US4422558A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Container for freight transport
Assignee: Rio Tinto Switzerland AG
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Filing: 1981-06-22
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Granted: 1983-12-27
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Expires: 2001-06-22
Abstract
Abstract A container for transporting goods in the form of packages, bundles or the like having a floor, walls, roof and at least one door which can be locked, is improved such that it can be stored without problem, is spaced-saving when transported empty and light in weight, and allows individual parts to be readily replaced, while at the same time being economical to manufacture. The container has its floor and roof joined at a distance from each other by vertical corner posts to which stable, rigid sidewalls are also attached such that the corner posts are releasably joined to the floor and roof of the container by cube-like corner pieces. Instead of or in addition to the foregoing design, at least one of the walls feature at least one deep-drawn metal sheet or panel in which stiffening areas are provided, delimited by a peripheral region in the sheet and/or ribs extending from the edge regions.
Inventors
- 👤 Gerhard Mittelmann
- 👤 Klaus P. Brodbeck
- 👤 Gerd Bretschneider
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-22 21:27
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65D; B65D88/00; B65D88/52; B65D88/526; B65D88/528; B65D88/02; B65D88/12; B65D88/14
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
211 words
A container for transporting goods, said container having a floor, a plurality of sidewalls, a roof and at least one door, the improvement which comprises: a plurality of posts extending between said floor and said roof, said plurality of posts each being provided with means for attaching said plurality of sidewalls to said plurality of posts; attachment means associated with said plurality of posts and said floor and said roof for releasably securing said plurality of posts to said floor and said roof wherein said floor and said roof are surrounded by a profiled frame, the corners of which are formed by said attachment means, said attachment means comprises a cube-shaped piece having on each of two vertical surfaces which are perpendicular to each other at least one tongue-like projecting flange and, on another surface perpendicular to said two vertical surfaces, step-like projections; and wherein said plurality of posts each comprises a hollow section adapted to mate with said step-like projections on said attachment means wherein the interior of each hollow section is subdivided by walls into a plurality of chambers, the cross section of each chamber corresponding to the cross section of a step-like projection on said attachment means so as to clamp said hollow section to said attachment means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
211 words
A container for transporting goods, said container having a floor, a plurality of sidewalls, a roof and at least one door, the improvement which comprises: a plurality of posts extending between said floor and said roof, said plurality of posts each being provided with means for attaching said plurality of sidewalls to said plurality of posts; attachment means associated with said plurality of posts and said floor and said roof for releasably securing said plurality of posts to said floor and said roof wherein said floor and said roof are surrounded by a profiled frame, the corners of which are formed by said attachment means, said attachment means comprises a cube-shaped piece having on each of two vertical surfaces which are perpendicular to each other at least one tongue-like projecting flange and, on another surface perpendicular to said two vertical surfaces, step-like projections; and wherein said plurality of posts each comprises a hollow section adapted to mate with said step-like projections on said attachment means wherein the interior of each hollow section is subdivided by walls into a plurality of chambers, the cross section of each chamber corresponding to the cross section of a step-like projection on said attachment means so as to clamp said hollow section to said attachment means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
29 words
A container according to claim 1 wherein said at least one of said plurality of sidewalls comprises at least one metal plane provided with a plurality of stiffening areas.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
37 words
A container according to claim 2 wherein said at least one sidewall comprises on its lower part at least one base panel of relatively small height and on its upper part at least one upper metal panel.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
37 words
A container according to claim 3 wherein said panels are made of aluminum sheet 0.5-2 mm thick, with said base panel preferably being about 1.5 mm thick and about double the thickness of the adjoining upper panel.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
46 words
A container according to claim 3 wherein said plurality of stiffening areas are subdivided by a central rib of breadth (m) and another rib of breadth (n) which extends out from and is broader than said central rib such that both ribs together form a T-shape.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
31 words
A container according to claim 5 wherein the distance (h) of the surface of said stiffening areas lies a distance (h) of about 15-25 mm from the base of the ribs.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
A container according to claim 11 wherein said flanges on said attachment means are received in spaces in said profiled frame.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
40 words
A container according to claim 7 wherein said attachment means is bolted to an angular corner piece provided behind said profiled frame as a support, with a wall of said frame in between said attachment means and said corner piece.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
50 words
A container according to claim 8 wherein each of said hollow sections includes at least one threaded hole for receiving a bolt passing through said attachment means, said threaded hole being situated preferably off center at the meeting place of at least two of the walls in said hollow section.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
27 words
A container according to claim 9 wherein said walls of said hollow section run fan-like from a common meeting point on the outer wall of said section.
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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) | 1986-12-26 | 1987-06-27 | 1987-12-27 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1990-12-26 | 1991-06-27 | 1991-12-27 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1994-12-26 | 1995-06-27 | 1995-12-27 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |