CN111977198B

CN111977198B - Improved collapsible container with cam lock mounting bracket

Info

Publication number: CN111977198B
Application number: CN201910433668.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: L·布伊
Original assignee: Krampspo Revolution Co ltd
Current assignee: Krampspo Revolution Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-05-23
Filing date: 2019-05-23
Publication date: 2022-06-10
Anticipated expiration: 2039-05-23
Also published as: CN111977198A

Abstract

An improved collapsible container having a cam lock mounting bracket. A container is disclosed that can be easily converted from an upright configuration to a collapsed configuration to improve shipping efficiency. The locking mechanism holds the container in an upright position until the container needs to be retracted, using a cam locking arrangement which uses a pin to catch a rotatable cam to lock the mechanism, and a rotational release pin to unlock the mechanism.

Description

Improved collapsible container with cam lock mounting bracket

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to collapsible containers and more particularly to containers that can be stacked when empty to improve efficiency and reduce shipping costs and emissions.

Background

The import of ocean-going shipping containers has for decades had a substantial impact on the supply of goods for consumption and manufacture in the united states and overseas. Unfortunately, commercial airlines have suffered from a large cargo imbalance, with as many as four to five homed cargo containers achieving only about one cargo container departure. This imbalance is due in part to the ability of other countries to produce goods at lower prices or to obtain subsidies to sell or sell their goods to the united states. As a result, the utilization of the container is largely unidirectional. This imbalance means that the container transportation route is at a price for one-way import and is forced to move or relocate empty containers back to foreign ports, which has a significant financial cost (in the billions of dollars per year) for the ship route. The transportation intermediary basically moves the air (free space within the containers) back to the originating foreign ports while discharging the contaminants when the containers are relocated back to those originating ports.

Cargo containers in use today have become standardized in size and structure and have made them easy, convenient and secure to stack vertically in a side-by-side and end-to-end relationship to maximize the use of the cargo and deck space on ships and the like in which they are placed. Trailers are standardized to carry containers for shipment by truck or the like.

As noted above, a major drawback found in the use of such cargo containers is that everyday commerce may require that such containers be shipped empty from the point of cargo delivery or location to the next point or location for receiving or loading the cargo. Such transport of empty containers is unprofitable because each such container occupies valuable and expensive space on the ship that would otherwise accommodate a loaded or full container. In addition, handling and transport of loaded and empty containers creates a number of other problems. One such problem is the arrangement of light empty containers and heavy loaded containers on board the ship in such a way that the ship is properly and safely flat.

When carrying a high percentage of empty containers, the voyage of such ships is uneconomical and must be assembled somewhere on the way, resulting in increased freight and transportation costs. Thus, if the empty containers can be collapsed or collapsed such that they occupy a small portion of the space occupied when in their expanded configuration, substantial economic savings in shipping by containers can be realized. For example, if three or more containers occupy the space of one container in a normal configuration when collapsed, the cost of transporting empty, collapsed containers would be significantly reduced.

The prior art has proposed a number of nested (nesting) cargo container configurations aimed at effectively reducing the space required for shipping containers when empty. While some of the proposed nested containers serve this purpose well, it should be understood that they are very lacking in certain materials. For example, disadvantages found in space-saving cargo containers proposed in the prior art include: disassembly of the shipping container burdens removable or separable components that are susceptible to misplacement, loss, damage and/or theft. Experience has taught that if pieces of equipment, such as cargo containers, can be removed or lost or easily damaged, these pieces may be removed, lost and/or damaged during normal use and great difficulties and inconveniences are encountered in maintaining such containers.

The construction of a conventional freight container conforms to ISO standard 1496-1 which specifies the size and strength requirements, but no method of construction. Cranes have provided assistance in handling some loads and the presence of forklifts has led to the introduction of palletized loads, which avoid handling individual items when transferring between different types of transport at a freight station. Palletized loads still have limitations related to processing speed, particularly limitations related to their stacking capabilities. This has led to the development and widespread adoption of shipping containers.

Containers 20' (6m) long of various sizes that have now become standardized are the most common. The width has been standardized to 2438 mm. The containers can be loaded at the source and easily transferred between different types of transport, such as road, rail or ship transport. Forklifts can be used to load containers with palletized loads. The tray was approximately 48 "x 40" (1200 and 1000mm) square. Ten pallet positions can be accommodated in a standard container. Large ocean-going vessels are designed to handle containers that can be stacked one on top of the other, up to seven high. Containers have the advantage of providing protection for the contents. Containers are constantly moving around the world to meet the demand for raw material and product supplies. In order to maximize container utilization, it is desirable to be able to fill a container at any time when it is moved from one location to another, but it has been calculated that 20% of the containers are empty for shipping in a relocation run.

