Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
1 --
SLIDING TARP SYSTEM FLAT RACK
Field of Invention
The present invention relates to flat racks that are used
in the storage and transportation of goods and, more
particularly, to a flat rack which is covered by a sliding
tarp system and which has a rigid headboard and tailboard
which allows several of the flat racks to be stacked upon each
other.
Backqround of the Invention
There has always been a need for an improved system of
shipping goods efficiently over long distances. It is not
uncommon for goods to leave a factory by truck or train, to
be stored at a shipping terminal and then loaded onto a ship,
taken by ship to an intermediate destination, unloaded from
the ship and stored at a port, be loaded onto a train and
taken to some distribution point where the goods are then
stored and later trucked to their final destination.
The transportation and storage of goods has been
facilitated in modern times with the introduction of the
pallet and the shipping container. Goods may be placed on a
pallet and the pallet can then be lifted by a crane or a
forklift and placed inside a shipping container. Shipping
containers, once filled, may be stored in a stacked fashion
at a storage facility and then loaded onto flatbed railway
cars or truck trailers or into the hold or onto the deck of
a ship for transport.
To save time in loading or unloading, several shipping
containers can be tied down on a flat rack, and the flat rack
can be lifted by crane and placed on a flatbed truck trailer
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or railway car. Greater efficiency can be achieved if the
underside of each flat rack is constructed to mate with the
chassis of both a truck trailer and a flatbed railway car.
However, once several shipping containers are attached
to several flat racks, it becomes more difficult to store the
loaded flat racks. Unless each flat rack contains the same
arrangement of containers, it becomes more difficult to stack
loaded flat racks at a storage facility. If a flat rack were
to contain a standard size shipping container and an irregular
size load, for example several sections of large diameter
sewer pipe, it would be impossible to stack several similar
flat racks.
SummarY of the Invention
The present invention provides reinforced headboard and
tailboard sections on a flat rack. The advantage of the
present invention is that it retains the advantages seen in
the ease of loading and unloading of present flat racks while
additionally providing for a mechanism by which flat racks may
be stacked for transport and storage.
One object of the present invention is to provide a flat
rack which, once loaded, is capable of being stacked upon an
other such loaded flat rack, even though the loads contained
on the flat racks may be dissimilar.
Another object of the present invention is to provide for
a stackable flat rack in which reinforced sections of the flat
rack which allow for the stacking of the flat racks do not
overly hinder the loading and unloading of goods from the flat
rack.
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Another object of the present invention is to provide for
yet an easily engaged system of covering the load contained
on the flat rack with a tarp which does not interfere with the
stacking features of the present invention.
According to one broad aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a flat rack for use in the storage and
transportation of goods comprising a flat rack having an upper
surface, a first end and a second end and lateral edges
intermediate of said first end and said second end; and a
headboard at either of said first or said second end and a
tailboard at the other of said first or said second end, each
of said headboard and said tailboard comprising an end wall
projecting orthogonally upward from said flat rack, each end
wall having two lateral edges and an upper edge, and a roof
projecting orthogonally from said end wall and overlying the
upper surface of said flat rack.
Brief Description of the Drawinqs
Embodiments of the invention will now be described in
greater detail, and will be better understood when read in
conjunction with the following drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a flat rack
incorporating one embodiment of the invention;
Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the flat rack
shown in Figure l;
Figure 3 is a rear elevational view of the flat rack
shown in Figure l;
Figure 4 is a top plan view of the flat rack shown in
Figure l;
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Figure 5 is a side elevational view of an alternative
embodiment of the present invention which additionally
displays a sliding tarp which may be engaged to cover the bed
of the flat rack. Figure 5 shows the sliding tarp in a
partially engaged configuration; and
Figure 6 is a side perspective view of the flat rack
shown in Figure 5.
Detailed DescriPtion of the Preferred Embodiments
Figure 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the
present invention 1 which displays a flat rack 3 which
incorporates a plurality of tie down spools 5 spaced along the
side edges of flat rack 3. Flat rack 3 additionally displays
a plurality of pegs 7 spaced along its lower surface which
facilitate securement of flat rack 3 upon a flatbed railway
car, truck trailer or other similar transport device (not
shown).
A headboard section 11 is seen at the front end of flat
rack 3 and a tailboard section 13 is seen at the rear end of
flat rack 3. The headboard section 11 is made up of an end
wall 21 which projects up from the front edge of flat rack 3
and spans the width of flat rack 3. At the upper edge of end
wall 21 is a roof 23 which projects back over the upper
surface, or bed 9, of flat rack 3 and which lies parallel to
bed 9 of flat rack 3. Side supports 25 project downwardly
from roof 23 to help support the weight of roof 23 by resting
against the uppermost upright portion 27 of end wall 21. Side
supports 25 may be permanently fastened to the uppermost
upright portion 27 of end wall 21 via such means as welding
or bolting. Such a permanent attachment will allow roof 23
to support a great deal of weight.
