ISO container

• US 7,334,697 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2005
• Issued: 02/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Will-Burt Advanced Composites, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ALKAN Shelter, LLC
• Inventors: Steinert, Paul, Myers, Gerald D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stashick; Anthony D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Grosso; Harry A
• Application Number:
  US11/254,343
• Publication Number:
  US 20060081628A1
• Time in Patent Office: 859 Days
• Field of Search: 220/1.5, 220/628, 220/635, 220/661, 220/676
• US Class Current: 220/1.5
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 88/121 ISO containers
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 90/0033 Lifting means forming part of the container B65D90/0006, B65D90/0026 take precedence; loading or unloading container on or from a truck B60P1/6418; lifting the container using a crane B66C1/663
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 90/022 Laminated structures B65D90/029 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 90/08 Interconnections of wall parts; Sealing means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 90/46 Arrangements for carrying off, or preventing the formation of electrostatic charges carrying-off, or preventing the formation of electrostatic charges in general H05F

Abstract

A lightweight transportable container is disclosed in which the wall, roof, and floor of the container are laminated panels bonded together to form a rigid monolithic structure. The container is formed of nonmetallic materials, is stackable, and has a payload more than eight times greater than the tare weight of the container. The container is particularly useful in hostile and extreme temperature environments and is designed to withstand the application of numerous forces from various directions, such as those typically applied, for example, in ISO certification testing.

Claims

1. A monocoque shipping container having a predetermined height, width, and length, comprising:

a plurality of nonmetallic columns having a length substantially equal to said height of said container;

a plurality of nonmetallic composite material wall panels, each wall panel having a bottom edge and a top edge extending between a first vertical end and a second vertical end, each vertical end integrally bonded to one of said nonmetallic columns;

a nonmetallic composite material floor panel having a plurality of edges intersecting at predefined corners, each of said edges being respectively integrally bonded with said bottom edge of separate nonmetallic composite material wall panels, and each of said predefined corners being respectively integrally bonded with separate nonmetallic columns; and

a nonmetallic composite material roof panel having a plurality of edges intersecting at predefined corners, each of said edges being respectively integrally bonded with said top edge of separate nonmetallic composite material wall panels, and each of said predefined corners being respectively integrally bonded with separate nonmetallic columns;

wherein at least one of said nonmetallic wall panels includes a panel section that is selectively removable from said wall panel, and said roof panel includes a thickened section extending along said entire length of an edge of said roof panel adjacent said top edge of said nonmetallic wall panel having said removable panel section, said thickened section being disposed within said roof panel in integrally bonded relationship therewith; and

wherein said monocoque shipping container is capable of satisfying shipping industry standard requirements for stackability.

2. The monocoque shipping container according to claim 1, wherein said container has a solid rectangular shape in which said length is greater than said width, said plurality of wall panels include two side panels extending along said length of each side of said container and two end panels extending across said width at each end of said container, and said plurality of nonmetallic columns comprise four columns each of which is integrally bonded to a respective end of one of said side panels and to a respective end of one of said end panels, said nonmetallic columns and nonmetallic composite material side, end, floor and roof panels cooperating to form a rigid monocoque structure wherein resistance to vertically and transversely applied forces is distributed between said side, end, top and floor panels of said container.

3. The monocoque shipping container according to claim 1, wherein said nonmetallic columns are hollow square columns formed of a tubular material having a carbon/graphite composition.

4. The monocoque shipping container according to claim 1, wherein each of said nonmetallic columns have hollow first and second end portions spaced apart by a distance equal to said length of said columns, and said container includes a plurality of ISO fittings each having an extension adapted for insertion in a hollow end portion of said nonmetallic columns, each of said ISO fittings being disposed in a respective one of said hollow first and second end portions of each of said nonmetallic columns and integrally bonded therewith.

5. The monocoque shipping container according to claim 1, wherein each of said nonmetallic composite material wall, floor, and roof panels comprise a core formed of rigid structural foam having at least two planar surfaces, and a reinforced plastic skin formed of resin-impregnated woven fabric disposed on each of said planar surfaces of said core and forming a composite material structure therewith.

