AU2004100501B4 - Freight restraints - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION INNOVATION PATENT Applicant(s): KRUEGER TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT PTY LTD A.C.N. 005 296 515 Invention Title: FREIGHT RESTRAINTS The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: 2

TITLE

FREIGHT RESTRAINTS

INTRODUCTION

This invention relates to freight restraints for use with trailers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In many countries of the world, legislation has been introduced dictating that curtain sided trailers must have restraints along each side extending from the floor to the height of the load to prevent displacement of the load laterally off the sides of the trailer.

Notwithstanding the fact that the sides of trailers of this kind are often covered in plastics, nylon or canvas curtains the legislation dictates that a more rigid and stronger restraint is required. Without freight restraints it has been noted that the curtains have a tendency to bulge outwardly clear of the sides of the trailer thus rendering the trailer illegal.

Conventional restraints comprise metal, plastics, reinforced fibreglass or wooden gates that are located into pockets in the side coaming rails. Sometimes the restraints or gates are clipped into side posts that support the roof of the trailer to restrain them from leaning into the freight space. The restraints are spaced along the length of the trailer to provide the desired lateral restraint from displacement of the load. To load or unload the trailer it then becomes necessary to remove the restraints from the trailer and this usually requires lifting the restraints and removing them for storage, often under the trailer. The restraints are comparatively heavy and awkward to lift and move and thus it has been H:\Luisa\Keep\Speci\Krueger 2003262467 Inn Div.doc 23/06/04 3 discovered that constant removal and movement of the restraints delays the loading and unloading procedure and places the operators in health and safety jeopardy. The restraints can also become misplaced, lost and damaged.

It has been proposed to pivotally secure the gate portion of the restraint to the posts to allow the gates to hinge and provide access to the freight. However, the problem then is that the gates impede the path of the forklifts that are loading and unloading the trailer.

Furthermore, there is a limit to how many gates can be pivotally secured to a post.

It is these issues that have brought about the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention there is provided a trailer comprising: a floor; a roof supported above the floor; an overhead rail supported by the roof; a plurality of gates, each gate comprising: a single post; a rigid frame connected with and fixed relative to the post so that the frame extends on both sides of the post; a sliding mechanism coupled to the post and engaged with the rail, the mechanism having a dimension parallel to the rail which is less than the length of the gate parallel to the rail; the post and the gate being pivotable outwardly with respect to the rail; a lower coupling on the post and releasably connected to the floor; H:\Luisa\Keep\Speci\Krueger 2003262467 Inn Div.doc 23/06/04 4 an abutment on the post for engaging the roof to provide support for the roof; and a release mechanism for releasing the lower coupling from the floor; wherein when the post is in a position in which the abutment engages the roof and the lower coupling is connected to the floor, the gates provide support for the roof and also provide a restraint for preventing a load supported on the trailer from moving off the trailer, and in order to open the trailer for loading or unloading the load, the release mechanism is activated to release the lower coupling so that the post is disconnected from the floor to enable the post to pivot outwardly whilst the sliding mechanism remains in sliding engagement with the rail so that the gates can be slid to one or the other end of the trailer as substantially planar units, with the gates overlapping when located at one of the ends of the trailer by relative different degrees of outward movement of the respective gates relative to the rail.

Preferably the release mechanism comprises a knee joint formed by interfitting sections of the post with a second pivotal coupling between the interfitting sections, so that the sections can pivot relative to one another, and wherein the pivotal relationship of the sections varies the effective length of the post to, in use, facilitate support of the trailer roof when the sections are axially aligned and release of the lower coupling from the floor when the sections are in a non-linear relationship with respect to one another, to allow the sliding mechanism to slide on the rail.

Preferably the sliding mechanism comprises a roller assembly including at least one roller so that the gates can slide towards one of the ends of the trailer by rolling movement of the at least one roller on the rail, H:\Luisa\Keep\Speci\Krueger 2003262467 Inn Div.doc 23/06/04 5 and the lower coupling comprises a spade engagable in an opening in the floor.

Preferably the post is substantially centrally located with respect to the gate.

Preferably the pivotal movement of the gates outwardly with respect to the rail is accommodated by a pivotal coupling provided between the post and the sliding mechanism, the pivotal coupling comprises a pivot pin passing through the post and through a support member of the sliding mechanism.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a trailer illustrating freight restraints positioned spaced apart along the length of the trailer, Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the trailer in a loading configuration where the restraints have been displaced to one end of the trailer exposing the loading area, Figure 3 is a side elevational view of a restraint, Figure 4 is an end on view of overlapped restraints in the position shown in Figure 2, Figure 5 is a side elevational view of a trailer illustrating freight restraints spaced apart along the length of the trailer, the freight restraints extending down and being secured to the floor of the trailer, Figure 6 is a side elevational view of the trailer with the restraints displaced to one end of the trailer in an overlapping array, Figure 7 is an elevation view of an upper end of H,\Luisa\Keep\Speci\Krueger 2003262467 Inn Div.doc 23/06/04 6 a post suspended from an overhead rail in a locked position, Figure 8 is a view of the post along arrow A of Figure 7, Figure 9 is an elevation view of the post in an unlocked configuration, Figure 10 is a view of the post along arrow B of Figure 9, Figure 11 is an enlarged side elevational view of a restraint of the kind shown in Figure 5 and 6, Figure 12 is an enlarged view of area C illustrating the top of the post, Figure 13 is an enlarged view of area D illustrating a means of attaching the base of the restraint to the trailer floor, Figure 14 is an enlarged view of area E illustrating the means of attaching the post associated with the restraint to the trailer floor, Figure 15 is an elevational view of the base of the post viewed along the arrow A of Figure 14 in a locked configuration, Figure 16 is an elevational view of the base of the post viewed along the arrow A of Figure 14 in an unlocked configuration, Figure 17 is a side elevational view of a trailer supporting modified restraints, and Figure 18 shows the trailer with the restraints of Figure 17 displaced towards one end of the trailer.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The accompanying drawings illustrate a curtain sided trailers 10 for use in freight transport. Each trailer 10 comprises a trailer base 11 surrounded by coaming 12 and supported on a wheel structure 15. The trailer base 11 and coaming 12 constitutes the trailer floor. In the embodiments of Figures 1 and 2, the front H:\Luisa\Keep\Speci\Krueger 2003262467 Inn Div.doc 23/06/04 7 16 of the trailer is stepped upwardly to be coupled to the fifth wheel of a prime mover (not shown). The uncoupled trailer 10 as shown in the accompanying drawings standing on conventional retractable legs 20. The trailer has a closed front end 16 and a rear end 17 is closed by doors (not shown) that pivot about each rear corner. A roof structure 22 is supported along the length of the trailer by corner posts 23. A pair of longitudinal rails 27 are positioned along each side of the roof structure 22. The twin channels of each rail 27 define tracks for displacement of a flexible plastics or canvas curtain which has been removed for clarity. The rails 27 also provide support for a series of displaceable posts 30 that are suspended from the overhead rail and can be locked to engagement with the coaming 12 on the base 11 of the trailer 10 to additionally support the roof 22 of the trailer.

Where trailers of the kind described above are used to transport freight, it is usually required that there be restraints positioned along the length of the trailer to ensure against lateral displacement of the load. These restraints usually comprise gates mounted on the side coaming rails and secured by engaging a series of gate pockets on the side of the coaming rail. To facilitate loading or unloading of the trailer it is usual to remove the gates by lifting the gates clear of the pockets and stowing them away from the trailer. It is then necessary to replace the restraints after the trailer has been loaded. The reference to a curtain sided trailer throughout this document is understood to embrace a curtain sided container which is usually a trailer without wheeled support.

In the embodiments illustrated in Figures 1 to 16 the restraints comprise gate structures 40, 140 supported centrally about posts 30 that are suspended from the H:\Luisa\Keep\Speci\Krueger 2003262467 Inn Div.doc 23/06/04 8 overhead rail 27 and thus can be slid along the length of the trailer along the rail. Each post 30 incorporates a releasable knee joint 31 and spring loaded securing means 32 to lock the end 33 of the post to the coaming 12 of the trailer.

As shown in Figures 14 to 16, the lower end 37 of the post 30 has a leg 36 that is located within the cross section of the lower end 37 of the post 30 and is pivoted to the post at a knee joint 31. The lower end of the leg 36 terminates in a spade 33 that engages a slot in the coaming 12 to locate the post 30. The lower end 37 of the post 30 has a spring loaded latch 32 that engages the leg 36 to hold the post and leg co-axial as shown in Figures 14 and 15. In this position the post 30 supports the roof. As shown in Figure 16, release of the latch 32 allows the post 30 to pivot away from the leg 36 thus shortening the effective length of the post 30 and allowing release of the spade 33 from the coaming 12. The post 30 is now free to be slid along the rail 27.

As shown in Figures 7 to 12, the top of the post is pivotably secured by a hinge 34 with a horizontal axis to a roller carriage assembly 35 that is supported by the rail 27. The roller carriage 35 supports a pair of spaced rollers 47, 48 that engage the overhead rail 27.

The underside of the carriage defines a planar bearing surface 39 that engages the roof when-the post is in the locked operative position shown in Figures 7, 8, 14 and 15. When the post 30 is released for displacement as shown in Figures 9, 10 and 16, the bearing surface 39 drops clear of the roof and the rollers 47, 48 support the weight of the post 30. The hinge 34 allows the post 30 as shown in Figure 9 to pivot outwardly. It is however understood that the outward movement of the post can also be achieved without hinging but by tilting the roller carriage within the confines of the roller track. Thus, H: \Luisa\Keep\Speci\Krueger 2003262467 Inn Div.doc 23/06/04 9 as shown in Figures 2 and 4, the restraints 40 can be slid along to the end of the trailer and pivoted outwardly to overlap in a storage configuration as shown in Figure 4.

It is the overhead mounting and its capacity for outward pivotal movement that allows this stacking facility.

In the embodiment of Figures 1 to 4, seven restraints 40 are equally positioned along the length of the trailer and the gates 41 of each restraint provide a sufficient barrier to prevent escape of freight laterally of the trailer. The example in Figure 2 shows how the restraints 40 can be stacked while loading or unloading the trailer. The five longer restraints 40 are displaced to one end exposing the lower deck and the two shorter restraints 40B on the upper deck can be displaced to the forward end of the deck. The versatility in moving the restraints 40 through a variety of positions along the length of the trailer provides simple and effective exposure of the trailer for loading and unloading. There is no need to lift and remove the restraints nor is there any need to store the restraints off the trailer. The simple sliding motion does not require a great deal of effort and reduces the strain and load on the backs of operators.

Once the trailer has been loaded the restraints are then slid into the position shown in Figure i, the knee joints 31 are locked into the vertical arrangement and the posts are locked into engagement with the coaming to support the roof 22 as shown in Figures 7, 8, 14 and In the first embodiment of Figures 1 to 4 the restraints 40, 40B, which are only supported by the posts 30, can be used to restrain large but not very heavy loads such as rolls of paper. In a second embodiment shown in Figures 5, 6 and 11, the restraint gates 140 are similar H,\Luisa\Keep\Speci\Krueger 2003262467 Inn Div.doc 23/06/04 10 to the restraints 40 described with respect to the first embodiment except that the gates extend down to the floor and support releasable latches 60, 61 that lock the base of the gate to the trailer coaming 12 on either side of the central post 30. Figure 5 shows four restraint gates 140 equally spaced along the length of the trailer operative to restrain the load of the trailer which is likely to be palletised freight that would extend from the floor of the trailer to a height slightly below the height of the gates which is preferably between 1220mm and 2550mm. The preferred elongate dimension of the gate is about 3000mm and the gates 140 are designed so that they can withstand a lateral load outward of the sides of the trailer of about half the total weight of the freight which would be on one or more pallets located inside the gates. The gates 140, due to the three point engagement with the trailer coaming, can withstand much larger loads than the restraints of the first embodiment. It is understood that the height and width of the gates would vary in dependance on the load that requires restraining.

