Flat bed material transporting vehicle

Claim 2

In a flat bed vehicle, particularly adapted for transporting heavy lading, a vehicle frame having a floor, a pair of parallel spaced longitudinally extending beams extending for substantially the length of said vehicle frame, cross members spacing said beams apart and unitized thereto to form the center sill of the vehicle, wheels and axles supporting said beams above ground level, side rails extending parallel to said beams along opposite sides of the vehicle frame, anchor channels opening at floor level, unitized with said side rails and extending along the insides of said side rails and forming a part of the supporting structure of the vehicle frame, other cross members spacing said side rails and anchor channels from said beams and unitized to said side rails and anchor channels, said beams having portions flush with the vehicle floor and forming at least one unitized anchor channel opening at floor level and forming a part of the support structure of the vehicle frame, releasable container locks at opposite ends of the vehicle deck in alignment with the anchor channels unitized to the side rails, for locking the corners of containers to the vehicle deck, and container couplers carried in said anchor channels unitized to the side rails between said container locks and having latching members adapted to have latching engagement with downwardly opening sockets in the containers, support legs movably mounted on said couplers for movement into position to engage the bottoms of the anchor channels and support the container couplers and latching members above the deck of the vehicle into position to extend within the container sockets and couple the containers to the vehicle floor, and having end portions extending upwardly within the container sockets and locked in position by the container sockets, said legs being held in their support positions in engagement with the bottoms of the channels by engagement of said end portions wiTh the container sockets, and being retractable to accommodate said legs and container couplers to be retracted within said channels only when the containers are removed from the couplers to release said end portions and legs to move into their retracted positions.

Claim 3

In a flat bed vehicle adapted to transport containers and in combination with a container having at least one downwardly opening retaining socket at a corner thereof and opening to the bottom thereof and having a strike surface at the end of the socket, a vehicle frame including a flat deck, side rails extending along opposite sides of said deck including anchor channels opening at deck level and having a base having parallel side walls extending upwardly from said base and retainer flanges extending inwardly of said sidewalls, at least one container coupler in each anchor channel and having a base movable along the base of an associated anchor channel and movable vertically into position to be supported to extend upwardly into locking engagement with the retainer flanges of an associated channel and position said container coupler to engage a retainer socket and lock a container to the deck, and movable downwardly within said channel beneath the level of the deck, for adjustable movement along the associated channel, a latch on said coupler base for engaging said strike surface when said base is in locking engagement with said channel, support means releasably supporting said coupler base and container coupler in locking engagement with said channel, said support means being engaged by said container socket and locked by said container socket in position to support said coupler in an elevated position, as a container is lowered thereon.

Claim 4

In a flat bed vehicle adapted to transport containers and in combination with a container having at least one downwardly opening retaining socket at a corner thereof and opening to the bottom thereof and having a strike surface at the end of the socket, a vehicle frame including a flat deck, side rails extending along opposite sides of said deck including anchor channels opening at deck level and having a base having parallel side walls extending upwardly from said base and retainer flanges extending inwardly of said sidewalls, at least one container coupler in each anchor channel and having a base movable along the base of an associated anchor channel and movable vertically into position to be supported to extend upwardly into locking engagement with the retainer flanges of an associated channel and position said container coupler to engage a retainer socket and lock a container to the deck, and movable downwardly within said channel beneath the level of the deck, for adjustable movement along the associated channel, a latch on said coupler base for engaging said strike surface when said base is in locking engagement with said channel, support means releasably supporting said coupler base and container coupler in locking engagement with said channel, said support means being engaged by said container socket and locked by said container socket in position to support said coupler in an elevated position, as a container is lowered thereon.

Claim 5

The flat bed vehicle of claim 2, wherein the base has at least one guide and spacer wall extending upwardly of said base along an end of a container, and wherein the latch is biased to extend from an end of said guide and spacer wall to have latching engagement with said strike surface, as a container is lowered onto said coupler.

Claim 6

The flat bed vehicle of claim 3, wherein the container coupler has an upstanding guide and retainer spaced along said base from said guide and spacer wall, wherein the downwardly opening retaining socket is registrable with said upstanding guide and retainer upon lowering movement of the container, and guides the container in position to be coupled to the vehicle deck by said latch, and wherein spring means bias said latch into engagement with said strike surface.

