Patent ID: 7753637

Claim:
A port material handling and storage system for storing and transporting shipping containers wherein the system is used for loading and off loading shipping containers relative to ships berthed in an adjacent a docking facility, the system comprising, an overhead grid guide track structure consisting of hollow beams connected together in an X-Y configuration and having slots in the underside thereof which slots openly intersect with one another where said hollow beams intersect with one another, said hollow beams being connected to one another to form a plurality of first spaced parallel tracks extending in a first direction and a plurality of second spaced parallel tracks that extend in a second direction that is generally perpendicular to the first direction, said overhead grid guide track structure including a first portion positioned over at least one storage area wherein shipping containers are vertically stacked one upon the other to thereby define a plurality of vertical storage cells, a second portion positioned over at least one ground transport area, and a third portion extending over a ship berth area, at least one transfer unit mounted so as to be moveable at least between said first and second portions of said grid guide track structure, said at least one transfer unit being suspended from at least two of said spaced and parallel first tracks when moving in the first direction and at least two of said spaced and parallel second tracks when moving in the second direction, said at least one transfer unit including carriage means for suspending said at least one transfer unit from said at least two first and second parallel tracks, said at least one transfer unit including selectively operable drive means for moving said at least one transfer unit along said first and second tracks in a horizontal plane in both X-Y motions within the plane, a container engaging means suspended from a hoist means carried by said at least one transfer unit for raising and lowering said container engaging means, and said container engaging means being of a size to cooperatively engage a shipping container whereby an engaged shipping container may be conveyed to a selected location beneath the overhead grid guide track structure.