GB2453785A

GB2453785A - Container

Info

Publication number: GB2453785A
Application number: GB0720500A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jonathan Clark; Donald Fletcher-Evans
Original assignee: ADAPTAINER Ltd
Current assignee: ADAPTAINER Ltd
Priority date: 2007-10-18
Filing date: 2007-10-18
Publication date: 2009-04-22
Also published as: GB0720500D0

Abstract

The invention relates to an ISO style shipping container 10 designed to be used initially in a first, freight carrying mode and subsequently in a second mode where the container will be in a static location housing equipment or accommodation, but movable from location to location. The container side walls 116 are built with one or more door frames 120 between the ends of the walls, and these frames are infilled when the container is built, so that the walls are continuous. When the container is no longer to be used in its first, freight-carrying mode, the infilling in the door frames 120 can be cut out and doors mounted in the frames: The internal faces of the side walls 116 and the roof may also have mounting points in the form of straps (300 figures 3 and 5) where insulation can be fitted to the insides of the walls.

Description

1 2453785 Container This invention relates to a container having the overall dimensions and transport fittings of a shipping container. In this specification1 the term "container" refers to a container of the type used for shipping freight, having a rectangular form with standard dimensions and having lifting/anchorage points at its corners.

Shipping or freight containers are now used in many applications other than freight transport, as the modular nature of the containers makes them easy to transport by road or rail, in addition to transport by sea. Such containers are used as site offices, temporary storage facilities and as housings for equipment which needs to be used at various different locations. The present invention is particularly (but not exclusively) concerned with the use of containers as housings for generators.

A conventional container, built for transporting goods primarily by sea has rigid, closed side walls, floor and roof, one closed end wall and one end with S...

openable doors. S.... * S

20 According to the invention, there is provided a container having a floor, side :5,: walls, end walls and a roof, wherein at least one side wall has, between its ends, at least one frame for receiving a door and the frame is closed by *.* cladding such that the side wall is completely closed.

With the door frame or frames closed by cladding, the container can be used as a conventional shipping container, for transporting goods by sea. When the container is to be used for other purposes where access to and from the container is required, the cladding will be cut away, and a door mounted in the or each frame.

Frames can be provided in both side walls, and the number and positions of the frames can be different on the opposite sides of the container.

The frames can comprise pillars extending vertically from top to bottom of the side walls and welded to longitudinal beams at the top and bottom of the side walls. There may be secondary frames within the side walls, these secondary frames also being infilled with cladding. Some of these secondary frames can have dimensions suitable for giving access to a door release mechanism of a door mounted in a door frame when the cladding of the secondary frame is removed andothers having dimensions suitable for allowing cable and/or pipe access into the container when the frame cladding is removed.

The door frames do not need to be the full height of the container side wall. If the frames do not extend right to the top of the container wall, a cross beam will be fixed between the two vertical pillars to form the top of the door frame.

::: The container wails are preferably corrugated and mounting means for supporting internal components can be attached to the corrugations, internally * S...

* of the container. The mounting means can comprise horizontally arranged * S...

* 20 straps to which insulation panels can be attached.

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A frame can also be provided in the container roof, the frame being adapted, after removal of the cladding, to accommodate, for example, a ventilation unit or an exhaust system.

Doors can be provided at both ends of the container, and the doors can have handles at half height, and panels above and below the handles.

The container floor is preferably a welded metal continuous sheet, so that any leakage within the container is retained within the container and does not leak out.

The or each door frame is preferably formed by frame members extending the full height of the side walls such that when the cladding covering the frame is cut away, the structural integrity of the container is not adversely affected.

The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a conventional, prior art container; Figure 2 is a side view of a container according to the invention; Figure 3 is a top view of a container according to the invention; S...

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Figure 4 is an end view of a container according to the invention: and *SS.. * S

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S.. Si * 20 Figure 5 is a partial section through the wall of a container according to the . : invention. S..

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a standard shipping container 10 with a roof 12, a floor 14 and side walls 16. At one end there are two doors 18, 20, one shown open and the other shown closed. At each corner, the container has standard ISO castings 22 by which the container can be lifted and secured in a known manner.

The container walls 16 are in the form of corrugated sheeting welded to upper and lower longitudinal beams 24, 26. The roof 12 is also formed by corrugated sheeting, the corrugations being of a slightly different form from the wall corrugations.

The container according to the invention is built so that it can be used in a first mode to carry freight, and can later be converted into a second mode where it can have a different end use.

Figure 2 shows a side wall 116 of a container according to the invention in its second mode. The side waD 116 is shown with four door openings 102, 104, 106, 108. Also to be seen in this figure are apertureS 110 for door release mechanisms and apertures 112 for the entry and exit of cables or pipes to supply whatever is contained within the container. Surrounding each of the door openings 102 to 108 is a rigid door frame. The frame comprises vertical beams 120 which extend between the upper and lower longitudinal beams 124, 126 and are rigidly welded to those longitudinal beams so that the beams 120, 124, 126 between them form a rigid door frame structure. *...

When the container is first built and is in its first (freight carrying) mode, the side * walls 116 are formed with the frame members 120 in place, but with the space ***** * 20 between the frame members (ie the door openings) filled in with sections of the same corrugated cladding as used for the remainder of the walls. It is not essential that the same corrugated cladding be used within the frame members.

Flat panels or panels with other types of ribbing or corrugations could be used.

The cladding will be welded to the door frames so that the interior of the container is sealed in the same way as it would be if there were no frames 120 (see Figure 5), and in this condition, the container can be used for transporting goods, in particular by sea. In the same way the apertures 110, 112 would be filled with sections of corrugated cladding.

When the container is to be modified for land use, for example, as a generator housing or for other use, the sections of cladding within the frames 120 and within the apertures 110, 112 can be easily cut out, and pre-fabricated doors can be mounted in the door frames so that access to the interior of the container can be easily had.

It will be appreciated that although the container shown in Figure 2 has four door frames on the side that is visible, there could be any appropriate number of door frames, depending on the use to which the container is to be put. Also if there are, for example, four door frames fitted in the original container, only those door frames where doors are needed need to be cut out and used as door ways when the container is in its second mode. f.

Figure 3 shows a roof panel 212, with a section 214 where the cladding has been cut away, and where a frame 216 is included as part of the roof structure, to maintain structural integrity after the section 214 has been cut out. Although 1*� the aperture 214 Is unlikely to be used as a door, it can be used to mount, for example, extractor fans. e. ** * .

* 20 To still further enhance the usability of the contaIner on land, doors can be mounted at both ends, and these doors can have their handles mounted at mid- : height. As can be seen from Figure 1, a conventional container has the door handles low down so that when the container is on a trailer and therefore raised above the ground, the handles can be reached. The container of the invention is expected to be used primarily while resting directly on the ground and therefore the handles can be at mid-height where they will be at the right height to be operated. A subsidiary advantage of placing the handles at mid height is that equal sized door panels can be formed above and below the handles, and if necessary these panels can be cut out and replaced with ventilation panels, for example, with ventilation louvres.

Figure 5 is a cross-section through the corrugated wall 116 showing how the door frame 120 will be infihled with a section of corrugated cladding 11 6a, when the container is built and prepared for the shipping of goods.

The interior of the container will also be provided with straps 300 welded between corrugations of the cladding 116, either along the whole length of the container or just at selected points, and these straps will function as anchorage points for insulation panels or other internal lining which can be fitted in the container. If necessary, insulation may be fitted in this way when the container is new and used for goods transport. More probably however insulation will be fitted subsequently, when the container is being used in its second mode as a generator housing or other function. Figure 3 also shows a longitudinal strap 300 in the roof of the container, for the same purpose.

The floor of the container may be of steel, fully welded around its perimeter to the structure of the container, so that any spillages within the container are retained with the container and do not leak out into the environment. However : for other specific applications where leakage is unlikely to be a problem, timber :: 20 floorscouldbeused. * *

The container of the invention may have doors at both ends. This allows the interior of the container to be divided into compartments with each compartment being accessible through double doors at the container ends.

Claims

Claims 1. A container having a floor, side walls, end walls and a roof, wherein at least one side wall has, between its ends, at least one frame for receiving a door and the frame is closed by cladding such that the side wall is completely closed.
2. A container as claimed in Claim 1, wherein frames are provided in both side walls.
3, A container as claimed in Claim I or Claim 2, wherein the frames comprise pillars extending vertically from top to bottom of the side walls and welded to longitudinal beams at the bottom and top of the side walls.
4. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, including secondary frames within the side walls of dimensions suitable for operating a door release mechanism of a door mounted in a door frame, when the cladding of the secondary frame is removed. S.... * S

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5. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, including secondary : frames within the side walls of dimensions suitable for allowing cable and/or pipe access into the container when the frame cladding is removed.
6. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the container walls are corrugated and mounting means for supporting internal components are attached to the corrugations, internally of the container.
7. A container as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the mounting means comprise horizontally arranged straps to which insulation panels can be attached.
8. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a frame is provided in the container roof, the frame being adapted, after removal of the cladding, to accommodate a functional unit.
9. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein doors are provided at both ends of the container.
10. A container as claimed in Claim 9, wherein the doors have handles at half height, and panels above and below the handles.
11. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the container floor is a welded metal continuous sheet.
12. A container substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. * S..

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