Enclosed railway freight car or over-the-road trailer van having walls and roof movable in a vertical direction
AssigneeKaci Intermodal Systems, LLC
InventorsRichard C. Hathaway, M. Kent Bridges
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle includes a base, a pair of wheel sets mounted underneath the base in a spaced apart relationship to each other, at least one coupling members mounted on at least one end of the base along longitudinal axis of the vehicle, an enclosure upstanding on the base and having a pair of side wall structures, a pair of end wall members and a roof member joining upper edges of each of the pair of side wall members and the pair of end wall structures, the enclosure defining an interior compartment of the railway freight car and an apparatus configured to move the enclosure in a vertical direction relative to the base.
Claims15
A cargo carrying structure comprising:
- (a) a base having a pair of generally planar surfaces spaced apart from each other to define thickness of said base, said base disposed generally horizontally during use of said vehicle;
- (b) an enclosure upstanding on said base and having a pair of side wall members, a pair of end wall member and a roof member joining upper edges of each of said pair of side wall members and said pair of end wall members, said enclosure defining an interior compartment of said cargo carrying structure;
- and
- (c) at least a pair of connectors, each of said at least pair of connectors mounted at each end of said enclosure adjacent said roof member thereof.
A railway freight car comprising:
- (a) a base having a pair of generally planar surfaces spaced apart from each other to define thickness of said base;
- (b) a pair of wheel sets mounted underneath said base in a spaced apart relationship to each other;
- (c) a pair of coupling members, each of said pair of coupling members mounted at a respective end of said base along longitudinal axis of said railway freight car, said each of said pair of coupling members configured for attachment to an another coupling member of one of adjacent railway freight car and motive apparatus;
- (d) an enclosure upstanding on said base and having a pair of side wall structures, a pair of end wall members and a roof member joining upper edges of each of said pair of side wall members and said pair of end wall structures, said enclosure defining an interior compartment of said railway freight car;
- and
- (e) means for moving said enclosure in a vertical direction relative to said base.
A system for loading and unloading cargo, said system comprising:
- (a) a vehicle including:
- i. a base having a pair of generally planar surfaces spaced apart from each other to define thickness of said base,
- ii. a pair of wheel sets mounted underneath said base in a spaced apart relationship to each other,
- iii. a pair of coupling members, each of said pair of coupling members mounted at a respective end of said base along longitudinal axis of said railway freight car, said each of said pair of coupling members configured for attachment to an another coupling member of one of adjacent railway freight car and motive apparatus,
- iv. a enclosure upstanding on said base and having a pair of side wall structures, a pair of end wall members and a roof member joining upper edges of each of said pair of side wall members and said pair of end wall structures, said enclosure defining an interior compartment of said vehicle, and
- v. at least a pair of connectors, each of said at least pair of connectors mounted at each end of said enclosure adjacent said roof member thereof;
- and
- (b) means for moving said enclosure in a vertical direction relative to said base.
A method of loading or unloading at least one vehicle having an enclosure positioned on a generally horizontally disposed base and defining an interior compartment, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) adapting said enclosure to move in a vertical direction relative to said base;
- (b) connecting said enclosure to at least one device configured to move said enclosure in said vertical direction;
- (c) moving, with said at least one device, said enclosure in said vertical direction;
- (d) substantially exposing said interior compartment;
- and
- (e) accessing said interior compartment with a material handling apparatus moving in a direction being generally perpendicular to a length of said at least one vehicle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.