EP1810938A1

EP1810938A1 - Container connection device

Info

Publication number: EP1810938A1
Application number: EP05805872A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Hiroyuki Takaguchi
Original assignee: Taiyo Seiki Iron Works Co Ltd
Current assignee: Taiyo Seiki Iron Works Co Ltd
Priority date: 2004-11-09
Filing date: 2005-11-08
Publication date: 2007-07-25
Anticipated expiration: 2025-11-08
Also published as: JP4629052B2; KR20070095877A; WO2006051781A1; DK1810938T3; EP1810938B1; DE602005025387D1; EP1810938A4; ATE491659T1; JPWO2006051781A1; KR101189629B1

Abstract

The present invention provides an automatic twist type coupling device for containers, not easily detached during a transportation and, in addition, capable of being engaged and disengaged easily by reducing the amount of rolling of the containers.

This coupling device for containers comprises a coupling seat 1 disposed between corner fittings C of containers stacked one upon another, an upper pedestal 2 and a lower pedestal 3, provided in protrusion from the coupling seat 1, for positioning and fitting the coupling device for containers in a slot C1 of the upper and lower corner fittings C, and an upper cone 4 and a lower cone 5, provided in protrusion from the upper pedestal 2 and the lower pedestal 3, for coupling containers by being engaged in the slots C 1 of the corner fittings C, while said lower cone 5 comprises a neck 7 hanging from the lower pedestal 3 by being displaced to one side in the direction of breadth of the slot C1, a fixed projection 8 protruding in the direction opposite to the direction of displacement from the tip of the neck 7, and a mobile projection 9 protruding by being urged in the direction of displacement from the neck 7 on the base end side with reference to the fixed projection 8, and retreating by rocking upward.

Description

Technical Field:

The present invention concerns a coupling device for containers for coupling upper and lower containers to each other when stacking containers, more specifically an automatic coupling device for containers capable of automatically disconnecting the containers by lifting them, at the time of unloading.

Background Art:

In the case where a large number of containers are transported by ship, the containers stacked vertically in multiple stages are coupled to one another by means of a coupling device for containers, and loaded in a way protected against collapse due to rocking (rolling, pitching) of the hull.
A coupling device for containers comprises a plate-like coupling seat disposed between corner fittings of the containers stacked one upon another, upper and lower pedestals, provided in protrusion from the coupling seat, for positioning and fitting the coupling device for containers in a slot of the upper and lower corner fittings respectively, and upper and lower cones, provided at the tip of the pedestals, to couple the containers as the cones are engaged in the slot of the corner fittings.
As such coupling device for containers, there is an automatic coupling device for containers, realized in such a way that the upper cone is installed in advance on the corner fitting at the bottom of the container, to enable to automatically engage the lower cone in the slot in the corner fitting of the lower container, for coupling the containers, at the time of stacking of that container on the lower container, by letting down the container by fitting it to the lower container, and, conversely, enable to automatically disengage the containers by lifting them, at the time of unloading of the containers.
On a conventional automatic coupling device for containers, said lower cone 10 comprises, as shown in Fig. 10, for example, a neck 12 hanging from the pedestal 11 by being displaced to one side in the direction of breadth of the slot C1, and a fixed projection 13 further protruding in the direction of displacement from the tip of the neck 12.
And, a lower inclined face 14, getting in slide contact with the edge of the slot C1 at the time of loading, for guiding the pedestal 11 to the fitting position is formed at the bottom of the pedestal 11 on the side opposite to said direction of displacement, and an upper inclined face 15, getting in slide contact with the edge of the slot C1 by a drawing action made at the time of unloading, for guiding the coupling device for containers in the direction opposite to said direction of displacement to move the fixed projection 13 to a position not to be engaged in the slot C1. In the drawing, reference numeral 16 indicates a coupling seat, while 17 represents the upper cone.
On this coupling device for containers, as the fixed projection 13 is inserted in the slot C1 of the corner fitting C, the lower inclined face 14 gets in slide contact with the edge of the slot C1, and guides the pedestal 11 up to the fitting position, to engage the fixed projection 13 in the slot C1, at the time of loading.
On the other hand, at the time of unloading, the upper inclined face 15 of the fixed projection 13 gets in slide contact with the edge of the slot C1, by that drawing action, to guide the coupling device for containers in the direction opposite to the direction of displacement, and this makes it possible for the fixed projection 13 to move to a position not to be engaged in the slot C1.
By the way, in the case of use of the above-described conventional coupling device for containers, there is a problem that, during a transportation on a ship, the fastening of the coupling device for containers is liable to become loose, because of inclination of the containers due to rocking (rolling and pitching) of the hull.
Namely, even if the containers are loaded in horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 10 (a), if the container on the upper side floats up diagonally because of rocking (rolling and pitching) of the hull, wind, etc., as shown in Fig. 10 (b), said fixed projection 13 moves to a position not to be engaged in the slot C1 as shown in Fig. 10 (c). This causes the coupling device for containers on the outside to attempt to get out of the corner fitting C of the lower container.
Moreover, on this coupling device for containers, in which the fixed projection 13 is fairly displaced from the center line of the pedestal 11, it is necessary to shift the lifted contained sideways by an amount corresponding to the displacement of the fixed projection 13, in an attempt to insert the fixed projection 13 in the slot C1 of the corner fitting C, and no loading can be made unless there is a certain space from the adjacent container.
And, at the time of unloading, the fixed projection 13, which moved to the disengaging position of the slot C1 under the guidance of the upper inclined face 15, retains inertia in the transversal direction, after getting away from the slot C1, and this causes the lifted container to greatly swing sideways, presenting a risk of damaging the adjacent container by hitting against it. Especially, in the case where the adjacent container is a tank container, there is also a risk of effluence of chemical products, etc. stored in the container.
Furthermore, another problem is that, if one of the left and right coupling devices for containers got in the corner fitting C first, the other coupling device for containers cannot get in and, if the container is lifted again for restarting the operation, the coupling devices for container which got in first becomes undetachable because of prying which acts on it.

Disclosure of the Invention:

Problems to be Solved by the Invention:

The first objective of the present invention is to provide, in view of the above-described problems of the conventional coupling device for containers, an automatic twist type coupling device for containers, not easily detached during a transportation and, in addition, capable of being engaged and disengaged easily by reducing the amount of rolling of the containers.
Moreover the second objective of the present invention is to provide a coupling device for containers which can be installed correctly in the slot in the corner fitting of a suspended container, without any error of orientation.
Furthermore, the third objective of the present invention is to provide a coupling device for containers which enables to perform connection & disconnection of the upper cone easily with a single hand.

Means for Solving the Problems:

To achieve the above-described first objective, the coupling device for containers according to the present invention is a coupling device for containers comprising:

a coupling seat disposed between corner fittings of containers stacked one upon another;
upper and lower pedestals, provided in protrusion from the coupling seat, for positioning and fitting the coupling device for containers in a slot of upper and lower corner fittings respectively; and
upper and lower cones, provided in protrusion from the pedestals, for coupling containers by being engaged in the slots of the corner fittings,
characterized in that said lower cone comprises:
- a neck hanging from the lower pedestal by being displaced to one side in the direction of breadth of the slot;
- a fixed projection protruding in the direction opposite to the direction of displacement from the tip of the neck; and
- a mobile projection protruding by being urged in said direction of displacement from the neck on the base end side with reference to the fixed projection, and retreating by rocking upward.

In this case, it is possible to form an inclined face, getting in slide contact with the edge of the slot by a drawing action made at the time of unloading, for guiding the coupling device for containers in the direction opposite to said direction of displacement to put the tip of the mobile projection in contact with the inner face of the slot at the top of the mobile projection, and form an inclined face, getting in slide contact with the edge of the slot from the point in time when the mobile projection got in contact with the inner face of the slot, for guiding the coupling device for containers in said direction of displacement to make the mobile projection in contact with the inner face of the slot retreat at the top of the fixed projection.
Moreover, it is possible to form an inclined face, getting in slide contact with the edge of the slot at the time of loading, for guiding the lower pedestal to the fitting position at the bottom of the lower pedestal on the side opposite to said direction of displacement.
Furthermore, it is possible to fix the upper cone protruding in the direction diagonal against the slot to the tip of the upper pedestal, and form the projection in front of the upper cone at a length preventing insertion of the upper cone by getting in contact with the rear wall of the corner fitting at the time of insertion in opposite direction in the slot.
Still more, to achieve the above-described second objective, the coupling device for containers according to the present invention is a coupling device for containers comprising:

a coupling seat disposed between corner fittings of containers stacked one upon another;
upper and lower pedestals, provided in protrusion from the coupling seat, for positioning and fitting the coupling device for containers in a slot of upper and lower corner fittings respectively, and
upper and lower cones, disposed at the top and bottom of the respective pedestals, for coupling containers by being engaged in the slot of the corner fittings,
characterized in that the projection of said upper corner is formed at a length preventing insertion of the upper cone by getting in contact with the rear wall of the corner fitting at the time of insertion in opposite direction in the slot.

In that case, it is possible for said lower cone to comprise:

a neck hanging from the lower pedestal by being displaced to one side in the direction of breadth of the slot;
a fixed projection protruding in the direction opposite to the direction of displacement from the tip of the neck; and
a mobile projection protruding by being urged in said direction of displacement from the neck on the base end side with reference to the fixed projection, and retreating by rocking upward.

Yet more, it is possible to form an inclined face, getting in slide contact with the edge of the slot by a drawing action made at the time of unloading, for guiding the coupling device for containers in the direction opposite to said direction of displacement to put the tip of the mobile projection in contact with the inner face of the slot at the top of the mobile projection, and form an inclined face, getting in slide contact with the edge of the slot from the point in time when the mobile projection got in contact with the inner face of the slot, for guiding the coupling device for containers in said direction of displacement to make the mobile projection in contact with the inner face of the slot retreat at the top of the fixed projection.
Moreover, it is possible to form an inclined face, getting in slide contact with the edge of the slot at the time of loading, for guiding the lower pedestal to the fitting position at the bottom of the lower pedestal on the side opposite to said direction of displacement.
Furthermore, it is possible to provide a rotary shaft insertion hole passing through the coupling seat and the upper and lower pedestals, rotatably insert a rotary shaft in the rotary shaft insertion hole, provide an upper cone and a lower cone fixed at the top and the bottom of the rotary shaft in phases different from each other, form a handle insertion hole communicating from the outer circumference to the rotary shaft insertion hole on said coupling seat, and provide a handle for turning the rotary shaft through the handle insertion hole.
Still more, to achieve the above-described third objective, the coupling device for containers according to the present invention is a coupling device for containers comprising:

a coupling seat disposed between corner fittings of containers stacked one upon another;
upper and lower pedestals, provided in protrusion from the coupling seat, for positioning and fitting the coupling device for containers in a slot of upper and lower corner fittings respectively, and
upper and lower cones, provided in protrusion from the pedestals, for coupling containers by being engaged in the slots of the corner fittings,
wherein the upper cone protruding in the direction intersecting said slot is fixed to the tip of the upper pedestal, so that the upper cone inserted in the slot may be engaged in the slot by being turned by a prescribed angle,
characterized in that a securing pin, serving as whirl-stop and retreating by getting in contact with the corner fitting at the upper cone inserting position and protruding into the slot at the position after turning, is swingably supported on said coupling seat by being urged to the protruding side, and an operating lever for making the securing pin retreat to under the coupling seat is provided in extension from the coupling seat.

In that case, it is possible to fix the upper cone to the upper pedestal so that it may protrude in the direction diagonal against said slot, and form the projection in front of the upper cone at a length preventing insertion of the upper cone by getting in contact with the rear wall of the corner fitting at the time of insertion in opposite direction in the slot.

Advantages of the Invention:

According to the coupling device for containers of the present invention for achieving the above-described first objective, it is possible to fasten the lower cone in the slot from right above without hardly any rolling of the containers, at the time of loading because, as the lower cone is inserted in the slot in the corner fitting, the mobile projection gets in slide contact with the edge of the slot and retreats by being pushed upward.
In that case, even if one of the left and right coupling devices for containers got in the corner fitting first, or one of the left and right coupling devices for containers was mounted in opposite direction longitudinally, in the case where the upper cone has a shape of structure allowing mounting in opposite direction longitudinally, making it impossible to remove that coupling device for containers, it is possible to secure a necessary clearance against the slot and remove the coupling devices for containers easily without producing any prying phenomenon, by making the mobile projection retreat by means of an opening jig, etc. through other hole of the corner fitting.
And, after the loading, in case the swing of the ship acted on the displacement side, the lower pedestal and the mobile projection are engaged with the edge of the slot, against the force acting upward diagonally for floating and, furthermore, in case the swing of the ship acted on the side opposite to the displacement side, the fixed projection is engaged with the edge on the opposite side of the slot, against the force acting upward diagonally in opposite direction for floating, thus preventing the coupling devices for containers from being disengaged.
Moreover, by forming an inclined face, getting in slide contact with the edge of the slot by a drawing action made at the time of unloading, for guiding the coupling device for containers in the direction opposite to said direction of displacement to put the tip of the mobile projection in contact with the inner face of the slot at the top of the mobile projection, and forming an inclined face, getting in slide contact with the edge of the slot from the point in time when the mobile projection got in contact with the inner face of the slot, for guiding the coupling device for containers in said direction of displacement to make the mobile projection in contact with the inner face of the slot retreat at the top of the fixed projection, it becomes possible to detach the lower cone right upward from the slot without hardly any rolling of the containers, at the time of unloading, because the inclined face at the top of the mobile projection gets in slide contact with the edge of the slot by a drawing action made at the time of unloading, and guides the coupling device for containers in the direction opposite to said direction of displacement, to put the mobile projection in contact with the inner face of the slot, while the upper inclined face of the fixed projection gets in slide contact with the edge of the slot from the point in time when this mobile projection got in contact with the inner face of the slot, and guides the coupling device for containers in said direction of displacement to make the mobile projection in contact with the inner face of the slot retreat.
Furthermore, by forming an inclined face, getting in slide contact with the edge of the slot at the time of loading, for guiding the lower pedestal to the fitting position at the bottom of the lower pedestal on the side opposite to said direction of displacement, it becomes possible to guide the lower pedestal accurately to the fitting position in the slot.
Still more, by fixing the upper cone protruding in the direction diagonal against the slot to the tip of the upper pedestal, and forming the projection in front of the upper cone at a length preventing insertion of the upper cone by getting in contact with the rear wall of the corner fitting at the time of insertion in opposite direction in the slot, it becomes possible to prevent installation in longitudinally opposite direction of the coupling device for containers on the corner fitting.
Yet more, according to the coupling device for containers of the present invention for achieving the above-described second objective, which is a coupling device for containers comprising:

a coupling seat disposed between corner fittings of containers stacked one upon another;
upper and lower pedestals, provided in protrusion from the coupling seat, for positioning and fitting the coupling device for containers in a slot of upper and lower corner fittings respectively, and
upper and lower cones, disposed at the top and bottom of the respective pedestals, for coupling containers by being engaged in the slot of the corner fittings,
characterized in that the projection of said upper corner is formed at a length preventing insertion of the upper cone by getting in contact with the rear wall of the corner fitting at the time of insertion in opposite direction in the slot,
it is possible to prevent installation in longitudinally opposite direction of the coupling device for containers on the corner fitting because, in case the upper cone is in longitudinally opposite direction, against the slot formed in proximity to the rear wall of the corner fitting according to a standard, the front projection gets in contact with this rear wall, making it impossible for the rear projection to get into the slot, with blocking.

In addition, since said lower cone comprises:

a neck hanging from the lower pedestal by being displaced to one side in the direction of breadth of the slot;
a fixed projection protruding in the direction opposite to the direction of displacement from the tip of the neck; and
a mobile projection protruding by being urged in said direction of displacement from the neck on the base end side with reference to the fixed projection, and retreating by rocking upward,
it is possible to fasten the containers without hardly any rolling and engage the lower cone in the slot from right above, at the time of loading because, as the lower cone is inserted in the slot in the corner fitting, the mobile projection gets in slide contact with the edge of the slot and retreats by being pushed upward.
In that case, even if one of the left and right coupling devices for containers got in the corner fitting first, or one of the left and right coupling devices for containers was mounted in opposite direction longitudinally, in the case where the upper cone has a shape of structure allowing mounting in opposite direction longitudinally, making it impossible to remove that coupling device for containers, it is possible to secure a necessary clearance against the slot and remove the coupling devices for containers easily without producing any prying phenomenon, by making the mobile projection retreat by means of an opening jig, etc. through other hole of the corner fitting.
And, after the loading, in case the swing of the ship acted on the displacement side, the lower pedestal and the mobile projection are engaged with the edge of the slot, against the force acting upward diagonally for floating and, furthermore, in case the swing of the ship acted on the side opposite to the displacement side, the fixed projection is engaged with the edge on the opposite side of the slot, against the force acting upward diagonally in opposite direction for floating, thus preventing the coupling devices for containers from being disengaged.

