Nesting transportable wine barrel rack

Abstract

A wine barrel rack having first and second ground level side rails oriented generally parallel to one another, each of the first and second ground level side rails fabricated from sheet metal panels, and laving an upper bend forming a flange and a lower bend forming a flange, and having a plurality of upper arcuate cut outs shaped and sized for cradling a wine barrel. Connecting members join the rails to form the rack, which may have ground level configuration and an upper, stackable configuration.

What is claimed as invention is: 
     
         1 . A wine barrel rack, comprising:
 first and second ground level side rails oriented generally parallel to one another, each of said first and second ground level side rails fabricated from sheet metal panels, having an upper bend forming a flange and a lower bend forming a flange, and having a plurality of upper arcuate cut outs shaped and sized for cradling a wine barrel;   a plurality of connecting members disposed between and connecting said first and second ground level side rails;   wherein said wine barrel rack has a disassembled/nested configuration for storage and transport and an assembled configuration for supporting a plurality of wine barrels.   
     
     
         2 . The wine barrel rack of  claim 1 , wherein said connecting members include at least connecting end panels. 
     
     
         3 . The wine barrel rack of  claim 2 , wherein said connecting members further include at least medial connecting panel. 
     
     
         4 . The wine barrel rack of  claim 1 , further including first and second stackable rails configured for placement atop wine barrels placed on said first and second ground level side rails. 
     
     
         5 . The wine barrel rack of  claim 4 , wherein said first and second stackable side rails include upper and lower arcuate cutouts, said upper arcuate cutouts for cradling and supporting a plurality of elevated wine barrels, said lower arcuate cutouts configured for placement atop a plurality of wine barrels supported by either a wine rack having ground level side rails or a wine rack having stackable rack having stackable side rails. 
     
     
         6 . The wine barrel rack of  claim 5 , wherein said stackable side rails include forklift holes. 
     
     
         7 . The wine barrel rack of  claim 4 , wherein said upper arcuate cutouts a are each disposed generally above said lower arcuate cutouts. 
     
     
         8 . The wine barrel rack of  claim 4 , wherein said upper arcuate cutouts are disposed generally between adjoining lower arcuate cutouts, so as to create a staggered configuration of upper and lower arcuate cutouts. 
     
     
         9 . The wine barrel rack of  claim 1 , wherein said connecting members comprise sheet metal panels having bends forming end legs, and bolt holes through said end legs, and wherein said first and second side rails include bolt holes that align with the bolt holes in said end legs such that bolts can be passed through the aligned holes to couple said connecting members to said side rails. 
     
     
         10 . The wine barrel rack of  claim 1 , wherein said connecting members comprise elongate tubular steel members having flanges at each end with bolt holes disposed therethrough, and wherein said side rails include bolt holes align with the bolt holes in said flanges such that bolts can be passed through the aligned holes to couple said connecting members to said side rails. 
     
     
         11 . The wine barrel rack of  claim 10 , further including support legs disposed downwardly from at least two of said connecting members proximate said flanges at each end of said tubular steel connecting member. 
     
     
         12 . A wine barrel rack having an assembled and a disassembled configuration, comprising sheet metal side rails configured with bends and cutouts to bear the weight of a plurality of filled standard wine barrels, said side rails joined by a plurality of connecting members such that said side rails are disposed in a generally parallel relationship and a horizontal orientation when in the assembled configuration, and wherein said side rails combine to capture and enclose said connecting members in a transportable package when in a disassembled configuration. 
     
     
         13 . The wine barrel rack of  claim 12 , wherein said sheet metal side rails have a Ushaped cross-sectional configuration. 
     
     
         14 . The wine barrel rack of  claim 13 , wherein said side rails include at least upper arcuate cutouts sized and shaped to conform to the outside curvature of a wine barrel. 
     
     
         15 . The wine barrel rack of  claim 13 , wherein said side rails include upper arcuate cutouts and lower arcuate cutouts. 
     
     
         16 . The wine barrel rack of  claim 15 , wherein said upper arcuate cutouts are disposed generally above said lower arcuate cutouts. 
     
     
         17 . The wine barrel rack of  claim 15 , wherein said upper arcuate cutouts are disposed generally between adjoining lower arcuate cutouts, such that said upper arcuate cutouts and said lower arcuate cutouts have a staggered pattern. 
     
     
         18 . The wine barrel rack of  claim 15 , wherein each of said arcuate cutouts includes notches onto which resilient chocks may be disposed. 
     
     
         19 . The wine barrel rack of  claim 12 , wherein said sheet metal side rails are cut from a sheet metal panel after football-shaped holes are cut so as to form the arcuate cutouts. 
     
     
         20 . The wine barrel rack of  claim 19 , wherein upper and lower flanges are formed in said sheet metal side rails after said sheet metal side rails are cut from the sheet metal panel.