Spacesaver Corporation

Daniel K Fay

James C Muth

A mechanism that automatically locks a movable storage unit against closure of an aisle between the unit and a blocking object such as a facing movable or stationary storage unit or wall, while permitting continued opening of the aisle, without any electrical controls. A ratcheting device, such as a pawl and a toothed wheel, is shiftable between a ratcheting state permitting movement of the movable storage unit only away from the facing storage unit or wall, and a non-ratcheting state permitting movement of the unit in either direction. The mechanism includes a bar biased toward the facing storage unit or wall, and a drive shaft rotated by the bar and driving a cam block to shift the pawl from its non-ratcheting state to its ratcheting state due to the movable storage unit having moved away from the facing storage unit or wall by a predetermined distance. The drive shaft is connected to the cam block by a lost motion connection, so that once the pawl is switched to its ratcheting state the cam block is no longer driven by the drive shaft. A reset switch is also provided for resetting the pawl to the non-ratcheting state, again permitting movement of the mobile storage unit toward the facing storage unit or wall. The reset switch works by rotating the cam block in the opposite direction once the cam block is freed from the drive shaft.

Growing community of inventors

McFarland, WI, United States of America

Daniel K Fay