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Alternatively, roof 23 may be hingedly attached to the
uppermost edge 29 of end wall 21 with side supports 25 merely
resting against the uppermost portion 27 of end wall 21 and
held in place by a conventional latching mechanism (not
shown). When the latch is closed, side supports 25 will be
fixedly fastened to the uppermost upright portion 27 of end
wall 21, and roof 23 will remain parallel to the bed 9 of flat
rack 3. When the latch is opened, it is possible to raise
roof 23 by swinging roof 23 open along the hinges joining roof
23 and the uppermost edge 29 of end wall 21. As the
components of headboard 11 are made up of steel or some other
similar strong material capable of bearing weight, it may be
necessary to swing roof 23 open on its hinges by using some
hydraulic lifting means connecting the roof 23 to end wall 21,
or by lifting roof 23 by means of a crane attached to some
hook surface, or similar device, attached to roof 23.
The presence of roof 23 in headboard 11 allows one to
stack these units. The fact that roof 23 may be swung out of
position allows one greater access to bed 9 from above when
loading and unloading flat rack 3.
Headboard 11 may also contain sidewalls 31 on either side
of flat rack 3 which are hingedly attached to end wall 21
along the lateral edges of end wall 21 below the point 27
where side support 25 rests against end wall 21. The upper
edge of sidewall 31 abuts the lower edge of side support 25
such that the majority of the weight of side support 25 and
roof 23 are not supported by sidewall 31. Sidewalls 31 are
then free to swing open on hinges 33 and act as doors
permitting access to flat rack 3 adjacent to end wall 21.
Sidewalls 31 may be held in a closed position adjacent to the
lateral edges of flat rack 3 and flush with side support 25,
or nearly so by a conventional latching mechanism 35.
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Tailboard 13 is constructed in a similar manner and of
similar components to headboard 11. While headboard 11 is
located at the front of flat rack 3, tailboard 13 is located
at the rear of flat rack 3. Both headboard 11 and tailboard
13 have their open ends facing in towards the bed 9 of flat
rack 3.
It is also possible to place a set of doors in the end
wall 21 of headboard 11 or tailboard 13. In the preferred
embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 4, the end wall 21 of the
headboard 11 is not equipped with doors, as is best seen in
Figure 2. The end wall 21 of the tailboard 13, shown in
Figure 3, is equipped with rear doors 41, 43 which are
hingedly attached to the lateral edges of end wall 21 and are
held in place by a set of latches 45. The configuration shown
in Figures 1 to 4 allows for the entire unit 1 to be placed
on the chassis or bed of a truck trailer, with the headboard
11 being positioned adjacent to the cab of the truck and the
tailboard 13 being positioned at the rear end of the truck
trailer. The rear doors 41, 43 at the rear of the tailboard
13 allow one access to the bed 9 of the flat rack 3 through
the rear of the flat rack-trailer unit so that the flat rack-
trailer unit can be loaded and unloaded in the same manner as
a standard truck trailer is loaded and unloaded at a standard
truck loading dock.
An alternative preferred embodiment is shown in Figures
5and 6, where a sliding tarp system 50 composed of a canvas
(or other similar material) covered canopy 51 has been added
to the invention as it has been discussed in Figures 1 to 4.
Canopy 51 is composed of a plurality of arches 53 which span
the width of the bed 9 of flat rack 3 and extend to a height
that is slightly less than the maximum height of headboard 11
and tailboard 13. Each arch 53 is equipped with rollers 55
at its two terminal ends, and said rollers 55 engage with
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tracks 57 which run along the lateral edges of flat rack 3 and
which run the length of flat rack 3 between headboard 11 and
tailboard 13 on either side of flat rack 3.
Arches 53 are equipped with cross pieces 59 which are
pivotally mounted between adjacent arches. As adjacent arches
are moved apart along tracks 57, cross pieces 59 extend to a
maximum length. As adjacent arches are brought together,
cross pieces 59 collapse, and the series of arches contained
within tracks 57 can be compressed together. The space
between headboard 11 and tailboard 13 is filled with a number
of arches 53 that will fill the space when the cross pieces
59 between adjacent arches are fully extended.
When all cross pieces 59 are fully extended, canvas
canopy 51 spans the distance between headboard 11 and
tailboard 13 such that the bed 9 of flat rack 3 is fully
enclosed. Headboard 11 and tailboard 13 are equipped with tie
down spools 61 around which tie down belts 63 are wound. Tie
down belts 63 can be attached to mountings on terminal ends
of the canopy 51 to hold canopy in a fully extended position.
When tie down belts 63 are not in use they may be retracted
within tie down spools 61 so that they are out of the way.
