Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D90/00—Component parts, details or accessories for large containers
  • B65D90/02—Wall construction
  • B65D90/023—Modular panels
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D90/00—Component parts, details or accessories for large containers
  • B65D90/02—Wall construction
  • B65D90/023—Modular panels
  • B65D90/026—Parallel slats
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D88/00—Large containers
  • B65D88/02—Large containers rigid
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D88/00—Large containers
  • B65D88/02—Large containers rigid
  • B65D88/12—Large containers rigid specially adapted for transport
  • B65D88/121—ISO containers

Definitions

• the present invention relates to flooring systems for shipping containers, and more particularly to flooring systems that require the use of less wood.
• the flooring system may be an important and expensive component of a shipping container.
• the flooring used in a shipping container may be made of wood, such as hardwood, including tropical and Asian hardwoods.
• the hardwood may be formed into plywood flooring.
• the flooring may be supported by a steel sub-floor.
• a shipping container floor may need to handle the rigorous demands of cargo transport, and may need to be durable, resilient, and cost effective to maintain, repair and clean.
• the quality and quantity of the wood available may decline. This may make it harder to procure enough wood of good enough quality to be used as shipping container floors, which may reduce the number of shipping containers that can be produced, or reduce the quality of the flooring of the containers that are produced.
• a shipping container's flooring under normal operating conditions, should last the entire useful life of the container. If a container's flooring fails prematurely, the flooring or possibly the entire container may need to be replaced. The additional wood that is required in replacement of the failed floor may exert greater demands on available supplies of hardwood.
• the flooring may also be required to meet standards, for example, standards set by the International Organization for Standardization, standards governing TIR and TCT certification, or standards found in agreements such as the International Convention for Safe Containers.
• the object of the embodiments of the present inventions provide flooring for shipping containers requiring less wood than flooring currently in use, resulting in lower maintenance and repair costs for the flooring while still allowing the flooring to be strong enough to meet the various standards and requirements for shipping container floorings, including supporting certain maximum load weight without failing.
• Figure 1 depicts a top down view of a section of an exemplary standard flooring
• Figures 2a- 2b depict side and front views of a section of an exemplary standard flooring
• Figure 3 depicts a photograph of an exemplary standard flooring in a shipping container
• Figure 4 depicts a top down view of a section of an exemplary standard flooring with a gooseneck tunnel
• Figures 5a-5b depict a front view and a bottom angled view of a section of an exemplary standard flooring with a gooseneck tunnel;
• Figure 6 depicts a top down view of a section of an exemplary extended tunnel flooring;
• Figures 7a-7d depict a front view and a top angled view of a section of an exemplary extended tunnel flooring
• Figure 8 depicts a cutaway top angled view of a section of an exemplary extended tunnel flooring
• Figure 9 depicts side and front views of an exemplary front bottom rail and door sill with exemplary steel gussets;
• Figure 10 depicts a photograph of an exemplary extended tunnel flooring in a shipping container
• Figure 11 depicts a top down view of a section of an exemplary Omega flooring
• Figures 12a- 12b depict a front view and a top angled view of a section of an exemplary Omega flooring
• Figure 13 depicts a cutaway top angled view of a section of an exemplary Omega flooring
• Figure 14 depicts a photograph of an exemplary Omega flooring in a shipping container. DESCRIPTION
• a shipping container flooring system In one embodiment, a first wood floor piece is placed lengthwise against a first inner side rail, a second wood floor piece is placed lengthwise against a second inner side rail oriented parallel to the first inner side rail, such that the second inner side rail is not in between the first wood floor piece and the second wood floor piece, and a steel floor piece is placed in the space in between the first wood floor piece and the second wood floor piece. See Figure 6.
• a first wood floor piece is placed lengthwise against a first side of a container and a second wood floor price is placed lengthwise against a second side of the container opposite the first side of the container.
• a first steel floor piece is placed lengthwise next to the first wood floor piece and a second steel floor piece is placed lengthwise next to the first wood floor piece.
• a third wood floor piece is placed lengthwise next to the first steel floor piece, a fourth wood floor piece is placed lengthwise next to the second steel floor piece, and a third steel floor piece is placed in between the third wood floor piece and the fourth wood floor piece. See Figure 10.
• Figure 1 depicts a top down view of a section of an exemplary standard flooring.
