Patent Publication Number: US-2007114230-A1

Title: Combi-container

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
      This application is based upon and claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 200520077309.7, filed Nov. 7, 2005, which application is hereby expressly incorporated by reference.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to a container for transportation, in particular a combi-container.  
      2. Discussion  
      The dry goods containers in prior art, manufactured in accordance with the existing international standard of ISO668, are internationally used transportation equipment. Although its technology has been much matured, there are shortcomings in the process of real operation. Firstly, due to large volume and heavy weight, the transportation cost for an empty container is relatively high. Especially for freightage of goods having smaller tonnage or smaller volume or requiring individual loading, the volume utilization ratio of the international standard container is greatly reduced, which also causes large waste in transportation cost. Secondly, since the bottom plates of the existing containers are designed to be flat, if smaller-sized containers are to be put into larger-sized containers, the only method is to push the smaller-sized container into the larger-sized container, which would easily cause damage to the container body due to friction between containers during the installation process.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      In view of said shortcomings existing in prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a combi-container, in which smaller-sized containers can be easily embraced into larger-sized containers with simple combination operation, thereby preventing the containers from being damaged due to friction between containers during the combination process.  
      In order to achieve the object, the present invention provides a combi-container comprising a plurality of containers which are combined in such a manner that smaller-sized containers are embraced inside a larger-sized container. Tracks are provided on an upper surface of a bottom plate of the containers, except for innermost container, and wheel mechanisms are provided at bottom of the containers, except for outmost container. Each wheel mechanism has a wheel capable of rolling on the tracks.  
      In the combi-container the wheel mechanism may be a turnover wheel mechanism, which is able to turn upwardly from a first position in which the wheel is supported on the track to a second position in which lowest point of the wheel is higher than bottom surface of bottom corner members of the container with the turnover wheel mechanism, and is able to turn back downwardly from the second position to the first position.  
      In the combi-container the turnover wheel mechanism may have a wheel holding plate which is connected to the bottom of the container in such a manner that the wheel holding plate is able to turn up and down, and the wheel is freely rotatable and supported by the wheel holding plate.  
      In the combi-container a positioning pin for maintaining the wheel holding plate at the second position may be provided on the wheel holding plate.  
      In the combi-container a positioning member for maintaining the wheel holding plate at the first position may be provided on a bottom side rail of the bottom of the container.  
      In the combi-container connecting members may be provided on the outside of the outmost container to connect the outside of the outmost container to the outmost container of another combi-container.  
      In the combi-container the connecting members may connect the outside of the outmost container to the outside of the outmost container of another combi-container in a back-to-back manner. The back-to-back manner means that the front end walls of two combi-containers face each other and the doors are opposite to the front end walls.  
      In the combi-container the connecting members may connect adjacent corner fittings of two combi-containers.  
      In the combi-container an assembled container formed of combi-containers connected in the back-to-back manner is in approximate accordance with international standard on the dimension requirement of container.  
      When conveying goods by using the combi-container according to present invention, it can be done by directly using a combi-container or embracing the combi-container with goods into a standard container, or connecting the outside of combi-containers via a connecting member to form an assembled container with 40 ft length from two combi-containers with such length combination as 24 ft+16 ft or 25 ft+15 ft or 26 ft+14 ft. The connection can be done through commonly used connecting members or through welding. When conveying empty containers, as for 24′+16′ series of combi-containers, the 22 ft container can be embraced inside the 23 ft container, which is then embraced inside the 24 ft container; accordingly the 14 ft combi-container can be embraced into 15 ft container, which is then embraced inside the 16 ft container. As for 26′+14′ series of combi-containers, the 24 ft container can be embraced inside the 25 ft container, which is then embraced inside the 26 ft container; accordingly the 12 ft container can be embraced into the 13 ft container, which is then embraced inside the 14 ft container. And the smallest container in the combi-container can be still normally used for loading goods. Accordingly, the combi-container allows full use of the internal space of each container to utmost degree and at the same time reduces the cost of transportation to utmost degree.  
      In order to avoid the friction between larger-sized containers and smaller-sized containers during the combination process, tracks are provided on an upper surface of a bottom plate of the containers except for innermost container, and wheel mechanisms are provided at bottom of the containers except for outmost container. Therefore, when smaller-sized containers are embraced within larger-sized containers, the damage of the container bodies due to the friction therebetween during the combination process can be effectively prevented by means of wheels and tracks, and its combination operation is convenient and reliable.  
      The turnover wheel mechanism according to the present invention composed of a wheel, a wheel shaft, a wheel holding plate, a rotating shaft, a bushing and a bushing connecting member, is connected at the end of the bottom side rail of the container. A positioning member is provided on the end of the bottom side rail and a positioning pin is provided on the wheel holding plate. When an inner container is embraced into an outer container, the wheel of the turnover wheel mechanism turns downwardly onto the track (i.e. the first position) and is positioned by the positioning member; and when the inner container is used as a single container for conveying, the wheel of the turnover wheel mechanism can be turned upwardly by about 90° and is positioned by the positioning pin such that the lowest point of the wheel is higher than the bottom surface of the bottom corner fittings of the container (i.e. the second position), so as to make it easy for stacking and positioning containers.  
      The structure of the combi-container is simple and reasonable, and easy to manufacture. Furthermore, its cost is low and space use ratio is high. And it is convenient to transport and advantageous to effectively control transportation cost. Each container of the combi-containers can be used separately or can be used in combination with other containers of the combi-containers; and alternatively, two combi-containers can be assembled through connecting members to form an assembled container in accordance with the dimension requirement of ISO668. So, the combi-container possesses good prospect of application promotion.  
      Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, claims, and drawings. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given here below, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawings in which:  
       FIG. 1  is a front view of an exemplary outermost container showing a front end structure having a front end frame and a front end wall;  
       FIG. 2  is a rear view of an exemplary outermost container showing a door structure having a door frame and two doors;  
       FIG. 3  is a side view of an exemplary outermost container showing a side wall structure having a side wall, a top side rail, a bottom side rail and two sets of corner structures;  
       FIG. 4  is a top view of an exemplary outermost container, wherein a part of a roof structure is omitted for clarity purposes to show a bottom plate of a bottom structure;  
       FIG. 5A  is a front view of a combi-container showing the relationship of the assembled containers and the interaction of the wheels and tracks according to the present invention;  
       FIG. 5B  is a side view of the combi-container showing the relationship of the assembled containers and the interaction of the wheels and tracks according to the present invention;  
       FIG. 6  is a side view of a turnover wheel mechanism of the combi-container showing the wheel mechanism in a first position and in phantom lines the wheel mechanism in a second position;  
       FIG. 7  is a front view for showing the turnover wheel mechanism of the combi-container according to the present invention and the relationship between the turnover wheel mechanism and the bottom of a container;  
       FIG. 8A  is a partly cutaway top view for showing position of the turnover wheel mechanism relative to the bottom of a container;  
       FIG. 8B  is a partly cutaway side view for showing position of the turnover wheel mechanism with respect to the bottom of the outermost container;  
       FIG. 9  is a top view of the track to be mounted on an upper surface of the bottom plate of a container; and  
       FIG. 10  is a view for showing a combination of two sets of combi-containers according to the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      The combi-container according to present invention is formed by combining several single containers of different dimensions, some with tracks  10  installed on an upper surface of a bottom plate  6   e  thereof and some with wheel mechanisms  20  mounted on the bottom of the container ( FIG. 8A ). For the purposes of easily describing and understanding, the term of “combi-container” refers to a container formed by several single containers in such a manner that smaller containers are embraced or are capable of being easily and efficiently embraced in a larger container. The term “assembled container” refers to a container formed by connecting the combi-containers through connecting members. The term of “single container” or “container” refers to an individual container to be combined.  
