US1617852A - Transportation unit - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 15, 1927.

- 1,617,852. H. W. KIRCHNER TRANSPORTATION UNI T 7 Filed May 10. 1921 v a Sheets-Sheet 1 Q v k I //////////////////////1 o Feb. 15,1927. 1,617,852

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V H. w. KIRCHNER TRANSPORTATION UNIT Filed May 10 1921' 5 Sheets-Sheet s lizfewior Patented Feb. 15, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY W. KIRCHNER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

TRANSPORTATION UNIT.

AppIication filed May 10, 1921. Serial No. 468,396.

- 1920 and 1,360,412, dated November 30, 1920.

One object of my invention is to provide a shipping container which is adapted when mounted on a flat car with similar units to form therewith a box car of approximately rtandard type.

Another object of my invention is to provide a container which is adapted to receive goods which may be shipped without cratmg or boxing, such as furniture, goods 'which are shipped in small packages, such as canned goods, shoes, etc., or goods which may be shipped in bulk, such as grain, coal, etc.

Another object of my invention is to provide simple efiicient means for securing such a container in position upon a fiat car or other carrier to prevent tilting or other movement of the container relative to the carrier.

An additional object of my invention is to assemble a plurality of containers so that in their assembled position it will be impossible to remove the contents.

- In the accompanying drawings ilustrating a selected embodiment of my invention-- Figure 1 is an elevation of two of my containers forming the end of a car and mounted upon a flat car carrier which is sectioned to more clearly illustrate the assembly.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of two of the containers in assembled position.

Figure 3 is a top view of one of the containers.

Figure 4 .is a horizontal section on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Fi re 5 is a vertical section on line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a -vertical section through a container showin its ada tation for discharging materia of flui or semi-fluid nature, such as grain.

Figure 7 is an end View of the carrier body,

showing a portion of thecontainer holding operating mechanism.

Figure 8 is a transverse section through the carrier showing portions of the container holding mechanism.

Figures 9 and 10 are an elevation and a longitudinal section on an enlarged scale of the container holding operating mechanism parts shown in Figure 7.

Figure 11 is a perspective view of one of the elements of the container holding mechanism.

While it will be understood that the containers illustrated may be mounted on truck, railway car, barge, or ship, I have illustrated the car carrying means only,as typical of the assembly of the container with a carrier, and in the illustrations the containers 1 are mounted on the floor 2 of the carrier and are preferably provided with feet 3 con sisting of castings of the form shown. I have shown a box-like container constructed substantially of steel plates and of such height and width that two of'them placed adjacent to eachother will form a transverse section of a box-car body having a running board 4 and a roof which tapers downwardly from each side of the runnin board.

l The carrier floor 2 is equipped wit angles 5, channels 6, or similar devices adapted to engage the sides of feet 3 to prevent any shiftlng of the container in a horizontal plane. Undesired shifting of the container upwardly is prevented by locking means, hereinafter described, and by the assembled position of two adjacent containers. The latter feature will be seen by referring to Figure l'where the inner edge of one of the containers is held down by the hook 7, thus preventing tilting of the container about its outer edge and any tilting of the container about its inner edge will be resisted by contact of the inner to edge of the tilting container with the ad acent edge of the other container, the latter, of course, beingheld in its position by the respective hook 7 of that container. Hooks 7 are wide enough to fill the o enin in legs 3 to prevent longitudinal shifting o the containers.

One side of each container consists of two doors 8 which extend substantially from top to, bottom of the container. The top 9 of the container slopes from a point near this door side to the opposite side and is provided near the door side with the running board section 4 which extends slightly beyond the side and ends of the container.

To adapt the container for its widest possible use, I prefer'to equip same with an inner folding door 10 which is hinged at 11 and may extend downwardly inside of doors 8 as shown in Figure 6, or may be folded or held adjacent the top as shown in Figure 1. A lower door 12 is hinged at 13 and may be swung to the vertical position shown in Figure 1 or to an outer discharge position shown in Figure 6. Thesides 14 of door 12 are rigid therewith and form sectoral chute sides, something less than ninety degrees in extent. \Vhen the door 12 is closed they move back adjacent the sides of the car to the inner position indicated in Figure 1. Each side 14 is provided with an additional sector-shaped plate 15 having a slot 16 which is engaged by a pin 17 on side 14. Sides 14 and 15 and door 12 form a telescoping chute. A small sliding door 12 in door 12 forms means for obtaining a restricted discharge of fluid-like contents of the container.

Angles 18 in the front vertical corners of the box form stops for the inner door 12. This double door with the chute arrangement at the bottom comprise an ideal shipping container for grain. It will be noted that the container has a small door 19 in its top which may be used for loading such merchandise. This door is provided with a catch 20 which locks the same when the door is closed so that it is impossible to open the door except from the inside of the container.

A certain number of the containers will be provided with hand holds or ladders 21 and when the containers are mounted upon their carriers, one of those with these hand holds will be positioned at the end of the carrier to enable the trainmen to mount to the top of the car, the same as on an ordinary box car. Each container is stiffened with V-- shaped braces 22, and in Figure 1 I have shown a preferred arrangement of these braces on the ends of the container. It will be seen that they converge from the opposite bottom corners of the end toward each other and meet near the top of the end of the container. This forms an efficient brace for the end leading from one supporting'foot to the other. The side braces may be arranged in the same manner or disposed vertically as found desirable. 22 is a perforated lifting ear, preferably connected to the converging upper ends of the braces 22.

The container holding mechanism is best illustrated in Figure 8 in which the lower portions of feet 3 are shown as provided with upwardly facing ledges 23 which slope outwardly and downwardly from the vertical walls of the feet. Engaging each ledge is the downwardly facing surface 24 of hook 7 which forms an integral part of the locking member 25. Floor 2 of the carrier is slotted adjacent the points where feet 3 of the container are to rest and members 25 are mounted 011 the underframe of the carrier in line with the floor openings. Members 25 have transverse L-shaped openings 26, a portion of the edge of which constitutes a rack 27. An operating shaft 28. extends throughout the length of the car and carries pinions 29, each of which meshes with one of the racks 27. Member 25 has an extended flange 30 adapted to-engage the lower surface of the cross beam top plate- 30.

After the containers have been placed in posit-ion, shaft 28 is rotated from the end of the car so as to raise member 25 from the position shown on the right hand side of Figure 8, then move same inwardly until it engages and holds the container foot as indicated on the left hand side of Figure 8. \Vhen the holding means are not functioning, the tops of hooks 7 will be flush with the top of floor 2 and fill the openings in the floor. Shafts 28 are operated from the end of the car by means of a ratchet 31 and lever 32, the latter being provided with a pawl 33 which may be turned to engage either side of the teeth of ratchet 31. Ratchet holding pawls 34 and 35 may be alternately utilized for locking the ratchet against return movement as the pawl 33 is shifted to engage succussive teeth.

It will be seen that the container is adapted for universal use on land or water carriers or in storage. In use the goods will be packed in th container and the container transferred from truck to wharf or to another carrier by means of cranes, thus eliminating the necessity of transferring the contents in small units and loss arising from exposure of the goods and possible handling damage or theft.

While I have shown my container as formed in units adapted to extend halfway across the width of the ordinary car, they may be made large enough to extend. clear. across the car by making corresponding changes in the door construction, etc. Such an embodiment of my invention is illustrated.

in a copending application, Serial Number 468,397, filed May 10, 1921, and it is obvious that many other modifications of the structure shown and described may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

This present application is a modification of application Serial No. 359,071, filed February 16, 1920, and Serial No. 430,902, filed December 15, 1920.

I claim:

1. In a shipping container, 21 top sloping from one side to the other, and a section of a railroad car running board mounted on said top along the higher side of the container.

2. In a transportation unit, a carrier, a pair of shipping containers, one side wall of each container being equipped with doors, and means for insuring that said containers when mounted on said carrier will be pos1-- tioned with their door-equipped walls contiguous to each other.

3. In a. transportation un t, a pair of shipping containers, one side wall of each of said containers being equipped with doors, said containers being secured in position in said unit with door equipped walls adjacent to each other but spaced apart, and a section of running board carried by the top of each container and extending substantially halfway across the space between said containersf 4. In a shipping container, an outer side rood hinged to swing horizontally,'an inner door extending from a point adjacent to the top of the container to a point substantially spaced from the bottom thereof, and a lower door below said inner door hinged to swing vertically.

5. In a shipping container, an outer side door hingedto swing horizontally, an inner door extending from a point adjacent to the top of the container to a point substantially spaced from the bottom thereof, a lower door below said inner door hinged to swing vertically, and side plates on said lower door adapted to form a discharge chute therewith.

6. In a shipping cbntainer, an outer. side door hinged to swing horizontally, an inner door extending from a point adjacent to the top of the container to a point substantially spaced from the bottom thereof, and a door hinged to the bottom of the container and extending upwardlyto meet said inner door.

7. In a shipping container, an outer side door hinged to swing horizontally, an innerdoor extending from a point adjacent to the top of the container to a point substantially spaced from the bottom thereof, a lowor door below said inner door hinged to swing vertically, and a small sliding door in the lower portion of said lower door.

