WO2017149365A1

WO2017149365A1 - Configurable modular containment system utilizing a shipping container

Info

Publication number: WO2017149365A1
Application number: PCT/IB2016/052587
Authority: WO
Inventors: Renato VALENCIA
Original assignee: Valencia Renato
Priority date: 2016-03-02
Filing date: 2016-05-06
Publication date: 2017-09-08
Also published as: PH22016000121U1; PH22016000121Y1

Abstract

A modular containment system utilizing a shipping container of the intermodal type is disclosed. The shipping container is designed to contain a plurality of items such as goods offered for sale. The containment system may include an electrical system, a plumbing system, an insulation system, interior and exterior systems which are preferably prefabricated, an HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) system, and a communication system operably coupled to the shipping container. The containment system may further include a computer program product for operating an ERP (enterprise resource planning) system for the items contained within the shipping container. The ERP system may include various modules that can be used to manage the movement and/or physical handling of goods.

Description

CONFIGURABLE MODULAR CONTAINMENT SYSTEM

UTILIZING A SHIPPING CONTAINER

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to configurable modular containment system and specifically to such containment system which utilizes a shipping container of the intermodal type.

Background Art

To realize considerable cost savings, it is often desirable to use a transportable, self- contained, and modular prefabricated structure over a permanently constructed building structure in containing items or goods which can be offered for sale in retail. An intermodal shipping container is a popular prefabricated structure that can be used for this purpose. Old- aged shipping containers of this type have significantly marked down prices and can be expediently acquired from shipping companies.

Be that as it may, the handling of items for sale contained in typical shipping containers proves to be a difficult technical problem due to the size limitations of the same containers. The work areas of most standard- size shipping containers are comparatively limited as compared with the usual larger areas of concrete buildings. This technical problem may be evident in cases where, in one instance, there is an excess supply of items for sale. If this excess remains unmanaged or inefficiently managed over a prolonged period, a surplus is likely to occur.

Apart from potential economic loss, the state of surplus may result in an "exhaustion" of the limited space within the shipping containers. In this regard, there remains an outstanding need for a modular containment system which utilizes shipping containers for containing goods for sale and which is equipped with space management solutions for minimizing surplus and poorly utilized space.

Summary of the Invention

A modular containment system utilizing a shipping container of the intermodal type is disclosed. The shipping container is designed to contain a plurality of items such as goods offered for sale. The containment system may include an electrical system, a plumbing system, an insulation system, interior and exterior systems which are preferably prefabricated, an HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) system, and a communication system operably coupled to the shipping container.

The containment system may further include a computer program product for operating an ERP (enterprise resource planning) system for the items contained within the shipping container. The ERP system may include various modules that can be used to manage the movement and/or physical handling of goods. Through the use of the ERP system which generally manages all activities and information related to business and/or sales operation, the items contained in the shipping container and offered for sale can be managed in such a way that excess or surplus of such items is minimized, if not totally prevented. Space inside the shipping container may then be utilized if there is no excess of items contained in the same shipping container.

For a better understanding of the invention and to show how the same may be performed, preferred implementations thereof will now be described, by way of non-limiting examples only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 shows a shipping container of the modular containment system of the invention.

Figure 2 shows components of the modular containment system of the invention.

Figure 3 shows computer-executable modules of the modular containment system of the invention.

Figure 4 shows further computer-executable modules of the modular containment system of the invention.

Figure 5 shows vertically stacked shipping containers of the modular containment system of the invention.

Figure 6 shows horizontally stacked shipping containers of the modular containment system of the invention.

Figure 7 shows horizontally and vertically stacked shipping containers of the modular containment system of the invention.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Implementations

All the ensuing disclosures and illustrations of the preferred implementations of the modular containment system of the present invention are merely representative for the purpose of sufficiently describing the manner by which the present invention may be carried out into practice in various ways other than the ones outlined in the ensuing description.

It is to be understood and appreciated by a person skilled in the art or having ordinary skills in the art, however, that the exemplary implementations used to describe how to make and use the present invention may be embodied in many alternative forms and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the appended claims in any manner, absent express recitation of those features in the appended claims. All the diagrams accompanying the ensuing description should also not be construed as limiting the scope of the appended claims in any manner. Unless the context clearly and explicitly indicates otherwise, it is to be understood that like numbers refer to like elements throughout the ensuing description of the figures, that the linking term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items, that the singular terms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to also include the plural forms, and that some varying terms of the same meaning and objective may be interchangeably used.

In one preferred implementation, the modular containment system of the present invention includes a shipping container 100, as shown in Figure 1. The shipping container 100 may have a set of end walls 102 and at least one opening 104 formed through a portion 106 of the end walls 102. The end walls 102 and the opening 104 may be arranged such that they cooperate to define an interior compartment 108 configurable to allow passage of and to contain a plurality of items.

The shopping container 100 may be characterized by an intermodal container that is commonly used in the shipping industry. Two of the most popular intermodal containers that can be suitably used as the shipping container 100 of the present invention are the 20-foot containers and the 40-foot containers.

These standard-size containers are generally transportable. By that it is meant that the shipping container 100 can be loaded at its point of origin and subsequently transported by various transportation vehicles such as aircrafts, trucks, trains, and cargo ships to a point of destination through the use of various handling equipment.

It is to be understood and appreciated that while intermodal containers are known to come in standard sizes and to be made of metallic materials among others, a person skilled in the art or having ordinary skills in the art would easily realize that the present invention may also utilize other sizes and other composite materials such as hard plastic such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride) for the shipping container 100. Other configurations of intermodal containers may also be used as the shipping container 100 of the present invention.

Metallic intermodal containers are simply preferred because they are normally disposed by shipping companies after they reach certain age in accordance with relevant regulations and standards; hence, their prices are considerably marked-down. Old-aged intermodal containers can be refurbished and/or repaired nearly to their original condition in order to extend their life span and for them to be suitably used as the shipping container 100 for the modular containment system of the present invention.

The modular containment system of the present invention is now generally designated by reference numeral 200 in Figure 2. In addition to the shipping container 100, the modular containment system 200 may further include an electrical system 202, a plumbing system 204, an insulation system 206, interior and exterior structural systems 208, an HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) system 210, a communication system 212, and a computer program product 214 that can be used to operate and execute an ERP (enterprise resource planning) system 216 using any suitable computing device. The electrical system 202 may be operably coupled to the shipping container 100 and constructed to provide electricity supply to the shipping container 100. The shipping container 100 can be provided with all the necessary electrical wiring and connections and as well as related equipment such as electrical boxes and surge protectors associated with the electrical system 202.

The electrical system 202 may be further constructed to utilize energy from any combination of AC (alternating current), DC (direct current), solar, wind, tidal, hydroelectric, thermoelectric, geothermal, electrochemical and biomass power sources. Through the electrical system 202, various lighting fixtures, appurtenances, and appliances which are dependent on electrical energy can be operated inside, outside, or anywhere within the periphery of the shipping container 100.

The plumbing system 204 may be operably coupled to the shipping container 100 and constructed to receive and deliver flow of water. The shipping container 100 can be provided with all the necessary fixtures, lines, and connections of the plumbing system 204 which may include a plurality of pipes.

Through the plumbing system 204, water may be obtained either from a water tank situated in an area proximate to the location of the shipping container 100 or directly from any immediate utility water distribution system. Alternatively, the shipping container 100 may also have a dedicated water tank that can be filled with water at the location where the shipping container 100 is situated.

The insulation system 206 may be attached to the shipping container in an adaptable manner and designed to insulate internal or external portions of the shipping container 100.

The insulation system 206 may provide the shipping container 100 an insulation of electric and/or magnetic fields. Alternatively or additionally, the insulation system 206 may provide the shipping container 100 with various types of insulation against heat loss in cold climates or heat transfer by radiation. The latter may be in the form of reflective materials. The configuration (e.g., size, shape, thickness, number of layers, and/or properties) of insulating materials that may constitute the insulation system 206 may be adjusted based on specific requirements and/or climate conditions.

The insulating materials which may constitute the insulation system 206 may include, by way of example and not by way of limitation, foam boards, sheathing boards, urethane, fiberglass, carpets, and/or absorbent panels. The insulating materials may also be sound- absorbing materials that can be used to reduce noise wherein sound waves are either reflected or absorbed.

The interior and exterior structural systems 208 may be positioned and/or mounted in and on the shipping container 100 and adapted for an array of structural, convenience, and/or ornamental functions. The interior and exterior structural systems 208 may be arranged to provide various utilities for users of the shipping container 100. The interior system of the interior and exterior structural systems 208 may be configured to include storage rooms, shelves, enclosures, drawers, frames, workbenches, cupboards, tables, chairs, bins, boxes, safes, skids, cabinets, display racks, and other similar structures capable of storing and/or organizing items preferably in multiple levels having horizontal and/or vertical orientations.

The exterior system of the interior and exterior structural systems 208 may be configured to include ladders, ramps, trestles, staircases, platforms, railings, support frames, storage tanks, motors, conduits, awning assembly, porches, poles, berms, roof gutters, patios, garages, and other similar structures.

