CA2125941A1 - Sliding system flat rack - Google Patents
Sliding system flat rackInfo
- Publication number
- CA2125941A1 CA2125941A1 CA002125941A CA2125941A CA2125941A1 CA 2125941 A1 CA2125941 A1 CA 2125941A1 CA 002125941 A CA002125941 A CA 002125941A CA 2125941 A CA2125941 A CA 2125941A CA 2125941 A1 CA2125941 A1 CA 2125941A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- flat rack
- headboard
- tailboard
- flat
- rack
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D88/00—Large containers
- B65D88/02—Large containers rigid
- B65D88/12—Large containers rigid specially adapted for transport
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Pallets (AREA)
Abstract
A flat rack for use in the storage and transportation of goods is disclosed comprising a flat rack with headboard and tailboard sections comprising end walls projecting orthogonally upward from the bed of the flat rack, and roof sections projecting orthogonally from each of the end walls and overlying the bed of the flat rack. The headboard and tailboard sections provide for sturdy supporting platforms upon which several of these flat rack units may be stacked, thus providing for efficient storage and shipping of these flat racks. The roofs of each of the headboard and tailboard may be hingedly connected to the upper edge of its end wall.
The roofs can then be swung out of the way to make for easier loading and unloading of the flat rack. Side doors may be attached to the sides of the headboard and the tailboard and a sliding tarp system may be attached as a canopy between the tailboard and the headboard, thereby allowing one to completely enclose the flat rack to protect a load contained within bed of the flat rack. The side doors may be opened and the sliding tarp system collapsed to allow access to the bed of the flat rack for loading and unloading.
The roofs can then be swung out of the way to make for easier loading and unloading of the flat rack. Side doors may be attached to the sides of the headboard and the tailboard and a sliding tarp system may be attached as a canopy between the tailboard and the headboard, thereby allowing one to completely enclose the flat rack to protect a load contained within bed of the flat rack. The side doors may be opened and the sliding tarp system collapsed to allow access to the bed of the flat rack for loading and unloading.
Description
SLIDING TARP SYSTEM FLAT RACK
Field of Invention The present invention relates to flat racks that are used in the storage and transportation of goods and, more particularly, to a flat rack which is covered by a sliding tarp system and which has a rigid headboard and tailboard which allows several of the flat racks to be stacked upon each other.
Backqround of the Invention There has always been a need for an improved system of shipping goods efficiently over long distances. It is not uncommon for goods to leave a factory by truck or train, to be stored at a shipping terminal and then loaded onto a ship, taken by ship to an intermediate destination, unloaded from the ship and stored at a port, be loaded onto a train and taken to some distribution point where the goods are then stored and later trucked to their final destination.
The transportation and storage of goods has been facilitated in modern times with the introduction of the pallet and the shipping container. Goods may be placed on a pallet and the pallet can then be lifted by a crane or a forklift and placed inside a shipping container. Shipping containers, once filled, may be stored in a stacked fashion at a storage facility and then loaded onto flatbed railway cars or truck trailers or into the hold or onto the deck of a ship for transport.
To save time in loading or unloading, several shipping containers can be tied down on a flat rack, and the flat rack can be lifted by crane and placed on a flatbed truck trailer 2~25~1 or railway car. Greater efficiency can be achieved if the underside of each flat rack is constructed to mate with the chassis of both a truck trailer and a flatbed railway car.
However, once several shipping containers are attached to several flat racks, it becomes more difficult to store the loaded flat racks. Unless each flat rack contains the same arrangement of containers, it becomes more difficult to stack loaded flat racks at a storage facility. If a flat rack were to contain a standard size shipping container and an irregular size load, for example several sections of large diameter sewer pipe, it would be impossible to stack several similar flat racks.
SummarY of the Invention The present invention provides reinforced headboard and tailboard sections on a flat rack. The advantage of the present invention is that it retains the advantages seen in the ease of loading and unloading of present flat racks while additionally providing for a mechanism by which flat racks may be stacked for transport and storage.
One object of the present invention is to provide a flat rack which, once loaded, is capable of being stacked upon an other such loaded flat rack, even though the loads contained on the flat racks may be dissimilar.
Another object of the present invention is to provide for a stackable flat rack in which reinforced sections of the flat rack which allow for the stacking of the flat racks do not overly hinder the loading and unloading of goods from the flat rack.
21259~1 Another object of the present invention is to provide for yet an easily engaged system of covering the load contained on the flat rack with a tarp which does not interfere with the stacking features of the present invention.
According to one broad aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flat rack for use in the storage and transportation of goods comprising a flat rack having an upper surface, a first end and a second end and lateral edges intermediate of said first end and said second end; and a headboard at either of said first or said second end and a tailboard at the other of said first or said second end, each of said headboard and said tailboard comprising an end wall projecting orthogonally upward from said flat rack, each end wall having two lateral edges and an upper edge, and a roof projecting orthogonally from said end wall and overlying the upper surface of said flat rack.
Brief Description of the Drawinqs Embodiments of the invention will now be described in greater detail, and will be better understood when read in conjunction with the following drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a flat rack incorporating one embodiment of the invention;
Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the flat rack shown in Figure l;
Figure 3 is a rear elevational view of the flat rack shown in Figure l;
Figure 4 is a top plan view of the flat rack shown in Figure l;
21259~
Field of Invention The present invention relates to flat racks that are used in the storage and transportation of goods and, more particularly, to a flat rack which is covered by a sliding tarp system and which has a rigid headboard and tailboard which allows several of the flat racks to be stacked upon each other.
Backqround of the Invention There has always been a need for an improved system of shipping goods efficiently over long distances. It is not uncommon for goods to leave a factory by truck or train, to be stored at a shipping terminal and then loaded onto a ship, taken by ship to an intermediate destination, unloaded from the ship and stored at a port, be loaded onto a train and taken to some distribution point where the goods are then stored and later trucked to their final destination.
The transportation and storage of goods has been facilitated in modern times with the introduction of the pallet and the shipping container. Goods may be placed on a pallet and the pallet can then be lifted by a crane or a forklift and placed inside a shipping container. Shipping containers, once filled, may be stored in a stacked fashion at a storage facility and then loaded onto flatbed railway cars or truck trailers or into the hold or onto the deck of a ship for transport.
To save time in loading or unloading, several shipping containers can be tied down on a flat rack, and the flat rack can be lifted by crane and placed on a flatbed truck trailer 2~25~1 or railway car. Greater efficiency can be achieved if the underside of each flat rack is constructed to mate with the chassis of both a truck trailer and a flatbed railway car.
However, once several shipping containers are attached to several flat racks, it becomes more difficult to store the loaded flat racks. Unless each flat rack contains the same arrangement of containers, it becomes more difficult to stack loaded flat racks at a storage facility. If a flat rack were to contain a standard size shipping container and an irregular size load, for example several sections of large diameter sewer pipe, it would be impossible to stack several similar flat racks.
SummarY of the Invention The present invention provides reinforced headboard and tailboard sections on a flat rack. The advantage of the present invention is that it retains the advantages seen in the ease of loading and unloading of present flat racks while additionally providing for a mechanism by which flat racks may be stacked for transport and storage.
One object of the present invention is to provide a flat rack which, once loaded, is capable of being stacked upon an other such loaded flat rack, even though the loads contained on the flat racks may be dissimilar.
Another object of the present invention is to provide for a stackable flat rack in which reinforced sections of the flat rack which allow for the stacking of the flat racks do not overly hinder the loading and unloading of goods from the flat rack.
21259~1 Another object of the present invention is to provide for yet an easily engaged system of covering the load contained on the flat rack with a tarp which does not interfere with the stacking features of the present invention.
According to one broad aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flat rack for use in the storage and transportation of goods comprising a flat rack having an upper surface, a first end and a second end and lateral edges intermediate of said first end and said second end; and a headboard at either of said first or said second end and a tailboard at the other of said first or said second end, each of said headboard and said tailboard comprising an end wall projecting orthogonally upward from said flat rack, each end wall having two lateral edges and an upper edge, and a roof projecting orthogonally from said end wall and overlying the upper surface of said flat rack.
