AU780533B2 - Method and apparatus for transporting fibre cement board, plasterboard and the like - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 3cs &5 ddlldirx?/^dc/i tifrkd DIIV X L d J\L

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: Method and apparatus for transporting fibre cement board, plasterboard and the like The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to us:- Field of the Invention This invention relates to a method and apparatus for transporting generally flat laminar objects, particularly but not exclusively, plasterboard, fibre cement board and the like.

Background of the Invention Fibre cement board, plasterboard and the like, hereinafter referred to as flat boards, are used extensively in the construction industry in the construction of new buildings and in the renovation of older buildings. Such boards are manufactured to a thickness of about 10 to 13mm in a continuous process in which the flatboards are formed, extruded between rollers, parthardened, then cut into lengths, up to 6m long and then allowed to cure.

Once cured, the boards are stored in warehouses stacked flat one on top of the other on pallets or the like. When a builder places an order for flatboards for a particular construction site, the boards are carried flat and placed on the back of a truck in a stack corresponding to the order requested by the builder which might be, for example, ten sheets of fibreboard and five sheets of plasterboard. Similarly, other orders for delivery to other construction sites are loaded on the truck, and the flatboards are then delivered to the sites. As the boards are stacked flat, in piles one on top of another, it will be appreciated that for maximum efficiency the delivery has to be performed in a particular order so that the boards at the base of the piles on the truck are ee e delivered last.

Generally, flatboards are delivered to a site just before they are required for use to avoid having to store the flatboards. Thus, they are generally delivered to partly constructed buildings which will have at least an external frame or wall. Deliveries are performed by the driver and an assistant, colloquially referred to as a jockey. Driver and jockey manually lift the board flat off the truck usually carrying one or two boards at a time as the boards are relatively heavy and awkward to carry, before rotating the boards and carrying them upright through a door frame or the like into the partly constructed building.

There a number of problems with the existing methods used for transporting flatboards. The major problem is that the boards are relatively heavy and awkward to carry and instances of injury to drivers and jockeys, particularly back injuries, are common. The existing transportation method is also relatively labour intensive and involves frequent man handling of the flatboard which is relatively easily damaged.

The present invention seeks to provide a method and apparatus for transporting flatboards which addresses and alleviates some of the disadvantages of the existing transportation method.

Summary of the Invention In a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for use in the transportation of relatively large planar objects such as plasterboard, fibre cement board and the like comprising: a cage means having a generally planar solid floor supported on wheels and defining two upstanding spaced apart side walls defining a gap therebetween for receiving sheets of flatboard or the like; and *means for receiving a hook or the like located at the top of the cage S" 15 element to enable the cage means to be lifted and carried by a crane or the like.

oeeo• Typically the side walls will have a generally open structure. They may be made of tubular steel having a rectangular cross-section or the like.

One of the wall elements is preferably removably attached to the base and entirely removed to allow easy loading and unloading of the cage means.

The cage means is preferably between 2.5 and im long (most S: preferably between 1.8 to 2.5m) and between 1.3 to 1.5m high measured from the floor of the cage, with a preferred height of around 1.4m. The cage is preferably approximately 0.30m wide. This width allows the cage to receive about fifteen sheets of flatboard which including the cage, gives a total weight of less than one tonne.

The present invention also provides a method for transporting fibre cement board, plasterboard or the like comprising the steps of: placing sheets of board in a cage means embodying the first aspect of the present invention with the boards oriented in a substantially vertical orientation, transporting the cage means to a vehicle, typically a flatbed truck incorporating a crane and loading the cage elements onto the vehicle using a crane or the like: delivering the cage elements to a desired location using the vehicle; and unloading the cage element containing the flatboards to the desired location, typically using the crane provided on the vehicle.

The method of the present invention has the substantial advantage that the plasterboard orders may be assembled, loaded onto a vehicle, transported and delivered with the board in a substantially vertical orientation as is required when the boards enter the partly constructed building into which they are to be incorporated. The cage also makes it easier to move and handle the boards and reduces the risk of injury to persons handling the boards and the risk of damage to the boards themselves.

10 Further, the cages incorporating the flatboards can be handled and delivered by a single person driving a flatbed truck incorporating a crane.

Brief Description of the Drawings ~The invention will now be described by way of example only and with o S 15 reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a pictorial view of a transportation cage embodying the Sopresent invention; Figure 2 is a schematic side view of the cage as shown in Figure 1 illustrating opening of the cage; and Figure 3 is a schematic drawing illustrating a loaded cage being inserted into a construction.

-7.i Detailed Description of a Preferred Embodiment Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 shows a cage means 10 for receiving flatboard such as fibre cement board, plasterboard and the like.

The cage 10 has a solid flat planar floor 12 and two spaced apart generally parallel open side walls 14 and 16. The side walls are defined by an open framework of box steel tubes. At the top of the cage, there are loop means 18 for receiving a hook 20 of a crane or the like.