Any of the structures which may constitute the interior and exterior structural systems

208 may be made of any suitable materials such as wood, metal, plastic, fiberglass and other hard substance. It is preferable that these materials are lightweight, sturdy, weather-resistant and/or non-corrosive so that they can be exposed to different environments such as environments with high relative humidity (which is indicative of wet conditions) and low relative humidity (which is indicative of dry condition).

The abovementioned structures can be strategically placed and positioned inside the shipping container 100 either in a permanent or in a temporary manner. The shipping container 100, with or without the structures positioned inside or outside it, may be handled as a single unit. Handling of multiple units of the shipping container 100 is also preferable if more than one of which is required depending on a particular purpose.

The HVAC system 210 may be coupled to the shipping container 100 and constructed to provide the shipping container 100 with heated and cooled air. The HVAC system 210 may include any desired HVAC unit that is operable to have a cooling mode and a heating mode for conditioning the air in an interior space defined by the interior compartment of the shipping container 100. The HVAC unit may include an air handler for conditioning the circulating air for the HVAC system 210. The HVAC unit may also include an air handler controller for controlling the operating condition of the air handler.

The communication system 212 may be operably coupled to the shipping container 100 and constructed to communicate with a telecommunication network, a radio-based communication network, and/or a packet-based communication network.

For example, the communication system 212 may include a telephone unit that can be used to communicate with other telephone unit through the telecommunication network.

In another example, the communication system 212 may include RFID (radio frequency identification) tags that can be attached to items contained inside the shipping container, and also RFID sensors that can be used to perform RFID scans to read information associated with the RFID tags through the radio-based communication network.

In another example, the communication system 212 may include a modem (modulator- demodulator) device that enables any computing device contained in the shipping container 100 to transmit and receive data to and from any external computing device through the packet-based communication network.

The computer program product 214 may be used for operating the ERP system 216 for the items contained within the shipping container 100. In operating the ERP system 216, any suitable computing device operably disposed in the shipping container 100 may be used.

The computer program product 214 may be a memory or any combination of read and write RAM (random access memory) and ROM (read only memory). The memory characterizing the computer program product 214 may include persistent storage, which, for example, may be any single one or more of an optical memory, a solid state memory, a magnetic memory, or a remotely mounted memory.

The ERP system 216 contained in the computer program product 214 may be characterized by one or more application software programs which can be designed using any suitable programming language such as Java, C/C++, Perl, and PHP, to name but a few. The ERP system 216 may contain various modules, as shown in Figure 3, which are executable by any computing device such as a desktop or laptop computer and which are configurable and/or customizable based on user and/or business specific requirements.

Any one or more of the modules which constitute the ERP system 216 may be web- based, application-based and/or desktop-based.

The modules of the ERP system 216 may be a POS (point-of-sale) module 300, an accounting module 302, a supply chain management module 304, an inventory management module 306, a purchase management module 308, a sales management module 310, a shipping and delivery module 312, a tasks scheduling module 314, and a human resource management module 316.

In one illustrative implementation of the present invention, the POS module 300 may be arranged to fulfill orders by way of, for example, communicating with a POS barcode scanner, obtaining order information from the barcode scanner, effecting payment through any suitable payment mode (e.g., debit, credit, cash), and issuing physical receipts using a thermal printer or electronic receipts.

The POS module 300 may be configured to receive and display, using the computing device, at least a serial number information, item description and item quantity information associated with the items contained within the shipping container 100.

In one implementation, the accounting module 302 may be arranged to perform accounting functions such as any necessary crediting and/or debiting operations in relation to the items offered for sale and to any aspect of business operations that may be conducted in the modular containment system 200 of the present invention.

In one implementation, the supply chain management module 304 may be arranged to perform visualization of supply chain of a user of the modular containment system 200 with various suppliers and customers and calculation of financial benefits based on various financing functions and features such as, but not limited to, payables and receivables financing, asset-based financing, inventory financing, and integrated supply chain financing.

In one implementation, the inventory management module 306 may be arranged to perform management of incoming and outgoing items in any given inventory, organizing of items in accordance with various categories (e.g., hardware, personal accessories, appliances), and visualization of stock quantities across an entire supply chain, and monitoring of inventory movement from one unit of a supply chain to another or from one particular location to another.

In one implementation, the purchase management module 308 may be arranged to perform visualization of purchase requisitions and purchase orders in general. Specifically, the purchase management module 308 may be used to monitor purchasing activities on a regular basis, supplier performance and compliance, and prices of materials and/or labor that are required to be purchased.

