NZ614801B - Joining device - Google Patents

Abstract

614801 A joining device (10) for joining two shipping containers (5) so they can be lifted as one is disclosed. The joining device includes a first attachment member (11) provided with a protruding head to be inserted a corner casting (2), the head of the first attachment member being rigidly secured to a lug. The lug is adapted to restrict the rotation of the first attachment member relative to a corner casting buy being a non-circular cross-section such as a lozenge shape. A second attachment member (12) is provided with a protruding head which is also insertable a corner casting. The head of the second attachment member is rigidly secured to a handle (23) so it can be rotated between a first position in which the head of said second attachment member is insertable into the corresponding corner casting, and a second position in which the head of said second attachment member is engaged with the corresponding corner casting. The two attachment members are attached to each other by a flexible connection means, such as a chain (13). red to a lug. The lug is adapted to restrict the rotation of the first attachment member relative to a corner casting buy being a non-circular cross-section such as a lozenge shape. A second attachment member (12) is provided with a protruding head which is also insertable a corner casting. The head of the second attachment member is rigidly secured to a handle (23) so it can be rotated between a first position in which the head of said second attachment member is insertable into the corresponding corner casting, and a second position in which the head of said second attachment member is engaged with the corresponding corner casting. The two attachment members are attached to each other by a flexible connection means, such as a chain (13).

Description

TITLE: JOINING DEVICE Technical Field The present invention relates to a joining device for joining two loads so they can be lifted as one.

The device of the present invention has been designed especially for connecting two shipping containers lengthwise, and will therefore be described with particular reference to this application. However, it will be appreciated that the device of the present invention could also be used for joining other loads.

In this context, the reference in the specification to a “corner casting” refers primarily to the corner casting normally provided on standard shipping containers, as described below, but also includes any equivalent component provided on other loads.

“Equivalent component” includes any strong rigid component which is rigidly secured to, or built into, each load to be connected, and which provides an oval aperture with a space behind it, dimensioned and arranged so as to be capable of engaging an attachment member of a twist lock type.

Background Art Shipping containers are made in a variety of different lengths, predominantly 20 foot and 40 or 45 foot. Cranes and other lifting devices for handling shipping containers are designed to handle the largest size of available container, and therefore rather than handling each of the smaller containers separately, it is feasible to handle two such containers as a single unit, providing they can be quickly and reliably connected together.

As part of the standard shipping container design, containers are provided at each corner with a corner casting as shown in Figure 1a:– this is a heavy duty steel casting 2 which is rigidly secured to, or built into, each corner of the container and which is apertured to provide an oval hole 3,4, through the thickness of the casting, on each face of each corner of the container. The longer axis x of each oval hole is substantially vertical. The corner castings are used to receive lockdown devices in the form of twist locks secured to the vehicles transporting the containers (e.g. road trailers or railway wagons).

A twist lock includes an oval head which is slightly smaller than the oval hole of the corner casting, but which has a longer axis greater than the shorter axis of the oval hole in the corner casting. At each corner casting, there is space behind each hole, so that the head of the twist lock can be pushed inside the oval hole with the longer axis of the head aligned with the longer axis of the hole, and the twist lock can then be rotated through 90° so that the oval head lies with its longer axis perpendicular to the longer axis of the hole, and the head is retained inside the corner casting.

To secure two containers together so that they can be lifted as a single unit, the containers are aligned end to end, and joining devices are connected between the pair of adjacent corner castings of the two containers.

Simple joining devices for containers consist essentially of two twist locks joined by a flexible connector such as a chain; one of the twist locks is engaged with one of the corner castings and the other twist lock with the other corner casting. However, a device of this type remains in place only because of its own weight, and is relatively easy to dislodge if the containers are jolted. Obviously, if the containers become disconnected while they are being lifted, there is a serious risk of injury to anyone in the vicinity, and the container and its contents almost certainly will be badly damaged.

