Patent Publication Number: US-2018037404-A1

Title: Quick-Install Van

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to insulated and dry goods trailers that can be quickly assembled and that also allow for damaged portions of the trailers to be quickly replaced with standardized components. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Temporary structures such as tents, camping trailers, and canopies often have features that allow for their rapid assembly or deployment, however more permanent and robust structures such as a houses and cargo trailers typically lack features that allow for simplified and quick construction. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides an improved cargo trailer and refrigerated trailer construction that in addition to providing an aerodynamic trailer also provides for a system that may be quickly assembled. The quick-install trailer includes six rigid frames including a roof frame, a floor frame, a front and rear frame, and two side frames. The frames interconnect with each other and provide support for the sidewalls that may be insulated. Rivets or self-tapping screws may be used to secure the various components together. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows perspective view of the six frames of the quick-install trailer. 
         FIG. 2  shows an upper vertical sectional view along the length of the quick-install trailer. 
         FIG. 3  shows a lower vertical sectional view along the length of the quick-install trailer. 
         FIG. 4  shows an upper vertical sectional view along the width of the quick-install trailer. 
         FIG. 5  shows a lower vertical sectional view along the width of the quick-install trailer. 
         FIG. 6  shows a lower lengthwise horizontal section through the forward portion of an aerodynamic quick install trailer. 
         FIG. 7  shows a lower lengthwise horizontal section through the rear portion of an aerodynamic quick install trailer. 
         FIG. 8  shows an upper lengthwise vertical section through the front portion of an aerodynamic quick install trailer. 
         FIG. 9  shows a top plan sectional view through a front corner of an aerodynamic quick-install trailer. 
         FIG. 10  shows a lengthwise vertical section through an insulated and aerodynamic quick-install trailer. 
         FIG. 11  shows a widthwise vertical section through an insulated and aerodynamic quick-install trailer. 
         FIG. 12  shows a lengthwise horizontal section through an insulated and aerodynamic quick-install trailer. 
         FIG. 13  is an exploded view lengthwise vertical view of the front portion an aerodynamic quick-install trailer. 
         FIG. 14  is an isolated view of the posts of  FIG. 6 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention may be used with any type of cargo container that experiences drag and is particularly suited for containers that travel at high speeds and are frequently loaded and unloaded. However, for descriptive purposes the present invention will be described in use with over-the-road trailers. 
       FIG. 1  show the frames of the of the quick-install trailer. The front frame  1  is constructed from a top horizontal piece and a bottom horizontal piece connected together by two vertical portions. In one embodiment, the two horizontal pieces are interchangeable with each other such that the top horizontal piece may be used as the bottom horizontal piece. By allowing the frame piece to be installed in two possible configurations, the assembly process may be simplified. The roof frame  2  is configured to be secured to the front wall  1 , the right side wall  3 , the left side wall  4 , and the rear frame  6 . The left and right side walls ( 3  and  4 ) are identical to each other in one embodiment of the invention such that a single design of a piece may be used for both the left and right side walls. By using interchangeable components, the impact of damaged or miss formed components on the assembly/construction process is minimized. The floor  5  is bounded by the side walls ( 3  and  4 ) along with the front wall  1  and the rear frame  6 . The rear frame  6  may include additional features such as reinforcements for door attachments (on the sides for swinging doors or the top for a roll up door), and the rear frame may also include structures for lights or attachment points for a rear underride guard. 
       FIGS. 2 and 3  show upper and lower vertical sectional views, respectively, along the length of the quick-install trailer. The lower front portion of the quick install trailer includes a front bottom rail cover plate  11  that is configured to be secured to the front bottom rail  12 . In the illustrated example, the front bottom rail cover plate  11  includes an upper connector, a middle connector, and a lower connector that are adapted to interact and be secured to the front bottom rail  12 . As seen in  FIG. 3 , the front bottom rail  12  includes complimentary features to the connectors of the front bottom rail cover plate. The front bottom rail  12  is generally T-shaped with additional flange on the forward most portion of the front bottom  12  that is adapted to connect to the front wall honeycomb panel  15 . In one embodiment, the front bottom rail  12  is constructed from a highly resilient material such as metal while the front bottom rail cover plate  11  is constructed from a lightweight, but less resilient, material such as plastic. 
     In addition to the front bottom rail  12  connecting to the front wall honeycomb panel  15  the front top rail  13  secures the top of the panel  15 . The front top rail  13  is secured to an exterior portion and top of the front wall honeycomb panel  15  while a decorative plate  14  of the top rail is secured to the interior of the panel  15 . The decorative plate includes forward extending flange that is adapted to be secured into a pocket of the front top rail  13  that is located above the panel  15 . The decorative plate  14  and the front top rail  13  cooperate to form a smooth, snag free surface from the roof  2  of the trailer to the panel  15 . The front top rail  13  also cooperates with the roof front rail  21  to form a substantially smooth and aerodynamic exterior surface between the panel  15  and the roof  2 . 
     A sealing strip  22  is utilized between the roof front rail  21  and the front top rail  13  to seal the interior of the cargo container. The sealing strip  22  is located on the leading edge of the cargo container and is expected to be subjected to a substantial amount of liquid in the form of rain, snow, and road spray so the sealing strip is preferably constructed of a material that will not rust, rot, or corrode when exposed to water, salt, or other chemicals commonly applied to road surfaces. Located near the sealing strip  22  in  FIG. 2  is the “tongue bite” section of the front rail  21  and front top rail  13 . A small flange from the front rail  21  is inserted into and tightly fits into a groove on the top rail  13 . 
     On the rear of the trailer connected to the roof  2  is a rear gutter header  61  that is located about the rear door sill  62 . The rear door sill  62  is preferably constructed of a highly resilient material that is capable of supporting machinery or vehicles that may be used in the loading and unloading of the cargo container. The front cross member  71  of the floor is secured to the front bottom rail  12  with self-tapping screws. Self-tapping screws  81  are also used to secure the front top rail  13  to the roof front rail  21  and rear gutter header  61  to the roof  2 . While the self-tapping screws  81  are used to secure the inside portions of the container, the “tongue bite” features act to secure the exterior portions without exteriorly visible fasteners. 
       FIGS. 4 and 5  show upper and lower, respectively, vertical sectional views along the width of the quick-install trailer. The overall structure of the sidewalls shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5  is substantially similar to the front wall structures shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . By utilizing substantially similar shapes and designs, the installation/assembly process is simplified and errors or defects in the manufacturing process are more likely to be noticed and corrected. Similar materials may be used with both the front wall constructions and the side walls. Similar to the front bottom rail  12  and front bottom rail cover plate  11 , the sidewall construction includes a bottom side rail cover  41  and a bottom side rail  42 . The structures of  FIGS. 4 and 5  also use the “tongue bite” structure to secure the exterior edges of container without exteriorly visible fasteners. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the bottom rails ( 12  and  42 ) are formed of extruded metal and are extruded from the same die but cut to different lengths. By utilizing the same tooling for multiple disparate components of the cargo container, the manufacturing process is simplified and the total cost of producing the cargo container is reduced. 
     Like the front top rail  13 , decorative plate  14 , and roof front rail  21 , the side wall construction includes a top side rail  43 , a decorative plate  44  of the top side rail, and a roof side rail  23 . A sealing strip  22  is also used between the roof side rail  23  and the top side rail  43 . The sidewall construction includes a decorative floor plate  52  that overlaps a portion of the floor  51  and interlocks with a scuff plate that protects the lower section of the honeycomb panel  45 . Resilient floor cross members  72  are secured to the bottom side rail  42  with self-tapping screws  81 . In one embodiment, the cross members  72  are I-beams with end flanges secured to the side bottom rail  42 . 
       FIGS. 6 and 7  show a horizontal sectional view of front and side walls. The construction of the vertical posts that connect the floor to the roof is substantially similar to the side rails shown in  FIGS. 2 through 5 . By standardizing components, the amount of tooling needed to produce the cargo containers is reduced and the assembly process of creating the containers is also simplified. In one embodiment, the cross section of items  17 ,  21  and  23  are identical, and the cross section of items  46 ,  43 , and  13  are also identical. In the rear of the trailer, the rear post sectional material  46  is secured to the rearmost portion of the honeycomb panel  45 . A left corner post  63  has a portion with a cross section substantially similar to that of items  17 ,  21 , and  23  and is adapted to be secured to the rear post sectional material  46 . The corner post  63  of the rear frame is constructed of resilient materials and may include apertures adapted to receive connectors used to secured doors onto the corner post  63 . Similar to the previously described figures, self-tapping screws  81  are used to connect many of the pieces of the quick-install cargo container. 
       FIGS. 8 and 9  show vertical and horizontal cross sections, respectively, of the forward portions of a second embodiment of the quick-install trailer. In the alternate embodiment, rivets  100  are utilized instead of self-tapping screws to secure the various components together. In other embodiments, adhesive glues or spot welding is used to secure the components together. The rails/posts  105  of the alternate embodiment include a curved exterior shape that provides the trailer with an aerodynamic profile while the interior has corner cutout section that acts to maximize the interior space of the cargo container and better accommodate rectangular containers. As in the previous embodiment, the side wall section/top front rail ( 110  in  FIGS. 8 and 9 ) is configured to interlock with the rails posts  105  and with a sealing strip  115  structured to provide a weathertight seal. 
