Vehicle Stacking Crate

Abstract

A system and method that provides for a crate consisting of main flooring section and additional side supports and horizontal beam bracing, that when assembled give the crate the rigidity to be stacked vertically, with multiple units on top of each other, with no other supporting structure. Safe lifting is ensured by fully enclosed fork pockets across the crate base. Safe stacking is ensured by using ISO shipping container casting, as part of the crate design along with top lug assembly to provide positive lateral restraint when stacked.

Description

BACKGROUND

For the purposes of this document, the term ‘vehicle’ covers additionally such rolling stock—such as trailers, generators, light towers, etc.—that also has wheels or tracks or treads.

Military vehicles are expensive assets requiring ongoing maintenance that is both time consuming and expensive to ensure readiness for service. Storage of vehicles and rolling stock outdoors increases the frequency of maintenance intervals, costing time and money and working against the goal of vehicle readiness. Optimally vehicles should be stored indoors to lower servicing requirements and costs, however indoor space comes at a premium, especially on military installations often where the commercial option of renting additional warehouse space is not a viable one due to security considerations. Accordingly, vehicles are frequently stored outside to make space for more critical commodities or maintenance activities indoors. Where space does permit some indoor vehicle storage, it is frequently inefficient with vehicles stored directly on the floor, not utilizing available building height and volumetric space.

Military logisticians would benefit from a solution to allow them to stack heavy vehicles effectively. However, putting vehicles into a vertical storage rack presents significant challenges, such as: 1) to find safe and effective ways to lift them into position without damaging the vehicles or putting staff in danger, 2) to secure them in such a storage rack or structure, 3) to allow access to vehicles for maintenance checks, and 4) to cope with extreme weight loadings that armored vehicles impose.

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a heavy-duty stacking crate that does not require permanent floor anchoring in place, but which is modular and moveable. Aspects of the present invention allow vehicles to be positioned (driven or pushed) to within the structure, tethered by straps and/or chains to anchoring points, and thereafter moved via material handling equipment (MHE). Such MHE can then stack the loaded crates vertically, on top of each other, in such a manner as to utilize better vertical space and cubic volume. At the simplest analysis, compared with storing vehicles directly on the floor, stacking one vehicle on top of another using the invention can afford a doubling of capacity or more.

Once vehicles are secured within the crate, there may be space provision for personnel to traverse alongside and around the vehicles to perform basic maintenance checks and access inside. The structural design of the crate provides additional benefits of perimeter fall protection for such personnel. Accordingly, the invention may allow for storing vehicles densely but in such a manner as to still permit basic routine maintenance activities (e.g. accessing engine bays, checking oil, running engines) while stored. Where a key military strategic objective is to maintain operational (i.e. vehicle) readiness, this invention offers positive benefits.

In their stored state within such crates, the vehicles are more readily deployable in a time of need in a number of ways. As the vehicles are all secured to their respective crates, they are individually accessible by MHE to be placed directly onto a transport vehicle.

An embodiment of the present invention therefore allows for the deploying of vehicles to be improved. Vehicles at the ground level may be untethered from their crates even while in stacked arrangement, and with such ground level vehicles able to be removed (driven or rolled) from the crates individually. An embodiment of the present invention gives similar access potential to all ground vehicles as in traditional methods of single high arrangement, however the upper crates need only be lowered to ground level by MHE to similarly have their vehicles be accessible.

Crates generally are moveable in nature rather than fixed in position as this would defeat their purpose. However, some storage arrangements require taller stacking structures to be secured to the floor, particularly in areas of seismic activity or for instance on ships. If a crate is bolted in such a manner it ceases to be moveable which defeats its purpose. One embodiment of the present invention therefore is the use of ISO corner castings on the base of the crate which then can integrate with commercially available twistlock devices, allowing crates to be lifted on and off ISO container securing hardware and to be therefore rapidly locked and unlocked from the floor or other structural surfaces, providing multiple benefits in use.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

Methods of densely storing vehicles more than one high are limited. One obvious solution can be found in multi-level vehicle parking garages, whether of concrete or steel construction. Such systems may or may not allow personnel access to the vehicles while parked. Design and construction of such facilities are complex and site specific, and are not in any form moveable or deployable according to need. Even in the case of multilevel parking structures made entirely from steel members, such structures are complex assemblies that are installed into place, bolted to the foundations, and would require significant labor and time to dismantle, relocate and reposition. These do not therefore offer the possibility to upgrade readily existing building infrastructure as may be available. Such parking structures also require a large amount of aisle and circulation space for the vehicles to roll into the parking positions on all levels, which negatively affects storage density.

Large scale automated parking garages do exist that permit multi-level storage of passenger vehicles via robotic or autonomous retrieval systems in a very dense manner. However, these are large scale investments, very site specific and rely on a high degree of electronic controls and maintenance. They are also typically designed up to the largest commercial passenger vehicles, which are much smaller and lighter than armored military equivalents. This frustrates the ability of automated parking systems to be used in military environments which requires agile and resilient logistics and handling systems to cope with ever changing missions in different places.

In U.S. Pat. No. 1,787,305 (Campbell, 1930) a shipping container or box for motor vehicles and the like is proposed to protect vehicles in transit, to improve transport efficiency, from point of production to end destination. The invention containers were not intended as, nor provided any benefits as, stacking solutions to increase volumetric storage density in long term applications with all invention claims focused on shipping benefits. Similarly, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,369,384 (Zubatsky, 1945) the crate invention proposed offered more optimized handling of vehicles specifically in transit mode.

The most relevant prior art to this invention is therefore limited to vehicle stacking solutions that are moveable and reconfigurable. Examples are focused mainly on crates for smaller vehicles such as all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) or personal water craft (PWCs) and where such crates are primarily focused on providing transportation benefits from the point of manufacture to the distributor or point of sale. Such crates represent improvements over wooden or other disposable crates as the steel crates can be collapsed and reused.

In U.S. Pat. No. 7,152,749 (Beck, 2006) and U.S. Pat. No. 7,762,417 (Arnold, 2010), the inventions address separately the challenge of manufacturers in delivering ATVs and PWCs safely to distributors and the point of sale. Previously industry had used one-way use wooden crates which were inefficient and which posed contamination challenges through wood particles affecting paint quality, as well as damage caused in initial crating operations or in opening the crates at final destination. Two different steel crate methods are discussed that provide reusable metal crates or containers that may be efficiently returned to the manufacturing point for reuse in some collapsed form. Due to the small size of some ATVs or PWCs, these crates also offered the potential for crates to be stacked to increase volumetric usage of the transport vehicle or container, thereby further increasing transport efficiency. However, these inventions focus on very lightweight vehicles. Specifically, Beck claims a transport crate having posts in each corner which are removably connected via socket connection to the base frame, a method that may comfortably work only for light loads and for quick dismantling methods where the primary function is transportation, however they would be unsuitable for heavy vehicle stacking. To distinguish further, Arnold defines the claims of that crate by the manner in which the invention's plurality of crates stack for the specific purpose of inclining a vehicle in transport, the combination and arrangement of such a plurality of crates affording this possibility, not where the benefit afforded by stacking is to increase density in the vertical plane such as may be required in long term warehousing, but rather the volumetric density of a transport cube (e.g. freight truck, or shipping container).

In U.S. Pat. No. 8,511,495 (Grigsby et al., 2013) a ramp-able crate for wheeled vehicles, specifically lawn mowers, is disclosed, with the focus similarly on the logistical benefits of the crates as mainly a method of shipping mowers from point of manufacture to point of sale. In the case of this crate and lawn-movers specifically, the benefit afforded is the integrated inclined ramp arrangement along the longitudinal plane facilitating easy retrieval of the mowers when released from the crate straps. The crate is further defined as fabricated from tubular sections that may be readily dismantled for volumetric freight savings on the empty return journey to the factory.

Such crate designs as discussed here for ATVs and mowers are possible given the relatively low weight loads involved in both cases, typically less than 1000-2500 lbs. In the case of heavy armored military vehicles, a loading of 15,000-30,000 lbs is to be expected and it is not simply a case of scaling up prior art to increase capacity. An entirely different approach is needed to manage the extreme loadings, as well as to match the crate design to the likely specialized material handling equipment which will be used for its handling. The present invention addresses these challenges in the modular design of the crate to cope with the large and heavy loads, and may employ ISO corner couplers to offer integration with container handling equipment and other benefits.

Finally, as to prior art, it may be theoretically possible to stow a heavy vehicles within standard ISO shipping containers and thereafter stack such containers in a similar manner to the proposed invention since shipping containers are relatively large and have significant payload capacity. However, there are several reasons why users do not do this. First, and the main problem, is that military vehicles are typically even wider and taller than standard shipping containers, rendering them ineffective. Second, military personnel require easy access to vehicles for inspection and maintenance, which is difficult in an otherwise enclosed and tight box. Finally, should a shipping container concept be stretched in scale and designed such that it did permit carriage of larger military vehicles, that solution would inherently be larger than a standard ISO shipping container, and therefore it would ship very inefficiently from the point of production to point of use. This is because ISO shipping containers are fully welded and bulky fabrications. Freight costs would be very expensive, requiring bulk shipment of the oversized container cargo as it would not itself be shippable as a 20 ft equivalent unit via normal container cargo vessels, nor obviously would it fit inside such a container. By definition then, when you need a product that is larger than commercially available transport size limits, solutions are limited and/or expensive. Making a crate a modular assembly to address these challenges is the purpose of this invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A first embodiment of the present invention provides for a crate for rolling stock comprising a floor having a length and width that is sufficient to support the rolling stock wherein the floor is supported by a floor beam at the underside of the floor. For example, the floor is a plurality of floor plates. In a further example, the floor plates are bolted to the top side of the floor beams. The floor may be perforated at one or a plurality of locations to accept anchors or hooks along the length and width of the floor to which attach a tie down strap for securing rolling stock located within the crate. A forklift tine passage is attached to the bottom side of the floor beam. For example, the forklift tine passage is the entire width or length of the floor. For example, the forklift tine passage is bolted to the floor beams through fins on the forklift tine. The floor beams are positioned longitudinally or horizontally under the floor. In one example, a floor stiffener support is attached to each end of a floor beam. A base frame assembly is attached to the front end of the floor beam and the back end of the floor beam. For example, the floor attaches to the floor beam via a stacking tab on a base frame stub upright on the base frame assembly. The base frame assembly has an ISO corner casting at each end of the base frame assembly with a base frame main horizontal located between each end. A plurality of vertical load-bearing members having a first end and a second end, the vertical load-bearing member is attached at the first end to a base frame assembly, the second end comprises a top lug assembly. For example, the first end attaches with the base frame stub upright on the base frame assembly. For example, the top lug assembly comprises a lug and a lug assembly guide flange. A long horizontal bracing member on a long side of the crate, the long horizontal bracing member having a first end that attaches to the vertical load-bearing member at an upper location below the top lug assembly and a second end that attaches to an opposing vertical load bearing member on a long side of the crate at an upper location below the top lug assembly. An end horizontal bracing member on an end side of the crate has a first end that attaches at an upper location on the vertical load-bearing member below the top lug assembly and a second end that attaches at an upper location below the top lug assembly of an opposing vertical load-bearing member. For example, the end horizontal bracing member is attached with the vertical load-bearing member through an assembly bracket. In a further example, the horizontal bracing member is connected to the load-bearing vertical member through an assembly bracket and pins or bolts. A vertical bracing member having a first end attached to the floor beam and a second end attached to the long horizontal bracing member. For example, the vertical bracing member is attached to the floor beam through a plate. In another example, the vertical bracing member attaches to an outer most longitudinal floor beam at about the midpoint of the longitudinal side of the crate. A diagonal beam having a first end attached to the base frame assembly and a second end attached to the long horizontal bracing member. For example, the diagonal bracing member attaches to the long horizontal bracing member at about a mid point. In another example, the diagonal bracing member and the vertical bracing member attach to the long horizontal bracing member through a mounting plate. Further still, the diagonal bracing member can be positioned on either side of the vertical bracing member. The crate is designed to vertically stack with a second crate. The plurality of load-bearing vertical beams, long horizontal and end horizontal members define a space there between for storing rolling stock on the floor. For example, a first crate is stacked with a second crate, the second crate being the same as the first crate and each may be empty or container rolling stock, wherein the ISO corner castings on each corner of the base assembly of the second crate mates with the top of the top lug assembly on each corner of the first crate when the first crate is below the second crate and stacked with the second crate. The crate can be fitted with a ramp made of a plurality of ramp panels that detachably connect to the base frame assembly at an end of the crate. The crate can also be fitted with a winch that is attached to a winch mounting bracket attached to the base frame assembly. Further, the elements that make up the crate are detachable, and the parts of the crate can be shipped disassembled to be assembled on site.

A second embodiment of the present invention provides for a method of securing a crate to a surface comprising attaching the crate of first embodiment to a twist lock or a lug anchored to a surface via the ISO corner castings. Further, the surface is selected from a ship deck, a trailer bed, a truck bed, a rail car floor, a carriage frame that rides on rails, and a ground.

A third embodiment of the present invention provides for a method of stacking two or more crates, the method comprising positioning a first crate of the first embodiment over a second crate of the first embodiment wherein the second crate is positioned beneath the first crate. The ISO corner casting of the first crate is mated with the top lug assembly of the second crate such that each ISO corner casting of the first crate overlays each top lug of the second crate. For example, the flange of the lug assembly guide flange acts to align/guide the ISO corner casting to position over the top lug. The lug fits inside an opening on the bottom of the ISO corner casting in a mated state. The first crate rests on the second crate such that the second crate supports the first crate. Further still, the first crate or the second crate may contain rolling stock. For example, the step of positioning is with a forklift.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an efficient storage, stacking and handling solution for military vehicles (including wheeled rolling stock, such as generators, trailers etc.) that may be efficiently manufactured, shipped and assembled at the point of use.

One embodiment of the present invention provides for a crate used to store, vertically stack and handle heavy wheeled vehicles and/or other rolling stock. One embodiment of the crate affords the possibility to store multiple units high—providing capability to increase storage density—as well as enabling personnel access to vehicles in storage for basic maintenance. The crate has an application for vehicle storage and handling generally, however specifically it is developed for military applications where rolling stock needs to be positioned or stock-piled for planning or contingency purposes, requiring efficient long-term storage, but also access for routine maintenance. Indoor storage of such assets is preferred due to reduced maintenance interventions; however, building space is at a premium and existing solutions for ad hoc rolling stock stacking are ineffective or non-existent.

One embodiment of the present invention provides for a crate consisting of main flooring section and additional side supports and horizontal beam bracing, that when assembled give the crate the rigidity to be stacked vertically, with multiple units on top of each other, with no other supporting structure. Safe lifting is ensured by fully enclosed fork pockets across the crate base. Safe stacking is ensured by using ISO shipping container casting, as part of the crate design along with top lug assembly to provide positive lateral restraint when stacked.

Integrated within the crate design are a multitude of perforations in the crate floor flat floor panels to enable safe restraint of multifarious vehicle types and variants. Such integrated anchoring positions and crate design allows vehicles to be moved via regular high capacity forklift or container handling equipment, both within a storage environment, and also onto transportation vehicles, using the crate as a transportation module.

One aspect of a crate design as disclosed herein provides for a flat-pack of the components for transport to destination for final assembly of components, reducing shipping volume, particularly by shipping containers or road transportation. Specifically, embodiments of the crate address the design challenge that despite having in some variants a similar or larger overall crate size footprint compared with a 20 ft standard ISO shipping container, nevertheless all crate components are dimensionally smaller than the maximum internal dimensions of a 20 ft shipping container, such that the crate may be efficiently shipped to point of use inside the 20 ft shipping container, which is a widely available global transport container.

One embodiment of the crate design is an integrated detachable winch and ramp assembly that safely pulls the wheeled rolling stock into the crate in a controlled and safe manner. The winch and ramp elements are detachable to facilitate sharing across multiple crates.

One embodiment of the crate design is the ISO corner castings fitted to the base of the crate, which permit crates to be stacked either directly onto the floor, or otherwise onto commercially available twist-lock fittings, permitting the rapid locking and unlocking of the crates either to a fixed surface (e.g. concrete floor or ship deck) or to other structures, particularly moveable storage carriages. This rapid fixing arrangement integral to the design permits crates to be loaded in and out of commercially available mobile storage solutions, permitting very dense warehouse storage arrangements.

This object, and others to become apparent as the specification progresses, is accomplished by the invention which, briefly stated, comprises a series of steel beams and supporting members which when assembled by bolts forms a crate that can be lifted safely with a vehicle or other rolling stock securely restrained therein. The assembly benefits from ISO container castings at the base and opposing lugs at the top which ensure safe alignment and stacking of the crates and the ability to be quickly affixed to support surfaces using other commercial hardware.

In one embodiment the crate floor had a width and a length wherein the longitudinal side is longer than the end is wide. In an alternative embodiment the length and width are about the same. The crate floor is constructed of longitudinal horizontal flooring planks affixed at each end to the crate end frames. The flooring planks may benefit from pierced holes to which tethers or restraints may be fitted. Additionally, the floor beams are braced underneath and supported by forklift tine pockets which are bolted to the floor beams. Exposed within the crate framework are restraints, such as eyelet bolts and other tethering positions integrated structurally into the framework.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the crate structural members may affix to each other via an arrangement of bolts and nuts. Preferentially, the plurality of modular bolted sections may be handled with greater ease and have a lesser transport footprint when placed onto the transport vehicle or inside the shipping container. Such a simplification facilitates transportation of the individual components to create multiple finished crate products (to store multiple vehicles) within a standard 20 ft sea container (TEU) or other delivery vehicle, compared with oversized custom shipping containers which may only be shipped as bulk cargo, and which will only support storage of a single vehicle per unit.

In addition to the readier availability and lower cost of the transport to move the invention from point of manufacture to the point of use, the smaller size of the individual invention components and corresponding smaller vehicle footprints required may facilitate said transport reaching more remote or austere or tactical military environments, which may not be accessible by the heavy transporters required to move oversized container alternatives. Furthermore, this bolted arrangement allows crate components/members to be individually repaired or replaced if damaged and makes the assembly of the structure easier due to the components being easier to handle.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the crate may have ISO corner castings affixed to the base with opposing lugs at the upper surface, so as to permit the safe stacking of crates on top of each other. Furthermore, additional lifting capability may be provided to the user in the form of forklift tine pockets that may be bolted in position on the underside of the crate and which permit safe lifting by a wide range of material handling equipment.

As an additional feature of the invention, the load bearing surface of the crate floor may be covered a metal fabricated floor plank which may be non-slip in design, allowing for easy rolling of vehicles across its surface. Preferentially, this plank arrangement may be only partial, creating open void(s) in the floor through which maintenance activities such as visual inspection and repairs may be conducted.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, retaining eyelets securing rings, cut outs and other such anchoring positions may be included within the crate design from which the vehicles may be secured by chains, straps or other means to protect the vehicle from moving during lifting and handling, such methods being commonly employed in the moving of military vehicles, with such anchoring positions positioned at various locations throughout the crate preferentially to provide a multitude of positions to which restraints may be affixed.

As an additional feature of the invention, hooks or other retaining hardware may be optionally integrated into the crate framework to permit addition of vehicle covers of a suitably waterproof web material that drape over and may be tensioned over the crate to protect the vehicle from environmental factors. Not shown.

It will be understood that the above description of the present invention is susceptible to various modifications, changes and adaptations, and the same are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the appended claims. For example, a skilled artisan would understand that various materials can be used to construct the shipping crate disclosed as can various dimensions and configurations. For instance, even though the embodiments described above disclose a strengthening assembly running longitudinally along the crates sides to provide the crate rigidity while not preventing doors to open over it, a skilled artisan would understand that the size of such an assembly may be reduced or increased depending on the differing weight capacities and vehicle dimensions that may be encountered, and it would be understood that a device or method incorporating any of the additional or alternative details mentioned above would fall within the scope of the present invention as determined based upon the claims below and any equivalents thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and form a part of the specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. The drawings are only for the purpose of illustrating one or more embodiments of the invention and are not to be construed as limiting the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the rolling stock crate in its assembled state according to on embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the rolling stock crate of FIG. 1 exploded into its constituent individual parts.

FIG. 3A-D shows a perspective view of the crate in its part-assembled state for shipping according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3E-F illustrates assembled floor with stacking tab on base frame stub upright according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4A-B shows a perspective view of the crate being handled with a forklift according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5A-B illustrates a perspective view of the crate stacked three units high both full FIG. 5B and empty FIG. 5A.

FIG. 6A-B illustrates a variety of standard rolling stock examples and how they may be accommodated inside the crates according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7A-D illustrates the lower crate engaged with the upper crated and how the bottom of the ISO corner casting lowers onto the upper crate top lug assembly to achieve lateral restraint and uses the lipped edge of the lug assembly guide flange to provide a natural location and squaring mechanism according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8A-D illustrates a series of holes on the crate floor to which vehicle crate accessories may be bolted (particularly optional adjustable floor chocks) according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9A-B illustrates detachable ramp panels and winch assemblies that are designed to integrate with the crate according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10A-B illustrates how an operator can use the winch to pull wheeled rolling stock into the crate to the storage position safely and securely which system can also be used to unload rolling stock when on an incline according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11A-C illustrates how the crate can be lowered onto securing hardware for quick and secure attachment a load surface according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12A-C shows how the crate can be carried on a carriage frame on a rail system and securely fastened to a mobile carriage by use of standard container securing hardware according to one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

Referring now to FIG. 1, a crate 100 for stowing rolling stock and other valuable assets/payload is illustrated according to one embodiment of the present invention. The longitudinal side of the crate if the longer side while the end side include the ramp. The crate is open to the outside on the sides and top thereby allowing light and air to circulate around the stock to be located inside of the crate. The crate floor is made up of a plurality of flat floor plates 104 that include openings to allow for user configured tie downs or chocking to attach to the flat floor plates as needed. The crate allows a forklift to relocate the crate with or without an interior payload or rolling stock. A ramp 108 which may be made of individual ramp panels that disassociate from crate 100. The corners of the crate are fitted with corner castings 105. In one embodiment corner castings 105′ and 105″ are mirror images of each other. Corner casting 105 are on the lower portion of load-bearing vertical member 101. The corner castings 105 permit engagement with a twist lock (not shown) or another crate or surface having a lug for example an upper corner flange 142 and male lug 141, an upper mating assembly 140, on the upper surface of load bearing vertical member 101. The upper mating assembly 140 mates with the corner casting 105 on one or more of the corners. When a lower crate is stacked with an upper crate the ISO corner casting 105 of the upper crate mates with the upper top lug assembly on the top of load-bearing vertical member 101 to secure the upper crate with the lower crate. A horizontal bracing member 111 (long) connects with load-bearing vertical member 101¹ and 101² via plate 115. Horizontal bracing member 111 (long) connects with load-bearing vertical member 101³ and 101⁴ via plate 115. Load bearing vertical member 101² and 101³ are connected by horizontal bracing member (end) via bracket 117. Horizontal bracing member connect load-bearing vertical member 101¹ and 101⁴ via bracket 117. Vertical bracing member 107 is positioned between two diagonal members 106. Vertical bracing member 107 is attached to member 121 via plate 102. Diagonal members 106 are attached to load-bearing member 101 via plate 116. Diagonal members 106, vertical bracing member 107 are all attached to horizontal bracing member (long) via plate 112. Forklift tine pass through 103 and attached to the upper outer portion of the pass through are fins 114. Fins 114 are assembled into the finished main floor. The fins 114 are sandwiched between back to back beams 121 and bolted through mating holes. Beams 121 are themselves bolted on the ends by 113 brackets. In this view, opening to forklift tine pass through is shown.

Referring now to FIG. 2, an exploded view of FIG. 1 is illustrated. Longitudinal floor beams 121 are placed atop forklift tine pockets 103 and bolted to fins 114 on forklift tine pockets 103. Floor stiffener support 113 is inserted into each end of longitudinal floor beams 121. Base frame assembly 150 comprising elements base frame main horizontal 118, base frame stub upright 119, lower mounting plate welded to longitudinal mounting plate 116, fins on brace frame horizontal 120 which may be integrally connected as a unitary component and base frame assembly 150 is bolted onto each end of longitudinal floor beams 121 via the fins 120 on base frame assembly 150. Flat floor plates 104 are bolted on top of longitudinal floor beams 121. Winch mounting bracket 110 is bolted onto one base frame assembly on the horizontal beam 118 of the base frame assembly 150. Lower end of load-bearing vertical member 101 is fitted into base frame assembly 150. Lower end of load-bearing vertical member 101 is fitted into base frame stub upright 119 and secured with bolts. One load-bearing vertical member is attached at each of the four corners of the crate floor. Assembly brackets 117 are bolted to each of the load bearing vertical members 101 near the top. Horizontal bracing members 109 are placed within the assembly brackets 117 and pinned into place, thus connecting the two load-bearing vertical members 101 at each end of the crate. Long horizontal bracing members 111 are attached by bolts and nuts to the upper mounting plates 115 near the top of each load bearing vertical member 101, thus connecting the load bearing vertical members 101 along the long side of the crate. Loose mounting plate 112 is fitted at the mid-point of the long horizontal bracing members 111, and the vertical bracing members 107 and diagonal bracing beams 106 are attached with bolts. The vertical bracing member 107 is attached at its lower end to the lower mounting plate 102 which is attached to the outer most longitudinal floor beam 121. The diagonal bracing members 106 are attached with bolts to the fixed lower mounting plates 116 on the base frame stub uprights. Ramp panels 108 may be removably attached to the base frame assembly 118. Winch 901 may be removably attached to mounting bracket 110.

Referring now to FIG. 3A-D, several views of the disassembled parts in FIG. 3A, are assembled into a floor in FIG. 3B. Base frame assembly 150 is illustrated at the end of crate floor made of floor panels 104. The floor of FIG. 3B is loaded with the modular parts in FIG. 3C and each floor acts as a shipping pallet for the parts of the crate for assembly on site. Several loaded floors can be stacked with the modular parts as illustrated in FIG. 3D. The stacked floors in FIG. 3D can be loaded into a shipping container such as an ISO 20 ft container. The floors in FIG. 3D utilizes the corner casting 105 of lower portion of base frame assembly 150 having lower mounting plate 116 of an upper floor to stack with an upper portion of a lower floor having base frame stub upright 119 to stack with the upper portion of 119. In this configuration, the crate may be shipped partially assembled to a site in an efficient manner, stacked securely in this kit form. Referring now to FIG. 3E, a close-up perspective of assembled floor panels 104 to create the crate floor with stacking tab 301 with upper unit base casting 303 that interlocks with stacking tab when mated is illustrated. Referring now to FIG. 3F, the stacking tab 301 and upper unit 303 are illustrated when mated 302.

Referring now to FIG. 4A-B, the crate may be moved by lifting by forklift using the provided forklift pockets in FIG. 4 to lift the crate from either of the two long sides. Multiple fork guide pockets may be provided to operate with different forklift types and to offer more stability during lifting operations. Forklift tines 402 may pass through the forklift tine passage 103 as shown in FIG. 4A. A second crate 100 may be stacked on a first crate and lock in place as the ISO corner casting on the bottom of each member 101 mates with the top lug assembly 140.

Referring now to FIG. 5A, stacking of empty crate 100 onto the top of two other crates by forklift 401 is illustrated. FIG. 5B illustrates the stacking of crate 100 onto the top of two other crates when all three crates have inside different types of rolling stock 501.

Referring now to FIG. 6A-B, varied types of rolling stock 601 can be included in a crate. The varied rolling stock examples shown FIG. 6 are secured back to the crate by way of restraining straps 603. The fixation point (not shown) of the restraining strap 603 is secured to the floor via anchor or other means through the holes located in the floor panels 104 and also through base beams 121 of floor. The holes in the floor permit great flexibility for restraining different size rolling stock, having different dimensions and load shift considerations, and the numerous fixation points across the floor benefit from co-location of holes in both the floor panels 104 and floor beams 121, the combination of both metal elements giving a stronger anchoring strength than either floor beam 121 alone or a the floor panel 104 alone

The embodiment may be stacked vertically on top of one another according to the crate loading characteristics and strength of the flooring onto which they are placed FIG. 5 and can be stacked in the same manner whether empty or full.

Referring now to FIG. 7A-B, when stacking crates 701, the upper crate 100 is safely positioned in the correct alignment with the lower crate 100 to bear the load properly by two mechanisms, first the vertical members benefit from a flanged upper edges of a flange assembly guide flange 142 which assist in the squaring of the alignment of lower ISO corner casting 105. Referring now to FIG. 7B, the lug assembly mated with the ISO corner casting results in a lug and pocket arrangement 702 which gives lateral stability to the crates when stacked 704. Referring now to FIG. 7C a close up view ISO corner casting 105 positioned on the bottom of load-bearing vertical beam 105 of the upper crate. On the upper surface of load-bearing vertical beam 101 of the lower crate. FIG. 7D is a front view and illustrates the lug assembly guide flange 142 useful for positioning ISO corner casting 105 in the proper position over the top lug assembly 140.

Referring now to FIG. 8A-B, perforations in the floor panels 104 being co-located with similar perforations in the floor base beams 121 of crate 100 permit a multitude of fixing positions 801, 802, 803, 804 for attaching a tie down 805, 806, 807, and 808 for rolling stock 501 or another payload loaded in the crate. The flexibility of tie down locations permit rolling stock of different size, height and weight to be securely tethered for safe handling. Referring now to FIG. 8C a tie down 805 is anchored to the floor via an anchor bolt attached to the floor via a perforation 803 in the floor. A chock 801 can be attached to the floor via the use of anchoring means through the chock and perforation in the floor. Referring now to FIG. 8D, the tie down strap 805 is anchored to the floor via screw eye or hook attached to the floor directly into the perforation. Winch mounting bracket 807 is shown and is suitable for mounting a winch on.

Referring now to FIG. 9A-B, illustrates detachable ramp panels 108 wherein a plurality of detachable ramp panels 108 make up ramp 903. Referring now to FIG. 9B, a mounting bracket for a winch and removeable winch 901 is illustrated.

Referring now to FIG. 10A, unloading of a crate using winch 901 mounted on winch mounting bracket 110 to unload rolling stock 501 via a strap or cable is illustrated according to one embodiment of the present invention. Referring now to FIG. 10B, loading of a crate with rolling stock 501 via a winch 110 connected to rolling stock 501 via a strap or cable connected to the winch by a preferred embodiment of the crate, a winch and ramp assembly FIG. 9 may attach and detach from the crate to facilitate safe loading of the rolling stock into position FIG. 10.

Referring now to FIG. 11A-C, a crate 1101 can be anchored to a surface such as a deck of a ship, a bed of a trailer, bed of a truck, and ground that is seismically using the iso corner casting 105 mated with twist lock 1102, or lug assembly. Referring now to FIG. 11B, an ISO corner casting 105 and twist lock 1102 are shown in a close up view prior to mating. Referring now to FIG. 11C, after ISO corner casting is mated to twist lock 1102, the result is an ISO corner casting mated/locked to twist lock 1105.

Referring now to FIG. 12A, a plurality of crates are positioned on a carriage frame 1202 that is moved by rails 1203 and controlled with a control panel 1204. Referring now to FIG. 12B, when on the carriage frame 1202, the crate may be secured to the carriage frame 1202 via a lug 1205 or a twist lock 1206 of FIG. 12C. In a preferred embodiment of the crate, an arrangement of ISO container corner castings on the base enables the crate to be rapidly fastened or unfastened in a structural manner to surfaces such as a concrete floor FIG. 11, ship's deck, moveable storage carriage FIG. 12 or other such load supporting surfaces.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the inventive principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles. Note that in the specification and claims, “about” or “approximately” means within twenty percent (20%) of the numerical amount cited. The word “a”, “an” or “the” means one or more unless otherwise indicated. Standards for intermodal containers are specified by the International Organization for Standardization, “ISO”. Although the invention has been described in detail with particular reference to these embodiments, other embodiments can achieve the same results. Variations and modifications of the present invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such modifications and equivalents. The entire disclosures of all references, applications, patents, and publications cited above are hereby incorporated by reference.

Claims

1. A crate for rolling stock comprising: a floor having a length and width that is sufficient to support the rolling stock wherein the floor is supported by a floor beam at the underside of the floor;a forklift tine passage that is attached to the bottom side of the floor beam;a base frame assembly that is attached to a front end of the floor beam and a back end of the floor beam, the base frame assembly having an ISO corner casting at a bottom corner of the base frame assembly;a plurality of load-bearing vertical members having a first end and a second end, the vertical load-bearing member attached at the first end to the base frame assembly, the second end comprises a top lug assembly;a long horizontal bracing member on a long side of the crate, the long horizontal bracing member having a first end that attaches to the vertical load-bearing member at an upper location below the top lug assembly and a second end that attaches to an opposing vertical load-bearing member on a long side of the crate at an upper location below the top lug assembly;an end horizontal bracing member on an end side of the crate, the end horizontal bracing member having a first end that attaches at an upper location on the vertical load-bearing member below the top lug assembly and a second end that attaches at an upper location below the top lug assembly of an opposing vertical load-bearing member;a vertical bracing member having a first end attached to the floor beam and a second end attached to the long horizontal bracing member; anda diagonal bracing member having a first end attached to the base frame assembly and a second end attached to the long horizontal bracing member.

2. The crate of claim 1 wherein the floor is a plurality of floor plates.

3. The crate of claim 1 wherein the floor is perforated to accept anchors or hooks along the length and width of the floor to attach a tie down strap for securing rolling stock when located within the crate.

4. The crate of claim 1 having a detachable ramp.

5. The crate of claim 4 wherein the ramp is made of a plurality of ramp panels.

6. The crate of claim 1, wherein the diagonal bracing member and the vertical bracing member attach to the long horizontal bracing member through a mounting plate.

7. The crate of claim 1 wherein the diagonal bracing member is positioned on either side of the vertical bracing member.

8. The crate of claim 1 wherein the end horizontal bracing member is attached with the vertical load-bearing member through an assembly bracket.

9. The crate of claim 1 wherein the vertical bracing member is attached to the floor beam through a plate.

10. The crate of claim 1, wherein when stacked with a second crate, the second crate being the same as the crate of claim 1, the ISO corner castings on each corner of the base assembly of the second crate mates with the top of the top lug assembly on each vertical load-bearing member of the crate of claim 1 when the crate of claim 1 is below the second crate.

11. The crate of claim 1 wherein the forklift tine passage is the entire width of the floor.

12. The crate of claim 1 wherein the plurality of load-bearing vertical beams, long horizontal bracing members and end horizontal bracing members define a space there between for storing rolling stock.

13. The crate of claim 1 wherein the plurality of load-bearing vertical members, a long horizontal bracing member, an end horizontal bracing member, a vertical bracing member and a diagonal bracing member are detachable when interconnected.

14. The crate of claim 1 wherein the top lug assembly comprises a lug and a lug assembly guide flange.

15. The crate of claim 1 wherein the floor attaches to the floor beam via a stacking tab.

16. The crate of claim 1 further comprising a winch attached to a winch mounting bracket attached to the base frame assembly.

17. The crate of claim 1 wherein the diagonal bracing member attaches to the long horizontal bracing member on either side of the vertical member.

18. The crate of claim 1 wherein the vertical bracing member attaches to an outer most longitudinal floor beam at about the midpoint of the longitudinal side of the crate.

19. The crate of claim 1 wherein the horizontal bracing member is connected to the load-bearing vertical member through an assembly bracket via pins or bolts.

20. The crate of claim 2 wherein the floor plates are bolted to the top side of the floor beams.

21. The crate of claim 1 wherein the floor beams are positioned longitudinally under the floor.

22. The crate of claim 1 wherein the on each end of a floor beam is a floor stiffener support.

23. The crate of claim 1 wherein the forklift tine pocket is secured to the longitudinal floor beams through fins on the forklift tine pocket.

24. A method of securing a crate to a surface comprising: attaching the crate of claim 1 to a twist lock or a lug anchored to a surface via the ISO corner casting of the crate.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the surface is selected from a ship deck, a trailer bed, a truck bed, a rail car bed, a carriage frame that rides on rails, and a ground.

26. A method of stacking two or more crates, the method comprising: positioning a first crate of claim 1 over a second crate of claim 1 wherein the second crate is positioned beneath the first crate;mating the ISO corner casting of the first crate with the top lug assembly of the second crate such that each ISO corner casting of the first crate overlays each top lug of the second crate; andresting the first crate on the second crate such that the second crate supports the first crate.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the first crate or the second crate contains rolling stock.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein a lug assembly guide flange of the top lug assembly guides the alignment of the ISO corner casting over the top lug.

29. The method of claim 26 wherein the step of position is with a forklift.