Brief Description of the Drawinqs Embodiments of the invention will now be described in greater detail, and will be better understood when read in conjunction with the following drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a flat rack incorporating one embodiment of the invention;
Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the flat rack shown in Figure l;
Figure 3 is a rear elevational view of the flat rack shown in Figure l;
Figure 4 is a top plan view of the flat rack shown in Figure l;
21259~
Figure 5 is a side elevational view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention which additionally displays a sliding tarp which may be engaged to cover the bed of the flat rack. Figure 5 shows the sliding tarp in a partially engaged configuration; and Figure 6 is a side perspective view of the flat rack shown in Figure 5.
Detailed DescriPtion of the Preferred Embodiments Figure 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the present invention 1 which displays a flat rack 3 which incorporates a plurality of tie down spools 5 spaced along the side edges of flat rack 3. Flat rack 3 additionally displays a plurality of pegs 7 spaced along its lower surface which facilitate securement of flat rack 3 upon a flatbed railway car, truck trailer or other similar transport device (not shown).
A headboard section 11 is seen at the front end of flat rack 3 and a tailboard section 13 is seen at the rear end of flat rack 3. The headboard section 11 is made up of an end wall 21 which projects up from the front edge of flat rack 3 and spans the width of flat rack 3. At the upper edge of end wall 21 is a roof 23 which projects back over the upper surface, or bed 9, of flat rack 3 and which lies parallel to bed 9 of flat rack 3. Side supports 25 project downwardly from roof 23 to help support the weight of roof 23 by resting against the uppermost upright portion 27 of end wall 21. Side supports 25 may be permanently fastened to the uppermost upright portion 27 of end wall 21 via such means as welding or bolting. Such a permanent attachment will allow roof 23 to support a great deal of weight.
21259~1 Alternatively, roof 23 may be hingedly attached to the uppermost edge 29 of end wall 21 with side supports 25 merely resting against the uppermost portion 27 of end wall 21 and held in place by a conventional latching mechanism (not shown). When the latch is closed, side supports 25 will be fixedly fastened to the uppermost upright portion 27 of end wall 21, and roof 23 will remain parallel to the bed 9 of flat rack 3. When the latch is opened, it is possible to raise roof 23 by swinging roof 23 open along the hinges joining roof 23 and the uppermost edge 29 of end wall 21. As the components of headboard 11 are made up of steel or some other similar strong material capable of bearing weight, it may be necessary to swing roof 23 open on its hinges by using some hydraulic lifting means connecting the roof 23 to end wall 21, or by lifting roof 23 by means of a crane attached to some hook surface, or similar device, attached to roof 23.
The presence of roof 23 in headboard 11 allows one to stack these units. The fact that roof 23 may be swung out of position allows one greater access to bed 9 from above when loading and unloading flat rack 3.
Headboard 11 may also contain sidewalls 31 on either side of flat rack 3 which are hingedly attached to end wall 21 along the lateral edges of end wall 21 below the point 27 where side support 25 rests against end wall 21. The upper edge of sidewall 31 abuts the lower edge of side support 25 such that the majority of the weight of side support 25 and roof 23 are not supported by sidewall 31. Sidewalls 31 are then free to swing open on hinges 33 and act as doors permitting access to flat rack 3 adjacent to end wall 21.
Sidewalls 31 may be held in a closed position adjacent to the lateral edges of flat rack 3 and flush with side support 25, or nearly so by a conventional latching mechanism 35.
- 21259~1 Tailboard 13 is constructed in a similar manner and of similar components to headboard 11. While headboard 11 is located at the front of flat rack 3, tailboard 13 is located at the rear of flat rack 3. Both headboard 11 and tailboard 13 have their open ends facing in towards the bed 9 of flat rack 3.
