Intermodal Container Handling System

This is a national stage under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No. PCT/AU2023/050426, filed May 19, 2023, which claims convention priority from Australian Provisional Patent Application No. 2022901341, the contents of which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference thereto.

The present invention is broadly directed to an intermodal container handling system for collapsing a collapsible intermodal container. The invention is also generally directed to a method of handling a collapsible intermodal container. The invention is further broadly directed to an intermodal container handling system and a method of handling a collapsible intermodal container and at least one further collapsible intermodal container for unpacking of said containers from their packaged configuration.

It is known in the prior art to construct foldable intermodal or shipping containers. The foldable container is preferably of a modular construction such as that disclosed in the applicant's International patent publication no. WO2018/145140 (WO'140) and PCT Application No. PCT/AU2023/050354, which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference thereto. In the preferred embodiment of WO'140 the roof is hinged to an upper side of one wall, and the floor is hinged to a lower side of an opposing wall. The container of this embodiment includes link members at one end pivotally connected to the roof or the floor, and at an opposite end pivotally connected to an associated of the opposing walls. The hinged connection of the roof to the wall and the floor to the other wall is in the form of a piano-style hinge which together with the link members cooperate to facilitate collapsing and expansion of the foldable container.

It is also known in the prior art to collapse foldable shipping containers using demountable platforms and associated supports together with mobile machinery to promote collapsing of the expanded container. The applicant in their International patent publication No. WO2018/195578 (WO'578), which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference thereto, discloses a collapsible intermodal container stacker for collapsing and stacking multiple containers in their collapsed condition. In the preferred embodiment of WO'578 the container stacker includes a stationary platform and a pair of tracks fixed to the floor for supporting the container(s) during their collapsing and subsequent stacking. The container stacker also includes a stationary upright structure fixed to the floor and arranged for anchoring a side wall of the container to be collapsed. The container stacker further includes a pair of mobile carriages slidably mounted to the pair of tracks and arranged to releasably engage an opposing of the side walls of the container. The mobile carriages each include a motorised winch and associated cable which is temporarily fixed to a floor of the container wherein actuation of the winch retracts the cable lifting the floor to provide collapsing of the container with the opposing side wall travelling along the stationary platform toward the stationary upright structure and anchored side wall.

This prior art equipment and the associated practices used in collapsing and stacking foldable containers suffer from reliability and safety issues including their failure in consistently enabling safe and effective collapsing of foldable containers.

It is to be understood that any acknowledgement of prior art in this patent specification is not to be taken as an admission that this prior art is common general knowledge in Australia or elsewhere.

The present disclosure provides an intermodal container handling system for collapsing and/or expanding a collapsible intermodal container including a pair of opposing side walls each hingedly connected to a roof and a floor respectively, wherein said walls remain substantially parallel to one another whilst the collapsible container is moved between an expanded configuration and a collapsed configuration, said handling system comprising:

Preferably, the transit assembly includes a pair of parallel conveyors along which the collapsible intermodal container moves from the docking assembly to the collapsing assembly and in turn to the stacking assembly.

Preferably, the pair of parallel conveyors are separated a distance less than a length dimension of the collapsible container wherein both of said conveyors maintain contact with the floor of said container.

Preferably, each of the pair of conveyors includes a plurality of rollers being equally spaced a distance less than a sectional width of a floor frame of the floor of said container thereby ensuring that at least two of the plurality of rollers contact the floor frame during movement of said container between the docking assembly and the stacking assembly.

Preferably, also comprising an anchoring sub-assembly associated with the folding sub-assembly and adapted for releasable engagement with the second side wall, said anchoring sub-assembly being effective in anchoring the second side wall during movement of the first side wall toward the second side wall via the folding sub-assembly.

Preferably, also comprising a structural framework associated with the collapsing assembly, said framework including an upper framework assembly and a lower framework assembly.

Preferably, the folding sub-assembly includes a lower car and an upper car adapted for releasable engagement with the first side wall of the collapsible container at the collapsing assembly wherein movement in concert of the lower and upper cars effects collapsing of said container.

Preferably, the lower car is one of a plurality of lower cars each slidably mounted to respective of one or more parallel lower rails associated with the lower framework assembly, each of the lower cars including a retractable lower car pin adapted to releasably engage a lower beam of the first side wall of the collapsible container during movement of the folding sub-assembly for collapsing of said container.

