Abstract:
A shipping container for small vehicles such as snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles is described herein which features a base, a cage structure, and a cover. However, unlike current industry standard containers for vehicles of this type which use wood or metal for the cage structure, the design described herein reduces weight and required assembly labor by using prefabricated sections comprised entirely of laminated paperboard or fiberboard.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to provisional patent application “Vehicle Container” (Appl. Ser. No. 62/126,648) filed Mar. 1, 2015, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates to a container for shipping snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles (“ATVs”). These vehicles are typically shipped individually in single containers. The container consists of a base, a cage structure, and a cover. The container for shipping these machines has to be able to withstand not only the weight of the machines themselves (typically 600-900 lbs), but multiples of this weight, as up to four containers are often stacked on top of one another during shipping or storage. Because of this, the primary materials currently used to construct shipping containers for these vehicles are metal and wood. 
         [0003]    Wood is typically used in containers for domestic, intrastate shipments of snow machines. However, most countries mandate that wood used in packaging/crating material must be heavily treated in order to prevent contamination from pests residing in the wood. The cost of treating wood usually makes its use as a structural material economically impracticable. As a result, wood is generally only used in domestic vehicle shipments due to these stringent international treatment requirements. 
         [0004]    Structural metal is heavy, subject to corrosion and preservation issues, and also creates a waste disposal problem in certain countries. Metal container material generally becomes scrap waste after it is used. It is not easily reusable, because it is too heavy—and therefore expensive—to ship back to its origin for reuse or recycling. In addition, the vehicles shipped in metal crates often require washing and detailing before they can be placed on a showroom floor at their final destination, due to aforementioned corrosion issues (e.g. rust or other oxidation flaking from the metal cage structure onto the machines). 
         [0005]    Containers for shipping vehicles are usually manufactured in “knocked down” form and shipped to the vehicle manufacturer, where the crate is assembled around the vehicle. Using metal and wood as structural material often lead to abrasion and other issues during final assembly at the vehicle manufacturer. Also, both wood and metal are heavy which increases the overall cost of shipping the vehicle inside the container. Finally, wood and metal both carry a high cost of materials that is very volatile due to its direct correlation with the cost of building supplies. Thus, structural material made of either metal and wood both have significant disadvantages. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The container described herein solves the problem of excess weight, corrosion, and disposal by featuring a pre-assembled cage structure, comprised of V-shaped cross sections of laminated paperboard or fiberboard, that is mounted on a wooden base to allow quick construction of the final container on a vehicle assembly line, further having a cover comprised of a special layered fabric material that is heat-shrinkable, and printable. The outer layer of the cover material is water-resistant, while the inner layer of the material is moisture wicking; i.e. the overall material tends to allow moisture from the inner layer to escape, but moisture from the outside cannot penetrate to the inner layers. 
         [0007]    Sections of laminated paperboard or fiberboard with V-shaped cross sections have been used to provide protection for the edges of corrugated cartons or pallets during shipping. However, it was discovered that the V-shaped sections of laminated paperboard or fiberboard had sufficient structural integrity to be used as a substitute for wood or metal in vehicle shipping containers. Although the original versions of the fiberboard/paperboard lost their structural integrity when exposed to large amounts of moisture, a new water-resistant version described herein is used. 
         [0008]    Use of the paperboard/fiberboard material dramatically reduces the weight of the overall crate, while the use of the heat-shrinkable cover material not only protects the vehicle and cage structure from the elements, but contributes significantly to the overall aesthetics of the system. The cover material used is readily printable, so the vehicle manufacturer&#39;s logo, trademarks, and other designs can appear on the outside of the container, giving the container an aesthetically attractive, “wrapped box” appearance. 
         [0009]    The current design is viewed as revolutionary in the industry for this particular application for a variety of reasons. First, it was commonly believed that the paperboard material that is used in the current design did not possess sufficient structural strength to support the weight of several vehicle containers when stacked for shipping or storage. Thus, the customer for whom the design was originally intended was skeptical when told that the container structure was essentially made of cardboard, given that all industry standard designs used either wood or metal. Second, it wasn&#39;t commonly believed that the laminated paperboard material could retain its structural integrity when exposed to moisture, i.e. rain and snow. However, the cover material used with the design protects this structure from the elements. Moreover, a moisture-resistant version of the laminated paperboard is incorporated with the latest embodiments to confer an added measure of protection from moisture. Preliminary reaction by customers for these containers has been extremely positive, with one remarking that the current design “will change the industry”. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is an exploded view of the overall container. 
           [0011]      FIGS. 2A-2L  show isometric and three-views of different embodiments of the base, as modified for different vehicles. 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  shows the unfolded configuration of the end assemblies of the container. 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  shows the end assemblies and top assemblies of the container as folded and mounted to the base. 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  shows the top assembly for the container. 
           [0015]      FIGS. 6A and 6B  shows the individual laminated paperboard structural members. 
           [0016]      FIG. 7A  shows the layered structure of the cover material;  FIG. 7B  shows the detailed structure of the Olefin hot-melt adhesive material. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0017]    The container design disclosed herein features significant weight advantages over current vehicle transport container designs. A typical metal-frame vehicle container weighs 200 lbs, while a wood-frame container weighs 150 lbs. The embodiments disclosed herein weigh approximately 141 lbs, a reduction of about 30% in weight over metal and about 6% over wood crates. Shipping costs are therefore reduced considerably by the new design. 
         [0018]    Referring now to  FIG. 1 , the overall container is comprised of a base assembly  1 , a cage structure comprised of end assemblies  2  and top assembly  3 , and a cover  4 . Isometric, as well as three-views of several embodiments of the base assembly  1  configured for different types of vehicles are shown in  FIGS. 2A-2L . All of the bases feature a single 7/16″ sheet of oriented strand board (OSB)  11 , along with wooden 2″×4″ or 2″×2″ structural members  12  in a variety of lengths as shown in  FIG. 2 , which form the structure of the base and provide structural support and rigidity for the OSB sheet. As shown in  FIGS. 2E-2L , lag screws, nails, or other fasteners  13  are used to join the components of base assembly  1 . 
         [0019]    The base,  1 , end assemblies  2 , and top assembly  3  are pre-assembled and then shipped to a vehicle manufacturer in “knocked-down”, i.e. flat form. The pre-assembled crates can then be quickly and safely finished by the vehicle manufacturer. The vehicle is first secured to the base  1 , usually at the end of the vehicle manufacturing line, and the end assemblies  2 , and top assembly  3  then assembled around it, as described below. 
         [0020]    In preliminary runs, it was found that the number of manufacturer personnel required to assemble the container was reduced from seven persons to five persons. Thus, the container disclosed herein also reduces the manufacturer&#39;s labor costs as well as shipping costs. 
         [0021]    The cage structure is comprised of two end assemblies  2  and a top assembly  3 , as shown in  FIG. 4 . The overall cage structure is mounted on base  1  as shown in  FIG. 4  using screws in the current embodiments, although other suitable fasteners known to the art may also be used. 
         [0022]      FIG. 3  shows the end assemblies  2  in unfolded form for shipping. End assemblies  2  are comprised of four vertical members  21   a,    21   b,    21   c,  and  21   d,  which in one embodiment consist of 43″ long sections of laminated paper/fiberboard (such as that shown in  FIG. 6A ), with each “V” measuring 3″ by 3″ by 0.500″ thickness. Horizontal members  22  at top and bottom are 128.5″ long, and each “V” is 3″ by 3″ of 0.225″ thickness. The horizontal members  22  are notched twice at even intervals as shown in  FIG. 6B , permitting the opposing ends of the end assembly  2  shown in  FIG. 3  to be folded inward toward each other at vertical members  21   b  and  21   c  to conform to the shape of the base, with vertical members  21   b  and  21   c  are at the corners of base  1 . Finally, the end assemblies have diagonal members  23 , which are 52″ long, with each “V” cross section measuring 3″ by 3″ and 0.225″ thick. Diagonal members  23  provide structural rigidity to the end assemblies  2 . 