It is also possible to place a set of doors in the end wall 21 of headboard 11 or tailboard 13. In the preferred embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 4, the end wall 21 of the headboard 11 is not equipped with doors, as is best seen in Figure 2. The end wall 21 of the tailboard 13, shown in Figure 3, is equipped with rear doors 41, 43 which are hingedly attached to the lateral edges of end wall 21 and are held in place by a set of latches 45. The configuration shown in Figures 1 to 4 allows for the entire unit 1 to be placed on the chassis or bed of a truck trailer, with the headboard 11 being positioned adjacent to the cab of the truck and the tailboard 13 being positioned at the rear end of the truck trailer. The rear doors 41, 43 at the rear of the tailboard 13 allow one access to the bed 9 of the flat rack 3 through the rear of the flat rack-trailer unit so that the flat rack-trailer unit can be loaded and unloaded in the same manner as a standard truck trailer is loaded and unloaded at a standard truck loading dock.
An alternative preferred embodiment is shown in Figures 5and 6, where a sliding tarp system 50 composed of a canvas (or other similar material) covered canopy 51 has been added to the invention as it has been discussed in Figures 1 to 4.
Canopy 51 is composed of a plurality of arches 53 which span the width of the bed 9 of flat rack 3 and extend to a height that is slightly less than the maximum height of headboard 11 and tailboard 13. Each arch 53 is equipped with rollers 55 at its two terminal ends, and said rollers 55 engage with - 21~5941 tracks 57 which run along the lateral edges of flat rack 3 and which run the length of flat rack 3 between headboard 11 and tailboard 13 on either side of flat rack 3.
Arches 53 are equipped with cross pieces 59 which are pivotally mounted between adjacent arches. As adjacent arches are moved apart along tracks 57, cross pieces 59 extend to a maximum length. As adjacent arches are brought together, cross pieces 59 collapse, and the series of arches contained within tracks 57 can be compressed together. The space between headboard 11 and tailboard 13 is filled with a number of arches 53 that will fill the space when the cross pieces 59 between adjacent arches are fully extended.
When all cross pieces 59 are fully extended, canvas canopy 51 spans the distance between headboard 11 and tailboard 13 such that the bed 9 of flat rack 3 is fully enclosed. Headboard 11 and tailboard 13 are equipped with tie down spools 61 around which tie down belts 63 are wound. Tie down belts 63 can be attached to mountings on terminal ends of the canopy 51 to hold canopy in a fully extended position.
When tie down belts 63 are not in use they may be retracted within tie down spools 61 so that they are out of the way.
Alternatively, if only one end of the canopy is held in place by a tie down belt 63, canopy 51 can be collapsed from the other end to allow access to a load held within the bed 9 of flat rack 3. If neither end of canopy 51 is held in place with a tie down belt, canopy 51 can be collapsed from both ends, and a load within the bed 9 of flat rack 3 may be accessed from two places, one by the headboard 11 and the other by the tailboard 13.
The series of tie down spools 5 located by the lateral edges of the bed 9 of flat rack 3 are located above tracks 57 so that the tie down spools 5 are held within canopy 51 and protected by canopy 51 when the series of arches 53 is extended. Tie down spools 5 can therefore be used to hold a load on the bed 9 of flat rack 3 and not interfere with the operation of the canopy 51.
Flat rack 3 is preferably constructed of steel or some other strong metal which is able to withstand the rigours experienced by shipping containers in the shipping industry.
The thickness of the metal will be not only sufficient to support the weight of the flat rack 3 itself, but it will also be sufficient to withstand the weight of stacking several flat racks 3 one upon the other. The bed 9 of flat rack 3 is advantageously made of or overlaid with hardwood planks or plywood. The canopy 51 is advantageously covered with canvas or some similar material with a weather resistant coating which could have advertising or some other decorative finish applied to it. The arches 53 and cross pieces 59 are advantageously made out of a strong yet lightweight material such as aluminium or tubular steel so as to facilitate the extension and retraction of canopy 51. Tracks 57 and rollers 55 are made of low friction material, also to facilitate the extension and retraction of canopy 51.
