Patent Application
20200346701
Various bulk material shipping containers are known. Such known material bulk shipping containers, sometimes referred to herein for brevity as known containers or as known bulk containers, are used to transport a wide range of products, parts, components, items, and materials such as, but not limited to, seeds, shavings, fasteners, and granular materials (such as sand). These are sometimes called loose materials or materials. New and improved bulk material shipping containers are continuously being developed. For example, U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2018/0002066, which is owned by the assignee of the present application and incorporated herein by reference, discloses relatively new bulk material shipping containers.
As these new bulk material shipping containers are developed, there is a continuing need to develop unloading devices that can be used for unloading loose materials from these new bulk material shipping containers. In various uses, certain of these new bulk material shipping containers need to be supported substantially above the ground to be unloaded. New and improved bulk material shipping container unloader apparatus are continuously being developed. For example, U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2018/002120, which is owned by the assignee of the present application and incorporated herein by reference, discloses relatively new bulk material shipping container unloader apparatus.
As these new bulk material shipping containers are developed, there is a continuing need to develop transporting devices that can be used for transporting these new bulk material shipping containers.
Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide bulk material shipping container trailer that meets the above need. Various embodiments of the present disclosure include a base structure, a first container support assembly, and a second container support assembly. The first container support assembly is configured to carry a full bulk material shipping container. The second container support assembly is configured to carry a non-full bulk material shipping container (e.g., empty container), and configured to break in one or more places if a full bulk material shipping container is loaded onto the assembly. In various such embodiments, the second container support assembly does not one or more supports that enables the second container support assembly to hold a full bulk material shipping container. This prevents the trailer from supporting and transporting two full bulk material shipping containers, ensuring that road and other weight restrictions are met.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention are described in, and will be apparent from, the following Detailed Description of Exemplary Embodiments and the figures.
While the systems, devices, and methods described herein may be embodied in various forms, the drawings show and the specification describes certain exemplary and non-limiting embodiments. Not all of the components shown in the drawings and described in the specification may be required, and certain implementations may include additional, different, or fewer components. Variations in the arrangement and type of the components; the shapes, sizes, and materials of the components; and the manners of connection of the components may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims. Unless otherwise indicated, any directions referred to in the specification reflect the orientations of the components shown in the corresponding drawings and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. Further, terms that refer to mounting methods, such as coupled, mounted, connected, etc., are not intended to be limited to direct mounting methods, but should be interpreted broadly to include indirect and operably coupled, mounted, connected, and like mounting methods. This specification is intended to be taken as a whole and interpreted in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure and as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.
Bulk material shipping containers are often used to transport a wide range of products, parts, components, items, and materials such as, but not limited to, seeds, shavings, fasteners, and granular materials (such as sand). These are sometimes called loose materials or simply materials. To make use of and/or store these materials appropriately, the bulk material shipping containers must be transported from one location to another. In some cases, this transport can be done via train. However, in other cases such as for the “last mile” of transport, bulk material shipping containers may instead be transported over land via a trailer attached to a transport vehicle. Due to weight restrictions of the roads, trailers, and/or transport vehicles themselves, for various such bulk material shipping containers, only one full container may be transported by a given vehicle and trailer at a time. However, it may be desirable to transport one or more empty containers from one location to another, at the same time a full container is being transported. This added efficiency of transport can reduce costs, reduce the number of needed trailers and transport vehicles, and provide various other benefits. Enabling a trailer to transport two or more containers simultaneously, however, introduces the potential for a single trailer to transport two full containers, going against the weight restrictions of the road, trailer, and/or transport vehicle.
With this issue in mind, various embodiments of the present disclosure provides a trailer having two container support assemblies, configured to carry two containers on a single trailer. A first container support assembly is configured to carry a full container. The second container support assembly is configured to carry a non-full container (e.g., empty container), and is configured to break if a full container is loaded onto that second container support assembly. In this manner, the example trailer prevents two full containers from be transported, ensuring that any weight restrictions are met.