In one implementation, the sales management module 310 may be arranged to provide a visualization of history of wholesale and/or retail sales of the items contained within the modular containment system 200 and offered for sale. The sales management module 310 may include order fulfillment and report generating components.

In one implementation, the shipping and delivery module 312 may be arranged to collect shipping and/delivery preference information (e.g., point of origin information, point of destination information, transport mode information, delivery schedule information, and contact information), and further provide real-time tracking functions and features. The shipping and delivery module 312 may also be connected to a third-party computer system operated and maintained by a shipping carrier service company.

In one implementation, the tasks scheduling module 314 may be used to schedule and manage various tasks that may be predetermined or predefined by a user. These tasks may include, for example, storage tasks, cleaning tasks, and facility maintenance tasks. The tasks scheduling module 314 may include a calendar application that is provided with reminder component for sending out reminders via electronic mail or SMS (short messaging service).

In one implementation, the human resource management module 316 may be arranged to perform generating of reports relating to human resource activities, recruitment information, employee benefits administration, compensation programs, and employment life cycle. A payroll management component may also be integrated into the human resources management module 316.

The ERP system 216 may further include an engineering module 400, a production planning module 402, a quality management module 404, and a key performance index module 406, as shown in Figure 4. These modules are suitable for use in production or manufacturing setting which can be adapted for use in the modular containment system 200 of the present invention. In use, the modular containment system 200 may be transported to a particular location in which a retail operation is planned to be conducted. Prior to the transportation of the modular containment system 200, appropriate preparations may be performed. These preparations may include finding of electrical energy supply and as well as water supply, and may further include forming a foundation on which one or more shipping containers 100 of the modular containment system 200 of the present invention may rest in a stable manner.

The shipping containers 100 which may constitute the modular containment system 200 may be stacked vertically as shown in Figure 5, horizontally as shown in Figure 6, or in both vertical and horizontal orientations as shown in Figure 7. The shipping containers 100 may be secured to one another using any suitable attachment mechanisms such as screws, hooks, clamps, and the like.

The attachment mechanisms may serve as reinforcement designed to support the shipping container 100 against weather hazards and to protect the shipping container 100 from force-induced damage.

Once all the preferred components of the modular containment system 200 of the present invention are in place, the shipping container 100 may then act as any of a wholesale and/or retail store, a department store, a grocery store, a convenience store, a pharmaceutical store, an indoor and/or outdoor mall, a farmer's market, a food kiosk, a museum, and the like.

Alternatively, the modular containment system 200 of the present invention may be used as a training center, a learning center, a school, a house, and a business branch (e.g., a bank branch).

Through the use of the ERP system 216 which generally manages all activities and information related to business and/or sales operation, the items contained in the shipping container 100 and offered for sale can be managed in such a way that excess or surplus of such items is minimized, if not totally prevented. Space inside the shipping container 100 may then be utilized if there is no excess of items contained in the same shipping container 100.

While the present invention has been described with respect to a limited number of implementations, those skilled in the art, having benefit of this disclosure, will appreciate that other implementations can be devised which do not depart from the scope of the present invention as disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A modular containment system comprising:

at least one shipping container having a set of end walls and at least one opening formed through a portion of the end walls, the end walls and the opening cooperating to define an interior compartment configurable to allow passage of and to contain a plurality of items;

an electrical system operably coupled to the shipping container and constructed to provide electricity supply to the shipping container;

a plumbing system operably coupled to the shipping container and constructed to receive and deliver flow of water;

an insulation system adaptably attached to the shipping container and designed to insulate the shipping container;

interior and exterior structural systems positioned in and on the shipping container and adapted for structural functions;

an HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) system coupled to the shipping container and constructed to provide the shipping container with heated and cooled air;

a communication system operably coupled to the shipping container and constructed to communicate with any one or more of a telecommunication network, a radio-based communication network, and a packet-based communication network; and a computer program product for operating, using at least one computing device operably disposed in the shipping container, an ERP (enterprise resource planning) system for any one or more of the items contained within the shipping container.

2. The modular containment system according to claim 1 , wherein the ERP system has a plurality of modules executable by the computing device and including any one or more of a POS (point-of-sale) module, an accounting module, a supply chain management module, an inventory management module, a purchase management module, a sales management module, a shipping and delivery module, a tasks scheduling module, and a human resource management module.

3. The modular containment system according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of modules further include any one or more an engineering module, a production planning module, a quality management module, and a key performance index module.

4. The modular containment system according to claim 2, wherein the POS module is configured to receive and display, using the computing device, at least a serial number information, item description and item quantity information associated with the items contained within the shipping container.

5. The modular containment system according to claim 2, wherein any or more of the plurality of modules are configurable.