Lifting Shipping Containers
AssigneeBlok Container Systems Limited
InventorsMartin Clive-Smith, Edward Henry Reynolds
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An adaptor including a pair of lifting beams for lifting two or more shipping containers in a side by side configuration, each container having corner fittings provided with lifting/fastening sockets. Each lifting beam is designed to extend across one end of the top of the containers to be lifted and has pairs of connectors designed to connect to the lifting sockets provided in the tops of the containers. Each lifting beam, or connecting beams extending between the lifting beams, have sockets for detachable connection with an associated crane or lifting machine to lift the adaptor and containers. Each lifting beam is also a continuous extendable component having first and second portions which are movable relative to each other.
Claims39
An adaptor for lifting two or more shipping containers in a side by side configuration, each container having a top, sides, and ends, with corner fittings provided with lifting sockets, where side by side containers are spaced apart from one another by a spacing, the adaptor comprising:
- a first lifting beam;
- and
- a second lifting beam;
- wherein each lifting beam;
- is configured as a continuous extendable component;
- is configured to extend transversely across one end of the top of both of the side by side containers to be lifted;
- and
- comprises:
- a pair of connectors configured to connect to the lifting sockets provided in the tops of the side by side containers;
- sockets for detachable connection with an associated crane or lifting machine to lift the adaptor and the side by side containers;
- first and second portions which are movable relative to each other;
- and
- actuator means connected between the first and second portions so that the first and second portions can be moved relative to each other to vary the effective transverse length of each lifting beam to enable the spacing between the side by side containers to be varied at one or both ends of the side by side containers.
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An adaptor for lifting two or more shipping containers in a side by side configuration, each container having a top, sides, and ends, with corner fittings provided with lifting sockets, where side by side containers are spaced apart from one another by a spacing, the adaptor comprising:
- a first lifting beam;
- a second lifting beam;
- and
- connecting beams which extend longitudinally relative to the side by side containers to be lifted
- wherein each lifting beam:
- is configured as a continuous extendable component;
- is configured to extend transversely across one end of the top of both of the side by side containers to be lifted;
- and
- comprises:
- a pair of connectors designed to connect to the lifting sockets provided in the tops of the side by side containers;
- first and second portions which are movable relative to each other;
- and
- actuator means connected between the first and second portions so that the first and second portions can be moved relative to each other to vary the effective transverse length of each lifting beam to enable the spacing between the side by side containers to be varied at one or both ends of the side by side containers;
- wherein sockets for detachable connection with an associated crane or lifting machine to lift the adaptor and the side by side containers are incorporated into the group consisting of the first lifting beam, the second lifting beam, the extendable connecting beams and combinations thereof;
- and
- wherein the extendable connecting beams are of fixed or variable length to enable containers of different length to be lifted by the adaptor or shorter containers to be lifted in longitudinal alignment with longitudinally central portions of the extendable connecting beams that have transverse beams connected thereto which extend generally parallel to the lifting beams and which carry connectors configured to connect to at least a portion of the lifting sockets in the top of longitudinally aligned containers or columns of containers.
-26. (canceled)
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-37. (canceled)
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The adaptor according to 33, wherein the actuator means comprises hydraulic actuator means;
- and
- wherein the cushioning means is provided in the hydraulic actuator means.
An adaptor for lifting two or more shipping containers in a side by side configuration, the adaptor comprising a pair of extendable lifting beams for lifting the side by side containers via lifting/fastening sockets provided in the tops of the containers, connecting beams extending between the lifting beams and having sockets for detachable connection with an associated crane or lifting machine, the connecting beams being arranged to hold the lifting beams so that they each extend transversely across a respective end of the top of the side by side containers, and the adaptor carrying its own power source for operating actuator means which can vary the length of each lifting beam by moving a first portion of each lifting beam relative to a second portion of each lifting beam to enable the spacing between the side by side containers to be varied, the adaptor being readily attached to and detached from the crane or lifting machine when required.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.