Abstract:
A system for the shipment of less than a full load in a secured collapsible sub-container from the shipper&#39;s location to a first central hub for combination with other partial shipments to make a full load for transfer to a second hub and ultimate delivery to a destination. The sub-container being readily foldable for storage in a full load freight container without taking up freight carrying capacity.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention is in the field of the shipment of goods and more particularly to the shipment of smaller items such as parcels. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Surface freight is normally shipped in increments of full trailer or full sea sub-container amounts particularly if shipping is contracted to a carrier to maintain “positive control” over the shipment. Positive control requires a verification process to determine if the shipment has been tampered with. For example, positive control shipping by truck requires that the trailer be sealed once the items have been loaded. For less than full trailer loads, however, the carrier normally picks up the freight at the shipper&#39;s site and takes it to a hub where it may be combined with other shipments to make a full load. This presents a major problem to smaller shippers and shippers of parcels such as the major parcel shippers such as UPS or Federal Express who require positive control over their shipments. 
     In the case of less than full truck load shipments under positive control it is not possible to add other shipment increments to fill the trailer because it is sealed and the shipper must pay for a full load even though the shipment is less than a full load. This presents a cost problem even to the major parcel shippers who contract out their surface shipments and who require positive control. In addition, the system may be unbalanced, that is for the return trip the trailer may be empty of freight, however, pallets and containers for bulk items must be repositioned to the originating hub. This raises the cost of shipping since the cost of the return trip is passed on to the shipper. 
     Shipping containers for bulk items and parcels are normally large and bulky and make the return trip for relocation of the empty containers expensive and inconvenient. To overcome this, collapsible shipping containers have been designed to reduce the space necessary to ship the containers back to a hub for reuse. These containers may require special tools and hardware to erect the container and are expensive or may be heavy and difficult to handle without the need for mechanical assistance, such as a fork lift. 
     Accordingly there is a need for a hub to hub shipping system that can be operated efficiently and inexpensively for the shipment of bulk items and parcels with positive control even in less than full trailer increments. 
     DEFINITIONS 
     As used herein the term “hub and spoke” refers to a transportation network that a utilizes central point (hub) to collect and sort small shipments from various origin locations (spoke) for combination into a full trailer van or sea container load for shipment to a receiving hub at which the smaller shipments are separated for delivery to their destination. 
     “Full Load” refers to a shipment of items the fills the capacity of a full load freight container such as a trailer van or sea container. 
     The term “sub-container” refers to a smaller container for shipments in increments of less than a full load (LTL) for a trailer van or sea container. The sub-container is combined with other LTL increments to make up a full load. 
     “Positive Control” refers to the ability to secure the individual LTL shipment from its origin to its destination. 
     “Sub-Container System” (SCS) refers to a transportation network utilizing sub-containers to make up full loads while maintaining positive control 
     “Unbalanced” refers to a transportation network in which trips carrying full loads are moved in one direction while return trips are empty or only partially loaded. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly it is an object of the invention to provide a balanced system for hub and spoke shipping. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a system for the shipment of less than a full load from the shipper&#39;s location to a first hub for combination with other shipments to make a full load for transfer to a second hub and ultimate delivery to a destination. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a system for hub and spoke shipping that provides security and positive control over less than a full load. 
     Another object is to provide a system utilizing collapsible sub-containers for hub and spoke shipping that are light weight, inexpensive and is convenient to erect and collapse. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a system utilizing sub-containers for hub and spoke shipping the can be loaded and off loaded in the origin and destination facilities. 
     Yet another object is to provide a system utilizing sub-containers that can be collapsed and stowed on a trailer van or sea container without substantially reducing the freight capacity of the trailer van or sea container so they can be shipped back to the origin without loss of a payload. 
     In accordance with the invention a system for hub and spoke shipping is described in which the item or items to be shipped in less than full load increments are loaded into a collapsible sub-container at the origin facility and the sub-container is sealed at the origin location. The sub-container is shipped to a first hub for combination with other sub-containers or LTL increments to make a full load. The full load is shipped to a second hub where the full load is broken down for delivery of the sub-container to its destination location. 
     The sub-container is defined by a floor, top, front, rear and side panels to form an enclosure for containing items to be shipped. In a preferred embodiment the panels comprise light weight frame members over which is laid a flexible but tough material. The panels may also comprise a composite material or a closed cell foam such as expanded polypropylene, for added strength. The side panels are pivotally attached to the floor for folding and nesting thereon when the sub-container is collapsed. The rear, top and front panels can be pivotally joined for folding together and nesting on a folded side wall when the sub-container is collapsed. Alternatively the rear, top and front panels can be defined by a single sheet of a tough, flexible material that is secured at one edge to the rear edge of the floor and which can be rolled up or folded when the sub-container is collapsed or by sheets of the tough, flexible material removably secured the light weight frame members forming the side panels. Industrial zippers secure the panels together when the sub-container is erected. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a flow diagram illustrating a hub and spoke shipping system in accordance with the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a trailer van partially broken away showing it being loaded with erected sub-containers and having collapsed sub-containers stowed along one sidewall; 
         FIG. 3  is an isometric view of a sub-container in accordance with the invention illustrating one embodiment where the rear, top and front panels are formed of a single sheet of material and top and front panels have not been completely covered; 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of the sub-container of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is an isometric view of a sub-container according to the invention fully loaded and secured; 
         FIG. 6  is an end view of the sub-container of the invention fully erected illustrating the folding of the side panels; 
         FIG. 7  is a side view of the sub-container of  FIG. 6  showing a roll of sheet material that when unrolled forms the rear, top and front panels; 
         FIG. 8  is a side view of the sub-container fully collapsed; 
         FIG. 9  is an end section of a trailer van illustrating a collapsed sub-container stowed against a side wall of the trailer van; 
         FIG. 10  is an isometric view of another embodiment of a collapsible sub-container; and 
         FIG. 11  is a side view illustrating folding of the front, top and rear panels of the sub-container of  FIG. 10 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The invention will be described in conjunction with over-the-road or dry van shipments where goods are carried by trailer van. However, it will be understood that the method and apparatus of the invention is applied to sea and rail containers as well air shipments. 
     Shipments of goods in less than full trailer van increments can be a problem to the shipper as normally shipments must be full loads. Thus the shipper may be forced to pay for a full load for a less than full load, especially if positive control over the shipment is desired. For example to maintain positive control for an over-the-road shipment the trailer van is sealed at the origination of the shipment and the seal should not be broken until the destination has been reached. Comingling of other shipments to achieve a full load cannot be accomplished once the trailer van is sealed. 
     Spoke and hub systems likewise face a problem with positive control. These systems are ideally suited for small increment shipments which can be comingled into full loads at a hub for shipment to a second hub. However, maintaining positive control over the individual smaller shipments presents a security problem. When shipping is contracted out the shipper cannot be certain the integrity of the shipment has not been breached. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  a system for hub and spoke shipping is illustrated in which shipping increments of less than full load can be economically shipped with assurance that positive control is maintained throughout the shipping system. For purposes of illustration  FIG. 1  will be described in connection with overland shipment. As illustrated items to be shipped are loaded in a sub-container  10  at the origin facility  12 . The sub-container  10  can be conveniently brought into the facility  12  and be positioned, for example, at the end of a conveyor line, for loading the items into the sub-container. When loaded, the sub-container  10  is sealed and transferred to a local carrier  14  for shipment to a central hub, which for the purposes of description is designated as Hub A. As shown in  FIG. 2  at Hub A the loaded and sealed sub-container  10  is loaded on a full load container such as trailer van  16  along with other sub-containers to make a full load for shipment to a destination hub, Hub B. At Hub B the sealed sub-container  10  transferred by a second local carrier to a destination facility  20  were it is unsealed and unloaded. Positive control over the shipment is maintained through each step from the origin facility  12  to the destination facility  20 . 
     The Department of Transportation (DOT) sets the size specifications for dry trailer vans to not exceed 53 feet in length, 8.5 feet in width and 13.5 feet in height. Accordingly the sub-container  10  is sized both to fit economically in the trailer van and also to be conveniently handled for loading and unloading. For ease of handling items to be shipped are often first loaded on pallets. Pallet size is important because the company responsible for shipping the goods needs to fit as many pallets as possible on each truck and Transport companies charge higher fees for over-sized pallets or pallets that cause wasted space. Thus, while pallets may come in a variety of sizes for specialized freight, transportation companies normally use pallets of the following sizes in feet; 3×3, 3.5×3.5, 4×4, 4×3.5 and 4×3.3. Accordingly the sub-containers  10  are similarly sized to receive one or two pallets. For goods that do not lend themselves to palletizing or are otherwise not palletized the sub-container may be as wide as 8 feet. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3 ,  4  and  5  there is shown one embodiment of a sub-container  10  in accordance with the invention. The sub-container  10  comprises a floor panel  22 , side panels  24 , a rear panel  26 , top panel  28 , and a front panel  30 . The floor panel  22  may be comprised of a substantially rigid, tough material such as, for example, thermoset resin bonded fibers, high density polyethylene, plywood and may be configured to receive the tines of a forklift for convenient movement of the loaded sub-container  10 . As illustrated in  FIG. 4  each side panel  24  consists of a light weight frame member  25  covered with a tough, flexible poly fabric  27  such as woven polypropylene. The rear panel  26 , the top panel  28  and the front panel  30  are formed by a single sheet of the poly fabric  27 . Alternatively, the poly fabric  27  may be in the form of a bag which is supported by the frame members  25  to define integral side panels  24 , rear panel  26  and the top panel  28 . The front panel  30  is attached to the front edge of the top panel at its upper edge so as to define a flap which can be opened to allow access to the interior of the sub-container  10 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3  the sub-container  10  is open for loading and the poly fabric has covered only a portion of the top panel  28  leaving the front panel  30  open for access to the interior of the sub-container  10 . As shown in  FIG. 7  the single sheet of poly fabric  27  is most conveniently stored as a roll  31  attached to the front or rear edge of the floor panel  22  until needed to form the panels as described. As illustrated the roll  31  is located on the rear edge of the floor panel  22 . 