       FIGS. 1-4  show the external structure of a single container  100 .  FIG. 1  shows a front view of a front end structure of the single container  100 , including a front end frame and a front end wall.  FIG. 2  shows a rear view of a door end structure of the single container  100  including a door end frame and two doors.  FIG. 3  shows a side view of a side wall structure of the single container  100  including a side wall, a top side rail, a bottom side rail and two sets of corner structures.  FIG. 4  shows a top view of a part of the roof structure and a bottom plate of a bottom structure of single container  100 , wherein the other part of the roof structure is omitted for clarity purpose. As shown in  FIGS. 1-4 , the single container  100  mainly comprises the front end structure, the door end structure, the side wall structure, the roof structure and the bottom structure.  
      As shown in  FIG. 1 , the front end structure of the single container  100  comprises the front end frame  1  and the front end wall  6   a , wherein the front end frame comprises two sets of corner structure respectively composed of vertical corner posts  1   a , top corner fittings  2   a  located at the top of each corner post  1   a  and bottom corner fittings  3   a  located at the bottom of each corner post  1   a . A top end rail  4   a  connects the top corner fittings  2   a  of the two sets of corner structure, and a bottom end rail  5   a  connects the bottom corner fittings  3   a  of the two sets of corner structure. The front end wall is a sealing board  6   a , which is connected to the inside of the front end frame  1 .  
      As shown in  FIG. 2 , the door end structure  4  comprises the door end frame  2  and the doors  6 , wherein the door end frame comprises two sets of corner structure respectively formed by vertical corner posts  1   b , top corner fittings  2   b  located at the top of each corner post  1   b  and bottom corner fittings  3   b  located at the bottom of each corner post  1   b . A door header  4   b  connects the top corner fittings  2   b  of the two sets of corner structure, and a door sill  5   b  connects the bottom corner fittings  3   b  of the two sets of corner structure. The door  6  is a board member  6   b  which can open and close and is located inside the door frame  2 .  
      As shown in  FIG. 3 , the side wall structure of the single container  100  comprises a corner post  1   a , top corner fitting  2   a  and bottom corner fitting  3   a  of the front end structure illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The side wall structure further includes a corner post  1   b , a top corner fitting  2   b  and a bottom corner fitting  3   b  of the door end structure as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . A top side rail  22  connects the top corner fitting  2   a  and the top corner fitting  2   b , and a bottom side rail  33  connects the bottom corner fitting  3   a  and the bottom corner fitting  3   b . A sealing board  6   c  connects the top side rail  22 , the bottom side rail  33  and the corner structure. The bottom side rail  33 , top side rail  22 , and corner posts  1   a  and  1   b  combine to form a side frame  8 .  
      As shown in  FIGS. 4, 8A ,  8 B, the roof structure of the single container comprises the top corner fittings  2   a  and the top end rail  4   a  of the front end structure as shown in  FIG. 1 , the top corner fittings  2   b  and the door header  4   b  of the door end structure as shown in  FIG. 2 , the top side rails  22  of the side wall structures as shown in  FIG. 3 ; and one set of roof panels  6   d  connecting two top side rails  22 , the top end rail  4   a , the door header  4   b  and the top corner fittings  2   a ,  2   b . As shown in  FIGS. 1-4  and  8 A, the bottom structure of the single container comprises the bottom corner fittings  3   a  of the front end structure (shown in  FIG. 1 ) and the bottom corner fittings  3   b  of the door end structure (shown in  FIG. 2 ); the bottom end rail  5   a  of the front end structure (shown in  FIG. 1 ) and the door sill  5   b  of the door end structure (the bottom end rail  5   a  and the door sill  5   b  hereinafter are referred to as “two bottom end lateral rails”) (shown in  FIG. 2 ); the bottom side rails  33  of the side wall structure (shown in  FIG. 3 ); a bottom plate  6   e  (shown in  FIG. 7 ) connecting two bottom side rails  33 , two bottom end lateral rails (i.e. “the bottom end rail  5   a  and the door sill  5   b ” hereinabove) and bottom corner fittings  3   a ,  3   b ; and several cross members  44  which are connected in between two parallel bottom side rails  33 . In order to achieve easy conveying, forklift pockets  5  may also be provided in the bottom structure of the single container. In the present invention, according to individual dimension of the single container, the corner fittings can adopt sizes in accordance with ISO1161 standard or other sizes, e.g. a size being smaller than that of the standard corner fitting.  
