GB2578139A

GB2578139A - Airfreight cage

Info

Publication number: GB2578139A
Application number: GB1816982.1A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Austin Alan; James Smith Michael
Original assignee: Smith Austin Eng Products Ltd
Current assignee: Smith Austin Eng Products Ltd
Priority date: 2018-10-18
Filing date: 2018-10-18
Publication date: 2020-04-22
Anticipated expiration: 2038-10-18
Also published as: GB201816982D0; GB2578139B

Abstract

A cage 1 securable to an airfreight pallet (figure 2, 3) for transporting a vehicle (figure 7, 2) under a cargo net, the cage comprising a rectangular base (figure 2, 4) adapted to support the vehicle, a pair of side portions 19 securable upright at either side of the base alongside the vehicle, one or more transverse portions (figure 4, 21) attachable between tops of the sides over the vehicle, a front portion 25 and a back portion 26 attachable in use to the sides for extending around the front and back of the vehicle respectively, having length in the direction of the sides and including lower members transverse the direction of the sides and above the level of the base. The side, top, front and back portions are substantial enough to support a cargo net secured over the cage without touching the car and are arranged such that the pallet 3, with the cage 1, cargo net and vehicle 2, can be placed on an aircraft cargo deck.

Description

AIRFREIGHT CAGE

The present invention relates to an airfreight cage.

Traditionally, cars have been air-freighted on an airfreight pallet. New regulations prevent this prior practice without additional restraint over the top of the cars.

Airfreight is moved on pallets or in airfreight containers that are manoeuvred 10 into aircraft cargo holds on rollers and clamped in place by hydraulic clamps.

The object of the present invention is to provide a cage to be secured to an airfreight pallet for transporting cars and the like.

According to the invention there is provided a cage securable to an airfreight pallet for transporting a vehicle under a cargo net, the cage comprising: * a base securable to the pallet, the base being adapted to support the vehicle; * a pair of side portions securable upright at either side of the base alongside the vehicle; * one or more transverse top portions attachable between the tops of the sides over the vehicle for stabilising the side portions; * a front portion attachable in use to the sides for extending around the front of the vehicle, the front portion having length in the direction of the sides and including: * a lower front member transverse the direction of the sides and arranged in use above the level of the base; and * a back portion attachable in use to the sides for extending around the back of the vehicle, the back portion having length in the direction of the sides and including: * a lower back member transverse the direction of the sides and arranged in use above the level of the base; the side, top, front and back portions being substantial enough to support a cargo net secured over the cage without touching the vehicle and the arrangement being such that the pallet, with the cage, vehicle and cargo net is able to be placed on an aircraft cargo deck, with the length of the vehicle being accommodated in the flare of the fuselage of the aircraft above the deck.

The base can be a rectangular frame with decking for the wheels of the vehicle and little appreciable additional height. In the preferred embodiment, the frame has additional height, not only to receive side-to-side fork lift tines but also to raise the vehicle sufficiently for its ends to fit laterally across the flare of the fuselage across the cargo deck. Further in the preferred embodiment, the base has longitudinal members which are two relatively thin walled box section atop each other, as opposed to a single box section of equivalent depth, but of thicker wall section and greater weight.

The side portions could be hinged to the base. Alternatively, they could be 15 pivoted by use of a slot on the base parallel to which slot the side portions can be dropped into sockets to hold them upright. In the preferred embodiment, the side portions have spigots fitting into sockets, with cross drillings for securement pins.

The top portions could be fitted by means of nut and bolt type fittings. In the preferred embodiment, they have tongues extending in their transverse direction with depending pegs. Top members of side portions have bores into which the pegs fit. The simple straight members of the preferred embodiment can be augmented by other members interconnecting them.

The front and back portions are essentially hollow, without having closed surfaces. They could be of the same cross-section as the base, side and top portions, i.e. parallel extensions of the top and sides albeit with their lower front and back members above the base. However in the preferred embodiment, the corners of the front and rear members are preferably chamfered and their tops are downwardly angled to the front and back respectively.

The front and back portions can be provided with side gussets extending from the front and back lower members to the bottom of the base, to protect the front and rear of the car, particularly in its spoilers, from contact with the cargo net to be spread over the cage. In the preferred embodiment, the front and rear members are provided with depending skirts for this purpose.

The front and back portions can be fitted in like manner to the top portions.

To help understanding of the invention, a specific embodiment thereof will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is aside view of a base for a cage in accordance with the invention, the base being on an airfreight pallet; Figure 2 is a front view of the base of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a side view similar to Figure 1 with a side of the cage added; Figure 4 is a plan view of the cage part assembled as in Figure 3; Figure 5 is a side view as in Figure 3 of the cage fully assembled; Figure 6 is a plan view of the cage fully assembled; Figure 7 is a side view of the cage with a car and covered with a cargo net, with various parts omitted for clarity, the cross-section being on the line VII-VII in Figure 8; and Figure 8 is a plan view similarly with parts omitted and on the line VIII-VIII 20 in Figure 7.

Referring to the drawings, a cage 1, within which a car 2 can be airfreighted on an airfreight pallet 3, has a rectangular base 4. It is comprised for four longitudinal members 5 and cross members 6. The longitudinal members support decking 7. For use, the base is strapped with ratchet straps 8 onto the pallet. The car is strapped, by its wheels 9, as is conventional in car transport, to the base and/or the pallet with further straps 10. It should be noted that since the base is scarcely longer than the distance between the front of the tyre patch of the front wheel and the back of the tyre patch of the back wheel, the straps 10 must be arranged to act inwards.

The base -and indeed the entire cage -is welded of aluminium box section. For lightness the longitudinal and cross members are of two extrusions 11 welded on top of each other (as opposed to thicker walled larger section members). These member typically of two 125mm high sections atop each other to support the car 250mm above the pallet. This enables the cars to be arranged transverse the cargo deck, with bumpers B within the flare F of the fuselage and raised above the cargo deck D. The longitudinal members have fork lift cross openings 12, for positioning of the base 4 on the pallet 3. No provision on the base is necessary by way of guides or eyes for the straps 8, which simply pass over the base, both longitudinally and crosswise.

The base has four sockets 14 per side, comprised of short lengths of box section connected to the longitudinal members 5 by plate brackets 15 for spigots 16 to drop into. These are at the bottom of four uprights 17 of sides 18. The uprights are connected by upper and lower rails 19. The arrangement allows the sides to be fitted to the base by positioning with the spigots aligned with the sockets and dropping the one into the other. The spigots and the sockets are cross-drilled for sword pins 20, to keep sides in place.

Two top beams 21 extend between the sides. They are of the same section as the members of the sides and fit between the upper rails 19, with tongues 22 extending from them to rest on the rails. The tongues have depending pegs 23 which pass through the rails via non-shown drillings. The pegs are cross-drilled for pins 24 engaging below the rails for retention of the top beams.

Front and back end portions 25,26 of the cage comprise upper and lower generally C-shaped members 271,272; 281,282, welded up from lengths of straight box-section. The upper C is angled down from the top of the side members and lower C extends generally horizontally at a level somewhat above the top of the base. Inner and outer uprights 29,30 interconnect the Cs. The top C-members are interconnected across the ends of the C by spacers 31,32 and carry tongues 33, analogous to tongues 22. Pegs 34 depend from them and engage in drillings in the upper rails 19. At the level of the bottom of the inner uprights 29, brackets 35 are provided on the end uprights 17 of the sides. Spigots 36 extend up from the brackets and fit in the bottoms of the uprights 29. Pins 37 in cross-drillings hold the ends in place.

It will be appreciated that with a car on the base, the cage can be assembled around it.

The height of the lower C-member, above the base, is generally that of the bumper B of the nature of car to warrant airfreighting. Usually such a car will have a spoiler S extending close the ground. To protect this, from a cargo net C extending from the lower C-member 272,282 to the pallet 3, the lower C-members are provided with depending skirts 38.

to Once the cage has been fitted together around the car, the cargo net C is placed over it and secured to the pallet. The cage holds the net clear of the car, avoiding damage to its paintwork.

The invention is not intended to be restricted to the details of the above described embodiment. For instance, the cage can be provided with dust covers in the form of sheets sized to fit the sides, top & front and back portions and secured by respective hook & loop fastening strips on the sheets and the members of the portions.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A cage securable to an airfreight pallet for transporting a vehicle under a cargo net, the cage comprising: * a base securable to the pallet, the base being adapted to support the vehicle; * a pair of side portions securable upright at either side of the base alongside the vehicle; * one or more transverse top portions attachable between tops of the sides over the vehicle for stabilising the side portions; * a front portion attachable in use to the sides for extending around the front of the vehicle, the front portion having length in the direction of the sides and including: * a lower front member transverse the direction of the sides and arranged in use above the level of the base; and sa, * a back portion attachable in use to the sides for extending around the back of l5 the vehicle, the back portion having length in the direction of the sides and including: * a lower back member transverse the direction of the sides and arranged in use above the level of the base; Cn the side, top, front and back portions being substantial enough to support a cargo net secured over the cage without touching the vehicle and the arrangement being such that the pallet, with the cage, vehicle and cargo net is able to be placed on an aircraft cargo deck, with the length of the vehicle being accommodated in the flare of the fuselage of the aircraft above the deck.
2. An airfreight cage as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base is a rectangular frame 25 with decking for wheels of the vehicle and preferably little appreciable additional height.
3. An airfreight cage as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base is a rectangular frame with decking for wheels of the vehicle and the frame has additional height, not only to receive side-to-side fork lift tines but also to raise the vehicle sufficiently for its ends to fit laterally of a cargo deck within fuselage flare.
4. An airfreight cage as claimed in claim 3, wherein the base has longitudinal members which are two thin walled box section atop each other, as opposed to a single box section of equivalent depth, but of thicker wall section and greater weight.
5. An airfreight cage as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the side portions are hinged to the base.
6. An airfreight cage as claimed in any one of claim 1 to 4, wherein the side portions are pivoted by pins and slots on the base parallel into which slots the side portions can 5 be dropped into sockets on the base to hold them upright.
7. An airfreight cage as claimed in any one of claim 1 to 4, wherein the side portions have spigots fitting into sockets, with cross drillings for securement pins.
8. An airfreight cage as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the top portions are adapted to be fitted by means of nut and bolt type fittings. 10
9. An airfreight cage as claimed in any one of claim 1 to 7, wherein: * the top portions have tongues extending in their transverse direction with depending pegs and * top members of the side portions have bores into which the pegs fit.sa,
10. An airfreight cage as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the top portions 1-15 comprises: 0 * straight transverse members and T * longitudinal members interconnecting the transverse members.00
11. An airfreight cage as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein: CO * the base, side portions and top portions are individually essentially flat and * the front and back portions are essentially hollow.
12. An airfreight cage as claimed in claim 11, wherein the front and back portions are of similar cross-section as the base, side and top portions as assembled for use, i.e. parallel extensions of the top and sides albeit with lower front and back members above the base.
13. An airfreight cage as claimed in claim 11, wherein the corners of the front and rear portions are chamfered and their tops are downwardly angled to the front and back respectively and with lower front and back members above the base..
14. An airfreight cage as claimed in claim 1, claim 12 or claim 13, wherein the front and back portions are provided with side gussets extending from the front and back lower members to the bottom of the base, to protect the front and rear of the vehicle from contact with the cargo net to be spread over the cage and preferably the front and rear members are provided with depending skirts for this purpose.
15. An airfreight cage as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein: * the front and back portions have tongues with depending pegs and * top members of the side portions have bores into which the pegs fit.