Modular mobile storage system

A method of constructing a mobile storage system on a supporting surface, comprising the steps:

• providing a plurality of file cabinets, wherein each file cabinet includes a housing and a plurality of pull-out drawers movably mounted to the housing for movement between an open position and a closed position, wherein the plurality of file cabinets includes an endmost file cabinet and wherein the housing of the endmost file cabinet includes an upstanding sidewall;
• interconnecting an input drive arrangement to the sidewall of the endmost file cabinet, wherein the input drive arrangement includes a manually operable input member;
• providing an end panel arrangement which includes a frame adapted to overlie at least a portion of the upstanding sidewall of the endmost file cabinet, wherein the frame defines an interior within which the input drive arrangement is located, and wherein the end panel arrangement further includes a cover arrangement demountably engaged with the frame for enclosing the interior defined by the frame, wherein the cover arrangement is configured so as to overlie the portion of the upstanding sidewall enclosed by the frame and to overlie the input drive arrangement while exposing the manually operable input member;
• securing each file cabinet housing to a carriage, wherein each file cabinet housing is held by the carriage and wherein the drawers of each file cabinet are movable relative to the carriage between the open position and the closed position;
• positioning a plurality of axially extending rails on the supporting surface;
• and
• movably mounting the carriage to the rails.

A method of constructing a mobile storage system on a supporting surface, comprising the steps:

• providing a plurality of file cabinets, wherein each file cabinet includes a housing and a plurality of pull-out drawers movably mounted to the housing for movement between an open position and a closed position;
• securing each file cabinet housing to a carriage, wherein each file cabinet housing is held by the carriage and wherein the drawers of each file cabinet are movable relative to the carriage between the open position and the closed position;
• positioning a plurality of axially extending rails on the supporting surface by placing the rails on the supporting surface;
• engaging one or more floor members to and between adjacent rails, wherein the floor members are operable to space the rails a predetermined distance apart from each other, wherein each floor member defines a pair of spaced apart side edges, a pair of spaced apart end edges, an upper surface and an underside, and wherein a pair of spaced apart grooves are formed in the underside defined by each floor member, wherein each groove is located adjacent one of the side edges of the floor member;
• wherein each floor member is engaged to one of the rails without the use of fasteners by engaging a lip defined by each rail within one of the grooves in the underside of the floor member, wherein the distance between the grooves functions to control the spacing between the rails, and wherein the floor members are configured such that the end edges of adjacent floor members are adapted to be located adjacent each other so that the floor members cooperate to cover and overlie the area of the supporting surface between the rails;
• and
• movably mounting the carriage to the rails.

A system for mobilizing a series of drawer-type storage units relative to a support surface, wherein each storage unit includes a housing and a series of pull-out drawers, wherein each drawer is movable between an open position and a closed position, comprising:

• a carriage adapted to support the storage unit, wherein the carriage includes a series of interconnected axially extending mobile housing members;
• a series of rails adapted for placement on the support surface, wherein the rails extend in a direction substantially parallel to the direction of movement of the drawers, and wherein the carriage is movable on the rails by engagement of each mobile housing member with one of the rails;
• and
• a retainer arrangement interposed between the carriage and the rails, comprising one or more rail engagement members interconnected with the carriage and including a retainer section, and axially extending engagement structure defined by the rail, wherein the retainer section is movably received within the engagement structure defined by the rail for preventing upward movement of the carriage relative to the rail, wherein the engagement structure defined by the rail comprises an upwardly facing channel in combination with at least one overlying lip, and wherein the retainer section of each rail engagement member comprises a retainer tab adapted for placement within the channel wherein the retainer tab is configured so as to engage the overlying lip to maintain the retainer tab within the channel to prevent upward movement of the carriage relative to the rails.

A system for mobilizing a series of drawer-type storage units relative to a support surface, wherein each storage unit includes a housing and a series of pull-out drawers, wherein each drawer is movable between an open position and a closed position, comprising:

• a carriage adapted to support the storage units, wherein the carriage includes a series of interconnected axially extending mobile housing members, wherein the carriage comprises a series of interconnected carriage sections and includes a pair of endmost mobile housing members and a plurality of interior mobile housing members located between the endmost mobile housing members, wherein each interior mobile housing member is common to a pair of adjacent carriage sections;
• a series of rails adapted for placement on the support surface, wherein the rails extend in a direction substantially parallel to the direction of movement of the drawers, and wherein the carriage is movable on the rails by engagement of each mobile housing member with one of the rails;
• and
• a retainer arrangement interposed between the carriage and the rails, comprising one or more rail engagement members interconnected with the carriage and including a retainer section, and axially extending engagement structure defined by the rail, wherein the retainer section is movably received within the engagement structure defined by the rail for preventing upward movement of the carriage relative to the rail, wherein each mobile housing member defines a pair of spaced apart ends, and wherein a rail engagement member is mounted toward each end of each mobile housing member.

A system for mobilizing a series of drawer-type storage units relative to a support surface, wherein each storage unit includes a housing and a series of pull-out drawers, wherein each drawer is movable between an open position and a closed position, comprising:

• a carriage adapted to support the storage units, wherein the carriage includes a series of interconnected axially extending mobile housing members;
• a series of rails adapted for placement on the support surface, wherein the rails extend in a direction substantially parallel to the direction of movement of the drawers, and wherein the carriage is movable on the rails by engagement of each mobile housing member with one of the rails;
• and
• a retainer arrangement interposed between the carriage and the rails, comprising one or more rail engagement members interconnected with the carriage and including a retainer section, and axially extending engagement structure defined by the rail, wherein each mobile housing member defines a pair of spaced apart ends and wherein a rail engagement member is mounted toward each end of each mobile housing member, wherein the retainer section is movably received within the engagement structure defined by the rail for preventing upward movement of the carriage relative to the rail, wherein the engagement structure defined by the rail comprises an upwardly facing channel in combination with at least one overlying lip, and wherein the retainer section of each rail engagement member comprises a retainer tab adapted for placement within the channel, wherein the retainer tab is configured so as to engage the overlying lip to maintain the retainer tab within the channel to prevent upward movement of the carriage relative to the rails.

A system for mobilizing a series of drawer-type storage units relative to a support surface, wherein each storage unit includes a housing and a series of pull-out drawers, wherein each drawer is movable between an open position and a closed position, comprising:

• a carriage adapted to support the storage units, wherein the carriage includes a series of interconnected axially extending mobile housing members;
• a series of rails adapted for placement on the support surface, wherein the rails extend in a direction substantially parallel to the direction of movement of the drawers, and wherein the carriage is movable on the rails by engagement of each mobile housing member with one of the rails;
• a retainer arrangement interposed between the carriage and the rails, comprising one or more rail engagement members interconnected with the carriage and including a retainer section, and axially extending engagement structure defined by the rail, wherein the retainer section is movably received within the engagement structure defined by the rail for preventing upward movement of the carriage relative to the rail;
• wherein the carriage defines a pair of spaced apart ends, and wherein each of a pair of endmost storage units is adapted to be supported by the carriage adjacent one of the carriage ends, wherein at least one of the endmost storage units defines an outwardly facing upstanding sidewall;
• and
• an end panel arrangement located at one of the ends of the carriage, wherein the end panel arrangement includes a frame defining an interior and overlying at least a portion of the upstanding sidewall of one of the endmost storage units, and at least one cover member demountably engageable with the frame, wherein the cover member is configured to enclose the interior of the frame to conceal the portion of the upstanding sidewall of the endmost storage unit.

A system for mobilizing a series of drawer-type storage units relative to a support surface, wherein each storage unit includes a housing and a series of pull-out drawers, wherein each drawer is movable between an open position and a closed position, comprising:

• a carriage adapted to support the storage units, wherein the carriage includes a series of interconnected axially extending mobile housing members;
• a series of rails adapted for placement on the support surface, wherein the rails extend in a direction substantially parallel to the direction of movement of the drawers, and wherein the carriage is movable on the rails by engagement of each mobile housing member with one of the rails;
• a retainer arrangement interposed between the carriage and the rails, comprising one or more rail engagement members interconnected with the carriage and including a retainer section, and axially extending engagement structure defined by the rail, wherein the retainer section is movably received within the engagement structure defined by the rail for preventing upward movement of the carriage relative to the rail;
• wherein the carriage defines a pair of spaced apart ends, and wherein each of a pair of endmost storage units is adapted to be supported by the carriage adjacent one of the carriage ends, wherein each endmost storage unit defines an outwardly facing upstanding sidewall;
• and
• a drive system including an input drive member drivingly interconnected with the mobile housing members, and an input arrangement mounted to the upstanding sidewall of one of the endmost storage units and interconnected with the input drive member.

A system for mobilizing a series of drawer-type storage units relative to a support surface, wherein each storage unit includes a housing and a series of pull-out drawers, wherein each drawer is movable between an open position and a closed position, comprising:

• a carriage adapted to support the storage unit, wherein the carriage includes a series of interconnected axially extending mobile housing members;
• a series of rails adapted for placement on the support surface in spaced apart relationship, wherein the rails extend in a direction substantially parallel to the direction of movement of the drawers, and wherein the carriage is movable on the rails by engagement of each mobile housing member with one of the rails;
• a retainer arrangement interposed between the carriage and the rails, comprising one or more rail engagement members interconnected with the carriage and including a retainer section, and axially extending engagement structure defined by the rail, wherein the retainer section is movably received within the engagement structure defined by the rail for preventing upward movement of the carriage relative to the rail;
• and
• a series of floor members located between and engaged with adjacent rails, wherein the floor members and the rails include cooperating engagement structure which is operable to maintain the rails at a predetermined spacing, wherein each floor member defines a pair of spaced apart side edges, a pair of spaced apart end edges, an upper surface and an underside, and wherein a pair of spaced apart grooves are formed in the underside defined by each floor member, wherein each groove is located adjacent one of the side edges of the floor member;
• wherein each floor member is engaged to one of the rails without the use of fasteners by engaging a lip defined by each rail within one of the grooves in the underside of the floor member, wherein the distance between the grooves functions to control the spacing between the rails, and wherein the floor members are configured such that the end edges of adjacent floor members are adapted to be located adjacent each other so that the floor members cooperate to cover and overlie the area of the supporting surface between the rails.

A system for mobilizing a series of drawer-type storage units relative to a support surface, wherein each storage unit includes a housing and a series of pull-out drawers, wherein each drawer is movable between an open position and a closed position, comprising:

• a carriage adapted to support the storage units, wherein the carriage includes a series of interconnected axially extending mobile housing members;
• a series of rails adapted for placement on the support surface, wherein the rails are placed on the support surface in spaced apart relationship and extend in a direction substantially parallel to the direction of movement of the drawers, wherein the carriage is movable on the rails by engagement of each mobile housing member with one of the rails;
• wherein the carriage comprises a series of interconnected carriage sections, wherein each carriage section includes a pair of mobile housing members and is adapted to support one of the storage units, and wherein each carriage section defines a width corresponding to the spacing between adjacent rails, such that each mobile housing member is movably supported by one of the rails;
• wherein the carriage includes a pair of endmost mobile housing members and a plurality of interior mobile housing members located between the endmost mobile housing members, wherein each interior mobile housing member is common to a pair of adjacent carriage sections and wherein each interior mobile housing member is configured to support the housing of each of a pair of adjacent storage units;
• a retainer arrangement interposed between the carriage and the rails, comprising one or more rail engagement members interconnected with the carriage and including a retainer section, and axially extending engagement structure defined by the rail, wherein the retainer section is movably received within the engagement structure defined by the rail for preventing upward movement of the carriage relative to the rail;
• and
• a series of floor members located between and engaged with adjacent rails, wherein the floor members and the rails include cooperating engagement structure which is operable to maintain the rails at a predetermined spacing.

