GB2485061A

GB2485061A - A storage box mountable on a vehicle chassis

Info

Publication number: GB2485061A
Application number: GB201118522A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jon Bruton; David Phizacklea
Original assignee: ACKLEA Ltd
Current assignee: ACKLEA Ltd
Priority date: 2010-11-01
Filing date: 2011-10-26
Publication date: 2012-05-02
Anticipated expiration: 2031-10-26
Also published as: GB201118522D0; GB2485061B; GB201018357D0

Abstract

A storage box for mounting to the chassis of a vehicle, the box comprising an outer frame assembly (12-15, figure 1) with means for attachment to the vehicle chassis and an inner container (22-26, figure 2) pivotably connected to the frame assembly about a substantially horizontal pivot axis (17) for movement between closed and open positions. The pivot axis may be located slightly towards the front of the base of the inner container so that the weight of the inner container and any load tends to urge the container downwardly at the rear, towards the closed position. The inner container may be prevented from pivoting too far forwards towards the open position by means of abutments 18 carried by the outer frame. Releasable engagement means, such as barrel bolts 29 may retain the inner container in the closed position. The storage box may be fabricated from a plastics material, and is particularly intended for carrying traffic cones, sand bags other equipment etc. on a traffic management lorry.

Description

Storage Box

Field of the invention

This invention relates to storage boxes of the type which can be fitted, for example, to the chassis of a vehicle such as a traffic management vehicle for the purpose of holding tools or materials and which can be accessed externally of the vehicle.

Background of the invention

Traffic management vehicles typically include storage boxes for holding sand bags, traffic cones or lamps or other items of equipment and, conventionally, are mounted beneath the chassis, typically behind the rear wheels, and can be accessed from outside the vehicle, usually to one side thereof Storage boxes of the type described generally have a closure member constituted by a cover plate or door which is hingeably connected to the front of the base of the box so that, when open, the door or cover plate hangs down while the material or equipment is loaded in or withdrawn from the box. Given that storage boxes in current use, when carrying sand, may have a load weight of around 400 Kgs, such a weight acting on the rear suspension of the vehicle may result in the closure plate or door, when in the open position, contacting the road surface, with consequential risk of damage either to the closure plate or door or to the road surface. There is also a risk of personal injury either from the drop-down door itself or from the operative having the stand sufficiently away from the vehicle to allow the door to drop down, thus potentially in the path of passing traffic.

A further disadvantage of existing storage boxes of the type described is that, with the door or closure plate in the open position, there is nothing to prevent the contents from falling out. On the other hand, it can be difficult for an operative to bend down to remove items from the box through its open front door.

Yet a further disadvantage of storage boxes of the type described is that they are manufactured from steel and are therefore prone to rust corrosion, especially when in contact with damp sand carried within the box, and in any event because they are open to the elements and to dirt, grit and salt from the road surface. The known storage boxes are themselves heavy, thus exacerbating the problem caused by carrying heavy loads.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a storage box of the type described which may be made from a plastics material and which is easy to open with unrestricted access to the contents and which otherwise avoids the problems involved with storage boxes of the type described, as conventionally available.

Summary of the invention

In one aspect, the present invention provides a storage box for mounting to the chassis of a vehicle, the box comprising an outer frame assembly with means for attachment to the vehicle chassis and an inner container pivotably connected to the frame assembly about a substantially horizontal pivot axis for movement between closed and open positions.

The outer frame assembly may comprise a regular parallelepiped or box-shaped body preferably with solid end, top and back walls carried by sub-frames. The inner container preferably comprises a grid or perforated base or bottom plate for drainage of wet materials and preferably has solid front, rear and side walls and an open top.

The horizontal pivot axis is preferably disposed adjacent the base of the inner container and may be constituted by a pivot bar mounted between the lower edge regions of the end sub-frames of the outer frame assembly with the base of the inner container being pivotably journalled on the pivot bar by means of sleeve members carried by the base. The pivot axis may be equidistant between the front and rear edges of the base but is preferably displaced slightly towards the front of the base so that the weight of the inner container and any load it contains tends to urge the container downwardly at the rear, towards the closed position.

To prevent the inner container from pivoting too far towards the open position, thereby spilling the contents thereof on the road surface, stop means are preferably provided to limit the opening extent of the pivoting movement. The stop means may comprise abutment means calTied by the outer frame assembly and which, in use, engage with the rear wall of the inner container when pivotably moving towards the open position, to limit further opening movement. The rear wall of the inner container may extend in height above the front wall so that, in use, the upper edge has a locus of movement in proximity to the upper frame of the outer frame assembly, thereby ensuring engagement between the rear wall and the abutment means. Other stop means involving movement-limiting engagement between the outer frame assembly and the inner container may however be contemplated.

The inner container is preferably provided with releasable engagement means to maintain it in the closed position until it is desired to access the container for addition or removal of material or equipment. The releasable engagement means may comprise sliding bolts, preferably biased to the extended or engaged position, which are mounted to the front of the inner container and engage with sockets secured to the front edges of the end sub-frames of the outer frame assembly.

Storage boxes according to the invention may be fabricated from plastics materials for lightness, corrosion resistance and ease of repair. Suitable plastics material include thermosetting and thermoplastic engineering plastics sheet materials such as PEEK or "Tufnol" materials.

The invention also includes, in another aspect, a lorry of which the chassis carries a storage box as hereinbefore described.

Summary of the drawings

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure 1 is an isometric view showing an outer frame assembly of a storage box according to the invention; Figure 2 is an isometric view showing an inner container suitable for use with the outer frame assembly shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is an end elevation showing the outer frame assembly of Figure 1 with the S inner container of Figure 2 disposed therein in the closed position; Figure 4 is similar to Figure 3 but shows the inner container in the open position; Figure 5 is an isometric view showing the storage box in the closed position; Figure 6 shows the storage box of Figure 5 in the open position; and Figure 7 shows a lorry carrying a storage box mounted beneath the rear chassis portion thereof.

Detailed description of the invention

With reference firstly to Figure 1, the outer frame assembly consists essentially of end sub-frames including upright frame members 10, ii; front and rear longitudinal upper sub-frame members 12, 13 respectively; an upper plate member 14 and a rear plate member 15. The lower edge regions of the end sub-frames are connected together by a restraint bar 16, the purpose of which will become apparent from the description with reference to Figure 3 and pivot bar 17 is carried between the respective end sub-frames, slightly displaced towards the front of the frame assembly. Angle brackets 18 are attached to the upper plate member 14 50 that the tongues thereof extend downwardly below the plate member 14, as shown in Figures 3 to 6.

The inner container, as shown in Figure 2, has end plates 22, 23; rear plate 24; front plate 25 and a perforated or grid-like base 26. Sleeves 27 are provided for receiving, in use, pivot bar 17 and a lateral strip 28 is secured to the upper edge region of front plate 25, the outer ends of strip 28 extending beyond the sides of plate 25.

With reference to Figures 3 and 4, the inner container of Figure 2 is shown disposed within the outer frame assembly of Figure 1 with the sleeves 27 journalled on the pivot bar 17. In Figure 3, the inner container is in the closed position for storage and transportation of materials or equipment loaded within the container whereas Figure 4 S shows the inner container in the open position for access to the interior. In Figure 3, the inner container is housed wholly within the outer frame whereas in Figure 4 the inner container has tilted forwardly until the top rear edge thereof has abutted against the downwardly-extending abutments of angle brackets(l8). In the closed position, the rear portion of the base of the inner container engages with restraint bar 16 and the outer ends of strip 28 of the inner container engage with the fronts of the end sub-frame members 10, 11.

Figures 5 and 6 show the respective arrangements of Figures 3 and 4 in isometric views; in use, the inner container is secured in the closed position by means of barrel bolts 29.

Figure 7 shows a storage box 70, as described with reference to Figures 1 to 6, attached to the rear chassis portion of a lorry 71, which is preferably a traffic maintenance vehicle and canies suitable equipment (not shown) for that purpose, by securing the outstanding flanges of the frame girders 12 and 13 to the chassis members of the lorry. In Figure 7, the storage box is shown in the closed position.

A storage box as herein described overcomes the disadvantages of known storage boxes and has the additional advantage that, when open, the front wall of the inner container may be stood upon to enable an operative to reach up to another item of equipment carried by the vehicle.

Claims

Claims 1. A storage box for mounting to the chassis of a vehicle, the box comprising an S outer frame assembly with means for attachment to the vehicle chassis and an inner container pivotably connected to the frame assembly about a substantially horizontal pivot axis for movement between closed and open positions.
2. A storage box according to claim 1, in which the outer frame assembly comprises a regular parallelepiped or box-shaped body with solid end, top and back walls carried by sub-frames.
3. A storage box according to claim 1, in which the inner container comprises a grid or perforated base or bottom plate for drainage of wet materials and has solid front, rear and side walls and an open top.
4. A storage box according to any preceding claim, in which the horizontal pivot axis is disposed adjacent the base of the inner container.
5. A storage box according to claim 4, in which the pivot axis is constituted by a pivot bar mounted between the lower edge regions of the end sub-frames of the outer frame assembly with the base of the inner container being pivotably journalled on the pivot bar.
6. A storage box according to any preceding claim, in which the pivot axis is displaced slightly towards the front of the base of the inner container from the centre.
7. A storage box according to any preceding claim, including stop means to limit the opening extent of the inner container.
8. A storage box according to claim 7, in which the stop means comprise abutment means carried by the outer frame assembly and which, in use, engage with the rear wall of the inner container when pivotably moving towards the open position, to limit further opening movement.
9. A storage box according to claim 8, in which the rear wall of the inner container extends in height above the front wall so that, in use, the upper edge has a locus of movement in proximity to the upper frame of the outer frame assembly.
10. A storage box according to any preceding claim, in which the inner container is provided with releasable engagement means to maintain it in the closed position until it is desired to access the container for addition or removal of material or equipment.
11. A storage box according to any preceding claim when fabricated from a plastics material.
12. A lorry of which the chassis carries a storage box according to any of claims 1 to 11.
13. A storage box substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in any of Figures 1 to 6 of the accompanying drawings.