To unload the trailer the gates 140 are unlatched from the trailer coaming and the posts 30 released as described above. They are then slid to the rear of the trailer to be stored in an overlapping configuration as shown in Figure 6. It is understood that the gates pivot outwardly as they are stored to assume an end view similar to the one shown in Figure 4. The pivotal relationship of the posts to the overhead rail support is shown in Figures 7 and 9.

A restraint gate 140 of the kind described above is illustrated in greater detail with reference to Figures 11 to 14. The restraint gate 140 comprises an elongate substantially rectangular frame 141 with slightly rounded corners 142. The frame is constructed of square hollow sections of either steel or aluminium that are welded H:\Luisa\Keep\Speci\Krueger 2003262467 Inn Div.doc 23/06/04 11 together. The frame includes the external rectangular frame 141, a central elongate cross member 143, and six equally spaced uprights 145 welded at the cross over points. The frame has a span of approximately 3m and is welded across a vertical post 30 of the kind described above. The base 146 of the frame has a central upwardly inclined portion 147 that provides an indentation in which the base of the post 30 extends. The leg 36 of the post terminates in a laterally projecting T-bar 50 that is positioned to extend at 900 to the axis of the post 30 with the post mounted centrally of the bar 50. The base 51 of the beam 50 is parallel to the base 146 of the frame 141.

As shown in Figure 11, two T-shaped spade latches 60 61 are pivotally secured across the base 146 of the frame 141 at a position midway between the first and second and fifth and sixth uprights 145. Each spade latch 61 has a arm 64 that is pivotally secured to the frame. The arm 64 is connected to a head that comprises a lever 62 at one end and a handle 63 at the other. In the position shown in the left hand side of Figure 11, the latch 60 is in an unlocked position where the lever 62 extends into the frame and away from the trailer coaming.

To lock the latch it is pivoted to the position shown in right hand view at which the arm 64 is horizontal, the handle is vertical and the lever 62 locates in a slot in the trailer coaming. There is a small trailing taper 66 on the lever 62 to facilitate entry and escape of the latch 60. By locking the spade latch 61 as shown in the right hand view of Figure 9, the restraint gate is secured to the trailer coaming in three positions, namely at the post 30 and at the latches 60, 61, and this provides considerable resistance to any outward deflection of the gate 140 should the load on the trailer be displaced against the gate.

The post operates in the same manner as the post H.\Luisa\Keep\Speci\Krueger 2003262467 Inn Div.doc 23/06/04 12 of the first embodiment and, as shown in Figure 12, the top of the post 30 is pivotally secured across an inverted U-shaped bracket 45 which is welded to the underside of a carriage 35 which in turn supports a pair of spaced rollers 47 48 that are adapted to run on the overhead rail (not shown). The post 30 can thus pivot about a horizontal axis away from the side of the trailer. This allows the post and gates to be slid along the length of the trailer to be stacked in an overlapping configuration as shown in Figure 6. The restraint gates can stack at either end of the trailer with the posts 30 being in a closely spaced parallel array and the frames 140 overlapping to effectively reduce the length and obstruction of the stack. The spacing of the stack of posts is determined by thedistance between the post and the extreme end of the overhead roller carriage shown in Figures 11 and 12.

The locating T-bar 50 at the foot of the post is used to line up the gate in an in use position. By gripping the gate 140 it is pushed parallel against the coaming of the trailer which brings the gate into the vertical and aligned array shown in Figure 11. Suitable markings are provided on both the trailer coaming and the overhead rail to ensure that the post 30 is in the required position. When in this position it is a simple matter to pivot the spade latches 60, 61 to the locked position to secure the assembly. The knee joint and leg are then pressed into the locked elongate position of Figure 15 and the post is locked to the coaming 12 with the bearing surface of the roller carriage 39 engaging and supporting the roof and the gate operating as the restraint. The post latch 32 has a tapered lead-in 51 (Figure 16) that allows the post 30 to be slammed into the latch elongate position of Figures 14 and The gate is comparatively light and since, on H:\Luisa\Keep\Speci\Krueger 2003262467 Inn Div.doc 23/06/04 13 release of the knee joint, it is continually supported from the overhead rail it is a simple operation to release the post 30 and latches 60, 61 and move the gate to the stored position.

Each restraint 40 essentially comprises an aluminium or steel framework 41 as shown in Figure 2 that is centrally supported about a vertical post 30 through use of welding, riveting, bolting, pinning, clipping or other means of attachment. It is however understood that the aluminium or steel frame could be replaced by plastics or even timber or fibreglass structures that serve as the restraints.

The restraints operate inside the curtain to ensure against the load causing the curtain to bulge outwardly to extend outside the sides of the trailer. The sliding action of the curtain is independent of the restraints.

In a third embodiment illustrated in Figures 17 and 18, a similar curtain sided trailer 10 is illustrated.

In this embodiment, the roof 22 of the trailer is supported by corner posts 17 and two post assemblies 30 of the kind described earlier in the specification that utilises a knee joint locking device. The post assemblies do not carry restraint gates and are positioned approximately one third and two thirds along the length of a trailer 10. The restraint gates 240 of this embodiment are substantially the same as the gates 140 of the second embodiment and are supported from the overhead rail 27 by a centrally positioned post 230 that pivots relative to a roller carriage assembly in the same manner as the earlier embodiments. The gate 240 also extends to the floor 11 of the trailer 10 and includes spaced spade latches 260, 261 that allow the restraint gate 240 to be attached to the coaming 12 of the trailer floor. However in this H:\Luisa\Keep\Speci\Krueger 2003262467 Inn Div.doc 23/06/04 14 embodiment the lower end of the post 230 does not engage the floor and the post and gate do not act as a roof support but merely as a freight restraint.

To clear the side of the trailer 10 to load and unload the freight, the posts 30 and restraints 240 are displaced to the position shown in Figure 18 where the roller carriages of each post 30, 230 of both the post and restraints 240 are in end to end abutting contact in the overhead rail. The gates 240 pivot outwardly to the roller carriage as in the first two embodiments and can overlap as shown in Figure 18 to assume a stacked profile thereby providing ready access to load or unload the trailer.

H:\Luisa\Keep\Speci\Krueger 2003262467 Inn Div.doc 23/06/04

Claims (3)

1. 2. The trailer of claim 1 wherein the release mechanism comprises a knee joint formed by interfitting sections of the post with a second pivotal coupling between the interfitting sections, so that the sections can pivot relative to one another, and wherein the pivotal relationship of the sections varies the effective length of the post to, in use, facilitate support of the trailer roof when the sections are axially aligned and release of the lower coupling from the floor when the sections are in a non-linear relationship with respect to one another, to allow the sliding mechanism to slide on the rail.
2. 3. The trailer according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the sliding mechanism comprises a roller assembly including at least one roller so that the gates can slide towards one of the ends of the trailer by rolling movement of the at least one roller on the rail, and the lower coupling comprises a spade engagable in an opening in the floor.
3. 4. The trailer of any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the post is substantially centrally located with respect to the gate. The trailer according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the pivotal movement of the gates outwardly with respect to the rail is accommodated by a pivotal coupling provided between the post and the sliding mechanism, the pivotal coupling comprises a pivot pin passing through the post and through a support member of the sliding mechanism. H:\Luisa\Keep\Speci\Krueger 2003262467 Inn Div.doc 23/06/04