Roller jack for ISO-type containers

A roller jack apparatus comprising:

• a caster wheel;
• a jack lift attached to the caster wheel, the jack lift having a vertical lift between a minimum height position and a maximum height position;
• a jack stand having an angle member which is attached to the jack lift to be moved vertically by the jack lift and includes an angle member opening which is elongated;
• and
• a locking mechanism to releasably lock the angle member to a corner block of a container through an elongated opening of an external wall of the corner block, the locking mechanism including
• a locking mechanism baseplate which is larger than the angle member opening to prevent the locking mechanism baseplate from passing through the angle member opening to an interior of the corner block which is hollow, the locking mechanism baseplate having a baseplate protrusion which is smaller than the angle member opening and the elongated opening of the corner block to allow the baseplate protrusion to pass through the angle member opening and into but not through the elongated opening of the corner block;
• a swivel locking plate which is smaller than the elongated opening of the corner block to allow the swivel locking plate to pass through the angle member opening and the elongated opening of the corner block to the interior of the corner block;
• means for moving the swivel locking plate between a disengaged position, where the swivel locking plate is allowed to pass through the angle member opening and the elongated opening of the corner block along a locking mechanism axis, and an engaged position, where the swivel locking plate is prevented from passing through the angle member opening and the elongated opening of the corner block along the locking mechanism axis;
• and
• means for locking the angle member to the corner block in the engaged position by moving the swivel locking plate from the engaged position toward the locking mechanism baseplate along the locking mechanism axis to press the angle member and the external wall of the corner block having the elongated opening together between the locking mechanism baseplate and the swivel locking plate in a locked position.

A method of lifting a container at a lower corner there using a roller jack apparatus which includes a caster wheel, a jack lift attached to the caster wheel and having a vertical lift between a minimum height position and a maximum height position, a jack stand having an angle member which is attached to the jack lift to be moved vertically by the jack lift and includes an angle member opening which is elongated, and a locking mechanism to releasably lock the angle member to a corner block of the container through an elongated opening of an external wall of the corner block, the locking mechanism including a locking mechanism baseplate and a swivel locking plate;

• the locking mechanism baseplate being larger than the angle member opening to prevent the locking mechanism baseplate from passing through the angle member opening along a locking mechanism axis to an interior of the corner block which is hollow, the locking mechanism baseplate having a baseplate protrusion which is smaller than the angle member opening and the elongated opening of the corner block to allow the baseplate protrusion to pass through the angle member opening and into but not through the elongated opening of the corner block;
• the swivel locking plate being smaller than the elongated opening of the corner block to allow the swivel locking plate to pass through the angle member opening and the elongated opening of the corner block to the interior of the corner block;
• the method comprising:
• placing the angle member opening of the angle member next to the elongated opening of the corner block of the container, in alignment with one another along the locking mechanism axis;
• inserting the elongated swivel locking plate through the angle member opening and the elongated opening of the corner block into the interior of the corner block in a disengaged position;
• inserting the elongated protrusion of the locking mechanism baseplate through the angle member opening and into but not through the elongated opening of the corner block;
• moving the swivel locking plate inside the interior of the corner block from the disengaged position, where the swivel locking plate is allowed to pass through the angle member opening and the elongated opening of the corner block along the locking mechanism axis, to an engaged position, where the swivel locking plate is prevented from passing through the angle member opening and the elongated opening of the corner block along the locking mechanism axis;
• locking the angle member to the corner block in the engaged position by moving the swivel locking plate from the engaged position toward the locking mechanism baseplate in the locking mechanism direction to press the angle member and the external wall of the corner block having the elongated opening together between the locking mechanism baseplate and the swivel locking plate in a locked position;
• and
• moving the jack lift upward to lift the angle member attached to the jack lift and the corner block engaged and locked to the angle member.