AU736659B2 - Improvements in or relating to freight containers - Google Patents

Description

Ojur Ref: 711142 P/00/01Il Regulation 3:2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT

S.

S

5.55 *5 S S

OSOO

@0@0

S

S.

S.

S S *5 5.55

S

*5 *5 5 S S S SOS Applicant(s): Address for Service: Invention Title: Carga Unit C~ontainer s Ltd. o Surrey CU16 Sill." sk-C.~ UNITED KIh4GDOM k o.z DAVIES COLLISON CAVE Patent Trade Mark Attorneys Level 10, 10 Barrack Street SYDNEY NSW 2000 Improvements in or relating to freight containers The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- 5020 1. 1 Improvements in or relating to Freight Containers This invention relates to freight containers. Such containers conventionally have a respective corner fitting at each corner by means of which the containers can both be engaged by container handling apparatus when being loaded or unloaded from a wheeled vehicle or ship and be held in position on such a vehicle or ship. More particularly, this invention represents a modification of the invention described in the Australian Patent Application No. 39083/95.

In EP 0 206 542, a freight container is described that is of generally cuboidal shape including a pair of sides which define the lateral extremities of the o o container. Exterior surfaces of the pair of sides are 6666 15 spaced apart by a greater distance along their middle portions than along their end portions whereby the 6666 69. .overall width of the container is less at the end portions than at the middle portions. With a freight container according to EP 0 206 542 the spacing of the 6e@9 end portions of the sides can be made such that the ends of the container can just be fitted between the cell guides of a container ship, while away from the cell guides the sides are spaced further apart and the o internal width of the container can be increased. It is suggested that the difference in spacing between the middle and end portions may be in the range of 20 to 100 mm.

2 In a particular example of a container described and shown in EP 0 206 542 the exterior surfaces of the pair of sides are spaced apart at their ends by 2438 mm and at their middle portions by 2500 mm allowing for an internal width of 2444 mm. Such an internal width is adequate to accommodate two metric pallets of standard size, namely 1.2 m x 1.0 m, side-by-side with their major dimensions (1.2 m) extending across the container.

Although notionally an internal width of 2400 mm would enable two metric pallets to be accommodated across the width in the same way, that is not feasible in practice because of tolerances and irregularities in the packing of goods on the pallets so that a width of 2444 mm is proposed.

S 15 A container in accordance with EP 0 206 542 has oooo proved very successful in practice because in terms of 0: its load carrying capacity it is comparable to a o o container of 2500 mm overall width, yet it is able to fit in cell guides in a ship that are positioned for Se 0 •0 20 containers of 2438 mm width S. *o *W095/03237 also describes a freight container in which the exterior surfaces of the pair of sides are eS spaced apart by a greater distance along their middle portions than along their end portions. The internal width of the container measured between the middle portions of the sides is more than 2400 mm but the overall thickness of each of the middle portions of the sides is less than 25 mm. Thus, the container described 3 has sufficient internal width to accommodate two metric pallets side-by-side with their major dimensions extending across the width of the container, whilst the containers may be placed in spaces intended for standard conventional containers of overall exterior width 2438 mm.

The very concept of a freight container with corner fittings is that it should have universal application; for example the form and spacing of the corner fittings are set out in international standards in order to ensure that the container can be handled or received on vehicles or in ships in any part of the world. Freight containers exist solely for the purpose of being transported and a considerable proportion of all cargo transported between oooe 15 continents is transported in freight containers. The oooo 00 merit of the designs of EP 0 206 542 and WO 95/03237 may be regarded as their ability to allow two metric pallets r e so's to be accommodated with their major dimensions extending across the container, whilst still providing corner

S.

