U.S. patent application number 10/501783 was filed with the patent office on 2004-12-30 for self-locking, self-adjusting receptacles, particularly containers.
Invention is credited to Hase, Stephan.
Application Number | 20040262308 10/501783 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 5648343 |
Filed Date | 2004-12-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040262308 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hase, Stephan |
December 30, 2004 |
Self-locking, self-adjusting receptacles, particularly
containers
Abstract
The invention relates to receptacles and, in particular,
containers. Conventional receptacles (containers) have the drawback
in that the locking together of stacked containers has to be, up to
now, carried out manually thus resulting in the workers in the
harbor and on the ship being exposed to a considerable safety risk.
In addition, it is left to the skill of the crane operator of
exactly stacking the containers (C1, C2, C3, C4) next to or atop
one other. Adjusting devices for this do not exist. The aim of the
invention is to provide a receptacle (container), which is equipped
so that it can be horizontally locked with other like receptacles
(containers) without manual action and which simultaneously enables
an exact positioning of the container on the provided space. To
this end, the invention provides that the receptacle comprises, on
its outer surfaces, means such as U-shaped guide rails (24), which
engage in like means of adjacent receptacles, exactly position the
container in its location, and which horizontally lock the
receptacles (C1, C2, C3, C4) to one another.
Inventors: |
Hase, Stephan; (Sinntal,
DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Robert W Becker & Associates
Suite B
707 Highway 66 East
Tijeras
NM
87059
US
|
Family ID: |
5648343 |
Appl. No.: |
10/501783 |
Filed: |
July 16, 2004 |
PCT Filed: |
January 19, 2002 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/DE02/00168 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/23.4 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 90/0026 20130101;
B65D 90/0006 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/023.4 |
International
Class: |
A47G 019/00 |
Claims
1-5. Cancelled
6. A receptacle, comprising: four vertical outer sides; and means
disposed on said outer sides, wherein said means are adapted to
engage in like means of an adjacent receptacle, and wherein said
means serve to position said receptacle in a defined manner
relative to at least one adjacent receptacle and to horizontally
interlock said receptacles.
7. A receptacle according to claim 6, wherein said means are
disposed in corner regions of said receptacle.
8. A receptacle according to claim 7, wherein said means are
U-shaped, hook-shaped, or bent-round guide rails.
9. A receptacle according to claim 6, wherein said means are
provided with upper sections that are beveled in a manner sloping
inwardly from the outside.
10. A receptacle according to claim 6, wherein at least a portion
of said means is provided with lower sections that are beveled in a
manner sloping inwardly from the outside and/or outwardly from the
inside.
Description
[0001] The invention relates to self-locking, self-adjusting
receptacles and, in particular, containers. It is, however, equally
applicable to all receptacles, of any size and shaping, on the
outer walls of which hollow bodies are provided for receiving
locking devices. The invention will be explained in more detail
below using the example of a container.
[0002] Nowadays, freight is transported worldwide mainly by using
standardized containers. The containers are set down at the loading
point, loaded up there, then loaded onto a vehicle (road or rail
vehicle), if necessary taken to a harbor or airport where they are
loaded onto a ship or into an aircraft, then locked and moored
(lashed) to other containers for secure transportation, loaded onto
a vehicle again at the arrival point, taken to the destination and
unloaded there.
[0003] Transport logistics require both safe and quick loading and
unloading of such containers, and the equipment employed must be
capable of picking up containers of different dimensions,
transporting them or locking them. Containers have, in their upper
and lower corner regions, respective hollow bodies which possess
oval openings on their outwardly directed sides. Locking devices of
container spreaders or overheight frames can be introduced into
these oval openings, these locking devices having end regions
(twist locks), the dimensions of which are smaller than the oval
openings in the hollow bodies. As soon as the twist locks are
introduced into the hollow bodies, they are mechanically twisted,
so that the container is locked to the container spreader or the
overheight frame and can be transported. On lifting, the upper side
of the twist lock then comes to bear on the underside of the top
wall of the hollow body.
[0004] It is problematic in particular when a plurality of
containers stacked above and/or beside one another have to be
locked together, as is necessary in particular with shiploads. In
this case, the locking is carried out manually by locking together
containers arranged above and/or beside one another by means of
connecting and locking elements. This is time-consuming and
dangerous owing to the risk of injury when attaching the connecting
and locking elements.
[0005] It is known, for example from DE 100 42 458 and from DE 101
04 067, to lock together receptacles (containers) stacked above one
another by means of an automatic locking system, it also being
possible to transport a plurality of receptacles (containers)
locked together in this way as a block.
[0006] The problem of vertical locking is thus satisfactorily
solved.
[0007] It is therefore the object of the present invention to
provide a receptacle which is equipped so that it can be
horizontally locked to other receptacles of the same kind without
manual action and at the same time occupies a defined position in
relation to the adjacent containers of the same kind.
[0008] This object is achieved with the features of claim 1. As a
result, it is possible to lock together mechanically containers
arranged beside and above one another, without manual action being
necessary. At the same time, the container to be set down is
adjusted in relation to the containers already set down, by a
device in accordance with Subclaims 4 and 5, so that the container
to be set down is positioned in a defined manner in relation to the
adjacent containers.
