Patent ID: 8061951

Claim:
A shipping container tipping apparatus, comprising: a first support structure configured to be releasably mounted to a container transfer device; a second support structure having an effective length substantially equal to a length of a top of a shipping container and configured to be releasably mounted to the top of the shipping container; a pair of independent and laterally spaced-apart arcuate members each having first and second ends fixedly attached to the second support structure spanning a substantial length of the second support structure and positioned above the second support structure, said pair of arcuate members movably coupled to said first support structure so that movement of said pair of arcuate members relative to said first support structure causes tipping of the shipping container by lowering one end of the shipping container relative to the other; a pair of linear actuators coupled to said first support structure in an oppositely facing arrangement; and a pair of chains, each of said pair of chains disposed along at least a portion of an upper arcuate surface of one of said pair of arcuate members and having a first end coupled to a respective one of said pair of arcuate members, with one chain of said pair of chains coupled proximate the first end of one of said air of arcuate members and the other chain of said pair of chains coupled to the second end of the other one of said pair of arcuate members, each actuator of said pair of actuators configured for actuating one of said pair of chains for controlling the movement of said pair of arcuate members relative to said first support structure.