US 2,005,103,734 · Filed 2004-04-13
The Modular Cargo Rack Patent That Lets You Build Custom Shelving
This patent describes a shelving system where vertical metal posts have special slots or key-shaped holes, and horizontal beams snap into them using matching fingers or circular pegs. Think of it like a giant metal Lego set that lets you build sturdy storage racks to the exact size you need.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a modular cargo rack framework made from vertical posts and horizontal beams that connect via matching apertures and protrusions. What's protected here is the specific system where vertical posts contain either key-shaped apertures or slots, and the structural beams feature corresponding circular apertures or finger projections that slot into them. The design allows horizontal shelving members to be supported by this beam-and-post assembly without additional fasteners.
Why it matters
Modular shelving systems have become a massive commercial category for warehouses, retail stockrooms, and home garages because they're fast to assemble, infinitely reconfigurable, and reusable. By patenting the specific geometry of how the posts and beams lock together, Edsal protected a manufacturing approach that made industrial-grade storage affordable and accessible to small businesses and consumers. The patent covers the mechanical elegance of tool-free assembly.
Real-world use
Every time you walk into a Home Depot or Lowes warehouse section, you're likely looking at a cargo rack system very similar to this one — industrial shelving holding paint cans, tools, and seasonal goods.
Original USPTO abstract
A cargo rack utilizing structural beams, structural beams used in a framework comprising a plurality of vertical posts with either key shaped apertures or slots and a plurality of horizontal shelving members, structural beams contain either circular apertures when corresponding vertical post contains key shaped apertures or fingers when corresponding vertical post contains slots enabling structural beams to connect to vertical posts, thus allowing horizontal shelving members to be associated with structural beams and vertical posts.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 2,005,103,734
- Filing date
- 2004-04-13
- Grant date
- Application — not yet granted
- Assignee
- Edsal Manufacturing Co., Inc.
- Inventor(s)
- SALTZBERG BRUCE, WOJTOWICZ DAVID, LAMBER JEFFERY L., ST. GERMAIN THOMAS J., TROYNER ANTHONY J., BIANCHIN MITCHELL E.
- CPC class
- A47B57/50
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