Clamp for handling racks of electronic equipment

A materials-handling vehicle comprising:

• a vertically moveable mast;
• a carriage connected to the vertically moveable mast;
• and
• a clamp connected to the carriage, the clamp configured to lift and carry a rack housing electronic equipment, the clamp comprising:
• a frame connected to a vertically moveable mast of the materials-handling vehicle;
• and
• a pair of opposing parallel arms connected to the frame, each arm being horizontally moveable relative to the frame such that the arms can move inward toward each other and outward away from each other;
• each arm comprising:
• a lifting pad on a bottom of the arm and configured to fit underneath the rack on a side of the rack;
• and
• an inward-facing surface configured to snugly contact or be nearby a side of the rack when the arms are in a closed position.

A method for moving a rack of electronic equipment in a data center using a materials-handling vehicle comprising a mast and a clamp connected to the mast on one side of the materials-handling vehicle, wherein the clamp comprises two opposing arms, the method comprising:

• driving the materials-handling vehicle to a position such that the clamp faces the rack;
• opening the clamp into an open position characterized by the opposing arms of the clamp separated by a distance that exceeds a width of the rack;
• driving the materials-handling vehicle such that the rack is within the opposing arms of the clamp;
• closing the clamp into a closed position such that the opposing arms of the clamp snugly contact or nearly contact opposite sides of the rack and positioning two lifting pads underneath the rack;
• lifting the clamp and thereby the rack therein;
• driving the materials-handling vehicle proximate to a desired position of the rack in the data center;
• lowering the clamp and thereby the rack therein until the rack is on a floor;
• opening the clamp into the open position and removing the two lifting pads from underneath the rack;
• and
• driving the materials-handling vehicle, sans the rack, to a displace the clamp from the rack.