GB2304804A

GB2304804A - Vehicle side curtain fastening

Info

Publication number: GB2304804A
Application number: GB9618482A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mark Lawrence
Original assignee: MARFLEX
Current assignee: MARFLEX
Priority date: 1995-09-06
Filing date: 1996-09-05
Publication date: 1997-03-26
Anticipated expiration: 2016-09-05
Also published as: GB9618482D0; GB2304804B; GB9518126D0

Abstract

Apparatus for securing a vehicle side curtain 18 comprises a fastening member 30 having a hook 32 or like locating member adapted to locate with the vehicle side rave, or other vehicle frame member, and tensioning means for curtain strap 20, whereby the curtain is secured and tensioned without the use of external buckle means. By locating the fastening means on the trailer body, rather than on the side curtain itself, the fastening means may be located away from, or behind the plane of the side curtain. As shown the fastening means comprises a buckle arrangement with a tensioning lever 33, a ratchet lever can be used to wind the strap end.

Description

FASTENING ASSEMBLY The present invention relates to a fastening assembly, and more particularly, but not exclusively, to a fastening assembly for securing vehicle side curtains.

Road transport vehicles are often provided with a selfpropelled tractor portion releasably connectable to a trailer portion onto which the articles to be transported may be loaded. The trailer portion may be of the type having a frame provided with open side walls which, in use, are closed off using so-called side curtains.

A side curtain is a sheet manufactured, for example, from PVC or canvas, which is fixed at its top to the top frame of the trailer, whilst its bottom end is releasably secured to the side of the trailer. The size of the side curtain is chosen to correspond substantially with the size of the side opening in the trailer frame structure.

The conventional method of securing the side curtain to the side of the trailer is to provide a number of regularly spaced buckles, which are attached to the curtain towards its lower edge, and which co-operate with a corresponding number of straps which are secured to the frame. Such a fastening arrangement has a number of disadvantages which include the following.

The buckles are prone to damage from, for example, knocking against posts or walls, or more commonly the buckles of other trailers if and when a number of like vehicles are parked in close proximity.

Tensioning the side curtain evenly along its whole length is difficult using the buckle and strap arrangement and it is not unknown for the straps to work loose, resulting in flapping side curtains and straps. This may result in a safety hazard, particularly if a strap works completely free of its buckle.

It is common practice for the side curtain to be used to carry a company logo, or other promotional matter. In this regard, use of the buckle and strap arrangement as described above means that the design cannot be applied to the full width and full height of the side curtain, as the fastening arrangement would obscure part of the design.

Furthermore, the strapping used quickly becomes dirty which results in marking of the side curtain, the cleaning of which is hindered by the position of the buckles.

One proposal for addressing these problems has been to provide a buckle-less system, in which the trailer body has been re-designed to provide a track at both the top and bottom of the frame such that a specially adapted side curtain can slide between an open and a shut position.

Whilst such an arrangement provides improvements, it cannot be used in conjunction with existing trailers without extensive and expensive modification work being undertaken.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide improvements in relation to one or more matters discussed above, and/or to provide improvements generally.

According to the present invention there is provided a fastening arrangement comprising a fastening means adapted to engage with , or attach to, the lower framework of the trailer body, such as the side rave of the trailer.

By locating the fastening means on the trailer body, in use, rather than on the side curtain itself, the fastening means may be located away from, or behind the plane of the side curtain. This results in the advantage that the fastening means is less vulnerable to damage by knocking than prior art arrangements.

In an embodiment of the invention, the fastening means cooperates with strapping means attachable, for example by bolts, to the side curtain of a trailer. Preferably, the strapping is attached to the internal surface of the curtain, so that the strapping is not visible in use.

Alternatively, the webbing straps run the full height of the curtain and are attached to the top rollers, with the straps enclosed in pockets provided on the curtain. In this way a load-bearing curtain is provided.

In this way, substantially the full height of the curtain is available for the application of decorative or promotional matter, without the fastening arrangement obstructing or obscuring the lower part of the design. In addition, the cleaning of the full width and full height of the side curtain is facilitated.

In an embodiment, the fastening means includes tensioning means in the form of a self-locking mechanism, such as a ratchet mechanism. In an alternative embodiment, the fastening means is configured to form a buckle-type arrangement. The side curtain is thus tensioned by passing the strapping means through the buckle means, to provide a simple self-locking arrangement.

In these embodiments the advantage is provided that even tensioning of the side curtain is more easily achieved and additionally, the strapping is much less likely to work loose.

In a further embodiment of the invention there is provided a method of securing a vehicle side curtain comprising locating a hook or like locating member attachable to the curtain on the underside of the vehicle side rave or other vehicle frame member, and tensioning the curtain whereby the curtain is secured and tensioned without the use of external buckle means.

There is also provided apparatus for securing a vehicle side curtain comprising a hook or like locating member adapted to locate with the underside of the vehicle side rave or other vehicle frame member, and tensioning means whereby the curtain is secured and tensioned without the use of external buckle means.

Embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following illustrative drawings in which Figure 1 shows a section through a fastening arrangement according to one embodiment of the present invention, in use; Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the fastening means of Figure 1 in more detail; Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a fastening.

arrangement according a further aspect of the invention; and Figures 4 and 4A show section views of the embodiment of Figure 3, similar to those seen in Figure 1.

As shown in Figure 1, a vehicle trailer (not shown) comprises a trailer floor 2 having a lengthwise-extending channel section side rave 4 of which the channel base extends vertically downwardly from the trailer floor. The side rave 4 thus has an end portion or limb which extends substantially parallel to the trailer floor 2 to form a ledge 6.

A fastening means generally designated 8, comprises an attachment portion 10, adapted in use to engage with and hook over the ledge 6.

The fastener 8 further comprises a ratchet wheel 12, shown most clearly in Figure 2, and a resiliently mounted pawl 14. A lever member 16 serves to rotate the ratchet wheel 12 with respect to the pawl 14 in one direction only, rotation in the other direction being prevented by engagement of the pawl with the ratchet teeth. A second pawl 17 serves to prevent rotation of the wheel 12 while the lever member 16 is performing its return motion.

In use, as seen in Figure 1, a side curtain 18 is secured to the top frame of the trailer in the conventional manner.

Straps 20 are secured to the internal face 22 of curtain 18 at regular intervals of typically 0.6m. The straps 20 are held in place by bolts 24.

The free end of each strap 20 is formed into a loop attached around the ratchet wheel 12 of a fastening means 8. Each fastening means 8 is then located on the end portion of the side rave 6 by engaging the attachment means 10 with the ledge 6.

The side curtain 18 is then tensioned as follows. Rotation of lever 16 in an anti-clockwise direction R, as seen in Figure 1, causes a corresponding intermittent downward movement D of the strap 20, and thus the side curtain 18.

This process is repeated for each fastening means 8 along the length of the curtain 18 thereby placing it in tension.

It has been found that by providing fastening means 8 which is adapted to locate or engage with the framework of the vehicle, in use, and by attaching the straps 20 to the internal face 22 of the curtain 18, the fastening arrangement does not encroach on external face 26 of the curtain 18.

This provides a much neater appearance of the curtain, and the full width and full height of the curtain is available for the application of promotional matter. In addition, the external face 26 is not marked by the straps 20, and it has been found that it is easier to clean the full height of the curtain.

Furthermore, it has been found that when using this selflocking arrangement, it is easier to tension the curtain than when using conventional buckles, and that the curtain may be more easily tensioned evenly along its entire length. The arrangement is also less likely to work loose during use.

An alternative embodiment is shown in Figures 3 and 4 in which parts common to both embodiments are given the same reference numbers.

As seen in Figure 3, the fastening member 30 comprises a generally U-shaped body portion 31, and a lever arm 33 pivotally mounted on the body portion 31 about pivot 34.

The body portion 31 comprises a locating member 32, adapted to hook over and engage the ledge 6 of side rave 4, and a guide bar 36 extending between the two opposed side walls of the body portion 31. The lever arm 33 is provided with two guide slots 38,40.

In use, as seen in Figures 4 and 4A, the side curtain is secured to the vehicle, as described above. The lever arm 33 is rotated to adopt the position seen clearly in the drawings.

The free end of each strap 20 is threaded through the open end of the body portion 31, and around the guide bar 36. It is then passed back out of the body portion 31, through guide slots 40 and 38, and back through the body portion 31, as best seen in Figure 4A. Thus the configuration of the body portion 31 and the lever arm 33 serve to provide a buckle arrangement.

Once threaded, the strap 20 is pulled tight, and the lever arm 33 is rotated through approximately 90 degrees, in order that in lies substantially within the body portion 31. This serves to tension the strap, and maintain it in a tensioned configuration.

The same process is repeated for each fastening member 30 along the length of the curtain 18.

Claims

1 A fastening arrangement for the side curtain of a vehicle comprising fastening means adapted to engage with, or attach to, the lower framework of the trailer body, such as the side rave of the trailer.

2 Apparatus for securing a vehicle side curtain comprising a hook or like locating member adapted to locate with the vehicle side rave, or other vehicle frame member, and tensioning means, whereby the curtain is secured and tensioned without the use of external buckle means.

3 A fastening arrangement according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the fastening means is located away from, or behind the plane of the side curtain.

4 A fastening arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the fastening means co-operates with strapping means attachable, for example by bolts, to the side curtain of a trailer.

5 A fastening arrangement according to claim 5 wherein the strapping is attachable to the internal surface of the side curtain.

6 A fastening arrangement according to claim 4 or claim 5 wherein the strapping means runs substantially the full height of the curtain.

7 A fastening arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims 4 to 6 wherein with the strapping means is enclosed in a pocket provided on one face of the curtain.

8 A fastening arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the tensioning means comprises a self-locking mechanism.

9 A fastening arrangement according to claim 8 wherein the tensioning means comprises a ratchet mechanism.

10 A method of securing a vehicle side curtain comprising locating a hook or like locating member attachable to the curtain on the underside of the vehicle side rave or other vehicle frame member, and tensioning the curtain whereby the curtain is secured and tensioned without the use of external buckle means.

11 A fastening arrangement substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

12 A method of securing a vehicle side curtain substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.