GB1580706A

GB1580706A - Vehicle load carrying containers

Info

Publication number: GB1580706A
Application number: GB4762077A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: WARDELL TRANSPORT Ltd
Current assignee: WARDELL TRANSPORT Ltd
Priority date: 1977-11-16
Filing date: 1977-11-16
Publication date: 1980-12-03

Description

(54) VEHICLE LOAD CARRYING CONTAINERS We, WARDELL TRANSPORT LIMITED, a British Company of Barley Castle Lane, Appleton, Warrington, WA4 4RD, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The invention relates to load carrying containers for vehicles.

Load carrying containers have come into widespread use as particularly convenient ways for transporting goods as they significantly decrease the time required for loading and unloading lorries, ships and aircraft thereby increasing their utilisation. Such containers have, of course, become standardised in size in order to further facilitate their efficient loading, unloading and filling of available load or cargo space. However, such standardisation has led to container sizes that are not well suited to handling vehicles such as motor cars due to inefficient use of container space.

In order to overcome this problem the invention provides a portable container for load carrying purposes and capable of being handled independently of and, into, onto out of or off any carrier vehicle, the container comprising a load carrier enclosure fitted internally at different levels with track-defining supports for engagement by normally ground engaging translation parts of vehicles to be carried within the container in more than one layer thereof, at least a portion of a higher level track being mounted by hinging for raising and lowering a vehicle loading end thereof.

In a typical standard size steel container, about 40 feet x 8 feet x 10' 6" feet, two such layers are readily accommodated one above the other.

In preferred embodiments each level of said track-defining vehicle supports comprises a pair of spaced tracks of shallow trough or channel section, say with one pair on the container base and the other pair supported at or near half the height of the interior container space, preferably on cross beams conveniently fitted with roping eyes to secure the cars in conventional car transporter manner.

At least a substantial portion of a higher level of tracks is hinged to the container for lowering and raising to facilitate loading and off loading. Jack means, preferably pressure fluid operated may be provided for said raising and lowering.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings. in which: Figures I and 2 are plan and side views of a container embodying the invention; Figure 3 is a section on the line B-B of Figure 1; Figures 4 and 5 show details of the embodiment of Figures 1, 2 and 3; and Figures 6 and 7 show details of an alternative to latching means of Figure 4.

In Figures 1 to 3 a vehicle carrying container 10 has conventional base 12, side 14, and closed (16) and opening (18) end parts. The sides 14 are shown with intersecting diagonal cross bracing 20 with a mid-height beam or spar 22, through and secured both to intersections 24 of the bracing 20 and to transverse beams or spars 26 extending between the sides 14 for a portion of the length thereof and alternatively coincident with the intersections 24. Further transverse beams or spars 30 are located at the bottoms of the side frames 14.

The sets of beams or spars 26 and 30 support pairs of shallow channel section tracks 32 and 34, respectively. with grating bases and spaced to engage vehicle wheels so that a double layer or vehicles. particularly motor cars. can be accommodated within the container.

A rearward portion, advantageously and as shown the major portion 68, of the upper tracks are mounted on cross-spars 70 in a frame 72 that is pivotal about a fixed rod or axle 74, or bushings or bearings on a cross-spar 26, where it meets the fixed remainder of the track so as to be lowerable for loading and raisable for storage and loading of the lower tracked space. A pressure fluid system of side positioned jacks or rams 76 will serve to raise and lower the tracked and pivotted frame 72, preferably with the rams 76 inclined rearwardly of the container base and perpendicularly of the frame 72 in its lowered position. For convenience, the rams or jacks 76 are shown as being operated by a hand pump 78 from a hydraulic reservoir 80.Clearly however, compressed air could be used, and also mechanical jacks, such as screw-jacks could be used if desired, though preferably ganged one at each side of the frame 72. A hinged terminal ramp is shown at 82 to further aid loading and unloading.

Crossed bracing is also shown at 36 for the fixed and closed container end 16 and at 38 for the opening end 18 which is side hinged at 40 in gate fashion to open as required with latching and/or locking means of any convenient type.

Conventional corner posts and lifting blocks are shown at 42.

Figures 3, 4 and 5 show an end view and further details of the pivotted upper track frame embodiment of Figures 1 and 2 from which it will be clear that double telescopic ram 76 may be preferred if their support location so requires. As seen in Figure 4, sliding locking pins 84 held captive by spring wire 86 though a bore therein may serve to locate the raised tracked frame 72 preferably with elongated mating holes to facilitate release on short extension of the rams 76.

An alternative cam type locking arrangement is shown in Figures 6 and 7 where a generally L-shaped cam 88 is pivotted at 90 to the side frame mid spar 22 with one limb toothed at 92 to engage a pin 94 on the track frame 72 and the other limb to abut a stop 96 on a vertical or bracing spar of the container side frame. In operation the pin 94 will engage the underside of the cam's toothed limb when raised and take it upwards until it clears the pin 94 whereupon the cam will rotate clockwise and its tooth 92 will catch and latch the pin 94 with the cam's other limb abutting the stop 96. Clearly, cams could be fitted to the track carrying frame to cooperate with pins on the container side frame if desired.

In use of a standard 40 feet x 8 feet x 10' 6" feet container, it has been found that two small and one medium size of typical British and European style motor cars can be fitted in each of two layers in the container. The risk of damage on breaking loose of a car is thus less than is the case for conventional deck parking where cars are often parked in bulk, say roped in groups of five. The advantages of moving up to six cars per container is self-evidently more convenient and time saving than driving cars on and off individually at respective ends of a sea trip.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A portable container for load carrying purposes and capable of being handled independently of and, into, onto, out of or off any carrier vehicle, the container comprising a load carrier enclosure fitted internally at different levels with track-defining supports for engagement by normally ground engaging translation parts of vehicles to be carried within the container in more than one layer thereof, at least a portion of a higher level track being mounted by hinging for raising and lowering a vehicle loading end thereof.

2. A container according to claim 1, wherein the track-defining vehicle supports are at base level and at one other higher level to accommodate two layers of vehicles.

3. A container according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein each level of track-defining vehicle supports comprises two spaced tracks of shallow trough or channel section extending along the length of the container.

4. A container according to claim 3 with claim 2, wherein the higher level tracks are supported on spaced beams across the width of the container at or near half the height of the interior container space.

5. A container according to claim 4, wherein said beams are supported by lengthwise side beams in cross-braced side frames of the container.

6. A container according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein only a portion of said higher level tracks is hingedly mounted.

7. A container according to any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein said hinging is of a track carrying frame and at lengthwise side beams in cross-braced side frames of the container.

8. A container according to claim 7. comprising jack means between each side of said frame and the base of the container to effect said raising and lowering.

9. A container according to claim 8, wherein each said jack means is pressure-fluid operated.

10. A container according to claim 9, wherein each of said jack means is hydraulic.

11. A container according to claim 10, wherein said jack means are associated with a

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. container. A rearward portion, advantageously and as shown the major portion 68, of the upper tracks are mounted on cross-spars 70 in a frame 72 that is pivotal about a fixed rod or axle 74, or bushings or bearings on a cross-spar 26, where it meets the fixed remainder of the track so as to be lowerable for loading and raisable for storage and loading of the lower tracked space. A pressure fluid system of side positioned jacks or rams 76 will serve to raise and lower the tracked and pivotted frame 72, preferably with the rams 76 inclined rearwardly of the container base and perpendicularly of the frame 72 in its lowered position. For convenience, the rams or jacks 76 are shown as being operated by a hand pump 78 from a hydraulic reservoir 80.Clearly however, compressed air could be used, and also mechanical jacks, such as screw-jacks could be used if desired, though preferably ganged one at each side of the frame 72. A hinged terminal ramp is shown at 82 to further aid loading and unloading. Crossed bracing is also shown at 36 for the fixed and closed container end 16 and at 38 for the opening end 18 which is side hinged at 40 in gate fashion to open as required with latching and/or locking means of any convenient type. Conventional corner posts and lifting blocks are shown at 42. Figures 3, 4 and 5 show an end view and further details of the pivotted upper track frame embodiment of Figures 1 and 2 from which it will be clear that double telescopic ram 76 may be preferred if their support location so requires. As seen in Figure 4, sliding locking pins 84 held captive by spring wire 86 though a bore therein may serve to locate the raised tracked frame 72 preferably with elongated mating holes to facilitate release on short extension of the rams 76. An alternative cam type locking arrangement is shown in Figures 6 and 7 where a generally L-shaped cam 88 is pivotted at 90 to the side frame mid spar 22 with one limb toothed at 92 to engage a pin 94 on the track frame 72 and the other limb to abut a stop 96 on a vertical or bracing spar of the container side frame. In operation the pin 94 will engage the underside of the cam's toothed limb when raised and take it upwards until it clears the pin 94 whereupon the cam will rotate clockwise and its tooth 92 will catch and latch the pin 94 with the cam's other limb abutting the stop 96. Clearly, cams could be fitted to the track carrying frame to cooperate with pins on the container side frame if desired. In use of a standard 40 feet x 8 feet x 10' 6" feet container, it has been found that two small and one medium size of typical British and European style motor cars can be fitted in each of two layers in the container. The risk of damage on breaking loose of a car is thus less than is the case for conventional deck parking where cars are often parked in bulk, say roped in groups of five. The advantages of moving up to six cars per container is self-evidently more convenient and time saving than driving cars on and off individually at respective ends of a sea trip. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A portable container for load carrying purposes and capable of being handled independently of and, into, onto, out of or off any carrier vehicle, the container comprising a load carrier enclosure fitted internally at different levels with track-defining supports for engagement by normally ground engaging translation parts of vehicles to be carried within the container in more than one layer thereof, at least a portion of a higher level track being mounted by hinging for raising and lowering a vehicle loading end thereof.

manual pump for hydraulic fluid.

12. A container according to anyone of claims 7 to 11, further comprising locking or latching means for securing the track carrying frame to said lengthwise side beams.

13. A container according to claim 12, wherein said locking or latching means comprises pins through said side beams.

14. A container according to claim 12, wherein said locking or latching means comprises cams on said side frame cooperating with pins on said track carrying frame or vice versa.

15. A portable vehicle carrying container substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figures 1 to 5 or Figures 6 and 7 of the accompanying drawings.