GB1250539A - - Google Patents

Abstract

1,250,539. Releasable fastenings. GALT EQUIPMENT Ltd. 3 Sept., 1969 [28 May, 1969], No. 27070/69. Heading E2A. An assembly comprises a refrigeration unit 12, a shipping container 5 and a fastening device fastening the refrigeration unit into a recessed end portion of the container, the device comprising an actuating arm 16 pivotally mounted on the bottom of the refrigeration unit, said actuating arm being spring biassed to a normally downwardly disposed position and including a lateral latching projection 20a engaged with a keeper 19 in the shipping container, with the actuating arm in the downward position to prevent either upward or outward movement of the refrigeration unit with respect to the container, the actuating arm being releaseable from the keeper only by an inward and upward push of the actuating arm against the resistance of the spring; fastening elements 23 on the refrigeration unit engaging corresponding fastening elements 25 in the recess to prevent outward movement of the refrigeration unit and which disengage only by lifting the refrigeration unit with respect to the container so that the refrigeration unit can be released from the container only by forcing the actuating arm inwardly and upwardly to disengage the lateral projection from the keeper whilst simultaneously lifting the refrigeration unit to disengage the fastening elements. In the construction shown there are two actuating arms 16 each of which is located within a respected guide 13 and for each arm the spring which biases the arm to the downward position is a torsion bar one end portion 34 of which is anchored on the inner face 18 of the bottom wall of the refrigeration unit 12 by a bracket 35; the torsion bar also acts as the support for the arm and it has a loop 31 which is held in place on the arm by a bracket 32. Adjacent the lower edge of each actuating arm is a rod 20 one end portion of which forms the latching projection 20a which moves in an arcuate slot 22 in the guide. The opposite end portion of the rod 20 also projects through an arcuate slot 22 in the opposite wall of the guide. There are two keepers 19 which also act as guides co-operating with the guides 13 to position the refrigeration unit during its movement into the recess; each keeper 19 has a slot 21 which is engaged by a respective one of the latching projections 20a. The fastening elements 23, 25 are blocks having the pentagonal shape shown in Fig. 12. The refrigeration unit is intended to be put into position and removed from the recessed end portion of the container by a fork lift truck, the forks 15 of which engage 'in the guides 13, their ends engaging the actuating arms during entry into the guide to pivot the arms so that the projections are in the releasing positions; the forks can then be moved to manoeuvre the refrigeration unit into or out of the container and when the forks are withdrawn the arms pivot under the bias of the torsion springs to their normally downward positions so that when the unit is in the container the latching projections which engage the keepers. The refrigeration unit has a gas outlet and a gas inlet and the adjacent end wall of the recess has corresponding registering apertures with compressible gaskets surrounding the apertures; thus when the unit is in position in the container recess the gaskets are compressed to seal the joints.