Bracket For Gas Containers And Similar Tanks

Abstract

A bracket for rigidly supporting and mounting tanks, such as containers for compressed and liquefied gases such as refrigerant gases, fuel gases, and the like. The bracket is of simple sturdy construction permitting easy placement and removal of the gas container in the bracket. At the same time, the gas container is held securely so as to avoid vibration and noise. The bracket is made in a variety of sizes to accommodate gas containers of different sizes. One or more tanks may be mounted on a single support spaced either horizontally or vertically.

Parent Case Text

This application is a continuation-in-part of our copending application, Ser. No. 200,294, filed Nov. 19, 1971.

Description

This invention is directed to a bracket for mounting pressure containers for compressed and liquefied gases as, for example, refrigerant gases such as the fluorinated hydrocarbons sold under the brand names Freon and Daiflon; fuel gases such as propane, butane, liquefied petroleum gases, acetylene, and the like; oxygen; nitrogen; helium; etc., and similar tanks. Our aforesaid copending application discloses and claims a bracket especially designed for and adapted to the mounting of a spare container of refrigerant gas on over-the-road trucks and trailers, although it obviously is not so limited. That bracket comprises generally a longitudinal support plate, means for attaching the support plate to a mounting structure, as on a vehicle, a support ring secured to the support plate at one end thereof, that ring being adapted to engage the bottom end of a gas container, and a support collar secured to the support plate spaced from the support ring, that collar being adjustable and adapted to engage the top end of a gas container.

The present invention is directed to a simplified form of bracket requiring the use of only one ring or collar for supporting a single tank and especially adapted to the mounting of more than one tank, either vertically or horizontally, on a single support. It is common practice, for example, for certain repairmen to carry tanks of acetylene and oxygen in their trucks. These tanks are commonly restrained only by chains. At best they tend to be loosely held and jiggle and jounce noisily and dangerously with movement of the vehicle. Not infrequently such tanks come loose and fall in the roadway, often causing serious accidents.

The bracket of the present invention facilitates the secure and safe carrying of one or more containers of gas or similar tanks. Like its counterpart of our copending application, it is easily mounted on the truck, tractor or trailer. Containers may be easily placed in and removed from the bracket. While held in the bracket, the containers are rigid and free from vibration. Security devices may be included to prevent theft or other unauthorized removal of the gas container.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which the same numerals are used to identify corresponding parts and in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation showing a single support plate having two tank holding support rings or collars of different sizes with pressure gas containers of different sizes shown in broken lines and held therein;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary horizontal section on the line 2--2 of FIG. 1 and in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view, partly in section, showing details of construction of a single tank supporting ring or collar;

FIG. 4 is a front elevation thereof;

FIG. 5 is a vertical section on the line 5--5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a right end elevation of the collar or ring of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 (sheet 1) is a fragmentary horizontal section on an enlarged scale showing details of construction of the collar locking means; and

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary vertical section on an enlarged scale on the line 8--8 of FIG. 3 and in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawings, the bracket comprises an elongated rigid support plate, indicated generally at 10, the opposite ends 11 and 12 of which (FIG. 2) are bent inwardly at approximately right angles and then outwardly to form transverse flanges 13 and 14, respectively, which lie in a plane spaced from but generally parallel to the main body of the support plate. Flanges 13 and 14 are provided with appropriate holes 15 to permit mounting of the bracket by means of screws or bolts 16 to a structural member 17 which may be part of a truck or tractor or trailer or building, depending upon the particular environment in which the bracket is to be used. Plate 10 is desirably also provided with inwardly extending longitudinal flanges 18 and 19 for added strength and rigidity.

The bracket desirably also includes an elongated rigid support plate extender, indicated generally at 20, one end 21 of which is bent inwardly at approximately right angles and then outwardly to form transverse flange 22. The plate extender 20 is desirably also provided with parallel longitudinal side flanges 23 and 24. The plate extender is open at the end opposite from wall 21 and is adapted to telescopically embrace support plate 10 with side flanges 23 and 24 in sliding engagement with flanges 18 and 19, respectively, of support plate 10. When plate extender 20 overlies and embraces support plate 10 in the manner described, flange 22 lies in the same plane as flanges 13 and 14 for attachment to mounting surface 17 in the same manner.

Both support plate 10 and plate extender 20 are provided with a plurality of holes 25 disposed centrally along the longitudinal axis of the support plate and extender and equally spaced apart so as to be in registry, as best shown in FIG. 3, when the extender is positioned at predetermined positions relative to the support plate for mounting of support rings or collars on the composite bracket. The extender facilitates rigid mounting of a plurality of tanks on a single bracket. Although one extender is shown in telescopic relationship with one end of the support plate 10, obviously a further extender 20 may be similarly disposed with respect to the opposite end of support plate 10 if a bracket of additional length is needed.

Although the bracket is shown as being mounted horizontally on a vertical structural member, this is for purposes of illustration only. The bracket may be mounted horizontally either above or below a horizontal structural member, or vertically on a vertical structural member, or the like, depending upon circumstances. As shown, the plate end portions 11 and 12 and extender end portion 21 hold the main body of the support plate 10 and extender 20 spaced from the mounting surface 17 so as to permit adjustment to accommodate a number of rings or collars to support a plurality of gas containers of different diameters requiring different spacing.

Although available in a variety of sizes and shapes, the conventional pressurized gas container 26-27 is generally cylindrical. Some tanks are provided with a circular flange 28 welded or otherwise secured to the bottom of the tank to function as a base and a protective collar 29 or cap 30 welded or otherwise secured to the top of gas container to protect the gas dispensing valve against accidental damage.

Each tank is supported by a single tank-holding ring or collar, indicated generally at 31 and 31A, these differing only in diameter. Each such ring or collar is supported from the mounting plate 10 and/or extender 20 by means of a yoke comprising a base 32 and a pair of generally parallel spaced apart projecting arms 33. As best seen in FIG. 8, the yoke base 32 is provided with two pairs of centrally disposed holes 34, the holes of each pair being equally spaced by the same distance as the holes 25 in plate 10 and extender 20 and the center lines joining the holes of each pair being disposed at right angles to one another. This permits the collar 31 to be mounted with the longitudinal axis of the tank either parallel to or perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the support plate 10 and extender 20 by means of bolts 35 and nuts 36 or similar fastening means which engage one pair of holes 34 and one adjacent pair of holes 25.

The support collar 31 includes a fixed semi-circular portion 38 welded or otherwise rigidly secured to arms 33 and having an outwardly projecting ear 39, and a semi-circular movable portion 40 secured to the fixed portion 38 by means of hinge 41 and having an outwardly projecting ear 42. The segments 38-40 of the support collar 31 are preferably provided with a resilient linear or gasket 43 having cuff portions 44 extending over and around the top edges of collar portions 38 and 40. Gasket 43 is formed from natural or synthetic rubber or synthetic rubber-like plastic materials capable of maintaining their resilience through a wide range of temperatures and resistant to deterioration from sunlight and hydrocarbon fuels and oils, road dust, and the like, commonly encountered in travel on streets and highways. The gasket serves not only to help the collar tightly clamp the tank but also suppresses vibration and noise.

Ears 39 and 41 of the supporting collar 31 are secured together by means of a T-bolt 45, the head of which is embraced in the semi-circular channel of a fitting 46 welded or otherwise secured to the outside surface of ear 38. The elongated threaded shank of bolt 45 is fitted with a wing nut 47. Both ears 39 and 42 are provided with a horizontal slot 48 extending from the free end of the ears. The threaded shank of T-bolt 45 extends through both slots to permit limited pivotal movement of the bolt on a vertical axis to permit the bolt 45 and nut 47 to be swung free of ear 42 when the wing nut 47 is partially removed, in order to permit the support collar to be swung open, as seen in FIG. 3, to receive and discharge tanks.

The length of the shank of bolt 45 permits adjustment of the diameter of the collar to accommodate tanks of slightly different diameters. Alternative means by which the ears of the supporting collar 31 may be fastened together are described and illustrated in our aforesaid copending application, any of which may be utilized in the structure of this application. A hole 49 is desirably provided in each of ears 39 and 42 through which a bicycle lock or similar padlock may be inserted for maximum security to inhibit theft or other unauthorized removal of tanks from the support collars.

In use, the bracket is first mounted on a suitable support, whether on a vehicle or a fixed structure, by securing a support plate 10 alone or with one or two extenders 20 to the support structure. One or more supporting collars 31-31A in size and number as needed are secured to the support plate 10 and/or extenders at the appropriate spacings to accommodate the size of gas container to be supported in the bracket. The bracket may be disposed with either horizontal or vertical configuration as required. The support collar 31 is opened by loosening wing nut 47 and disengaging the shank of bolt 45 from slot 48 in ear 42. This permits the movable semi-circular portion 40 of the support collar to be swung on hinge 41 through an arc of 90 degrees or more.

In this manner, with the support collar 31 completely open, a gas container or similar tank may be easily positioned within the collar. Then the movable portion 40 of the collar is swung around into place and tightened by pivotal movement of bolt 45 into slot 48 of ear 42 and tightening of wing nut 47 until the wing nut tightly engages ear 42 and the container is rigidly and securely held within the support collar. The gas container is removed with equal ease by merely reversing the installation procedure.

Because of the resiliency of the gasket 43 and the length of bolt 45, the tank is tightly and rigidly held in spite of minor variations from individual tank to tank of a particular size. Because the gas container is rigidly and securely held, it is of relatively little importance whether it is mounted with its longitudinal axis vertical, horizontal or diagonal. The support collar may obviously be mounted to open in the direction most convenient dependent upon the particular circumstances under which it is used.