6. The monocoque shipping container according to claim 1, wherein said floor panel has an upper planar surface adapted to support a cargo load disposed thereon, and a lower surface characterized by a plurality of paired rib structures extending transversely across said lower surface between spaced side edges of said floor panel and in an direction outwardly from said lower surface whereby each of said paired rib structures define said side surfaces of an elongated channel adapted to receive a moveable fork of a forklift transport vehicle.

7. The monocoque shipping container according to claim 1, wherein each of said nonmetallic composite material wall panels has a core formed of structural foam and at least one reinforced plastic surface comprising a resin-impregnated ballistic-resistant woven fabric composite material with said core.

8. The monocoque shipping container according to claim 1, wherein each of said composite material wall, floor, and roof panels have a core formed of structural foam and a reinforced plastic surface comprising a radar-nonreflective material composite material with said core.

9. The monocoque shipping container according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of floor stiffeners mounted to said floor panel for reinforcing said floor panel against twisting and/or flexing.

10. The monocoque shipping container according to claim 9, wherein said floor stiffeners comprise nonmetallic composite material rectangular tubes mounted externally to said floor panel.

11. The monocoque shipping container according to claim 9, wherein said floor stiffeners include edge stiffeners extending lengthwise from each corner of said floor panel along a long edge of said floor panel and parallel to said long edge.

12. The monocoque shipping container according to claim 9, wherein said floor stiffeners further include mid-floor stiffeners extending lengthwise from each short edge of said floor panel parallel to said long edge, each mid-floor stiffener disposed substantially halfway between two edge stiffeners.

15. The monocoque shipping container according to claim 1, further comprising a roof brace mounted to said roof panel and one of said wall panels externally to said container for reinforcing said container against twisting and/or flexing and to protect said container against physical handling by logistics handling equipment.

13. A monocoque shipping container having a predetermined height, width, and length, comprising:

a plurality of nonmetallic columns having a length substantially equal to said height of said container;

a plurality of nonmetallic composite material wall panels, each wall panel having a bottom edge and a top edge extending between a first vertical end and a second vertical end, each vertical end integrally bonded to one of said nonmetallic columns;

a nonmetallic composite material floor panel having a plurality of edges intersecting at predefined corners, each of said edges being respectively integrally bonded with said bottom edge of separate nonmetallic composite material wall panels, and each of said predefined corners being respectively integrally bonded with separate nonmetallic columns;

a nonmetallic composite material roof panel having a plurality of edges intersecting at predefined corners, each of said edges being respectively integrally bonded with said top edge of separate nonmetallic composite material wall panels, and each of said predefined corners being respectively integrally bonded with separate nonmetallic columns; and

a floor brace mounted within said floor panel for reinforcing said floor panel against twisting and/or flexing;

wherein said floor brace comprises parallel members extending between adjacent ones of said corners along a long edge of said floor panel and diagonal members extending between diagonally opposing ones of said corners; and

wherein said monocoque shipping container is capable of satisfying shipping industry standard requirements for stackability.

14. The monocoque shipping container according to claim 13, wherein said floor brace is made of a lightweight material, including aluminum.

16. A monocoque shipping container designed to withstand application of numerous forces in various directions in connection with industry standard stackability testing, comprising:

floor stiffeners mounted to a floor of said monocoque shipping container externally to said shipping container;

a floor brace mounted within said floor of said monocoque shipping container; and

a roof brace mounted externally to a roof and an end wall of said monocoque shipping container;

wherein said floor stiffeners, said floor brace, and said roof brace provide reinforcement for said monocoque shipping container against twisting and/or flexing during said industry standard stackability testing; and

wherein said floor brace comprises parallel members extending between adjacent corners of said floor along a long edge of said floor and diagonal members extending between diagonally opposing corners of said floor.

17. The shipping container according to claim 16, wherein said floor stiffeners comprise nonmetallic laminated rectangular tubes.

18. The shipping container according to claim 16, wherein said floor stiffeners include edge stiffeners extending lengthwise from each corner of said floor along a long edge of said floor and parallel to said long edge.

19. The shipping container according to claim 16, wherein said floor stiffeners further include mid-floor stiffeners extending lengthwise from each short edge of said floor parallel to said long edge, each mid-floor stiffener disposed substantially halfway between two edge stiffeners.

20. The shipping container according to claim 16, wherein said roof brace comprises a roof component extending between adjacent corners of said roof along a selected edge of said roof and an end wall component extending between adjacent corners of said end wall along a top edge of said end wall.