Patent Grant
11518660
The invention relates generally to the apparatuses and methods for handling cargo (the “apparatus”). The apparatus can be particularly useful in the context of handling railcar freight.
According to the Railway Supply Institute, the railway supply industry contributed $74.2 billion dollars (US) to the gross domestic product of the United States. According to the Association of American Railroads, the U.S. Department of Transportation expects total freight demand in the United States to grow 35% by 2040.
Rail is particularly important to the auto industry, where according to the Association of American Railroads, freight rail moves nearly 75% of the new cars and light trucks purchase in the United States. Automobiles must arrive at the dealerships in pristine condition, which is incentivized the rail industry to use dedicated trains and railcars to move finished automobiles from assembly plants to their destinations.
The practice of using specialized and dedicated railcars to transport new cars and light trucks is a necessary limitation to ensure that vehicles arrive at dealerships in a sufficiently pristine condition. However, these limitations have a significant economic opportunity cost. With current policies and prior art equipment, such specialized railcars are empty on their return trip back to the automotive assembly plants.
It would be desirable for the railcars used to ship new vehicles to dealerships to also be filled with useful cargo on their return trips. This would reduce the cost of shipping the finished vehicles by rail, as there would be other additional revenues to be derived from the same two-way trip.
The apparatus is described in greater detail below in the Summary of the Invention section.
The invention relates generally to the apparatuses and methods for handling cargo (the “apparatus”). The apparatus can be particularly useful in the context of handling railcar freight.
The apparatus has a cab assembly and a loader assembly, both of which are mounted onto a mounting structure. The cab assembly can have a rotation capability of up to about 180 degrees, so that the operator/driver of the apparatus can always be facing the direction in which the apparatus is being driven. The apparatus can also be sized and dimensioned so that it can be driven into and out of tight locations, such as railcars, facilitating the ability of the apparatus to load and unload railcars.
The apparatus can be better understood by referencing the drawings discussed below.
Different examples of various attributes, components, and configurations that can be incorporated into the apparatus are illustrated in the drawings described briefly below. No patent application can expressly disclose in words or in drawings, all of the potential embodiments of an invention. In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, the principles, functions, and modes of operation of the system are illustrated in certain preferred embodiments. However, it must be understood that the apparatus may be practiced otherwise than is specifically illustrated without departing from its spirit or scope.
The system can be further understood by the text description provided below in the Detailed Description section.
The invention relates generally to the apparatuses and methods for handling cargo (the “apparatus”). The apparatus can be particularly useful in the context of handling railcar freight. All element numbers and associated terminology referenced below are listed and defined in Table 1 below.
Many industries rely on rail-based transportation to move components to assembly plants and finished products to stores where they can be purchased by consumers. The auto industry is particularly dependent using rail transportation to transport cars and small trucks from assembly plants to dealerships through the country. Such vehicles are typically shipped in specialized rail cars that are used for the exclusive purpose of transporting vehicles. This keeps the vehicles from being damaged in transit, so that vehicles in pristine condition can be delivered to auto dealerships. The downside to this prior art practices is that those same exclusive purpose and specialized rail cars are empty on the return trip back from the point of delivery/unloading back to the assembly plants. This represents economic waste to the rail industry and costs that are ultimately amortized over the vehicles that are shipped via rail.
The motivation for conception of the apparatus was to eliminate the practice of empty railcars on the return trip after dropping off vehicles from assembly plants for auto dealerships. Elimination of this expensive practice can be achieved through a couple of different technologies. U.S. Pat. No. 9,016,490 to Earle B. Higgins titled “MODULAR CONTAINER SYSTEM” discloses and claims a collapsible container 84 with a low footprint in collapsed mode that can be used to carry cargo in a car-hauling rail car when the car-hauling rail car has been emptied to vehicles. The modular container system can then be collapsed into a low footprint state when vehicles are picked up from the can be used to carry cargo.
Another tool to eliminate the practice of empty car-hauling rail cars after the unloading of vehicles is the apparatus 100. The apparatus 100 includes a cab assembly 400 and a loader assembly 600 that are mounted on a mounting structure 200. The mounting structure 200 forms the body of drivable vehicle with wheels 222 or some other form of motion components 220. The cab assembly 400 can rotate up to about 180 degrees, so that the operator 90 of the apparatus 100 need never drive in reverse—the operator 90 can always rotate the cab assembly 300 so that the operator 90 is facing the direction in which the apparatus 100 is being driven. The apparatus 100 can be built in smaller dimensions that other similar loading vehicles. This combination of attributes can enable the apparatus 100 to be driven into and out of car-hauling rail cars, even if such cars are bi-level or tri-level.