Claim 7

The flat bed vehicle of claim 4, wherein the base has at least one retractable leg transversely pivoted thereto and forming the support means therefor, wherein said upstanding guide and retainer has a recessed portion therein extending upwardly therealong and opening to the outer end thereof, wherein said retractable leg has a portion extending from the pivot thereof within said recessed portion upon the positioning of said leg to support the coupler to extend above deck level, and wherein the container socket as engaging said upstanding guide and retainer extends along said upwardly extending portion of said leg and locks said leg in position to hold the coupler above the level of said deck to couple a container thereto, as long as said guide abutment is engageable with said socket.

Claim 8

In a flat bed vehicle adapted to support and transport containers of various lengths and in combination with a pair of containers having downwardly opening retaining sockets at each corner thereof and opening to the bottom thereof and having a latching and strike surface at the end of each socket, opening to the end of the socket, a vehicle frame including a flat deck, side rails extending along opposite sides of said deck including anchor channels opening at deck level, said anchor channels each including a base, side walls extending upwardly from said base and retainer flanges extending inwardly from said side walls and having locking notches spaced therealong, at least one container coupler in each anchor channel and including a base having locking lugs spaced therealong, said base being movable vertically into position to move said lugs into locking engagement with the locking notches of an associated channel, each coupler having retractable support legs movably mounted thereon to support said base in locking engagement with said retainer flanges of an associated channel and lock the adjacent ends of a pair of containers to the deck, said legs being releasable upon removal of a coupler therefrom to move downwardly within said channel beneath the level of the deck, for adjustable movement along the associated channel, said container couplers each having laterally aligned spacer walls extending upwardly of said base longitudinally of the vehicle for engagement with downwardly opening retainer sockets in a container, and a pair of oppositely facing latches movably mounted between said spacer walls and biased to extend from opposite ends of said spacer walls to come into locking engagement with the latching and strike surfaces at the ends of adjacent ends of a pair of containers to lock the containers to said couplers as lowered thereonto.

Claim 9

In a flat bed vehicle adapted to support and transport containers of various lengths and in combination with a pair of containers having downwardly opening retaining sockets at each corner thereof and opening to the bottom thereof and having a latching and strike surface at the end of each socket, opening to the end of the socket, a vehicle frame including a flat deck, side rails extending along opposite sides of said deck including anchor channels opening at deck level, said anchor channels each including a base, side walls extending upwardly from said base and retainer flanges extending inwardly from said side walls and having locking notches spaced therealong, at least one container coupler in each anchor channel and including a base having locking lugs spaced therealong, said base being movable vertically into position to move said lugs into locking engagement with the locking notches of an associated channel, each coupler having retractable support legs movably mounted thereon to support said base in locking engagement with said retainer flanges of an associated channel and lock the adjacent ends of a pair of containers to the deck, said legs being releasable upon removal of a coupler therefrom to move downwardly within said channel beneath the level of the deck, for adjustable movement along the associated channel, said container couplers each having laterally aligned spacer walls extending upwardly of said base longitudinally of the vehicle for engagement with downwardly opening retainer sockets in a container, and a pair of oppositely facing latches movably mounted between said spacer walls and biased to extend from opposite ends of said spacer walls to come into locking engagement with the latching and strike surfaces at the ends of adjacent ends of a pair of containers to lock the containers to said couplers as lowered thereonto.

Claim 10

The flat bed vehicle of claim 6, wherein spring means, seated on said latches, bias said latches outwardly relative to said guide and spacer walls to accommodate downward movement of the containers as lowered onto the deck of the vehicle to cam said latches into retracted positions to come into locking engagement with said strike surfaces of said socket members as the container is lowered to rest on the deck of the vehicle.

Claim 11

The flat bed vehicle of claim 7, wherein the container couplers have guide and retainers spaced from opposite ends of said spacer walls, and wherein the container sockets have downwardly opening portions registrable with said guide and retainers upon lowering movement of the container, and guiding the container in position to be coupled to the vehicle deck by said latches.

Claim 12

The flat bed vehicle of claim 8, wherein the retractable legs are transversely pivoted to said coupler base adjacent the opposite ends of each coupler, wherein said retractable legs have portions extending from the pivots thereof upwardly along said guides and retainers upon the positioning of said legs to support the coupler to extend above deck level, and wherein the container sockets as engaging said guide abutments extend along said upwardly extending portions of said legs and lock said legs in position to hold the couplers above the level of said deck to couple adjacent ends of two containers as long as said guide and retainers are engageable with said sockets.