Preferably, the upper car is one of a plurality of upper cars each slidably mounted to respective of one or more parallel upper rails associated with the upper framework assembly, each of the upper cars including a retractable upper car pin adapted to releasably engage an upper beam of the second side wall of the collapsible container during movement in concert of the lower and upper cars for collapsing of said container.

Preferably, the upper car of the folding sub-assembly is actuated for sliding movement along the upper rail via an upper car drive motor, and the lower car of the folding sub-assembly is actuated for sliding movement along the lower rail via a lower car drive motor.

Preferably, also comprising roof and floor lock activators associated with the collapsing assembly and adapted to release roof and floor locks associated with the roof and the first wall, and the floor and the second wall, respectively, thereby permitting collapsing of the collapsible container via the folding sub-assembly.

Preferably, the anchoring sub-assembly includes upper and lower pin sub-assemblies fixed stationary to the upper and lower framework assemblies, respectively.

Preferably, the upper and the lower car of the folding sub-assembly are slidably mounted to the upper and lower framework assemblies, respectively, thereby permitting movement of the first side wall toward the second side wall during movement of the folding sub-assembly and the engaged first side wall toward the anchored second side wall.

Preferably, the collapsing assembly further includes roof and floor support arrangements adapted for releasable contact with respective of the roof and the floor to support them during movement of the folding sub-assembly, and the consequential collapsing of the collapsible container from the expanded configuration to the collapsed configuration.

Preferably, the roof support arrangement is mounted to the upper framework assembly and includes a magnetic coupling adapted for magnetic retention of the roof to support it during collapsing of the collapsible container.

Preferably, the floor support arrangement is mounted to the lower framework assembly and includes one or more wheels adapted to contact the floor to support it during collapsing of the collapsible container.

Preferably, the collapsing assembly also includes a swing assembly adapted to releasably engage each of a pair of opposing end frames of the collapsible container in the expanded configuration, said swing assembly being rotated outward of said container for opening of the pair of end frames into an open position wherein said end frames are disposed substantially parallel to and alongside an outer-facing surface of the first side wall.

Preferably, the folding sub-assembly includes one or more end frame lock actuators adapted to actuate respective of end frame locks associated with each of the end frames, said end frame locks being actuated with said end frames in the open position for retention of said end frames in the open position with the collapsible container in the expanded configuration.

Preferably, the swing assembly includes a swing arm at one end pivotally mounted to the lower framework assembly and at an opposite end mounted to a retractable swing pin sub-assembly adapted for releasable engagement with the end frame wherein rotation of the swing arm, with said swing pin sub-assembly engaged with the end frame, effects opening of the end frame between a closed position and the open position.

Preferably, the swing arm is extendible thereby enabling adjustment of the length of said arm.

Preferably, the stacking assembly includes a series of collapsing tines each movable between upright and collapsed positions, one pair of adjacent tines of the series of tines adapted to support the collapsible container in its collapsed configuration in the vertical orientation, and a further pair of adjacent tines of said series adapted to support the further collapsible container in its collapsed configuration in the vertical orientation and separated from the collapsible container.

Preferably, the collapsible container and the further collapsible container are separated via the series of collapsing tines a predetermined lateral spacing which permits rotation of the end frames of the further collapsible container via the swing assembly from the open position to the closed position for engagement with the second side wall of the collapsible container thereby retaining said container and the further collapsible container in a packaged configuration.

Preferably, the transit assembly includes a lower carriage sub-assembly mounted to the lower framework assembly and adapted for releasable engagement with the collapsible container for its movement between the docking, collapsing, and stacking assemblies.

Preferably, the transit assembly also includes an upper carriage sub-assembly mounted to the upper framework assembly and adapted for releasable engagement with the collapsible container for its movement in concert with the lower carriage sub-assembly between the collapsing and stacking assemblies.

Preferably, the upper carriage sub-assembly and the lower carriage sub-assembly each include a plurality of upper and lower retractable pins arranged for releasable engagement with both the first and the second side walls of the collapsible container for its movement whilst being retained via said retractable pins in either the expanded or the collapsed configurations.

Preferably, the plurality of lower and upper retractable pins of the respective lower and upper carriage sub-assemblies are adapted for engagement with the lower and the upper beams of the first and second side walls of both the collapsible container and the further collapsible container for their movement in the packaged configuration from the collapsing assembly to the stacking assembly.

Preferably, the upper and lower carriage sub-assemblies together enable movement of the collapsible containers in the packaged configuration from the collapsing assembly to the stacking assembly and thereafter movement via the lower carriage sub-assembly alone to another docking assembly for subsequent removal and transportation in the packaged configuration.