The apparatus 100 in conjunction with collapsible containers 84 can decrease the cost of rail freight by eliminating the waste of empty car-hauling rail cars. Tens of millions of dollars can be saved each year by increasing the utilization of what is now wasted space of empty car-hauling rail cars. The prior art practice of empty car-hauling rail cars is well established. As are the dimensions and size of loader vehicles, which are too large for maneuvering within a car-hauling rail car.
The freight rail industry has always been measured by time. At the outset, it was a uniform system to mediate time differences across the United States and build reliability into an erratic and rapidly expanding rail network. Railroad time remains a lasting standard, but the apparatus 100 in conjunction with the modular collapsible container 84 represent a change in focus to the elimination or reduction of empty miles by auto railcars. This is particularly important given that automobile manufacturers (OEMs) use specialized multi-level automobile transport railcars (auto racks 62) to transport finished vehicles to markets across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Auto racks 62 are not designed to ship anything other than vehicles and are often deadheaded (i.e. empty) on the return trip.
Only recently did the collapsible containers 84 invented by the applicant become the first containers 80 ever certified and approved for shipping goods on pallets using auto racks 82. Those collapsible containers 84 are designed to hold two full pallets and can be used to transport any goods currently shipped by pallets on railcars 62, except for hazardous materials. Auto racks 62 loaded with the collapsible containers 84 can and will compete with trucks and other railroad cars currently used to haul goods on pallets.
Different examples of various attributes, components, and configurations that can be incorporated into the apparatus 100 and its operating environment are illustrated in the drawings and described in Table 1. and de. However, no patent application can expressly disclose in words or in drawings, all of the potential embodiments of an invention in a comprehensive manner. In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, the principles, functions, and modes of operation of the apparatus 100 are illustrated in certain preferred embodiments. However, it must be understood that the apparatus 100 may be practiced otherwise than is specifically illustrated without departing from its spirit or scope.
All terminology associated with an element number is defined in Table 1 below.
The apparatus 100 was conceptualized to address the problem of unused railcar space in the context of railcars used exclusively for the transport of cars and light trucks. As discussed above, the operating parameters of the apparatus 100 were conceived of to specifically enable the use of collapsible containers 84 that would be filled and loaded in railcar space that would otherwise be used exclusively for automotive vehicles. Such railcar space is needlessly empty without the use of the modular collapsible containers 84 in conjunction with a loader apparatus 100 small and agile enough to maneuver into and out of such a railcar. The apparatus 100 can also have a cab assembly 400 with a horizontal rotation capability of up to about 180 degrees, so that the operator 90 of the apparatus 100 can always drive in the direction that the operator 90 is facing. This combination of attributes can enable the efficient, safe, and widespread utilization of railcar space that would otherwise go unutilized.
A. Driving to Pick-Up Cargo
B. Picking-Up Cargo
C. Rotating Cab Assembly
D. Leaving the Railcar/Confined Area
E. Driving Off with the Cargo
F. Delivering Cargo to Destination
G. Unloading the Cargo at the Destination
The process illustrated from
A. Mounting Structure
The mounting structure 200 can also include components such as an engine 300 (typically a turbo-charged engine 310 that is a diesel engine 320), a transmission 350 (such as a hydrostatic transmission 352 with predefined speed ranges 354 and an auto-shift capability 356). Some embodiments of the mounting structure 200 can include a speed management assembly 360, a dynamic brake 370, an inching pedal 372, a mechanical gearbox (such as a four-speed mechanical gearbox 376).
B. Bi-Directional Cab Assembly
The cab assembly 400 can rotate up to about 180 degrees on the horizontal rotation point 282, enabling the operator 90 to always face the direction in which the apparatus 100 is being driven.
C. Loader Assembly
There are many potential variations to the loader assembly 600 that can be incorporated into the apparatus 100. Subject to the geometric/dimensioning constraints that motivated the conception of the apparatus 100, virtually any prior art loader assembly 600 can be incorporated into the apparatus 100.
The apparatus 100 can be used in a variety of different processes for the loading and unloading of cargo 70.
A. Loading Process
At 910, the apparatus 100 is driven to the cargo 70.
At 920, the loader assembly 600 (or more specifically a portion of the loader assembly 600 such as a fork 710) is positioned under the cargo 70.
At 930, the cargo 70 is lifted by the loader assembly 600 of the apparatus 100.
At 940, the cab assembly 400 is rotated 180 degrees.
At 950, the apparatus 100 (with the cargo 70 on the loader assembly 600) drives off in the direction that the cab assembly 400 is facing.
B. Unloading Process
At 950, the apparatus 100 (with the cargo 70 on the loader assembly 600) drives off in the direction that the cab assembly 400 is facing. The apparatus 100 is driven to the destination location for the cargo 70.
At 960, the loader assembly 600 is positioned.
At 970, the loader assembly 600 lowers the cargo 70, unloading the cargo 70.
At 980, cab assembly 400 rotates up to about 180 degrees so that the apparatus 100 can “back-up” with the operatory 90 facing the direction being driven.
At 990, the apparatus 100 is driven away, driving in the direction that the operator 90 is facing (which is also the direction that the cab assembly 400 faces).
Points of vertical rotation include the turret 616, fork roll 705, and fork tilt 706. Points of horizontal rotation can include the cab assembly 400 at 410, and left/right rotation at 614. Elongation and contraction can be implemented in the telescopic extension 650.
A mounting structure 200 for attaching a bi-directional cab assembly 400 at the end of a loader assembly 600 with telescopic handlers to a skid steer loader of the bi-directional type, the structure mounting the cab at the end behind the skid steer loader with the cab rotating in a turning radius of 180° direction and accommodating small spaces for easy movement of the head to a trailing transport mode behind the skid steer loader when traveling in a direction opposite to the skid steer loader′ direction. The mounting structure is carried by the skid steer loader which, in the operational mode of the skid steer loader. The mounting structure allows use of a skid steer loader head on a bi-directional cab which may be of the center articulated type, so that when moving in one direction, normal skid steer loader is carried out, but the bi-directional skid steer loader can assume a trailing travel mode when the bi-directional skid steer loader is driven in the opposite direction, thus allowing the machine to occupy considerably less width. Also, because the bi-directional skid steer loader is centrally disposed behind the skid steer loader head, the skid steer loader can be designed to lay a windrow at a distance from the end of the skid steer loader and yet in a position which will avoid being back-up travel in the skid steer loader. Bi-directional cab and skid steer loader combined with apparatus performing additional operations while loading transportation convenience in small spaces of rail cars and trailers gathering or loading material for transporting.
A device suitable for the use with rail car or shipping commodities that can be used to load various goods in heretofore unutilized empty car-hauling containers and an integrated system employing the same. The device includes a base member configured to engage the loading supporting the bi-directional loader. in the transport vehicle, the vehicle includes smoothly operable controls and a safety user-positioning method. The vehicle further includes a power source rapid disconnection and connection system for recharge and replacement and for secure connection. Also, the vehicle may include a safety speed regulator, and a bi-directional safety braking system. Further, the vehicle includes a preferential drive sharp-turns enabling system. The vehicle further includes an initially-flat indicia-applicable cowling. It may also include a protective security lock, a further or alternative braking system, and may be readily separable for shipping.
A. Apparatus with 180 Degree Turning Radius
The 180° turning path of the apparatus 100 measures the minimum possible turning radius needed when designing parking, loading, and drop-off spaces in a railroad auto rack. Measuring the inner and outer radii of the 180° turn, a minimum inner radius of 8′7″|5.3 m and minimum outer radius of 7′4″|5.3 m should be provided. Though the turning path requires a width of only 7′6″|2.3 m, additional clearances should be provided whenever possible to accommodate a larger variety of pallet sizes and driver abilities.
The turning path of an auto rack sized length of 89′4″ measures the possible turning radius necessary for performing a 180° turning path in an auto rack with an 8′7′″|5.3 m height. Measuring the inner and outer radii of the 180° turn, a minimum inner radius of 8′7″|5.3 m and minimum outer radius between containers should be provided for medium-sized pallets.
B. Mounting Structure
Designed for Skid Steers/Compact Tool Carriers, allowing standard size skid steer attachments to be connected. The adapter is designed to fit any unit with the “universal mini mount”. This adapter provides greater versatility in terms of choice of attachments. In addition, the operator 90 can easily switch attachments between a standard skid steer loader and a mini skid steer, resulting in greater functionality, while offering the owner a low cost of ownership.
Unlike a conventional front loader, the lift arms in the machines are alongside the driver with the pivot points behind the operator's 90 shoulders. Because of the operator's 90 proximity to moving booms 610, the apparatus 100 has positioned the operator 90 behind the skid loaders with a rotating cab and safer than a conventional front loader, particularly during entry and exit of railcars or rail auto racks. This new rotating cab assembly 400 is preferably a fully enclosed cab and other features to protect the operator 90. Like other front loaders, it can push material from one location to another, carry material in on its forks 710 or load material into a railcar 60 or rail auto rack 62.
C. Cab Assembly with 180 Degree Rotation Capability
Fully Enclosed Rotating Cab with hydraulic rotation cab axe scope on a Skid Steer loader. For extra safety and comfort, B-Directional Cab Assembly 400 can be equipped with work lights and positioned on the top of the cabin (2 in front and 2 at the rear). Gives the visibility to work in dark environments or finish in total safety. The Bi-Directional rotating cab design with high-resistance full-glass enclosure gives a spacious work environment, unbeatable 180° visibility and superior range of vision. The concept can use a four or five-pillar cab design, leaving both sides free from blocking structures while still offering maximum protection.
D. Turbo-Charged Engine
The diesel engine can meet strict emission regulations in various markets, while delivering superior fuel economy and overall efficiency with reliability has long provided the two engines the 4TN101 and 4TN107 has the experience in cutting-edge diesel engine technology, and with the very best high-power, fuel-efficient diesel engines that can be incorporated into the apparatus 100.
E. Heavy-Duty Telescopic Loaders
Telescopic Loaders can provide the apparatus 100 with a heavy-duty hydrostatic transmission that delivers smooth power quickly, with high wheel torque for loading and pushing. Operation can be safe and easy, with many additional features to help you get the job done quickly and efficiently: two speed ranges with shift-on-the-fly, auto-shift functionality during heavy load conditions, speed management system, dynamic braking and an inching pedal, also a 4-speed mechanical gearbox to optimize speed and torque for each load or unload.
F. Telescopic Handler
For durability and working on the most intensive auto racks, the telescopic handler is equipped with heavy-duty axles. The heavy-duty axles and central differential gear, service brakes in oil bath, 3 planetary gears in hubs, one steering cylinder protected in upper position, position sensor to re-align wheels when changing the steering mode.
Moving materials, loading containers with several types and sizes, handling container with self-leveling forks, lifting containers with standard automatically levels the folks or attachment as the boom is raised eliminating the need for manual adjustments. The Bi-Directional telehandlers become multi-functional machine for loading Auto-Racks (Bi-Level, Tri-Level) lift higher, lift heavier, lift safer range and movements of the Bi-Directional loader.
G. Boom
Handling container loads can be tricky inside railcars, auto racks even for experienced operators. For the comfort and safety, the bi-directional rotating loader with a boom cushion system that allows a smoother motion when the boom is close to min and max angles, or close to full retraction.
H. Skid-Steer Loader
The design, balance and weight distribution are perfected to deliver more usable horsepower, powerful breakout forces and faster cycle times. With a Bi-Directional skid steer loader we can work in smaller places and with the rotating cab turning 1800 radius the turning, makes it extremely maneuverable and valuable for loading railcars and auto rail racks that require a compact, agile loader and this Bi-Directional loader can left height of 19′1″ containers in tight spaces.
I. Lift Arms
Container floating forks can move container/pallets more quickly and efficiently and are safe and easy to operate. Mounted on a carriage with a backrest and independent oscillating bars, they are free to swing while remaining level with the ground. They make it easier to slot the forks into the container/pallet openings, without having to adjust the tilt angle and height as much as with any fixed forks.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2199095 | Banker | Apr 1940 | A |
| 3229602 | Vivier | Jan 1966 | A |
| 3665787 | Wilkinson | May 1972 | A |
| 4790711 | Calaway | Dec 1988 | A |
| 7383906 | Sewell | Jun 2008 | B2 |
| 20040151568 | Bellchambers | Aug 2004 | A1 |