Alternatively, if only one end of the canopy is held in place
by a tie down belt 63, canopy 51 can be collapsed from the
other end to allow access to a load held within the bed 9 of
flat rack 3. If neither end of canopy 51 is held in place
with a tie down belt, canopy 51 can be collapsed from both
ends, and a load within the bed 9 of flat rack 3 may be
accessed from two places, one by the headboard 11 and the
other by the tailboard 13.
The series of tie down spools 5 located by the lateral
edges of the bed 9 of flat rack 3 are located above tracks 57
so that the tie down spools 5 are held within canopy 51 and
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protected by canopy 51 when the series of arches 53 is
extended. Tie down spools 5 can therefore be used to hold a
load on the bed 9 of flat rack 3 and not interfere with the
operation of the canopy 51.
Flat rack 3 is preferably constructed of steel or some
other strong metal which is able to withstand the rigours
experienced by shipping containers in the shipping industry.
The thickness of the metal will be not only sufficient to
support the weight of the flat rack 3 itself, but it will also
be sufficient to withstand the weight of stacking several flat
racks 3 one upon the other. The bed 9 of flat rack 3 is
advantageously made of or overlaid with hardwood planks or
plywood. The canopy 51 is advantageously covered with canvas
or some similar material with a weather resistant coating
which could have advertising or some other decorative finish
applied to it. The arches 53 and cross pieces 59 are
advantageously made out of a strong yet lightweight material
such as aluminium or tubular steel so as to facilitate the
extension and retraction of canopy 51. Tracks 57 and rollers
55 are made of low friction material, also to facilitate the
extension and retraction of canopy 51.
Flat rack 3 may be constructed to have any exterior or
interior dimension to match that of the load being carried;
however, it will be clear that, in order to be able to stack
several of the presently described flat racks 3 one upon the
other, it is necessary that the flat racks 3 be of the same
exterior dimensions. Given that the present flat rack 3 will
have to be adaptable to fit in the hold of a ship, on flatbed
railway cars and on truck flatbeds and trailers, we have found
the following dimensions to be optimal for carrying the
greatest variety of cargoes within the bed 9 of flat rack 3.
The optimal exterior dimensions of flatbed 3 are as follows:
length, forty-eight feet (48'- 0"); height, nine feet six
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inches (9' - 6"); width; width, eight feet six inches (8' -
6~'). The optimal length of each of the headboard 11 and the
tailboard 13 is four feet (4' - 0"), leaving forty feet (40~ -
O") between the headboard 11 and the tailboard 13. The5 optimal thickness of the bed 9 of flat rack 3, shown as
distance "a" on Figure 1 is fourteen inches (14"). Given
these optimal external dimensions, the interior of flat rack
3 will have the following dimensions: length, forty-seven
feet five inches (47' - 5"); height, ninety inches (9o~
width ninety-six inches (96").
In operation, then, empty flat rack 3 is loaded with
material. Loading may be facilitated by opening the side
doors (and roof if the flat rack is equipped with a hingedly
attached roof) to expose the bed 9 of flat rack 3. If flat
rack 3 is equipped with a canopy 51, the canopy 51 would have
to be collapsed before loading could take place. Once the
material was loaded, the doors and the roof of tailboard 13
and headboard 11 are closed and canopy 51, if present, is
extended to cover the bed 9 of flat rack 3. Flat rack 3 may
then be lifted by crane and loaded onto a railway car or a
flatbed truck or trailer. Obviously, flat rack 3 may be
placed onto a raiLway car or other transport carrier before
it is loaded.
Loaded flat rack 3 can then be transported directly to
a final destination and unloaded or it can be transported to
some intermediary location where it can be removed from the
transport carrier and transferred to some other transport
carrier, for example, transferred from a train to a truck
trailer. Alternatively, flat rack 3 may be removed from a
transport carrier and stored at some storage facility. As the
flat rack may be covered with canopy 51, storage facility may
be outdoors, for example by a shipping wharf. As storage
space by a wharf may be limited, several flat racks 3 may be
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stored one upon another in a stacked fashion. Flat racks 3
may also be stacked within the hold of a ship or on the deck
of a ship while being transported.
After shipping, flat racks 3 may be removed from the ship
and stored or they may be transferred directly to a transport
carrier such as a flatbed railway car or a flatbed truck or
trailer and sent to some final destination or remote storage
facility. Flat rack 3 may then be unloaded in much the same
way that it was loaded, that is, by opening the canopy 51 and
opening the side doors 31 and roof 23 sections of the
headboard 11 and tailboard 13. If the flat rack 3 has been
attached to a truck bed or trailer for delivery to a final
destination, the flat rack 3 may be unloaded at a loading dock
at a standard trucking terminal through the rear doors 41, 43
in tailboard 13.
Empty flat rack 3 may then be transported to some storage
facility and removed from the transport carrier by crane.
Empty flat racks 3 may then be stacked for storage.
