Expanded – threaded – driven – headed – tool-deformed – or locked-thr – Headed fastener element with nut – washer – securing means or cap – Headed fastener element with securing means and biasing spring
Patent
1989-09-15
1991-11-05
Lindsey, Rodney M.
Expanded, threaded, driven, headed, tool-deformed, or locked-thr
Headed fastener element with nut, washer, securing means or cap
Headed fastener element with securing means and biasing spring
411552, 24287, F16B 2100
Patent
active
050627520
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a container coupling device for coupling containers piled one upon another.
BACKGROUND ART
It is a common practice to transport by ship a lot of containers put one upon another in a plurality of tiers. If containers are simply piled one upon another, they may fall owing to the rolling of ship. To prevent the fall of containers, upper and lower containers are usually coupled together by use of coupling devices.
As one example of such prior art coupling devices, there is known one which comprises a body having an upper portion adapted to be detachably fitted in an engaging hole formed in a bottom corner of the upper container, an insertion shank provided on the underside of the body and insertable into an engaging hole formed in a top corner of the lower container, and an engaging body provided on the underside of the insertion shank. After inserting the insertion shank into the engaging hole, the engaging body is provided to bring both ends of the engaging body, which protrude outwardly from both sides of the insertion shank, into engagement with the peripheral wall of an opening at the lower side of the engaging hole.
With this coupling device, a shaft provided on the top surface of the engaging body is inserted into an insertion hole formed in the body of the coupling device, a lever coupled to the shaft is inserted in a lever insertion hole opening to one side of the body of the coupling device and elongated in the transverse direction, and then the engaging body is pivoted by controlling the lever. This means that the lever has to be necessarily turned when coupling the upper and lower containers together. Thus the coupling of containers was an extremely troublesome task.
Moreover, there is a fear that the engaging body, which is held in an engaged position, might pivot to a disengaged position owing to rolling and vibration during transportation. Thus the reliability of coupling is low.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a container coupling device which obviates the above-mentioned shortcomings and which makes it possible to couple upper and lower containers together easily by dropping the lower portion of the coupling device into an engaging hole formed in the lower container with the upper portion of the coupling device engaged in an engaging hole formed in the upper container.
In order to attain the above object, with the coupling device according to the present invention, there is provided a lever-operated turn restrictor mechanism which serves to lock an engaging body provided on the bottom surface of an insertion shank in such a position that both of its sides, at the rear portion thereof with respect to the direction of rotation toward a locking position, protrude from both sides of the insertion shank and to release the above-mentioned locking action when a turning torque in a locking direction acts on the engaging body. The engaging body is formed with tapered surfaces on both sides thereof at the upper rear portion with, respect to the direction of rotation toward the locking position and at the lower portion. A spring is mounted in the body of the coupling device to turn the engaging body toward the locking direction.
To couple together the containers piled one upon another, the body of the coupling device is mounted to the upper container suspended from a crane or the like by engaging its upper portion in an engaging hole formed in a bottom corner of the container. Then the container is lowered onto the lower container placed in position beforehand so as to let the engaging body drop into an engaging hole formed in the lower container. Thus by the abutment between the inner periphery of the engaging hole and the tapered surfaces formed on the lower part of the engaging body, a turning torque in the locking direction will be imparted to the engaging body. The locking action will be released by the turning torque, thus allowing the engaging body to turn in the locking direction biased
REFERENCES:
patent: 2364288 (1944-12-01), Haggerty
patent: 2503305 (1950-04-01), Storer
patent: 2972175 (1961-02-01), Abolins
patent: 3568263 (1971-03-01), Meehan
patent: 3691595 (1972-09-01), Backteman et al.
patent: 3718218 (1973-02-01), Shields
patent: 3753272 (1973-08-01), Laidley
patent: 3933390 (1976-01-01), Barrett et al.
patent: 4293984 (1981-10-01), Kaufmann, Jr.
patent: 4782561 (1988-11-01), Hayama
patent: 4827609 (1989-05-01), Kawecki
Lindsey Rodney M.
Taiyo Seiki Iron Works Co., Ltd.
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