. 1 in different configurations;

[0011] FIGS. 3F to 3H are perspective views of the connecting heads of the universal rack assembly in FIG. 1 in different sizes;

[0012] FIGS. 4 and 5 are perspective views of multiple shelf boards placed on multiple shelf supports of the universal rack assembly in FIG. 1;

[0013] FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the multiple shelf supports and the multiple shelf boards in FIG. 4;

[0014] FIG. 7 is a bottom side view of said shelf support being positioned on an extruded tube of the universal rack assembly in FIG. 1;

[0015] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the universal rack assembly in accordance with the present invention;

[0016] FIG. 9 is a side view of the universal rack assembly in FIG. 8;

[0017] FIG. 10 is an operational view of the multiple shelf supports of the universal rack assembly in FIG. 8;

[0018] FIG. 11 is an exploded view of another embodiment of the universal rack assembly in accordance with the present invention having a pivoting-door structure;

[0019] FIG. 12 is an exploded view of another embodiment of the universal rack assembly in accordance with the present invention having another pivoting-door structure;

[0020] FIGS. 13A to 13D are perspective views of door connecting heads of the universal rack assembly in FIGS. 11 and 12 in different configurations;

[0021] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the universal rack assembly in accordance with the present invention setting a sliding-door structure;

[0022] FIG. 15 is a partial perspective view of another embodiment of the universal rack assembly in accordance with the present invention constructing a multi-storage cabinet;

[0023] FIG. 16 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the universal rack assembly in accordance with the present invention constructing another cabinet;

[0024] FIG. 17 is a partially exploded view of the cabinet in FIG. 16;

[0025] FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a display stand being extendable from the universal rack assembly in accordance with the present invention; and

[0026] FIG. 19 is a partially exploded view of the display stand in FIG. 18.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0027] With reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 5, the present invention provides a universal rack assembly having multiple connecting heads 10, 10I, multiple support tubes, multiple shelf supports 30, and multiple positioning units 40. The multiple connecting heads 10, 10I and the multiple support tubes are connected via insertion and form an architecture of the universal rack assembly. The multiple shelf supports 30 are respectively disposed on multiple said support tubes. Each one of the multiple positioning units 40 is configured to position a respective one of the multiple shelf supports 30 on the corresponding support tube.

[0028] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, each one of the multiple connecting heads 10, 10I has a body 11 and multiple insert structures 12. With reference to FIGS. 3A to 3H, specifically, the body 11 has a cube-like structure with six side surfaces 111 connected to each other perpendicularly. Each one of the multiple insert structures 12 protrudes from one of multiple said side surfaces 111 of the body 11 perpendicularly to be inserted into a respective one of the multiple support tubes. With reference to FIGS. 3A to 3E, each one of the multiple insert structures 12 has at least one protruding post. A shape and a number of said protruding post may be determined in consideration of structural strength and convenience of production. The body 11 may be designed in consideration of shapes of the multiple insert structures 12, structural strength, or others.

[0029] The number of the multiple insert structures 12 and which side surface 111 said insert structure 12 protrudes from may be determined according to a position of said connecting head 10 in the universal rack assembly, which may refer to the multiple connecting heads 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E in FIGS. 3A to 3H. E.g., the connecting head 10B in FIG. 3 is located at a corner of the universal rack assembly, so the connecting head 10B has only three insert structures 12 respectively protruding from adjacent three side surfaces 111 to be inserted into three said support tubes. If said connecting head is disposed at a center of the universal rack assembly, the connecting head needs to have six insert structures 12 respectively on the six side surfaces 111 to be respectively inserted into six said support tubes on front side and rear side, left side and right side, top side and bottom side.

