GB2640330A

GB2640330A - Reconfigurable modular container

Info

Publication number: GB2640330A
Application number: GB2407410.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Campbell Mordue Gary
Original assignee: Ventol Ltd
Current assignee: Ventol Ltd
Priority date: 2024-04-08
Filing date: 2024-05-24
Publication date: 2025-10-15
Also published as: GB202407410D0

Abstract

A reconfigurable modular storage container 10 comprises a structural frame 11 which defines the shape of the container, said frame defining two rectangular end frames 12 and a set of four side rails which extend from respective corners of one end frame of the container to corresponding corners of the other of the two end frames, said side rails providing support for a pair of container side walls 20, at least one of said end frames being a door end frame 31 that provides support for at least one door for access to within the container, and wherein each side wall comprises, adjacent the door end frame that supports the or each said door, a side wall section 40 adapted to be removable from support by the side rails. A method of reconfiguring the container is disclosed.

Description

Reconfigurable Modular Container This invention relates to a modular container, such as a shipping container, which is of a reconfigurable type.

It is well known that a standard shipping container may be adapted for a variety of purposes other than for the transportation of goods.

Frequently there is an advantage in assembling a plurality of containers in a stacked configuration in which at least one container is positioned on top of another container. That advantageously results in greater storage capacity for a given surface footprint than if the containers are not in a stacked configuration.

However, one disadvantage of stacking containers is that of the need to provide convenient, in situ, access to an elevated container. Typically a wheeled platform may be provided to be positioned temporarily in front of the lowermost container so as to allow access to the or each container stacked on the lowermost container. That, however, results in impeding simultaneous access to the stacked and the one or more lowermost containers. Particularly in the case of a bank of adjacent and stacked containers provided for personal storage by the public, which can be a serious disadvantage.

Another proposal for access to an elevated container comprises the provision of an elevated platform provided at the front of the or each container. That advantageously allows simultaneous access to all containers in a stack but has the disadvantage of cost and of the need for on-site installation time.

The present invention seeks to provide a modular storage container which addresses the aforementioned disadvantages of known containers when employed in a stacked configuration.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention a reconfigurable modular storage container comprises a structural frame which defines the shape of the container, said frame defining two rectangular end frames and a set of four side rails which extend from respective corners of one end frame of the container to corresponding corners of the other of the two end frames, said side rails providing support for a pair of container side walls, at least one said end frame being a door end frame that provides support for at least one door for access to within the container, and wherein each side wall comprises, adjacent the door end frame that supports the or each said door, a side wall section adapted to be removable from support by the side rails.

For the avoidance of doubt the term "rectangular" is used herein to define both a square shape and a shape with four right angles and four sides, wherein opposite sides are of equal length and adjacent sides are of unequal length.

The or each said door may be removable from the door end frame.

The door end frame that supports at least one door may support a removable door frame assembly comprising a door frame and at least one door secured thereto.

At least one of the removable side wall sections may be adapted for securing to the door end frame that provides support for the or each door.

The door end frame that provides support for the or each door may comprise two pillars spaced apart by two rails. A side wall section may be adapted for securing to each of said two pillars.

The removable side wall section may be of a width less that the height thereof when in situ as part of the side wall. Preferably said side wall sections have a with of at least 1.0 metre, more preferably at least 1.2 metres, whereby when the side wall sections are removed from their original side wall positions there results an area adjacent the end of the container that may be utilised as part of a walkway extending through two or more similar containers.

The removable side wall sections may have a width of less than the height of the container, preferably less than 2.0 metres, more preferably less than 1.5 metres. Side wall sections having a width of 1.2 metres will result in a walkway having a width of 1.2 metres when the side wall sections are removed from adjacent the door end frame.

One or each removable side wall section may be secured to an end frame thereby to act as a safety barrier for personnel standing on the container floor at the end of a stacked container. One or each wall section may be secured to the end frame to extend in the same vertical direction as when in situ as a part of the side wall of the container or at an angle thereto such as at a right angle, for example in a horizontal direction.

Two side wall sections may be secured to the door end frame to provide weather protection for the adjacent section of the container. A sealant, such as a silicone sealant, may be employed for that purpose.

Preferably an end frame supports a removable door frame assembly which has height and width dimensions less than those dimensions of the rectangular end frame whereby when secured to the door end frame the door frame assembly may be located within the aperture defined by the rectangular end frame. Thus the door frame assembly does not result in an extension to the length of the container and, accordingly, the container remains compatible with other standard sized containers for transportation and relocation purposes.

A removable door frame assembly preferably is re-positionable to a recessed position within the length of the structural frame. It may be secured in position relative to the four side rails of the structural frame whereby the door frame may be employed to provide security for goods within the container. Sealing mean and or other material such as sheet material may be provided to effect closure of spaces between the door frame assembly and confronting floor, top and side wall faces of the container.

The invention provides also a method of reconfiguring a storage container for the purpose of facilitating access to the container contents when in an elevated location, said method comprising providing a storage container in accordance with the present invention and removing the removable side wall sections from support by the side rails. At least one said side wall section may then be repositioned for support by the door end frame.

The method of the invention further provides for securing a safety barrier to a door end frame from which a door frame assembly has been removed. At least a part of at least of one of the sections of the side panels may be employed for use as a said safety barrier.

The end frame may be of a square shape whereby the height of a removable side wall section equals the width of the door end frame. Accordingly the or each side wall section may readily be secured to the end frame in a horizontally extending orientation.

If the door end frame has a height greater than width one or each side wall section may be reduced in length, for example by cutting or bending, in order to be suitable for securing to the end frame in a horizontally extending orientation. Alternately one or each side wall section may be secured to the end frame in the same vertical orientation as when in situ as part of a side wall of the container.

The structural frame may be of a type suitable for use as a shipping container. Thus it may define the shape of a cuboid which has industry standard dimensions for shipping and transportation purposes. The structural frame may comprise pockets in the bottom side rails and or bottom rails of the end frames for engagement by the arms of a forklift truck or other such lifting means.

The upper four corners of the structural frame may comprise hook type positions, sometimes known as corner castings, for engagement by lifting means.

One embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which:-Figure 1 is a perspective view of a standard shipping container; Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of a shipping container in accordance with the present invention; Figure 3 is an end view of the door end of the container of the present invention prior to reconfiguration; Figure 4 is a plan view of a part of the container of the invention when reconfigured to provide a balcony region; Figure 5 is a perspective view of a shipping container of the present invention in a reconfigured orientation, and Figure 6 is a perspective view of a stacked array of four containers including two reconfigured containers in accordance with the present invention.

The present invention relates to a reconfigurable shipping container wherein an end region of the container may be adapted to provide a balcony region.

A standard shipping container 10 as shown in Figure 1 comprises a structural frame 11 which defines the cuboidal shape of the container. The structural frame comprises two rectangular end frames 12 each of which comprises a pair of vertical pillars 13 and horizontally extending top and bottom rails 14.

The two end frames 12 are rigidly secured to one another by the four rails 14 that extend horizontally from respective corners of one end frame 12 to corresponding corners of the other end frame.

The two side walls 20, the top face 21 of the container and one rectangular end frame 12 comprise corrugated metal panels secured to the structural frame 11. Typically the bottom face 22 is provided with load bearing sheet material secured to the structural frame.

The other rectangular end frame provides support for a pair of access doors 23 each hingedly secured to a respective one of the two vertical pillars 13.

The top and bottom rails of said other of the rectangular end frames are formed with a plurality of sockets 25 which, in use, are able to receive slidably mounted locking bars that are supported by the door. A locking mechanism (not shown) of a conventional kind is provided for locking the bars in position when in engagement with the aforementioned sockets.

In the standard construction of a shipping container a deformable elastomeric gasket is provided between the end frame and confronting edge regions of the two doors. Similarly a sealing material is provided between the corrugated panels and the structural frame thereby to provide weather protection for contents of the container.

In the shipping container of the present invention (see Figure 2) the opening defined by a rectangular end frame 12 is occupied by a door frame assembly 31 that comprises a door frame 32 and a door 33, preferably a pair of doors 33. The doors in this embodiment have sliding bars 34 operable to engage with sockets 35 of the door frame and thereby assist in locking the doors relative to the door frame without a need to be engagable with the rectangular end frame region of structural frame.

