GB2412649A

GB2412649A - Secure transport container for civil engineering and building plant

Info

Publication number: GB2412649A
Application number: GB0413522A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Timothy John Hall
Original assignee: HALL PLANT HIRE Ltd
Current assignee: HALL PLANT HIRE Ltd
Priority date: 2004-06-17
Filing date: 2004-06-17
Publication date: 2005-10-05
Anticipated expiration: 2024-06-17
Also published as: GB0413522D0; GB2412649B

Abstract

A transport container 10 comprises a reinforced floor 11, side walls 12, and ends 13 and 14. End 13 is provided with an attachment for a lifting hook such as a shaft 19, with a plate 22 which can be positioned to prevent engagement of a hook with the shaft, the plate having a securing means inside the container. The end 14 is formed as a door which has an associated lock mechanism including a solenoid operated plunger and a slot in a keep plate mounted on the inside of the container with no parts outside of the container, the solenoid being operable by a switch controlled by a signal from a key fob or similar transmitting device.

Description

24 1 2649

SECURE PLANT TRANSPORT CONTAINER

This invention relates to a secure plant transport container. The term "plant" refers to machinery used in civil engineering and building operations, and includes for example dump trucks, lift trucks, and earthmoving machinery including 'dozers and diggers.

It is at present the custom to move plant of the above kind, which may or may not be self propelled, but which may not be suitable for, or licensed for highway transit, using a skip, or Remountable trailer, which can be raised onto a carrying chassis or transporter using a hydraulic lift arm engaging with a detent on the designated front of the skip or trailer.

The disadvantages of such a procedure are mainly concerned with security. This arises because the skips or trailers are unenclosed, being generally modeled on non-dismountable vehicle trailers and consist of a base surface surrounded by enclosing side walls about 0.5m in height, and a raised front wall to engage with lifting gear. The plant, i.e. machinery, when loaded upon the skip or trailer body, is thus still exposed to vandalism especially if there is a delay between loading and collection, and / or between delivery and unloading when the loaded skip is unattended.

Such damage is not limited to graffiti or disfigurement, but also breakage of exposed components, theft or drainage of fuel and lubricating oil and removal of or damage to batteries.

Known for other purposes, are in addition, skips for waste disposal which comprise a hopper adapted to be hoisted onto a specially adapted chassis by a two arm crane which is connected to the corners of the hopper by chains to ensure that the hopper remains balanced during lifting, and transport containers comprising large boxes of standardized dimensions, which can amongst other merchandise carry any machinery which can be contained within their dimensions) and are loadable and unloadable from flat- bed road, rail and sea transporters using overhead hoists or cranes, and fork lifts, and are interstackable.

Neither type of construction is of assistance in secure transportation and storage of civil engineering and building equipment between and at sites, and it is thus an object of the invention to provide a transport container which is adapted to improve fine security of such plant at and between sites 10- of use.

According to the invention, a secure plant transport container comprises means enclosing a volume, having an openable side for access to the volume, lockable closure means for the openable side, the enclosure means also providing an engagement means for lifting of the container.

The container preferably comprises a box-like construction providing a reinforced floor or base, a closed end wall, an openable end wall, and top and side walls. The closed end wall is preferably reinforced with beams and carries the lifting engagement means.

The lifting engagement means may comprise a horizontal shaft extending between two upright or sloped reinforcing beams of an end wall of the container such as the door to be suitable for engagement by a hook attached to a lifting arm. The horizontal shaft may have a bracket associated therewith which can be mounted so as to prevent engagement of the horizontal shaft by a lifting arm hook without prior removal of the bracket, to prevent unauthorized removal of the container. The bracket advantageously has a lug member which can be passed through a slot in the closed end wall, to be locked in position by means accessible only from within the container. This may be effected by provision of an aperture in the lug member through which a retaining pin, or other means such as the hasp of a padlock, located within the container; may be passed when the lug member has been inserted through the slot.

The openable end of the container may comprise a hinged door which can be opened to permit loading or unloading of machinery into or from the container, and may be provided on the opposite side of the door to the hinges with a keep member which engages with an electronically operated lock which is wholly mounted within the container with no operative parts accessible from the outside of the container. The electronically operated lock may be controlled by remotely activateable control means such as a key fob. A suitable form of lock which may be used may include a plunger which enters an aperture in the keep member, the plunger forming an extension of the displaceable part of a solenoid. The solenoid may be energized or de-energised by operation of a switch which is controlled by a circuit which is changed over by a signal from the remote control or key fob.

This arrangement can prevent unauthorized access to the interior of the container, as there are no exposed lock components which are able to be forced. The only way of gaining access to the interior of the container without the fob would be to use cutting tools.

An embodiment of secure plant transport container according to the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is a side view of a container according to the invention, showing civil engineering plant or machinery within the container in broken outline; Fig. 2 is an elevation view of a door end of the container, showing l the positioning of the lifting detent; Fig. 3 is a detail cross-section of part of the door, showing an arrangement for preventing unauthorized attachment of a hook to the lifting detent.

- Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the door partially open showing the location of a door locking device, and Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of the door locking device.

In accordance with the invention, a container 10 for secure transportation and storage of building or civil engineering plant and machinery comprises a reinforced floor or base 1 1-, side walls 12, an always closed end wall 13 and an openable end wall or door 14 at the opposite end of the container. The container is dimensioned to enable it to contain one or two pieces of machinery, such as a tracked excavator 15 and a dump truck 16, which are shown in broken lines within the container 10. A container of this size is similar to standard goods transport containers and is adapted to be engaged by a hook on a lifting arm to raise one end of the container and pull it onto a flat-bed transporter truck.

The reason for transporting such plant and machinery in this way is that excavators and dump trucks are too slow to undertake long road journeys in an economically useful timescale, may not be suitable for road transit in view of the damage which a track laying vehicle such as an excavator can cause to a road surface, and in consequence these machines may not be licensed for highway traffic.

The outside face of the door 14 is shown in elevation in Fig. 2, and comprises a panel of sheet steel, reinforced by horizontal cross-struts 17, of solid steel bar, or hollow beam steel stock, and a pair of inclined posts 18 forming a truncated "A" frame. A steel shaft 19 extends between these posts 18 near the top thereof, and this provides a detent for engagement by a hook of a loading crane, for lifting and drawing the end of the container onto a transporter. Access of a hook to the detent shaft 19 is prevented by a bracket 20 of for example forged steel, which comprises a generally U sectioned member, having a shorter leg or nose 21 which hooks over the shaft 19, and a widened longer leg or plate 22 which is locatable below the shaft 19 and has a lug 23 which passes through a slot 24 in the wall of the container to extend into the interior of the container.

The lug 23 has an aperture 25 through which a pin 26 or other locking member, such as a padlock hasp, can be passed to thereby prevent withdrawal of the lug 23 from the slot, thus retaining the bracket 20 in place over the shaft 19. This prevents engagement of a hook with the shaft 19.

The pin 26 and lug 23 are only accessible from within the container to disengage the bracket and allow connection of a hook to the shaft 19.

Unauthorized access to the interior of the container is prevented by the arrangements for locking the openable end wall or door 14, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The door 14 is mounted on hinges down one side, and carries a lock engaging detent, such as a keep-plate 27 with an aperture or recess 28, mounted on the interior face of the door 14 near the free edge of the door. A cooperating locking device 29 is mounted internally of the side wall of the container and suitably positioned for entry of the keep-plate 27 into a slot 29 on closure of the door.

The locking closure 29 includes a finger 30 which passes through an aperture in the keep plate 27. The finger 30 is the outer end of the movable plunger component of a solenoid 31 or other electrodynamic device, the energisation of which is controlled by a switching circuit enclosed in a power supply box 32 (which also includes any necessary batteries or transformers, etc. ).

The switching circuit is arranged to be operated by a remotely activated signal from a remote control device such as a key fob, the signal being one which will penetrate the steel walls of the container. Activation of the remote control device will change the state of the switching circuit to engage or disengage the finger, and thus allow or prevent access to the interior of the container.

The locking apparatus for the door has no parts which can be accessed or forced from outside the container and thus security is improved in that it is only possible to break into the container using cutting tools.

Criminal damage to plant and machinery which is always a risk with the usual open trailer body type of transporter is thus prevented, as is unauthorized removal of the container by connecting a hook to the detent shaft 19, since the bracket 20 can only be removed from within the container.

Location of the detent on the door end of the container means that the container can be conveniently stowed without needing to provide access to both ends of the container, since the same end is used for both loading plant into the container, and for handling the container.

It is of course to be understood that the invention is not intended to be restricted to the details of the above embodiments which are described by

way of example only.

Claims

Claims 1. A secure plant transport container comprising enclosure means

enclosing a volume, providing an openable side for access to the volume, and lockable closure means for the openable side, the enclosure means also providing an engagement means for lifting of the container.
2. A container according to claim 1, which comprises a box-like construction providing a reinforced floor or base; a closed end wall; an openable end wall; and top and side walls.
3. A container according to claim 2 wherein the closed end wall is reinforced with beams and is provided with the engagement means for lifting of the container. at;

"'
4. A container according to claim 4, wherein the engagement means for lifting of the container comprises a horizontal shaft extending I between two upright or sloped reinforcing beams of an end wall of : the container. . ,
5. A container according to claim 4 wherein the horizontal shaft has a bracket associated therewith which can be mounted so as to prevent engagement of the horizontal shaft by a lifting arm hook without prior removal of the bracket to prevent unauthorized removal of the container.
6. A container according to claim 5 wherein the bracket has a lug member which can be passed through a slot in the closed end wall, to be locked in position by means accessible only from within the container.
7. A container according to claim 6 wherein an aperture is provided in the lug member through which a retaining member, located within the container may be passed when the retaining member has been through the slot.
8. A container according to claim 7 wherein the retaining member is a retaining pin.
9. A container according to claim 7, wherein the retaining member is the hasp of a padlock.
10. A container according to claim 2, wherein the openable end of the container comprises rehinged door which can be opened to permit loading or unloading of machinery into or from the container, and the door is provided on the opposite sides thereof to the hinges, with a keep member which engages with an electronically operated locked which is wholly mounted within the container, with no operative parts which are accessible from the outside of the container.
1 1. A container according to claim 10, wherein the electronically operated lock is controlled by remotely activateable control means such as a key fob adapted to transmit a digital code on an RF signal.
12. A secure plant transport container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

12. A container according to claim 10 or 11 wherein the lock includes a plunger which enters an aperture in the keep member, the plunger forming an extension of the displaceable part of a solenoid.

13. A container according to claim 12 wherein the solenoid is adapted to be energized or de-energized by operation of a switch which is controlled by a circuit which is changed over by a digitally coded RF signal from the remote control or key fob.

14. A secure plant transport container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

J

Anenlmel:,t; tr. talk-; As it... l.-l:tiled as tallows to Claims 1. A secure plant transport container comprising enclosure means enclosing a volume, providing an openable side for access to the volume, and lockable closure means for the openable side, the enclosure means also providing an engagement means for lifting of the container, comprising a horizontal shaft extending between two upright or sloped reinforcing beams of an end wall of the container, and wherein the horizontal shaft has a bracket associated therewith which can be mounted so as to prevent engagement of the horizontal shaft by a lifting arm hook without prior removal of - . I'm the bracket to prevent unauthorized removal of the container.

.2; 2. A container according to claim 1, which comprises a box-like ' construction providing a reinforced floor or base; a closed end wall; an openable end wall which forms said openable side; and top and is, side walls.

3. A container according to claim 2 wherein the closed end wall is reinforced with beams and is provided with the engagement means for lifting of the container.

4. A container according to claim 1 wherein the bracket has a lug member which can be passed through a slot in the closed end wall, to be locked in position by means accessible only from within the container.

5. A container according to claim 4 wherein an aperture is provided in the lug member through which a retaining member, located within the container may be passed when the retaining member has been through the slot. :

6. A container according to claim 5 wherein the retaining member is a retaining pin.

7. A container according to claim 5, wherein the retaining member is the hasp of a padlock.

8. A container according to claim 2, wherein the openable side of the container comprises said openable and wall which is formed as a hinged door which can be opened to permit loading or unloading of machinery into or from the container, and the door is provided on the opposite sides thereof to the hinges, with a keep member which engages with an electronically operated locked which is wholly mounted within the container, with no operative parts i..

.'. which are accessible from the outside of the container.

a, 9. A container according to claim 8, wherein the electronically operated lock is controlled by remotely activateable control means such as a key fob adapted to transmit a signal. ..

I. 10. A container according to claim 8 or 9 wherein the lock includes a ë plunger which enters an aperture in the keep member, the plunger forming an extension of the displaceable part of a solenoid.

11. A container according to claim 10 wherein the solenoid is adapted to be energized or de-energized by operation of a switch which is controlled by a circuit which is changed over by a from the remote control or key fob.