[0030] Moreover, with reference to FIGS. 3F to 3H, said connecting heads 10F, 10G, 10H may have different sizes. In the smaller-sized connecting head 10F, since a cross section of said side surface 111 is smaller, each said insert structure 12 has only one said protruding post to avoid having a small section area and insufficient structural strength. In the moderate-sized connecting head 10G, each said insert structure 12 may have multiple said protruding posts and have higher flexibility in design of shapes of the multiple protruding posts. In the larger-sized connecting head 10H, each said insert structure 12 may have more said protruding posts to improve stability of assembling the connecting head 10H, said support tube, and other components.

[0031] With reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 5, the multiple support tubes include multiple crossbeams 20A, 20A1 and multiple extruded tubes 20B, 20B1. Each one of the multiple crossbeams 20A, 20A1 is disposed along a length direction or a width direction of the universal rack assembly. Each one of the multiple extruded tubes 20B, 20B1 is disposed along a height direction H of the universal rack assembly. Each one of the multiple support tubes has at least one insert opening 200 on each one of its two end portions for said insert structure 12 to be inserted into. A number and a shape of said insert opening 200 may be determined according to the number and the shape of said protrusion post of the corresponding insert structure 12.

[0032] Preferably, in the multiple connecting heads 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E, 10F, 10G, 10H with reference to FIGS. 3A to 3H, each said side surface 111 with said insert structure 12 protruding therefrom has at least one abutting area. Said abutting area is located on an exterior side of the corresponding insert structure 12. Hence, apart from adopting an aluminum extrusion to form said insert opening 200 for said insert structure 12 to be inserted into, the support tube may adopt a stainless-steel tube directly sheathed onto the insert structure 12 and abut the abutting area of said side surface 111, which allows a periphery of the stainless-steel tube to be flush with an edge of said side surface 111. The stainless-steel tube can be regarded as another possibility of said support tube.

[0033] With reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 5, each one of the multiple extruded tubes 20B, 20B1 has at least one slide rail 22. Said slide rail 22 extends along the height direction H to the two opposite end portions of said extruded tube 20B, 20B1 for mounting at least one of the multiple shelf supports 30. Preferably, said slide rail 22 can be formed by extrusion; i.e., said slide rail 22 can be formed in one piece with said extruded tube 20B, 20B1 without extra machining, which reduces production cost.

[0034] With reference to FIGS. 4 to 6, the multiple shelf supports 30 are respectively mounted on the multiple extruded tubes 20B. With reference to FIGS. 5 to 7, each one of the multiple shelf supports 30 has a slider 31 and a support seat 32. The slider 31 is mounted in said slide rail 22 of the corresponding extruded tube 20B and is configured to slide along the height direction H in said slide rail 22. The support seat 32 is connected to the slider 31 and located outside said slide rail 22. The support seat 32 is configured for a shelf board to be placed onto. A shelf board can be stably placed on multiple said shelf supports 30 to form separated spaces for storage purposes.

[0035] With reference to FIGS. 5 to 7, each one of the multiple positioning units 40 is screwed with and mounted through the slider 31 of a respective one of the multiple shelf supports 30 to abut against said slide rail 22 of a respective one of the multiple extruded tubes 20B, which positions said shelf support 30 on said slide rail 22 of the corresponding extruded tube 20B. Specifically, the slider 31 has a positioning hole 33 defined therethrough for the corresponding positioning unit 40 to be screwed with and mounted through. When trying to position said shelf support 30 or cancel the above-mentioned positioning, said positioning unit 40 abuts or is withdrawn from said slide rail 22 via tightening or loosening said positioning unit 40.

[0036] In an embodiment with reference to FIG. 7, each one of the multiple shelf supports 30 has two engaging grooves 36 formed between the slider 31 and the support seat 32. The two engaging grooves 36 are arranged at a spaced interval and respectively face two opposite directions. Each said slide rail 22 of each one of the multiple extruded tubes 20B forms two engaging hooks 23 facing each other. The two engaging hooks 23 are respectively inserted into the two engaging grooves 36. When said positioning unit 40 is tightened and abuts an inner wall of said slide rail 22, the two engaging hooks 23 are engaged with the slider 31 such that said shelf support can be tightened and positioned.

