Patent Application
20200384908
The present application generally relates to the field of load securing means and more specifically relates to a load securing system for flat-deck vehicles such as a truck.
Different types of loads are transported via tractors or trucks or similar vehicles from one location to another location. These vehicles especially large highway trucks have integrated flat decks/beds for transporting the loads. Some of these trucks may be coupled to a separate trailer having a flat deck/bed for carrying the loads. Uneven loads can make the vehicle or trailer unstable. Loads should be secured, or arranged so that they do not slide around while the vehicle is moving. Usually, loads such as lumber are stacked over the deck and secured in place using chains and webbing with tensioning devices (tensioners) or using dunnages. Dunnages are pieces of wood tied down to the decks of the vehicles and used to secure the loads from shifting during transportation. While use of tensioners (webbing hand ratchets, chain based tensioners etc) may cause severe head, face and shoulder injuries to workers when used incorrectly, use of dunnages may prove to be expensive due to their shorter life span as dunnages lack weather resistance. In other words, weather can cause dunnages to crack, warp or split and thus make them extremely unsafe for uses over the time.
Several attempts have been made in the past to address above-mentioned problems, such as those found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,693,163 to Gregory A. Hoover et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,414,140 to John G Feldkamp. Not only this, U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 20190255986 by inventor discloses a simple load securing system providing a stable resting surface to the loads placed over the deck of the truck. The load securing system as disclosed in the application includes a bottom-side, a top-side, a right-side, a left-side, a first-end, and a second-end. The patent application further discloses about load securing system being structured and arranged to be coupled to decking surface of the truck using fasteners. Although this solution provide a firm support or stability for the loads (such as lumber) placed over the decks of the trucks. Such solution may still be inadequate if the lumber (or the like loads) is stacked over the deck of the truck.
In light of the above-mentioned background, there is a need for a technical and more reliable solution in the form of a load securing system that can be used with the trucks for securing the load stacked over the truck's deck and that would promisingly address the issues discussed above.
Accordingly, the inventor herein proposes an improvised load securing system that would not only increase cost-effectiveness for truckers but also provide safety while the loads are stacked over the deck of the truck.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide an environmental friendly solution that may eliminate or lower uses of wooden dunnages used in the industry.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a modular load securing system that can be quickly assembled and disassembled to secure the stacked load over the deck of the truck.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a solution to the truckers that may make the loading and unloading of loads (such as lumber) over the deck of the truck less dangerous. Usually, loading or unloading of the loads from the vehicles and working at height leads to injuries. The proposed load securing system organizes and secures the loads in a more secured manner, giving very less room for the loads to slide out during transportation thereby avoiding any risk of any accidents.
Embodiments of the present invention disclose a load securing system for flat-deck vehicles such as trucks. The system includes a first member configured to provide a stable resting surface to load mounted over a flat-deck of the vehicle. The system further includes a second member having an elongated flat body, and two lugs, each fixedly configured underside in proximity to two ends of the elongated flat body and extending upward. The second member is configured to act as a divider to separate rows of loads mounted over the flat-deck of the vehicle. The system further includes a third member having an elongated body embodying a track system, and a pair of slidable members each slidably configured over the track system of the elongated body and slide in opposing direction. The third member acts as a divider to separate rows of loads mounted over the flat-deck of the vehicle and retain the load mounted between the pair of slidable members.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description below, in light of the accompanying drawings.
The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the present invention, as to its structure, organization, use and method of operation, together with further objectives and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following drawings in which a presently preferred embodiment of the invention will now be illustrated by way of various examples. It is expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. Embodiments of this invention will now be described by way of example in association with the accompanying drawings in which:
As used in the specification and claims, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” may also include plural references. For example, the term “an article” may include a plurality of articles. Those with ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated, relative to other elements, in order to improve the understanding of the present invention. There may be additional components described in the foregoing application that are not depicted on one of the described drawings. In the event such a component is described, but not depicted in a drawing, the absence of such a drawing should not be considered as an omission of such design from the specification.
Before describing the present invention in detail, it should be observed that the present invention utilizes a combination of components, which constitutes a load securing system. Accordingly, the components have been represented, showing only specific details that are pertinent for an understanding of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those with ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein. As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandable description of the present invention.
References to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “another embodiment”, “yet another embodiment”, “one example”, “an example”, “another example”, “yet another example”, and so on, indicate that the embodiment(s) or example(s) so described may include a particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element, or limitation, but that not every embodiment or example necessarily includes that particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element or limitation. Furthermore, repeated use of the phrase “in an embodiment” does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. The words “comprising”, “having”, “containing”, and “including”, and other forms thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items.
Unless stated otherwise, terms such as “first” and “second” are used to arbitrarily distinguish between the elements or entities. Thus, these terms are not necessarily intended to indicate temporal or other prioritization of such elements or priorities. While various exemplary embodiments of the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods have been described below, it should be understood that they have been presented for purposes of example only, and not limitations. It is not exhaustive and does not limit the present invention to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the below teachings or may be acquired from practicing of the present invention, without departing from the breadth or scope. Decking surface as disclosed herein refers to a flat bed or deck of a trailer, truck or the like. Decking surface is able to accept use of three of load securing member(s) to secure the load.
The load securing system of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which should be regarded as merely illustrative without restricting the scope and ambit of the present invention. Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to
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According to the embodiment, the member 106 further includes a pair of slidable members 106b. The slidable members 106b may be made in various shapes, for example, rectangular or square etc. Each of the slidable members 106b slidably and functionally engages the track system 106e of the elongated body 106a. The slidable members 106b slide opposing each other (towards each other) over the track system 106e. The member 106 is adjustable in size. The size adjustability is achieved by sliding the slidable members 106b either towards each other or away from each other (towards to ends of the elongated body 106a). Once appropriate positions for the two slidable members 106b is chosen, the slidable members 106b are then locked in their position to form a retaining area (represented as “B” in
According to the embodiment, the first member 102, the second member 104 and the third member 106 and parts thereof is made of plastic (or other suitable composite or other material) such that the load securing system is effectively weatherproof, and durable in use. The members 102,104,106 and associated parts and components of the members 102,104,106 may be made in various sizes based on design requirements which can be used to realize working of the invention. The first member 102, the second member 104, and the third member 106 are used to organize and securely hold the load stacked over the flat-deck of the vehicle 200 in rows. According to various embodiments, and based on arrangement or stacking of the load over the deck, the members 102,104, and 106 may be used in various combinations or just some of these may be used.
While various embodiments of the disclosure have been illustrated and described, it will be clear that the disclosure is not limited to these embodiments only. Further, the dimensions shown for the third member 106 in
Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is accordingly defined by the following claims.