8. In a shipping container, an outer side door hinged to swing horizontally, an inner door extending from a point adjacent to the top of the container to a point substantially spaced from the bottom thereof,-a lower door below said inner door hinged to swing vertically, and telescoping-side plates on said lower door adapted to form a discharge chute therewith. I

9. In a shipping container, an outer side door hinged to swing horizontally, an inner i door extending from a point adjacent to the top of the container to a point substantially spaced from the bottom thereof, a lower dool below said inner door hinged to swing vertically, sectoral side plates integral with each edge of said lower door, and sectoral plates slidable with said side plates and with the side wall of the container and overlapping same when the lower door is open.

10. In a shipping container, an outer sid door hinged to swing outwardly, an inner door hinged to swin inwardly, and a stop on the container whlch limits the outward movement of said inner door.

11. In a shipping container, side doors extending substantially from top to bottom of the container and hinged to swing outwardly, and an inner side door adapted to be positioned against the container top.

12. In a shipping container, side doors hinged inner door adapted when folded to be positioned beneath the container top.

13. In a shipping container, side doors comprising substantially one entire side of the container, a door in the top of the container whereby the latter may be loaded without opening said side doors, and inner doors adjacent. to said side doors whereby the container may be -provided with a restricted unloading opening.

14. In a shipping container, side doors comprising substantially one entire side of the container, a foldable inner door adapted to be positioned adjacent to the top of the container or to be positioned behind said side doors, and an outwardly opening door in the top of the container, whereby the container is adapted to receive bulky articles through the open sidedoors or to securely retain merchandise of a semi-fluid nature received ed. on said carrier with the discharge doors of one container adjacent to the discharge- 1 doors of the other, whereby said containers may only be unloaded when disassembled, and means for locking said containers in position on said carrier.

16. Ina transportation unit, a carrier, a

plurality of shipping containers remova-bly mounted thereon, members on said carrierwhich prevent lateral shifting of said containers, an element on said carrier for each container adapted to hold one side of the latter against upward movement, the upper portions of the respective held, sides of said containers being adjacent each other, whereby upward movement-of the opposite sides of the carrier is prevented.

17. The combination of a carrier, .t-wo unit containers arranged in juxtapositionthereon, the outer edges of sald containers being free to move vertically, and locking devices for preventing vertical movement of the inner or juxtaposed edges of said con tainers.

.18. In a transportation unit, a carrier, a

to swing outwardly, and a foldable fee 19. In a transportation unit, a carrier, a-

container, a downwardly facing hook extending above the floor of said carrier, an upwardly facing ledge on said container, and. means for moving said hook to and from positions in which it engages said ledge or in which it is beneath the carrier" floor, comprising a rack on said hook, a pinion journaled on said carrier and meshed with said rack, and pinion rotating means.

20. In a transportation unit, a carrier, a carrier floor provided with an opening, a container mounted on said floor and provided with an upwardly facing ledge aligned with said opening, a downwardly facing hook on said carrier aligned with said opening and adapted to be raised through said opening and moved transverselv thereof to engage said ledge, and means for so moving said hook, comprising an L- shaped rack formed in said hook and a pinion journaled on said carrier and meshed with said rack, and means for operating said pinion whereby rotation of the latter will provide horizontal and vertical movement of said hook to release said container and close said opening.

21. In a transportation unit, a carrier, a container provided with an upwardly facing ledge, a carrier floor provided with an opening. a member provided with an upwardly facing surface adapted to slide along the bottom of said floor and having an integral downwardly facing hook adapted to extend through said opening and to engage said ledge, and rack and pinion mechanism for operating said member as described.

22. A shipping container comprising an upright box-like structure provided with spaced supporting feet, and inverted V- shaped reinforcing braces on the container walls converging from points adjacent to said feet to a central point near the top of the container.

23. In a transportation unit, a carrier, a shipping container, spaced container supporting and securing elements at the bottom of said container, and diagonal braces on said container extending from the lower corners adjacent said elements toward each other and meeting at a central point near the top of said container.

24;. The combination of a carrier, unit containers in juxtaposition to each other, and locking devices for securing the juxtaposed lower edges of the containers to the carrier whereby the containers are prevented from tilting in any direction.

25. The combination of a carrier having vertical faces for preventing shifting movement of container units, except in a vertical direction, unit containers arranged within and cooperating with said vertical faces, and locking devices for securing only the juxtaposed ldwer edges of said unit containers to the carrier.

26. In a transportation unit a carrier, a pair of shipping containers, one side wall of each container being equipped with doors. and means on the tops of said carriers for insuring that said containers when mounted on said carrier will be positioned with their door-equipped walls contiguous to each other.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature this 6th day of May, 1921.

- HENRY W. KIRCHNER.

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