The cage is approximately 2.4m long by 30cm wide by 1400mm high.

The length of the cage is selected so that the cage is reasonably compact and manoeuvrable, but so that the overhang of a sheet of flatboard resting on the floor 12 (which might be up to 6m long) either side of the cage is limited to provide sufficient support for the flatboard without damaging it.

The width of the cage, is selected so that when properly loaded, the cage will hold about fifteen sheets of flatboard which will have a weight of less than a 1000kg which is within the lifting capacity of the onboard cranes which are typically provided on flatbed trucks.

Castors 22 are attached to the underside of the base 12 of the cage. As can be seen from Figure 2, the castors extend outwards either side of the base 12 so that the distance between the castors is maximised to provide increased stability against tipping to the cage.

In an alternative embodiment illustrated in Figure 3 the underside of the cage is not provided with castors and instead a separate air skates are provided on which the cage may be rested for moving the cage.

One of the side walls 16 of the cage is removably attached to the base 12, and the rest of the cage can be entirely removed to allow easy access to the interior of the cage for loading and unloading of the cage.

In use, cages 10 are loaded with flatboard at a storage warehouse. Each order is placed on an individual cage element with the flatboards selected S" 15 and loaded in a generally vertical orientation on the cage with the front wall 16 lowered as shown in Figure 2 to allow easy loading. However, it would, in eei •theory, be possible to load the cage elements through the open ends of the cage. It is also an option to load the cages when in a horizontal orientation.

The cage is then wheeled or otherwise transported to delivery vehicles such S 20 as a flatbed truck or the like and loaded onto the vehicle for delivery typically using the truck's onboard crane. The hook 20 of the crane engages the loops 18 at the top of the cage. Further loaded cages are then placed on ee e the truck. Because the castors 22 are located below the level of the base 12, the castors of one cage element will fit beneath the base 12 of the adjacent cage element on the truck. Hence the cage elements can be stored with the side walls 16, 14 adjacent to each other which increases the potential capacity of the truck, subject to its weight limits, and also restricts the movement of the cage elements making the load safer and more secure.

The truck is then used to deliver the loaded cages onto site. With reference to Figure 3, the crane 40 on the truck can be used to lift the cage elements 10 from the flatbed and, where the truck is provided with a telescoping extendible crane 40 and where the building under construction 42 is within 10 metres of the truck, which is the typical reach of an extendible crane, the loaded cage element complete with flatboards 46 can be simply inserted directly into the partly constructed building (construction) 42 from the truck through a doorway 44 or other suitable gap in the exterior 6 of the fabric of the construction 42. Once in the building 42, the loaded cage element can be pushed around on the castors and the flatboards unloaded where desired for incorporation into the building. Or in the alternative embodiment referred to above the cage may be deposited onto airskates and moved about on the same.

Although the above referenced invention has been described in terms of transporting flatboards such as plasterboard, fibre cement board and the like and has particularly advantages with those products it will be appreciated that the cage element of the present invention could also be utilised for transport of other planar objects such as wood paneling, glass sheeting, doors and the like.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the 15 invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

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Claims (9)

1. An apparatus for use in the transportation of relatively large planar objects such as plasterboard, fibre cement board and the like comprising: a cage means having a generally planar solid floor supported on wheels and defining two upstanding spaced apart side walls defining a gap therebetween for receiving sheets of flatboard or the like; and means for receiving a hook or the like located at the top of the cage element to enable the cage means to be lifted and carried by a crane or the like.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the side walls comprise an open framework structure.

3. An apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim wherein one of the side walls is removably attached to the cage and may be opened for loading and unloading.

4. An apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the cage means is between 2.5 and Im long and between 1.3 to 1.5m high measured S" from the floor of the cage. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein the cage means is 1.8 to long and between 1.3 to 1.5m high measured from the floor of the cage

6. An apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the cage is about 0.30m wide

7. A method for transporting fibre cement board, plasterboard or the like comprising the steps of: placing sheets of board in an apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim transporting the cage mneans to a vehicle, typically a flatbed truck incorporating a crane and loading the cage elements onto the vehicle using a crane or the like; delivering the cage elements to a desired location using the vehicle; and unloading the cage element containing the flatboards to the desired location.

8. A method as claimed in claim 6 wherein the step of unloading the cage means utilises the crane provided on the vehicle.

9. A method as claimed in claim 7 or 8 wherein the cage element is unloaded using the crane directly into a construction. 8 An apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and/or as shown in the accompanying drawings.

11. An method of transporting and delivering flatboards substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and/or as shown in the IS RA accompanying drawings. SEC Dated this twelfth day of March 2001 Patent Attorneys for the Applicant: F BRICE &CO