Claim 13

The flat bed vehicle of claim 9, including container locks at opposite ends of said anchor channels adapted to engage within the container sockets at the ends of the containers adjacent the ends of the vehicle, and operable to lock the containers to the flat deck of the vehicle upon lowering movement of the containers to register the downwardly opening container sockets with said container locks.

Claim 14

In a flat bed vehicle having anchor channels extending therealong having retainer flanges extending inwardly of the side walls thereof, an automatic latching coupler carried in each anchor channel adapted to couple two corners of at least one container to the flat deck of a vehicle and in combination with a container having a downwardly opening socket at each corner thereof, each having a latching and strike surface opening to said socket from an end of said socket, each coupler including a base supported in said anchor channel for adjustable movement therealong and for vertical movement into engagement with said retainer flanges, means movably mounted on said base for supporting said base into engagement with said retainer flanges, at least one guide and spacer wall projecting upwardly of said base, and aDapted to extend vertically along the end of a container, an upstanding guide and retainer spaced inwardly along said base from said spacer wall and in horizontal alignment therewith, and adapted to extend within said downwardly opening socket upon placing the container on the deck of a vehicle, a latch retractable with respect to said guide and spacer wall, a pivot for said latch pivoting said latch to said base in outwardly spaced relation with respect to the container about an axis spaced beneath said guide and spacer wall, said latch having a downwardly facing latching surface spaced above said base and conforming to said strike surface, and an opposite surface cammed by the container to retract said latch inwardly of said guide and spacer wall upon lowering movement of the container along said upstanding guide and retainer, a spring seated within the limits of said guide and spacer wall and biasing said latch to extend outwardly of said guide and spacer wall towards said upstanding guide and retainer, a container as lowered onto said coupler to register said downwardly opening socket with said upstanding guide and retainer, first engaging the top surface of said latch and retracting said latch within said guide and spacer wall, said latch then coming into latching engagement with said strike surface, to lock the container to the deck of the vehicle, the axis of the pivot for said latch and the point of engagement of said spring with said latch being spaced outwardly of said strike surface, and the relationship between the line of engagement of said strike surface with said latch, the pivot for said latch, and the point of engagement of said spring with said latch being such that upward lifting movement of the container will retract said latch with respect to said guide and spacer wall, and accommodate lifting of the container from the deck of the vehicle.

Claim 15

In a flat bed vehicle having anchor channels extending therealong having retainer flanges extending inwardly of the side walls thereof, an automatic latching coupler carried in each anchor channel adapted to couple two corners of at least one container to the flat deck of a vehicle and in combination with a container having a downwardly opening socket at each corner thereof, each having a latching and strike surface opening to said socket from an end of said socket, each coupler including a base supported in said anchor channel for adjustable movement therealong and for vertical movement into engagement with said retainer flanges, means movably mounted on said base for supporting said base into engagement with said retainer flanges, at least one guide and spacer wall projecting upwardly of said base, and aDapted to extend vertically along the end of a container, an upstanding guide and retainer spaced inwardly along said base from said spacer wall and in horizontal alignment therewith, and adapted to extend within said downwardly opening socket upon placing the container on the deck of a vehicle, a latch retractable with respect to said guide and spacer wall, a pivot for said latch pivoting said latch to said base in outwardly spaced relation with respect to the container about an axis spaced beneath said guide and spacer wall, said latch having a downwardly facing latching surface spaced above said base and conforming to said strike surface, and an opposite surface cammed by the container to retract said latch inwardly of said guide and spacer wall upon lowering movement of the container along said upstanding guide and retainer, a spring seated within the limits of said guide and spacer wall and biasing said latch to extend outwardly of said guide and spacer wall towards said upstanding guide and retainer, a container as lowered onto said coupler to register said downwardly opening socket with said upstanding guide and retainer, first engaging the top surface of said latch and retracting said latch within said guide and spacer wall, said latch then coming into latching engagement with said strike surface, to lock the container to the deck of the vehicle, the axis of the pivot for said latch and the point of engagement of said spring with said latch being spaced outwardly of said strike surface, and the relationship between the line of engagement of said strike surface with said latch, the pivot for said latch, and the point of engagement of said spring with said latch being such that upward lifting movement of the container will retract said latch with respect to said guide and spacer wall, and accommodate lifting of the container from the deck of the vehicle.