         [0023]    Referring now to  FIG. 4 , to assemble the container, one end assembly  2  is placed at each opposing short edge of base  1 . As mentioned above, the opposing ends of each end section fold inward 90 degrees toward each other, until each end assembly is in a “C” shape that conforms to the end of base  1  with vertical members  21   b  and  21   c  at the corners of base  1 . The end sections are then fastened securely to the base using screws, or other suitable fasteners. 
         [0024]    Top assembly  3  is then placed on the opposite side of the end assemblies  3  not attached to the base, as shown in  FIG. 4 , and fastened to each end assembly using staples or other suitable fasteners. The top assembly  3  is shown in  FIG. 5 . It consists in one preferred embodiment of 2 VBOARD® sections  31  which are 117″ long having “V” sections 3″ by 3″ and 0.225″ thick, and 4 VBOARD sections  32   a,    32   b,    32   c,  and  32   d  perpendicular to sections  31  which are 44.5″ long having “V” sections 3″ by 3″ and 0.225 thick. 
         [0025]    The use of laminated paperboard segments having V-shaped cross sections as shown in  FIG. 6  results in the significant weight reduction touted by this container design over conventional designs using metal or wood. This laminated paperboard is manufactured and sold under the brand VBOARD® by Great Northern Corporation&#39;s Laminations division of Appleton, Wis. As mentioned above, VBOARD® has been used in the past as an edge-protection solution for packaging. However, it was found that in the configuration described in the embodiments herein, the laminated paperboard is able to be used as a substitute for wood or metal as the primary structural material in vehicle shipping containers. A particular moisture-resistant version of VBOARD®, called HydroShield™ is used in the latest embodiments. 
         [0026]    The final step in assembly is to install the cover assembly  4  shown in  FIG. 1 , which is sized so that it fits easily around the cage structure. The entire pallet assembly with the cover thus installed is then placed in a heating chamber or heat treated by portable heat guns so that the cover is exposed to at least 185 deg F for approximately 60 seconds, which causes the cover to shrink snugly onto the cage structure, and gives the overall container an aesthetically-pleasing “wrapped box” appearance. 
         [0027]    The cover material itself is a multi-layer laminate structure comprised of at least one film layer and at least one fabric layer, bound together with and adhesive layer as shown in  FIG. 7A . It is manufactured by Transhield, Inc. of Elkhart, Ind. that is typically comprised of at least 70% by weight pigmented polyethylene film, 2-10% by weight thermoplastic rubber adhesive, and 10-30% PET fiber nonwoven. In one preferred embodiment, the outer layer  41  is polyethylene shrink/stretch film; the middle layer  42  is olefin hot-melt adhesive, and the inner layer  43  is hydroentangled nonwoven polyester, as shown in  FIG. 7A .  FIG. 7B  shows the detailed structure of the olefin hot-melt adhesive in the middle layer  42 . Transhield cover material is used because it features water vapor permeability in controlled direction, yet can be shrinkwrapped onto the cage structure. U.S. Pat. No. 8,637,139 describes aspects of the Transhield material in detail. In certain embodiments, this cover material provided essential protection to the laminated paperboard comprising the cage structure. Without this cover material to protect the laminate paperboard structural material from snow and rain, the laminate paperboard material would quickly lose its structural integrity. However, in later embodiments using HydroShield™ laminated paperboard that features moisture protective coatings, the cover is not necessary to protect the underlying cage structure, but is still essential to protect the vehicle itself from exposure to the elements 
         [0028]    The invention is described in preferred embodiments with reference to the Figures. Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or similar language means that particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment”, “in an embodiment”, “in certain embodiments”, and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment. It is noted that, as used in this description, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. 
         [0029]    The described features, structures, or characteristics of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the following description, numerous specific details are recited to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the invention may be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, and so forth. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the invention. 
         [0030]    Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to certain embodiments, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be practiced by other than the described embodiments, which have been presented for purposes of illustration and not of limitation. Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the embodiments contained herein.