Patent Abstract:
A shipping box or platform having a bottom with rails extending outwardly from the sides thereof adjacent the bottom is locked down onto the floor of an aircraft by a pair of spaced apart elongated locking members mounted on the floor. The distance between the locking members limits the width of the bottom of the shipping box or platform. In order to increase the size of the box or platform, the side walls extend outwardly beyond the width of the bottom. The lockdown rails are thus recessed beneath the side walls of the box or platform.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a Continuation-In-Part of prior U.S. application Ser. No. 09/277,105 filed Mar. 21, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,315,141. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed toward a shipping box or platform lockdown arrangement and more particularly toward an improved shipping box which can be utilized with a conventional lockdown device but which increases shipping capacity. 
     It is well known to ship large containers on cargo airplanes and particularly military airplanes. In order to prevent movement of the shipping boxes both laterally and vertically, lockdown devices are provided on such planes which interfit with a portion of the shipping box. 
     Conventional lockdown devices for military cargo transport are comprised of a pair of elongated hinged metal plates secured to the floor of the aircraft. The hinged plates are arranged parallel to each other but spaced apart a sufficient distance to allow the shipping box to be positioned between the two plates with the side walls of the box being essentially parallel to the plates. Extending outwardly from the bottom of the box and perpendicular to the side walls thereof are a pair of flat rails, each of which includes a plurality of spaced apart tabs and a plurality of openings between the tabs. After the shipping box is in place between the hinged locking members, the locking members are pivoted from their inoperative position wherein they lie away from the rails to their operative position where they over lie the rails. Each locking member includes a substantially continuous plate which lies over the tabs to hold the shipping box down and a plurality of projections that extend into the openings between the tabs to prevent lateral movement of the shipping box. A lock can then be applied to the locking members to prevent them from being pivoted into their inoperative position until the same is desired. 
     The locking members are permanently secured to the floor of the aircraft and cannot be moved closer to or further away from each other. Thus, heretofore, only standard and uniform shipping boxes could be employed. That is, the width of the shipping box was limited by the fact that the lockdown rails extending outwardly from the bottom of the side walls thereof had to fit precisely between the elongated spaced apart hinged locking members so that they could properly engage the rails. A wider shipping box, therefore, could not be employed since the hold down rails on the box would then not properly interact with the locking members. This has somewhat limited the size of shipping boxes that could be carried on cargo aircraft. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is designed to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art described above. The shipping box or platform of the invention is constructed in a manner very similar to conventional shipping boxes. However, in order to increase the size of the box or carrying capacity, the side walls extend outwardly beyond the width of the box. The lockdown rails are thus recessed beneath the side walls of the box or platform. The distance between the side rails, however, remains the same as a conventional shipping box so that the same can be properly positioned between a pair of locking members on a cargo aircraft. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the accompanying drawings forms which are presently preferred; it being understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional shipping box constructed in accordance with the prior art and showing the same mounted on the floor of an aircraft; 
     FIG. 1 a  is a perspective view of a portion of the lockdown mechanism of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one form of a shipping box constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 2 showing a second shipping box constructed in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the details of the lockdown mechanism of the present invention in the open or inoperative form; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 4 but showing the lockdown mechanism in the operative condition; 
     FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken through the line  6 — 6  of FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 but illustrating the operation of the lockdown mechanism as used with the present invention, and 
     FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view of a third embodiment of the invention illustrating a shipping platform used to support a pallet. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now to the drawings in details wherein like reference numerals have been used throughout the various figures to designate like elements, there is shown in FIGS. 1 and 1 a  a conventional shipping box and lockdown assembly constructed in accordance with the prior art and designated generally as  10 . The prior art shipping box  10  is shown secured to the floor  12  of an aircraft through the use of a pair of elongated spaced apart hinged locking members  14  and  16 . The shipping box  10  is a conventional box having a pair of end walls such as wall  18  (the opposite end wall not being shown) and a pair of side walls such as wall  20  (the opposite side wall not being shown). The shipping box  10  also has a substantially flat bottom  22  and a top  24 . The top  24  could, of course, be a fabric top such as shown in FIG. 1 or a solid top with a hinged opening. Alternatively, any one of the end or side walls could have doors or other openings therein for accessing the interior of the shipping box  10 . 
     As shown most clearly in FIG. 1 a , extending outwardly from the side wall  20  is a flat rail  26  which is comprised essentially of a plurality of spaced apart tabs  28  and a plurality of openings  30  between the tabs. The rail  26  lies in substantially the same plane as the bottom  22  of the shipping box  10  so as to rest on the floor  12  of the aircraft. Although the details of the same are not specifically shown, it should be readily apparent that a similar lockdown rail  32  is arranged on the opposite side wall (not shown) of the shipping box  10 . The pair of flat lockdown rails  26  and  32  are essentially perpendicular to their respective side walls. 
     The elongated locking members  14  and  16  are constructed in essentially the same manner. Accordingly, while only the details of the lockdown member  14  are shown in FIG. 1 a , it should be readily apparent that the lockdown member  16  is constructed in essentially the same manner. The lockdown member  14  is constructed essentially of an elongated substantially continuous plate  34  having an operative face  36  and an inoperative face  38 . The operative face  36  includes a plurality of spaced apart projections  40  which extend upwardly from the surface  36 . Each of the locking members  14  and  16  is secured to the floor  12  of the aircraft so as to be immovable relative to each other. That is, the positions of the lockdown members  14  and  16  cannot be moved relative to each other. 
