Container drive-by transfer and system

Abstract

This invention is a transport container transfer system including an improved highway vehicle and dock or railway car, platform, or conveyor which cooperates to transfer transport containers therebetween by the truck driver driving alongside of the platform. One or more channels are secured obliquely across the truck bed, legs up, and have aligned channel extensions to engage and guide cam rollers or runners added to the container to engage in the extended channels and guide the container parallel to obliquely across the bed. When the truck is driven with extended ends of the channels facing the direction of travel, the facing cam rollers or runners are engaged and pulled into the channels across the truck bed to pull the container onto the truck to position for transport thereon. Two sets of opposite oblique channels can cross for loading and unloading from either side of the truck when driven forward. The cam roller is on a clip that locks onto a standard container for quick removal. The cam rollers can be mounted on folding arms that extend from the container to engage in folding channel ends, so when the container is in place on the truck the arms in the channel extensions can be turned together to clear truck side limits and hold the container on the truck bed or the rollers are kept within the side limits for the container. The container is pushed out on the truck by a push arm added to the container or by two rotary arms connected on the truck to turn horizontally, one pushing against a tab on the platform to rotate the other arm to push the container in line with its berth straight onto the platform. Some added features include bed height and tilt adjustment, bed location adjustment on the chassis to provide clearance for the container past the truck cab, and means to secure the container on the truck bed and dock or railway car.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.