       FIGS. 10 through 13  illustrate a third embodiment of the invention with posts and rails that accommodate substantially thicker panels used in refrigerated trailers. The bottom rail cover plate  211  and front bottom rail  212  are substantially similar to the cover plate  11  and bottom rail disclosed in relation to  FIGS. 2-5 . The bottom rail  212  is secured to a cross member  219  via bolts or nuts  220 . The front top rail  213  of  FIGS. 10-13  has the same exterior shape as the roof front rail  21  of  FIGS. 2-5 , but lacks the interior side in order to accommodate a thick insulating front panel  215 . A fixed front top cover  214  acts to join the insulating front panel  215  with the roof panel  223 . Rivets  221  are used to secure the top cover  214  to the panels ( 215 ,  223 ). A scuff  224  is also secured to the insulating front panel  215  and the floor foam board  225 . Below the floor foam board  225  is an additional insulating panel. As best seen in  FIG. 12 , the front side rail  234  includes a catch section that is adapted to receive a sunk portion of the front wall side rail  233 . The complimentary portions help secure the front side rail  234  to the front wall side rail  233 . Additionally, a rivet  221  is used to mechanically fasten the two rails together. As shown in the figures, the rivet is sized so that it is flush with, or sunk into, the forward surface formed by the exteriors of the front side rail  234  and front wall side rail  233 . Items  230  and  231  along with  213  and  216  have structures and features similar to those described in regards to  FIG. 12 . 
       FIG. 13  shows an exploded view lengthwise vertical view of the front portion an aerodynamic quick-install trailer. Adhesive ( 237  and  238 ) is used to help secure the front wall foam cover  215  to the front bottom rail  212 , the scuff  224 , the front top rail  213  and the front top cover  214 . While mechanical fasteners are only minimally utilized on the exterior of the trailer to help the trailer maintain its refined appearance, rivets  221  may be used on the interior of container to provide a mechanical connection between the scuff  224  and front top cover  214 . 
       FIG. 14  shows the posts of  FIG. 6  in greater detail. The first post  300  includes a middle wall  305  extending from the exterior space  310  to the interior space. Flanking the middle wall  305  are a first tongue bite portion  320  and a second tongue bite portion  325 . Extending, from the first tongue bite portion  320  is an exterior wall  330  that is perpendicular to the middle wall  305 . An interior wall  335  extends from the second tongue bite portion  325  obliquely (or not perpendicularly) to both the middle wall  305  and the exterior wall  330 . The interior wall  335  includes a screw aperture through which a screw  340  may be inserted. The first post  300  also includes a receiving wall  345  extending parallel to the middle wall  305 . The middle wall  305  and the receiving wall  345  forming a pocket  350  that receives a flange  355  of an interior decorative plate  360 . A junction wall  365  extends between the middle wall  305  and the receiving wall  345  further defining the pocket  350 . The first tongue bite portion  320  is defined by the junction wall  365 , the receiving wall  345 , and the exterior wall  330 . Extending from the middle wall  305  parallel to the exterior wall  330  are a first securing wall  370  and a second securing wall  375 . The middle wall  305 , the first securing wall  370 , and the second securing wall  375  form the second tongue bite portion  325 . The second securing wall  375  connects the interior wall  335  to the middle wall  305 . The second post  380  (or span) has a center wall  385  flanked by a first flange  390  and a second flange  395 . The first flange  390  is secured in the first tongue bite portion  320  while the second flange  395  is secured in the second tongue bite portion  325 . A sealing strip  400  is adjacent to the first flange  390 . The second post  380  also includes an angled wall  405  extending away from the second flange  395  parallel and adjacent to the interior wall  335 . The angled wall  405  also has an aperture for the screw  340  or fastener. The second post  380  has a convex exterior wall  410  that extends between the first panel and the second panel. A portion of the convex exterior wall  410  is coplanar with the exterior wall  330  to form an aerodynamic connection. 
     It should be understood that the programs, processes, methods and system described herein are not related or limited to any particular type components unless indicated otherwise. Various combinations of general purpose, specialized or equivalent components may be used with or perform operations in accordance with the teachings described herein. In view of the wide variety of embodiments to which the principles of the present invention can be applied, it should be understood that the illustrated embodiments are exemplary only, and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the present invention. For example, more, fewer or equivalent elements may be used in the embodiments.