Collapsible assembly for transporting vehicles in a container

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6688818
  • Patent Number
    6,688,818
  • Date Filed
    Thursday, February 14, 2002
    23 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, February 10, 2004
    21 years ago
Abstract
A collapsible assembly for loading and transporting vehicles in a cargo container having a roof, a floor, two elongate side walls, and front and rear walls, includes two pairs of spaced vertical posts, one pair being at the front end of the frame and another pair being at the rear end. Front and rear horizontally mounted crossbars support two ramps for carrying a vehicle when the assembly is in its open position. Each crossbar has two members of equal length rotatably and slideably attached to the posts and connected together by a hinge that allows each crossbar to be folded in half interiorly of the frame thus pulling the posts together in a collapsed closed position for storage purposes.
Description




CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION




Not Applicable.




STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT




Not Applicable.




REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX




Not Applicable.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




The present invention relates to stowage systems and methods for carrying vehicles in a container, and particularly to collapsible assemblies.




2. Description of Related Art




Several systems have been developed to transport vehicles in containers. Many systems are expensive and inefficient because they require auxiliary power units for electric, pneumatic, hydraulic, or forklift vehicle-handling apparatus.




The prior systems are cumbersome and take up a great deal of space even when disassembled. Moreover, the prior art systems are very complex and expensive and can require several people for setup and takedown.




BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




In one aspect of the present invention there is provided a collapsible assembly for loading and transporting vehicles in a substantially rectangular container having a roof, a floor, two elongate side walls, an end wall and a door comprising a frame including a front end and a rear end, the frame further including two pairs of spaced vertical post members, one pair being at the front end of the frame and another pair being at the rear end of the frame. Each post member has an upper end portion and a lower end portion to which is mounted a respective front and rear horizontal crossbar by way of first means for mounting the crossbars horizontally between the post members. A ramp means having a rear end portion and a front end portion is removably mountable on the crossbars. Each crossbar includes a first and second crossbar member having first and second end portions and means for connecting the first end portion of the first crossbar member to the first end portion of the second crossbar member. The means for mounting the respective front and rear crossbar to respective post members includes means for mounting the second end portions of the crossbar members to respective post members.




The means for mounting the second end portions of the crossbar members includes means for rotatably mounting the crossbar members to respective front and rear post members and for slideably mounting the crossbar members to respective front and rear post members. The first and second crossbar members are of substantially equal length.




The assembly has an open position for carrying a vehicle on the ramp means and a closed position for storing the assembly, the frame defining an interior space when the assembly is in said open position. The means for connecting the first end portions of respective crossbar members includes hinge means for folding the crossbar members inwardly into the interior space when the assembly is moved from the open position to the closed position. The means for mounting the second end portions of respective crossbar members includes means for selectively adjusting the vertical position of the crossbar members for selectively controlling the angle and height of the ramp means secured to the crossbars.




In other aspects of the present invention there is provided a collapsible assembly for loading and transporting vehicles in a substantially rectangular container having a roof, a floor, two elongate side walls, an end wall and a door comprising a frame having a front end and a rear end, the frame including two pairs of spaced vertical post members, one pair being at the front end of the frame and another pair being at the rear end of the frame. Each post member has an upper end portion and a lower end portion. There are front and rear horizontal crossbars, and first means for mounting the front crossbar horizontally between the post members at the front end of the frame and second means for mounting the rear crossbar horizontally between the post members at the rear end of the frame. A ramp means is included having a rear end portion and a front end portion removably mountable on the crossbars. Each crossbar includes a first and second crossbar member having first and second end portions and hinge means for connecting the first end portion of the first crossbar member to the first end portion of the second crossbar member and the first and second means for mounting respective front and rear cross to respective front and rear post members incilding means for mounting the second end portions of the first and second crossbar members to respective front and rear post members. The means for mounting the second end portions of the first and second crossbar members includes means for rotatably and slideably mounting the first and second crossbar members to the respective front and rear post members.




The first and second crossbar members are of substantially equal length. The assembly has an open position for carrying a vehicle on the ramp means and a closed position for storing the assembly, the frame defining an interior space when the assembly is in the open position and a closed position for storing the assembly, the crossbar being folded inwardly about the hinge means in the closed position. There is also securing means for securing folded crossbars to the frame to inhibit movement of the folded crossbars when the assembly is in the closed position. Also included is securing means for removably affixing the ramp means to said assembly and for attaching the front end portion of the ramp means to the front crossbar. The means for mounting the second end portions of the respective crossbar members includes means for selectively locating each crossbar independently to the respective post member at a plurality of selectable heights above the floor of a container for selectively controlling the angle and height of the ramp means secured to the crossbars.




In a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a collapsible assembly for loading and transporting vehicles in a substantially rectangular container having a roof, a floor, two elongate side walls, an end wall and a door comprising a frame having a front end and a rear end, the frame including two pairs of spaced vertical post members, one pair being at the front end of the frame and another pair being at the rear end of the frame and each post member has an upper end portion and a lower end portion. A front and rear horizontal crossbar is included and there is first means for mounting the front crossbar horizontally between the post members at the front end of the frame and second means for mounting the rear crossbar horizontally between the post members at the rear end of the frame. The ramp means has a rear end portion and a front end portion and securing means is connected between one end portion of the ramp means and one crossbar for securing one end portion of the ramp means to one crossbar. The assembly has an open position for carrying a vehicle on the ramp means and a closed position for storing the assembly, and each crossbar includes a first and second crossbar member having first and second end portions and hinge means for connecting the first end portion of the first crossbar member to the first end portion of the second crossbar member. The crossbars are foldable about the hinge means when the assembly is in the closed position. Also included is first and second means for mounting the respective front and rear cross to the respective front and rear post members for rotatably and slideably mounting the second end portions of the first and second crossbar members to the respective front and rear post members. There is also means for securing the frame to a floor of a container.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING




The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:





FIG. 1

is a side-elevation view of the collapsible assembly in accord with the present invention shown carrying a vehicle ramp;





FIG. 2

is a partial elevation of the rear securing apparatus for a ramp and the height adjustment apparatus used in

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 3

is a side elevation of the front securing apparatus for a ramp;





FIG. 4

is a rear elevation view of the rear crossbar showing the location of the vehicle ramps;





FIG. 5

is a front elevation of the front crossbar;





FIG. 6

is a top view of the crossbars of

FIGS. 4 and 5

shown partially closed and connected to the upper frame members;





FIG. 7

is a top view of the assembly shown in collapsed form;





FIG. 8

is a side view of the assembly in a closed position;





FIG. 9

is a detail of the center-hinged portion of a crossbar in the closed position of

FIG. 7

;





FIG. 10

is a detail of the top of the hinged portion of a crossbar in the open position;





FIG. 11

is a top view of the hinged portion of a crossbar with a partially closed position in broken line and a fully closed position in solid line.





FIG. 12

is a side view of the hinged portion of a crossbar in the open posi tion; and





FIG. 13

is a side view of an assembly in accord with the present invention mounted in a cargo container and carrying a vehicle.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION




With respect now to the drawings, the collapsible assembly set up for use for carrying a vehicle is illustrated at numeral


10


in FIG.


1


. The assembly


10


is comprised of a frame having two spaced L-shaped lower frame members


11


and two spaced upper frame members


12


. Two spaced telescoping front post members


16


and two spaced telescoping rear post members


17


are rigidly connected between the end portions of the lower and upper members


11


and


12


respectively. Three pairs of spaced strut members


13


,


14


, and


15


provide additional rigidity and strength Cor assembly


10


.




An upper flange


18


and lower flange


19


provide a securing member for the respective rear and front hinge apparatus via members


20


,


21


and


22


,


23


respectively, as will be explained hereinbelow. Front


24


and rear


25


securing apparatus for a pair of spaced ramps


27


and height adjustment means


26


will also be described hereinbelow.




