Abstract:
Railcars for personal vehicles provides train passengers with a method for bringing their automobile with them as they travel. This system utilizes pallets and fork-lifts specially designed to hold automobiles. Vehicles can be loaded and unloaded from both sides of a railcar making for fast and easy loading. This system allows travelers and commuters to ride on public transportation with the convenience of having their own vehicle for transportation one they have reached their destination.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    The present application is related to and claims priority from prior provisional application Ser. No. 61/251,711, filed Oct. 14, 2009 which application is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates generally to the field of transportation and more specifically relates to railcars for personal vehicles systems. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    Many people in modern society use private and public transportation to commute between locations. Public transportation is efficient and decreases pollution of our environment. Individuals would find the notion of using public transportation more appealing if they knew that they would have their private transportation, namely a vehicle to drive once they arrived at their journey&#39;s end. Many people ride on trains, buses and airplanes when traveling only to have to rent a car after they&#39;ve arrived. Renting a vehicle is an extra expense and hassle that many users would like to eliminate. Roads are filled with single passenger cars whose drivers could be enjoying the cost reductions and environmental benefits provided by public transportation. An option that allows commuters both use of private and public transportation is needed. 
         [0006]    Various attempts have been made to solve the above-mentioned problems such as those found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,094,013; 6,283,040; 5,890,855; 5,690,453; 4,307,985; 4,237,794; 4,154,348; 4,073,394; and 4,067,469. This prior art is representative of vehicle transportation means via railroad. None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the invention as claimed. 
         [0007]    Ideally, a railcars for personal vehicles system should be convenient for use and operate reliably. To be feasible the invention must be able to be manufactured at a modest expense to provide cost-effective pricing for the consumer. Thus, a need exists for a reliable railcars for personal vehicles system to avoid the above-mentioned problems. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known railroad transportation art, the present invention provides a novel railcars for personal vehicles system. The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail is to provide cost-efficient transportation means for the vehicle of a public transportation traveler. 
         [0009]    A railcar for personal vehicle transport system is disclosed herein comprising: a multi-level railcar having inner-spaced floor wheel slots located in an upper level and a lower level; a lifter; at least one restrainer-securer assembly; a personal vehicle molded pallet. The multi-level railcar provides transportation for both a commuter and a private transporter (car, truck or other such personal vehicle) for the commuter; wherein the private transporter is coupled to the personal vehicle molded pallet, lifted into the multi-level railcar via the lifter. The private transporter is coupled to the personal vehicle molded pallet which is suitably placed and secured in stasis in the inner-spaced floor wheel slots in the multi-level railcar via at least one restrainer-securer assembly. The railcar for personal vehicle transport system transports the commuter and the private transporter to a destination such that the commuter is able to use his/her private transporter at/from the destination once the private transporter is unloaded. 
         [0010]    The inner-spaced floor wheel slots allow the personal vehicle molded pallet to be positioned forward or backwards relative to the front of the multi-level railcar. Lighter versions of the private transporter(s) such as compact cars are stored on the upper level and heavier versions such as trucks or vans are stored on the lower level. To accommodate this, the inner-spaced floor wheel slots located in the upper level comprise a wheelbase (wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the center of the front wheel, and the center of the rear wheel, measured between rotational centers of wheels) spacing less than the inner-spaced floor wheel slots located in the lower level. Additionally, the inner-spaced floor wheel slots located in the upper level comprise a track spacing (distance between wheels side to side) narrower than the inner-spaced floor wheel slots located in said lower level. 
         [0011]    In certain embodiments the multi-level railcar of the railcar for personal vehicle transport system comprises a door, or in alternate embodiments may comprise a plurality of side doors. In other embodiments the multi-level railcar may comprise front and/or back doors or side doors located on multiple levels. In the preferred embodiment the present invention has a first side door located on a first side of the multi-level railcar and a second side door located on a second side of the multi-level railcar, wherein the second side door is located in an opposed position to the first side door on the multi-level railcar. This feature provides that the private transporter is unloadable through either the first side door or through the second side door to increase function ability and time-efficiency in loading and unloading processes. Further, the unloading location may only allow for unloading off of one side or the other of the multi-level railcar, allowing increased flexibility in-use. 
         [0012]    The least restrainer-securer assembly may comprise hooked tie-down straps, chains with hooks and/or clamps. The lifter as described herein preferably comprises a forklift loader or alternately the lifter in certain embodiment may be integral with the multi-level railcar. 
         [0013]    The personal vehicle molded pallet within the system preferably comprises a skid that is rigid, yet is able to be easily moved, including slidably moved, while suitably protecting the personal vehicle from damage. The skid may comprise rotatable devises that can be used to clamp the private transporter to the skid and/or to the multi-level railcar. Skid (personal vehicle molded pallet) preferably fits in stasis in the inner-spaced floor wheel slots. 
         [0014]    A method of using a railcar for personal vehicle transport system is also disclosed herein comprising the steps of: loading at least one private transporter for a commuter on a multi-level railcar; boarding (allowing the boarding of) the commuter on a passenger railcar directly or indirectly hooked to the multi-level railcar (in a train formation); the passenger railcar and the multi-level railcar traveling to a final destination such that when the passenger railcar and the multi-level railcar arrive at the final destination the private transporter is unloaded so that the commuter is able to drive his/her private transporter (personal vehicle) from the final destination to another desired destination. The loading step may comprise of the private transporter being loaded into the multi-level railcar through the first side door or the second side door of the multi-level railcar via the lifter. The commuter&#39;s luggage and other such items may be stored in the private transporter enroute to the final destination for increased efficiency and decreased delay(s). 
         [0015]    The present invention holds significant improvements and serves as a railcars for personal vehicles system. For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the invention have been described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings and detailed description. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0016]    The figures which accompany the written portion of this specification illustrate embodiments and method(s) of use for the present invention, railcars for personal vehicles system, constructed and operative according to the teachings of the present invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective view illustrating a personal vehicle transport system comprising a multi-level railcar and a passenger railcar in an in-use condition for transporting a commuter and his/her private transporter between locations according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0018]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view illustrating the multi-level railcar as used to transport various private transporters according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view illustrating unloading of private transporter from the multi-level railcar using a lifter according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0020]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view illustrating loading of private transporter from the multi-level railcar using the lifter according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0021]      FIG. 5  is a flowchart illustrating a method of using the personal vehicle transport system according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIGS. 1-4 . 
       
    
    
       [0022]    The various embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0023]    As discussed above, embodiments of the present invention relate to a commuting and transportation device and more particularly to a railcars for personal vehicles system as used to provide options for commuters to conveniently use both private and public transportation when traveling to destinations. 
         [0024]    Railcars for personal vehicles is an innovative system that provides for the lifting and transporting of personal automobiles onto OEM or specially designed/outfitted railcars, allowing train passengers to passenger vehicles accompany them on their journey. This system promotes achieving the convenience benefits of private transportation in combination with the cost-effectiveness of public transportation. Drivers may park the vehicle on a pallet where train station workers may use chains or other such restraints to secure the vehicle in place. Skids may be designed to fit cars, trucks, SUVs and other vehicles of various shapes and sizes. Passengers may have the option to leave their luggage locked in their vehicles to make for easy and efficient exiting. Passengers may have the luxury of keeping their keys throughout the process since workers won&#39;t need them to move the vehicles using the present invention. 
         [0025]    Referring now to the drawings by numerals of reference there is shown in  FIG. 1 , a perspective view illustrating personal vehicle transport system  100  comprising multi-level railcar  110  and passenger railcar  108  in an in-use condition  102  for transporting a commuter and his/her private transporter  170  between locations according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0026]    The present invention provides a railcar for personal vehicle transport system  100  comprising: at least one multi-level railcar  110  having inner-spaced floor wheel slots  130  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) preferably located in both upper level  112  and lower level  114 ; a lifter  140 ; at least one restrainer-securer assembly  150 ; and at least one personal vehicle molded pallet  160 . Multi-level railcar  110  is designed to provide transportation for both a commuter and at least one private transporter  170  for the commuter. Private transporter  170  is coupled to personal vehicle molded pallet  160 , and lifted into multi-level railcar  110  via lifter  140 , as shown in  FIGS. 3 &amp; 4 , for the impending journey. Railcar for personal vehicle transport system  100  transports a commuter and private transporter  170  to a destination such that the commuter is able to use private transporter  170  at the destination once private transporter  170  is unloaded. The commuter is then able to use his/her private transporter  170  at/from the destination once the private transporter  170  is unloaded. 
         [0027]    Driver-commuters when arriving at the train station may park their private/personal vehicle (at least herein enabling private transporter  170 ), such as a car, truck or other such personal vehicle on personal vehicle molded pallet  160  where train station workers may use restrainer-securer assembly  150  to secure it in position. Restrainer-securer assembly  150  may comprise hooked tie-down straps  152 , and/or chains with hooks  154 ; and/or clamps  156 . It should be appreciated that other securing means may be used and are still considered to be within the scope of the present invention. In this way private transporter  170  is suitable protected from damage caused by shifting during the journey. Private transporter  170  is preferably removably coupled to personal vehicle molded pallet  160 . After being secured and lifted via fork-lift loader  142  (at least herein enabling lifter  140 ) assembly comprising private transporter  170  and personal vehicle molded pallet  160  is next suitably placed then secured in stasis in inner-spaced floor wheel slots  130  in multi-level railcar  110  via at least one restrainer-securer assembly  150 . 
         [0028]    Referring now to  FIG. 2 , a perspective view illustrating multi-level railcar  110  as used to transport various private transporters  170  according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIG. 1 . 
         [0029]    In combination with the other figures,  FIG. 2  is used to illustrate use of multi-level railcar  110  including efficient use of upper level  112  and lower level  114  to transport private transporters  170 . Within this particular embodiment, inner-spaced floor wheel slots  130  allow personal vehicle molded pallet  160  to be positioned forward or backwards relative to front of multi-level railcar  110 . In this way private transporters  170  may be efficiently loaded in a way that they may be easily unloaded and/or to make maximum use of available floor space within multi-level railcar  110 . 
         [0030]    To increase efficiency and stability of multi-level railcar  110  of personal vehicle transport system  100 , lighter versions of private transporter  170 , such as compact cars, may be preferably stored on upper level  112  and heavier versions of private transporter  170 , such as trucks or vans are stored on lower level  114 . In this way the center of gravity is kept low and the largest weight/mass volume is kept closer to the ground, thus improving stability enroute. Additionally the present invention looks to recognize the fact that lifting of heavy private transporters  170  over certain heights may be dangerous to persons and equipment. To accommodate this, in certain embodiments inner-spaced floor wheel slots  130  located in upper level  112  comprise a wheelbase spacing less than inner-spaced floor wheel slots  130  located in lower level  114 . Inner-spaced floor wheel slots  130  located in upper level  112  are suitable for compact vehicles due to their shorter wheelbase. Wheelbase is defined herein as the horizontal distance between the center of the front wheel, and the center of the rear wheel, measured between rotational centers of wheels. Further, inner-spaced floor wheel slots  130  located in upper level  112  comprise a track (distance between wheels side to side) spacing narrower than inner-spaced floor wheel slots  130  located in lower level  114 . Inner-spaced floor wheel slots  130  located in upper level  112  are suitable for compact vehicles due to their narrower track. 
         [0031]    Referring now to  FIG. 3  is a perspective view illustrating unloading of private transporter(s)  170  from multi-level railcar  110  using lifter  140  according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIG. 1 . 
         [0032]    In certain embodiments multi-level railcar  110  of the railcar for personal vehicle transport system  100  comprises at least one side door  116 , or in alternate embodiments may comprise a plurality of side doors  116 . In other embodiments multi-level railcar  110  may comprise front and/or back doors or side doors  116  located on multiple levels. In the preferred embodiment the present invention has a first side door  118  located on a first side  122  of multi-level railcar  110 . 
         [0033]    Referring now to  FIG. 4  is a perspective view illustrating loading of private transporter  170  from multi-level railcar  110  using lifter  140  according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIG. 1 . 
         [0034]    In other preferred embodiments of railcar for personal vehicle transport system  100  side door  116  comprises second side door  120  located on second side  124  of multi-level railcar  110 . In these embodiments second side door  120  is located in an opposed position to first side door  118  on multi-level railcar  110 . This feature provides that private transporter  170  is unloadable through first side door  118  and/or second side door  120  on multi-level railcar  110 . 
         [0035]    As shown in  FIGS. 3 &amp; 4 , railcar for personal vehicle transport system  100  may use at least one lifting means for safely elevating private transporter  170 , described and shown as lifter  140 , which within this particular embodiment comprises fork-lift loader  142 . In alternate embodiments lifter  140  may be integral with multi-level railcar  110 . Upon reading this specification, it should be appreciated that, under appropriate circumstances, considering such issues as user preferences, design preference, structural requirements, marketing preferences, cost, available materials, technological advances, etc., other lifting arrangements such as, for example, hydraulically run systems, loading ramps, jacks, other machines capable of lifting/pushing/pulling, or other options for restrainer-securer assembly  150 , etc., may be sufficient. 
         [0036]    Personal vehicle molded pallet  160  comprises skid  162 . Skid  162  preferably comprises rotatable devises or other such means whereby private transporter  170  can be removably and securably coupled to skid  162  via hooked tie-down straps  152 ; chains with hooks  154 ; and/or clamps  156 . Further, rotatable devises may provide suitable means whereby skid  162  may be attached to inner-spaced floor wheel slots  130  in multi-level railcar  110 . Personal vehicle molded pallet  160  within personal vehicle transport system  100  preferably comprises skid  162  that is rigid, yet is able to be easily moved, including slidably moved, while suitably protecting the personal vehicle (private transporter  170 ) from damage. Skid  162  may comprise side impact beams such that fork-lift loader  142  may be effectively prevented from surface-contacting and damaging private transporter  170  during loading and unloading operations. Skid  162  may additionally comprise fork holes in the bottom of skid  162  making it easy for operators of fork-lift loader  142  to manipulate. Skid  162  may comprise rotatable devises that can be used to clamp the private transporter  170  to skid  162  and/or to the multi-level railcar  110 . Skid  162  (personal vehicle molded pallet  160 ) preferably fits in stasis in the inner-spaced floor wheel slots  130 . Upon reading this specification, it should be appreciated that, under appropriate circumstances, considering such issues as user preferences, design preference, structural requirements, marketing preferences, cost, available materials, technological advances, etc., other securing arrangements such as, for example, securing to different components on multi-level railcar  110 , etc., may be sufficient. 
         [0037]    Referring now to a method of monetizing, personal vehicle transport system  100  may be sold as a kit comprising the following parts: at least one floor section with inner-spaced floor wheel slots  130  for multi-level railcar  110 ; at least one restrainer-securer assembly; at least one personal vehicle molded pallet  160 . Personal vehicle transport system  100  may be manufactured and provided for sale in a wide variety of sizes and shapes for a wide assortment of applications. Upon reading this specification, it should be appreciated that, under appropriate circumstances, considering such issues as design preference, user preferences, marketing preferences, cost, structural requirements, available materials, technological advances, etc., other kit contents or arrangements such as, for example, including more or less components, customized parts, different vehicle-types and sized pallets; different pallet designs or combinations thereof, parts may be sold separately, etc., may be sufficient. 
         [0038]    Additionally the present invention may be monetized by selling public transportation tickets to commuters for themselves and for their private transporter(s)  170 . 
         [0039]    Referring now to  FIG. 5 , a flowchart  550  illustrating a method of using  500  personal vehicle transport system  100  according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIGS. 1-4 . 
         [0040]    A method  500  of using multi-level railcar  110  for personal vehicle transport system  100  comprising the steps of: step one  501  loading at least one private transporter  170  for a commuter on multi-level railcar  110 ; step two  502  boarding (allowing the boarding of) the commuter on passenger railcar  108  directly or indirectly hooked to multi-level railcar  110 ; wherein passenger railcar  108  and multi-level railcar  110  travel to a final destination such that when passenger railcar  108  and multi-level railcar  110  arrive at the final destination private transporter  170  is (step three  503 ) unloaded (at least hereby enabled unloading) so that the commuter is able to drive private transporter  170  from/to a final destination. Method  500  may also be further specified wherein step one  501  loading may comprise private transporter  170  being loaded into multi-level railcar  110  through first side door  118  or second side door  124  via a lifter  140  (fork-lift loader  142  or other loading means/method). 
         [0041]    It should be noted that step  502  is an optional step and may not be implemented in all cases. Optional steps of method  500  are illustrated using dotted lines in  FIG. 5  so as to distinguish them from the other steps of method  500 . 
         [0042]    It should be noted that the steps described in the method of use can be carried out in many different orders according to user preference. Upon reading this specification, it should be appreciated that, under appropriate circumstances, considering such issues as design preference, user preferences, marketing preferences, cost, structural requirements, available materials, technological advances, etc., other methods of use arrangements such as, for example, different orders within above-mentioned list, elimination or addition of certain steps, including or excluding certain maintenance steps, etc., may be sufficient. 
         [0043]    The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary and numerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention. Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application.