Preferably, the plurality of upper retractable pins of the upper carriage sub-assemblies are adapted for release from the upper beams of the side walls of the collapsible and the further collapsible containers in the packaged configuration to permit their movement from the stacking assembly to the other docking assembly under the influence of the lower carriage sub-assembly alone.

Preferably, the docking assembly includes a shunt assembly adapted for longitudinal shunting of the collapsible container in its expanded configuration for alignment with the collapsing assembly prior to placement of the aligned collapsible container on the pair of parallel conveyors for movement between the docking and collapsing assemblies.

Preferably, the shunt assembly includes a pair of nudge sub-assemblies located at the docking assembly and adapted to contact the collapsible container at respective of its opposite ends for longitudinal and lateral alignment of said container relative to the pair of parallel conveyors.

Preferably, the pair of nudge sub-assemblies each include an end nudge plate and a side nudge plate adapted to contact respective of the end frame and either the first or second side wall thereby nudging the container for the required longitudinal and lateral alignment.

The present disclosure also provides a method of handling a collapsible intermodal container including a pair of opposing side walls each hingedly connected to respective of a roof and a floor wherein said walls remain substantially parallel to one another whilst the collapsible container is collapsed from an expanded configuration to a collapsed configuration, said method comprising:

Preferably, collapsing the collapsible container involves releasable engagement of an anchoring sub-assembly with the second side wall, the anchoring sub-assembly being associated with the folding sub-assembly for anchoring of the second side wall during movement of the folding sub-assembly and the associated first side wall toward the anchored second side wall.

Preferably, prior to collapsing the collapsing container at the collapsing assembly via the folding and anchoring sub-assemblies, the transit assembly is disengaged from at least the first wall of the collapsible container permitting movement of said second side wall relative to the second side wall.

Preferably, prior to collapsing the collapsible container at the collapsing assembly via the folding sub-assembly, roof and floor lock activators are actuated to release roof and floor locks associated with the roof and first side wall, and the floor and the second side wall respectively thereby permitting movement of the first wall relative to the second wall.

Preferably, prior to movement of the collapsible container in its collapsed configuration from the collapsing assembly to the stacking assembly via the transit assembly, the folding and the anchoring sub-assemblies are disengaged from the first and the second side walls respectively.

Preferably, prior to disengagement of the anchoring and the folding sub-assemblies from the first and the second walls, the transit assembly is engaged with the first and the second side walls of the collapsible container retaining it in the collapsed configuration wherein, during movement of said transit assembly and the associated collapsible container to the stacking assembly, the collapsible container is maintained in the collapsed configuration.

Preferably, the folding sub-assembly includes a lower car and an upper car wherein collapsing of the collapsible container at the collapsing assembly involves releasable engagement and movement in concert of the lower and upper cars with the first side wall.

Preferably, collapsing the collapsible container also involves supporting the roof and the floor via respective roof and floor support arrangements adapted for releasable contact with the roof and the floor at the collapsing assembly to support said roof and floor during movement of the folding sub-assembly and the consequential collapsing of the collapsible container from the expanded to the collapsed configurations.

Preferably, prior to movement of the collapsible container in its collapsed configuration from the collapsing assembly to the stacking assembly via the transit assembly, the roof and floor lifting arrangements are released from the roof and the floor, respectively.

Preferably, collapsing the collapsible container involves a preliminary step of releasably engaging a swing assembly at the collapsing assembly with each of a pair of opposing end frames of said container in the expanded configuration, said swing assembly being rotated outward of said container for opening of the pair of end frames into an open position wherein said end frames are disposed substantially parallel to and alongside an outer-facing surface of the first side wall.

Preferably, collapsing the collapsible container involves an initial step of actuating end frame locks being configured to retain respective of the end frames in the closed position with the collapsible container in the expanded configuration, said end frame locks being actuated via end frame lock actuators.

Preferably, also comprising stacking the collapsible container in the collapsed configuration at the stacking assembly and thereafter stacking the further collapsible container in the collapsed configuration at the stacking assembly in the vertical orientation and separated from the collapsible container.

Preferably, further comprising moving the stacked collapsible container and the further collapsible container in their collapsed configurations and at a fixed lateral spacing via the transit assembly from the stacking assembly to the collapsing assembly wherein the end frames of the further collapsible container are rotated via the swing assembly inward from the open position to a closed position for engagement with the second side wall of the collapsible container thereby retaining said container and the further collapsible container in a packaged configuration.