In

FIG. 2

, a partial detail of one end of a crossbar


25


or


26


is illustrated. Crossbar member


30


is welded to a sleeve or collar member


34


that is slidable and rotatable. Sleeve member


34


is movable upwardly above stop


35


to allow a pin


33


′ to be inserted through aligned holes


33


and


34


′ to adjust the height of member


30


above stop


35


which is affixed to the lower portion of post


17


.




Pin


28


is used to secure a ramp


27


(shown only pictorially) to crossbar


26


. Pin


28


is shaped to pit into hole


31


and rest on top of ramp lip


29


. Gusset


32


provides for additional strength.





FIG. 3

illustrates how the lower end of a ram


27


is secured to front crossbar members


30


and


47


. Lock pin


38


is carried by bracket


36


and is biased via spring


37


. Pin


38


fits through a hole


45


in front crossbar


25


. Support plate


40


is welded to hinge


41


to which is also welded support plate


39


. Pin


38


fits through hole


42


in support plate


39


. Apparatus


24


allows for adjustments of the mounting angle between ramp


27


and front crossbar


25


as the height of the rear crossbar


26


is changed without removing a ramp


27


from the crossbars


25


,


26


.




In

FIG. 4

, rear crossbar


26


is shown from the rear mounted between rear posts


17


. Crossbar


26


includes two members


30


and


47


and hinge apparatus


46


that provides an articulated linkage means between the members


30


,


47


. Ramps


27


are shown only pictorially to illustrate their relative position.





FIG. 5

provides a front view of front crossbar


25


mounted between front posts


16


.




Preferably, crossbars


25


and


26


are identical. In addition, front posts


16


are identical. In addition, front posts


16


are preferably identical with rear posts


17


and include gusset


51


, sleeve portion


49


and stop


50


, otherwise identical to the height adjustment apparatus of posts


17


with the exception that the lower portion of each front post


16


is shorter than the lower portion of rear post


17


.




In

FIG. 6

a top view of the assembly


10


is shown partially collapsed. Each crossbar


25


,


26


folds via hinge apparatus


46


thus drawing the upper frame members


12


and lower frame members


11


closely together inwardly in a parallel manner with crossbars


25


,


26


essentially folded in half and positioned between the lower and upper members


11


and


12


.





FIG. 7

illustrates a top view of the assembly


10


that has been collapsed to a width of approximately


5


″ for storage purposes.





FIGS. 8 and 9

illustrate a side view of the assembly


10


that has been collapsed for storage


112


purposes. The hinge apparatus


46


is secured to a respective flange


18


,


19


by positioning a locking pin


38


through respective locking lock plate


20


and


22


via opening


61


(FIG.


9


).





FIGS. 9-12

illustrate the hinge apparatus used in the present invention. Each crossbar


25


,


26


has each end portion welded to a respective sleeve


34


. Medially of each crossbar


25


and


26


the two members


30


and


47


, having respective end portions


56


and


55


, which are of substantially equal length are connected via a hinge apparatus


46


. Hinge


54


provides for


1800


movement of member


30


while member


47


is simultaneously rotated


900


to collapse the assembly


10


to the position shown in

FIGS. 7 and 8

.




Hinge apparatus


46


includes a U-shaped channel member


57


into which fits an interior end portion


56


of crossbar member


30


when the crossbar


25


or


26


has been fully opened in order to use assembly


10


. The placement of end portion


56


into channel


57


provides strength for the crossbar


215


or


26


. Lock plate


62


is welded onto end portion


56


. Lock pin


58


, carried by bracket


59


and biased via spring


60


, is inserted through the opening


64


in plate


62


to secure end


56


in place via handle


63


. See also FIG.


12


.





FIG. 11

illustrates the movement of member


30


from the broken line position (shown in

FIG. 6

) to the completely closed position in solid line as indicated by arrow


65


where the member


30


is folded for securing as illustrated in FIG.


9


.





