Granted Patent B2

US 8,695,814 · App. 13/487,704 · Granted Apr 15, 2014

Abstract

Claims (118)

1. A rack assembly comprising:

a support;

a first group of partition members:

demountably mounted to the support; and

extending generally vertically;

a second group of partition members:

demountably mounted to respective ones of the partition members of the first group; and

extending generally horizontally;

first mounting fixtures positioned:

on the support; and

as a plurality of vertically extending series, wherein each said series of the first mounting fixtures is horizontally spaced from an adjacent series of the first mounting fixtures by a predetermined distance L;

second mounting fixtures positioned on the partition members of the first group, wherein respective pairings of the first and second mounting fixtures are interengageable to demountably mount the partition members of the first group to the support;

third mounting fixtures positioned on the partition members of the first group;

fourth mounting fixtures positioned on the partition members of the second group, wherein respective pairings of the third and fourth mounting fixtures are interengageable to demountably mount partition members of the second group to partition members of first group;

and

a plurality of bins each having:

opposed side walls each having at least a part of respective partition members of the first group;

opposed upper and lower floor members each having a respective partition member of the second group;

side walls in common with immediately laterally adjacent bins; and

floor members in common with immediately vertically adjacent bins.

2. A rack assembly as defined in claim 1 , wherein:

the support is a back panel; and

each said first mounting fixture comprises a generally vertically extending slot in the back panel.

3. A rack assembly as defined in claimed in 2 , wherein each said second mounting fixture comprises a tongue for insertion into a corresponding one of the slots.

4. A rack assembly as defined in claim 3 , wherein the weight of each partition member of said one plurality of partition members acts to retain such partition member in the corresponding slot.

5. A rack assembly as defined in claim 4 , wherein:

each floor member has a width n×L;

n is an integer between 1 and N; and

N×L is the width of the rack.

6. A rack assembly comprising:

a support;

a first group of partition members; and

a second group of partition members, wherein:

the partition members of the first group:

are demountably mounted to the support; and

extends generally vertically;

the partition members of the second group:

are demountably mounted to respective ones of the partition members of the first group; and

extend generally horizontally;

first mounting fixtures positioned on the support;

second mounting fixtures positioned on the partition members of the first group, wherein respective pairings of the first and second mounting fixtures are interengageable to demountably mount the partition members of the first group to the support;

third mounting fixtures positioned on the partition members of the first group;

fourth mounting fixtures positioned on the partition members of the second group, wherein:

each said fourth mounting fixture is vertically spaced from an adjacent fourth mounting fixture by a distance H; and

respective pairings of the third and fourth mounting fixtures are interengageable to demountably mount partition members of second group to partition members of the first group;

and

a plurality of bins each having:

opposed side walls each having at least a part of respective partition members of the first group;

opposed upper and lower floor members each having a respective partition member of the second group; and

side walls in common with immediately laterally adjacent bins.

7. A rack assembly as defined in claim 6 , wherein:

each bin floor member is separated from a next vertically adjacent bin floor member by a height m×H;

m is an integer between 1 and M; and

M×H is the height of the rack.

8. A rack assembly as defined in claim 6 , wherein the fourth mounting fixture comprises a generally horizontally extending slot.

9. A rack assembly as defined in claim 8 , wherein:

each partition member of said one plurality of partition members is formed from a pair of parallel plates; and

the respective plates of each said pair have:

spaced, non-contact regions within which the generally horizontally extending slots are formed; and

contacting regions at which the plates are fixed to one another.

10. A rack assembly as defined in claimed in 8 , wherein each third mounting fixture is an edge part of the corresponding floor member for insertion into a corresponding one of the generally horizontally extending slots.

11. A rack assembly as defined in claim 9 , wherein each of the floor members and the partition members of the first group are respectively formed with corresponding interengagable first and second locking formations to permit locking of the floor members to corresponding ones of the partition members of the first group.

12. A rack assembly as defined in claim 6 , the rack assembly further comprising a function zone having a vertical and horizontal extent, wherein:

the support over the extent of the function zone has no said partition members in the first or second group mounted thereat; and

at least one function module is mounted to the support at the function zone.

13. A rack assembly as defined in claims 12 , wherein:

the function module is indirectly mounted to the support;

the rack assembly further comprises a sub-panel having fifth mounting fixtures enabling demountable mounting of the sub-panel at corresponding ones of the first mounting fixtures of the support; and

the function module is demountably mounted to the sub-panel.

14. A rack assembly as defined in claim 12 , wherein the function module is directly mounted to the support at one or more of the first mounting fixtures.

15. A rack assembly as defined in claim 12 , wherein the function module is selected from the group consisting of:

a pill counting unit;

a pill singulating unit;

a pill dispensing unit;

a bulk material mixing unit;

a bulk material reconstituting unit;

a bulk materials mixing unit;

a bulk materials reacting unit; and

a bulk material diluting unit.

16. A rack assembly comprising:

a support;

a first group of partition members; and

a second group of partition members, wherein:

the partition members of the first group:

are demountably mounted to the support; and

extend generally vertically; and

the partition members of the second group:

are demountably mounted to respective ones of the partition members of the one plurality of partition members; and

extend generally horizontally;

first mounting fixtures on the support;

second mounting fixtures on the partition members of the first group, wherein respective pairings of the first and second mounting fixtures are interengageable to demountably mount the partition members of the first group to the support;

third mounting fixtures on the partition members of the first group;

fourth mounting fixtures on the partition members of the second group, wherein:

each said fourth mounting fixture is vertically spaced from an adjacent fourth mounting fixture by a distance H;

respective pairings of the third and fourth mounting fixtures are interengageable to demountably mount the partition members of the second group to the partition members of the first group;

a plurality of bins each having:

opposed side walls each having at least a part of respective partition members of the first group; and

opposed upper and lower floor members each having a respective partition member of the second group;

side walls in common with immediately laterally adjacent bins; and

floor members in common with immediately vertically adjacent bins;

a function zone having a vertical and horizontal extent, wherein the support over the extent of the function zone has no said partition member of the first or second group mounted thereat; and

at least one function module mounted to the support at the function zone.

17. A rack assembly as defined in claim 16 , wherein:

the rack assembly further comprises a sub-panel having fifth mounting fixtures enabling demountable mounting of the sub-panel at corresponding ones of the first mounting fixtures of the support;

and

the function module is:

indirectly mounted to the support; and

demountably mounted to the sub-panel.

18. A rack assembly as defined in claim 16 , wherein the function module is directly mounted to the support at one or more of the first mounting fixtures.

19. A rack assembly as defined in claim 16 , wherein the function module is selected from the group consisting of:

a pill counting unit;

a pill singulating unit;

a pill dispensing unit;

a bulk material mixing unit;

a bulk material reconstituting unit;

a bulk materials mixing unit;

a bulk materials reacting unit; and

a bulk material diluting unit.

Assignments (7)