A system for mobilizing a series of drawer-type storage units relative to a support surface, wherein each storage unit includes a housing and a series of pull-out drawers, wherein each drawer is movable between an open position and a closed position, comprising:

• a carriage adapted to support the storage unit, wherein the carriage includes a series of interconnected axially extending mobile housing members;
• a series of rails adapted for placement on the support surface, wherein the rails are placed on the support surface in spaced apart relationship and extend in a direction substantially parallel to the direction of movement of the drawers, and wherein the carriage is movable on the rails by engagement of each mobile housing member with one of the rails;
• and
• a retainer arrangement interposed between the carriage and the rails, comprising one or more rail engagement members interconnected with the carriage and including a retainer section, and axially extending engagement structure defined by the rail, wherein the retainer section is movably received within the engagement structure defined by the rail for preventing upward movement of the carriage relative to the rail;
• and
• a series of floor members located between and engaged with adjacent rails, wherein the floor members and the rails include cooperating engagement structure which is operable to maintain the rails at a predetermined spacing, wherein the cooperating engagement structure comprises a pair of grooves formed in an underside defined by each floor member, wherein each groove is located adjacent a side edge defined by the floor member, and an upstanding lip defined by each rail, wherein each lip is adapted to be received within one of the grooves for fixing the spacing between adjacent rails.

A carriage for a mobile storage system, comprising:

• a series of spaced apart mobile members, wherein each mobile member includes an axially extending housing and a pair of spaced apart wheels rotatably mounted to the axially extending housing;
• and
• a structural cross-brace arrangement extending between and interconnected with the axially extending housing of each of a pair of adjacent mobile members;
• wherein the carriage comprises a pair of endmost mobile members and a plurality of interior mobile members located therebetween, wherein each interior mobile member includes a pair of spaced apart brace mounting areas located one on each of a pair of sides defined by the axially extending housing, wherein the structural cross-brace arrangement includes a brace member secured to and extending between spaced brace mounting areas of each of a pair of adjacent interior mobile members.

A carriage for a mobile storage system, comprising:

• a series of spaced apart mobile members, wherein each mobile member includes an axially extending housing and a pair of spaced apart wheels rotatably mounted to the axially extending housing between a pair of wheel supports, wherein the housing defines a pair of spaced apart sidewalls and wherein each wheel support extends between and is interconnected to the sidewalls;
• a structural cross-brace arrangement extending between and interconnected with the axially extending housing of each of a pair of adjacent mobile members;
• and
• a retainer member secured to one of the wheel supports, wherein the retainer member includes a retainer tab movably engaged with a rail adapted to support each mobile member.

A carriage for a mobile storage system, comprising:

• a series of spaced apart mobile members, wherein each mobile member includes an axially extending housing and a pair of spaced apart wheels rotatably mounted to the axially extending housing between a pair of wheel supports, wherein the housing defines a pair of spaced apart sidewalls and wherein each wheel support extends between and is interconnected to the sidewalls;
• an end bumper interconnected with one of the wheel supports, wherein the end bumper extends outwardly from an end defined by the mobile member and is adapted to engage the end bumper of a mobile member of an adjacent carriage for maintaining a predetermined spacing between the adjacent carriages;
• a retainer member secured between the wheel support and the end bumper, wherein the retainer member includes a mounting protrusion, and wherein the end bumper is engaged with the mounting protrusion for mounting the retainer member to the wheel support;
• and
• a structural cross-brace arrangement extending between and interconnected with the axially extending housing of each of a pair of adjacent mobile members.

A carriage for a mobile storage system, comprising:

• a series of spaced apart mobile members, wherein each mobile member includes an axially extending housing and a pair of spaced apart wheels rotatably mounted to the axially extending housing between a pair of wheel supports;
• a cover member extending between each pair of adjacent mobile members, wherein the cover member is secured to one of the wheel supports of each mobile member;
• and
• a structural cross-brace arrangement extending between and interconnected with the axially extending housing of each of a pair of adjacent mobile members.

