UNIT LOAD DEVICE AND CONTAINER FOR TRANSPORTING CARGO

Abstract

A unit load device includes a base having a top surface and a bottom surface spaced apart from the top surface to define a thickness of the base, a plurality of openings disposed within the thickness of the base in a plane generally parallel to the each of the top and bottom surfaces, plurality of corner posts and plurality of cross braces, and arrangement on the top surface of the base for positioning the at least one of plurality of corner posts and plurality of cross braces on the top surface in a plane being generally parallel to a plane of the top surface.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates, in general, to cargo transport and, more particularly, this invention relates to knock-down unit load device for transporting cargo and, more particularly, the instant invention relates to a jumbo marine type container for transporting cargo by utilizing the above mentioned knock-down load devices.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

N/A

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX

N/A

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As is generally well known, covered marine type containers are used extensively for transporting cargo over water and land and incorporate corner fittings so that the container can be lifted with specialty lifting devices. Furthermore, cargo is usually palletized in some manner prior to loading into container.

Prior to the conception and design of the instant invention, greater than desirable effort and cost was required to load and unload containers. Furthermore, containers were not always loaded with cargo to their maximum capacity thus resulting in empty space within container and increased transporting costs.

Therefore, there is a need for a knock-down unit load device and jumbo marine type container that reduce loading/unloading efforts and costs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a knock-down unit loading device. The unit loading device includes a base having a top surface and a bottom surface spaced apart from the top surface to define a thickness of the base. A peripheral lip upstands on the top surface. An elongated member is disposed at each corner of the base in a plane generally transverse to each of the top and bottom surfaces, the elongated member having a hollow interior and a bottom portion. Plurality of openings are disposed within the thickness of the base in a plane generally parallel to the each of the top and bottom surfaces. There is a quartet of elongated posts, each of the quartet of elongated posts having a generally open end and an opposite generally closed end thereof sized and shaped so as to be received within the hollow interior of a respective elongated member. There are also plurality of braces, wherein at least one of the plurality of braces attaches at each end thereof to a pair of elongated posts disposed on one side of the base. There is also means for attaching each end of each brace to a side of a respective elongated post in each of detachable and secure manner.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is, therefore, one of the primary objects of the present invention to provide a unit load device for transporting cargo.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a unit load device that includes detachable corner posts and cross braces.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a unit load device that provides T-shaped slots in each corner post for attaching each end of a cross brace.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a unit load device that is stackable in either loaded or unloaded configuration.

Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a marine container that can be employed with the above described unit load devices.

In addition to the several objects and advantages of the present invention which have been described with some degree of specificity above, various other objects and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent to those persons who are skilled in the relevant art, particularly, when such description is taken in conjunction with the attached drawing Figures and with the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is one side elevation view of a knock-down unit load device for transporting cargo;

FIG. 2 is a another side elevation view of the knock-down unit load device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is yet another side elevation view of the knock-down unit load device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top planar view of the knock-down unit load device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is side elevation view of the base member employed within the knock-down unit load device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a bottom planar view of the knock-down unit load device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a partial end elevation view of the knock-down unit load device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a corner post employed within the knock-down unit load device of FIG. 1 along lines VIII-VIII of FIG. 3;

FIG. 9 is a partial planar view of cross braces employed within the knock-down unit load device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is partial elevation view of a base of the knock-down unit load device of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 11 a-c, labeled “prior art”, illustrate elevation views of conventional marine type cargo containers;

FIGS. 12 a-c illustrate elevation views of marine type cargo containers constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 13 a-c illustrate elevation views of marine type cargo containers constructed in accordance with another embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 14 illustrates a longitudinal recess employed within the end surface of the container of FIGS. 13a-c.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The instant invention is illustrated and described in combination with a railway freight car, although it will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art that the instant invention may be applied to trailer vans and cargo containers and as such should not be interpreted as a limiting factor of the instant invention.

Now in a particular reference to FIGS. 1-10, therein is illustrated a knock-down unit load device, hereafter referred to as ULD and generally designated as 10. The ULD 10 includes a base 12 having four corner recesses or an openings 18, each of which has axis thereof being disposed generally perpendicular to the top surface 14 of the base 12 so that the recesses or openings 18 are accessible from a top or bottom of the base 12 while in use. Recess or opening 18 spans the entire height of the base 12 and may extend past the top surface 14 and/or the bottom surface 16 of the base 12. Each recess or opening 18 is provided as a member having at least three walls and is preferably provided as a tubular member having a hollow interior. It is further preferred that each corner recess or opening 18 has a bottom portion 19 thereof extending past the bottom surface 16 with a free end of the bottom portion 19 disposed a predetermined distance from the bottom surface 16, wherein wall thicknesses of the bottom portion 19 are greater than the wall thicknesses of the remaining length of the corner recess 18. The free end of the bottom portion 19 may be rounded for ease of handling.

