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A rack for holding articles, components, parts and other such items and further being collapsible and stackable upon other similar racks whether any of the racks are in an upright or collapsed position. The rack includes a shelf and a plurality of leg assemblies distributed about the shelf perimeter

A rack for holding articles, components, parts and other such items and further being collapsible and stackable upon other similar racks whether any of the racks are in an upright or collapsed position. The rack includes a shelf and a plurality of leg assemblies distributed about the shelf perimeter, the leg assemblies each having a leg footer, a leg member, and a slider pivot bearing joining the proximal ends of the leg footer and leg member thereby constraining relative motion between the leg footer and leg member to two degrees of freedom. Embodiments of the rack further include retaining tabs on the leg member and corresponding notches on the leg footer to lock leg members in the upright position. Pairs of leg assemblies may be connected by primary connecting frame elements forming a portion of the perimeter, with the pairs being connected by secondary connecting frame elements forming another portion of the perimeter.

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1. A rack comprising: a shelf having a single continuous top surface, a perimeter and a geometric center;at least two leg assembly pairs spaced apart and distributed about the perimeter in rotational symmetry with respect to the geometric center, and wherein each leg assembly pair comprises a first

1. A rack comprising: a shelf having a single continuous top surface, a perimeter and a geometric center;at least two leg assembly pairs spaced apart and distributed about the perimeter in rotational symmetry with respect to the geometric center, and wherein each leg assembly pair comprises a first leg assembly and a second leg assembly joined by a primary connecting frame element that is adjacent to a portion of the perimeter, each leg assembly comprising:a leg member having an outer surface, a maximum leg member width, a proximal end and a distal end, comprising:a bearing surface extending through the proximal end of the leg member; and a retaining tab protruding from the outer surface longitudinally between the bearing surface and the distal end of the leg member body;a leg footer having a proximal end and a distal end, and affixed to the perimeter comprising:a tubular shell body having an interior shape sized to receive the proximal end of the leg member;a notch sized to receive the retaining tab formed in and open to the proximal end of the leg footer;a bearing surface extending through the proximal end of the leg footer;an opening in the leg footer extending longitudinally from the proximal end of the leg footer along all of the tubular shell body and having atransverse width greater than the maximum leg member width; and a stacking socket extending from the distal end of the leg footer sized toreceive from a second rack for stacking thereon a distal end of a leg member or a proximal end of a leg footer; anda slider pivot bearing connecting the proximal end of the leg member to the proximal end of the leg footer comprising a shaft pin secured within the bearing surface of the leg footer and the bearing surface of the leg member wherein the proximal end of the leg member is contained within the tubular shell of the leg footer, the leg member being thereby movable between:an upright position wherein the leg member extends vertically from the leg footer wherein the retaining tab is retained within the notch; anda collapsed position wherein the leg member is slid upward so that the retaining tab is released from the notch and the leg member is pivoted into a horizontal position,thereby extending horizontally from the opening in the leg footer body;a secondary connecting frame element joining perimetrically adjacent leg assembly pairs in the at least two leg assembly pairs, and wherein the secondary connecting frame element is adjacent to a portion of the perimeter; a pair of spaced apart fork guides affixed to the rack in parallel beneath the shelf; a plurality of tie-downs affixed to the rack;a plurality of circular mounting holes through the shelf sized and adapted for receiving fasteners; anda plurality of mounting brackets affixed to the top surface of the shelf such that they protrude therefrom, wherein each mounting bracket is an inverted substantially U-shaped bracket having an generally planar upper surface with apertures there through. 2. The rack of claim 1, wherein the bearing surface of the leg footer comprises a circular bearing surface comprising an interior surface of a hole, and wherein the bearing surface of the leg member comprises a linear bearing surface comprising an interior surface of a slot, whereby the shaft pin is constrains the leg member to linear motion with respect to the shaft pin, and the leg footer and leg member are constrained to axial rotation about the shaft pin with respect to one another. 3. The rack of claim 1, wherein the bearing surface of the leg member comprises a circular bearing surface comprising an interior surface of a hole, and wherein the bearing surface of the leg footer comprises a linear bearing surface comprising an interior surface of a slot,whereby the shaft pin is constrained to linear motion with respect to the leg footer, and the leg footer and leg member are constrained to axial rotation about the shaft pin with respect to one another. 4. A rack comprising: a shelf having a single continuous top surface and a first and second pair of parallel sides together forming a perimeter;a pair of primary support structures, each comprising:a pair of leg assemblies comprising:a leg member having a proximal end and a distal end, comprising:a leg member body having a pair of opposing sides each having an outer surface and together defining a maximum leg member width there between;a pair of slots in the pair of opposing sides and extending longitudinally from the proximal end of the leg member; anda retaining tab protruding from the outer surface of each opposing side and located longitudinally between each slot and the distal end of the leg member;a leg footer having a proximal end and a distal end, comprising:a leg footer body comprising a U-channel shell having two parallel sides defining an interior diameter greater than the maximum leg member width, a perpendicular side joining the two parallel sides and an open side;a notch sized to receive a retaining tab formed in and open to the proximal end of the leg footer on each parallel side of the leg footer body; a hole formed in the proximal end of the leg footer on each parallel side ofthe leg footer body; anda stacking socket at the distal end of the leg footer sized to receive from a second rack for stacking thereon a distal end of a leg member body or a proximal end of a leg footer body; anda slider pivot bearing securing the proximal end of the leg member within the proximal end of the leg footer comprising a shaft pin secured througheach hole in the leg footer and each slot in the leg member wherein the proximal end of the leg member is contained within the leg footer, the leg member being thereby movable between:an upright position wherein the leg member extends vertically from the leg footer wherein the retaining tabs are retained within the notches; anda collapsed position wherein the leg member is slid upward so that the retaining tabs are released from the notches and the leg member is pivoted into a horizontal position, thereby extending horizontally from the open side of the leg footer body; anda primary connecting frame element affixed between and joining the pair of leg assemblies to form the primary support structure,wherein the pair of primary support structures are each affixed to a side in the first pair of parallel sides of the shelf;a pair of secondary connecting frame elements each affixed between and joining a leg assembly from each of the primary support structures, and wherein the pair of secondary connecting frame elements are each affixed to a side in the second pair of parallel sides of the shelf;a pair of spaced apart fork guides affixed to the rack beneath the shelf and in parallel to the pair of secondary support structures;a plurality of tie-downs affixed to the rack;a plurality of mounting brackets affixed to the top surface of the shelf such that they protrude therefrom, wherein each mounting bracket is an inverted substantially U-shaped bracket having an generally planar upper surface with apertures there through; andwherein a plurality of circular mounting holes are formed through the shelf.