System for shipping products and stabilizing them from shifting sidewise on vehicle

A system for shipping product on a vehicle comprising a series of rectangular containment elements surrounding a plurality of products thus together constituting a plurality of units with a T-shaped support positioned between each of the containment elements and thus stabilizing the units and preventing sidewise shifting.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Problems have arisen in stabilizing loads on flatbed vehicles when shipping 
stacked product. In particular, difficulties have been encountered in 
shipping vinyl siding on flatbed trucks. Vinyl siding normally is shipped 
in cardboard boxes containing 24 pieces of siding, the boxes being 
approximately 131/2 inches wide, 5 inches high, and 12 feet 6 inches long. 
Attempts have been made to stabilize such boxes of vinyl siding by 
stacking them in units that are four units wide and seven units high and 
containing them with wooden frameworks, preferably reinforced at the 
corners with metal L-shaped brackets. Such formed units may be stacked two 
high, two wide on a flatbed truck, and up to a total of six units may be 
conveniently thus carried when strapped down. However, the loads tend to 
shift even when so secured creating a traffic hazard in that a truck could 
lose a part of its load and also increasing costs since trucks have to 
stop and reload or reposition the units. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The invention involves the use of an additional element which provides 
stability to the entire load and eliminates dangerous and uneconomical 
problems associated with the current state of the art. This is done merely 
by utilizing three strategically positioned T-shaped elements to engage 
some of the containment elements on the units. 
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a new system for 
shipping product on a vehicle which employs a simple, cheap T-shaped 
member in combination with conventional shipping containment units to 
provide a stable system that prevents loads from shifting. 
These, together with other objects and advantages of the invention will 
become more readily apparent to those skilled in the art when the 
following general statements and descriptions are read in the light of the 
appended drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Referring now more particularly to FIG. 1, the conventional type of 
technique in use prior to applicant's invention is shown. For illustration 
purposes only, the product 10 being shipped comprises cardboard containers 
of vinyl sidewall approximately 50".times.34".times.12' 6" in size. As 
shown, there are four of the product 10 stacked seven high and contained 
in wooden elements 11--11 completely surrounding each stack. Usually 
approximately five such wooden containment elements 11--11 are needed for 
each 28 groups of product 10. As shown, containment units 11--11 are 
reinforced at their corners by L-shaped brackets 12. Even though held down 
by straps 13--13 connected to tie downs 14--14 on the flatbed truck frame 
15, the load tends to shift laterally and longitudinally, as shown in FIG. 
1, with the attendant disadvantages described above. 
Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a T-shaped member 16 having an 
upstanding U-shaped horizontal member 17 provided with upstanding channel 
members 18--18. The horizontal member 17 is welded to vertical member 19 
provided on at least one side with parallel upstanding channel members 
20--20. Preferably the joint formed between the horizontal member 17 and 
the vertical member 19 has welded thereto a reinforcing T-shaped member 
21. This unit may be made of C.times.6.7 steel channel or C5.times.9.0 
steel channel. Aluminum 6061-T6 channel, and HC-7, HC-18, and HC 23 could 
be used in place of steel. Plastic polycarbonate could also be used to 
form the unit through injection molding. The units 17 and 19 are of a size 
to receive the wooden members 11--11. The channel members 18--18 and 
20--20 should not greatly exceed the thickness of the members 11--11 in 
either direction. 
Referring now to FIG. 3, the T-bar unit 16 comprising horizontal member 17 
and vertical member 19 are positioned on the flatbed truck body 15 so that 
they are approximately midway between four sets of units composed of the 
28 groups of product 10 surrounded by the wooden containment elements 
11--11. Usually there are five such containment elements 11--11 
equi-spaced along said 28 groups of product 10. 
It will be seen that the horizontal member 17 engages a portion of the 
lower containment element of adjacently positioned groups of product 10 by 
fitting containment element 11 in between upstanding channel members 
18--18. Similarly, at least one of the corresponding vertical elements 
11--11 engage the vertical member 19 by fitting between channel members 
20--20. 
Utilizing the dimensions described above for packages of vinyl siding, a 
maximum of 12 groups of 28 may be loaded on a conventional flatbed truck 
using three T-shaped supports 16 positioned in the middle of each group. 
It will be noted that the length of vertical member 19 is long enough so 
that it extends upwardly and engages containment elements 11--11 
surrounding one of the upper 28 groups of product 10. 
Surprisingly with the mere inner positioning of three such T-shaped 
supports 16 there has been no vertical, horizontal, or longitudinal 
movement of product 10 shipped in this manner. Furthermore, the L-shaped 
brackets 12 may be omitted. 
While this invention has been described in its preferred embodiment, it is 
to be appreciated that variations therefrom may be made without departing 
from the true scope and spirit of the invention.