[0037] In other embodiments, said slide rail 22 may have multiple recesses or holes on a bottom of an inner groove of said slide rail 22. The multiple recesses or holes are arranged along the height direction H at spaced intervals, which allows said positioning unit 40 to abut one of the multiple recesses or holes for tightening and positioning.

[0038] With reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, an embodiment of the universal rack assembly has two frameworks 80. Each one of the two frameworks 80 has two cube-shaped structures formed by multiple said support tubes. The two frameworks 80 are connected to each other via the multiple connecting heads 10, and a connecting side of each one of the two frameworks 80 is overlapped and connected with the other one of the two frameworks 80. Two said connecting sides of the two frameworks 80 share multiple said support tubes together. The multiple shelf supports 30 are respectively disposed on multiple said extruded tubes 20B in the two frameworks 80 for placing shelf boards 92.

[0039] With reference to FIG. 10, by loosening the multiple positioning units 40 from the corresponding slide rail 22, each one of the multiple shelf supports 30 can slide along the corresponding slide rail 22 via the slider 31 to adjust its position on the height direction H. After adjustment, said shelf support 30 can be re-positioned by said positioning unit 40. Thereby, a height of placing said shelf boards 92 can be adjusted.

[0040] Besides, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, each one of the multiple supporting tubes has two board grooves 21. When assembling, each one of the two board grooves 21 is configured for a cabinet board 91 to be inserted into. Thence, the universal rack assembly may construct a rack with open spaces such as a storage rack or a display rack with said shelf boards 92, further construct a table or a chair with table board or chair back, or further construct a cabinet with enclosed spaces such as a shoe cabinet or a wardrobe with said cabinet boards 91. The universal rack assembly allows for a wide range of application and has high flexibility to adjust said shelf boards 92. Additionally, the two board grooves 21 extend to two opposite ends of said support tube along a length direction of said support tube and thus can be formed by extrusion without extra machining to reduce production cost.

[0041] With reference to FIGS. 3A to 3H, the body 11 of each one of the multiple connecting heads 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E, 10F, 10G, 10H further has at least one board notch 112. Said cabinet board 91 is inserted into said board notch 112 and said board groove 21 at the same time, which improves stability of assembling said cabinet board 91, said connecting head, and said support tube. A number of said at least one board notch 112 may be determined as a position of said connecting head in the universal rack assembly. In addition, with reference to FIG. 3H, in the larger-sized connecting head 10H, a part of said protruding posts of said insert structure 12H may also abut said cabinet board 91 to improve stability of assembling.

[0042] With said slide rail 22 of said extruded tube 20B, the multiple shelf supports 30, and the multiple positioning units 40, when the universal rack assembly constructs various kinds of racks, cabinets, or furniture, said shelf support 30 can slide along the height direction H for height adjustment and be re-positioned by said positioning unit 40. Heights of said shelf boards placed on the multiple shelf supports can be flexibly adjusted. Compared to the conventional rack assembly, the universal rack assembly of the present invention has better flexibility in use and wider range of application. Also, the universal rack assembly allows height-adjustment of said shelf boards without extra connecting heads or extra machining on supporting tubes, which reduces production cost.

[0043] In addition, with reference to FIGS. 4 and 8, said extruded tubes 20B, 20B1 may have one or two said slide rail(s) 22 according to their positions in the universal rack assembly. Specifically, said extruded tube 20B1 located between other two said extruded tubes 20B has two said slide rails 22. Two said shelf supports 30 are disposed on the extruded tube 20B1 and respectively support two shelf boards with said shelf supports 30 on other two said extruded tubes 20B. Therefore, the universal rack assembly needs not have other two said extruded tubes 20B between the two extruded tubes 20B spaced from each other, which further reduces production cost.

[0044] Further, the multiple shelf supports 30 may adopt different configurations for placing said shelf board. With reference to FIG. 6, when said shelf board is a wood plank 92A, each one of the multiple shelf supports 30 may have a protrusion 34 protruding from a top surface of the support seat 32 along the height direction H, and the wood plank 92A has multiple recesses 921 on a bottom surface thereof. Said protrusions 34 of the multiple shelf supports 30 are respectively inserted into the multiple recesses 921, which allows the wood plank 92A to be placed on the multiple shelf supports 30 more stably.

[0045] With reference to FIG. 7, in other configurations, the wood plank 92A may be directly fixed to multiple said shelf supports 30 via multiple fixing units such as bolts. E.g., each one of the multiple shelf supports 30 may have a mounting hole 35 defined through the support seat 32 along the height direction H. By mounting a bolt through the mounting hole 35 and screwing the bolt into the wood plank 92A or through the wood plank 92A to be screwed with a nut, the wood plank 92A can be fixed on said support seats 32 of the multiple shelf supports 30.

[0046] Additionally, with reference to FIG. 6, when said shelf board is a glass board 92B, the universal rack assembly may adopt said shelf support 30 with the mounting hole 35. Specifically, the universal rack assembly further has multiple suction cups 93 respectively disposed in said mounting holes 35 on the support seat 32, and the glass board 92B is positioned on the multiple suction cups 93. The glass board 92B can also be placed stably.

[0047] Furthermore, in the embodiment with reference to FIG. 7, said slide rail 22 of each one of the multiple extruded tubes 20B has a ditch 24 formed on the inner wall of said slide rail 22. The ditch 24 extends along the height direction H, and an edge of the ditch 24 is V-shaped for fitting a tip of said positioning unit 40. When abutting the inner wall of said slide rail 22 of the corresponding extruded tube 20B, said positioning unit 40 abuts the ditch 24. Thus, said positioning unit 40 can be tightened on a fixed direction, and said shelf support 30 can be prevented from deflection.

[0048] Preferably, in the embodiment with reference to FIG. 8, when constructing a cabinet, the universal rack assembly may further have a pivoting-door structure. Specifically, with reference to FIGS. 8 and 11, two of the multiple connecting heads 10 are two door connecting heads 10J respectively connected to the two opposite ends of one of the multiple support tubes. Each one of the two door connecting heads 10J has a pivot shaft 13A extending perpendicularly from one of the multiple insert structures 12, and two said pivot shafts 13A of the two door connecting heads 10J extend toward each other. The two door connecting heads 10J are configured for a pivoting door 94 to be disposed therebetween, pivot about the two pivot shafts 13A, and serve as a door for opening and closing the cabinet.

[0049] With reference to FIGS. 8 and 11, specifically, the universal rack assembly has a door frame 50 having a pivot hole 51 and a door support 52. The pivot hole 51 extends toward the two door connecting heads 10J, and the two pivot shafts 13A of the two door connecting heads 10J are respectively inserted into the pivot hole 51 from two opposite ends of the pivot hole 51. The door support 52 extends toward the two door connecting heads 10J as well and has an L-shaped recess. Thus, the pivoting door 94 abuts and is disposed in the L-shaped recess of the door support 52, and the door support 52 stably supports the pivoting door 94.

[0050] With reference to FIG. 11, more specifically, the universal rack assembly has two spacer sheets 60. Each one of the two spacer sheets 60 has a through hole 61 and multiple fixing holes. The two pivot shafts 13A of the two door connecting heads 10J are respectively mounted through two said through holes 61 of the two spacer sheets 60 and inserted into the pivot hole 51 from two opposite ends of the pivot hole 51. The multiple fixing holes of said spacer sheet 60 is configured for a screw to be mounted through and fastened to the pivoting door 94. The pivoting door 94 is fixed between the two spacer sheets 60 to be disposed in the L-shaped recess of the door support 52. The two spacer sheets 60 increase structural strength of the pivoting door 94 near the two pivot shafts 13A and reduce risk of damage.