Us patent No.8,783,489 proposes a container which can be collapsed by rotating the end doors up to the roof of an empty container and then snapping the side walls inwardly into a collapsed configuration. However, there is no satisfactory way to lock and unlock the collapsed doors and walls without the use of mechanical spreaders, and there is a need to be able to quickly and reliably lock and unlock components in place without the need for spreader devices. The present invention addresses this need.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention relates to a container, which solves the problem of inefficient return stroke of an empty container. With a collapsible design, four empty containers can be transported in the space previously occupied by one container. This approach provides a collapsible container design such that the container is returned to the port in a collapsed state using only one truck instead of four. This significant development reduces the resources required to return the container to the originating or foreign port and has proven to be a significant advance in the container industry. The present invention significantly reduces the costs and emissions associated with the return of empty containers and the cost of repositioning empty containers by as much as seventy-five percent (75%). The present invention allows for stacking of collapsed empty containers into a locked configuration using a securing mechanism operated with a mechanical spreader to ensure a safe and reliable arrangement of the empty containers. Four empty containers stacked in groups are installed within the footprint of only one open container and are securely fixed during road, rail and sea transport. Each mode of transportation has high efficiency including reduced emissions (37.5% trailer emissions reduction), reduced footprint required to stack and store containers on docks, railways and vessels.

The container uses a cam locking mechanism that can be actuated by the spreader or a person to lock and unlock the container from the collapsed configuration. The locking mechanism includes: mounting a bracket; a cam rotatable about a pin relative to the mounting bracket and having a lug and a radially extending long index finger; a pivoting long member having a bottom edge in contact with the long eating finger, the bottom edge having a cam surface and a recess, and the pivoting long member pivoting about a release pin at a first end; a spring connecting a second end of the pivoting elongated member and the lobe of the cam to urge the elongated member against the elongated index finger of the cam; and a locking pin that pushes the rotating cam to rotate the long index finger-shaped portion along the cam surface, lifting the long member against the urging force of the spring, whereupon the long index finger-shaped portion enters the recessed portion; wherein the urging of the spring maintains the cam in a detent position characterized by the long index finger being located in the recess of the long member; and releasing the locking mechanism by rotating the release pin to lift the long member against the urging force of the spring to release the long index finger from the recess and rotate the cam to the initial position of the cam.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a container of the present invention, viewed from obliquely above;

fig. 2 is a perspective view from obliquely above of the container of fig. 1 in a collapsed configuration;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged front view of the container;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of the container with the plates removed to show the locking mechanism in an unlocked condition; and

fig. 5 is an enlarged side view of the container with the panels removed to show the locking mechanism in a locked condition.

Detailed Description

A container is disclosed which collapses to a collapsed condition when not in use for shipping to improve the efficiency of shipping operations. General details of container operation can be found in U.S. patent No.8,113,372, U.S. patent No.8,783,489, and U.S. patent No.9,045,280, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. In view of the complete description in the above patent, details of the contraction and expansion of the container are omitted in the present application for the sake of brevity.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a container 100 of the present invention. The container has a top wall 20, a bottom wall 22, and first and second end walls 16, wherein the first and second end walls 16, 16 rotate about an upper (or lower) edge to couple to the roof of the container 100. Once the first and second end walls are secured inside the container, the container is also equipped with left and right walls 12, the left and

right walls

12, 12 having longitudinal hinges that allow the walls to be snapped in. On the end walls 16 are a pair of pivotal catches (catch)24, the pivotal catches 24 rotating about pins 28 and hooking onto a lower lip 26 at the bottom wall 22 to lock the container in the collapsed configuration. Fig. 2 shows the shipping container in a collapsed configuration (with the end walls removed for clarity) with the left and right walls being inwardly snapped such that the shipping container is about one-quarter (28.5 inches) of its original size height (97.75 inches). As shown, the catch 24 engages on the lower wall to maintain the container in a tightly collapsed configuration. As shown in fig. 4, the hooked tip 24a abuts a recess of the lip such that the catch 24 remains engaged by the force exerted by the container until the release lever 30 is engaged. Fig. 3 shows a portion of the front of the container in a collapsed configuration with the shackle 24 engaged, and a cross-sectional view showing a side view of the locking mechanism of the present invention.

Fig. 4 shows a front view of the locking mechanism for locking the container in the extended open configuration. The locking mechanism will be located at each of the four corners of the container and there will be four additional mechanisms at the positions where the end walls are rotated upwards against the roof. In a preferred embodiment, the locking mechanism is also used to lock the end wall 16 against the roof of the container. In fig. 4, the container 100 is in a collapsed configuration with the locking mechanism 200 in an unlocked position, shown in outline. With the locking mechanism in the unlocked state, the door frame 27 is foldable into a collapsed configuration. The locking mechanism 200 comprises a mounting bracket 201, on which mounting bracket 201 an elongated member 207 is mounted, the elongated member 207 having a bottom edge with a first cam surface 203 and a recess 205. A first end 209 of the elongated member 207 is mounted to a release pin 211 having a hexagonal head, the elongated member is rotatable about the release pin 211, and an opposite end of the elongated member 207 is mounted to a spring 213. The spring 213 stretches the member 207 downwards and applies a force to the elongated member towards the bottom of the container. Below the elongate member 207 is a cam 221, the cam 221 being mounted to its own pin 223 for rotation thereabout. The cam 221 has a thumb 225 and an index 227 with a circular recess 229 formed between the thumb 225 and the index 227. Opposite the thumb 225 is a lug 231, the lug 231 having a fastener 233 for securing the spring 213.

To lock the mechanism, the cam 221 is rotated from the position in fig. 4 to the position in fig. 5 using the locking pin 241. The locking pin 241 can be mounted to an automatic lever or a manually controlled lever. Once the locking mechanism 200 is locked, the door frame will maintain its upright configuration and the container will not collapse until the locking mechanism is unlocked, preventing damage to the container, container contents and surrounding personnel. To lock the device, the locking pin 241 is brought into contact with the circular recess 229, the circular recess 229 being open from the inside of the container. When the locking pin 241 is in contact with the cam 221, the cam 221 will rotate (counterclockwise in fig. 5) because the force exerted by the locking pin 241 is above the cam pin 223. When the cam index finger 227 moves along the cam surface 203, the cam index finger 227 abuts against the long member 207, causing the long member 207 to lift against the urging force of the spring 213. Cam 221 continues to rotate until index finger 227 reaches the end of cam surface 203 that terminates at overhang 212. When the platform 212 is depressed, the index finger sinks into the recess 205 and the spring 213 jerks (snap) the elongate member 207 downwardly. The cam 221 becomes jammed because the tangential movement of the eating finger 227 in the return (i.e., clockwise) direction is blocked by the elongated member, as shown in fig. 5. Simply rotating release pin 211 with a hex socket tool to lift long member 207 (or manually lifting long member 207 at spring 213) will release index finger 227 and allow the cam to unlock or return to its original position. Thus, the locking mechanism reliably and easily prevents premature or accidental release of the upright container, while providing a quick and cost-effective locking mechanism that is easy to operate with simple tools.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described and depicted in this disclosure, such descriptions and illustrations are for purposes of illustration only and should not be construed in a limiting sense. On the contrary, those skilled in the art will readily recognize various modifications and substitutions, and the scope of the present invention is intended to include all such modifications and substitutions. The scope of the invention is to be measured solely by the appended claims, the plain and ordinary meaning of those words and terms that would be categorised by a person of ordinary skill in the art using the words, unless otherwise indicated herein.

Claims

1. A collapsible container having a collapsed configuration and an upright configuration, the container further comprising a locking mechanism for locking the container in the upright configuration, the locking mechanism comprising:

mounting a bracket;

a cam rotatable about a pin relative to the mounting bracket and having a lug and a radially extending long index finger;

a pivoting long member having a bottom edge in contact with the long eating finger, the bottom edge having a cam surface and a recess, and the pivoting long member pivoting about a release pin at a first end;

a spring connecting a second end of the pivoting long member and the lobe of the cam to apply a force to the pivoting long member against the long index finger of the cam; and

a locking pin that pushes the rotating cam to rotate the long index finger portion along the cam surface, lifting the pivoted long member against the urging force of the spring, whereupon the long index finger portion enters the recess;

wherein the urging of the spring holds the cam in a detent position characterized by the long index finger being located in the recess of the pivoting long member; and is

Releasing the locking mechanism by rotating the release pin to lift the pivoted long member against the urging of the spring to release the long index finger from the recess and rotate the cam to its initial position.

2. A collapsible container as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a catch pivoted on a front face of the container to prevent deployment of the container from the collapsed configuration.

3. A collapsible container as claimed in claim 1 wherein the release pin is rotated by a hexagonal grooving tool.