CONTAINER HAVING A SPRING-COUNTER-BALANCED RAMP WALL

• US 20170341559A1
• Filed: 05/25/2016
• Published: 11/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Melancon Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Dennis W. Melancon Jr
• Inventors: Melancon, JR., Dennis W.
• Granted Patent: US 9,884,575 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 1/43 using a loading ramp mounted on the vehicle loading ramps per se B65G69/28
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 1/438 with means for balancing the weight of the ramp between use and non-use position
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 88/123 open top
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 88/542 Ramps forming part of the container ramps per se B65G69/28; for ambulances A61G3/061; for vehicles in general B60P1/43
• 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 90/18 Castors, rolls, or the like; e.g. detachable castors in general B60B

Abstract

A container for transporting and storing landscaping materials includes a rectangular container body having a bottom wall, a pair of side walls, and an end wall which define an open-ended chamber; and a vertical ramp end wall that is pivotally displaceable between a normal vertical closed position, and a downwardly inclined loading position, which pivot arrangement includes a pair of horizontal pivot shafts arranged collinearly transversely of the container on opposite sides of the protruding ends of a pair of guide rails that extend longitudinally beneath the bottom wall. To afford manual operation of the massive ramp wall, a counter-balancing spring arrangement is provided including a pair of torsion springs mounted concentrically on these two pivot shafts for biasing the ramp wall from the loading position upwardly toward the closed position with an aggregate torque force that is generally equal to the weight of the ramp wall.

Claims

1. A container for transporting and storing bulk materials, comprising:

(a) a rectangular container body having;

(1) a horizontal bottom wall;

(2) a pair of parallel vertical side walls and a vertical rear end wall integrally connected with said bottom wall to define a chamber that is open at one end;

(3) a vertical ramp forward end wall;

(4) a pivot assembly connecting the bottom edge portion of said ramp wall with said container body for pivotal movement of said ramp wall between a normal vertical closed position closing the open end of said chamber, and a downwardly inclined loading position at which a front-loading vehicle may be driven into and out of the container body chamber, wherein said pivot assembly includes a pair of collinear horizontal pivot shafts extending transversely of said container; and

(b) a counter-balancing spring assembly including helical torsion springs arranged concentrically about said collinear horizontal pivot shafts for biasing said ramp wall from said downwardly inclined loading position upwardly toward said vertical closed position with a torque force that is generally equal to the gravitational torque force generated by the weight of said ramp wall, thereby to permit manual operation of said ramp wall between said closed and loading positions.

3. The container defined in claim 1, wherein said container body further includes:

(5) a pair of parallel spaced guide rails rigidly secured to, and extending centrally longitudinally below the length of, said bottom wall, said guide rails having end portions that extend outwardly beyond said vertical ramp wall and the forward end of said bottom wall, wherein said pivot shafts are on opposite sides of said guide rails;

wherein said pivot arrangement includes;

(a) support means supporting said pivot shafts in parallel spaced relation relative to said bottom wall forward end; and

(b) two pairs of parallel spaced pivot arms integral with and extending downwardly from the bottom edge portion of said ramp end wall when said ramp end wall is in said closed vertical position, the lower ends of said pairs of pivot arms being journaled on said pivot shafts, respectively;

4. The container as defined in claim 3, wherein each of said torsion springs has a first tangentially outwardly extending end portion that reacts with said container body bottom wall, and a second tangentially outwardly extending end portion that reacts with said ramp end wall.

5. The container as defined in claim 4, and further including:

a transport hook mounted on said guide rail extending rail portions.

6. The container as defined in claim 5, and further including:

a locking assembly for locking said ramp end wall to said container body when said ramp wall is in said vertical closed position.

2. (canceled)

7. A container for transporting and storing bulk materials, comprising:

(a) a rectangular container body having;

(1) a horizontal bottom wall;

(2) a pair of parallel vertical side walls and a vertical rear end wall integrally connected with said bottom wall to define a chamber that is open at one end;

(3) a vertical ramp forward end wall;

(4) a pair of parallel spaced guide rails rigidly secured to, and extending centrally longitudinally below the length of, said bottom wall, said guide rails having end portions that extend outwardly beyond said vertical ramp wall and the forward end of said bottom wall; and

(5) a pivot assembly connecting the bottom edge portion of said ramp wall with said container body for pivotal movement of said ramp wall between a normal vertical closed position closing the open end of said chamber, and a downwardly inclined loading position at which a front-loading vehicle may be driven into and out of the container body chamber, said pivot arrangement including;

(1) a pair of collinear horizontal pivot shafts extending transversely of said container on opposite sides of said guide rails;

(2) support means supporting said pivot shafts in parallel spaced relation relative to said bottom wall forward end; and

(3) two pairs of parallel spaced pivot arms integral with and extending downwardly from the bottom edge portion of said ramp end wall when said ramp end wall is in said closed vertical position, the lower ends of said pairs of pivot arms being journaled on said pivot shafts, respectively;

(b) a transport hook mounted on said guide rail extending rail portions;

(c) a counter-balancing spring assembly biasing said ramp wall from said horizontal loading position upwardly toward said closed vertical position with a torque force that is generally equal to the gravitational torque force generated by the weight of said ramp wall, thereby to permit manual operation of said ramp wall between said closed and loading positions, said spring assembly includes a pair of helical torsion springs mounted concentrically on said pivot shafts, respectively; and

(d) a locking assembly for locking said ramp end wall to said container body when said ramp wall is in said vertical closed position.