      It is known that the bottom plate  6   e  of the existing container is higher than the lowest surface of the two bottom end lateral rails (i.e. the bottom end rail  5   a  and the doorsill  5   b ) and the bottom corner fittings  3   a ,  3   b , and a longitudinal distance exits in between the bottom end lateral rails and adjacent cross members, so that a concave space is formed within the bottom structure (as shown in  FIGS. 8A and 8B ). The present invention fully utilizes this concave space existed in the bottom structure of existing containers, in such a manner that a wheel mechanism  20  is installed in the concave space, and tracks  10  are installed on the upper surfaces of the bottom plates of corresponding larger containers, so as to easily push smaller sized containers into the larger sized containers. Accordingly, the combination operation can be easily done and it also prevents the container bodies from being damaged due to the friction between containers during the combination process.  
      The combi-container  100  according to present invention will be described below with reference to  FIGS. 5A-8B .  
       FIG. 5A  is a front view of the combi-container according to the present invention with wheel mechanisms installed on smaller containers and tracks installed in larger containers;  FIG. 5B  is a side view of the combi-container according to the present invention with wheel mechanisms installed on smaller containers and tracks installed in larger containers. As shown in  FIG. 5A  and  FIG. 5B , the combi-container according to the present invention comprises containers with different sizes arranged in an order of smaller size to larger size in such a manner that with the smallest-sized container being embraced inside larger-sized container; except for the innermost container, tracks  10  are provided on upper surfaces of the bottom plates of other containers; and expect for the outmost container, wheel mechanisms  20  having wheels  9  capable of rolling on the tracks, are provided at the bottom of other containers (preferably at the four corners of the container bottom).  
      In the combi-container according to the present invention, preferably, the wheel mechanism  20  is constructed to be a turnover wheel mechanism.  FIG. 6  shows a side view of the turnover wheel mechanism in its first position (in real line) and a second position (in dash-dot line).  FIG. 7  is a front view for showing connection between the turnover wheel mechanism and the bottom of the single container according to the present invention.  
      In particular, the turnover wheel mechanism may adopt the structure shown in  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7 , bushing connecting member  16  is mounted below the bottom of the container at a distance to the bottom side rail  33 , and a pair of bushings  14  are correspondingly mounted on the bottom side rail  33  and the bushing connecting member  16 , wherein the bushing connecting member is preferably welded in between the bottom corner fitting  3   a / 3   b  and a first cross member  44  adjacent to the bottom end lateral rail  5   a  and the door sill  5   b . Meanwhile, a rotating shaft  13  is mounted through one end of a pair of wheel holding plate  12 , and two ends of the rotating shaft  13  are supported by the bushing  14 , so that the wheel holding plate  12  rotates around the rotating shaft. A wheel shaft  11  of the wheel  9  is mounted through the other end of a pair of the wheel holding plate  12 , so as to allow the wheel  9  to move up and down with rotation of the wheel holding plate  12  around the rotating shaft  13 . As shown from  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7 , the turnover wheel mechanism is located in a space enclosed by the bottom side rail  33 , the bottom end lateral rail  5   a  and the door sill  5   b , the bushing connecting member  16  and the first cross member  44  adjacent to the bottom end lateral rail  5   a  and the door sill  5   b.    
      In short, the turnover wheel mechanism comprises the wheel holding plate  12  which is connected to the bottom side rail  33  at the bottom of the container in such a manner that the wheel holding plate is able to turn up and down, and the wheel  9  which is freely rotatable and supported by the wheel holding plate  12 , so that the turnover wheel mechanism is able to turn upwardly from a first position in which the wheel  9  is supported on the track  10  to a second position in which lowest point of the wheel  9  is higher than bottom surface of the bottom corner fitting  3   a / 3   b  of the container with the wheel mechanism and is able to turn back downwardly from the second position to the first position.  
      Besides, a positioning member  17  ( FIG. 6 ) for maintaining the wheel holding plate  12  at the first position is provided on the bottom side rail  33  of the bottom of the container (preferably at the end of the bottom side rail). When inner containers are to be contained in larger containers, the wheel  9  of the turnover wheel mechanism turns down onto the track and is held by the positioning member  17 .  
      A positioning pin  15  ( FIG. 6 ) for maintaining the wheel holding plate  12  at the second position is provided on the wheel holding plate  12 . When inner containers are used as single containers for conveying, the wheel holding plates  12  at the four corners are rotated upwardly by about 90°, and is then held by the positioning pin  15 , so that the lowest point of the wheel  9  is higher than the bottom surface of the bottom corner fitting  3   a / 3   b  so as to stack and fix the container.  