The prior art joining devices disclosed in NZ patent 247657 and 272824 have been designed to overcome this problem, but both of these suffer from the drawback that the portions of the joining device which engage with the corner castings can be connected together only after they have been inserted into the corner castings; this requires the use of one or more removable pins to make the connection. This can be a slow and awkward job, particularly if the operator is trying to work with gloved hands, and there is also the problem of the removable pins being lost or misplaced.

Disclosure of Invention.

An object of the present invention is the provision of a joining device which overcomes the above described problems and which provides a relatively lightweight and easily used joining device which nevertheless provides a safe connection between two loads.

The present invention provides a joining device which includes: • a first attachment member provided with a protruding head which is arranged and dimensioned to be insertable into, and engageable with, a corner casting; • the head of said first attachment member being rigidly secured to a lug which is adapted to restrict the rotation of said first attachment member relative to a corner casting with which it is engaged; • a second attachment member provided with a protruding head which is arranged and dimensioned to be insertable into, and engageable with, a corner casting; • the head of said second attachment member being rigidly secured to a handle so as to be rotatable between a first position in which the head of said second attachment member is insertable into the corresponding corner casting, and a second position in which the head of said second attachment member is engaged with the corresponding corner casting; • flexible connection means permanently securing said first and second attachment members together.

Preferably, said flexible connection means is a short length of chain.

Preferably also, said handle can be locked into each of said first and second positions.

In a preferred embodiment, said device can be locked into each of said first and second positions by means of a spring-loaded engagement member associated with one of the second attachment member or a shackle arranged to surround part of said second attachment member, said spring-loaded engagement member being arranged to resiliently engage the other of said second attachment member or the shackle.

Said spring-loaded engagement member may comprise a ball bearing mounted within said shackle and resiliently engageable with the socket formed in the second attachment member.

Preferably, the head of each attachment member is substantially oval in plan, and said lug is lozenged in cross-section.

Brief Description of the Drawings.

By way of example only, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1a is an isometric view of a corner casting; Figure 1b is a side view of two containers, (shown only in part) joined together by the device of the present invention; Figure 1 is a side view, partly sectioned, showing the device of the present invention in the disengaged position; Figure 2 is a side view similar to Figure 1, but with the device in the engaged position; Figure 3 is a plan view of the device, partly sectioned, in the engaged position; Figure 4 is a section on line A – A of Figure 3; and Figure 5 is a section on line B – B of Figure 3.

Best Mode for Carrying out the Invention.

Referring to the drawings, a joining device 10 consists of two attachment members 11, 12, connected together by a short length of chain 13. The length of the chain 13 may be varied as required to suit different applications.

As shown in Figure 1b, two containers 5, each fitted with a set of corner castings 2 in the usual manner, are connected together for lifting at their lower corners by connecting a device 10 in accordance with the present invention, to each of the adjacent corner castings.

The attachment member 11 is a fixed attachment in the sense that it can be moved from one position to another only manually. The attachment 11 includes a head 14 which is oval in plan and which is rigidly secured to a lug 15, which is in turn rigidly secured to a shackle 16. Preferably, the head 14, lug 15 and shackle 16 are formed integrally. The shackle provides two opposed apertured plates 17, 18 which are spaced apart sufficiently to admit one link 13a of the chain 13. A pin 19 is secured between the holes in the plate 17, 18, to secure the chain 13 to the attachment member 11. The pin 19 is secured by a retainer (not shown) in known manner.

The oval head 14 has a longer axis slightly less in length than the length x of the holes , 21, in the corner castings 2 (shown in broken lines in Figures 4 and 5), but greater in length than the width w of the holes, so that the head 14 will pass through the hole when the head is positioned so that its longer axis is parallel to the longer axis of the hole 20, but when the head is rotated through 90° as shown in Figure 4, the head will lodge securely behind the rear face of the hole 20, and the attachment is engaged with the corner casting and cannot be withdrawn from the corner casting.

The lug 15 is not circular in cross-section, but is lozenged as shown in Figure 4, so that the attachment 11, once fully engaged with the hole 20, cannot be rotated in the direction of arrow A beyond the position shown in Figure 4, because the sides of the lug 15 bear against the walls of the hole 20. This means that in use, the fixed attachment 11 cannot be accidentally disengaged from the corresponding corner casting:– the fact that the locking attachment 12 is engaged with the opposed hole 21 of the opposite corner casting, and the two attachments are connected by the chain 13, means that the attachment 11 cannot rotate in the direction opposite to arrow A, and movement in the direction of arrow A is prevented by the shape of the lug 15, as described above.

