Patent Publication Number: US-2011058922-A1

Title: Truck loading system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION: 
     Applicant claims the priority filing date of Provisional Patent Application No. 61/276,014 filed on Sep. 8, 2009. 
    
    
     FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH 
     Not Applicable 
     SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL 
     Portions of the disclosure of this patent document contain material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The present invention relates generally to systems for loading materials into shipping, including trucking, containers, and more particularly to a system designed for loading commercial containers with solid state materials in an easy, efficient manner, with great precision. 
     The use of various systems for loading materials into shipping containers has resulted in improved time management, efficiency and precision. The conventional systems for loading materials into shipping containers are time-consuming, manpower-intensive and machine-intensive. Several types of systems have been developed in the art for loading materials into shipping containers. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,616,103 issued to Marrero describes a cargo container apparatus and methods of loading cargo. The cargo container apparatus includes a cargo container having first and second opposing side frame portions joined by connecting members and a plurality of liners forming floor and wall portions of the cargo container. The apparatus also includes a cargo container transporter having a base portion, an elevating platform, a pair of side support rails, and front and rear ramps. Methods of transporting in a cargo hold are also provided. The methods include expanding a cargo container from a collapsed position; connecting a liner to a lower portion of the expanded container to form a floor; and loading cargo into the expanded cargo container. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,105 issued to Palko describes a cargo handling and restraining system for loading, unloading, and transporting cargo containers in a carrier vehicle. The carrier is provided with a supporting floor (bed) containing a plurality of tracks. The tracks include a channel between a pair of spaced, horizontally extending members and each container is provided with members which “ride” in the channel of the tracks to move the containers along the track. A hook assembly is provided at opposite ends and on the bottom of the containers to engage with a retaining mechanism which positively locks adjacent containers together and to the track. A locking member is provided for rigidly securing the last loaded container (toward the rear of the bed) to the track. A cargo loader mechanism is provided to load and unload the cargo onto and off of the bed, and a cargo cart is provided to transport the cargo to or from a storage bin. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,231,695 issued to Weston, Sr. describes an apparatus that includes a plurality of interconnected portable pallets on which cargo is placed and which may be selectively moved into or removed from a truck body. The pallets constitute the bed or floor of the truck and may be independently or simultaneously moved into or out of the body of the truck so that portions of the contents may be loaded or discharged from different loading docks; or the entire contents of the truck may be loaded or discharged from the same dock. The cargo may be loaded on the pallet or pallets prior to insertion into the body of the truck and such cargo may be unloaded from the pallets after the truck has departed so as to reduce delay in the operation of the truck. 
     Most of these systems for loading materials into shipping containers described herein are complex and not user-friendly. Some of these systems are not adapted to properly load the materials into containers to meet the weight distribution criteria recommended by the department of transportation (DOT). Moreover, some of these systems utilize a motorized rectangular storage container including hydraulic cylinders and scrap metals. These systems require a tremendous amount of torque to discharge the scrap metals into the ocean freight container thereby resulting in inefficient and uneconomic systems. 
     It is therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a simple, flexible, efficient, precise, and user-friendly system for loading materials into shipping containers. Another object of the present invention is to provide a system that may be adapted to properly load the materials into containers to meet the weight distribution criteria recommended by the department of transportation (DOT). Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a system that utilizes a minimum amount of torque to load materials into shipping containers thereby providing efficient and economic systems. Other objects of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the appended Summary, Description and Claims. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention is a system and method for loading solid state materials into shipping containers, commercial containers, and trucks. The system includes a movable frame having walls extending therealong and a trolley positioned on top of the movable frame for receiving solid state materials. The system further includes two self moving parts, a pair of pusher rods and a basket system incorporated to the trolley. The movable trolley is designed for being placed on the movable frame that is adapted for being positionable at a loading position. The system is configured to load solid state materials quickly and efficiently by way of an automated roller-tracked bucket mechanism. 
     The trolley and the movable frame may be moved by way of an electric motor. The self moving part includes an axle coupled to a pair of traction wheels. The self moving part may be operated by way of the electric motor. The electric motor may be powered by way of electric current, batteries and the like. The electric current may be controlled by remote controllers. The pair of pusher rods may include at least one tube welded together through a bar for providing stability. The basket system includes a cradle welded to an axle through a small rod. The cradle includes a basket. The pair of pusher rods may be designed to interconnect the self moving part and the basket system by way of an axle bearing. 
     A method for loading solid state materials into shipping and trucking containers is initiated in the first step by placing the system for loading solid state materials onto a platform that can elevate the system to a level where it can be rolled into a shipping or trucking container. Load the cradle with solid state materials, such as scrap metal, rocks, stones, bags filled with potatoes, etc, or place a basket into the cradle then load the basket with solid state materials. Move the system for loading solid state materials inside the container. Push the trolley forward until it is stopped by a wheel stop block, then continue pushing the trolley until it tilts over and its contents fall out into the container. Return the trolley back to its stationery position and push it backwards so that it reaches the outside of the container for re-loading. If necessary, the entire system can be moved backwards so that the trolley is outside the container and the cradle can be reloaded. Then repeat this process. 
     Although particular embodiments of the present invention have been described in the foregoing description, it is to be understood that the present invention is not to be limited to just the embodiments disclosed, but that they are capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications and substitutions without departing from the description herein. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the present invention, illustrating a system for loading solid state materials into shipping containers. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the present invention, illustrating a trolley with a movable container device having walls extending therealong. 
         FIG. 3  is a partial side sectional view of the present invention, illustrating a movable trolley designed for being placed on a movable frame. 
         FIG. 4  is a top plan view and partial sectional view of the present invention, illustrating the movable trolley. 
         FIG. 5  is a top plan view and partial sectional view of the present invention in a folded position, illustrating the movable trolley placed on the movable frame. 
         FIG. 6  is a side view of the present invention, illustrating a method for loading solid state materials into shipping containers. 
     
