Material handling equipment

Claim 1

A CARGO HANDLING APPARATUS COMPRISING: A LIFTING FRAME ADAPTED FOR A CENTERED POSITION SUPERJACENT A CARGO CONTAINER; AND A PLURALITY OF LIFTING CONNECTORS FOR AUTOMATICALLY CONNECTING THE FRAME WITH THE CONTAINER; EACH CONNECTOR COMPRISING A LOWER PROJECTION PROVIDING A SHANK AND A TOE TAPERING IN A LATERAL DIRECTION FROM THE LOWER END OF THE SHANK, A BODY PORTION DISPOSED IN UPWARD FIXED RELATION WITH THE PROJECTION AND CONNECTED PIVOTALLY WITH THE FRAME ALONG A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL AXIS IN SPACED CROSSWISE RELATION WITH SAID LATERAL DIRECTION AND A LOCK SUPPORTED WITHIN THE CONNECTOR AND ALONG ONE SIDE OF THE SHANK OPPOSITE THAT FROM WHICH THE TOE PROJECTS; SAID LOCK BEING RECIPROCABLE RELATIVE TO THE PROJECTION IN THE VERTICAL LENGTHWISE DIRECTION OF THE SHANK; A CONTAINER HAVING POCKETS OPENING IN THE TOP SURFACE OF THE CONTAINER AND ARRANGED IN A HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL PATTERN SIMILAR TO THAT OF SAID CONNECTORS THEREBY ADAPTING THE POCKETS TO RECEIVE THE CONNECTORS SIMULTANEOUSLY; EACH POCKET HAVING A SHANK PORTION EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID TOP SURFACE TO MERGE WITH AN INWARD POCKET PORTION OF WHICH THE UPPER SIDE INCLINES AWAY FROM THE SHANK IN A DOWNWARD LATERAL DIRECTION, SAID POCKET PORTION BEING DISPOSED WITH RESPECT TO THE SHANK PORTION TO RECEIVE THE TOE OF THE RESPECTIVE CONNECTOR RECEIVED BY SAID POCKET WITH SUBSTANTIALLY THE UPPER SIDE OF THE TOE IN CONTACT WITH THE UPPER SIDE OF SAID POCKET PORTION; SAID SHANK PORTION OF EACH POCKET BEING OF A WIDTH RELATIVE TO THE OVERALL WIDTH OF THE PROJECTION PERMITTING INSERTION INTO, AND WITHDRAWAL FROM, THE POCKET OF A MATING CONNECTOR WHEN THE LOCK IS RETRACTED UPWARDLY OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH THE CONTAINER, AND PERMITTING ENTRY OF THE LOCK BETWEEN THE CONNECTOR SHANK AND THE WALL OF THE SHANK PORTION ONLY WHEN THE TOE IS POSITIONED TO A SUBSTANTIAL EXTENT WITHIN THE OFFSET POCKET PORTION.