Receptacles – Freight containers
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-28
2001-10-09
Castellano, Stephen (Department: 3727)
Receptacles
Freight containers
C220S023870
Reexamination Certificate
active
06299008
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The technology described here generally relates to receptacles, and, more particularly, to freight containers and freight accommodations on freight carriers.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, the United States military establishment has rediscovered the importance of being able to safely and efficiently deploy equipment and supplies during foreign expeditions. For hazardous materials, U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,595 issued on Oct. 24, 1989 to Van Valkenburgh discloses a storage enclosure having a containment pan supported on a base frame to allow for visual inspection of the underside of the pan. U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,206 issued on Oct. 18, 1994, also to Van Valkenburgh, discloses another hazardous material storage enclosure with secondary containment shelves that are suspended from a sub-roof assembly.
U.S. Statutory Invention Registration H1477 issued on Sep. 5, 1995 to the present inventor discloses a mobile containment structure having a plurality of modular shelving units bolted to the floor of the structure for housing and storing cans of paint, drums of lubricant, and the like. U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,908 issued on Apr. 30, 1996 to Van Valkenburgh et al. (including the present inventor) discloses another mobile safety structure having a removable and grated floor which allows access to a containment pan underneath the floor. U.S. Pat. No. 5,735,739, issued to the present inventor and others on Apr. 7, 1998, discloses another mobile safety structure formed by tandem and/or stacked modular units. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,591 issued on Jul. 28, 1998 to the present inventor discloses yet another mobile safety structure with five compartments that are separated by fire-proof walls.
In addition to hazardous materials transport systems, a wide variety of other logistical support systems are now containerized in order to speed troop deployments. As shown in the patents noted above, the military uses a wide variety of specialized containers to not only transport various cargoes in compliance with national and international requirements, but also to store and secure this equipment in the theater of operations. Higher readiness requirements and more limited opportunities for the pre-positioning of military supplies in foreign countries also mean that many military units must store at least some of their supplies in these containers while they are stationed at home between deployments. Since this cargo is often pre-packaged into conventional cardboard boxes which are then stacked sided-to-side in end-loaded containers, the entire cargo must often be removed from the container and the boxes in order to locate just one particular item. The leftover boxes must then be collected and disposed of, or recycled, before the container can be reloaded with the remaining stores.
These and other logistical problems can be particularly troublesome for bulk items or “small stores.” In this regard, U.S. Pat. No. 4,860,913 to Bertolini discloses a cargo container fitted with a plurality of steel storage cabinets which are integrated into the structure of the container so as to maintain their position and shape when the container is subject to external forces during transportation. In particular, the cabinets are bolted to the side walls of the container, and to each other, with an aisle between them so that articles inside the cabinets can be accessed only by entering through doors at one end of the container, and then opening a particular drawer into the aisle. The cabinet drawers cannot be accessed from outside the container, nor can the cabinets be easily switched from one container to the next.
The subject matter of each of the patents discussed above is hereby incorporated by reference into the present disclosure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention described here addresses these and other drawbacks of conventional transport and storage systems by providing a device which may include various features, such as a cargo container, means for positioning at least one removable storage module inside the container, and means for releasably securing the positioned storage module to the container. The positioning means may include a socket, or other type of receptacle, for receiving at least a portion of the storage module, such as a foot of the module. The securing means may include a container securing fitting for engaging or clamping the storage module to the cargo container. Other quick-release mechanisms besides container securing fittings may also be used to secure the storage module to the cargo container.
The container securing fitting is preferably fixed to a bracket on the inside of the cargo container, and preferably on the floor of the cargo container, for removably engaging a corresponding bracket on the outside of the storage module, preferably on the bottom side of the storage module. Folding steps and/or other climbing aids may be arranged on at least one side of the cargo container for providing access to the roof of the container. In addition, a removable mezanine and/or stairs may be secured to the outside of the cargo container, preferably using container securing fittings or other quick release mechanisms to releasably secure these structures to corner fittings on the cargo container.
The invention also relates to a transport and storage device, including a cargo container and a door pivotally supported on the container by a hinge mounted on an inside surface of the door. The door is preferably arranged so that the hinge and “hinged edge” of the door nearest the hinge are arranged entirely inside the cargo container. The hinged edge of the door may include an angled projection arranged such that it is received by a concave lip in the container when the door is closed. In particular, the concave lip may be L-shaped so that the angled projection extends substantially perpendicular to the front surface face of the door, and preferably also extends along the entire height of the hinged edge of the door. A weather seal may be arranged between the projection and the L-shaped lip. In addition, the doors may be arranged to move in and out of the container when the door is open, such as by using rollers or slides on the doors which are fit into tracks mounted inside the container, or vice-versa.
The invention also relates to a transport and storage device including a cargo container having an unobstructed access opening and a pair of doors hinged to opposite edges of the access opening. At least one of these doors has an angled projection extending from its “free edge,” which is opposite the hinged edge, and the other of the doors has a concave, and preferably L-shaped, lip extending from its free edge for receiving the angled projection when the doors are closed. At least one of the doors may also include a second angled projection extending from the hinged edge of that door so that the concave and/or L-shaped lip on the cargo container receives the second angled projection when the doors are closed.
The cargo container and/or storage modules may also include various other features such as forklift openings and/or pockets, wheels, casters, shelves, racks, drawers, water stops, door stops, and shock-absorbing pads. The invention also relates to a method of efficiently packing and indexing the equipment and supplies of a military unit into certain storage modules and cargo containers.
REFERENCES:
patent: H1477 (1995-09-01), Payne
patent: 2439423 (1948-04-01), Fowler
patent: 2489024 (1949-11-01), Gaynor
patent: 2954003 (1960-09-01), Farrell et al.
patent: 3061134 (1962-10-01), Fesmire et al.
patent: 4052084 (1977-10-01), Propst
patent: 4122761 (1978-10-01), Westin et al.
patent: 4143588 (1979-03-01), Exler
patent: 4355723 (1982-10-01), Loeber
patent: 4726486 (1988-02-01), Masuda
patent: 4860913 (1989-08-01), Bertolini
patent: 4875595 (1989-10-01), Van Valkenburg
patent: 4976365 (1990-12-01), Seo
patent: 5052569 (1991-10-01), Cooper
patent: 5069352 (1991-12-01), Harbolt et al.
patent: 5186330 (1993-02-01), McClure
patent: 51917
Bacon & Thomas PLLC
BOH Environmental, LLC
Castellano Stephen
LandOfFree
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