Horizontally supported planar surfaces – Industrial platform – Stacking
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-16
2003-12-02
Wilkens, Janet M. (Department: 3637)
Horizontally supported planar surfaces
Industrial platform
Stacking
C108S055100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06655300
ABSTRACT:
Some provision for varying, or adjusting, the configuration of containers, for (freight) transport and storage is known.
Such variability can be achieved by adjusting, re-locating, or even substituting altogether, certain key structural elements, such as elongate (support) struts, posts or ties, which define or reflect the overall container dimensional span, in particular height or depth in relation to a base platform.
Support Post Adjustability for Deck Variability
The Applicant's co-pending PCT(exUK) Patent Application No WO98/09889 (GB97/02319) envisages deck support post adjustability, in the context of deck position and orientation variability—for multiple mutually entrained decks within a common support structure.
Similarly, the Applicant's co-pending UK Patent Application envisages deck support post adjustability, in the context of deck position and orientation variability—for multiple independent deck module stacking.
Adjustability—Nature and Purpose
In principle, adjustability, or variability could be of diverse ‘nature’ and ‘purpose’.
Nature, or characteristic, includes, say, height, depth (eg longitudinal extent—in the case of elongate elements), span, inclination or tilting, folding, location, mobility, demountability, or some combination of some or all such modes of variability.
Purpose, or rationale, includes meeting ‘internal’ dimensional and volumetric capacity requirements, and ‘external’, outer boundary, or peripheral constraints.
Internal means accommodating, or fitting around, a particular load profile and (base) footprint.
External means fitting within an outer (cross-sectional) profile, such as a (railway) tunnel gauge—to allow continuous passage, when in transit.
Flexible & Temporary
Yet variability in such internal or external demand factors, must be consistent with conformity to containerisation standards.
Thus (profile and/or dimensional) variability may be contrived as a temporary, flexible, measure.
Specifically, departure from containerisation standards is admitted—as when, say, a particular load or transport route dictates greater compactness, with reversion—say, at docking stations—for handling and (un)loading.
Variability also risks introducing penalties of constructional and operational complexity, with attendant issues of reliability, safety, serviceability and maintenance.
Rigidity—Bracing
Overall torsional rigidity, against racking or lozenging, or departure from a rectangular profile or geometry, must also be preserved.
Transverse, or diagonal, bracing for stabilisation must also allow, or be consistent with, configurational variability.
Transverse bracing includes so-called header beams, disposed at the upper end of support posts, a particular version of which is taught in published PCT Application WO90/01007(JP89/00724).
‘Elegant’ mechanical solutions are therefor desirable, for cost-effective installation and operation.
Collapsibility
Overall collapsibility of the container may also be a requirement, such as for compact stacking and ‘return—empty/unladen’ conditions.
Variable Span
Telescopic
In terms of variable span, telescopic configurations, with complementary inter-fitting elements are convenient.
Thus, a telescopic leg or strut, with a locking pin and receiving hole alignment, in a selected one of an array of multiple sites, has been proposed.
Folding
Similarly, a folding post, or rather a folding end portion has been proposed in WO90/01007.
Stacking Multiple Discrete Elements
An ‘incremental’, ‘piecemeal’, or multiple discrete element, (corner) support post construction is also known, by stacking individual (mutually entrained or discrete/severable) post elements, one upon another.
Integrated Manual Adjustment
Some aspects of the present invention address (corner) support post length, depth or span variability, or adjustment, through integrated, or on-board manual provision.
At any given adjustment level or station, the overall container structure must remain rigid and braced, in order to withstand (suspension or stacking) handling loads.
Similarly, the disposition geometry of post-mounted (end) ‘capture’ fittings must conform to prescribed standards for container handling and stacking.
Open-top Containers
In certain, so-called open-top, container configurations—where a load can protrude locally (beyond a container framework profile)—some (corner) support post adjustability can be employed, in order to preserve access to handling and support capture fittings, by taking those very fittings outside or beyond the load confines.
An example is an open-top container with a load, confined or bounded laterally by peripheral side walls, but allowed to protrude locally above nominal roof level.
Extendable (corner) support posts could allow the (corner) support post end capture fittings for container handling and support to be brought beyond the load profile.
In this way, standard container capture frames for crane lifts can still access, address and co-operatively interact with, on-board container support and handling capture fittings, at the (upper) end of each (corner) support post.
That said, even otherwise open-top containers benefit from transverse bracing, most conveniently at the upper ends of ((corner) support) posts.
Bracing
Another aspect of the present invention is concerned with adjustability of such transverse bracing provision.
Thus, for example, in one variant, a header beam is carried at the upper ends of extendible ((corner) support) posts.
Alternatively, a header beam is held captive toward the upper end of a non-extendible portion of a ((corner) support) post, extendible upper portions of which can protrude beyond the header.
Movable Bracing
Movable transverse bracing can ‘track’, or follow, post span variability.
Thus, as a post ‘telescopes’ upwards or downwards, so a movable diagonal bracing strut between a post and deck, can be re-positioned, at different inclinations, to reach an upper post end, where bracing action is optimised—eg has more leverage or moment between post and deck.
Respective diagonal bracing between opposed posts can cross or intersect—and even be pinned together.
Thus bracing spars could ‘rove’ in adjacent respective adjustment planes, say upright from a deck, and shared with the associated post.
Bracing can be removably or demountably located upon both post and deck through pin and slot couplings, optionally with pin locking provision.
Flexible Capacity
Broadly, container transportation costs and charges reflect the volume enclosed.
Whilst the ‘footprint’, or base area, is largely constrained, for conformity with standard dimensions, there remains some scope for different height, or depth—to reflect particular load configurations.
So, relatively shallow or tall container configurations could be contrived, on a common platform.
Depth variability can reduce redundant voids around, and in particular above, loads.
Moreover, multiple discrete shallow containers can be stacked one upon another.
Stacking can be to a standard container height or depth, or multiples thereof.
An overhead crane lift or hoist can address containers of such different height, with the same suspension fitting locations, reflecting the common footprint or plan.
Design Considerations
Whether for internal capacity variation of external route constraints, provision of reliable, fail-safe, yet economic height or depth variability poses special design considerations.
Generally, a standard container has a rectangular base platform, surmounted by support posts or struts, typically at, or (closely adjacent) each (corner) support.
Intermediate Post Location
Some aspects of the present invention envisage support posts at intermediate positions, for example mid-span, or somewhat offset from, inboard, or outboard (say, on chassis rail extensions) from the (corner) support extremities of a base platform.
Open vs In-Fill Side Walls
The container may be open, or open-sided, that is configured as an open lattice with no in-fill spanning between (corner) support posts.
Roof
Alternatively, a greater or lesser degree of side wall and indee
Clive-Smith Martin
Jones Christopher John
Wilkens Janet M.
Wright Edward S.
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