It is apparent that many modifications and variations of this invention as hereinbefore set forth may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. The specific embodiments described are given by way of example only and the invention is limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A device for supporting containers of gas under pressure and similar tanks, which device comprises:

A. a support collar comprising:

1. a pair of semi-circular members, one of said members being adapted to be rigidly attached to a mounting structure;

2. hinge means pivotally connecting said members at one end;

3. an outwardly projecting ear at the other end of each of said members;

4. fastening and adjustment means carried by at least one of said ears whereby the free ends of both of said members may be secured together and the diameter of the collar may be varied; and

5. a resilient gasket lining the inside surfaces of said collar; and

B. means for attachment of the support collar to a mounting structure, said attachment means comprising:

1. a yoke, said yoke having

a. a base, and

b. a pair of arms projecting from said base and rigidly secured to one of the semi-circular members of said support collar intermediate of the ends thereof,

2. two pairs of holes centrally disposed in the base of said yoke, the center line connecting the holes of one pair being at right angles relative to the center line connecting the holes of the other pair, the spacing between the holes of each pair being equal.

2. A device according to claim 1 further characterized in that said fastening and adjustment means includes an externally threaded member carried by one of said ears and an internally threaded member engageable therewith and with said other ear.

3. A device according to claim 1 further characterized in that security means are provided whereby said ears may be locked together.

4. A device according to claim 1 further characterized in that said means for attachment also includes:

A. a rigid elongated support plate;

B. transverse flanges at opposite ends of said plate; and

C. a plurality of equally spaced holes aligned longitudinally along said plate, said holes being engageable by fastening means, the spacing between said holes being the same as the spacing between the holes of the base of said yoke.

5. A device for supporting containers of gas under pressure and similar tanks, which device comprises:

A. a mounting structure including:

1. a rigid elongated support plate;

2. transverse flanges at opposite ends of said plate;

3. a plurality of equally spaced holes aligned longitudinally along said plate, said holes being engageable by fastening means,

4. a rigid elongated extender plate partially overlying said support plate;

5. a transverse flange at one end of said extender plate;

6. a plurality of equally spaced holes aligned longitudinally along said extender plate, the spacing between said holes being the same as the spacing between the holes of said support plate, said holes being in registry;

7. fastening means extending through at least one adjacent pair of holes in said support plate and extender; and

8. a pair of parallel longitudinal side flanges on said extender plate engaging the opposite side edges of said support plate in telescopic relationship therewith;

B. a support collar comprising:

1. a pair of semi-circular members, one of said members being rigidly attached to said mounting structure;

2. hinge means pivotally connecting said members at one end;

3. an outwardly projecting ear at the other end of each of said members;

4. fastening and adjustment means carried by at least one of said ears whereby the free ends of both of said members may be secured together and the diameter of the collar may be varied; and

5. a resilient gasket lining the inside surfaces of said collar; and

C. means for attachment of the support collar to said mounting structure, said attachment means comprising:

1. a yoke, said yoke having

a. a base, and

b. a pair of arms projecting from said base and rigidly secured to one of the semi-circular members of said support collar intermediate of the ends thereof,

2. two pairs of holes are provided in the base of said yoke, the center line connecting the holes of one pair being at right angles relative to the center line connecting the holes of the other pair, the spacing between said holes being the same as the spacing between the holes of said support plate and extender, and

3. fastening means extending through at least one adjacent pair of holes in said yoke and said mounting structure.

6. A device for supporting containers of gas under pressure and similar tanks, which device comprises:

A. a mounting structure including:

1. a rigid elongated support plate;

2. transverse flanges at opposite ends of said plate; and

3. a plurality of equally spaced holes aligned longitudinally along said plate, said holes being engageable by fastening means;

B. a support collar comprising:

1. a pair of semi-circular members, one of said members being rigidly attached to said mounting structure;

2. hinge means pivotally connecting said members at one end;

3. an outwardly projecting ear at the other end of each of said members;

4. fastening and adjustment means carried by at least one of said ears whereby the free ends of both of said members may be secured together and the diameter of the collar may be varied; and

5. a resilient gasket lining the inside surfaces of said collar; and

C. means for attachment of the support collar to said mounting structure, said attachment means comprising:

1. a yoke, said yoke having

a. a base, and

b. a pair of arms projecting from said base and rigidly secured to one of the semi-circular members of said support collar intermediate of the ends thereof;

2. two pairs of holes are provided in the base of said yoke, the center line connecting the holes of one pair being at right angles relative to the center line connecting the holes of the other pair, the spacing between said holes being the same as the spacing between the holes of said support plate; and

3. fastening means extending through at least one adjacent pair of holes in said support plate and the base of said yoke.