'0 20 fittings at standard positions. That is achieved by o having a container whose overall exterior width is less at its end portions than at its middle portions; such a container is referred to herein as "pinched end con- 6000 tainer" According to the invention there is provided a freight container of generally cuboidal shape including a pair of sides which define lateral extremities of the container and extend between ends of the container, the 4 sides having end portions joined to the ends of the container and middle portions, wherein the overall exterior width of the container between the end portions of opposite sides at least at one end of the container is less than the overall exterior width of the container at the middle portions, the overall exterior width measured at the middle portions of the sides is not more than 2500 mm and the internal width measured between the middle portions of the sides is less than 2400 mm.

The "internal width" referred to in this specification is the width that is available for palleted goods; often container walls are corrugated with the wavelength of the corrugations much less than the length of a pallet so that the internal width is determined by measuring 15 from the inner portions of the corrugations or any part o. of the container that protrudes inwardly from the inner

S..

portions in a region where palleted goods are to be 0OO received.

The provision of a pinched end container having an

S..

S 20 internal width of less than 2400 mm appears to be lacking

U.,

any usefulness given the disclosures in EP 0 206 542 and WO 95/03237 because the disclosures teach that the merit of providing a pinched end design is to enable two metric pallets to be accommodated with their major dimensions S 25 extending across the container. Clearly a container according to the present invention is not able to accommodate two metric pallets in this way. We have recognized, however, that even though freight containers are traditionally designed for international operation, there can be value in a container that is designed with Australian trading criteria specifically in mind. In Australia metric pallets are not generally used; the standard size of Austalian pallet is square having a side of length 1.165 m so that an internal width greater than 2330 mm and preferably greater than 2350 mm is sufficient to accommodate two Australian pallets side-by-side.

By reducing the internal width and retaining the pinched end design it becomes possible to provide relatively thick side walls, the overall thickness of each of the middle portions of the sides preferably being greater than 30 mm. The overall thicknesses of the middle portions of the sides, as referred to herein, are *Gas 15 to be regarded as the two measurements which taken 9@e *e 4 together account for the difference between the overall exterior width and the internal width measured at the •ooo middle portions: for example, the external width measured between the middle portions may be 2460 mm and

S.

20 the internal width 2364 mm; in that case the overall .4.4 thickness of each of the middle portions of the sides is 48 mm. With such an overall thickness it becomes possible to adopt a corrugated wall configuration of the kind commonly provided on a container for bulk cargoes.

•O0 Preferably the container is suitable for carrying bulk cargoes. Thus the container preferably includes one or more roof hatches in the top of the container or one or more discharge hatches in an end of the container. The 6 discharge hatches may be incorporated in doors of the container or they may be incorporated in a front end of the container.

The suitability of the container to carry both bulk cargoes and pallets of the standard Australian size placed side-by-side is highly advantageous for making the container useful within Australia. For example, the container may be used on an outward trip to carry goods placed on pallets and on a return trip to carry a bulk cargo.

In order to improve further the suitability of the container for carrying pallets, the middle portion of each side preferably comprises a bottom rail member and OIL** corrugated panelling disposed above the bottom rail 15 member. Preferably the bottom rail member extends to a 6*e* height at least 100 mm above the floor of the container.

e Advantageously, the overall exterior width of the

S..

container between the end portions of opposite sides at each end of the container is substantially the same.

a Preferably the middle portion of each side comprises a platform member fixed to the top of the bottom rail member and defining a substantially horizontal surface on top of the bottom rail member, and corrugated panelling 640 the corrugated bottom of which is secured to the substantially horizontal surface defined on top of the bottom rail member. The corrugated panelling preferably has a total thickness of more than 30 mm and in a preferred example of the invention of 36 mm. Generally the overall 7 thickness of the middle portion of each side is greater than the total thickness of the corrugated panelling, partly because the bottom rail member advantageously protrudes inwardly from the corrugated panelling and partly because the container advantageously protrudes outwardly beyond the panelling to protect it.

By way of example, an embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Fig. 1 is a side view of a freight container, Fig. 2 is an end view of a door end of the container, Fig. 3 is a sectional view along the lines III III of Fig. 1 through one side and the door end 0eO 015 of the container,

O

Fig. 4 is a sectional view along the lines IV IV e of Fig. 1 through one side of the container, see.