[0051] With reference to FIG. 12, in another embodiment, the universal rack assembly may omit the door frame 50. Specifically, the pivoting door 94 is made of a material having higher rigidity and may have a door pivot hole 941 formed through the pivoting door 94 or two door pivot holes 941 extending toward each other from two opposite ends of the pivoting door 94. The two pivot shafts 13A of the two door connecting heads 10J1 are respectively mounted through the two through holes 61 of the two spacer sheets 60 to be inserted into said door pivot holes 941. The pivoting door 94 may also pivot about said pivot shaft 13A. The pivot structure is not limited to the door frame 50 mentioned above.

[0052] With reference to FIGS. 13A to 13D, said door connecting heads 10J2, 10J3, 10J4, 10J5 also have different embodiments. With reference to FIG. 13A, the pivot shaft 13A may extend perpendicularly from one of the multiple insert structures 12. With reference to FIG. 13B, the pivot shaft 13A may also extend perpendicularly from one of the multiple side surfaces 111. One of the door connecting heads 10J2, 10J3 may be adopted according to reserved space, supporting strength, and a pivoting range of the pivoting-door structure. Further, said pivot shafts 13A, 13B are formed in one piece with said insert structure 12, which ensures said pivot shafts 13A, 13B to have sufficient structural strength.

[0053] Besides, with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12, two of the multiple crossbeams 20A are two pivoting-door beams 20C, 20D connected to said door connecting heads 10J, 10J1. In some embodiments, each said pivoting-door beam 20C, 20D has a blocking portion 25. After assembling the pivoting-door structure, the blocking portion 25 is located on an inner side of the pivoting door 94, which limits the pivoting door 94 to pivot outward only.

[0054] With reference to FIGS. 13C and 13D, in some embodiments, said door connecting heads 10J4, 10J5 each have a protruding seat 14 protruding from one of the multiple side surfaces of the body 11. The pivot shaft 13C extends perpendicularly from the protruding seat 14. After the pivoting door 94 is mounted on the pivot shaft 13C, the pivoting door 94 covers said door connecting heads 10J4, 10J5, said pivoting-door beams 20C, 20D connected to said door connecting heads 10J4, 10J5, and other support tubes, which improves appearance of the cabinet constructed by the universal rack assembly.

[0055] With reference to FIG. 14, in some embodiments, two of the multiple crossbeams 20A are two sliding-door beams 20E, 20F. One of the two sliding-door beams 20E has two slide grooves 26 being parallel to each other and extending toward the two opposite ends of said sliding-door beam 20E. The other one of the two sliding-door beams 20F has two ribs 27 being parallel to each other and extending toward the two opposite ends of said sliding-door beam 20F. The two ribs 27 respectively face toward the two slide grooves 26. With the two slide grooves 26 and the two ribs 27, a sliding-door structure differing from the pivoting-door structure can be disposed between the two sliding-door beams 20E, 20F.

[0056] With reference to FIG. 14, specifically, the universal rack assembly further has two sliding doors 95. Each one of the two sliding doors 95 is disposed between a respective one of the two slide grooves 26 and said rib 27 facing said slide groove 26. A top of said sliding door 95 is inserted into the corresponding slide groove 26, and a bottom of each one of the two sliding doors 95 has a slide base 96 disposed thereto. The slide base 96 has several sliding wheels 961 disposed on the corresponding rib 27. Therefore, each one of the two sliding doors 95 is slidable along the corresponding rib 27 and the corresponding slide groove 26.

[0057] Preferably, the blocking portion 25, the two slide grooves 26, and the two ribs 27 extend to the two opposite ends of the corresponding pivoting-door beam 20C, 20D or the corresponding sliding-door beam 20E, 20F along a length direction of the beam. Thence, the blocking portion 25, the two slide grooves 26, and the two ribs 27 can also be formed by extrusion mentioned above, i.e., formed in one piece with the corresponding pivoting-door beam 20C, 20D or the corresponding sliding-door beam 20E, 20F without extra machining. The universal rack assembly thus improves production efficiency and reduces production cost.