Moreover, by forming an inclined face, getting in slide contact with the edge of the slot by a drawing action made at the time of unloading, for guiding the coupling device for containers in the direction opposite to said direction of displacement to put the tip of the mobile projection in contact with the inner face of the slot at the top of the mobile projection, and forming an inclined face, getting in slide contact with the edge of the slot from the point in time when the mobile projection got in contact with the inner face of the slot, for guiding the coupling device for containers in said direction of displacement to make the mobile projection in contact with the inner face of the slot retreat at the top of the fixed projection, it is possible to detach the lower cone right upward from the slot without hardly any rolling of the containers, at the time of unloading, because the inclined face at the top of the mobile projection gets in slide contact with the edge of the slot by a drawing action made at the time of unloading, and guides the coupling device for containers in the direction opposite to said direction of displacement, to put the mobile projection in contact with the inner face of the slot, while the upper inclined face of the fixed projection gets in slide contact with the edge of the slot from the point in time when this mobile projection got in contact with the inner face of the slot, and guides the coupling device for containers in said direction of displacement to make the mobile projection in contact with the inner face of the slot retreat.
Furthermore, by forming an inclined face, getting in slide contact with the edge of the slot at the time of loading, for guiding the lower pedestal to the fitting position at the bottom of the lower pedestal on the side opposite to said direction of displacement, it becomes possible to guide the lower pedestal accurately to the fitting position in the slot.
Still more, by providing a rotary shaft insertion hole passing through the coupling seat and the upper and lower pedestals, rotatably inserting a rotary shaft in the rotary shaft insertion hole, providing an upper cone and a lower cone fixed at the top and the bottom of the rotary shaft in phases different from each other, forming a handle insertion hole communicating from the outer circumference to the rotary shaft insertion hole on said coupling seat, and providing a handle for turning the rotary shaft through the handle insertion hole, it becomes possible to engage the upper cone and the lower cone one after the other in the slot in the upper and lower corner fittings, while rotating them respectively, and thus couple the containers stacked one upon another.
According to the coupling device for containers of the present invention for achieving the above-described third objective, the upper cone is fit and inserted in the slot of the corner fitting, and turned by a prescribed angle to be engaged in the slot and, at this position after turning, the securing pin is made to protrude into the slot from the coupling seat, to thereby stop the rotation of the upper cone and fix the coupling device for containers to the corner fitting.
At that time, the securing pin retreats by getting in contact with the corner fitting at the upper cone inserting position and automatically protrudes into the slot with a spring at the position after turning to serve as a whirl stop. This makes it possible to fix the upper cone to the corner fitting by simply inserting and turning it in the slot, thereby enabling to perform mounting of the upper cone easily with a single hand.
Yet more, when removing the upper cone, the operating lever can be operated from the bottom side of the coupling seat, and is therefore operated with the hand finger supporting the coupling device for containers, thereby enabling to remove the upper cone easily with a single hand.
In addition, by fixing the upper cone to the upper pedestal in a way to protrude diagonally against the slot, and forming the projection in front of the upper cone at a length preventing insertion of the upper cone by getting in contact with the rear wall of the corner fitting at the time of insertion in opposite direction in the slot, it becomes possible to prevent the coupling device for containers from being mounted to the corner fitting in longitudinally opposite direction.

Brief Description of the Drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation showing the first embodiment of the coupling device for containers according to the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a left side view of above.
Fig. 3 is a right side view of above.
Fig. 4 (a) is a plan view of above, while Fig. 4 (b) is a front elevation of the upper cone.
Fig. 5 shows mounting of the upper cone on the corner fitting, (a) being an explanatory drawing showing mounting in normal direction, and (b) an explanatory drawing showing mounting made in longitudinally opposite direction.
Fig. 6 is a steps drawing showing fixing of the coupling device for containers to the corner fitting.
Fig. 7 is an explanatory drawing showing engagement of the coupling device for containers with the corner fitting.
Fig. 8 is a steps drawing showing detaching of the coupling device for containers from the corner fitting.
Fig. 9 indicates an opening jig used for making the mobile projection retreat, (a) being a plan view, and (b) a front elevation.
Fig. 10 is a steps drawing showing detachment due to rolling of the conventional coupling device for containers.
Fig. 11 is an explanatory drawing showing either the inclined face or guide face guiding the lower pedestal up to the fitting position.
Fig. 12 is a trihedral drawing showing the second embodiment of the coupling device for containers according to the present invention.
Fig. 13 indicates the relationship between the upper cone and the lower cone of the coupling device for containers above, (a) being a plan view showing the upper cone and the lower cone at the time when the handle is put to the center position of the handle insertion hole, (b) a plan view showing the upper cone and the lower cone at the time when the handle is put to an end position of the handle insertion hole, (c) a plan view showing the upper cone and the lower cone at the time when the handle is put to the other end position of the handle insertion hole, and (d) a front elevation showing the upper cone and the lower cone coupled through the rotary shaft.
Fig. 14 is a partially notched side view showing the third embodiment of the coupling device for containers according to the present invention.
Fig. 15 is a plan view of above.
Fig. 16 is a front elevation of above.
Fig. 17 is a trihedral drawing showing the securing pin.

Description of Reference Numerals and Signs:

1:: Coupling seat
2:: Upper pedestal
3:: Lower pedestal
31:: Inclined face
31B, 31C, 31D:: Guide face
4:: Upper cone
41:: Front projection
42:: Rear projection
5:: Lower cone
6:: Securing pin
61:: Spring
62:: Shaft
63:: Operating lever
64:: Positioning pin
7:: Neck
8:: Fixed projection
81:: Inclined face
82:: Lower inclined face
9:: Mobile projection
91:: Shaft
92:: Spring
93:: Inclined face
94:: Lower inclined face
11 A:: Rotary shaft
12A:: Handle insertion hole
13A:: Handle
20:: Opening jig
C:: Corner fitting
C1:: Slot
C2:: Rear wall

Preferred Embodiments of the Invention:

Embodiments of the coupling device for containers according to the present invention will be explained below with reference to drawings.