00 3 and Fig. 5 is a sectional side view of a part of the A GO 20 roof of the container.

0000 *0, The freight container shown in the drawings is of e generally cuboidal shape having ends 1, 2, sides 3, a top 4 and a bottom 5. The end 1 of the container is provided with a pair of double doors 6 mounted on hinge posts 7 (Fig. The container is substantially symmetrical about a vertical plane containing the longitudinal axis of the container. Corner fittings 39 are provided at each corner of the container.

8 The drawings omit various details of the container in the interests of clarity. The structure of most of the container is of a kind known per se and will not be described further here. The construction of each side of the container is, however, special and will be described below.

As can be seen clearly in Fig. 3, the exterior surfaces of the sides of the freight container are spaced apart by a slightly greater distance along their middle portions 10 that are corrugated than along their end portions 11 that are not corrugated. Formed as integral extensions of the end portions 11 are interconnecting portions 12 that are inclined at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the container and connect the middle S15 portions 10 to the end portions 11.

5@50 g Referring now to Fig. 4, each side 3 at a middle portion comprises a bottom rail member 15, which has an upper vertical part 16 forming a guide rail for pallets and at the top of the vertical part 16 a substantially 20 horizontal surface 18 extending outwardly from the

S

vertical part 16, and corrugated panelling 19, the S" corrugated bottom of which is secured to the ooeo2 substantially horizontal surface 18 defined at the top of 0005 the bottom rail member 15. A flat bar 20 is fixed to the top of the corrugated panelling 19 and a roof 21 is in turn fixed to the flat bar.

The corrugated panelling 19 has its interior boundary face 34 slightly outward of the interior face 9 of the part 16 of the bottom rail member 15 and has an overall thickness slightly less than the width of the horizontal surface 18. Accordingly, there is a small space left on the outside of the surface 18 beyond the corrugated panelling and that enables the panelling 19 to be welded to the surface 18 on the outside along the entire length of the panelling.

Also shown in Fig. 4 is the container floor 27 which rests on an inwardly projecting portion 28 of the bottom rail member It should be noted in Fig. 4 that only the extreme top and bottom portions of the corrugated panelling 19 are shown. The bottom rail occupies only a very small proportion of the overall height of the container.

o 15 Referring especially to Fig. 3 it will be seen that eg..

the corrugated panelling 19 has corrugations that run e g 'r vertically and comprises portions 29 sharply inclined to the longitudinal axis of the container, inner portions and outer portions 31 which are parallel to the 20 longitudinal axis of the container.

The bottom rail members 15 extend substantially the S whole length of the container and thus extend into the end portions 11 of the container. As can be seen from o °o Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, the exterior width between the e extremities of the bottom rail members 15 is constant along their length. The corrugated panelling 19 terminates at the junction with the interconnecting portions 12 and is in each case welded to the outer surface of the 10 interconnecting portion 12. The bottom rail members extend further than the panelling 19 partway along the length of the end portions 11.

As shown in Fig. 2 a discharge hatch 32 is provided towards the bottom of each of the doors 6 and roof hatches 33, each of the kind shown in Fig. 5, are provided in the roof 21 of the container. The hatches may be of constructions known per se and will not be described further here. Three hatches may for example be provided. As will be understood, the principal purpose of the roof hatches 33 is to enable a powder or granular material to be loaded into the container if desired, and the principal purpose of the discharge hatches 32 is to allow such material to be discharged from the container.

15 If desired, the inside of the container may be provided with a liner of plastics material when carrying powder or granular material. Such techniques are well known per se and will not be described further herein.

