Transport trailer and method
First Claim
1. A delivery vehicle having a parked mode and a travel mode for delivering goods to specific locations, comprising:
- a trailer frame having a longitudinal axis and including at least one door for substantially closing an opening in the trailer when the door is in the closed position and opening for access to the goods within the trailer frame when in the open position;
a powered carousel rotatably mounted within the trailer frame, the carousel rotatable about a carousel axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, the powered carousel including a plurality of circumferentially spaced supports each radially outward from the carriage axis for supporting goods thereon, each support having an unloading position and circumferentially spaced storage position;
a computer receiving a storage location signal indicating the location of specific goods supported on a specific one of a plurality of circumferentially spaced supports;
a vehicle location signal indicative of the vehicle being in the parked mode at a specific location;
a sensor outputting a door closed signal responsive to the at least one door being in the closed position;
a controller responsive to the storage location signal, the vehicle location signal, and the door closed signal for rotating the carousel so that the specific goods on the one of the plurality of circumferentially spaced supports are rotated to the unloading position for delivery of the good to the specific location when the door is in the door closed position.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A trailer (10) or container (11) includes a frame (12) having a central axis (14) spaced between rear wheels. A plurality of storage supports (20) are supported on the trailer frame, with each storage support supporting a plurality of objects thereon. A carousel (24) rotates the plurality of storage supports, and a powered drive rotates the carousel. The system includes a storage location signal, a vehicle location signal, and a door closed signal which are each input to a controller (90) for controlling rotation of the carousel, so that goods to be unloaded are on a support which is rotated to an unloading position.
13 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A delivery vehicle having a parked mode and a travel mode for delivering goods to specific locations, comprising:
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a trailer frame having a longitudinal axis and including at least one door for substantially closing an opening in the trailer when the door is in the closed position and opening for access to the goods within the trailer frame when in the open position; a powered carousel rotatably mounted within the trailer frame, the carousel rotatable about a carousel axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, the powered carousel including a plurality of circumferentially spaced supports each radially outward from the carriage axis for supporting goods thereon, each support having an unloading position and circumferentially spaced storage position; a computer receiving a storage location signal indicating the location of specific goods supported on a specific one of a plurality of circumferentially spaced supports; a vehicle location signal indicative of the vehicle being in the parked mode at a specific location; a sensor outputting a door closed signal responsive to the at least one door being in the closed position; a controller responsive to the storage location signal, the vehicle location signal, and the door closed signal for rotating the carousel so that the specific goods on the one of the plurality of circumferentially spaced supports are rotated to the unloading position for delivery of the good to the specific location when the door is in the door closed position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A delivery vehicle having a parked mode and a travel mode for delivering goods to specific locations, comprising:
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a trailer frame having a longitudinal axis and including at least one side door at least substantially covering an opening in the frame when the side door is in the closed position, the trailer frame including at least one door for substantially closing the opening in the trailer when the door is in the closed position and opening for access to the goods within the trailer frame when in the open position; a powered carousel rotatably mounted within the trailer frame, the carousel rotatable about a carousel axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, the powered carousel including a plurality of circumferentially spaced supports each radially outward from the carriage axis for supporting goods thereon, each support having an unloading position and a circumferentially spaced storage position; a drive motor for rotating the powered carousel; a computer receiving a storage location signal indicating the location of specific goods supported on a specific one of a plurality of circumferentially spaced supports; a vehicle location signal indicative of the vehicle being in the parked mode at a specific location; and a controller responsive to the storage location signal and the vehicle location signal for automatically rotating the carousel so that the specific goods are on the one of the plurality of circumferentially spaced supports rotated to an unloading position for delivery of the good to the specific location. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of delivering goods to specific locations using a delivery vehicle having a parked mode and a travel mode, comprising:
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providing a trailer frame having a longitudinal axis and including at least one side door at least substantially covering an opening in the frame when the side door is in the closed position; rotatably mounting a carousel within the trailer frame, the carousel rotatable about a carousel axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, the powered carousel including a plurality of circumferentially spaced supports each radially outward from the carriage axis for supporting goods thereon, each support having an unloading position and a circumferentially spaced storage position; providing a computer for receiving a storage location signal indicating the location of specific goods supported on a specific one of a plurality of circumferentially spaced supports; generating a vehicle location signal indicative of the vehicle being in the parked mode at a specific location; and providing a controller responsive to the storage location signal and the vehicle location signal for rotating the carousel so that the specific goods are on the one of the plurality of circumferentially spaced supports rotated to an unloading position for delivery of the good to the specific location. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification