Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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DEMOUNTABLE AIR DEFLECTOR FOR SHIPPING
CONTAINERS AND THE LIKE
The invention relates to air deflectors for use with shipping
containers, with the aim of reducing aerodynamic resistance and correspondingly the
fuel consumption of land vehicles used for the transportation of such cont~in~JS.
Shipping containers are generally in the form of elongated cubes, with
a door opening located in one of the elongated sides. The forward and rear facesof the container are provided with openings for hoisting the cont~iners, which
openings are in accordance with generally accepted international standards, separated
by a center to center (li~t:~nre of 226 cm (89 in.).
It is well known to use aerodynamic deflectors with trucks and
trailers and the like.
In U.S. Patent 3,815,948 (Alford) there is disclosed a deflector for
caravan type trailers. Such deflector is formed from flat panels perms~n~ntly
attached to the trailer by means of hinges which permit the panels to be folded
back along the sides of the trailer.
In U.S. Patent 4,458,936 (l~ lh~ nd~ there is disclosed a fairing
which secures to the rear face of a tailer. While it is in(lic~ted that the fairing is
readily interchangeable between trailers, such trailers must be adapted to mount the
fairing, and the transfer could not be accomplished by one person.
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In U.S. Patent 4,682,808 (Bilanin) there is disclosed a plurality of
panels which are hingedly attached to the rear of the trailer, so that they may be
folded up flat against the rear of the vehicle when not in use. Again it is necessary
that the trailer be specifically adapted to mount the panels.
S In U.S. Patent 3,797,879 (Edwards) there is disclosed a pri~m~tic
deflector for attachment to the front wall of a large van or semi-trailer to extend
over the top of the cab. While it is indicated that the deflector is demountable, it
is necessitates the specific adaptation of the van or semi-trailer for this purpose.
Mounting and demounting of the deflector appear to necessitate the use of auxiliary
means such as ladders or scaffolding, and more than one pair of hands.
Shipping containers are during the course of their use subject to very
rough treatment, and particularly when they are used for the m?ritim~. shiplllenl of
goods, the containers are stocked side by side and end to end without leaving any
space between them. Accordingly, any structure which projects outwardly will be
crushed or torn away, and there is no possibility of permanently mounting any type
of deflector to these cont~inçrs. Accordingly, any deflector for use with a shipping
container must be temporary, and be capable of being mounted when required and
demounted when no required. The condition that the deflector be attached to the
cnnt~iner only temporarily implies that the deflector will be available at the time
that it is required, and that it be removable for storage when not required. Themost simple and elegant manner of satisfying this dual requirement is that each
tractor for hauling shipping containers be equipped with means for storing the
defector. Accordingly, the driver can install the deflector as soon as it is required,
and removed it upon delivery of the container. Desirably, the deflector must be
mountable and demountable quickly by one person without necessit~ting any
auxiliary e(luip,llellt, preferably without necessitating the use of any tool. It is still
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further desirable that the deflector have a more or less universal applicability for
use with all shipping cont~iners without necessit~ting any mo~lific~tion of the
cont~iners or the use of any adaptor to accommodate the deflector to dirrelcl~t styles
of c~ nt~iners.
It is an object of this invention to provide a demountable air deflector
for shipping cnnt~iners.
It is a further object of this invention to provide demountable air
deflectors that disassemble easily into a generally two ~limen~ional form for storage
and transportation.
It is another object of this invention to provide such demountable
air deflectors that are mountable onto and demountable from cont~iners by one
person only without the use of any tool or other device.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide air deflectors that
may be utilized with cont~iners of different m~nllfs3cturers without any adaptation.
In accordance with the broad object of the invention, an air deflector
for a shipping cont:~iner or the like having a fixed face and opposed upper corners
thereto with openings therein that is easily demounted thel~rl~lll by one personwithout tools or assistance for storage and transportation in a generally two
dimensional condition comprises a first planar isosceles triangular panel having a
base and apex. A hook is provided adjacent the opposed ends of the base for
engaging the corner openings of the ct)nt~iner to suspend the first triangular panel
from the shipping container adjacent the roof line thereof. A frame is provided
including a strut portion releasably couplable to the first triangular portion adjacent
the apex thereof to depend downwardly th~lGrlulll in oblique relationship, the strut
portion serving to permit a person to hoist the first triangular portion into position
to engage the hooks with corner opening of the container, or to disengage them
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when the air deflector is to be demounted. The frame includes at least one portion
that will bear on the fixed face of the container to retain the strut in spaced apart
relationship therefrom in a preferably vertical position, whereby the first triangular
panel will extend downwardly outwardly from the fixed face of the container. Theair deflector also incllldes second and third generally similar panels each having at
least three sides, the first one of which has a length generally equal to the side of
the first triangular panel. Cooperating hook means are provided on the first side
of each of the second and third panels and the respective sides of the first triangular
panel whereby the second and third panels may be suspended from the first panel.The second and third panels are proportioned so that when suspended in this
manner, a second side thereof will be contiguous with the fixed face of the
cr~ntainer, and a third side of the second panel will be adjacent along its length to
the third sides of the third panel, the third sides in effect residing approximately in
a vertical plane at right angles to the fixed face of the container. Means is
provided for releasably retaining the third sides in their adjacent relati(-n~hip.
Preferably, the second and third panels are trapezoid~l, with the
second and third sides thereof being parallel, whereby when the second and thirdpanels are suspended from the first panel, the second and third sides will be
vertical.
Desirably, the air deflector includes a pair of similar triangular flaps
each having a first side generally coextensive with the fourth side of the trapezoidal
panels and hinged thereto. The triangular flaps are proportioned such that when a
second side thereof is contiguous with the fixed face of the container~ third sides
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the fixed face of the container forming closed, hollow six sided figure ~y~ et~ical
about the above mentioned vertical plane.
Conveniently the first triangular panel comprises similar left and
right hand portions respectively residing on opposed sides of the vertical plane,
which portions are hinged together so as to be movable between an open, generally
coplanar position and a closed, superposed position for storage. Preferably means
is provided for supporting the left and right hand portions in the open position to
f~cilit~te the placement of panel on the shipping cont~ineJ. Suitably the frame
inclu~ s an upper portion that is secured to one of the left and right hand portions,
to which upper frame portion the strut portion is releasably connectible. The upper
frame portion is conveniently provided with a bracket that abuts the roof and the
fixed wall of the cont~iner at the juncture thereof to render the air deflector more
rigid. Preferably also, the frame portion that bears on the fixed face of the
container to retain the strut in spaced apart relation comprises a telescopically
adjustable brace to permit small adjustments to the verticality of the strut portion
of the frame.
These foregoing objects and aspects of the invention, toget'ner with
other objects, aspects and advantages thereof will be more apparent from the
following description of a plerell~d embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with
the following drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 - shows the air deflector of the invention installed on a
shipping cnnt~iner;
FIG. 2 - is a close-up perspective view from the lower right side
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FIG. 3 - shows in exploded view the component parts of the air
deflector of Fig. 1, partially broken away to reveal
detail, with other hidden detail shown in dotted outline;
FIG. 4 - is an elevational view partly in section of the right side
of the air deflector as seen from the interior thereof,
and
FIG. 5 - shows the air deflector demounted and stored in
generally two dimensional form behind the cab of a
tractor.
Referring to the drawings in detail a shipping cnnt~in~,r C is seen
in Fig. 1 loaded onto a semi-trailer S drawn by a tractor T. Cl)nt:~iner C has a
front end F which may otherwise be referred to as a fixed end, which is to say
that it is devoid of any access door therein.
Shipping cont~iner C has corner sockets X which provide points for
the attachment of crane hooks or the like.
The air deflector of the invention is i(le,ntified generally by the
numeral 10. Deflector 10 comprises a first triangular panel 12 having a base 14
and apex 16. Hooks 18 are secured to panel 12 adjacent opposed ends of base
14. A support frame 20 is connected to panel 12. Frame 20 comprises a lower
strut portion 22 which is obliquely inclined to the plane of panel 12, and an upper
portion 24, which is rigidly secured to the triangulal panel 12 along the median
thereof passing through apex 16. An angular bracket 26 is secured to the upper
end of upper portion 24. The strut portion 22 of frame 20 is connected to the
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Triangular panel 12 is hoisted into position manually by means of
support strut 22, to permit hooks 18 to engage with corner sockets X of cont~inlor
C for suspension of panel 12 thelcr~ ll, in which position bracket 26 will norm~lly
engage the roof and upper edge of the cf-nt~iner to provide a central support for
panel 12 and air deflector 10.
Panel 12 extends obliquely downwardly from the face F of container
C, and is retained more or less in this position by means of a brace 30 which
extends rearwardly from strut portion 22 of frame 20 interme~ te the ends thereof.
Brace 30 is telescopically ~xt~n~ihle to permit small adj~l~tn~ents in the length
thereof for adjusting the verticality of strut portion 22.
Panel 12 is conveniently and preferably formed from similar left and
right halves, 12a 12b which are interconnected along the median passing through
apex 16 by means of hinges 32. A support finger 34 is connected to the upper
frame portion 24 by means of a pivot 36 which permits the finger to move
between a position transverse to the upper frame portion, as illustrated in Fig. 3
wherein it supports the panel halves 12a, 12b in their open generally planar
relationship, and a position aligned with the upper frame portion for the purposes
of storage of deflector 10 when removed from cont~iner C, as will be explained
later in more detail.
Deflector 10 further includes a pair of similar trapezoidal panels 40a,
40b. As seen in Fig. 3, each panel has an upper edge 42 from which project a
pair of hooks 44 adjacent each lateral end thereof. Edge 42 is generally
coextensive with the side edges of panel 12. A pair of apc;~ s 46 is provided
in panel 12 adjacent each side edge of panel 12, into which apel~ult;s hooks 44 are
engageable whereby panels 40a, 40b may be supported from panel 12. When so
assembled, the forward edges of panels 40a, 40b, as seen in Fig. 3, are contiguous
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and form a vertical ridge 50 underlayed and supported by strut 22 of frame 20.
The contiguous edges of panels 40a, 40b are retained together by means of a clip52 insertable into a socket 53 provided on panels 40a, 40b. Panels 12, 40a, 40b
together with the forward face F of container C, form a hollow triangular prism
open at the lower end. This hollow prism is enclosed by means of a pair of
similar lower triangular flaps 54a, 54b, which are connected along the upper edges
56 thereof to trapezoidal panels 40a, 40b along the lower edges thereof,
conveniently by means of hinges 58. When flaps 54a, 54b are swung lcal~ardly
in the direction of arrows 60, and seen in Fig. 3, the forward edges thereof will
become contiguous, and they are retained together in this position by means of aclip 62 which engages in sockets 64 provided therefor. Flaps 54a, 54b are
climen~ioned such that when the forward edges thereof are contiguous, the rearward
edge will be proximate face F on cvnt~in~r C, as seen in Fig. 2, for example.
A plurality of tabs 66 are located at intervals on triangular flaps 54a,
54b adjacent the opposed ends of the upper edge 56 thereof which serve as
~tt~chment points for straps 70 which in turn secure to container C to stabilize air
deflector 10.
The removal of air deflector 10 from its installed position on
container C is generally merely the reverse of the method of installation described
above. Straps 70 and clips 52, 56 are removed, thereby permitting panel 40a and
flap 54a therewith to be unhooked from panel 12, and folded on hinges 58 to a
substantially two dimensional condition for storage in a suitable receptacle R
therefor provided on tractor T. Panels 40b, and flap 54b is similarly removed and
stored, following which panel 12 may be unhooked from the cont:~iner C using
strut 22 to manoeuvre the panel. The panel removal and inst~ tion can
accordingly be accomplished by one person without the use of any tool or other
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external assistance. Following the removal of panel 12, strut portion 22 is
uncoupled for storage, and panel halves 12a, 12b folded on hinges 32 to a
substantially flat, superposed position, and finger 34 pivoted to a position parallel
to strut extension 24.
It will be apparent that many changes may be made to the illustrative
embodiments, while falling within the scope of the invention and it is inten(lecl that
all such changes be covered by the claims appended hereto.