Embodiment 1:

Fig. 1 to Fig. 4 indicate the first embodiment of the coupling device for containers according to the present invention.
This coupling device for containers comprises a coupling seat 1 disposed between corner fittings C of containers stacked one upon another, an upper pedestal 2 and a lower pedestal 3, provided in protrusion from the coupling seat 1, for positioning and fitting the coupling device for containers in a slot C1 of the upper and lower corner fittings C, and an upper cone 4 and a lower cone 5, provided in protrusion from the upper pedestal 2 and the lower pedestal 3, for coupling containers by being engaged in the slots C1 of the corner fittings C.
The coupling seat 1, made of a plate-like metal formed at a prescribed thickness, is integrally provided in protrusion with an upper pedestal 2 and a lower pedestal 3 at the top and the bottom.
The coupling seat 1 is not particularly restricted in shape and, therefore, can be formed as a projected bar with a triangle or trapezoidal cross section as may be pinched only between the faces of the upper and lower corner fittings C which are chamfered faces, for example, if only positioning in up-down and left-right direction of the coupling device for containers can be made.
The upper pedestal 2 has a cross section in about a diamond shape as shown in Fig. 4, and is provided rotatably on the left and the right in prescribed range respectively in the slot C1 of the corner fitting C, and the securing pin 6 provided on the coupling seat 1 is made to protrude into the slot C1, thereby enabling to fix the upper cone 4 at the position after turning where it is engaged in the slot C1.
The securing pin 6 is supported on the coupling seat 1 by the shaft 62, in the state urged in the direction of projection by the spring 61, as shown in Fig. 2, and can retreat as the lever 63 is operated from the bottom face side of the coupling seat 1.
The lower pedestal 3 is formed in such a way that its top part fit in about agreement with the slot C1 of the corner fitting C, while at its bottom part is formed, on the side opposite to said direction of displacement, an inclined face 31 which gets in slide contact with the edge of the slot C l and guides the lower pedestal 3 up to the fitting position at the time of loading, as shown in Fig. 1 or Fig. 6 (c).
The inclined face 31 (Fig. 11 (a)) for guiding the lower pedestal 3 to the fitting position may also be constructed with guide faces 31B, 31C, 31D which consist of curved faces as shown in Fig. 11 (b) ~ (d).
The upper cone 4 is fixed to the tip of the upper pedestal 2 in a way to protrude diagonally against the slot C1 at a fixed position, and the projection 41 in front of the upper cone 4 is formed at a length preventing insertion of the upper cone 4 by getting in contact with the rear wall C2 of the corner fitting C at the time of insertion in opposite direction in the slot C1, as shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5.
The slot C1 of the corner fitting C is formed at a position close to the rear wall C2 of the corner fitting C and, although the upper cone 4 can be loaded when it is in the correct orientation, as shown in Fig. 5 (a), the upper cone 4 cannot be loaded in the case where it is in the longitudinally opposite direction, because the front projection 41 gets in contact with the rear wall C2 of the corner fitting C and the rear projection 42 is caught in the slot C1, as shown in Fig. 5 (b), thus preventing mounting in longitudinally opposite direction of the coupling device for containers on the corner fitting C.
The lower cone 5 comprises a neck 7 hanging from the lower pedestal 3 by being displaced to one side in the direction of breadth of the slot C1, a fixed projection 8 protruding in the direction opposite to the direction of displacement from the tip of the neck 7, and a mobile projection 9 protruding by being urged in said direction of displacement from the neck 7 on the base end side with reference to the fixed projection 8, and retreating by rocking upward.
The neck 7, formed to be slender by an amount corresponding to the difference obtained by subtracting the protruding width of the mobile projection 9 from the lower pedestal 3, hangs from one side of the lower pedestal 3.
The mobile projection 9 is mounted, at its bottom part, on the shaft 91 near the tip of the neck 7, and its top part is urged toward outside by a spring 92, as shown in Fig. 1.
At the top of the mobile projection 9 is formed, as shown in Fig. 7 (a) and (b), an inclined face 93, getting in slide contact with the edge of the slot C1 by a drawing action made at the time of unloading, for guiding the coupling device for containers in the direction opposite to said direction of displacement to put the tip of the mobile projection 9 in contact with the inner face of the slot C1.
The mobile projection 9 is provided with an inclined face 94 also at its bottom and, at the position where the mobile projection 9 protrudes most, its width combined with that of the neck 7 is close to the width of the slot C1 of the corner fitting C.
The mobile projection 9, which is fit in a state pressed by a spring 92 in the concave part formed on the neck 7, can rock while maintaining that position even if the shaft 91 is omitted.
At the top of the fixed projection 8 is formed, as shown in Fig. 7 (b), an inclined face 81, getting in slide contact with the edge of the slot C1 from the point in time when the mobile projection 9 got in contact with the inner face of the slot C1, for guiding the coupling device for containers in said direction of displacement to make the mobile projection 9 in contact with the inner face of the slot C1 retreat.
The fixed projection 8 is provided with an inclined face 82 also at its bottom and, at the position where the fixed projection 8 protrudes most, its width combined with that of the neck 7 is close to the width of the slot C1 of the corner fitting C.
Next, explanation will be made of actions of the coupling device for containers according to the present invention.
This coupling device for containers enables to fasten, as shown in Fig. 6, the lower cone 5 in the slot C1, from right above and without hardly any rolling of the containers, at the time of loading because, as the lower cone 5 is inserted in the slot C1 in the corner fitting C, the mobile projection 9 gets in slide contact with the edge of the slot C1 and retreats by being pushed upward.
In that case, by forming the inclined face 31 which gets in slide contact with the edge of the slot C1 and guides the lower pedestal 3 up to the fitting position at the time of loading at the bottom of the lower pedestal 3 on the side opposite to said direction of displacement, it becomes possible to guide the lower pedestal 3 accurately to the fitting position in the slot C1 as shown in Fig. 6 (b) and (c).
Moreover, even if one of the left and right coupling devices for containers got in the corner fitting C first, or one of the left and right coupling devices for containers was mounted in opposite direction longitudinally, it is possible to secure a necessary clearance against the slot C1 and remove the coupling device for containers easily without producing any prying phenomenon, with the use of an opening jig 20 as shown in Fig. 9, for example, by inserting the operating piece 20a of the opening jig 20 in other hole of the corner fitting C, and turning the rotary operating portion 20b in the state in which the supporting portion 20c, formed at the tip of rotary operating portion 20b in a way to freely turn independently of the rotary operating portion 20b, is fastened at the periphery of the hole in the corner fitting C, thereby making the mobile projection 9 retreat with the operating piece 20a.
And, after the loading, in case the swing of the ship acted on the displacement side, the lower pedestal 3 and the mobile projection 9 are engaged with the edge of the slot C1, against the force P1 acting upward diagonally for floating, as shown in Fig. 7 (a).
Furthermore, in case the swing of the ship acted on the side opposite to the displacement side, the fixed projection 8 is engaged with the edge on the opposite side of the slot C1, against the force P2 acting upward diagonally in opposite direction for floating, thus preventing the coupling devices for containers from being disengaged, as shown in Fig. 7 (b).
Still more, at the time of unloading, the upper inclined face 93 of the fixed projection 9 gets in slide contact with the edge of the slot C1 by the drawing action made at the time of unloading, to guide the coupling device for containers in the direction opposite to the direction of displacement, and puts the tip of the fixed projection 9 in contact with the inner face of the slot, as shown in Fig. 8 (a) and (b).
And, the upper inclined face 81 of the fixed projection 8 gets in slide contact with the edge of the slot C1 from the point in time when the mobile projection 9 got in contact with the inner face of the slot C1, for guiding the coupling device for containers in said direction of displacement, to make the mobile projection 9 in contact with the inner face of the slot C1 retreat, as shown in Fig. 8 (b) and (c).
Lastly, because the fixed projection 8 and the neck 7 are drawn while being positioned in the slot C1, as shown in Fig. 8 (c), it is possible to detach the lower cone 5 right upward from the slot C1 without hardly any rolling of the containers.
Yet more, because the upper cone 4 protruding in the direction diagonal against the slot C1 is fixed to the tip of the upper pedestal 2, and the projection 41 in front of the upper cone 4 is formed at a length preventing insertion of the upper cone 4 by getting in contact with the rear wall C2 of the corner fitting C at the time of insertion in opposite direction in the slot C1, it becomes possible to prevent installation in longitudinally opposite direction of the coupling device for containers on the corner fitting C.