     As should be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, the locking members  14  and  16  are first pivoted so as to be in the inoperative position as shown in FIG. 1 a . Thereafter, the shipping box  20  is placed between the locking members  14  and  16 . The plate  34  is then pivoted into its operative position wherein the projections  40  fit into the spaces  30  and the operative surfaces  36  overlie the tabs  28 . The locking members  14  and  16  can then be locked into this operative position utilizing a conventional hasp and lock such as shown, for example, at  40 . It should be readily apparent that, in the locking position shown in FIG. 1, the shipping box is incapable of moving in any direction. 
     The improved shipping box lockdown system of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 2-7. Since many of the component parts of the invention correspond essentially identically to the same parts shown in the prior art shipping box of FIGS. 1 and 1 a , similar reference numerals have been used to designate the same elements but are proceeded by a “1” thereby creating a “one hundred series” of reference numerals. That is, the shipping box of the present invention shown in FIG. 2 is designated generally as  110 . A slightly modified form of the shipping box  110  is shown in FIG.  3  and is indicated generally as  210 . And a third embodiment of the invention in the form of a platform  310  is shown in FIG.  8 . 
     The shipping box  110  includes a pair of end walls, only one of which is shown at  118  and a pair of side walls such as shown at  120 . Again, the opposite side wall is not shown in the drawings. The shipping box  110  also includes a bottom wall  122  and a cover  124 . 
     The shipping box  210  shown in FIG. 3 is essentially the same as the shipping box  110  shown in FIG.  2  and also includes end walls such as shown at  218  and side walls such as shown at  220 . FIG. 3 is intended to merely illustrate that the height of the shipping box of the present invention is not relevant and essentially has no effect on the inventive concept. Furthermore, it should be readily understood that although the term shipping box is utilized throughout this application, it is within the scope of the invention to also apply the same to a relatively flat platform or pallet or the like  310  (FIG. 8) upon which goods may be placed. Thus, as used throughout this application, the term shipping box does not necessarily require that there be structural side or end walls. 
     As is illustrated in FIG. 8, the platform  310  can also be used to support a container roll in/out platform  400  (commonly referred to as a CROP) frequently used for transporting heavy equipment and supplies. The CROP  400  is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,585. Accordingly, the details of the same will not be described. However, the CROP  400  may be fitted with corner castings or the like  402  for connection with similar corner castings  302  located on the platform  310 . The corner castings are by way of example only as any known means may be provided for connecting the CROP to the top of the platform  310 . 
     Alternatively, it may be possible to provide a platform comprised of only the lower portion of the platform  310  of FIG. 8 bounded by the end walls  318  and the smaller vertical wall portions  352  from which the rails  326  extend. That is, the uppermost section of the platform  310  with the side walls  320  would be eliminated. The smaller platform would then be smaller in width than the CROP  400  and would attach under the CROP in any known manner. The combination of the smaller platform with the CROP attached to the top could then be considered to be a shipping box or platform in accordance with the invention, the side walls  420  of the CROP  400  being equivalent to the side walls  320  of the platform  310 . 
     The differences between the inventive shipping box and the prior art shipping box should be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art by comparing, for example, FIGS. 2 and 3 to FIG.  1 . The inventive shipping box  110  includes essentially all of the features of the prior art. However, the width of the bottom  122  is smaller than the overall width of the box itself between the side walls. In other words, the side walls such as wall  120  extend over the extreme edges  150  (see FIG. 7) of the bottom wall  122 . Although only one edge  150  of the bottom wall  122  is shown in FIG. 7, it should be readily apparent that the opposite side of the box  110  is constructed in substantially the same manner. 
     As shown most clearly in FIG. 7, the side wall  120  of the shipping box  110  does not extend completely down to the level of the bottom wall  122 . Rather, it stops at a distance above the bottom wall  122  which distance must be greater than the width of the pivoting plate that forms the locking member  114 . This creates a smaller lower vertical side wall portion  152  from which the rails such as rail  126  extends. Rail  126  includes the plurality of tabs  128  and the plurality of spaces  130  which are constructed in essentially the same manner as the prior art described above. However, rather than extending from the outermost side wall  120 , the rails such as rail  126  extends from the wall  152  but remains substantially in the same plane as the bottom wall  122 . 
     The distance between the pair of flat rails such as rail  126  and the corresponding rail on the opposite side of the shipping box  110  is essentially the same as the distance between the rails  26  and  32  of the prior art described above. Thus, the shipping box  110  can be placed on the floor  112  of a cargo plane between a pair of spaced apart hinged locking members in essentially the same manner as the shipping box  10 . However, since the side wall such as wall  120  of the shipping box  110  extends over the lock down rails, the internal volume of the shipping box  110  or the shipping box  210  can be made substantially larger than the internal volume of the shipping box  10  of the prior art. Similarly, the upper surface of the platform  310  is larger than previous platforms and can, therefore, support more cargo. 
     While it may appear that some amount of storage space is eliminated because of the recesses at the bottom edges of the shipping boxes  110  and  220 , those skilled in the art will recognize that no space is actually lost. Normally, the lowermost portion of most shipping boxes includes structural support beams and the like to provide structural rigidity to the box and allow the same to be moved. That is, even the lowermost portion of the shipping box  10  of FIG. 1 would have structural support beams or the like below and inner floor of the box. Thus, no storage space is sacrificed utilizing the present invention and, in fact, substantial space is added. 
     The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and accordingly reference should be made to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of the invention.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1