Buckles – buttons – clasps – etc. – Freight container to freight container fastener
Reexamination Certificate
2002-09-03
2004-04-27
Moy, Joseph Man-Fu (Department: 3727)
Buckles, buttons, clasps, etc.
Freight container to freight container fastener
C410S082000, C220S023400
Reexamination Certificate
active
06725507
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to an interconnector for joining adjacent freight containers together.
Freight containers are rectangular box-like structures and usually have heavy duty corner fittings (rectangular in cross section) welded in position at each of the eight corners of the structure. To allow adjacent containers to be coupled together (horizontally and/or vertically), the corner fittings are provided with elongated apertures which are parallel sided (or nearly so), and which have curved ends, and through such apertures can be taken the clamping heads of fixing devices which are used to join two containers together.
The corner fittings usually have one large aperture in a top or bottom face of the fitting (depending upon whether the fitting is in the top or bottom side of the container), and two smaller apertures on two adjacent sides of the fitting. The large aperture is used to allow two containers to be stacked on above the other, and clamping for fixing devices (usually known as “stackers”) are taken through the bottom aperture of the uppermost corner fitting and the top aperture of the lowermost corner fitting (of an overlying pair of corner fittings), and then the devices are tightened in order to clamp together a pair of overlying corner fittings together in a rigid and shake-proof manner.
Horizontally adjacent containers can be clamped together using clamping devices (usually known as interconnectors), taken through the facing apertures of two adjacent corner fittings. Containers, e.g. mini containers, can be clamped together to form an ISO standard assembled container module, and while the connection needs to be robustly constructed (to withstand shear, bending, compression and tensile loads to which it may be subjected in service), a certain amount of “play” in the engagement between each interconnector and the two corner fittings can be tolerated.
However, despite this permitted tolerance, there can in practice be handling/operating problems as a result of small misalignments in the initial securement of the corner fittings on the corners of each outer wall of the container. Thus, the corner fittings are welded in position at the junction between each horizontal and vertical outer frame component or “rail”, and it is necessary, as far as possible, to ensure that each outer face of a fitting is parallel, or substantially so, to the outer wall of the container which it is adjacent to.
It is important therefore to maintain the faces substantially parallel, because any appreciable deviation makes it difficult to pass the clamping heads (of the interconnector) through the apertures, and especially makes it difficult to rotate the heads to, or from the clamping position (clamping heads usually are rotated through approximately 90° to clamp or unclamp the fitting).
Therefore, official design tolerances are set for assembly of corner fittings according to ISO standard 1161, and which equates, in rough terms, to tolerances of ±1° relative to strict parallel set-ups. However, even the setting of such an exacting standard (bearing in mind the environment in which welding of a corner fitting will take place), can cause operating problems in clamping/unclamping with use of existing designs of interconnector.
One known type of interconnector will now be described with reference to
FIGS. 1 and 2
of the accompanying drawings.
Referring to
FIG. 1
, this shows in perspective illustration an assembly of four mini containers, clamped together side by side to form a standard 20 foot ISO module. The assembled module therefore comprises a 20 foot ISO shipping container which can easily be handled by all conventional equipment.
To allow the coupled together assembly of mini containers to be handled satisfactorily as a 20 foot composite module, it is desirable to minimise the sag of the coupled unit. To achieve this, the clearance at each connector is normally kept to less than 1 mm.
FIG. 2
is a plan view of a typical standard design of interconnector, joining together two facing corner fittings of two adjacent containers.
FIGS. 2
a
and
2
b
are plan and end elevation views of the standard interconnector, with
FIG. 2
a
showing the interconnector in an intermediate position of adjustment of the clamping heads, in plan view, and
FIG. 2
b
showing this in end view.
FIG. 2
shows the typical standard interconnector attached to a corner fitting which is misaligned up to the maximum “out of square” setting which is permitted under the ISO standard 1161. This gives rise to taking-up all of the clearance built into the system, and makes it very difficult to lock and unlock the assembly, as will be discussed in more detail below.
FIG. 2
a
is a plan view of the interconnector, and
FIG. 2
b
is an end view, and this shows an actuator stem
40
projecting radially outwardly of actuator shaft
41
, which is housed within a two part housing
42
, having two housing parts clamped together by bolts, as shown. At each end of the actuator shaft
41
there is a respective clamping head
43
, and adjacent to each clamping head
43
is a respective shear block
44
.
To couple the interconnector with a corner fitting, the actuator shaft must be manipulated so that one of the clamping heads
43
and the adjacent shear block
44
have their opposed sides parallel to each other, and parallel also to the vertical side edges of the side entrance aperture in the corner fitting. This adjusted assembly of clamping head and shear block then can enter the entrance aperture, and the clamping head
43
is then located internally of the corner fitting. This will correspond to load position
1
. The actuator stem
40
then moves from load position
1
to load position
2
as shown, which rotates the clamping head
43
already located within the corner fitting, and at the same time rotates the opposite clamping head
43
so that it is in alignment with its shear block
44
, so that this adjusted assembly can then be presented to the corner fitting of an adjacent container, and with the clamping head then entering the corner fitting. Further rotation of the actuator stem
40
to the locked position shown in
FIG. 2
b
, then results in both clamping heads
43
being fully clamped within their respective corner fittings.
Referring now to
FIG. 2
again, this shows the housing
42
located between the two corner fittings, and making contact, substantially without clearance, with the outer faces of the corner fittings. However, in the case of permitted design tolerance under ISO standard 1161, there will be contact point A along the right hand side of the housing, with the right hand corner fitting, and with a clearance shown by reference C. However, on the left hand side of the housing, there remains substantially continuous contact with the left hand corner fitting i.e. there is no clearance. There is also corresponding internal contact between clamping head
43
and the right hand corner fitting, as shown at contact point B. This is an indication of what will arise when a corner fitting has been assembled according to ISO standard 1161, and being 1.5 mm “out of square”. In such even, rotation of the right hand clamping head to and from the clamping position involves substantial frictional contact, and makes it a difficult operation.
As will be described with reference to the preferred embodiments, design provision is deliberately made to set a clearance between the right hand and left hand sides of the housing, and the facing sides of the adjacent corner fittings.
According to the invention there is provided an interconnector for joining an adjacent pair of freight containers together in side by side, or end to end manner with corner fittings on the two containers facing each other in pairs to be coupled togther via a respective interconnector, each corner fitting having an outer face provided with an entry aperture which has a pair of opposed parallel, or substantially parallel edges on opposite sides of a longitudinal axis of the aperture, in which the interconnector comprises:
a rotatable actuator shaf
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