US4092051A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Multi-purpose freight vehicle
Assignee: THAYCO TRAILER Corp A PA CORP
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Filing: 1976-05-05
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Granted: 1978-05-30
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Expires: 1996-05-05
Abstract
Abstract This application discloses a multi-purpose freight vehicle, such as a roadway trailer, which, in one condition, presents a clear cargo space with a continuous floor for hauling packaged goods and which, in another condition, provides one or more container bags between a top fill opening and a bottom discharge hopper opening for hauling bulk goods, the bag being formed of strong flexible material having a top opening with means of support at the top fill opening of the vehicle roof and a more flexible top end portion with closure means to provide a tight dustproof seal; the flexible bag, when empty, being stored in a hopper to which its lower open end is attached and having means for retrieval through the top opening of the vehicle roof, as by a hook pole, the bag except at the top, being rectangular in cross section and cubical to provide maximum capacity within the shape of the vehicle; floor sections above the hopper are hinged transversely to swing up as floor trap doors to permit the bag or bags to be raised, and the liftable floor trap door sections having transverse floor beams which at their ends rest on side sills; and support securement and lift means for the floor trap doors which can be removed and stowed in a compartment at the front end of the vehicle when the vehicle is used with the bags collapsed into the hoppers and the floor sections lowered.
Inventors
- 👤 Peter J. D'Orazio
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 10:52
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60P; B60P3/00; B60P3/42; B60P3/426; B60P1/00; B60P1/56
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
140 words
A multi-purpose freight vehicle, comprising in combination, a vehicle container having a floor, sidewalls, and roof, an open-top hopper beneath the floor, a fill opening in the roof above the hopper opening, a flexible container bag having an open bottom end disposed in the hopper opening, retaining means between the upper end of the bag and the car roof at said fill opening, a transversely hinged floor section trap door movable from a lower position covering the hopper opening to confine the side of the bag when raised and filled, roof and floor anchorages, a removable post disposed to be secured to said anchorages at the end of said hopper opening, and means carried by said post for raising said trap door from its lower position over said hopper to an upper position across said container alongside said hopper opening.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
140 words
A multi-purpose freight vehicle, comprising in combination, a vehicle container having a floor, sidewalls, and roof, an open-top hopper beneath the floor, a fill opening in the roof above the hopper opening, a flexible container bag having an open bottom end disposed in the hopper opening, retaining means between the upper end of the bag and the car roof at said fill opening, a transversely hinged floor section trap door movable from a lower position covering the hopper opening to confine the side of the bag when raised and filled, roof and floor anchorages, a removable post disposed to be secured to said anchorages at the end of said hopper opening, and means carried by said post for raising said trap door from its lower position over said hopper to an upper position across said container alongside said hopper opening.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
42 words
A multi-purpose freight vehicle as set forth in claim 1, which further includes transverse floor beams secured beneath the floor trap door, the floor beams resting at their ends on side sills of the container when the floor trap door is down.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
49 words
A multi-purpose freight vehicle as set forth in claim 1, further characterized by the fact that the hoppers opening is rectangular and spans the width of the container floor, and that the lower end portion of the bag is of a rectangular shape fitting the opening of the hopper.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
47 words
A multi-purpose freight vehicle as set forth in claim 1, further characterized by the fact that the fill opening in the roof of the container has bag support ring and that the bag near the upper end is provided with support hooks engaging said roof support ring.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
43 words
A multi-purpose freight vehicle as set forth in claim 1, further characterized by the fact that said bag at its upper end above the support is provided with a more flexible extension portion and fastener means for closing it tightly to seal it.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
49 words
A multi-purpose freight vehicle as set forth in claim 1, further characterized by the fact that said bag near its upper end is provided with a retrieval means which can be engaged to raise the bag out of the hopper and bring its upper end through the roof opening.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
48 words
A multi-purpose freight vehicle as set forth in claim 1, which further includes compartment side walls, a cross bar removably secured between said compartment side walls at said post, and means for tightly securing the floor trap door to the cross bar at each side of the post.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
62 words
A multi-purpose freight vehicle as set forth in claim 1, further characterized by the fact that two adjacent hoppers are provided beneath the floor on the sides of a transverse intermediate floor cross beam, and oppositely-opening floor trap doors hinged transversely to swing up oppositely, the doors when down covering the openings of the hoppers and meeting on said intermediate cross beam.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
