Apparatus and method for tipping cargo containers

Apparatus for delivering bulk material from a cargo container carrying lock receiving means to a designated area by tipping the cargo container comprising:

• a drive support member carrying means for securing said drive support member to hoisting means, said drive support member having substantially horizontally extending beam means and spaced end support members depending from said beam means;
• a single pivotal member pivotally mounted on and extending between said end support members of said drive support member to pivot on a horizontal axis disposed below said beam means and carrying locking means arranged for cooperation with the lock receiving means of the cargo container to provide primary support for the cargo container with said horizontal pivot axis passing through the cargo container and vertically offset from said locking means;
• and
• selectively actuable drive means for selectively pivoting said pivotal member about said horizontal pivot axis with respect to said drive support member.

Apparatus for delivering bulk material into a designated receiving space from a cargo container of the type including a generally rectangular, frame-like border surrounding an upper edge thereof and a plurality of spaced, lock-receiving openings disposed along the border, said apparatus comprising:

• a drive support member;
• a pivotal member;
• engagement means for engaging said drive support member and said pivotal member for mutual pivotal displacement about a horizontal pivot axis;
• a plurality of twist lock members depending from said pivotal member spaced to engage respective lock-receiving openings along the container border for selectively securing said pivotal member to the cargo container in fixed relation;
• and
• selectively actuable drive means secured to said drive support member for selectively pivoting said pivotal member about said pivot axis with respect to said drive support member so as to pivot the container through an angle of at least 90.degree. to dump the bulk material.

A tipping adapter for use in connecting a cargo container to a cargo container spreader suspended from a gantry cantilever crane in order to permit selective tipping of the container for the purpose of pouring bulk material therefrom, the cargo container being of the type which has first portions of respective plural latching engagements disposed thereon in spaced relation, the container spreader having second portions of the plural latching engagements disposed thereon in spaced relation so as to permit selective engagment between the spreader and the container, said adapter comprising:

• a drive support member having disposed thereon plural first latching engagement portions which are spaced to provide selective engagement with the second latching engagement portions of the container spreader;
• a pivotal member having disposed thereon plural second latching engagement portions which are spaced to provide selective engagement with the first latching engagement portions of the cargo container;
• means for pivotally engaging said drive support member and said pivotal member for mutual rotation about a pivot axis;
• and
• motor means for selectively pivoting said pivotal member relative to said drive support member about said pivot axis.

A method of modifying a container-handling port facility to handle bulk material, the container-handling port facility having a gantry cantilever crane conventionally used to move containers to and from ships, said method comprising the steps of:

• securing a tipping adapter unit to the gantry cantilever crane, the tipping adapter unit including a drive support member secured to the gantry cantilever crane and including substantially horizontally extending beam means and spaced end support members depending from the beam means, a single pivotal member pivotally mounted on and extending between the depending end support members of the drive support member and drive motor means for pivoting the pivotal member relative to the drive support member;
• attaching the pivotal member of the tipping adapter unit to a cargo container containing bulk material to provide primary support for the cargo container at a point vertically offset from the pivotal mounting to the depending end support members;
• hoisting the tipping adapter unit with the pivotal member carrying the cargo container and moving the tipping adapter unit carrying the cargo container to or from a ship to a receiving area using the gantry cantilever crane;
• and
• operating the drive motor means for the tipping adapter unit to pivot the pivotal member and the cargo container to pour the bulk material from the cargo container at the receiving area.

A tipping adapter for connection with a crane to deliver bulk material in a cargo container to a receiving area comprising

• a drive support member carrying means for securing said drive support member to the crane;
• a pivotal member having an upper frame carrying means for releasably engaging an upper portion of the cargo container, said pivotal member having depending end members extending downwardly from said upper frame and pivotally mounted on said drive support member to pivot said pivotal member about a horizontal pivot axis passing through the cargo container below said upper frame;
• and
• selectively actuable drive means for selectively pivoting said pivotal member about said horizontal pivot axis with respect to said drive support member.