US2017057A - Demountable freight container - Google Patents

Description

Get. 15, 1935. B. F. FITCH 2,017,057

DEMOUNTABLE FREIGHT CONTAINER Filed NOV. 13, 1931 Patented Oct. 15, 1935 g 7 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DEMOUNTABLE FREIGHT CONTAINER Benjamin F. Fitch, Greenwich, Conn., assignor to Motor Terminals Company, Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware Application November 13, 1931, Serial No. 574,745

2 Claims. (Cl. 105-366) This invention relates to a demountable autobe separate sheets, as readily understood. In mobile body adapted for use interchangeably on any case, they are properly reinforced at their a highway truck or a railway fiat car. When meeting edges, as by the internal angle beam 32 mounted on the flat car for transportation in a of Figs. 2 and 3, or the external member 34 of 5 train, which may include box cars, it is desira- Fig. 4. 5

ble that means be provided to enable the train- The inwardly extending wall portions 35 and men to mount readily to the top of the container 36 of the recesses provide means for supporting so that, in moving along a train, they will not the ladder rungs at one end. To support them at have to work their way alongside of the conthe other end, I may use any of several supports tainers. On the other hand, when the container carried by the container wall adjacent the coris used on the automobile truck, it is desirable ner. Thus, as shown in Fig. 2, I have provided that there be no external projections which might this corner with two outwardly extending angle encounter some obstruction either in transportabars 40 and 4|, and the ladder rungs are contion or in placing the container on the truck or tinuous bent rods 50 extending intermediately removing it therefrom. through openings in the angle bars 4|] and 4| The present invention accomplishes the deand near their ends through openings in the sired results by providing the container with a wall offsets 35 and 36, the ends of the rods prefladder which is set into a vertical recess inthe erably having nuts 5| for holding them tightly container so as not to project materially beyond in position.

the container wall and at the same time is ex- In place of the two angle bars 40 and 4| of 20 ternally accessible for use. My invention is more Fig. 2, I may provide a single web 44 formed infully described in the following specification, retegral with the external angle bar 34 of Fig. 4, ferring to embodiments illustrated in the drawthis web extending outwardly at 45 to the sides ing. and ends. The ladder rungs 53 in this case also In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a extend continuously from the end ofiset 36 25 fiat car equipped with two containers embodying through openings in the web 44, and thence parthis invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal allel to the side, and through the side offset 35, section on a plane indicated by the line 2-2 on the rod having on its end the nuts 54 for pulling Fig. 1; Figs. 3 and 4 are details in horizontal it tight.

section through one corner of the container illus- In place of the single bent rod to make a 30 trating slightly difierent ways of mounting the ladder rung on both the side and the end, I may ladder rungs. provide separate rods as illustrated in Fig. 3.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the container A, This figure illustrates also a diiferent form of which may be mounted on the flat car B or on a corner support for the rungs, comprising a holsuitable truck, has a floor frame l0, side walls ll, low box made by outward and return flanges 45, end walls l2, and a suitable roof l3. Secured to 46, on the side and end, d an external e nthe side walls are upright straps l5 terminating forcing angle 48. The rungs have their supports in hooks to enable the container to be lifted, in the inward ofisets 35 and. 36, and in the coras desired. responding outward flanges, and, as shown, are The container is provided with suitable doors, suitably anchored to prevent longitudinal shift- 40 as indicated by the doors 20, in the sides of the ing. As illustrated, each rung has a shoulder 51 car, and the doors 2| at the ends. In each case, which abuts the vertical reinforcing strip 58 the exterior of the doors is substantially flush adjacent the corresponding offset of the wall, with the corresponding container wall, the door and on the end the rung has a nut 59 for pulling jamb projecting inwardly into the container. the shoulder tightly against the reinforcing strip. 45 This jamb may be formed by a Z-bar construc- It will be seen that, in any of the embodiments tion 23 as shown in Fig. 2. shown, I have provided an effective ladder lea-d- Ladders are preferably provided at diagonally ing from the bottom of the container and readily opposite corners of the container, both on the accessible to one on the car floor whereby he may side and on the end. To this purpose, I inset easily climb to the container roof. These ladthe side wall, as shown at 30', and. the adjacent ders, by being mounted on diagonally opposite end wall, as shown at 3|. These inset walls may, corners, both on the sides and ends, cause a car comprise portions of the corresponding walls of carrying these containers to correspond to the the container, bent first inwardly, as at 35 or usual box car practice, irrespective of the direc- 36, and then parallel with the wall, or they may tion in which the containers are placed.

d a. A

It will be noticed that the amount of insetting of the pockets back of the ladder rungs is substantially the same as the insetting of the door jambs for the container doors. Accordingly, the end ladder uses merelyspace which was of practically no use for loading the container, as the package freight would not ordinarily be in small enough units to occupy such space, while the space for the side ladder does not much reduce the available capacity of the container.

I claim: a e

1. A demountable freight container adapted for mounting interchangeable on a railwayflat car or a highway truck, said container having a vertical depression in one wall adjacent a corner of the container and a ladder having its rungs in said depression, said rungs being supported at one end by the offset portion of the container wall at the edge of the vertical recess distant from the corner, the other end of the rungs being supported by means extending beyond them so that the ladder is between vertical protecting members. 7

2. A demountable freight container adapted for mounting interchangeable on a railway fiat car or a highway truck, said container having vertical depressions formed in both the side wall and the end wall of the container adjacent the corner, and ladder rungs extending around the corner and lying at both they side and the end in said depressions.

BENJAMIN F. FITCH.

Images