     A fully loaded and secured sub-container  10  is shown in  FIG. 5 . Security is achieved by industrial zipper fasteners  32  comprising tape pairs carrying opposed teeth secured along the contiguous edges of the poly fabric forming the panels. As shown the zipper fasteners  32  are continuous around the contiguous edges of the panels and are secured by padlocks  33  when the fastener is closed. In an alternative embodiment in which the side panels  24 , the rear panel  26  and the top panel  28  are integrally formed as a bag and the front panel  30  defines a flap the front panel is secured by the zipper fasteners  32  being disposed along the contiguous edges of the front panel and the side panels. 
     If there are items to be shipped from the destination facility  20  to Hub B for transshipment to other hubs, the sub-container can be re-loaded and returned to Hub B for shipment to another hub such as Hub B. However, as is often the case the destination facility  20  has nothing to ship and the empty sub-containers  10  need to be returned through Hub B to the origin facility  12  for reuse. With conventional freight containers a part or all of a trailer van is required to ship the containers back to the origin facility  12  resulting in loss of some or all of the cargo space that could otherwise be used for paying freight. The cost of this is normally passed on to the shipping customer. The sub-container  10  is readily collapsed ( 11  in  FIG. 1 ) and as illustrated in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 9  is conveniently stowed out of the way against a side of the trailer van  16 . The cargo area is free and can contain additional loaded sub-containers  10  or other types of freight containers or pallets so that sub-containers can be returned to the origin facility in a freight loaded trailer van. 
     Referring to  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 8  the sub-container  10  is collapsed by removing or rolling back the sheet of material forming front panel  30 , the top panel  28  and rear panel  26 . The right side panel  24  and the left side panel  24 ′ are then free to pivot inwardly against the floor panel  22 . Each of the lower ends of the frame member  25  of side panel  24  is provided with a pin (not shown) that is journaled in a plane bearing  23  so that the side panel lies flat against the floor panel when collapsed. Likewise each lower end of the frame member  25  of the side panel  24 ′ is provided with a pin that is journaled in a plain bearing  23 ′. The bearing surface of the plain bearing  23 ′ is vertically elongated allowing the frame member  25  to lift vertically as the side panel  24 ′ is rotating down so as to allow the side panel  24 ′ to lie flat on the side panel  24  when the sub-container  10  is fully collapsed. The sub-container in its collapsed configuration  11  can then be stowed against the side of a trailer van leaving the cargo space free. 
     Another embodiment of the sub-container is illustrated in  FIG. 10  and  FIG. 11  where like reference numbers refer to like parts. In this embodiment the floor panel  22  and the side panels  24  are as described above. A rear panel member  34  is pivotally attached to the rear edge of the floor panel  22 . A top panel member  36  is pivotally attached to the rear panel member  34  while a front panel member  38  is pivotally attached to the top panel member. The panel members  34 ,  36  and  38  are constructed as described for the construction of the side panels  24 . That is each of the panel members  34 ,  36  and  38  comprise a lightweight frame  25  covered by high strength poly fabric  27 . 
     The sub-container  10  can be collapsed for stowage along a side of a trailer without interference with the cargo space. As most clearly shown in  FIG. 11  the side panel  24  is pivoted to lie on the floor panel  22  and side panel  24 ′ overlies side panel  24 . The front panel member  38  is pivoted to lie over the top panel member  36  which is pivoted to lie against the inner surface of the rear panel member  38 . The rear panel member is pivoted downwardly so the all three panel members overlie the side panel  24 ′. 
     The embodiment shown in  FIG. 11  and  FIG. 12  is more amenable to being stacked since the panel members  34 ,  36  and  38  are reinforced with the light weight frame members  25  which provide more rigidity overall to the sub-container  10 . The sub-container is secured in the same manner as described in connection with  FIG. 5 . 
     While the invention has been described in connection with certain preferred embodiments it will understood that modifications may be made which lie within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.