Flat rack 3 may be constructed to have any exterior or interior dimension to match that of the load being carried;
however, it will be clear that, in order to be able to stack several of the presently described flat racks 3 one upon the other, it is necessary that the flat racks 3 be of the same exterior dimensions. Given that the present flat rack 3 will have to be adaptable to fit in the hold of a ship, on flatbed railway cars and on truck flatbeds and trailers, we have found the following dimensions to be optimal for carrying the greatest variety of cargoes within the bed 9 of flat rack 3.
The optimal exterior dimensions of flatbed 3 are as follows:
length, forty-eight feet (48'- 0"); height, nine feet six - 21259~ 1 inches (9' - 6"); width; width, eight feet six inches (8' -6~'). The optimal length of each of the headboard 11 and the tailboard 13 is four feet (4' - 0"), leaving forty feet (40~ -O") between the headboard 11 and the tailboard 13. The5 optimal thickness of the bed 9 of flat rack 3, shown as distance "a" on Figure 1 is fourteen inches (14"). Given these optimal external dimensions, the interior of flat rack 3 will have the following dimensions: length, forty-seven feet five inches (47' - 5"); height, ninety inches (9o~
width ninety-six inches (96").
In operation, then, empty flat rack 3 is loaded with material. Loading may be facilitated by opening the side doors (and roof if the flat rack is equipped with a hingedly attached roof) to expose the bed 9 of flat rack 3. If flat rack 3 is equipped with a canopy 51, the canopy 51 would have to be collapsed before loading could take place. Once the material was loaded, the doors and the roof of tailboard 13 and headboard 11 are closed and canopy 51, if present, is extended to cover the bed 9 of flat rack 3. Flat rack 3 may then be lifted by crane and loaded onto a railway car or a flatbed truck or trailer. Obviously, flat rack 3 may be placed onto a raiLway car or other transport carrier before it is loaded.
Loaded flat rack 3 can then be transported directly to a final destination and unloaded or it can be transported to some intermediary location where it can be removed from the transport carrier and transferred to some other transport carrier, for example, transferred from a train to a truck trailer. Alternatively, flat rack 3 may be removed from a transport carrier and stored at some storage facility. As the flat rack may be covered with canopy 51, storage facility may be outdoors, for example by a shipping wharf. As storage space by a wharf may be limited, several flat racks 3 may be - - 21259~1 stored one upon another in a stacked fashion. Flat racks 3 may also be stacked within the hold of a ship or on the deck of a ship while being transported.
After shipping, flat racks 3 may be removed from the ship and stored or they may be transferred directly to a transport carrier such as a flatbed railway car or a flatbed truck or trailer and sent to some final destination or remote storage facility. Flat rack 3 may then be unloaded in much the same way that it was loaded, that is, by opening the canopy 51 and opening the side doors 31 and roof 23 sections of the headboard 11 and tailboard 13. If the flat rack 3 has been attached to a truck bed or trailer for delivery to a final destination, the flat rack 3 may be unloaded at a loading dock at a standard trucking terminal through the rear doors 41, 43 in tailboard 13.
Empty flat rack 3 may then be transported to some storage facility and removed from the transport carrier by crane.
Empty flat racks 3 may then be stacked for storage.
Detailed DescriPtion of the Preferred Embodiments Figure 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the present invention 1 which displays a flat rack 3 which incorporates a plurality of tie down spools 5 spaced along the side edges of flat rack 3. Flat rack 3 additionally displays a plurality of pegs 7 spaced along its lower surface which facilitate securement of flat rack 3 upon a flatbed railway car, truck trailer or other similar transport device (not shown).
A headboard section 11 is seen at the front end of flat rack 3 and a tailboard section 13 is seen at the rear end of flat rack 3. The headboard section 11 is made up of an end wall 21 which projects up from the front edge of flat rack 3 and spans the width of flat rack 3. At the upper edge of end wall 21 is a roof 23 which projects back over the upper surface, or bed 9, of flat rack 3 and which lies parallel to bed 9 of flat rack 3. Side supports 25 project downwardly from roof 23 to help support the weight of roof 23 by resting against the uppermost upright portion 27 of end wall 21. Side supports 25 may be permanently fastened to the uppermost upright portion 27 of end wall 21 via such means as welding or bolting. Such a permanent attachment will allow roof 23 to support a great deal of weight.