In one particular example of the invention, the principal dimensions of the container are as follows: Overall exterior width at the middle portions 10: 2460 mm 0e Overall exterior width at the end oo portions 11: 2438 mm Overall length 6058 mm or 12192 mm Overall thickness of side wall of middle portion 10: 48 mm Minimum internal width at middle 11 portions 10: 2364 mm Width of horizontal surface 18: 48 mm Overall thickness of corrugated panelling 19: 36 mm Length of portions 30 and 31: 70 mm Length of inclined portions 29: 68 mm Thickness of corrugated panelling sheet: about 2 mm Length of end portions 11: 300 mm approx.

Overall height of container: 2896 mm Height of surface 18 above floor of container: I00 mm approx.

In Figs. 3 and 4 various dimensions, for example, the minimum internal width are shown which extend across the container and it should be understood that those dimensions are the dimensions measured to the corresponding point (not shown in Fig. 3 or 4) on the opposite side of the container. In each case as a result 0e 0 of the symmetry of the container about a vertical plane through the longitudinal axis of the container the points 20 on each side are equispaced from that vertical plane and 00 0 the construction of the side of the container not shown .o in Figs. 3 and 4 is the mirror image of that shown in 00000.

Figs. 3 and 4.

S. 00 In the example the minimum internal width of 2364 mm applies at the middle-portions 10 of the container; not necessarily at its end portions 11. If desired the minimum internal width at the end portions 11 could be reduced.

12 When loading pallets into the container the inner surface 25 of the guide rail member 15 provides a smooth surface and can therefore be used by a fork-lift truck driver loading a pallet into the container as an abutment surface against which the pallet can be pressed. Thus loading of two pallets side-by-side into the container with little space between them and the side walls of the container is facilitated.

The container has relatively thick side walls (total thickness 48 mm) and, although it has an internal width less than 2400 mm, it still has a width (2364 mm) great enough to accommodate two Australian sized pallets alongside one another. Equally, when the container is being used to transport bulk material in the form of a e powder or granules, the thick walls are able to resist the pressure applied by the cargo and, although there will of course be some deflection, that deflection can be 0 kept within manageable limits.

S

o• g ood

Claims (1)

13- The Claims defining the invention are as follows: i. A freight container of generally cuboidal shape including a pair of sides which define lateral extrem- ities of the container and extend between ends of the container, the sides having end portions joined to the ends of the container and middle portions, wherein the overall exterior width of the container between the end portions of opposite sides at least at one end of the container is less than the overall exterior width of the container at the middle portions, the overall exterior width measured at the middle portions of the sides is not more than 2500 mm, and the internal width measured between the middle portions of the sides is less than 2400 mm. 15 2. A freight container according to claim i, in o* which the internal width measured between the middle portions of the sides is greater than 2350 mm. 3. A freight container according to claim 1 or 2, in which the overall thickness of each of the middle portions of the sides is greater than 30 mm. C. C 4. A freight container according to claim 1 or 2, S in which the container is suitable for carrying bulk cargoes. ego• A freight container according to claim 4, further including one or more roof hatches in the top of the container. 6. A freight container according to claim 4 or 14 further including one or more discharge hatches in an end of the container. 7. A freight container according to any preceding claim, in which the middle portion of each side comprises a bottom rail member and corrugated panelling disposed above the bottom rail member. 8. A freight container according to claim 7, in which the bottom rail member extends to a height at least 100 mm above the corrugated panelling. 9. A freight container according to claim 7 or 8, in which the middle portion of each side comprises a platform member fixed to the top of the bottom rail member and defining a substantially horizontal surface on o o top of the bottom rail member, and corrugated panelling 15 the corrugated bottom of which is secured to the substan- 9999 tially horizontal surface defined by the platform member on top of the bottom rail member. 99 9 A freight container according to claim 8 or 9, in which the corrugated panelling has a total thickness 20 of more than 30 mm. 11. A freight container according to any preceding claim, in which the overall exterior width of the container between the end portions of opposite sides at each end of the container is substantially the same. -4/1W/8 15 12. A freight container substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings. DATED this 4th day of December 1998 ST/k 1 CI-0 0OF By Its Patent Attorneys DAVIES COLLISON CAVE