The locking attachment 12 is designed to be moved between the insertion position and the locked position by means of a locking handle 23, which can move between the position shown in Figures 1 and 2 by rotation of the handle in the direction of arrow B.

The locking attachment 12 has a head 24 which same size and shape as the head 14 of the attachment member 11 and which is rigidly connected to a stem 25, the other end of which is attached to one end of the handle 23. The stem 25 is circular in cross- section (see Figure 5).

The other end of the chain 13 is secured by means of a pin 26 which passes through opposed apertures in a shackle 27. The pin 26 is secured by a retainer (not shown) in known manner. The shackle 27 extends around the stem 25; the stem 25, and head 24 can rotate relative to the shackle 27, and the head 24, stem 25, and handle 23 can be locked in one of two positions relative to the shackle 27:– these two positions are the insertion position shown in Figure 1 and the locked position shown in Figure 2.

To lock the handle 23 in either of these positions, as shown in Figure 3, the interior of the shackle 27 is formed with a bore 28 which carries a compression spring 29. At the end of the bore 28, on top of the spring 29, a ball bearing 30 is mounted.

At each of four positions around the stem 25 (corresponding to the positions shown in Figures 1 and 2), a socket 30a is formed to seat part of the ball bearing 30. When the stem reaches either of these positions, the ball bearing 30 engages the socket and retains the handle, stem and head in that position. The engagement of the ball bearing with the socket can be overcome by a firm positive movement of the handle 23, but the handle 23 is secured against accidental movement.

A possible variation of the above described arrangement is for the ball bearing to be mounted in the stem and the sockets formed in the interior of the shackle 27.

A lug 23a is formed on the side of shackle 27 to engage the side of the handle 23 and prevent the handle from being turned beyond the position of Figure 1 in the direction of arrow B or beyond the position of Figure 2 in the opposite direction to arrow B.

It follows from the above that once a pair of joining devices is securely engaged between adjacent containers and each handle 23 is moved to the locked position shown in Figure 2, the containers are safely secured together and can be lifted as a single unit.

The above described joining device remains permanently assembled, and thus can be used quickly and easily, even by an operator working with gloved hands.

The handle 23 may be releasably locked in the above described manner by any of a wide variety of locking mechanisms, and alternatively or additionally may be provided with further means for securing the handle in the engaged position of figure 2 during transit, as a precaution against vandalism.

Claims (7)

1. A joining device which includes: • a first attachment member provided with a protruding head which is arranged 5 and dimensioned to be insertable into, and engageable with, a corner casting; • the head of said first attachment member being rigidly secured to a lug which is adapted to restrict the rotation of said first attachment member relative to a corner casting with which it is engaged; • a second attachment member provided with a protruding head which is 10 arranged and dimensioned to be insertable into, and engageable with, a corner casting; • the head of said second attachment member being rigidly secured to a handle so as to be rotatable between a first position in which the head of said second attachment member is insertable into the corresponding corner casting, and a second 15 position in which the head of said second attachment member is engaged with the corresponding corner casting; • flexible connection means permanently securing said first and second attachment members together. 20

2. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said flexible connection means is a short length of chain.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said handle can be locked into each of said first and second positions.

4. The device as claimed in claim 3 wherein said device can be locked into each of said first and second positions by means of a spring-loaded engagement member associated with one of the second attachment member or a shackle arranged to surround part of said second attachment member, said spring-loaded engagement 30 member being arranged to resiliently engage the other of the second attachment member or the shackle.

5. The device as claimed in claim 4 wherein said spring-loaded engagement member comprises a ball bearing mounted within said shackle and resiliently engageable with 35 one of a pair of spaced sockets formed in the second attachment member.

6. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the head of each attachment member is substantially oval in plan.

7. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said lug is 5 lozenged in cross-section.