At least a pair of elongated through openings 20 are disposed within a thickness of the base 12, in a plane generally parallel to each of the top and bottom surfaces, 14 and 16 respectively, in a spaced apart relationship with each other and having axis thereof being disposed generally parallel to the top surface 14 or bottom surface 16. The through openings 20, that are provided within channels or tubular members, are sized and shaped so as to receive forks of the conventional fork lift truck (not shown). The through openings 20 are of a sufficient length so as to allow handling of the ULD 10 from at least a pair of opposite sides thereof and, preferably from each side thereof, as best shown in FIG. 6.

The ULD 10 also includes quartet of novel elongated corner posts 30. Each elongated corner post 30 includes a body having a generally open end 34 and an opposite generally closed end 32 thereof. The open end 34 is sized and shaped so as to be received within the elongated member 18 of the base 12 through a top end thereof. The closed end 32 is sized to be received within the bottom portion 19 of a respective elongated member 18. The generally closed end 32 of each of the quartet of elongated posts 30 includes at least one taper 36. The elongated corner post 30 further includes at least one substantially hollow interior opening 37 disposed between ends 32 and 34. At least one corner of the elongated corner post 30 may be tapered.

There is also a plurality of braces 40 that are employed for stabilizing elongated posts 30 during cargo transport and have each end thereof attached to a respective side of a pair of elongated posts 30 by way of arrangement 50 enabling ease of assembly and disassembly while providing secure attachment of the brace 40 to the elongated post 30 during cargo transport.

Such attaching means 50 includes at least one longitudinal slot 52 disposed along a length of each of the quartet of elongated posts 30, the at least one longitudinal slot 52 defining a generally T-shape in a plane transverse to the length of the and wherein the each of the plurality of braces 40 has each end thereof adapted with a T-shaped end member 54 that is so sized that it fits within the slot 52, wherein each of the plurality of braces 40 is attached to the pair of elongated posts 30. Such at least one longitudinal slot 52 is preferably a continuous slot along the entire length of the elongated post 30 but may be also provided as a plurality of slots spaced from each other along the length of the elongated member 30.

The attaching means 50 may also includes optional provisions for temporarily securing an end of the brace 40, 41 at a predetermined location on the elongated member 30. By way of one example only, one end of the T-shaped end member 54 may extend outwardly past the surface of the brace 40, 41 and may include an aperture (not shown) that is aligned with a complimentary aperture (not shown) in the wall 55 of the elongated member 30 so as to accept a conventional pin (not shown).

Preferably, the at least one longitudinal slot 52 is a pair of the longitudinal slots 52 disposed in each inwardly facing surface of each of the quartet of elongated corned posts 30 positioned on the base 12.

Instant invention contemplates that opposite ends of some of the plurality of braces, referenced with numeral 41, includes an offset 42 that is so shaped relative to a length of the some of the plurality of braces 41, so that a pair of braces 40, 41, wherein one brace includes the offsets, attached to the pair of elongated posts 30 in a crossing relationship to one another about a center point thereof and further in a manner that substantially eliminates bending of at least one brace 40, 41.

Now in reference to FIG. 9, the ULD 10 further includes means for attaching the pair of braces 40, 41 to each other at the center point thereof. Such means for attaching the pair of braces 40, 41 to each other at the center point thereof includes a pair of apertures 44, each of the pair of apertures 44 are formed through a thickness of each brace 40, 41 and an elongated pin 46 inserted through the pair of apertures 44 being in aligned relationship with each other. Such elongated pin 46 may be further spring loaded on one of the pair of braces 40, 41.

The base 12 preferably includes means disposed on said top surface 14 for positioning at least one of plurality of elongated corner posts 30 and plurality of cross braces 40 on the top surface 14 in direct contact therewith and further in a plane being generally parallel to a plane of the top surface 14.

Preferably, such positioning means includes a peripheral lip 22 upstanding on the top surface 14 and preferably extending through the entire periphery of the base 12. The lip 22 is so dimensioned as to enclose the elongated posts 30 and braces 40 during transport of empty ULD 10 in the knock-down form, as best shown in FIG. 4, and more particularly, enable vertical stacking of empty ULDs 10, while containing plurality of corner posts 30 and plurality of cross braces 40 within the confines of the base 12.

Such positioning means may also include a plurality of grooves 24 disposed within the top surface 14, each of the plurality of grooves 24 is sized to receive at least one of the plurality of corner posts 30 and plurality of cross braces 40.

The ULD 10 is provided in varying heights based upon the height of the corner posts 30 with footprint dimensions of approximately 9.5 feet X 7.5 feet. In the knock-down configuration, the vertical height of the ULD 10 will be approximately 9″ high, and when stacked will allow significant numbers of ULDs 10 to be backhauled within a single trailer/container or boxcar (not shown).

The procedure for loading cargo onto the ULD 10 is as follows. The cargo is placed onto the base 12, then the cargo is wrapped, preferably in bio-degradable stretch-wrap by an automatic stretch-wrap turntable machine (not shown) and further by way of a turn table. Next, four corner posts 30 are placed in recesses or opening 18 at the corners of the base 12 and are locked in place. The cross braces 40 are installed on all four sides by attaching them to the corner posts 30 with locking arrangements 50.

The instant invention also provides a novel marine type container for transporting cargo loaded onto the ULDs 10.

Now in reference to FIGS. 11a-11c, labeled as “prior art” depict a standard marine or ISO container 100 having a shell 101 defining a hollow interior of the container 100, a pair of doors 102 mounted within end openings of the shell 101 and conventional corner fittings 104 for lifting such container 100.

FIGS. 12 a-12c depict a marine container 110, which is constructed in accordance to one embodiment of the invention, having a pair of doors 112 and conventional corner fittings 104 for lifting such container 110. The container 110 preferably has a height of between seventeen (17) feet and nineteen (19) feet and the width of a standard container 100 which is about double the height of the container 100 and hereafter referred to as Double Height (DH) Container 110.

FIGS. 13 a-13c and 15 depict a marine container 120, which is constructed in accordance to one embodiment of the invention, having a shall 121 defining a hollow interior of the container 120, a pair of end doors 122 mounted within end openings of the shell 121 and conventional corner fittings 104 for lifting such container 120. In reference to FIG. 14, container 120 also has a longitudinal recess 126 provided in each end surface 124 along the height thereof so as to accommodate guide posts (not shown) provided in the container holds of the marine vessels (not shown). While employing a conventional length of about 40 feet, the containers 120 have about a double width and about a double height of the containers 100 and hereafter referred to as Quad Container (QC) 120.

Other features and benefits of containers 110 and 120 are as follows. The DH container 110 generally doubles the height of standard ISO containers and ISO HC (high cube) containers, has standard length and width of conventional ISO containers, can be loaded into any standard container ship's holds, can be loaded onto double-stack railcars (not shown), reduces load handling frequency by about one hundred percent (100%) over conventional containers, about doubles load capacity of conventional containers and can be fully load with cargo using ULDs 10.

The container 120 generally doubles the height of standard ISO containers and ISO HC (high cube) containers, has standard length of conventional ISO containers, which are forty feet long, can be loaded into any standard container ship's holds reduces load handling frequency by about one hundred percent (100%) over conventional containers, about quadruples load capacity of conventional containers and also can be fully load with cargo using ULDs 10.

Thus, the present invention has been described in such full, clear, concise and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same. It will be understood that variations, modifications, equivalents and substitutions for components of the specifically described embodiments of the invention may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A unit load device comprising: (a) a base having a top surface and a bottom surface spaced apart form said top surface to define a thickness of said base;(b) a plurality of openings disposed within said thickness of said base in a plane generally parallel to said each of said top and bottom surfaces; and(c) means disposed on said top surface for positioning at least one of plurality of corner posts and plurality of cross braces on said top surface in direct contact thereto, said at least one of said plurality of corner posts and said plurality of cross braces employed in combination with a cargo positioned for transport on said top surface.

2. The unit loading device of claim 1, wherein said positioning means includes a peripheral lip upstanding on said top surface.

3. The unit loading device of claim 1, wherein said positioning means includes a plurality of grooves disposed within said top surface, each of said plurality of grooves is sized to receive at least one of said plurality of corner posts and plurality of cross braces.