    
    
     REFERENCE NUMERALS 
       10  . . . A system for loading solid state materials into shipping, including trucking, containers 
       14  . . . Walls 
       18  . . . At least one movable frame 
       20  . . . At least one trolley 
       22  . . . A pair of traction wheels 
       24  . . . Cradle wheels 
       26  . . . A first axle 
       28  . . . A pair of pusher rods 
       30  . . . At least one axle bearings 
       32  . . . A second axle 
       34  . . . At least one cradle 
       34   a  . . . Cradel rods 
       36  . . . At least one motor 
       40  . . . A measurement system 
       42  . . . At least one basket 
       44  . . . A wheel stop block 
       48  . . . A stability bar 
       50  . . . A method for loading solid state materials into shipping containers 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to the drawings, a preferred embodiment illustrates a system  10  and a method  50  for loading solid state materials into shipping containers and generally indicated in  FIGS. 1 through 3 . Referring to  FIG. 1 , the system  10  includes a movable frame  18  having walls  14  extending therealong and a trolley  20  positioned on top of the movable frame  18  for receiving solid state materials. The system  10  further includes a self moving part, a pair of pusher rods  28  and a basket system incorporated to the trolley  20  and a movable frame  18  whose top surface is designed for placement of the trolley  20  and that is adapted for being positionable at a loading position. The system  10  is configured to load solid state materials quickly and efficiently by way of an automated roller-tracked bucket mechanism. 
     The trolley  20  and the movable frame  18  may be moved by way of electric motors. At least one electric motor  36  pushes the trolley  20 , while the other (not shown) can be on any wheel of the frame. The self moving parts includes a first axle  26  and a second axle  32 , in which the first axle  26  is coupled to a pair of traction wheels  22 . The self moving parts may be operated by way of the electric motor  36 . The electric motor  36  may be powered by way of electric current, batteries and the like. The electric current may be controlled by remote controllers. The pair of pusher rods  28  may include a tube welded together through a bar  48  for providing stability. The basket system includes a cradle  34 . Preferably, the outer wall of the cradle tilts at approximately a 45 degree angle to facilitate the emptying of the cradle when tilted. The cradle  34  is welded or otherwise fixed to a second axle  32  via the cradle rods  34   a.  The pair of pusher rods  28  may be designed to interconnect the self moving part and the basket system by way of an axle bearing  30 . 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a perspective view of the movable frame  18  having walls  14  extending therealong. The movable frame  18  has a built in measurement system  40  to identify how far the movable frame  18  has been inserted into the container. This measurement system  40  could be a ruler or position markings. This feature provides the positioning of the movable frame  18  within the trucking container to the exact point where the solid state materials can be unloaded. The motorized wheels can be operated by a radio controlled device. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a partial side sectional view of a trolley  20  designed for being placed on a movable frame  18 .  FIG. 4  illustrates a top plan view and partial sectional view of the movable trolley.  FIG. 5  illustrates a top plan view and partial sectional view of the movable trolley in a folded position. Referring to  FIGS. 3 ,  4  and  5 , the trolley  20  and the movable frame  18  may be moved by way of an electric motor  36 . The self moving parts includes a first axle  26  coupled to a pair of traction wheels  22  and movable fixed to axle bearings  30 , and a second axle  32  movably fixed to axle bearings  30 . The self moving parts may be operated by way of the electric motor  36 . The electric motor  36  may be powered by way of electric current, batteries and the like. The electric current may be controlled by remote controllers. The pair of pusher rods  28  may include at least one tube welded together through a bar  48  for providing stability. The basket system includes a cradle  34  welded to a second axle  32  via cradle rods  34   a . The cradle  34  includes a basket  42 . The pair of pusher rods  28  may be designed to interconnect the self moving part and the basket system by way of an axle bearing  30 . In  FIG. 3 , a wheel stop block  44  is utilized for restricting the movement of the wheels. 
       FIG. 6  shows a side view of the system  10  that illustrates a method  50  for loading solid state materials into containers. The loading system  10  is placed on a stable platform whose height can be elevated to match the back side of a truck container so that the loading system  10  can be rolled into the trucking or shipping container. Next, the cradle  34  is loaded with solid state materials, such as scrap metal, rocks, stones, bags filled with potatoes, etc, or a basket  42  is placed into the cradle  34  and the basket  42  is loaded with solid state materials. The loading system  10  is then rolled inside the trucking container. A user can roll the loading system  10  into a desired position within the trucking container to meet the weight distribution criteria of the department of transportation (DOT). When the loading system  10  is positioned in the desired location, the trolley  20  is moved forward, either manually by pushing the pusher rods  28  or by remote control, until the front cradle wheels  24  reach the wheel stop block  44  and the cradle  34  tilts forward so that the contents spill over into the desired location. Return the trolley  20  back to its stationery position and push it backwards so that it reaches the outside of the container for re-loading. If necessary, the entire loading system  10  can be moved backwards so that the trolley  20  is outside the container and the cradle  34  can be reloaded. The process is then repeated. 
     Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, various modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustration and not limitation.