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US 12,600,288 B2Granted
Securing cargo for rail transport using polymer foam material
AssigneeMBull Holdings, LLC
InventorMatthew Bullock
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cargo restraint panel may include a foam component. That foam component may have at least one polymer foam sheet. A front facing material may be bonded to and substantially cover a front face of the foam component. A rear facing material may be bonded to and substantially cover a rear face of the foam component. The cargo restraint panel may include one or more edge guards. Cargo may be secured in a railcar or other conveyance by, e.g., placing cargo restraint panels between cargo units.
Claims21
A cargo restraint panel comprising:
- a foam component comprising a front face, a rear face, and a plurality of side faces extending between the front face and the rear face, wherein
- a plurality of front edges are formed at meetings of the front face and the plurality of side faces, and
- a plurality of rear edges are formed at meetings of the rear face and the plurality of side faces;
- a plurality of plastic guards, attached to the foam component, extending over the front edges and the rear edges, wherein
- the plastic guards extend over regions of the front face adjacent the front edges, regions of the side faces adjacent the front edges, regions of the side faces adjacent the rear edges, and regions of the rear face adjacent the rear edges,
- a first plastic guard, of the plurality of plastic guards, extends over an entirety of a front edge of the plurality of front edges, and
- a portion of a second plastic guard, of the plurality of plastic guards, is located between a side face, of the plurality of side faces, and a first portion of the first plastic guard;
- a front facing material bonded to and extending over the front face, wherein a portion of the front facing material contacts a portion of the front face and is situated between the portion of the front face and an inner surface of a second portion of the first plastic guard, wherein the second portion of the first plastic guard extends over the portion of the front face;
- and
- a rear facing material bonded to and extending over the rear face.
7 more elements
A method comprising:
- placing a plurality of cargo units in a railcar;
- and
- placing a plurality of cargo restraint panels in the railcar,
- wherein, after placement of the plurality of cargo units and the plurality of cargo restraint panels in the railcar, the plurality of cargo units and the plurality of cargo restraint panels are arranged, in a front to rear direction of the railcar, in alternating groups of one or more cargo units, of the plurality of cargo units, separated by one or more cargo restraint panels, of the plurality of cargo restraint panels, and
- wherein each cargo restraint panel, of the plurality of cargo restraint panels, comprises:
- a foam component comprising a front face, a rear face, and a plurality of side faces extending between the front face and the rear face, wherein
- a plurality of front edges are formed at meetings of the front face and the plurality of side faces, and
- a plurality of rear edges are formed at meetings of the rear face and the plurality of side faces;
- a plurality of plastic guards attached to the foam component, wherein
- the plurality of plastic guards extend over the front edges and the rear edges,
- the plurality of plastic guards contact the foam component, and
- outer surfaces of the cargo restraint panel comprise surfaces of the plurality of plastic guards;
- a front facing material bonded to and extending over the front face;
- and
- a rear facing material bonded to and extending over the rear face.
12 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.