• the standard floor 101 may be a type of floor already known and in use as the floor of shipping container, on which cargo placed in the shipping container may rest.
• the entire standard floor 101 of the standard flooring may be made from wood. This may result in a large amount of hardwood being required for the manufacture of the standard floor 101.
• the standard flooring may include a standard floor 101 made of wood floor pieces 102.
• the wood floor piece 102 may be constructed of any suitable wood using any suitable technique.
• the wood floor pieces 102 may be 19-ply hardwood plywood.
• the wood floor pieces 102 of the standard floor 101 may be held to the body of the shipping container through the use of any suitable fastener or joining mechanism, such as, for example, a self- tapping screw 103. Gaps or seams between the wood floor pieces 102 of the standard floor 101 may be sealed using any suitable sealant 104, such as, for example, chloroprene or butyl sealant.
• Figures 2a-2b depict side and front views of a section of an exemplary standard flooring.
• Figure 2a may be a cross-section of Figure 1, taken along cross-section line 107.
• the standard floor 101 including wood floor pieces 102, may be secured to a support beam 203 with the self- tapping screws 103.
• the self- tapping screws 103 may be, for example, zinc-plated self- tapping screws, and may be countersunk into the wood floor pieces 102.
• the standard floor 101 may lay in the space in between the front bottom rail 201 and the door sill 202.
• the door sill 202 may be positioned at the back of the shipping container, just below the doors of the shipping container.
• the front bottom rail 201 may be positioned at the front of the shipping container.
• the front bottom rail 201, the door sill 202, and the support beams 203 may be made from any suitable material, such as, for example, anti-corrosive steel such as Corten A steel, SPA-H steel, and B480 steel.
• the support beams 203 may be C-Beams, positioned to face towards the door sill 202, except for the support beam 203 positioned close to a point halfway down the length of the shipping container, which may be reversed to face the support beam 203 on the other side of the halfway point.
• the front bottom rail 201 and the door sill 202 may be shaped such that they provide support to the standard floor 101 while serving their functions at the front and back of the shipping container.
• Figure 2b may be a cross-section of Figure 1, taken along cross-section line 106.
• the standard floor 101 including wood floor pieces 102, may lay in the space between a first inner side rail 206 and a second inner side rail 207, on top of the support beams 203.
• the support beams 203, the front bottom rail 201 and the door sill 202 may span the width of the shipping container in which the standard floor 101 is installed.
• the width of the shipping container may be the distance between a first outer side rail 204 and a second outer side rail 205.
• the first outer side rail 204 and the second outer side rail 205 may be made from any suitable material, including the same material as the support beams 203.
• the first outer side rail 204 and the second outer side rail 205 may be C-beams where the top of the C is longer than the bottom of the C, and may run the length of the shipping container, and may be positioned such that the C faces outward from the shipping container.
• the support beams 203 may run in between the backside of the first outer side rail 204 and the second outer side rail 205, and may be secured to the first outer side rail 204 and the second outer side rail 205 using any suitable joining technique, such as, for example, CO 2 welding.
• the first outer side rail 204, the second outer side rail 205, the front bottom rail 201, and the door sill 202 may form a rectangular frame that may serve as the base of the shipping container. Any flooring for the shipping container may fit within the rectangular frame.
• the first inner side rail 206 and the second inner side rail 207 may be positioned next to the first outer side rail 204 and the second outer side rail 205, respectively, on top of the support beams 203, and may run the length of the floor 101.
• the first inner side rail 206 and the second inner side rail 207 may be made from any suitable material, including the same material as the support beams 203, and may be inward facing L-beams attached to the first outer side rail 204, the second outer side rail 205, and the support beams 203 by any suitable joining technique, such as, for example, stitch welding.
• the outside edges of the wood floor pieces 102 may be grooved so as to rest on top of the first inner side rail 206 and the second inner side rail 207. Any gaps or seams between the edge of the wood floor pieces 102 and the first inner side rail 206 and the second inner side rail 207 may be sealed using any suitable sealant 104, such as, for example, chloroprene or butyl sealant.
• Figure 3 depicts a photograph of an exemplary standard container flooring in a shipping container.
• the standard floor 101 may be used in the assembly of a shipping container.
• the four exemplary wood floor pieces 102 depicted in Figure 3 may serve as the floor of the shipping container.
• Figure 4 depicts a top down view of a section of an exemplary standard flooring with a gooseneck tunnel.
• the standard floor 101 may be modified to add a gooseneck tunnel 506.
• the wood floor pieces 102 nearest the front bottom rail 201 may be reduced in size so that a gooseneck steel floor piece 401 may be added to the standard floor 101.
• the gooseneck steel floor piece 401 may be made from any suitable material, including the same material as the support beams 203, and may be centered relative to the front bottom rail 201. Gaps or seams between the wood floor pieces 102 and the gooseneck steel floor piece 401 of the standard floor 101 may be sealed using any suitable sealant 104, such as, for example, chloroprene or butyl sealant.
• Figures 5a-5b depict a front view and a bottom angled view of a section of an exemplary standard flooring with a gooseneck tunnel.
• Figure 5a may be a cross-section of Figure 4, taken along cross-section line 402.
• the gooseneck steel floor piece 401 may lay in between two wood floor pieces 102, allowing the surface of the floor 101 to remain level.
• the support beams 203 may be reduced in size, similar to support beams 507 and 508.
• the space in between the reduced size support beams 507 and 508 may be left empty, forming a gooseneck tunnel 506.
• the gooseneck tunnel 506 may be bounded by a steel top plate 502, first steel side wall 509, second steel side wall 510, and steel rear wall 504, which, along with the gooseneck steel floor piece 401, may all be held in place using any suitable joining technique, such as, for example, CO 2 welding.
• the gooseneck steel floor piece 401 may be supported by steel floor support 503, which may be made from any suitable material, including the same material as the support beams 203, and may be a support rail in the form of a C-beam.
• the steel floor support 503 C- beam may be positioned under the gooseneck steel floor piece 401, opening upwards. Gaps or seams between the steel floor support 503 and the gooseneck steel floor piece 401 may be filled with a steel filler. More than one steel floor support 503 may be used to reinforce the gooseneck steel floor piece 401.
• Figure 5b may be a bottom angled view of Figure 4.
• the gooseneck tunnel 506 extends underneath the standard floor 101 for the length of the gooseneck steel floor piece 401.
• the gooseneck tunnel 506 may allow the shipping container to be transported in a position close to horizontal when acting as the trailer in a tractor-trailer, as a hitch of the trailer may be lined up with the gooseneck tunnel 506.
• Figure 6 depicts a top down view of a section of an exemplary extended tunnel flooring.
• the standard floor 101 with the gooseneck tunnel 506 may be modified to extend part of the gooseneck tunnel 506 structure the length of the standard floor 101. This may result in an extended tunnel floor 601.
• a similar structure of rails used for the rectangular frame for the standard floor 101 may be used for the extended tunnel floor 601.
• the extended tunnel floor 601 may include wood floor pieces 102 on both sides of the extended floor 601.
• the center of the extended tunnel floor 601 may include gooseneck steel floor piece 401 and extended steel floor piece 602.
• the gooseneck steel floor piece 401 and the extended steel floor piece 602 may run the length of the extended floor 601.
• Gaps or seams between the wood floor pieces 102 and the gooseneck steel floor piece 401 and the extended steel floor piece 602 may be sealed using any suitable sealant 104, such as, for example, chloroprene or butyl sealant.
• any suitable sealant 104 such as, for example, chloroprene or butyl sealant.
• the extended steel floor piece 602 may run the length of the extended floor 601.
• the extended steel floor piece 602 may include multiple steel floor pieces.
• Figures 7a-7d depict a front view and a top angled view of a section of an exemplary extended tunnel flooring.
• Figure 7a may be cross-section of Figure 6 taken along cross-section line 603.
• the extended floor 601 may lay in the same position as the standard floor 101 as shown in Figure 5a.
• the cross-section of Figure 7a shows the extended steel floor piece 602 instead of the gooseneck steel floor piece 401.
• the support beams 203 may not be reduced in size as they are under the gooseneck steel floor piece 401. Instead, the support beams 203 may run the width of the extended floor 601, between the first outer side rail 204 and the second outer side rail 205.
• the extended steel floor piece 602 and the steel support 503 may lay on the support beams 203, and may be attached to the support beams through any suitable joining technique, such as, for example, for example, CO 2 welding.
• the support beams 203 for the extended floor 601 may be reinforced with steel gussets 701.
• the steel gussets 701 may be thin plates of steel that fit within the C of the C-beam of the support beams 203. For example, three steel gussets 701 may be used to reinforce each of the support beams 203.
• the steel gussets 701 may be attached to the support beams 203 using any suitable joining technique, such as, for example, CO 2 welding.
• the steel gussets 701 may fill in an entire slice of the C of the C-beams of the support beams 203, but may not protrude beyond the C of the C-beams. If the legs of the C-beam are of different lengths, the steel gussets 701 may be trapezoids shaped to fit the C.
• Figure 7b may be a top angled view of Figure 7.
• the section of Figure 7 depicted in Figure 7b does not include the gooseneck steel floor piece 401.
• the steel floor support 503 runs the length of the extended tunnel floor 601 under the extended steel floor piece 602.
• the top of the support beam 203 is visible in Figure 7b under the extended steel floor piece 602.
• the space in between the top of the support beam 203, the bottom and side of the extended steel floor piece 602, and the steel floor support 503 may be filled with steel filler. More than one steel floor support 503 may be used to reinforce the extended steel floor piece 602.
• Figure 8 depicts a cutaway top angled view of a section of an exemplary extended tunnel flooring.
• the wood floor piece 102, the first outer side rail 204, the first inner side rail 206 and half of the extended steel floor piece 602 have been removed from the depiction of the extended tunnel floor 601 in Figure 8, to allow a view of the structure underneath the extended tunnel floor 601.
• the support beams 801, 802, 803, 804 and 805 may be spaced out evenly underneath the extended tunnel floor 601, with C-beams facing in the same direction, towards the door sill 202. As with the standard flooring 101, one of the support beams 203 near the halfway point of the length of the extended tunnel floor 601 may face the opposite direction. This section of the extended tunnel floor 601 is not depicted in Figure 8.
• the self- tapping screws 103 used to attach the wood floor pieces 102 to the support beams 203 may be lined up with the support beams 801, 802, 803, 804 and 805. This may allow the wood floor pieces 103 to be securely attached to the rest of the shipping container.
• the steel gussets 806, 807, 808, 809 and 810 are visible in Figure 8, attached to the support beams 801, 802, 803, 804 and 805, respectively.
• the steel gussets 701 may be distributed among the support beams 203 in any suitable manner, for example, not every support beam 203 may have the steel gussets 701.
• the steel floor support 503 may run the length of the extended tunnel floor 601 underneath the extended steel floor piece 602.
• the steel floor support 503 may lie on top of, and be attached by any suitable joining technique to one or more of, the support beams 801, 802, 803, 804 and 805.
• the extended tunnel floor 601 may be supported by more of the support beams 203 than the standard floor 101.
• the standard floor 101 may be supported by 28 of the support beams 203, while the extended tunnel floor 601 may be supported by 30 of the support beams 203.
• the front bottom rail 201 and door sill 202 may also be reinforced with the steel gussets 1202.
• Figure 9 depicts side and front views of an exemplary front bottom rail and door sill with exemplary steel gussets.
• the front bottom rail 201 used with the extended tunnel floor 601 may be reinforced by steel gussets 901.
• the steel gussets 901 may be thin steel plates shaped to fit internally into the front bottom rail 201.
• three of the steel gussets 901 may be used to reinforce the front bottom rail 201.
• the door sill 202 used with the extended tunnel floor 601 may also be reinforced by steel gussets 902.
• the steel gussets 902 may be thin steel plates shaped to fit internally into the door sill 202.
• three of the steel gussets 901 may be used to reinforce the front bottom rail 201.
• Figure 10 depicts a photograph of an exemplary extended tunnel flooring in a shipping container.
• the extended tunnel floor 601 may be used in the assembly of a shipping container.
• the six exemplary wood floor pieces 102 depicted in Figure 10 may serve as part of the floor of the shipping container.
• the gooseneck steel floor piece 401 and the extended steel floor piece 602 may serve as the rest of the floor of the shipping container.
• the extended tunnel floor 601 may require the use of less wood than the standard floor 101. Where the entirety of the standard floor 101 may be wood, a portion of the extended tunnel floor 601 may be steel. This may also result in the extended tunnel floor 601 being easier and cheaper to construct, repair and maintain than the standard floor 101, as the quantity and quality of wood used for the standard floor 101 decreases.
• the extended tunnel floor 601 may be used as the floor for an exemplary 20' long shipping container.
• the external dimensions of the exemplary shipping container may be a length of 19' 10 1 A", a width of 8', and a height of 8'6".
• the internal dimensions of the exemplary shipping container maybe a length of 19'4 13/64", a width of 7' 8 33/64", and a height of VlO 3/32".
• the extended tunnel floor 601 in the exemplary shipping container may support a maximum payload of 61,930 pounds.
• the shipping container may be held together in part by welding and sealants. Exterior welding may be continuous welding using CO 2 gas. Interior welding may be done using a minimum bead length of 15mm. Welding may only be used on gaps not in excess of 3mm between pieces of the shipping container. Chloroprene sealant may be used around the periphery of the extended tunnel floor 601 and inside un welded seams. Butyl sealant may be used to caulk invisible seams.
• the exemplary shipping container may include a rectangular frame to which the extended tunnel floor 601 may be attached.
• the rectangular frame may be constructed of an exemplary first outer side rail 204, an exemplary second outer side rail 205, an exemplary door sill 202 and exemplary front bottom rail 201.
• Each of the exemplary outer side rails 204 and 205 may be built of 48x158x30x4.5mm thick cold-formed channel section steel made in one piece.
• the first exemplary inner side rail 206 and the second exemplary inner side rail 207 may be 3mm thick pressed angel section steel, and may be attached to the outer side rails 204 and 205 by staggered stitch welding.
• the front bottom rail 201 may be made of 4mm thick pressed open section steel reinforced by three internal 4mm thick steel gussets 701.
• a 200x75mm section may be cut out at each end of the front bottom rail 201 and reinforced with a 200x75mm piece of channel steel.
• the door sill 202 may be made of 4.5mm thick pressed open section steel reinforced by four internal 4mm thick steel gussets 701. The upper face of the door sill 202 may have a 10mm slop for better drainage.
• a 200x75mm section may be cut out at each end of the door sill 202 and reinforced with a 200x75mm piece of channel steel.
• the support beams 203 of the exemplary shipping container may be made of pressed channel section steel with dimensions of 45xl22x45x4mm, and 75x122x45x4.0mm with three pieces of
• 18 of the support beams 203 may be welded to the outer side rails 204 and 205.
• the front bottom rail 202 may be welded to the outer side rails 204 and 205 at one end, to serve as the front end of the shipping container, and the door sill 202 may be welded to the other end, to serve as the back end of the shipping container, where a door will be located.
• the extended tunnel floor 601 in the exemplary shipping container may be made of 6 wood floor pieces 102 of 28mm thick 19-ply hardwood plywood, one extended steel floor piece 602, and self- tapping screws 103.
• the wood floor pieces 102 may be, for example, made from Apiton or Keruing or Hybrid hardwood plys glued together with phenol-formaldehyde resin and treated with a preservative such as Meganium 2000.
• the extended steel floor piece 602 may be 4.5mm thick and reinforced by three steel floor supports 503, which may be 4mm thick pressed C-section steel.
• the self-tapping screws 103 may have an 8mm diameter shank, 16mm diameter head, and a length of 45mm.
• the 6 wood floor pieces 102 may be laid longitudinally on the support beams 203 on each side of the extended steel floor piece 602, which may be centered on the width of the shipping container and welded to the support beams 203.
• the 6 wood floor pieces 102 may be secured to the support beams 203 through the use of three self- tapping screws 103 for each support beam 203 under an individual wood floor piece 102, countersunk 2mm in to the wood floor piece 102. All of the butt joint areas and peripheries of the wood floor pieces 102 may be caulked with sealant.
• Figure 11 depicts a top down view of a section of an exemplary Omega flooring.
• the standard floor 101 may be modified to use alternating wood floor pieces 102 and steel floor pieces 1102. This may result in an Omega floor 1101.
• a similar structure of rails used for the rectangular frame for the standard floor 101 may be used for the Omega floor 1101.
• the Omega floor 1101 may include the wood floor pieces 102 on both sides of the Omega floor 1101, against the first inner side rail 206 and the second inner side rail 207.
• the steel floor pieces 1102 may alternate with the wood floor pieces 102.
• the steel floor pieces 1102 and wood floor pieces 102 may be sized so that the alternation results in one steel floor piece 1102 being at the center of the Omega floor 1101.
• the Omega floor 1101 may include a gooseneck tunnel 506, including the gooseneck steel floor piece 401. If the Omega floor 1101 includes a gooseneck tunnel 506, the gooseneck steel floor piece 401 and the wood floor pieces 102 to the sides of the gooseneck steel floor piece 401 may take up the width of the Omega floor 1101.
• the alternating steel floor pieces 1102 and wood floor pieces 102 may run from the back end of the gooseneck steel floor piece 401 and the wood floor pieces 102 to the sides of the gooseneck steel floor piece 401 to the door sill 202.
• the steel floor pieces 1102 may include multiple steel floor pieces.
• Gaps or seams between the wood floor pieces 102 and the gooseneck steel floor piece 401 and the steel floor pieces 1102 may be sealed using any suitable sealant 104, such as, for example, chloroprene or butyl sealant.
• Figures 12a- 12d depict a front view and a top angled view of a section of an exemplary Omega flooring.
• Figure 12a may be cross-section of Figure 11 taken along cross-section line 1103.
• the Omega floor 1101 may lay in the same position as the standard floor 101 as shown in Figure 5a.
• the wood floor pieces 102 may alternate with the steel floor pieces 1102, with the wood floor pieces 102 being next to the first inner side rail 206 and the second inner side rail 207, and one of the steel floor pieces 1102 being centered on the width of the Omega floor 1101.
• the steel floor pieces 1102 may be supported by steel floor supports 1201, which may be made from any suitable material, including the same material as the support beams 203, and may be support rails in the form of C-beams.
• the steel floor supports 1201 C-beams may be positioned under the steel floor pieces 1102, opening upwards.
• the support beams 203 may run the width of the Omega floor 1101, between the first outer side rail 204 and the second outer side rail 205.
• the wood floor pieces 102 and the steel floor pieces 1102 may lay on the support beams 203, and may be attached to the support beams through any suitable joining technique, such as, for example, for example, CO 2 welding.
• the support beams 203 for the Omega floor 1101 may be reinforced with steel gussets 1202.
• the steel gussets 1202 may be thin plates of steel that fit within the C of the C-beam of the support beams 203.
• three steel gussets 1202 may be used to reinforce each of the support beams 203, and may be spaced out in such a way that the steel gussets 1202 are underneath the steel floor pieces 1102.
• the steel gussets 1202 may be attached to the support beams 203 using any suitable joining technique, such as, for example, CO 2 welding.
• the front bottom rail 201 and door sill 202 may also be reinforced with the steel gussets 1202.
• Figure 9 depicts side and front views of an exemplary front bottom rail and door sill with exemplary steel gussets.
• the front bottom rail 201 used with the Omega floor 1101 may be reinforced by steel gussets 901.
• the steel gussets 901 may be thin steel plates shaped to fit internally into the front bottom rail 201. In an exemplary embodiment, three of the steel gussets 901 may be used to reinforce the front bottom rail 201.
• the door sill 202 used with the Omega floor 1101 may also be reinforced by steel gussets 902.
• the steel gussets 902 may be thin steel plates shaped to fit internally into the door sill 202. In an exemplary embodiment, three of the steel gussets 901 may be used to reinforce the front bottom rail 201.
• Figure 12b may be a top angled view of Figure 11. The section of Figure 11 depicted in Figure 7b does not include the gooseneck steel floor piece 401.
• the steel floor supports 1201 run the length of the steel floor pieces 1102, under the steel floor pieces 1102.
• the top of the support beam 203 is visible in Figure 7b under the steel floor pieces 1102. However, the space in between the top of the support beam 203, the bottom and side of the steel floor pieces 1102, and the steel floor supports 1201 may be filled with steel filler.
• the steel gussets 1202 may fill in an entire slice of the C of the C-beams of the support beams 203, but may not protrude beyond the C of the C-beams. If the legs of the C-beam are of different lengths, the steel gussets 1202 may be trapezoids shaped to fit the C.
• Figure 13 depicts a cutaway top angled view of a section of an exemplary Omega flooring.
• Two of the wood floor pieces 102, one of the steel floor pieces 1102, the first outer side rail 204, the first inner side rail 206 and half of the center steel floor piece 1102, have been removed from the depiction of the Omega floor 1101 in Figure 13, to allow a view of the structure underneath the Omega floor 1101.
• the support beams 1301, 1302, 1303, 1304 and 1305 may be spaced out evenly underneath the Omega floor 1101.
• the C-beams for support beams 1301, 1302, 1304, and 1305 may face in the same direction, towards the door sill 202.
• the support beam 1303 may face in the opposite direction, away from the door sill 202, in order to provide further support to the Omega floor 1101.
• a steel top plate 1309 may be attached, for example by welding, to the tops of the two adjacent support beams 203 to join and reinforce the adjacent support beams 203.
• Additional support beams 203 under the Omega floor 1101 may face away from the door sill 202, and be joined to an adjacent support beam 203 via a steel top plate 1309, based on the design of the shipping container. For example, in a 40' long shipping container with the Omega Floor 1101, three of the support beams 203 at regular intervals may face away from the door sill 202.
• the steel gussets 1306, 1307, and 1308 are visible in Figure 13, attached to the support beams 1301, 1302, and 1305, respectively.
• the steel gussets 1202 may be distributed among the support beams 203 in any suitable manner, for example, not every support beam 203 may have the steel gussets 1202.
• the self- tapping screws 103 used to attach the wood floor pieces 102 to the support beams 203 may be lined up with the support beams 1301, 1302, 1303, 1304 and 1305. This may allow the wood floor pieces 103 to be securely attached to the rest of the shipping container.
• the steel floor supports 1201 may run the length of the steel floor pieces 1102 underneath the steel floor pieces 1102.
• the steel floor supports 1201 may lie on top of, and be attached by any suitable jointing technique to one or more of, the support beams 1301, 1302, 1303, 1304 and 1305.
• Figure 14 depicts a photograph of an exemplary Omega flooring in a shipping container.
• the Omega floor 1101 may be used in the assembly of a shipping container.
• the eight exemplary wood floor pieces 102 depicted in Figure 10 may serve as part of the floor of the shipping container.
• the gooseneck steel floor piece 401 and the five steel floor pieces 1102 may serve as the rest of the floor of the shipping container. Two of the wood floor pieces 102 and the gooseneck steel floor piece 401 may be aligned near the front bottom rail 201, while the six remaining wood floor pieces 102 may alternate with the five steel floor pieces 1102 across the width of the Omega floor 1101, from the back of the gooseneck steel floor piece 401 to the door sill 202.
• the Omega floor 1101 may require the use of less wood than the standard floor 101. Where the entirety of the standard floor 101 may be wood, a portion of the Omega floor 1101 may be steel. This may also result in the Omega floor 1101 being easier and cheaper to construct, repair and maintain than the standard floor 101, as the quantity and quality of wood used for the standard floor 101 decreases. When one of the wood pieces 102 of the Omega floor 1101 is damaged, only that wood piece 102 may need to be replaced. This may save on material costs, as no individual wood piece 102 makes up a large section of the Omega floor 1101. The steel floor pieces 1102 of the Omega floor 1101 may also be more resistant to damage than the wood pieces 102.
• the steel gussets 1202 may be critical to the construction of the Omega floor 1101.
• the steel gussets 1202 may reinforce the support beams 203 so that the support beams 203 do not collapse under load due to twisting failure, scissors failure, or any other structural failures of the support beam 203. Without the steel gussets 1203, the Omega floor 1101 may collapse under loads no heavier than the maximum load the Omega floor 1101 may be required to support to allow the Omega floor 1101 to be used in shipping containers.
• the Omega floor 1101 may be used as the floor for an exemplary 20' long shipping container.
• the external dimensions of the exemplary shipping container may be a length of 19' 10 1 A", a width of 8', and a height of 8'6".
• the internal dimensions of the exemplary shipping container maybe a length of 19'4 13/64", a width of 7' 8 33/64", and a height of 7' 10 3/32".
• the Omega floor 1101 in the exemplary shipping container may support a maximum payload of 61,930 pounds.
• the shipping container may be held together in part by welding and sealants. Exterior welding may be continuous welding using CO 2 gas. Interior welding may be done using a minimum bead length of 15mm. Welding may only be used on gaps not in excess of 3mm between pieces of the shipping container. Chloroprene sealant may be used around the periphery of the extended tunnel floor 601 and inside un welded seams. Butyl sealant may be used to caulk invisible seams.
• the exemplary shipping container may include a rectangular frame to which the extended tunnel floor 601 may be attached.
• the rectangular frame may be constructed of an exemplary first outer side rail 204 and an exemplary second outer side rail 205, and an exemplary door sill 202 and exemplary front bottom rail 201.
• Each of the exemplary outer side rails 204 and 205 may be built of 48x158x30x4.5mm thick cold-formed channel section steel made in one piece, and may have 4mm thick steel reinforcement plates welded to the bottom corner fittings.
• the first exemplary inner side rail 206 and the second exemplary inner side rail 207 may be 3mm thick pressed angel section steel, and may be attached to the outer side rails 204 and 205 by staggered stitch welding.
• the front bottom rail 201 may be made of 4mm thick pressed open section steel reinforced by three internal 4mm thick steel gussets 1202.
• a 200x75mm section may be cut out at each end of the front bottom rail 201 and reinforced with a 200x75mm piece of channel steel.
• the door sill 202 may be made of 4.5mm thick pressed open section steel reinforced by four internal 4mm thick steel gussets 1202. The upper face of the door sill 202 may have a 10mm slop for better drainage.
• a 200x75mm section may be cut out at each end of the door sill 202 and reinforced with a 200x75mm piece of channel steel.
• the support beams 203 of the exemplary shipping container may be made of pressed channel section steel with dimensions of 45xl22x45x4mm, and 75x122x45x4.0mm with three pieces of 4mm thick gussets for the floor butt joints. 16 of the support beams 203 may be welded to the outer side rails 204 and 205.
• the front bottom rail 202 may be welded to the outer side rails 204 and 205 at one end, to serve as the front end of the shipping container, and the door sill 202 may be welded to the other end, to serve as the back end of the shipping container, where a door will be located.
• the Omega floor 1101 in the exemplary shipping container may be made of 18 wood floor pieces 102 of 28mm thick 19-ply hardwood plywood, five steel floor pieces 1102, and self- tapping screws 103.
• the wood floor pieces 102 may be, for example, made from Apiton or Keruing or Hybrid hardwood plys glued together with phenol-formaldehyde resin and treated with a preservative such as Meganium 2000.
• the steel floor pieces 1102 may be 4mm thick and reinforced by one steel floor support 503, which may be 4mm thick pressed C-section steel.
• the self- tapping screws 103 may have an 8mm diameter shank, 16mm diameter head, and a length of 45mm.
• the 18 wood floor pieces 102 may be laid longitudally on the support beams 203 in six strips of three wood floor pieces. Two of the strips of the wood floor pieces 102 may be laid next to the first inner side rail 206 and the second inner side rail 207, and in between the two of the strips, the five steel floor pieces 1102 may alternate with the remaining 4 strips of wood floor pieces 102, so that each steel floor piece 1102 lies in between two wood floor pieces 102.
• the steel floor pieces 1102 may be welded to the support beams 203.
• the 18 wood floor pieces 102 may be secured to the support beams 203 through the use of one or two self- tapping screws 103 for each support beam 203 under an individual wood floor piece 102, countersunk 2mm in to the wood floor piece 102, and all of the butt joint areas and peripheries of the wood floor pieces 102 may be caulked with sealant.
• Every component above referred as steel may, in other embodiments, be made of any other suitable material, including metals, composites, and plastics.
• a single component may be replaced by multiple components, and multiple components may be replaced by a single component, to provide an element or structure or to perform a given function or functions. Except where such substitution would not be operative to practice certain embodiments of the present invention, such substitution is considered within the scope of the present invention.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Packages (AREA)
• Conveying And Assembling Of Building Elements In Situ (AREA)
• Rigid Containers With Two Or More Constituent Elements (AREA)

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• 2008
  • 2008-11-24 US US12/276,665 patent/US8070004B2/en active Active
• 2009
  • 2009-02-27 WO PCT/US2009/035415 patent/WO2010059260A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2009-02-27 CN CN201510119276.6A patent/CN104859976A/zh active Pending
  • 2009-02-27 CN CN2009800000206A patent/CN102137799A/zh active Pending

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