A carriage for a mobile storage system, comprising:

• a series of spaced apart mobile members, wherein each mobile member includes an axially extending housing and includes a pair of spaced apart wheels rotatably mounted to the axially extending housing, wherein each wheel is rotatably mounted to an axle, and wherein the axle is engaged with a pair of bearings located one on either side of the wheel;
• a pair of bearing supports, each of which is mounted to one of the bearings, and wherein the bearing supports are secured to the axially extending housing to mount the wheel to the axially extending housing;
• wherein the housing includes a top wall and a pair of spaced apart depending sidewalls, wherein each bearing support includes a top wall engagement area which is engageable with the top wall for preventing rotation of the bearing support relative to the housing;
• and
• a structural cross-brace arrangement extending between and interconnected with the axially extending housing of each of a pair of adjacent mobile members.

A carriage for a mobile storage system, comprising:

• a series of spaced apart mobile members, wherein each mobile member includes an axially extending housing, wherein each mobile member includes a pair of spaced apart wheels rotatably mounted to the axially extending housing, wherein each wheel is rotatably mounted to an axle and wherein each axle is engaged with a pair of bearings located one on either side of the wheel, wherein the housing includes a top wall and a pair of spaced apart depending sidewalls, wherein each sidewall includes a slot within which the axle is received;
• a pair of wheel supports extending between and interconnected to the sidewalls, wherein the wheel supports are located one on either side of the wheel;
• a pair of bearing supports, each of which is mounted to one of the bearings, wherein the bearing supports are secured to the axially extending housing to mount the wheel to the axially extending housing;
• and
• a structural cross-brace arrangement extending between and interconnected with the axially extending housing of each of a pair of adjacent mobile members.

A method of assembling a carriage for a mobile storage system, comprising the steps of:

• positioning a series of mobile support members in spaced apart relationship;
• interconnecting adjacent mobile support members with each other by securing a structural cross-brace arrangement to and between the adjacent mobile support members;
• wherein each mobile support member includes a housing defining first and second ends, and wherein the step of interconnecting adjacent mobile support members is carried out by connecting a pair of brace members between the housings of the adjacent mobile support members, wherein each brace member is connected toward the first end of one of the housings and toward the second end of an adjacent one of the housings;
• and
• securing a first cover member to and between the first ends of the housings of each of a pair of adjacent mobile support members, and securing a second cover member to and between the second ends of the housings of the pair of adjacent mobile support members.

In a mobile storage system including a mobile carriage adapted for movement on a support surface, wherein the carriage is adapted to support one or more storage units including an endmost storage unit, the improvement comprising:

• an end panel arrangement located above the carriage base, wherein the end panel arrangement includes a frame adapted to overlie at least a portion of an upstanding wall defined by the endmost storage unit, wherein the frame defines an interior;
• and
• a cover arrangement demountably engaged with the frame for selectively enclosing the interior defined by the frame;
• wherein the carriage is movable relative to the support surface by means of an input drive arrangement associated with the carriage, wherein the input drive arrangement is secured to the upstanding wall of the endmost storage unit and is located within the interior defined by the frame, and wherein the input drive input arrangement includes a manually operable input member;
• wherein the frame is adapted for connection to the upstanding wall of the endmost storage unit, and wherein the cover arrangement includes one or more cover members that are configured so as to overlie the portion of the upstanding sidewall enclosed by the frame and to overlie the input drive arrangement while exposing the manually operable input member, so as to provide access to the manually operable input member.

A mobile storage system, comprising:

• a mobile carriage;
• a rail including axially extending engagement structure, wherein the carriage is movably supported on the rail;
• a plurality of storage units supported by the mobile carriage;
• and
• at least one combination retainer and storage unit mounting member secured to the carriage, and including a storage unit mounting section to which the storage unit is mounted, and a retainer section movably engaged with the axially extending engagement structure of the rail, wherein the retainer section and the engagement structure of the rail are configured to prevent upward movement of the carriage relative to the rail.

A method of assembly for a mobile storage system including a series of rails and at least one a mobile carriage movably supported on the rails, comprising the steps of:

• placing a plurality of storage units on the carriage;
• connecting a combination anti-tip and storage unit mounting member to the carriage, including the step of engaging a retainer section defined by the combination anti-tip and storage unit mounting member with retainer structure defined by the rail;
• and
• securing at least one of the storage units to the combination anti-tip and storage unit mounting member.