21259~1 Alternatively, roof 23 may be hingedly attached to the uppermost edge 29 of end wall 21 with side supports 25 merely resting against the uppermost portion 27 of end wall 21 and held in place by a conventional latching mechanism (not shown). When the latch is closed, side supports 25 will be fixedly fastened to the uppermost upright portion 27 of end wall 21, and roof 23 will remain parallel to the bed 9 of flat rack 3. When the latch is opened, it is possible to raise roof 23 by swinging roof 23 open along the hinges joining roof 23 and the uppermost edge 29 of end wall 21. As the components of headboard 11 are made up of steel or some other similar strong material capable of bearing weight, it may be necessary to swing roof 23 open on its hinges by using some hydraulic lifting means connecting the roof 23 to end wall 21, or by lifting roof 23 by means of a crane attached to some hook surface, or similar device, attached to roof 23.
The presence of roof 23 in headboard 11 allows one to stack these units. The fact that roof 23 may be swung out of position allows one greater access to bed 9 from above when loading and unloading flat rack 3.
Headboard 11 may also contain sidewalls 31 on either side of flat rack 3 which are hingedly attached to end wall 21 along the lateral edges of end wall 21 below the point 27 where side support 25 rests against end wall 21. The upper edge of sidewall 31 abuts the lower edge of side support 25 such that the majority of the weight of side support 25 and roof 23 are not supported by sidewall 31. Sidewalls 31 are then free to swing open on hinges 33 and act as doors permitting access to flat rack 3 adjacent to end wall 21.
Sidewalls 31 may be held in a closed position adjacent to the lateral edges of flat rack 3 and flush with side support 25, or nearly so by a conventional latching mechanism 35.
- 21259~1 Tailboard 13 is constructed in a similar manner and of similar components to headboard 11. While headboard 11 is located at the front of flat rack 3, tailboard 13 is located at the rear of flat rack 3. Both headboard 11 and tailboard 13 have their open ends facing in towards the bed 9 of flat rack 3.
It is also possible to place a set of doors in the end wall 21 of headboard 11 or tailboard 13. In the preferred embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 4, the end wall 21 of the headboard 11 is not equipped with doors, as is best seen in Figure 2. The end wall 21 of the tailboard 13, shown in Figure 3, is equipped with rear doors 41, 43 which are hingedly attached to the lateral edges of end wall 21 and are held in place by a set of latches 45. The configuration shown in Figures 1 to 4 allows for the entire unit 1 to be placed on the chassis or bed of a truck trailer, with the headboard 11 being positioned adjacent to the cab of the truck and the tailboard 13 being positioned at the rear end of the truck trailer. The rear doors 41, 43 at the rear of the tailboard 13 allow one access to the bed 9 of the flat rack 3 through the rear of the flat rack-trailer unit so that the flat rack-trailer unit can be loaded and unloaded in the same manner as a standard truck trailer is loaded and unloaded at a standard truck loading dock.
An alternative preferred embodiment is shown in Figures 5and 6, where a sliding tarp system 50 composed of a canvas (or other similar material) covered canopy 51 has been added to the invention as it has been discussed in Figures 1 to 4.
Canopy 51 is composed of a plurality of arches 53 which span the width of the bed 9 of flat rack 3 and extend to a height that is slightly less than the maximum height of headboard 11 and tailboard 13. Each arch 53 is equipped with rollers 55 at its two terminal ends, and said rollers 55 engage with - 21~5941 tracks 57 which run along the lateral edges of flat rack 3 and which run the length of flat rack 3 between headboard 11 and tailboard 13 on either side of flat rack 3.
Arches 53 are equipped with cross pieces 59 which are pivotally mounted between adjacent arches. As adjacent arches are moved apart along tracks 57, cross pieces 59 extend to a maximum length. As adjacent arches are brought together, cross pieces 59 collapse, and the series of arches contained within tracks 57 can be compressed together. The space between headboard 11 and tailboard 13 is filled with a number of arches 53 that will fill the space when the cross pieces 59 between adjacent arches are fully extended.
When all cross pieces 59 are fully extended, canvas canopy 51 spans the distance between headboard 11 and tailboard 13 such that the bed 9 of flat rack 3 is fully enclosed. Headboard 11 and tailboard 13 are equipped with tie down spools 61 around which tie down belts 63 are wound. Tie down belts 63 can be attached to mountings on terminal ends of the canopy 51 to hold canopy in a fully extended position.
When tie down belts 63 are not in use they may be retracted within tie down spools 61 so that they are out of the way.
Alternatively, if only one end of the canopy is held in place by a tie down belt 63, canopy 51 can be collapsed from the other end to allow access to a load held within the bed 9 of flat rack 3. If neither end of canopy 51 is held in place with a tie down belt, canopy 51 can be collapsed from both ends, and a load within the bed 9 of flat rack 3 may be accessed from two places, one by the headboard 11 and the other by the tailboard 13.
The series of tie down spools 5 located by the lateral edges of the bed 9 of flat rack 3 are located above tracks 57 so that the tie down spools 5 are held within canopy 51 and protected by canopy 51 when the series of arches 53 is extended. Tie down spools 5 can therefore be used to hold a load on the bed 9 of flat rack 3 and not interfere with the operation of the canopy 51.
Flat rack 3 is preferably constructed of steel or some other strong metal which is able to withstand the rigours experienced by shipping containers in the shipping industry.
The thickness of the metal will be not only sufficient to support the weight of the flat rack 3 itself, but it will also be sufficient to withstand the weight of stacking several flat racks 3 one upon the other. The bed 9 of flat rack 3 is advantageously made of or overlaid with hardwood planks or plywood. The canopy 51 is advantageously covered with canvas or some similar material with a weather resistant coating which could have advertising or some other decorative finish applied to it. The arches 53 and cross pieces 59 are advantageously made out of a strong yet lightweight material such as aluminium or tubular steel so as to facilitate the extension and retraction of canopy 51. Tracks 57 and rollers 55 are made of low friction material, also to facilitate the extension and retraction of canopy 51.
Flat rack 3 may be constructed to have any exterior or interior dimension to match that of the load being carried;
however, it will be clear that, in order to be able to stack several of the presently described flat racks 3 one upon the other, it is necessary that the flat racks 3 be of the same exterior dimensions. Given that the present flat rack 3 will have to be adaptable to fit in the hold of a ship, on flatbed railway cars and on truck flatbeds and trailers, we have found the following dimensions to be optimal for carrying the greatest variety of cargoes within the bed 9 of flat rack 3.
The optimal exterior dimensions of flatbed 3 are as follows:
length, forty-eight feet (48'- 0"); height, nine feet six - 21259~ 1 inches (9' - 6"); width; width, eight feet six inches (8' -6~'). The optimal length of each of the headboard 11 and the tailboard 13 is four feet (4' - 0"), leaving forty feet (40~ -O") between the headboard 11 and the tailboard 13. The5 optimal thickness of the bed 9 of flat rack 3, shown as distance "a" on Figure 1 is fourteen inches (14"). Given these optimal external dimensions, the interior of flat rack 3 will have the following dimensions: length, forty-seven feet five inches (47' - 5"); height, ninety inches (9o~
width ninety-six inches (96").
In operation, then, empty flat rack 3 is loaded with material. Loading may be facilitated by opening the side doors (and roof if the flat rack is equipped with a hingedly attached roof) to expose the bed 9 of flat rack 3. If flat rack 3 is equipped with a canopy 51, the canopy 51 would have to be collapsed before loading could take place. Once the material was loaded, the doors and the roof of tailboard 13 and headboard 11 are closed and canopy 51, if present, is extended to cover the bed 9 of flat rack 3. Flat rack 3 may then be lifted by crane and loaded onto a railway car or a flatbed truck or trailer. Obviously, flat rack 3 may be placed onto a raiLway car or other transport carrier before it is loaded.
Loaded flat rack 3 can then be transported directly to a final destination and unloaded or it can be transported to some intermediary location where it can be removed from the transport carrier and transferred to some other transport carrier, for example, transferred from a train to a truck trailer. Alternatively, flat rack 3 may be removed from a transport carrier and stored at some storage facility. As the flat rack may be covered with canopy 51, storage facility may be outdoors, for example by a shipping wharf. As storage space by a wharf may be limited, several flat racks 3 may be - - 21259~1 stored one upon another in a stacked fashion. Flat racks 3 may also be stacked within the hold of a ship or on the deck of a ship while being transported.
After shipping, flat racks 3 may be removed from the ship and stored or they may be transferred directly to a transport carrier such as a flatbed railway car or a flatbed truck or trailer and sent to some final destination or remote storage facility. Flat rack 3 may then be unloaded in much the same way that it was loaded, that is, by opening the canopy 51 and opening the side doors 31 and roof 23 sections of the headboard 11 and tailboard 13. If the flat rack 3 has been attached to a truck bed or trailer for delivery to a final destination, the flat rack 3 may be unloaded at a loading dock at a standard trucking terminal through the rear doors 41, 43 in tailboard 13.
Empty flat rack 3 may then be transported to some storage facility and removed from the transport carrier by crane.
Empty flat racks 3 may then be stacked for storage.
Claims (9)
1. A flat rack for use in the storage and transportation of goods comprising a flat rack having an upper surface, a first end and a second end and lateral edges intermediate of said first end and said second end; and a headboard at either of said first or said second end and a tailboard at the other of said first or said second end, each of said headboard and said tailboard comprising an end wall projecting orthogonally upward from said flat rack, each end wall having two lateral edges and an upper edge, and a roof projecting orthogonally from said end wall and overlying the upper surface of said flat rack.
2. The flat rack of claim 1 wherein said roof is hingedly mounted to the upper edge of said end wall such that said roof can be swung back from a position orthogonal to said end wall overlying the upper surface of said flat rack to a second position wherein said roof is not overlying the upper surface of said flat rack.
3. The flat rack of claim 1 further comprising side walls hingedly mounted on each lateral edge of the end walls of said headboard and said tailboard.
4. The flat rack of claim 2 further comprising side walls hingedly mounted on each lateral edge of the end walls of said headboard and said tailboard.
5. The flat rack of claim 1, 2, 3, or 4 further comprising a sliding tarp system mounted on said flat rack intermediate of said headboard and said tailboard, said sliding tarp system overlying said upper surface of said flat rack.
6. The flat rack of claim 5 further comprising a plurality of tie down belts contained within a plurality of tie down spools to hold sliding tarp system to said headboard and to said tailboard.
7. The flat rack of claim 6 wherein said sliding tarp system is attached to tracks mounted on both lateral edges of said flat rack below a second set of tie down spools and belts used to secure loads to said upper surface of said flat rack.
8. The flat rack of claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 or 7 further comprising the following external dimensions: length, forty-eight feet; height, nine feet six inches; and width, eight feet six inches.
9. The flat rack of claim 5 further comprising the following external dimensions: length, forty-eight feet; height, nine feet six inches; and width, eight feet six inches.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002125941A CA2125941A1 (en) | 1994-06-15 | 1994-06-15 | Sliding system flat rack |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002125941A CA2125941A1 (en) | 1994-06-15 | 1994-06-15 | Sliding system flat rack |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2125941A1 true CA2125941A1 (en) | 1995-12-16 |
Family
ID=4153822
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002125941A Abandoned CA2125941A1 (en) | 1994-06-15 | 1994-06-15 | Sliding system flat rack |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2125941A1 (en) |
-
1994
- 1994-06-15 CA CA002125941A patent/CA2125941A1/en not_active Abandoned
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EEER | Examination request | ||
| FZDE | Dead |