GB2267108A - Vehicle curtains - Google Patents

Abstract

A curtain system for a curtain-sided vehicle which comprises; a curtain; a frame adapted to engage the platform of an initially open-sided vehicle incorporating an upper supporting means and a lower guiding means; the upper supporting means serving to support the curtain along its uppermost in use edge and enabling the curtain to slide and/or fold in use comprising a first system of rollers (11) engaged within a track (18); the lower guiding means serving to guide the curtain and enabling the curtain to slide and/or fold along its lowermost in use edge and comprising a track or rave (17) mounted to the vehicle or curtain in use adapted to co-operatively engage with an engagement means mounted in use to the other of the lowermost in use edge of the curtain or the vehicle characterised in that the engagement means comprises a second system of rollers (15) adapted to co-operatively engage with the said track or rave. <IMAGE>

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO VEHICLE CURTAINS Field of the invention The invention relates to curtain-sided vehicles.

Review of Art Known to the Applicant Cuntain-sided vehicle are in widespread use nowadays for the transport of goods by road and rail An initially open-sided vehicle has its platform periphery encaged by a frame from which side curtains are hung and tensioned so that, during transport, the load carried on the platform is protected from the weather. The curtains themselves are typically plastics sheets and, because of their size and the speed at which the vehicle travels during transport, they are braced and tensioned when shut.

They are also so designed that they can be opened by sliding them (in one variant) horizontally back and forth so that they fold back - in much the manner of a pair of domestic window curtains - to expose the load for loading, unloading, and checking.

Figures 1 through 2C illustrate diagramatically one conventional way of arranging this sliding and folding action of a vehicle side curtain.

This particular system is known as the "stronghold easyilide" curtain and is manufactured in the United Kingdom by Plastic Protections Limited of Waitham Cross, Hertfordshire. As clearly shown, the essentially rectangular curtain C has individual roolers R spaced apart along its top edge and sliding hooks H similarly spaced apart along its bottom edge, the respectively corresponding hook and roller of each vertically0separated pair being fixed one to each opposite end of a metal strut S which is usually pocketed into the curtain material.

When the vehicle is assemhled, the rivers R run along a track or cant rail (not shown) and the hooks H engage the underside of a corresponding bottom rail or rave (Figure 2C). Respectively opposite- end door panels P form extensions of each curtin-end section and carry their own respective rollers R.

Locks L enable either chosen end of the curtain to be released and shd horizontally towards the other end so as to expose the load on the platform behind the curtain. Outward-hiaising falds (Figure 2) ensure that the curtain does not foul the load during this sliding and folding action. And the hooks H track the movement of the rollers R as the curtain moves.

In practice, the hooks H can jam, and this tendency is made all the worse by the inevitable exposure of the hooks and their tracks to road dirt (thrown up from below) and dirt sliding down (from above) onto the hooks and tracks from the curtain. This jamming tendency can be serious. At best, the bottom - ie the hook-carrying - horizontal section of the curtain has to be replaced, inevitahly, with time. At worst, a user may discard his sliding-curtain system altogether and switch to another kind of curtain (for exemple, the kind which is vertically strapped down into its cased position).

Summary of the Invention The invention starts from this known poooion and seeks to salve the problem of jamming, as outlined above, in curtaineded vehicles.

The invention proposes, in its broadest aspect, the replacement of the hooks of this conventional and generally-known system by rollers.

Preferahly these rivers rotate about axes which, in use and with the curtain in its normally intended attitude, are generally vertical axes as disinct from the generally horizontal axes of the top-edge raisers.

Preferarbly also these bottom-edge rollers, whether rotating about generally vertical or generally horizontal axes, incorporate "sealeifor- life" bearings.

The track or rave along which the bottom-edge railers run, in use, may be an extrusion, in ime with conventional thinking. In a further inventive development, however, the invention proposes that this track comprise a multi-part assembly which is readily taken apart to give access to the rollers (for example, for cleaning and/or replacement of rollers and/or track sections) without the entire extrusion having to be either taken off the vehicle or replaced when replacement becomes necessary. It also brings the advantage that this multi-part construction is altogether cheaper than the very considerable costs inva7ved in producing a new extrusion form.

In theory a curtain embodying the invention can be power-driven to open and dose. In practice, this has been thought to add weight, unnecessarily, and also to be inherently unreliable, with conventional systems; at least as far as United Kingdom transurt operars are concerned. In continental Europe, electric or electro-hydraulic systems find more favour. But the present invention lends itself immediately to powerOiven operation because it so reduces the inherent tendency to stick of the hook-type system; and conventional UK thinking in this context neither anticipates nor suggests the invention as embodied in a poweriven curtain system with bottom-edge railers.

Whilst the invention is clearly embodied in a curtain as such, it includes within its scope a body frame assembly, and/ar a road-going or rail-travelling vehicle, fitted with one or more such curtain.

Brief Description of the Drawings Figures 1 and 2 show respectively opposite end regions of a conventional hook-type curtain, whilst Figures 2A and 2B (enlarged by comparison) show details of the top-edage roller and bottom-edge hook respectively; and Figure 2C shows the hook in end view in its operating rave, all as previously described.

Figures 3 through 7 are each diagramatic sketches showing respective embodiments of the present invention.

Desctso''n of the Preferred Embodiments In Figure 3 a topedge double-roller 11 suspends a plate 12 from its axis and is fixed to the top end region of an upright metal bracing strip 13 which is itself pocketed into a curtain or door pan all in much the same general manner as the rollers R and upright strips S of the system shown in Figures 1 through 2C. In accordance with the invention, however, the bottom edge of the curtain of this party system is not hooked but instead carries, on the bottom end region of the upright strip 13, a generally right-angled bracket 14 which supports a railer 15 freely rotatable about a generally upright axis afforded by a stub-shaft 16 fixed to the base of the bracket 14.

As shown, the roller 16 engages one inside face of a track or rave 17 whilst its coresponding topedge raiser pair 11 similarly engages and runs back and farth in part of a cant rall 18. The two tracks or rails 17 and 18 run substantially the full length of the vehicle body side and, as will be apparent by now, the intention is that when the curtain 14 is folded horizontally, the topedge and bottom-edge rollers 11 and 15 cooperate with their respective tracks to give a smooth progrive sZidi:ng action to the curtain.

In Figure 3 the bottom-edge track 17 is shown as an aluminium alloy extrusion in accordance with conventional thinking in known systems. A similar extrusion is shown in Figure 4, although its profile is different and so is the mounting of the nght-angled bracket 14. Figures 3 and 4 are respectively slightly different embodiments of the same invention, therefore, the main reasons for the difference being the twin desires to optimise the track extrusion profile and optimise the degree of weather protection given to the rolle-and-track assembly in use.

Figure 5 shows another embodiment, with a different form of rightangled bracket 1* and with a very noticeably different form of tracking - this time as a built-up assembly of bolted-together components rather than as a single integral extrusion.

Figure 6 shows in more detail how one of the roller-canying brackets 14 could in practice be spaced at each opposite end region of one of the door panels P of the curtain.

Figure 7, to be studied in conjunction with Figure 6, shows how each of the upright strips 13 carries, at its bottom-end region, a rightangled bracket 14 supporting two spacedapart rollers 15. The composite assembly of curtain and oppositeend door panels is put together in the way illustrated in Figures 6 and 7, and uses a built-up tacking assembly as conceived (although not necessarily as executed) in Figure 5, in this latest and currently preferred embodiment of the invention.

Acknowledqement Any copyrights in the drawings of Figures 1 through 2C do not belong to the app7icant. They may be assumed to belong to Plastic Protections Limited or to a third party derivign title through that company. Whilst no express or implicit admission or warranty is given in this context, the existence of any such rights in the ownership of persons other than the applicant is hereby acknowledged.

Notice The applicant claims copyright in each of the drawings consztting Figures 3 through 7.

Claims (9)

Claims

1. A curtain system for a curtain-sided vehicle of the type which comprises; (a) A curtain; (b) A frame adapted to encage the platform of an initially open sided vehicle incorporating an upper supporting means and a lower guiding means; (c) The upper supporting means serving to support the curtain along its uppermost in use edge and enabling the curtain to slide and/or fold in use comprising a first system of rollers engaged within a first track;; (d) The lower guiding means serving to guide the curtain along its lowermost in use edge and enabling the curtain to slide and/or fold and comprising a second track or rave mounted to the vehicle or curtain in use adapted to co-operative engage with an engagement means mounted in use to the other of the lowermost in use edge of the curtain or the vehicle, characterised in that the engagement means comprises a second system of rollers adapted to co-operatively engage within the said second track or rave.

2. A curtain system as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the engagement means comprises rollers which rotate about axis which in use and with the curtain in its normally intended attitude, are generally vertical axis as distinct from the generally horizontal axis of the rollers in the upper supporting means.

3. A curtain system as claimed in Claims 1 or 2 wherein the rollers comprises in the engagement means, whether rotating about generally vertical or generally horizontal axis, incorporate "sealed-for-life" bearings.

4. A curtain system as claimed in Claims 1, 2 or 3 wherein the track of the lower guiding means comprises an extrusion.

5. A curtain system as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 4 wherein the track comprises a multi-part assembly which is readily taken apart to give access to rollers (for example, for cleaning and/or replacement of rollers and or track sections) without the entire extrusions having to be either taken off the vehicle or replaced when replacement becomes necessary.

6. A curtain system as claimed in any of Claims I to 5 wherein the second system of rollers is mounted to the lowermost edge in use of the curtain.

7. A curtain system as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 7 wherein the system can be power-driven to open and close the curtain.

8. A curtain system for a curtain-sided vehicle as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in any appropriate combination of the accompanying drawings.

9. A component of the curtain system as described in any of Claims 1 to 7 comprising a curtain incorporating a said second system of rollers along the lowermost in use longitudinal edge thereof adapted to co operatively engage in use with a rave or track provided on the frame.