      The turnover wheel mechanism can be provided at the four corners of the bottom of the container.  FIG. 8A  and  FIG. 8B  show the turnover wheel mechanism  20  mounted at one corner of the bottom of the container, wherein  FIG. 8A  is a partly cutaway top view for showing position of the turnover wheel mechanism relative to the bottom of the container, and  FIG. 8B  is a partly cutaway bottom view for showing position of the turnover wheel mechanism relative to the bottom of the container.  
       FIG. 9  is a top view of the track  10  installed on the upper surface of the bottom plate  6   e  of the combi-container according to the present invention. The track comprises a first track  101  and a second track  102  which extend parallel with other along the longitudinal direction of the container. Furthermore, several reinforcement members  103  can be connected between the first track  101  and the second track  102  so as to ensure the parallelism between the two tracks.  
      In order to prevent smaller containers embraced in larger containers from sliding back and forth during the process of transportation, many methods (not shown herein) can be adopted in practice, e.g. mounting stoppers in some suitable positions on the track, installing baffles in between front/rear corner posts inside the container, binding the corner fittings of the container to the binding sticks of the container.  
       FIG. 10  is a view for showing a combination of two sets of combi-containers according to the present invention. In order to facilitate the connection between several sets of combi-containers, connecting members (not shown here) for connecting different two combi-containers in a back-to-back manner can be provided on front end of the outmost single container of combi-containers. the connection between the containers can be achieved by normally used connecting members or by means of welding. The connecting members are preferably to connect the adjacent corner fittings of the two sets of combi-containers. Therefore, the combi-containers according to the present invention can also be assembled to form an assembled container with dimensions in accordance with ISO668 standard.  
      Given below are several specific examples of the combi-container and assembly of the combi-containers.  
      1. Implementation of 24′+16′ series of combi-containers. Containers with length of 14 ft, 15 ft and 16 ft forms a first combi-containers, containers with length of 22 ft, 23 ft and 24 ft forms a second combi-containers, wherein wheel mechanisms are mounted on the four corners of the bottom of containers except for containers with length 24 ft and 16 ft, and tracks  10  are installed on the upper surface of the bottom plates inside containers except for containers with length 22 ft and 14 ft. The first combi-containers and the second combi-containers are connected by the connecting members to form an assembled container with length of 40 ft, width of 8 ft, height of 9 ft 6 inch as shown in  FIG. 9 . Attached Table 1 shows main technical parameters of 24′+16 ′ series of combi-containers.  
      2. Implementation of 25′+15′ series of combi-containers. Containers with length of 13 ft, 14 ft and 15 ft forms a third combi-containers, containers with length of 23 ft, 24 ft and 25 ft forms a fourth combi-containers, wherein wheel mechanisms are mounted on the four corners of the bottom of containers except for containers with length 25 ft and 15 ft, and tracks  10  are installed on the upper surface of the bottom plates inside containers except for containers with length 23 ft and 13 ft. The third combi-containers and the fourth combi-containers are connected by the connecting members to form an assembled container with length of 40 ft, width of 8 ft, and height of 9 ft 6 inch. Attached Table 2 shows main technical parameters of 25′+15′ series of combi-containers.  
      3. Implementation of 26′+14′ series of combi-containers. Containers with length of 12 ft, 13 ft and 14 ft forms a fifth combi-containers, containers with length of 24 ft, 25 ft and 26 ft forms a sixth combi-containers, wherein wheel mechanisms are mounted on the four corners of the bottom of containers except for containers with length 26 ft and 14 ft, and tracks  10  are installed on the upper surface of the bottom plates inside containers except for containers with length 24 ft and 12 ft. The fifth combi-containers and the sixth combi-containers are connected by the connecting members to form an assembled container with length of 40 ft, width of 8 ft, and height of 9 ft 6 inch. Attached Table 3 shows main technical parameters of 26′+14′ series of combi-containers.  
      Since the connecting members used to connect two combi-containers require occupying certain space, the data of the technical parameters in the following attached Tables are neither precise nor limiting. These data can be varied according to different length of connecting members.  
               TABLE 1                          Main technical parameters of 24′ + 16′ series of combi-containers                         Container   External Dimension (mm)   Door Opening Dimension       Type   (length * width * height)   (mm) (width * height)               16′   4839 * 2438 * 2896   2340 * 2585       15′   4572 * 2200 * 2500   2102 * 2189       14′   4267 * 1960 * 2110   1864 * 1799       24′   7277 * 2438 * 2896   2340 * 2585       23′   7010 * 2200 * 2500   2102 * 2189       22′   6706 * 1960 * 2100   1864 * 1799                  
 