[0009] The achievement of the object in accordance with claim 1
comprises attaching to the outer sides of the containers means, for
example guide rails, which engage in corresponding guide rails of
adjacent containers and, because containers are set down from above
downwards, bring about interengagement of the respective guide
rails and in the process horizontal locking.
[0010] An essential advantage of the invention is that the hitherto
customary manual locking and lashing is dispensed with and thus the
risk of injury to the workers in the harbor or on the ship is
minimized. In addition, considerable savings are thereby made in
terms of personnel, time and thus costs.
[0011] The means, that is to say for example the guide rails, can
be U-shaped, hook-shaped or bent round. Any shape enabling
interengagement of the means of adjacent containers is
conceivable.
[0012] If the means, that is to say for example the guide rails,
are bevelled in a manner sloping from the outside inwards in their
upper and/or lower end regions, the guide rails of the respective
containers have play in relation to one another, so that they can
adjust by themselves in relation to one another. As a result,
marshalling becomes simpler for the crane operator, since he no
longer has to effect the exact positioning of the containers
relative to one another from a distance from his cab, but is
assisted in this by the means on the outer sides of the
containers.
[0013] The invention will be explained below with the aid of some
exemplary embodiments, although the subject-matter of the invention
is in no way limited to these exemplary embodiments.
[0014] In the drawings,
[0015] FIG. 1 shows a plan view of several containers horizontally
locked together;
[0016] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an outer locking
device;
[0017] FIG. 3 shows, in the viewing direction A, an outer locking
device with bevelled corners;
[0018] FIG. 4 shows the outer locking devices of two containers
with bevelled corners during the locking procedure.
[0019] FIG. 1 shows, in a detail, several containers C1, C2, C3 and
C4 arranged behind and beside one another, with container corners 2
which have in their upper and lower end regions locking housings
21, so-called corner castings, with oval openings 211. The
containers are locked together by outer locking devices 24. These
outer locking devices 24 are of U-shaped design in this example and
are open in the inner region, so that the outer locking device 24
of an adjacent container can be passed completely through the
locking device. The transporting and setting-down procedure always
takes place from above downwards, so that, once a container has
been set down in its position, the next container is positioned
from above beside the first container. During this procedure, the
outer locking device of the second container can engage in the
locking device of the first container, so that not only locking
takes place, but the second container can also be guided and thus
put exactly in its place. If a plurality of containers below one
another are being transported and if they are to be put beside a
plurality of containers already stacked, the outer locking device
of the lowermost container being transported can be introduced into
the outer locking device of the uppermost stacked container and
passed through, in order then to be introduced into the outer
locking device of the next-lower stacked container, and so on. A
space-saving and at the same time exact arrangement of the
containers is thereby made possible.
[0020] The outer locking devices can be attached to the side parts
of the containers. Advantageously, they are fastened to the
container corners, as illustrated in FIG. 1.
[0021] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an outer locking device
24 fastened to a container corner 2 or integrally connected to it.
The locking device 24 is positioned at the container corner 2 such
that access to the oval openings of the corner casting is not
obstructed. The same applies to the corner casting in the lower end
region of the container corner, not illustrated in FIG. 2.
[0022] In FIG. 3, illustrated from the viewing direction A
indicated in FIG. 2, an outer locking device 24 with corners
bevelled from the outside inwards can be seen. The outer locking
device comprises a long leg 241, a transverse leg 242 and a short
leg 243. All three legs are bevelled in a manner sloping from the
outside inwards in the region of their upper end. The short leg 243
can be additionally bevelled in the region of its part-area 243',
in order to facilitate the introduction of the outer locking device
24" of the further container.
[0023] FIG. 4, finally, shows an outer locking device 24 from the
perspective according to FIG. 3, in which the outer locking device
24" of a further container wishes to engage. From this perspective,
only the outer wall of the transverse leg 242" can be seen. The
hidden legs 241" and 243" are therefore illustrated in dashed
lines. It is discernible that the short leg 243" has, in the region
of its lower end, both a bevel a sloping from the outside inwards
and a bevel b sloping from the inside outwards. This facilitates
the sliding of the short leg 243" into the interior of the outer
locking device 24, which interior is bounded by the insides of the
legs 241, 242 and 243. It is discernible that the width of the
short leg 243" is less than the width of the inner wall of the
transverse leg 242. The short leg 243" thus has play when sliding
into the outer locking device 24. As a result of the fact that the
upper regions of the legs 241, 242 and 243 are bevelled in a manner
sloping from the outside inwards, and that the lower end of the
short leg 243" is likewise bevelled, there is enough freedom of
movement, even in the rough transport business, for the outer
locking device 24" to slide into the outer locking device 24.
[0024] Since the outer locking devices are made of hardened steel,
for example of V2A steel, there is no fear of them being damaged
when transporting the containers and during setting down or
marshalling. This applies particularly when they are formed
integrally or monolithically with the container corners.
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