[0058] With reference to FIG. 15, an embodiment of the universal rack assembly in accordance with the present invention constructs a multi-storage cabinet. In this embodiment, the universal rack assembly has one said framework, and the framework has three cuboid structures respectively being a top layer 80A, a middle layer 80B, and a bottom layer 80C. The top layer 80A has the sliding-door structure shown in FIG. 14, which allows objects to be stored in the top layer 80A by pushing the two sliding doors 95 to slide. The middle layer 80B forms an open space without any door for directly placing objects therein. The bottom layer 80C has the pivoting-door structure shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, which allows objects to be stored in the bottom layer 80C by pivoting and opening two said pivoting doors 94. The multi-storage cabinet may adopt said extruded tubes 20B, said shelf supports 30, and said positioning units 40 in any one of the top layer 80A, the middle layer 80B, and the bottom layer 80C for placing and adjusting positions of said shelf boards 92. Therefore, the multi-storage cabinet has various configurations for storage.

[0059] In other embodiments, the universal rack assembly may have a different number of support tubes to construct said framework having a different number of layers or having different sizes. Also, the universal rack assembly may have one or multiple said frameworks. By having the multiple frameworks connected to each other continuously via the multiple connecting heads 10 and the configuration of said extruded tubes 20, said shelf supports 30, and said positioning units 40, the universal rack assembly may construct tables, chairs, display stands, or storage racks of different sizes. By further assembling said cabinet boards 91 and selectively having the pivoting-door structure and the sliding-door structure, the universal rack assembly may construct cabinets of different sizes or different storage configurations. The universal rack assembly in accordance with the present invention has great variety and high flexibility.

[0060] With reference to FIGS. 16 and 17, another embodiment of the universal rack assembly in accordance with the present invention constructs another multi-storage cabinet. In this embodiment, the universal rack assembly has one said framework. The framework has two cuboid structures respectively being a bottom layer 80D and an upper layer 80E. The universal rack assembly further has multiple shelf brackets 70. The bottom layer 80D has the pivoting-door structure and may adopt the configuration of said extruded tubes 20, said shelf supports 30, and said positioning units 40 to place said shelf boards 92 and form spaces of different sizes for storage.

[0061] In the upper layer 80E, part of the multiple support tubes are multiple stainless-steel tubes 20G. Each one of the multiple stainless-steel tubes 20G is disposed along the height direction H, has multiple adjusting holes 28, and is directly sheathed onto said insert structure 12 of said connecting head 10 as described above. Each one of the multiple shelf brackets 70 is detachably mounted to said adjusting holes 28 of the multiple stainless-steel tubes 20G at a same height, which provides another configuration for placing said shelf boards 92.

[0062] With reference to FIGS. 16 and 17, specifically, each one of the multiple shelf brackets 70 has two mounting arms 71 and two lateral bars 72. Each one of the two mounting arms 71 has two fork portions 73 and multiple notches 74. The two fork portions 73 are respectively located at two opposite ends of said mounting arm 71 and mounted to two said stainless-steel tubes 20G, wherein each one of the two fork portions 73 is inserted into adjacent two of the multiple adjusting holes 28 of said stainless-steel tube 20G. The multiple notches 74 are respectively formed on the two fork portions 73. Each one of the multiple notches 74 faces downward for an edge of said adjusting hole 28 to be engaged into. The two lateral bars 72 are disposed across and fixed to the two mounting arms 71.

[0063] By inserting the two fork portions 73 of each one of the two mounting arms 71 into different said adjusting holes 28 on the height direction H, said shelf bracket 70 and said shelf board 92 placed on the two mounting arms 71 and the two lateral bars 72 of said shelf bracket 70 can be disposed at different heights. After said fork portion 73 is inserted into two of the multiple adjusting holes 28, said shelf bracket 70 descends due to gravity, such that the edge of each one of the two adjusting holes 28 is engaged into a respective one of the multiple notches 74. Thereby, said mounting arm 71 can be prevented from inadvertently departing from said adjusting hole 28.

[0064] With reference to FIGS. 18 and 19, another embodiment of the universal rack assembly may extend to have a display stand applying multiple said stainless-steel tubes 20G. The display stand has two said frameworks 80F and multiple shelf brackets 70. Part of the multiple support tubes of each said framework 80F are multiple said stainless-steel tubes 20G and multiple connecting beams 20H, and each said framework 80F has multiple connecting tubes 97. A part of the multiple stainless-steel tubes 20G are connected with the multiple connecting beams 20H via multiple said connecting heads 10. Each one of the multiple connecting tubes 97 is connected to another said connecting tube 97 and connected between two said connecting beams at a same height.

[0065] The other part of the multiple stainless-steel tubes 20G are connected between two said connecting tubes 97 being parallel to each other on the height direction H. Specifically, said connecting tube 97 may have multiple tube bodies with different lengths, and said stainless-steel tube 20G and said tube bodies of said connecting tube 97 can be connected with each other via said connecting head 10. In other embodiments, said connecting tube 97 may have a single tube body forming an inserting post to be inserted into an end of said stainless-steel tube 20G for assembling said connecting tube 97 and said stainless-steel tube 20G. The multiple shelf brackets 70 can be mounted on said stainless-steel tubes 20G between two said connecting tubes 97 or said stainless-steel tubes 20G connected to said connecting beam 20H for placing shelf boards 92, which constructs the display stand having great variety.

[0066] With reference to FIG. 19, specifically, different from said shelf brackets 70 in the previous embodiment in FIG. 17, each one of the multiple shelf brackets 70A in this embodiment only consists of the two mounting arms 71A. Each one of the two mounting arms 71A has only one said fork portion 73A located on an end of said mounting arm 71A. The fork portion 73A is inserted into adjacent four of the multiple adjusting holes 28 of the corresponding stainless-steel tube 20G. Also, each one of the two mounting arms 71A has three said notches 74 formed on the fork portion 73A respectively for said edges of three of the four adjusting holes 28 to be engaged into.

[0067] Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and features of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only. Changes may be made in the details, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0027]With reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 5, the present invention provides a universal rack assembly having multiple connecting heads 10, 10I, multiple support tubes, multiple shelf supports 30, and multiple positioning units 40. The multiple connecting heads 10, 10I and the multiple support tubes are connected via insertion and form an architecture of the universal rack assembly. The multiple shelf supports 30 are respectively disposed on multiple said support tubes. Each one of the multiple positioning units 40 is configured to position a respective one of the multiple shelf supports 30 on the corresponding support tube.

[0028]With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, each one of the multiple connecting heads 10, 10I has a body 11 and multiple insert structures 12. With reference to FIGS. 3A to 3H, specifically, the body 11 has a cube-like structure with six side surfaces 111 connected to each other perpendicularly. Each one of the multiple insert structures 12 protrudes from one of multi...

Claims

1. A universal rack assembly comprising:multiple connecting heads disposed at spaced intervals, and each one of the multiple connecting heads havinga body having multiple side surfaces respectively facing different directions; andmultiple insert structures, each protruding from one of the multiple side surfaces;at least one framework havingmultiple support tubes, each end portion of each one of the multiple support tubes configured for said insert structure to be inserted into, wherein part of the multiple support tubes aremultiple extruded tubes disposed along a height direction of the universal rack assembly and each havingat least one slide rail extending along the height direction to two opposite ends of said extruded tube;multiple shelf supports respectively mounted on the multiple extruded tubes, and each one of the multiple shelf supports havinga slider mounted in said slide rail of the corresponding extruded tube and configured to slide along the height direction in said slide rail; anda support seat connected to the slider and located outside said slide rail; andmultiple positioning units, each one of the multiple positioning units configured to be screwed with and mounted through the slider of a respective one of the multiple shelf supports to abut against said slide rail of a respective one of the multiple extruded tubes for positioning the corresponding shelf support on the corresponding extruded tube.

2. The universal rack assembly as claimed in claim 1, whereineach one of the multiple shelf supports has a protrusion protruding from the support seat along the height direction;the universal rack assembly has multiple shelf boards; andeach one of the multiple shelf boards has multiple recesses respectively configured for said protrusions of the multiple shelf supports to be inserted into.

3. The universal rack assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the universal rack assembly hasmultiple shelf boards, each one of the multiple shelf boards being a wood plank and fixed to said support seats of multiple said shelf supports via multiple fixing units.

4. The universal rack assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the universal rack assembly hasmultiple suction cups respectively disposed on said support seats of the multiple shelf supports; andmultiple shelf boards, each one of the multiple shelf boards being a glass board and placed on multiple said suction cups.

5. The universal rack assembly as claimed in claim 1, whereineach one of the multiple shelf supports has two engaging grooves formed between the slider and the support seat and arranged at a spaced interval; andsaid slide rail has two engaging hooks respectively inserted into the two engaging grooves of the corresponding shelf support and configured to be engaged with the slider of the corresponding shelf support.

6. The universal rack assembly as claimed in claim 2, whereineach one of the multiple shelf supports has two engaging grooves formed between the slider and the support seat and arranged at a spaced interval; andsaid slide rail has two engaging hooks respectively inserted into the two engaging grooves of the corresponding shelf support and configured to be engaged with the slider of the corresponding shelf support.

7. The universal rack assembly as claimed in claim 3, whereineach one of the multiple shelf supports has two engaging grooves formed between the slider and the support seat and arranged at a spaced interval; andsaid slide rail has two engaging hooks respectively inserted into the two engaging grooves of the corresponding shelf support and configured to be engaged with the slider of the corresponding shelf support.

8. The universal rack assembly as claimed in claim 4, whereineach one of the multiple shelf supports has two engaging grooves formed between the slider and the support seat and arranged at a spaced interval; andsaid slide rail has two engaging hooks respectively inserted into the two engaging grooves of the corresponding shelf support and configured to be engaged with the slider of the corresponding shelf support.

9. The universal rack assembly as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe universal rack assembly has multiple said frameworks connected to each other via the multiple connecting heads; andadjacent two of the multiple frameworks share multiple said support tubes.

10. The universal rack assembly as claimed in claim 1, whereinpart of the multiple support tubes are multiple stainless-steel tubes;each one of the multiple stainless-steel tubes is disposed along the height direction and has multiple adjusting holes arranged at spaced intervals along the height direction; andthe universal rack assembly has at least one shelf bracket detachably mounted to said adjusting holes of the multiple stainless-steel tubes at a same height.

11. The universal rack assembly as claimed in claim 10, whereinsaid shelf bracket has two mounting arms;each one of the two mounting arms has multiple notches respectively located on two opposite ends of said mounting arm;the two opposite ends of each one of the two mounting arms are configured to be respectively inserted into said adjusting holes of two said stainless-steel tubes; andeach one of the multiple notches are configured for an edge of said adjusting hole to be engaged into.

12. The universal rack assembly as claimed in claim 1, whereinat least one of the multiple connecting heads is at least one door connecting head having a pivot shaft; andthe universal rack assembly has at least one pivoting door mounted on the pivot shaft of said door connecting head and configured to pivot about the pivot shaft.

13. The universal rack assembly as claimed in claim 1, whereintwo of the multiple support tubes are two sliding-door beams;one of the two sliding-door beams has two slide grooves being parallel to each other;the other one of the two sliding-door beams has two ribs respectively facing the two slide grooves;the universal rack assembly has two sliding doors; andeach one of the two sliding doors is slidably disposed between a respective one of the two slide grooves and said rib facing said slide groove.

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