IE48377B1 - Cargo container with fastening device - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to cargo-carrying containers designed to be stowed securely e.g. in helicopters.

A cargo-carrying container has been proposed in US— A—2 137 255 primarily intended to be carried on railway freight cars. The container has two opposite end walls, each end wall having thereon means for attachment to a flexible tension member whereby the container can be secured to a floor of a cargo storage space. Specifically each end wall has two rings or bails and the containers are supported in a line along the length of the car with the rings or bails on adjacent end walls interconnected by short links and the rings or bails on the end walls at both ends of the line interconnected by guys with rings on the opposite ends of the car floor.

The object of the invention is to provide a cargocarrying container which can either be secured to and rest on a floor of a cargo storage space or be secured to and rest on a similar underlying container which may itself be secured to and rest on the floor.

The invention is characterised in that the means for . attachment to a flexible tension member comprises an eye bolt - . . . is the shank of which passes through a hole in and/fastened to the end wall and a thickened reinforcement of the wall, the eye bolt having an enlarged head at its outer end retaining a slotted plate swivellable about the shank of the eye bolt and, the enlarged head also having an opening extending transversely therethrough retaining a ring, the slotted plate - 3 serving to secure one end of a strap, the effective length of which can be adjusted, and the other end of the strap carrying a hook whereby the container ean be secured either to a floor of a cargo-carrying space by engaging the hook with a ring mounted in the floor or to an underlying similar container by engaging the hook with the ring of the similar container.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of an example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is an oblique view of a container according to the invention and showing the container resting on and secured to both a floor of a cargo storage space and a similar underlying container; and Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the mounting tension member on an end wall of the container.

A container 1 has a bottom wall, a front wall 2, a rear wall and end walls 3 and a closeable top 4 which is hinged to the rear wall and fastened by releasable clasps 5 on the front wall 2. On each end wall 3 is mounted a flexible tension member 6 in the form of a strap having one end secured to a slotted plate 7 which can swivel about a spacing bush 8. A threaded shank 9 portion of an eye bolt 10 extends through a washer 11, the bush 8, a fixed plate 12, the end wall 3, a timber block 13, a channel member 14 and washer 15 and threadedly receives a nut 16. A ring 17 is retained in a transverse opening through the head of the eye bolt 10. The strap includes a buckle 18 with a releasable jamming lever whereby the effective length of the strap can be adjusted. The free end of the strap carries a hook 19 with a spring-loaded latch.

In use the container 1 may as shown on the right - 4 hand side of Fig. 1, rest on and be secured to the floor of a cargo storage space with the hooks 19 secured to rings 17 retained in eye bolts 10 mounted on the floor and the tension members 6 tightened. It is also possible as shown on the left hand side of Fig. 1 to stack two containers and secure them together, in which case the hooks 19 of the top container are secured to the rings 17 retained in the eye bolts 10 of the bottom container. It is also possible to stack more than two containers.

When the tension members 6 are not in use the tension members 6 and the plates 7 may be swivelled about the bushes 8 so that the tension members 6 may be disposed out of the way with the hooks 19 engaged with each other or engaged with rings mounted on the front and/or rear wall of the container.

The containers are particularly designed for use in helicopters and to be easily manhandled, handles 20 being provided on the end walls 3.

The containers are made of sheet aluminium alloy with pressed ribs 21 and the corners of the top 4 are reinforced as at 22. The channel member 14 is also made of sheet aluminium alloy and is conveniently secured to the inside of the end walls 3 by pop rivets.

As shown in Fig. 1 two tension members 6 are fitted to each end wall 3. However, one tension member 6 could in25 stead be fitted to each end wall 3 centrally under the handle .

Claims (3)

1. CLAIMS:1. A cargo-carrying container having two opposite end walls, each end wall having thereon means for attachment to a flexible tension member whereby the container can be secured to a floor of a cargo storage space, characterised in that the means comprises an eye bolt the shank of which is passes through a hole in and/fastened to the end wall and a thickened reinforcement of the wall, the eye bolt having an enlarged head at its outer end retaining a slotted plate swivellable about the shank of the eye bolt and, the enlarged head also having an opening extending transversely therethrough retaining-a ring,the slotted plate serving to secure one end of a strap, the effective length of which can be adjusted, and the other end of the strap carrying a hook, whereby the container can be secured either to a floor of a cargo-carrying space by engaging the hook with a ring mounted in the floor or to an underlying similar container by engaging the hook with the ring of the similar container.

2. A cargo-carrying container according to claim 1, characterised in that the end wall is made of sheet aluminium alloy and the reinforcement comprises a timber block sandwiched between the end wall and a channel member of sheet aluminium alloy secured to the inside of the end wall.

3. A cargo-carrying container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.