Joints and connections – Bridged by diverse connector
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-17
2001-12-18
Browne, Lynne H. (Department: 3629)
Joints and connections
Bridged by diverse connector
C403S314000, C403S257000, C403S020000, C220S004340
Reexamination Certificate
active
06331090
ABSTRACT:
The invention concerns a device for a gastight and fluid tight connection between transport containers of the isocontainer type as described by the introductory of claim
1
.
BACKGROUND
Transport containers, usually designated containers, are widely used for civil as well as military purposes and/or transportation of different type of goods by sea, by train, with container trucks, or by air planes etc. The containers are designed with a framework of steel and a base (floor), side walls and top of flat or profiled sheets. The containers are often provided with swing doors at the short end walls.
In military applications containers are often used for transporting different types of equipment, like weapons, clothes, tools etc, from a storehouse to e.g. a combat area where the containers are emptied when needed and left behind. In an attempt to make the most of such containers, office units have been made by cutting out openings for doors and windows in the container side walls. This solution is however not satisfactory for more than one reason. Firstly one is not able to establish a sufficient seal against war gases, secondly the container will be rendered unsuitable for its original purpose unless major repair work is undertaken subsequent to its secondary use.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,061,134 describes a container “solution” where the purpose is to provide a construction that can be used alone and in a combination with two container parts connected end to end. This is achieved by providing an end wall of the container with a band shaped tightening member
35
which surrounds the light opening of the container end wall
21
. The end wall further comprises a stop member
36
with an area corresponding to the tightening member in order to reduce the pressure strain on the tightening member and to protect the latter against mechanical strain both when connected and in stand-alone condition.
In a connected condition a substantially equally formed container unit is moved towards the first container unit in such a way that the respective tightening members
35
and stop members
36
are brought in face-to-face contact with each other. The container units are held together this way by use of a locking member
42
arranged in each corner of the light opening, whereby each locking member generally consists of a bolt
43
projecting through a hole in the edge of the end wall, a locking pin
61
to lock the bolt tightly in the hole and a handle
56
to bring the bolt from a locked to an open position and vice versa.
By this construction the relatively narrow sealing/gasket
35
is established only on the supporting area of the respective container units. This embodiment in combination with the stop members
36
requires an exact positioning of the container units for the attachment procedure. In addition the combination of sealing/gasket
35
and stop member
36
will hardly offer a seal that is sufficient to establish a required elevated pressure or reduced pressure in the internal container volume. Another substantial disadvantage with the known device is that the pressure exerting members
42
are relatively long and partly extend into the opening which is established between the container units when they are connected. Such a design therefore will strongly limit the possibilities of establishing a free passage between connected containers. Further it is doubtful whether the known construction is at all suitable for connecting more than two containers.
NO A 974411 discloses a device for connecting two or more containers of the isocontainer type horizontally or vertically. This design generally comprises a band shaped elastic sealing member which surrounds an opening between the containers to be connected to each other and which is placed on a supporting surface, as well as attachment members to force the sealing member against a supporting surface and against the opening between the same. In a preferred embodiment a frame shaped supporting surface is arranged on each of the container walls to be connected to a similarly shaped second container, and the preferably seamless band shaped sealing member is stretched from a vertically oriented supporting surface on the first container over the gap between the same and to a vertically oriented supporting surface on the second container. A substantially frame shaped pressure exerting member is arranged close to the vertically oriented surface of the sealing member on each of the containers. The attachment members then ensure that the gasket in between the containers is forced against the supporting surface, thereby providing a fluid tight and gastight connection between each of the attachment members and the supporting surfaces, and thus between the first and the second container. In this way a gas and fluid tight complex of (several) containers may be achieved.
While this previously known design does enable a further utilisation of transport containers and established a gastight connection between such containers in a larger building complex, it has several disadvantages such as the attachment members needing to be retightened if the containers are mutually displaced.
THE OBJECTIVE
The objective of the present invention is to provide an improved device for connecting transport containers which is easy to use and inexpensive for providing a building complex of containers and which prevents any intrusions of water and gas into the complex.
THE INVENTION
These objectives are achieved by a device according to the characterizing part of claim
1
. Further beneficial features are disclosed by the dependent claims.
The invention concerns a device for establishing a horizontal connection between two or more containers of the isocontainer type, whereby the device includes a substantially band shaped elastic sealing member which surrounds an opening between containers to be connected and is arranged on a supporting surface. Pressure exerting members are provided to hold the sealing member tightly against the supporting surface with tightening member(s) to force the sealing member against the supporting surface.
According to the invention the band shaped and preferably continuous sealing member which in a mounted position has a substantially rectangular cross section, is arranged on respective supporting surfaces of the respective containers which is generally level with the respective main levels of the container. Further, the pressure exerting member constitutes at least four substantially board shaped members arranged at the respective flat supporting surfaces (walls, bottom, top) of a container. The pressure exerting member along one of its long side edges is thereby connected by hinge members to the container so it can swing from an elevated position to a lower position. The pressure exerting member is also furnished with through holes for receiving the holding members that are described below. A number of holding members, preferably U-shaped, with legs firmly attached to the supporting surface are distributed along the entire light opening (or the free passage) between the containers. The board shaped pressure exerting member is by the aid of several tightening members forced into encroachment with the respective holding members, thereby forcing the pressure exerting member against the sealing member and the supporting surface.
In a preferred embodiment the connection device according to the invention is arranged in a counterbore at the end edges of the container.
To protect the sealing material against mechanical damage and/or damage from aggressive fluids or gases, a free floating outer supporting board is preferably arranged in the region between the supporting surface and the sealing member and over the free space between the two adjacent containers.
The width of this board must be at least a little bit wider than the normal distance between two adjacent containers.
Similarly, a free movable inner supporting board is preferably arranged in the region between the sealing member and the underside of the pressure exerting members of the respective contain
Bochna David E.
Browne Lynne H.
Dennison, Scheiner Schultz & Wakeman
Uniteam ASA
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