4. The unit loading device of claim 1, further including: (a) an elongated member disposed at each corner of said base in a plane generally transverse to each of said top and bottom surfaces, said elongated member having a hollow interior and a bottom portion thereof extending a distance past said bottom surface of said base;(b) a quartet of elongated corner posts each having a generally closed end thereof sized and shaped so as to be received within said hollow interior of a respective elongated member and an opposite generally open end; and(c) said plurality of braces, wherein at least one of said plurality of braces attaches at each end thereof to a pair of elongated posts disposed on one side of said base.

5. The unit loading device of claim 1, further including means for attaching said each end of each brace to a side of a respective elongated post in each of detachable and secure manner.

6. A unit load device comprising: (a) a base having a top surface and a bottom surface spaced apart from said top surface to define a thickness of said base;(b) a peripheral lip upstanding on said top surface;(c) an elongated member disposed at each corner of said base in a plane generally transverse to each of said top and bottom surfaces, said elongated member having a hollow interior and a bottom portion;(d) a plurality of openings disposed within said thickness of said base in a plane generally parallel to said each of said top and bottom surfaces;(e) a quartet of elongated posts each of said quartet of elongated posts having a generally open end and an opposite generally closed end thereof sized and shaped so as to be received within said hollow interior of a respective elongated member;(f) plurality of braces, wherein at least one of said plurality of braces attaches at each end thereof to a pair of elongated posts disposed on one side of said base; and(g) means for attaching said each end of each brace to a side of a respective elongated post in each of detachable and secure manner.

7. The unit loading device of claim 6, wherein said attaching means includes at least one longitudinal slot disposed along a length of each of said quartet of elongated posts, said at least one longitudinal slot defining a generally T-shape in a plane transverse to said length and wherein said each of said plurality of braces has each end thereof is so shaped and sized that it fits within said slot, wherein said each of said plurality of braces is attached to said pair of elongated posts.

8. The unit loading device of claim 7, wherein said at least one longitudinal slot is a pair of said longitudinal slots disposed in each inwardly facing surface of said each of said quartet of elongated posts positioned on said base.

9. The unit loading device of claim 6, wherein said each of said quartet of elongated posts includes a substantially hollow interior opening, wherein said open end is sized and shaped so as to be received within said elongated member of said base through a top end thereof and wherein said closed end is sized to be received within said bottom portion of a respective elongated member.

10. The unit loading device of claim 6, wherein said each of said quartet of elongated posts includes a pair of substantially hollow interior opening,

11. The unit loading device of claim 6, wherein said generally closed end of said each of said quartet of elongated posts includes at least one taper.

12. The unit loading device of claim 6, wherein a height of said peripheral lip is at last about equal to a thickness of said posts and braces.

13. The unit loading device of claim 6, wherein opposite ends of some of said plurality of braces includes an offset that is so shaped relative to a length of said some of said plurality of braces includes so that a pair of braces, wherein at least one brace includes said offsets, attached to said pair of elongated posts in a crossing relationship to one another about a center point thereof and further in a manner that substantially eliminates bending of at least one brace.

14. The unit loading device of claim 13, further including means for attaching said pair of braces to each other at said center point thereof.

15. The unit loading device of claim 14, wherein said means for attaching said pair of braces to each other at said center point thereof includes a pair of apertures, each of said pair of apertures are formed through a thickness of each brace and an elongated member inserted through said pair of apertures being in aligned relationship with each other.

16. The unit loading device of claim 6, wherein said plurality of openings disposed within said thickness of said base are so positioned that said unit load device is adapted for handling by a material handling vehicle from each side of said unit load device.

17. The unit loading device of claim 6, wherein said base includes a bottom portion disposed at each corner of said base and extending past said bottom surface thereof and wherein a free end of said bottom portion is disposed a distance from said bottom surface of said base.

18. The unit loading device of claim 6, wherein an empty unit load device is transported in a knock-down form wherein said plurality of corner posts and braces are positioned on said top surface of said base.

19. The unit loading device of claim 6, wherein said unit load device is used for transporting cargo within a marine container being sized larger than presently used conventional marine containers.

20. A marine container comprising: (a) a shell defining a hollow interior of said container;(b) a pair of end doors mounted within end openings of said shell; and(c) a longitudinal recess provided in each end of said shell and sized to accommodate guide posts provided in container holds of marine vessels.