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                 TABLE 2 
               
             
            
               
                   
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Main technical parameters of 25′ + 15′ series of combi-containers 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
            
               
                 Container 
                 External Dimension (mm) 
                 Door Opening Dimension 
               
               
                 Type 
                 (length * width * height) 
                 (mm) (width * height) 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 15′ 
                 4594 * 2438 * 2896 
                 2340 * 2585 
               
               
                 14′ 
                 4429 * 2200 * 2500 
                 2102 * 2189 
               
               
                 13′ 
                 3924 * 1960 * 2110 
                 1864 * 1799 
               
               
                 25′ 
                 7582 * 2438 * 2896 
                 2340 * 2585 
               
               
                 24′ 
                 7277 * 2200 * 2500 
                 2102 * 2189 
               
               
                 23′ 
                 7010 * 1960 * 2100 
                 1864 * 1799 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                 TABLE 3 
               
             
            
               
                   
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Main technical parameters of 26′ + 14′ series of combi-containers 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
            
               
                 Container 
                 External Dimension (mm) 
                 Door Opening Dimension 
               
               
                 Type 
                 (length * width * height) 
                 (mm) (width * height) 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 14′ 
                 4029 * 2438 * 2896 
                 2340 * 2585 
               
               
                 13′ 
                 3924 * 2200 * 2500 
                 2102 * 2189 
               
               
                 12′ 
                 3619 * 1960 * 2110 
                 1864 * 1799 
               
               
                 26′ 
                 7887 * 2438 * 2896 
                 2340 * 2585 
               
               
                 25′ 
                 7582 * 2200 * 2500 
                 2102 * 2189 
               
               
                 24′ 
                 7227 * 1960 * 2100 
                 1864 * 1799 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
      The foregoing discussion discloses and describes an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from such discussion, and from the accompanying drawings and claims that various changes, modifications and variations can be made therein without departing from the true spirit and fair scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.