Patent Application
20230286736
The present invention relates to a roof for a portable storage container. Such storage containers are frequently placed outdoors where they are exposed to rain, and thus the roofs of the containers need to be fully waterproof in order to prevent water damage to the contents of the container.
The present invention may include a roof rail having a down-sloping upper surface to which a roof sheet may be riveted. The down-sloping surface enables any water near the rivet joint to drain down away from the joint by force of gravity. Like the topside, the underside of the rivet joint is exposed to ambient air and is on a downslope to facilitate drainage and evaporation of any moisture near the rivet joint.
The invention comprises, in one form thereof, a portable storage container including a plurality of upstanding sidewalls defining a storage space therebetween such that the sidewalls are disposed in an outward direction from the storage space. A roof sheet is disposed above the sidewalls. At least one roof rail is connected to a corresponding one of the sidewalls. The roof rail includes a horizontal portion defining a first plane that is horizontally oriented, and a down-sloping portion attached to an outer edge of the horizontal portion. The down-sloping portion extends in an outward direction away from the horizontal portion and defines a second plane oriented at an angle of approximately between ten degrees and eighty degrees relative to the first plane. At least one fastener attaches the roof sheet to a corresponding down-sloping portion of a corresponding roof rail. Such fasteners extend through the roof sheet.
The invention comprises, in another form thereof, a roof rail for interconnecting a roof sheet and an upstanding sidewall of a portable storage container. The roof rail includes a cap portion including a first edge and a second edge. The cap portion defines a first plane and is horizontally oriented while supporting a body of the roof sheet. A brim portion of the roof rail is attached to the first edge of the cap portion. The brim portion defines a second plane oriented at an angle of approximately between ten degrees and eighty degrees relative to the first plane. The brim portion is fastened to an outer periphery of the roof sheet while the brim portion slopes downward from the cap portion and while the cap portion is horizontally oriented and supports the body of the roof sheet. A leg portion is connected to the second edge of the cap portion. The leg portion is oriented perpendicular to the cap portion. The leg portion is attached to the upstanding sidewall of the portable storage container.
The invention comprises, in yet another form thereof, a method of installing a roof sheet on a portable storage container, including attaching a roof rail to one of a plurality of upstanding sidewalls that define a storage space therebetween such that the sidewalls are disposed outwardly from the storage space. A roof sheet is placed above the upstanding sidewalls such that a horizontal portion of the roof rail supports a body of the roof sheet. A periphery of the roof sheet is fastened to a down-sloping portion of the roof rail. The down-sloping portion extends outwardly and downwardly from an outer edge of the horizontal portion. A first plane defined by the horizontal portion is oriented at an angle of approximately between ten degrees and eighty degrees relative to a second plane defined by the down-sloping portion.
An advantage of the present invention is that water may drain away from the rivet joints that attach the roof sheet to the container.
Another advantage of the present invention is that waterproofing may be achieved without using sealant on the rivet joints that attach the roof sheet to the container.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is that even if there is workmanship error during riveting the roof is still waterproof.
The above mentioned and other features and objects of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. Although the drawings represent embodiments of the present invention, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated in order to better illustrate and explain the present invention. Although the exemplification set out herein illustrates embodiments of the invention, in several forms, the embodiments disclosed below are not intended to be exhaustive or to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention to the precise forms disclosed.
The embodiments hereinafter disclosed are not intended to be exhaustive or limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed in the following description. Rather the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may utilize its teachings.
Referring to the drawings, wherein like numerals indicate like elements,
Optional brackets 47 may be spaced along the lengths of roof rails 20, and each bracket 47 may be attached to both roof rail 20 and roof sheet 30. As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
Although angle θ is shown as being about 30 degrees, angle θ may be approximately between 10 degrees and 80 degrees within the scope of the invention. An advantage of angle θ being less than 90 degrees is that the integrity of the galvanization coating (e.g., zinc) on a rail 20 made of steel or iron is easier to maintain the smaller angle θ is. Similarly, because the shape of roof sheet 30 at its outer edges may conform to the shape of the upper surfaces of cap portion 54 and brim portion 56, an advantage of angle θ being less than 90 degrees is that the integrity of a roof sheet 30 having any brittleness is easier to maintain the smaller angle θ is. Another advantage of angle θ being less than 90 degrees is that there may be less warping during galvanizing.
Optional brackets 947 may be spaced along the lengths of roof rails 920, and each bracket 947 may be attached to roof sheet 930. Similarly to brackets 47, brackets 947 do not cover most of the lengths of roof rails 920.
As shown in
Brim portion 956 may be oriented at an angle of 90 degrees relative to cap portion 954. That is, brim portion 956 may be oriented at an angle θ of 90 degrees down from the horizontal plane 957 of cap portion 954. A height 958 of roof rail 920 may be about 135 millimeters (mm); a width 960 of roof rail 920 may be about 44 mm; a thickness 962 of roof rail 920 may be about 3 mm; a height 964 of back portion 952 may be about 60 mm; and a height 976 of brim portion 956 may be about 20 mm. Although angle θ is shown as being about 90 degrees, angle θ may be approximately between 75 degrees and 105 degrees within the scope of the invention.
Other aspects and features of container 926 may be substantially similar to those of container 26, and are not described in detail herein in order to avoid needless repetition.
While this invention has been described as having an exemplary design, the present invention may be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/865,322, filed on May 2, 2020, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 16865322 | May 2020 | US |
| Child | 18198333 | US |