FIG. 13

illustrates the use of an assembly


10


for carrying vehicle inside a cargo container. Container


66


has roof


69


, rear wall


68


and floor


67


. Vehicle


70


is driven onto ramps


27


using a temporarily used loading ramp (not shown) connected to the ramps


27


via loading ramp attachment


43


(

FIG. 3

) and secured via locking pin slot


44


as understood in the art. The space underneath ramps


27


and crossbars


25


,


26


allows for the storage of vehicle


71


(or other goods). The number of assemblies


10


used depends on the length of container


66


.




In the preferred embodiment, assembly


10


is 69 inches high and 7 feet 10½ inches long and 88½ inches wide (as measured between the centerlines of the front or rear posts). The maximum height of the rear crossbar


26


is 63 inches from the floor and the lowest position is 55 inches. The maximum height of front crossbar


25


is 32½ inches in normal use. Interior space


72


is defined by posts


16


,


17


and frame members


11


,


12


,


13


,


14


and


15


and is large enough to accommodate a vehicle and other apparatus that may be carried in container


66


. Front crossbar


25


is raised to upper hole


48


in order to provide for the loading of the lower vehicle


71


.




In summary, the assembly


10


is stored as shown in

FIGS. 7 and 8

. The assembly


10


is opened by releasing lock pins


58


from the respective lock plates


20


and


22


. The assembly


10


can then be pulled outwardly open to the position shown in FIG.


6


and then fully opened where pins


58


are inserted in the lock plate


62


(

FIGS. 10

,


12


). Crossbars


25


and


26


can then be positioned at the desired height via pins


34


′. Ramps


27


are then placed on the crossbars


25


,


26


at the locations indicated in

FIGS. 4 and 5

.




When installed in a cargo container


66


the assembly


10


can be secured in place by way of a means including a spaced series of bolts or driven nails through pre-drilled holes


11


′ in lower frame members


11


into the wood flooring of such container, as understood in the art.




Takedown of the assembly


10


is the reverse process. Pins


58


are removed from lock plates


62


and the crossbars


25


,


26


are then pulled and folded inwardly to collapse the assembly to the position illustrated in

FIGS. 7 and 8

.




While the invention has been described with respect to certain specific embodiments, it will be appreciated that many modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is intended, therefore, by the appended claims to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.




What is claimed as new and what it is desired to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:



Claims
  • 1. A collapsible assembly for loading and transporting vehicles in a substantially rectangular container having a roof, a floor, two elongate side walls, an end wall and a door comprising a frame including a front end and a rear end, said frame further including two pairs of spaced vertical post members, one said pair being at said front end of said frame and another said pair being at said rear end of said frame, each said post member having an upper end portion and a lower end portion, a front and rear horizontal crossbar, first means for mounting said front crossbar horizontally between said post members at said front end of said frame, second means for mounting said rear crossbar horizontally between said post members at said rear end of said frame, ramp means having a rear end portion and a front end portion removably mountable on said crossbars, each said crossbar including a first and second crossbar member having first and second end portions and means for connecting said first end portion of said first crossbar member to said first end portion of said second crossbar member, said first and second means for mounting said respective front and rear crossbar to respective said front and rear post members including means for mounting said second end portions of said first and second crossbar members to respective said front and rear post members.
  • 2. The assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for mounting said second end portions of said first and second crossbar members includes means for rotatably mounting said first and second crossbar members to said respective front and rear post members.
  • 3. The assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for mounting said second end portions of said first and second crossbar members includes means for slideably mounting said first and second crossbar members to said respective front and rear post members.
  • 4. The assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for mounting said second end portions of said first and second crossbar members includes means for rotatably and slideably mounting said first and second crossbar members to said respective front and rear post members.
  • 5. The assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said first and second crossbar members are of substantially equal length.
  • 6. The assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for connecting said first and second portions of each respective first and second crossbar member includes hinge means.
  • 7. The assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said assembly has an open position for carrying a vehicle on said ramp means and a closed position for storing said assembly, said frame defining an interior space when said assembly is in said open position.
  • 8. The assembly as defined in claim 7 wherein said means for connecting said first end portions of respective first and second crossbar members includes hinge means for folding said crossbar members inwardly into said interior space when said assembly is moved from said open position to said closed position.
  • 9. The assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for mounting said second end portions of respective said crossbar members includes means for selectively adjusting the vertical position of said crossbar members for selectively controlling the angle and height of said ramp means secured to said crossbars.
  • 10. A collapsible assembly for loading and transporting vehicles in a substantially rectangular container having a roof, a floor, two elongate side walls, an end wall and a door comprising a frame having a front end and a rear end, said frame including two pairs of spaced vertical post members, one said pair being at said front end of said frame and another said pair being at said rear end of said frame, each said post member having an upper end portion and a lower end portion, a front and rear horizontal crossbar, first means for mounting said front crossbar horizontally between said post members at said front end of said frame, second means for mounting said rear crossbar horizontally between said post members at said rear end of said frame, ramp means having a rear end portion and a front end portion removably mountable on said crossbars, each said crossbar including a first and second crossbar member having first and second end portions and hinge means for connecting said first end portion of said first crossbar member to said first end portion of said second crossbar member, said first and second means for mounting said respective front and rear crossbars to respective said front and rear post members including means for mounting said second end portions of said first and second crossbar members to respective said front and rear post members.
  • 11. The assembly as defined in claim 10 wherein said means for mounting said second end portions of said first and second crossbar members includes means for rotatably and slideably mounting said first and second crossbar members to said respective front and rear post members.
  • 12. The assembly as defined in claim 10 wherein said first and second crossbar members are of substantially equal length.
  • 13. The assembly as defined in claim 10 wherein said assembly has an open position for carrying a vehicle on said ramp means and a closed position for storing said assembly, said frame defining an interior space when said assembly is in said open position and a closed position for storing the assembly, each said crossbar being folded inwardly about said hinge means in said closed position.
  • 14. The assembly as defined in claim 13 further including securing means for securing folded said crossbars to said frame to inhibit movement of said folded crossbars when said assembly is in said closed position.
  • 15. The assembly as defined in claim 10 further including securing means for removably affixing said ramp means to said assembly.
  • 16. The assembly as defined in claim 15 wherein said securing means includes attaching means for attaching said front end portion of said ramp means to said front crossbar.
  • 17. The assembly as defined in claim 10 wherein said means for mounting said second end portions of respective said crossbar members includes means for selectively locating each said crossbar independently to a respective said post member at a plurality of selectable heights above the floor of a container for selectively controlling the angle and height of said ramp means secured to said crossbars.
  • 18. A collapsible assembly for loading and transporting vehicles in a substantially rectangular container having a roof, a floor, two elongate side walls, an end wall and a door comprising a frame having a front end and a rear end, said frame including two pairs of spaced vertical post members, one said pair being at said front end of said frame and another said pair being at said rear end of said frame, each said post member having an upper end portion and a lower end portion, a front and rear horizontal crossbar, first means for mounting said front crossbar horizontally between said post members at said front end of said frame, second means for mounting said rear crossbar horizontally between said post members at said front end of said frame, second means for mounting said rear crossbar horizontally between said post members at said rear end of said frame, ramp means having a rear end portion and a front end portion, securing means connected between one said end portion of said ramp means and one said crossbar for securing said one end portion of said ramp means to said one crossbar, said assembly having an open position for carrying a vehicle on said ramp means to said one crossbar, said assembly having an open position for carrying a vehicle on said ramp means and a closed position for storing said assembly, each said crossbar including a first and second crossbar member having first and second end portions and hinge means for connecting said first end portion of said first crossbar member to said first end portion of said second crossbar member, said crossbars being foldable about said hinge means when said assembly is in said closed position, said first and second means for mounting said respective front and rear crossbars to respective said front and rear post members including means for rotatably and slideably mounting said second end portions of said first and second crossbar members to respective said front and rear post members.
  • 19. The assembly as defined in claim 18 further including means for securing said frame to a floor of a container.
  • 20. The assembly as defined in claim 16 wherein said securing means includes a hinge attached to respective said ramp means to permit upward and downward movement of said front crossbar without removal of said ramp means.
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