64 words
A multi-purpose freight vehicle as set forth in claim 1, wherein the top opening of the hopper is rectangular, said bag at the open lower end being rectangular to match the hopper opening and being cubical for a distance above the opening, the trap door in raised position forming a retaining wall for the side of the bag in case it bulges when loaded.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
34 words
A multi-purpose freight vehicle as set forth in claim 9, wherein said floor trap door is provided with transverse floor beams and a smooth liner thereover to present a smooth surface to the bag.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
39 words
A multi-purpose freight vehicle as set forth in claim 9, wherein the part of the bag above the cubical lower part is frusto-pyramidal, converging to circular and connecting with a tubular cylindrical portion extending through the roof fill opening.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
114 words
A multi-purpose freight vehicle as set forth in claim 9, wherein two hoppers are arranged adjacent each other with an intermediate transverse floor beam between their top openings, there being transversely-hinged floor trap doors disposed fore and aft of the hopper openings, the trap doors when raised presenting smooth surfaces toward the bags when raised, the trap doors when down having their free edges supported on the intermediate floor beam, the bags when filled being confined by the side walls of the container, by the smooth surfaces of the raised trap doors, and by each other in case of bulging, the bags in at least their lower cubical portions having smooth non-sticking outer surfaces.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
113 words
A multi-purpose freight vehicle, comprising in combination, a vehicle container having a floor, sidewalls, and roof, and opentop hopper beneath the floor, a fill opening in the roof above the hopper opening, a flexible container bag having an open bottom end disposed in the hopper opening, retaining means between the upper end of the bag and the car roof at said fill opening, a transversely hinged floor section trap door movable from a lower position covering the hopper opening to confine the side of the bag when raised and filled, a cross bar, and side wall anchorages for removably securing said cross bar in position to hold the trap door in raised position.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
113 words
A multi-purpose freight vehicle, comprising in combination, a vehicle container having a floor, sidewalls, and roof, and opentop hopper beneath the floor, a fill opening in the roof above the hopper opening, a flexible container bag having an open bottom end disposed in the hopper opening, retaining means between the upper end of the bag and the car roof at said fill opening, a transversely hinged floor section trap door movable from a lower position covering the hopper opening to confine the side of the bag when raised and filled, a cross bar, and side wall anchorages for removably securing said cross bar in position to hold the trap door in raised position.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
29 words
A multi-purpose freight vehicle as set forth in claim 13, which further includes means carried by said cross bar for securing the floor trap door to said cross bar.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
161 words
A multi-purpose freight vehicle, comprisng in combination, a vehicle container having a floor, sidewalls, and roof, an open-top hopper beneath the floor, a fill opening in the roof above the hopper opening, a flexible container bag having an open bottom end disposed in the hopper opening, retaining means between the upper end of the bag and the car roof at said fill opening, a transversely hinged floor section trap door movable from a lower position covering the hopper opening to confine the side of the bag when raised and filled, transverse floor beams secured to said hinged floor section trap door whereby said hopper opening is completely open when said door is in a raised position, mechanical means for raising said trap door from its lower position over said hopper to an upper position across said container alongside said hopper opening, and means for maintaining said trap door in said upper position after it has been raised from its lower position.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
161 words
A multi-purpose freight vehicle, comprisng in combination, a vehicle container having a floor, sidewalls, and roof, an open-top hopper beneath the floor, a fill opening in the roof above the hopper opening, a flexible container bag having an open bottom end disposed in the hopper opening, retaining means between the upper end of the bag and the car roof at said fill opening, a transversely hinged floor section trap door movable from a lower position covering the hopper opening to confine the side of the bag when raised and filled, transverse floor beams secured to said hinged floor section trap door whereby said hopper opening is completely open when said door is in a raised position, mechanical means for raising said trap door from its lower position over said hopper to an upper position across said container alongside said hopper opening, and means for maintaining said trap door in said upper position after it has been raised from its lower position.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1981-05-29 | 1981-11-28 | 1982-05-30 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1985-05-29 | 1985-11-28 | 1986-05-30 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1989-05-29 | 1989-11-28 | 1990-05-30 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |