Patent Application
20250145366
A common problem encountered during the loading of large trucks, shipping containers, freight trains cars, and aircraft with heavy and bulky loads is the matter of locking down or securing the loads against movement during transport. Typically, webbing straps or belts, similar in shape and strength to the flexible seat belts used by passengers in cars and airplanes, are used as tie-downs for loads being shipped.
The webbing straps are commercially available standard items within the shipping industry, and they are provided with standardized metal “E-fittings” allowing the webbing straps easily and speedily to be connected to “E-track” attachment railings that are themselves securely fastened to surfaces within a container, such as on a truck, airplane, train, and other shipping means. Such webbing straps, equipped with E-fittings to engage the E-track attachment railings, are commercially available in various lengths and with such allowances as winches and buckles of various types so as to makes the lengths adjustable. E-track connectors accept an industry standard buckle on the end of canvas logistics straps, used to secure cargos. The straps are wrapped over and around cargo items and then buckled to the E-track connectors. The straps can then be tightened with attached winches.
However, it often happens within a given freight-loading setting that such E-track equipped webbing straps are not always available in sufficient length to deal with large loads. In such circumstances, the tying down of loads must be done in such a way that two, or more, shorter-than-ideal webbing straps might have to be used such that one end of each strap can be connected with its E-fitting to an E-track while the free ends are simply tied together in a knot of some sort. The difficulty arising from such tying is that, during shipping, the shifting of loads can cause the knots to become so tight as to be difficult to impossible to untie in a timely way.
One or more embodiments can provide a coupling for securing loads within a cargo container, comprising: a body having a rectangular shape; a plurality of slots formed in the body, each slot of the plurality of slots configured to receive an attachment strap, and wherein the body is open on the top and bottom to facilitate access to the slots.
One or more embodiments can provide a coupling for securing loads within a cargo container, comprising: a body having a cylindrical shape; a plurality of slots formed in the body, each slot of the plurality of slots configured to receive an attachment strap, and wherein the body is open on the top and bottom to facilitate access to the slots.
One or more embodiments can provide a method of securing cargo within a cargo container, the method comprising: providing a coupling having a body with a plurality of slots formed therein; securing a first E-fitting into a first slot of the plurality of slots; securing a second E-fitting into a first slot of the plurality of slots; securing attachment straps to the first E-fitting and the second E-fitting; adjusting the attachment straps to secure cargo; and tensioning the straps to stabilize the cargo within the cargo container.
The structure, operation, and advantages of the present invention will become further apparent upon consideration of the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures (FIGS). The figures are intended to be illustrative, not limiting.
Certain elements in some of the figures may be omitted, or illustrated not-to-scale, for illustrative clarity. The cross-sectional views may be in the form of “slices”, or “near-sighted” cross-sectional views, omitting certain background lines which would otherwise be visible in a “true” cross-sectional view, for illustrative clarity.
Often, similar elements may be referred to by similar numbers in various figures (FIGS) of the drawing, in which case typically the last two significant digits may be the same, the most significant digit being the number of the drawing figure (FIG). Furthermore, for clarity, some reference numbers may be omitted in certain drawings.
Disclosed embodiments relate to the web straps and fittings used in the transportation industry to secure flexible webbing straps and belts to E-track load rails mounted on the floors and sides of truck-transportable shipping (cargo) containers. The straps are used for holding objects of cargo and freight within partially loaded containers so as to restrain movement and shifting within the container, as on or in a truck or within an airplane or railroad freight car, so as to protect from damage to the goods being shipped by either striking the sides of the containers or other items within the containers. “E-track” rails are mounted, as described hereinbelow inside of such containers as trucks, railroad cars, airplanes and shipping containers.
The descriptions throughout this disclosure contain simplifications, generalizations and omissions of detail and is not intended as a comprehensive description of the claimed subject matter but, rather, is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the functionality associated therewith. Other systems, methods, functionality, features, and advantages of the claimed subject matter will be or will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the figures and the remaining detailed written description. The above as well as additional objectives, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description.
In the following description, specific example embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosed embodiments. For example, specific details such as specific method orders, structures, elements, and connections have been presented herein. However, it is to be understood that the specific details presented need not be utilized to practice embodiments of the present disclosure. It is also to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that logical, architectural, programmatic, mechanical, electrical and other changes may be made without departing from the general scope of the disclosure. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.
References within the specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “embodiments”, or “one or more embodiments” are intended to indicate that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one implementation (embodiment) of the present disclosure. The appearance of such phrases in various places within the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Further, various features are described which may be exhibited by some embodiments and not by others. Similarly, various aspects are described which may be aspects for some embodiments but not for other embodiments.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. Moreover, the use of the terms first, second, etc. do not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second, etc. are used to distinguish one element (e.g., a person or a device) from another.
It is understood that the use of specific component, device and/or parameter names and/or corresponding acronyms thereof, are for example only and not meant to imply any limitations on the described embodiments. The embodiments may thus be described with different nomenclature and/or terminology utilized to describe the components, devices, parameters, methods and/or functions herein, without limitation. References to any specific protocol or proprietary name in describing one or more elements, features or concepts of the embodiments are provided solely as examples of one implementation, and such references do not limit the extension of the claimed embodiments to embodiments in which different element, feature, protocol, or concept names are utilized. Thus, each term utilized herein is to be provided its broadest interpretation given the context in which that term is utilized.
Within the descriptions of the different views of the figures, the use of the same reference numerals and/or symbols in different drawings indicates similar or identical items, and similar elements can be provided similar names and reference numerals throughout the figure(s). The specific identifiers/names and reference numerals assigned to the elements are provided solely to aid in the description and are not meant to imply any limitations (structural or functional or otherwise) on the described embodiments.
The discussion below includes two parts: (1) a description of the industry standardized load-securing straps and fixtures currently used within the shipping industry, i.e., the context within which disclosed embodiments are intended for use, and (2) the connecting coupling of the present invention itself which will be used in connection with said industry standardized straps and fixtures.
Each of the E-track rails 2,6 in
The standardized E-fitting 10 also has a spring-loaded latching mechanism 16 which allows for rapid and secure engagement and disengagement of said E-fitting with a slot 4 within a horizontal or vertical E-track fixture 2,8.
In one or more embodiments, the connecting coupling 50 is comprised of a metal. The metal can include steel, aluminum, titanium, zinc, and/or other suitable metal. One or more embodiments may utilize an alloy. In embodiments, the alloy includes a 7075-T6 aluminum alloy, which can provide an excellent strength-to-weight ratio. In embodiments, the alloy includes a 6061-T6 aluminum alloy, which provides strength, corrosion resistance, and weldability. In one or more embodiments, the metal includes a Ti-6Al-4V (Grade 5) alloy, which provides a high tensile strength, good corrosion resistance, and significantly lower density than steel. In one or more embodiments, the metal can include a 17-4 PH stainless steel alloy. Other alloys are possible in disclosed embodiments.
The end-on view of
As can now be appreciated, disclosed embodiments provide a coupling that can comprise a rectangular or cylindrical shape and includes built-in slots, offering notable versatility and security benefits. Disclosed embodiments are well suited for securing various types of loads within shipping (cargo) containers like trailers, trucks, or rail cars. The slots in the couplings of disclosed embodiments allow for quick attachment of straps, enabling flexibility in securing loads of different shapes and sizes. This is particularly helpful for irregularly shaped or bulky items that need custom support. The slots are configured and disposed to engage with a latching portion of an E-fitting to enable shorter straps to be joined together, offering a secure fit across different load configurations. Moreover, the couplings of disclosed embodiments serve to enhance the stability of loads during transit. When combined with properly tensioned straps, disclosed embodiments reduce the risk of cargo shifting, which is crucial for maintaining both safety and balance during transportation. Furthermore, disclosed embodiments can serve to simplify the processes of attaching, detaching, and/or adjusting straps, making it easier to load and unload the cargo. This benefit is valuable for shipping operations where efficiency is key, especially in scenarios with frequent stops and cargo changes. Additionally, the rectangular or cylindrical shape adds structural durability, evenly distributing force across the coupling. Disclosed embodiments can withstand tension from multiple directions, which is essential for heavy-duty or high-stress transport scenarios. Thus, disclosed embodiments provide a slotted coupling that enables fast, secure, and customizable cargo management, supporting efficient and safe shipping logistics across diverse transport modes.
While the disclosure has been described with reference to example embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular system, device, or component thereof to the teachings of the disclosure without departing from the scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed for carrying out this disclosure, but that the disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63546969 | Nov 2023 | US |