Embodiment 2:

Next, Fig. 12 and Fig. 13 indicate the second embodiment of the coupling device for containers according to the present invention.
This coupling device for containers comprises a coupling seat 1 disposed between corner fittings C of containers stacked one upon another, an upper pedestal 2 and a lower pedestal 3, provided in protrusion from the coupling seat 1, for positioning and fitting the coupling device for containers in a slot C1 of the upper and lower corner fittings C, and an upper cone 4 and a lower cone 5, disposed at the top and the bottom of the upper and lower pedestals 2, 3, for coupling containers by being engaged in the slots C1 of the corner fittings C.
And, this coupling device for containers is provided with a rotary shaft insertion hole (not illustrated) passing through the coupling seat 1 and the upper and lower pedestals 2, 3, rotatably inserting a rotary shaft 11A in the rotary shaft insertion hole, and an upper cone 4 and a lower cone 5 are provided fixed at the top and the bottom of the rotary shaft 11A in phases different from each other, a handle insertion hole 12A communicating from the outer circumference to the rotary shaft insertion hole 11A is formed on said coupling seat 1, and a handle 13A for turning the rotary shaft 11A through the handle insertion hole 12A is provided, and the projection 41 in front of said upper cone 4 is formed at a length preventing insertion of the upper cone 4 by getting in contact with the rear wall C2 of the corner fitting C at the time of insertion in opposite direction in the slot C1.
The upper pedestal 2 and lower pedestal 3 form an about rectangular shape, and have a face in the shape of a circular arc at both ends. Those upper pedestal 2 and lower pedestal 3 are formed in a shape and a size fitting the slot C1 provided in the corner fitting C of the container without hardly any free space against it.
On the other hand, the coupling seat 1, which is made of a plate-like metal formed at a prescribed thickness, is integrally provided in protrusion with an upper pedestal 2 and a lower pedestal 3 at the top and the bottom.
In this coupling seat 1 is formed a rotary shaft insertion hole passing trough the upper and lower pedestals 2, 3 up to their end face, and is also formed a fan-shaped handle insertion hole 12A communicating from the outer circumference of the coupling seat 1 to the rotary shaft insertion hole.
The rotary shaft 11A is inserted in the rotary shaft insertion hole, and the handle 13A coupled to the outer circumference of that rotary shaft 11A is inserted in the handle insertion hole 12A and its tip faces the outside.
At the top end and the bottom end of the rotary shaft 11A, an upper cone 4 and a lower cone 5 are provided, in a way to turn by an angle within a prescribed range, on the end face of the upper pedestal 2 and the lower pedestal 3.
The upper cone 4 is formed at such a length that its front projection 41 gets in contact with the rear wall C2 of the corner fitting C at the time of insertion in opposite direction in the slot C1, as shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5.
The slot C 1 of the corner fitting C is formed at a position close to the rear wall C2 of the corner fitting C and, although the upper cone 4 can be loaded when it is in the correct orientation, as shown in Fig. 5 (a), the upper cone 4 cannot be loaded in the case where it is in the longitudinally opposite direction, because the front projection 41 gets in contact with the rear wall C2 of the corner fitting C and the rear projection 42 is caught in the slot C1, as shown in Fig. 5 (b), thus preventing mounting in longitudinally opposite direction of the coupling device for containers on the corner fitting C.
The lower cone 5 is formed in the shape of an about isosceles triangle in side view equal to that of a conventional one.
The handle 13A is tacked at 3 positions i.e. at one end, the other end and at the center of the handle insertion hole 12A, by means of a non-illustrated latch mechanism, and is fixed selectively at the respective positions mentioned above, by means of a non-illustrated lock mechanism.
At the position where the handle 13A is disposed at about the center of the handle insertion hole 12A, as shown in Fig. 12 (a), the upper cone 4 gets into an unlocked state in which it is stored in the outer circumferential face of the upper pedestal 2, and the upper cone 4 is inserted, in this state, in the slot C1 of the upper corner fitting C.
At that time, the lower cone 5 remains in a state in which it protrudes, on both sides, to outside from the outer circumferential face of the lower pedestal 3.
Moreover, at the position where the handle 13A is disposed at one end of the handle insertion hole 12A, the upper cone 4 protrudes, on both sides, to outside from the outer circumferential face of the upper pedestal 2, as shown in Fig. 12 (b), and gets into a locked state in which it is engaged in the slot C1.
On the other hand, the lower cone 5 gets into an unlocked state in which it is stored in the outer circumferential face of the lower pedestal 3, and the lower cone 5 is inserted, in this state, in the slot C 1 of the lower corner fitting C.
Furthermore, at the position where the handle 13A is disposed at the other end of the handle insertion hole 12A, as shown in Fig. 12 (c), the upper cone 4 and the lower cone 5 get into a locked state in which they protrude to outside the outer circumferential face of the upper and lower pedestal 2, 3 respectively, and engaged in the slot C1.
The coupling device for containers of this embodiment, which is a coupling device for containers comprising:

a coupling seat 1 disposed between corner fittings C of containers stacked one upon another;
upper and lower pedestals 2, 3, provided in protrusion from the coupling seat 1, for positioning and fitting the coupling device for containers in a slot C1 of the upper and lower corner fittings C respectively, and
upper and lower cones 4, 5, disposed at the top and bottom of the respective pedestals 2, 3, for coupling containers by being engaged in the slot C 1 of the corner fittings C,
wherein the projection 41 in front of the upper cone 4 is formed at a length preventing insertion of the upper cone 4 by getting in contact with the rear wall C2 of the corner fitting C at the time of insertion in opposite direction in the slot C1. For that reason, in case the upper core 4 is in longitudinally opposite direction, against the slot C1 formed in proximity to the rear wall C2 of the corner fitting C according to a standard, the front projection 41 gets in contact with this rear wall C2, making it impossible for the rear projection 41 to get into the slot C1, with blocking, thereby enabling to prevent installation in longitudinally opposite direction of the coupling device for containers on the corner fitting C.

Still more, by providing a rotary shaft insertion hole passing through the coupling seat 1 and the upper and lower pedestals 2, 3, rotatably inserting a rotary shaft 11A in the rotary shaft insertion hole, providing an upper cone 4 and a lower cone 5 fixed at the top and the bottom of the rotary shaft 11A in phases different from each other, forming a handle insertion hole 12A communicating from the outer circumference to the rotary shaft insertion hole on said coupling seat 1, and providing a handle 13A for turning the rotary shaft 11A through the handle insertion hole 12A, it becomes possible to engage the upper cone 4 and the lower cone 5 one after the other in the slot C1 in the upper and lower corner fittings C, while rotating them respectively, and thus couple the containers stacked one upon another.

Embodiment 3:

Fig. 14 to Fig. 17 indicate the third embodiment of the coupling device for containers according to the present invention.
This coupling device for containers has a basic structure similar to that of the coupling device for containers of the first embodiment described earlier.
The securing pin 6 is swingably supported on the coupling seat 1 by a shaft 62, in the state urged in the protruding direction by a spring 61, as shown in Fig. 14, and retreats as an operating lever 63 provided in extension from the coupling seat 1 is operated.
The securing pin 6 has its tip positioned diagonally above the shaft 62, and is pushed to retreat, when this tip got in contact with the bottom face of the corner fitting C, i.e. the edge of the slot C1, at the inserting position of the upper cone 4.
And, at this position after turning of the upper cone 4, it the securing pin 6 is released from the edge of the slot C1 to get into the slot C1, and automatically protrudes into the slot C1 with a spring 61 to serve as a whirl stop.
Moreover, the operating lever 63, positioned by a positioning pin 64, is provided in a way to be operated with a push forward by the thumb of a hand supporting the coupling device for containers, to make the securing pin 6 retreat.
Next, explanation will be given on actions of the coupling device for containers of this embodiment.
The installation of the coupling device for containers is made by first inserting the upper cone 4 in the corner fitting C of the suspended container.
Namely, the upper cone 4 is fit to and inserted in the slot C l of the corner fitting C and is turned by a prescribed angle to be engaged in the slot C l and, at this position after turning, the securing pin 6 is made to protrude into the slot C1 from the coupling seat 1, to thereby stop the rotation of the upper cone 4 and fix the coupling device for containers to the corner fitting C.
At that time, the securing pin 6 retreats by getting in contact with the corner fitting C at the upper cone 4 inserting position, and automatically protrudes into the slot C1 with the spring 61 at the position after turning to serve as a whirl stop. This makes it possible to fix the upper cone 4 to the corner fitting C by simply inserting and turning the upper cone 4 in the slot C1, thereby enabling to perform mounting of the upper cone 4 easily with a single hand.
Furthermore, when removing the upper cone 4, the operating lever 63 can be operated from the bottom side of the coupling seat 1, and it becomes possible therefore to make the securing pin 6 retreat by pressing the operating lever 63 with the thumb of a hand supporting the coupling device for containers, for example, thereby enabling to remove the upper cone 4 easily with a single hand.
Still more, by fixing the upper cone 4 protruding in the direction diagonal against the slot C1 to the tip of the upper pedestal 2, and forming the projection 41 in front of the upper cone 4 at a length preventing insertion of the upper cone 4 by getting in contact with the rear wall C2 of the corner fitting C at the time of insertion in opposite direction in the slot C1, it becomes possible to prevent installation in longitudinally opposite direction of the coupling device for containers on the corner fitting C.
Explanation has so far been made on the coupling device for containers according to the present invention based on a plurality of embodiments, but the present invention is not restricted to the constructions described in the embodiments above, and may be changed in construction as desired, within the range not deviating from its essential purpose, such as combining the constructions described in the respective embodiments as required.

