Patent US5816719A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3673968A
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US
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Pneumatic safety system for vehicle lading
Assignee: Railcar Specialties Inc
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Filing: 1969-12-30
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Granted: 1972-07-04
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Expires: 1989-12-30
Abstract
Abstract A system for protecting lading against endwise impacting in an ordinary side-loading vehicle body is achieved with movable panels positioned to engage the ends of the lading and with inflatable envelopes positioned to substantially simultaneously move the panels against the ends of the lading. The inflatable envelope means adjacent one end of the lading communicate with the envelope means adjacent the other end of the lading to provide that each envelope means serves as a pressure accumulator for the other envelope means when the lading tends to shift against the first envelope means. The panel is suspended from a fixed support by spaced elongated arms that provide for rocking and skewing of the panel at edge connections located at substantially mid-height of the panel. Bias means are provided which tend to deflate the envelopes and which are arranged to tend to exert oppositely-directed moments upon each panel about its mid-height pivot connections. One arrangement of inflatable envelopes operates to develop greater pressure against the portion of the lading below the mid-height pivot connections for the movable panel.
Inventors
- 👤 Leroy W Bertram
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 12:16
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60P; B60P7/00; B60P7/06; B60P7/135
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
281 words
An improved system for safely shipping lading in a railway car provided with two spaced end walls and two side walls each with an access opening therein, said system comprising, in combination: a plurality of confined ladings of a size to be entered or removed from the car through the access opening and arranged to abut and engage adjacent confined ladings to provide effectively a continuous palletized car loading with substantially no space between adjacent ladings, each end wall of the car having an associated movable, upright panel adapted to be forced tightly against one free end of the continuous palletized car loading, inflatable envelope means between each panel and its associated end wall, means for pressurizing the inflatable envelope means to cause the oppositely facing movable panels to tend to move toward each other to substantially simultaneously engage the ends of the palletized car loading, conduit means communicating the pressurized gas in the envelope means at opposite ends of the car so that each such envelope means provides a pressure-accumulator, or reservoir, for gas displaced from another envelope means upon occurrence of the event of tendency of the palletized load to shift longitudinally in the car, and the panel being attached relative to the end wall by a pair of spaced, elongated, support arms each pivotly connected at one end thereof adjacent one upright edge of the panel and providing only two spaced points of pivot connection to the panel that permit the panel to compensatingly skew slightly relative to the end wall and permitting the panel to adjust to unevenness of the end of the lading both vertically and in a direction crossway of the width of the vehicle.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
281 words
An improved system for safely shipping lading in a railway car provided with two spaced end walls and two side walls each with an access opening therein, said system comprising, in combination: a plurality of confined ladings of a size to be entered or removed from the car through the access opening and arranged to abut and engage adjacent confined ladings to provide effectively a continuous palletized car loading with substantially no space between adjacent ladings, each end wall of the car having an associated movable, upright panel adapted to be forced tightly against one free end of the continuous palletized car loading, inflatable envelope means between each panel and its associated end wall, means for pressurizing the inflatable envelope means to cause the oppositely facing movable panels to tend to move toward each other to substantially simultaneously engage the ends of the palletized car loading, conduit means communicating the pressurized gas in the envelope means at opposite ends of the car so that each such envelope means provides a pressure-accumulator, or reservoir, for gas displaced from another envelope means upon occurrence of the event of tendency of the palletized load to shift longitudinally in the car, and the panel being attached relative to the end wall by a pair of spaced, elongated, support arms each pivotly connected at one end thereof adjacent one upright edge of the panel and providing only two spaced points of pivot connection to the panel that permit the panel to compensatingly skew slightly relative to the end wall and permitting the panel to adjust to unevenness of the end of the lading both vertically and in a direction crossway of the width of the vehicle.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
48 words
A system as in claim 1 wherein the pivot connection between the support arms and the panel is a horizontal axis located at substantially mid-height of the panel so that the panel may rock about said axis to vertical misalignment at the end to adjust to the lading.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
52 words
A device as in claim 2 including biasing means operatively associated with the lading-engaging panel and inflatable envelope means to exert forces tending to deflate the envelope means and force it against the end wall and arranged so as to apply to the panel oppositely directed moments about the mid-height pivot axis.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
210 words
In a device that uses inflatable envelope means for cushioning the tendency of lading to shift longitudinally of the direcTion of movement of a lading-carrying vehicle whose frame is designed to withstand the static and dynamic forces developed by the lading therein, the improvement comprising, in combination: an upright wall-type member in the vehicle, serving as a member for receiving and transmitting forces that are applied longitudinally of the vehicle to the vehicle''s frame; an upright lading-engaging panel attached to and supported from said wall-type member and arranged to move toward and away from said wall-type member, pressurizing means including a plurality of inflatable envelopes including means to intercommunicate the pressures therewithin and disposed between the wall-type member and said lading-engaging panel, to both provide pressure means for selectively forcing the lading-engaging panel against one end of lading in said vehicle and for absorbing and transmitting forces applied to the lading-engaging panel resulting from tendency of a load to shift longitudinally of the vehicle, and the attachment of the upright panel to the wall-type member including only pivot connections at substantially the mid-height of the panel which permit the panel to incline relative to a vertical plane and to adjust to vertical misalignment at the end face of the lading.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
210 words
In a device that uses inflatable envelope means for cushioning the tendency of lading to shift longitudinally of the direcTion of movement of a lading-carrying vehicle whose frame is designed to withstand the static and dynamic forces developed by the lading therein, the improvement comprising, in combination: an upright wall-type member in the vehicle, serving as a member for receiving and transmitting forces that are applied longitudinally of the vehicle to the vehicle''s frame; an upright lading-engaging panel attached to and supported from said wall-type member and arranged to move toward and away from said wall-type member, pressurizing means including a plurality of inflatable envelopes including means to intercommunicate the pressures therewithin and disposed between the wall-type member and said lading-engaging panel, to both provide pressure means for selectively forcing the lading-engaging panel against one end of lading in said vehicle and for absorbing and transmitting forces applied to the lading-engaging panel resulting from tendency of a load to shift longitudinally of the vehicle, and the attachment of the upright panel to the wall-type member including only pivot connections at substantially the mid-height of the panel which permit the panel to incline relative to a vertical plane and to adjust to vertical misalignment at the end face of the lading.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
18 words
A device as in claim 4 wherein the wall-type member is a permanent end wall of the vehicle.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
20 words
A device as in claim 4 wherein the wall-type member is a bulkhead arranged to move longitudinally within the vehicle.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
44 words
A device as in claim 4 wherein two elongated inflatable envelopes are provided between the wall-type member and the lading-engaging panel with the longitudinal axes of the two envelopes spaced one above and the other below said substantially mid-height pivot axis of the panel.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
47 words
A device as in claim 4 wherein the panel is attached to the wall-type member by a pair of elongated support arms, that are spaced apart a distance greater than the width of the inflatable envelope means and said envelope means being located between said support arms.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
41 words
A device as in claim 4 wherein the mounting of the panel includes means that permits skewing of the panel for adjusting of the panel to misalignment of the end face of the lading in a direction transversely of the lading.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
25 words
A device as in claim 4 including means in the intercommunicating means for developing different pressures in different ones of the plurality of inflatable envelopes.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-07-04 | 1976-01-03 | 1976-07-04 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-07-04 | 1980-01-03 | 1980-07-04 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-07-04 | 1984-01-03 | 1984-07-04 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |