Freight accommodation on freight carrier – Particular article accommodation – Grouped
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-05
2002-12-24
Gordon, Stephen T. (Department: 3612)
Freight accommodation on freight carrier
Particular article accommodation
Grouped
C410S031000, C410S032000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06497542
ABSTRACT:
The present invention concerns an apparatus for storing and transporting piece goods, in particular articles whose dimensions in at least one or in two mutually perpendicular directions are markedly larger than in the remaining third direction in space, wherein the articles are received in substantially U-shaped pockets which are formed from a flexible web material and which are arranged in a support stand or frame.
Such an apparatus is known for example from German patent applications Nos. P 41 38 507 and 195 49 166. In the known apparatus the U-shaped pockets are formed by a long web of material which is laid in a plurality of loops which are suspended for example on bars or rods which are arranged at a spacing in succession so that accordingly the web of material is laid transversely over a first bar, extends downwardly and then extends upwardly again in a U-shape, is then laid over the next bar, and so forth. The portions which are hung over the bars can be sewn off in that case so that they form the closed loops, through which the carrier bars extend so that the web of material also cannot slip on the bars in the longitudinal direction thereof and thus the U-shaped pockets are always of the same length or depth. The web of material can also be suspended on additional loops which are specifically disposed on the web of material.
Such apparatuses are used for example for storing and transporting individual components in automobile manufacture, for example bodywork parts, door claddings and other components which are generally more or less two-dimensional articles, that is to say articles which are of relatively large dimensions in at least one but in most cases two mutually perpendicular directions, in comparison with the third remaining direction. That applies for example in relation to the doors, door claddings, engine hoods or bonnets, wings and other parts of motor vehicles.
Corresponding apparatuses for storing and transporting components of that kind which are comparatively sensitive to impact and scratching are intended for transporting and also storing the corresponding components as inexpensively as possible, that is to say without expensive packaging means. Depending on the respective configuration involved the corresponding apparatuses are relatively simple to load and unload, they are re-usable and, if no articles are being transported therein, depending on the respective apparatus configuration, they can also be collapsed or folded down to constitute a compact structure.
In order to deal carefully with and protect the articles transported in such apparatuses the webs of material usually comprise a relatively soft, flexible cloth which for example can be a woven fabric or a fleece-like material and which can possibly also comprise a plastic web with embossing or shaped portions thereon.
If the corresponding articles are relatively large and comparatively thin, the U-shaped pockets into which the articles are inserted either from above between two bars or however laterally into the ends, which are open at that position, of the U-shaped pockets, must be of a correspondingly large vertical (and possibly also horizontal) depth. Then, between two adjacent bars on which the two ends of such a U-shaped pocket are suspended, a relatively long piece of material web hangs loosely down, forming the U-shaped loop.
As the material web must be relatively soft and flexible to protect and deal carefully with the articles to be transported or stored, with the material webs hanging down loosely the oppositely disposed web portions can relatively easily deform or form folds, which can have the result that the two portions of a U-shaped pocket, which form the limbs of the U-shape, bear against each other so that the corresponding pocket, at least at one of its ends or in parts of said ends, is no longer open and readily accessible. In many situations of use however loading and unloading of those apparatuses precisely from the end of the pockets is preferred in particular for the reason that, because of their size, the pockets have to be suspended at such a height in the corresponding frames or support stands that, when the support stand in question is simply standing on the ground or on a pallet, the pockets are accessible for the personnel loading or unloading the apparatuses, at the best from the side, that is to say from the ends of the pockets in question, and not from the top between the carrier bars.
If however the webs suffer deformation and come to bear against each other because of their flexibility, then at any event loading of such an apparatus is made considerably more difficult, because a person who then wants to insert an article into that pocket firstly has to open the pocket, that is to say that person has to separate from each other the portions which are bearing against each of the webs of material, in order to be able to insert an article into that pocket. That is particularly tiresome if the person needs both hands to support the article and introduce it into the pocket, which can then mean that the article firstly has to be put down, then the pocket in question has to be opened so that it is only after this that the article can be picked up again and inserted into the pocket, in which case the pocket can then independently close again if it is not specifically held open.
There is also the danger of damage or scratching occurring, when the article is being put down.
A further disadvantage of the known apparatus is that adjacent pockets each jointly use a respective suspension bar so that accordingly all U-shaped pockets are immediately adjacent and are connected together by virtue of the common material web from which they are formed. There is then practically no possibility of also arranging additional damping and packaging material between the pockets as in particular the web portions of adjacent pockets, which hang down over the same bar, generally bear directly against each other. Admittedly, those material webs could certainly be separated from each other, but that again requires additional handling operations.
The U-shaped pockets which are only suspended at their upper end also have the troublesome inclination to swing about for example when being transported in a truck or other wagon or carriage, in particular when heavy articles are accommodated in those pockets. Due to those swinging movements the pockets can knock against each other or also against the frame of the support stand, and that then, in spite of being covered by the web of material, can result in damage to the articles accommodated therein.
In comparison with that state of the art the object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus having the features set forth in the opening part of this specification, in which the loading and unloading procedure is simplified and nonetheless the other advantages of the known apparatuses are retained and the articles are also still accommodated in a well-protected or even better-protected manner.
That object is attained in that the U-shaped pockets are formed by two respective separate substantially parallel-extending material webs comprising the flexible material, wherein at least one respective additional connecting web of a flexible web material extends between the two material webs and is respectively connected substantially over the entire length thereof to the two adjacent separate material webs.
An essential difference in relation to the known apparatus therefore is that it is not for example a continuous material web that is suspended in a U-shape that forms the pocket in question, but there are provided two substantially flat webs of a flexible material, which are suspended at a spacing separately in relation to each other and which are then connected together by an additional connecting web so that the result in principle is a U-shape in a cross-section perpendicularly to the two parallel material webs and perpendicularly to the plane defined by the connecting web. In this case the parallel or perpendicularly downwardly hanging, separ
Conteyor Multibag Systems NV
Dunn Michael L.
Gordon Stephen T.
LandOfFree
Device for safe-keeping and transporting piece goods does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Device for safe-keeping and transporting piece goods, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Device for safe-keeping and transporting piece goods will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2990736