Patent ID: 7334697

Claim:
A monocoque shipping container having a predetermined height, width, and length, comprising: a plurality of nonmetallic columns having a length substantially equal to said height of said container; a plurality of nonmetallic composite material wall panels, each wall panel having a bottom edge and a top edge extending between a first vertical end and a second vertical end, each vertical end integrally bonded to one of said nonmetallic columns; a nonmetallic composite material floor panel having a plurality of edges intersecting at predefined corners, each of said edges being respectively integrally bonded with said bottom edge of separate nonmetallic composite material wall panels, and each of said predefined corners being respectively integrally bonded with separate nonmetallic columns; and a nonmetallic composite material roof panel having a plurality of edges intersecting at predefined corners, each of said edges being respectively integrally bonded with said top edge of separate nonmetallic composite material wall panels, and each of said predefined corners being respectively integrally bonded with separate nonmetallic columns; wherein at least one of said nonmetallic wall panels includes a panel section that is selectively removable from said wall panel, and said roof panel includes a thickened section extending along said entire length of an edge of said roof panel adjacent said top edge of said nonmetallic wall panel having said removable panel section, said thickened section being disposed within said roof panel in integrally bonded relationship therewith; and wherein said monocoque shipping container is capable of satisfying shipping industry standard requirements for stackability.