Referring now to
The bulk material shipping container trailer 100 (referred to herein simply as the “trailer” for brevity) is configured to accommodate two bulk material shipping containers (not shown) such as the bulk material shipping container shown in U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2018/0002066. The trailer 100 includes container support assemblies for the two bulk material shipping containers, spaced apart such that a first bulk material shipping container is positioned in a center of the trailer 100, and a second bulk material shipping container is positioned at a rear of the trailer.
The trailer 100 includes a base structure 200, a first container support assembly 300, and a second container support assembly 400.
The base structure 200 includes a front end 202, a rear end 204, longitudinal members 210a and 210b, a plurality of lateral connection members 220a and 220b, wheelsets 230a and 230b, and front ground support members 240a and 240b.
The base structure 200 of the trailer 100 is configured to be removably attached to a transport vehicle (not shown) proximate the front end 202.
The longitudinal members 210a and 210b of the base structure 200 extend along a length of the trailer 100 from the front end 202 to the rear end 204. The longitudinal members 210a and 210b are generally parallel to each other when viewed from above, as shown in
The plurality of lateral connection members 220a and 220b include members that extend between and are connected to both longitudinal members 210a and 210b. The lateral connection members 220a extend transversely or perpendicularly to a longitudinal axis of the longitudinal members 210a and 210b. The lateral connection members 220b extend at a non-perpendicular angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the longitudinal members 210a and 210b.
The wheelsets 230a and 230b include corresponding axles, bearings, wheels, and other appropriate wheelset components (not shown or individually labeled).
The front ground support members 240a and 240b are each configured to transition from a stowed position to a ground engaging position. Each front ground support member 240a and 240b is extendable toward the ground, so as to enable the trailer 100 (and/or portions of the trailer 100) to be level with respect to the ground, particularly when the trailer 100 is not attached to the transport vehicle. The front ground support members 240a and 240b also assist in transitioning the trailer from being attached to the transport vehicle to being unattached, and vice versa.
The first container support assembly 300 is positioned in a middle of the trailer 100, between the front end 202 and the rear end 204 of the base structure 200. The first container support assembly 300 is connected to the base structure 200 at the first substantially horizontal portion in the middle of the trailer 100. The first container support assembly 300 is configured to support a full bulk material shipping container. In some cases, the full bulk material shipping container weighs approximately 50,000 lbs. It should be appreciated that different shipping containers may be used. One example shipping container may be rated for up to 55,000 lbs. This container itself may weigh about 4200 lbs., and a typical payload may weigh about 46,500 lbs. Another example shipping container may be rated for up to 50,000 lbs. This container itself may weigh about 3800 lbs., and a typical payload may weigh about 41,000 lbs.
The first container support assembly 300 includes first, second, third, and fourth corner nesting supports 310a, 310b, 310c, and 310d; first, second, third, and fourth lateral support arms 320a, 320b, 320c, and 320d; and first, second, third, and fourth angled support arms 330a, 330b, 330c, and 330d.
The first, second, third, and fourth corner nesting supports 310a-d are each configured to engage and assist in correctly aligning the first bulk material shipping container on the trailer 100. The corner nesting supports 310a-d are spaced apart from each other (via connections to the lateral support arms 320a-d and angled support arms 330a-d) such that they are configured to engage the bottom corners of a standard sized bulk material shipping container such as the bulk material shipping container shown in U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2018/0002066. It should be appreciated that the corner nesting supports 310a-d are substantially similar in the illustrated example embodiment. Thus, for brevity, only the corner nesting support 310a is further described in detail.
Specifically, as shown in
The first, second, third, and fourth lateral support arms 320a-d are each configured to provide lateral and vertical support to the corner nesting supports 310a-d, and thus to support a bulk material shipping container positioned on the corner nesting supports 310a-d. It should be appreciated that the lateral support arms 320a-d are substantially similar to each other in the illustrated example embodiment. Thus, for brevity, only the lateral support arm 320a is further described in detail.
The lateral support arm 320a extends laterally with respect to the longitudinal axis of the longitudinal members 210a and 210b. On a first end, the lateral support arm 320a is connected to the first corner nesting support 310a. On a second end opposite the first end, the lateral support arm is connected to the first longitudinal member 210a. Alternatively, lateral support arms 320a and 320c may be integrally formed with each other (e.g., a single arm), such that the combined lateral arm is connect to the first corner nesting support 310a at a first end, and to the third corner nesting support 310c at a second end. The combined lateral arm is then connected to the first and second longitudinal members 210a and 210b near the middle of the combined arm as shown in
The lateral support arm 320a is substantially horizontal as shown in the embodiment of
The first, second, third, and fourth angled support arms 330a-d are each configured to provide primarily lateral support to the lateral support arms 320a-d and corner nesting supports 310a-d. The angled support arms are configured to prevent forward and backward movement of the bulk material shipping container when positioned on the first container support assembly 300. It should be appreciated that the angled support arms 330a-d are substantially similar in the illustrated example embodiment. Thus, for brevity, only the angled support arm 330a is further described in detail.
The angled support arm 330a extends from the first longitudinal member 210a at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the longitudinal members 210a and 210b. On a first end, the angled support arm 330a is connected to the first corner nesting support 310a and/or the first lateral support arm 320a. On a second end opposite the first end, the angled support arm is connected to the first longitudinal member 210a. The angled support arm 330a may be connected to the longitudinal member 210a, the lateral support arm 320a, and/or the first corner nesting support 310a by welding, one or more fasteners, or any other suitable connection mechanism.
The angled support arm 330a extends from the first longitudinal member 210a at a position near or proximate the center of the first container support assembly 300. As shown in
The angled support arm 330a is substantially horizontal as shown in the embodiment of
The second container support assembly is positioned above the wheelsets 230a and 230b of the base structure 200. The second container support assembly 400 includes first, second, third, and fourth corner nesting supports 410a, 410b, 410c, and 410d, and first, second, third, and fourth lateral support arms 420a, 420b, 420c, and 420d.
The first, second, third, and fourth corner nesting supports 410a-d are each configured to engage and assist in correctly aligning the second bulk material shipping container on the trailer 100. The corner nesting supports 410a-d are spaced apart from each other (via connections to the lateral support arms 420a-d) such that they are configured to engage the bottom corners of a standard sized bulk material shipping container such as the bulk material shipping container shown in U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2018/0002066. It should be appreciated that the corner nesting supports 410a-d are substantially similar in the illustrated example embodiment. Thus, for brevity, only the corner nesting support 410a is further described in detail.
Specifically, as shown in
The first, second, third, and fourth lateral support arms 420a-d are each configured to provide lateral and vertical support to the corner nesting supports 410a-d, and thus to support an empty bulk material shipping container positioned on the corner nesting supports 410a-d. It should be appreciated that the lateral support arms 420a-d are substantially similar to each other in the illustrated example embodiment. Thus, for brevity, only the lateral support arm 420a is further described in detail.
The lateral support arm 420a extends laterally with respect to the longitudinal axis of the longitudinal members 210a and 210b. On a first end, the lateral support arm 320a is connected to the first corner nesting support 410a. On a second end opposite the first end, the lateral support arm is connected to the first longitudinal member 210a. Alternatively, lateral support arms 420a and 420c may be integrally formed with each other (e.g., a single arm), such that the combined lateral arm is connect to the first corner nesting support 410a at a first end, and to the third corner nesting support 410c at a second end. The combined lateral arm is then connected to the first and second longitudinal members 210a and 210b near the middle of the combined arm as shown in
The lateral support arm 420a is substantially horizontal as shown in the embodiment of
In this illustrated example embodiment, the second container support assembly 400 does not include the angled support arms as generally shown in
It should be appreciated that the present disclosure contemplates that the second container support assembly can be otherwise suitably configured to break in one or more places if a full bulk material shipping container is placed on such support assembly. For example, in certain such embodiments, the support assembly can include one or more weakened areas or one or more areas specifically configured to break if too much weight is placed on the support assembly.
It should be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present disclosure, and it should be understood that this application is to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.