Industrial Applicability:

The coupling device for containers according to the present invention, which has advantages of not being detached during a transportation and, in addition, capable of being engaged and disengaged easily by reducing the amount of rolling of the containers, can be used suitably as an automatic coupling device for containers for automatically detaching the coupling by lifting the container.

Claims

A coupling device for containers comprising:
a coupling seat disposed between corner fittings of containers stacked one upon another;

upper and lower pedestals, provided in protrusion from the coupling seat, for positioning and fitting the coupling device for containers in a slot of upper and lower corner fittings respectively; and

upper and lower cones, provided in protrusion from the pedestals, for coupling containers by being engaged in the slots of the corner fittings,

characterized in that said lower cone comprises:
a neck hanging from the lower pedestal by being displaced to one side in the direction of breadth of the slot;

a fixed projection protruding in the direction opposite to the direction of displacement from the tip of the neck; and

a mobile projection protruding by being urged in said direction of displacement from the neck on the base end side with reference to the fixed projection, and retreating by rocking upward.
A coupling device for containers as defined in Claim 1, wherein an inclined face, getting in slide contact with the edge of the slot by a drawing action made at the time of unloading, for guiding the coupling device for containers in the direction opposite to said direction of displacement to put the tip of the mobile projection in contact with the inner face of the slot is formed at the top of the mobile projection, and an inclined face, getting in slide contact with the edge of the slot from the point in time when the mobile projection got in contact with the inner face of the slot, for guiding the coupling device for containers in said direction of displacement to make the mobile projection in contact with the inner face of the slot retreat is formed at the top of the fixed projection.
A coupling device for containers as defined in Claim 1 or 2,
wherein an inclined face, getting in slide contact with the edge of the slot at the time of loading, for guiding the lower pedestal to the fitting position is formed at the bottom of the lower pedestal on the side opposite to said direction of displacement.
A coupling device for containers as defined in Claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the upper cone protruding in the direction diagonal against the slot is fixed to the tip of the upper pedestal, and the projection in front of the upper cone is formed at a length preventing insertion of the upper cone by getting in contact with the rear wall of the corner fitting at the time of insertion in opposite direction in the slot.
A coupling device for containers comprising:
a coupling seat disposed between corner fittings of containers stacked one upon another;

upper and lower pedestals, provided in protrusion from the coupling seat, for positioning and fitting the coupling device for containers in a slot of upper and lower corner fittings respectively, and

upper and lower cones, disposed at the top and bottom of the respective pedestals, for coupling containers by being engaged in the slot of the corner fittings,

characterized in that the projection of said upper corner is formed at a length preventing insertion of the upper cone by getting in contact with the rear wall of the corner fitting at the time of insertion in opposite direction in the slot.
A coupling device for containers as defined in Claim 5, wherein said lower cone comprises:
a neck hanging from the lower pedestal by being displaced to one side in the direction of breadth of the slot;

a fixed projection protruding in the direction opposite to the direction of displacement from the tip of the neck; and

a mobile projection protruding by being urged in said direction of displacement from the neck on the base end side with reference to the fixed projection, and retreating by rocking upward.
A coupling device for containers as defined in Claim 6, wherein an inclined face, getting in slide contact with the edge of the slot by a drawing action made at the time of unloading, for guiding the coupling device for containers in the direction opposite to said direction of displacement to put the tip of the mobile projection in contact with the inner face of the slot is formed at the top of the mobile projection, and an inclined face, getting in slide contact with the edge of the slot from the point in time when the mobile projection got in contact with the inner face of the slot, for guiding the coupling device for containers in said direction of displacement to make the mobile projection in contact with the inner face of the slot retreat is formed at the top of the fixed projection.
A coupling device for containers as defined in Claim 6 or 7, wherein an inclined face, getting in slide contact with the edge of the slot at the time of loading, for guiding the lower pedestal to the fitting position is formed at the bottom of the lower pedestal on the side opposite to said direction of displacement.
A coupling device for containers as defined in Claim 5, wherein a rotary shaft insertion hole passing through the coupling seat and the upper and lower pedestals is provided, a rotary shaft is rotatably inserted in the rotary shaft insertion hole, an upper cone and a lower cone are provided fixed at the top and the bottom of the rotary shaft in phases different from each other, a handle insertion hole communicating from the outer circumference to the rotary shaft insertion hole is formed on said coupling seat, and a handle for turning the rotary shaft through the handle insertion hole is provided.
A coupling device for containers comprising:
a coupling seat disposed between corner fittings of containers stacked one upon another;

upper and lower pedestals, provided in protrusion from the coupling seat, for positioning and fitting the coupling device for containers in a slot of upper and lower corner fittings respectively, and

upper and lower cones, provided in protrusion from the pedestals, for coupling containers by being engaged in the slots of the corner fittings,

wherein the upper cone protruding in the direction intersecting said slot is fixed to the tip of the upper pedestal, so that the upper cone inserted in the slot may be engaged with the slot by being turned by a prescribed angle,

characterized in that a securing pin, serving as whirl-stop and retreating by getting in contact with the corner fitting at the upper cone inserting position and protruding into the slot at the position after turning, is swingably supported on said coupling seat by being urged to the protruding side, and an operating lever for making the securing pin retreat to under the coupling seat is provided in extension from the coupling seat.
A coupling device for containers as defined in Claim 10, wherein the upper cone is fixed to the upper pedestal so that it may protrude in the direction diagonal against said slot, and the projection in front of the upper cone is formed at a length preventing insertion of the upper cone by getting in contact with the rear wall of the corner fitting at the time of insertion in opposite direction in the slot.