Patent Application
20050048903
The present invention relates to the ventilation of shipping containers. More specifically allowing for the easy installation of such vents that conform to the corrugation of shipping containers.
With the development of the container ship industry, a considerable amount and variety of goods can be transported around the world in cargo containers. Such containers are typically in the shape of rectangular boxes of a standardized size that can be stacked on a container ship and transferred to or from a railroad flatcar or tractor-trailer. Such cargo containers allow transshipment of the goods within the container without having to unload it as it travels from road to rail to ship. Cargo containers are often used to store and ship personal belongings. Such containers often require ventilation in order to protect the goods stored within from the effects of heat or moisture. In addition, cargo containers are often used as structures, buildings and even dwellings that require ventilation. Unfortunately such cargo containers are typically manufactured without a suitable opening for ventilation. In the prior art, cargo containers were ventilated by installing conventional foundation vents on one or more of the container walls.
Foundation vents are designed to be built into the foundation walls of a home or other building to provide reliable and regular crawl space ventilation. While foundation vents are available in a wide variety of designs, in general they include a frame that is securable within an opening in the foundation wall. Typically, the frame is rectangular in shape and is conveniently sized to fit within the space in the foundation wall. The vent supports a grill structure (wire mesh), which allows airflow through the vent, but deters entry by mice other small varmints, and insects such as roaches. These vents are often provided to insure a minimal flow of air through a building (structure) The minimal flow of air reduces mildewing, and allows for the escape of hot air within the structure.
Unfortunately, foundation vents are designed for installation in foundations. Shipping containers when used as structures or as framing for buildings are not designed for use with “conventional” foundation vents.
In the prior art when shipping containers are modified with vents, traditional foundation vents are used. Because a shipping container uses corrugated steel in the design it is difficult to install them. A steel frame must be constructed with angle iron so that it will fit into the corrugation. Then the foundation vent is attached to the frame and both are installed into the container. This proves to be time consuming and not cost effective. Furthermore, the foundation vents tend to protrude beyond the corrugations of the container wall. Such protrusions render the container unusable for shipment on a container ship since they cannot be stacked properly.
Clearly there exists a need for a vent that meets the pre-imposed requirements of structural integrity and pest impenetrability Such a vent also should economical to produce and easy to install.
The teachings of the present invention can be readily understood by considering the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Although the following detailed description contains many specific details for the purposes of illustration, anyone of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that many variations and alterations to the following details are within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the exemplary embodiments of the invention described below are set forth without any loss of generality to, and without imposing limitations upon, the claimed invention.
Embodiments of the present invention include vents for corrugated walls, such as those found on cargo containers, corrugated metal buildings, and the like. Such a vent may include a sheet of material bent to form two or more panels such that the vent fits within the corrugations wall, wherein the sheet of material includes one or more openings.
The panels 102, 104, 106 are bent with respect to each other such that they conform to the corrugations in the corrugated wall. The sheet of material from which the vent 100 is made may be metal (e.g., ferrous or non ferrous), fiberglass, vinyl or plastic and may be of any suitable thickness, e.g., 10-gauge to 30-gauge thickness. In a preferred embodiment, the material is 20-gauge galvanized steel. By comparison, a typical corrugated wall for a cargo container is e.g., 14-gauge steel. The openings 108 may be formed by any suitable method, e.g., punching, drilling, etc. By way of example, louvers may be formed by a standard punch and die method well known in the sheet metal working art. A screen (not shown) having screen openings smaller than the openings in the vent may optionally be attached to the sheet of material (on either side) such that the screen covers all or a portion of the openings in the vent. Alternatively, the screen may be attached to one side of the wall and the vent may be attached to the other. The screen may have a frame that finishes the opening in the wall.
The panels 102, 104, 106 may be substantially rectangular in shape with each panel having a length and width. In other embodiments they may have other shapes. The panels 102, 104, 106 may be made to any suitable length L. In one particularly advantageous embodiment, the vent may be made to a length L of roughly eight feet and may be cut into individual sections of lesser length for installation on one or more containers. Although the panels are shown as being of the same length, they may be of different lengths. The angle of bend between the central panel 102 and either of the outer two panels 104, 106 is selected to match the standard corrugations on a cargo container wall. By way of the example shown in
Although three panels are shown in
By way of numerical example A′, B′ and C may respectively be 72 mm, 77 mm and 70 mm. Based on these dimensions, the angle θ between the slanted portions and the peak or valley portions is be about 28°. Once the dimensions and angles of the corrugation on the container wall are known, the sheet of material may be bent such that the panels conform to the container wall, e.g., using a standard breaker or other sheet metal bending machine. For louver vents, it is desirable to form the louvers first and then bend the sheet of material to form the panels.
Referring to
Embodiments of the present invention are not limited by the angle of bend between the panels. In principle this angle can be any angle greater than 0° up to 90°. Referring to
Referring to
One or more vents 312 of any of the types described above are attached to the wall having the corrugations. If desired, more than one vent may be attached to more than one wall. The cargo container may be any type commonly used for carrying cargo. Alternatively, the cargo container 300 may be one that has been converted for use as a dwelling or other building.
Installation of a vent of the types described herein is fairly straightforward. First a hole is cut in the corrugated wall where the vent is to be installed. It is desirable to make the hole of slightly smaller dimensions than the vent so that the vent at least partly overlaps the corrugated wall. The vent is then attached to cover the hole by any suitable method such as riveting, welding, taping, sheet metal screws, gluing, or equivalents. A sealant, such as a caulk or the like may be used to seal the vent to the corrugated wall before and/or after attachment to the wall to make a weather tight seal. In addition, the edges of the hole may optionally be ground smooth prior to attaching the vent. A screen may be optionally attached to the vent or the hole to keep out insects. By way of example, the screen may be attached to a thin frame made of a material that can be bent to conform to the corrugations. The screen may then cover the hole from one side of the wall and the vent may cover the hole from the opposite side of the wall. Both the vent and screen may be attached to the wall using fasteners, such as rivets that penetrate the vent, the wall, and the frame surrounding the screen.
While the above is a complete description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to use various alternatives, modifications and equivalents. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be determined not with reference to the above description but should, instead, be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with their full scope of equivalents. The appended claims are not to be interpreted as including means-plus-function limitations, unless such a limitation is explicitly recited in a given claim using the phrase “means for.”