The door frame assembly is removably secured to the rectangular end frame by means of bolts (not shown) and sealing gaskets are provided between confronting surfaces of the rectangular end frame 12 and door frame 32 and between the doors 33 and the door frame 32.

In consequence of being able to fit within the opening defined by the rectangular end frame (see Figure 3), the door frame assembly 31 necessarily is sufficiently small such that, when unbolted from the end frame 12, it may be moved inwards into the container so as to be located at a position 36 set back from the rectangular end frame 12 as best seen in Figure 4.

In this embodiment the door frame assembly is repositioned to lie back from the rectangular end frame by at least 1.1 metres, preferably at least 1.2 metres, thereby to provide sufficient width for the walkway space 38 that is created on the floor of the container between the rectangular end frame and the door frame assembly.

The invention further provides that one or each of the side walls of the container comprises a selectively removable side wall section 40 of a width corresponding substantially to the width of the walkway region (see Figure 2). Thus when the side wall sections are removed there results access to the walkway region from one or two similar and adjacent containers.

One or two removed sections 40 of the side wall may be employed for securing to the rectangular end frame 12 thereby to provide a safety barrier.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that the invention provides a cost effective reconfigurable container for facilitating access to a stacked container without impeding access to a lowermost container and also without the need to provide, on site, a separate walkway which is positioned alongside the containers.

In particular the container of the invention is conveniently reconfigurable at an off-site location prior to stacking in combination with one or more containers.

Claims

Claims.1. A reconfigurable modular storage container comprising a structural frame which defines the shape of the container, said frame defining two rectangular end frames and a set of four side rails which extend from respective corners of one end frame of the container to corresponding corners of the other of the two end frames, said side rails providing support for a pair of container side walls, at least one said end frames being a door end frame that provides support for at least one door for access to within the container, and wherein each side wall comprises, adjacent the door end frame that supports the or each said door, a side wall section adapted to be removable from support by the side rails.
2. A modular storage container according to claim 1 wherein a said door end frame comprises two pillars placed apart by two rails and wherein at least one of the removable side wall sections is adapted for securing to each of said two pillars.
3. A modular storage container according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein each removable side wall section has a width less than the height thereof when in situ as part of the side wall.
4. A modular storage container according to claim 3 wherein the side wall sections each have a width of at least one metre.
5. A modular storage container according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the removable side wall sections have a width less than the height of the container.
6. A modular storage container according to claim 5 wherein the removable side wall sections have a width less than 1.5 metres.
7. A modular storage container according to any one of the preceding claims wherein at least one removable side wall section is secured to an end frame to act as a safety barrier.
8. A modular storage container according to claim 7 wherein one or each side wall section is secured to the end frame to extend in the same direction as when in situ as part of the side wall of the container.
9. A modular storage container according to claim 7 wherein one or each side wall section is secured to the door end frame to extend at right angles relative to the direction of the wall section when in situ as a part of the side wall of the container.
10. A modular storage container according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the door end frame supports a removable door frame assembly which has height and width dimensions less than those dimensions of the door end frame.
11. A modular storage container according to claim 10 wherein the door end frame assembly is positioned inset from the end of the container and supported by the four side rails and wherein the door end frame supports at least one said removable side wall section.
12. A method of reconfiguring a storage container for facilitating access to the container contents when in an elevated location, said method comprising providing a storage container in accordance with any one of the preceding claims and removing the removable side wall sections from support by the side rails.
13. A method according to claim 12 and comprising removing a side wall section from support by two side rails and repositioning the side wall section for support by the door end frame.
14. A method according to claim 13 wherein the door end frame comprises a door end frame assembly, wherein the door frame assembly is removed from the door end frame and wherein at least one side wall section is secured to the door end frame for use as a safety barrier.
15. A method according to any one of claims 12 to 14 wherein the door end frame has a height greater than width and wherein a removed side wall section is reduced in length to correspond substantially with the width of the door end frame.
16. A method according to any one of claims 12 to 14 wherein a removable side wall section is repositioned to extend relative to the structural frame in the same orientation as when in situ as pad of a side wall of the container.