Convertible, transport, cargo box system

Abstract

A box-like, metal, industrial, transport, cargo container ( 10/110/210 ), three embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1 - 4 D, FIGS. 5 - 10 & FIG. 11 ), each including rigid, structural framework having front door(s), floor, sides, rear and raisable top cover rotatable up at one of its edges to a generally vertical disposition to then be slid down along one of its walls for “out-of-the-way” storage, opening up the box top for over-head, free access to the interior for unloading cargo by crane on, e.g., an offshore structure. In 2 nd embodiment the front, top structural bar is absent, allowing even greater access in and out of box interior, while angled support plates ( 126 ) allow top to be slid down even when crane operator over-shoots the vertical alignment of the top cover. In the 3 rd embodiment the top cover ( 215 ) is raised and rotated about its side edge and slid down along side a side wall.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A convertible, transport, rigid, cargo box container suitable for protectively transporting cargo from, for example, a land based dock via a marine vessel to an offshore site, comprising: 
 a transportable container having a rigid, structural framework including at least—
 four, vertically and laterally spaced, longitudinally extending, horizontally disposed, side, structural beams,  
 four, longitudinally and laterally spaced, vertically disposed, corner, end beams, and  
 at least three, vertically and longitudinally spaced, laterally extending, horizontally disposed , end beams,  
    all of said beams being fixedly joined together at at least near their ends forming a rigid, structurally strong framework defining an extended, box-like configuration, said transportable container further having—
 an open interior into which cargo is placeable,  
 two end sides, a front end side and a rear end side,  
 two rigid, laterally spaced, opposed sides extending between said front and rear sides,  
 an attached, rigid, bottom floor below said interior,  
 at least one door located at its front end moveable to and from a closed disposition and an open disposition, also providing access to said interior when in its open disposition for loading and/or unloading cargo, and  
 a convertible, rotatable, rigid top extending between and across all of said sides mounted on said framework allowing it to be rotatably moved back and forth from a closed disposition and an open disposition, providing access to said interior when said rigid top is in its open disposition for loading and/or unloading cargo, and closing off all of said sides from above when said rigid top is in its closed disposition,  
    said sides, said top, said floor and said door located surroundingly around said interior in all three dimensions protectively enclosing said interior, protecting any contained cargo when said cargo container is being transported from one location to another.    
     
     
         2 . The transport, cargo box container of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 said rotatable top is mounted on said framework by an attachment which allows said top to be moved down along side one of said sides.    
     
     
         3 . The transport cargo box container of  claim 2 , wherein: 
 said attachment, when said rigid top is in its closed disposition, allows said rotatable top to initially rotate up at least to about a vertical disposition and then move down in a vertical direction along side said one of said one of said sides in a open, storage disposition in parallel juxtaposition to said one of said sides.    
     
     
         4 . The transport cargo box container of  claim 3 , wherein: 
 said rigid top has a width less than the width of said one of said sides; and    wherein there is further included:    a pair of angled support plates mounted on said framework on opposite sides in association with said opposed guide tracks, said angles plates extending toward each other laterally past said guide tracks, said support plates allowing said rigid top to be rotated past its vertical disposition and still be slide down said guide tracks, said support plates supporting said rigid top at least near the edge of said rigid top opposed from its rotating edge, maintaining it up in its open, storage disposition along side said one of said sides.    
     
     
         5 . The transport cargo box container of  claim 4 , wherein: 
 said angled plates each make an angle of about fifteen to about twenty (15°-20°) degrees back from the vertical.    
     
     
         6 . The transport cargo box container of  claim 3 , wherein said attachment comprises: 
 a pair of laterally extending pins defining an axis of rotation, and    a pair of downwardly extending, opposed guide tracks each having a top end, said guide tracks being fixedly attached to said framework adjacent to said one of said sides,    said pins riding in said opposed guide tracks restraining and guiding the movement of said rigid top, said pins being located at the top ends of said guide tracks when said rigid top is in its closed disposition, allowing said rigid top to rotate up about the axis formed by said pins at least to about said vertical disposition, the subsequent movement of said pins in said guide tracks allowing said rigid top to thereafter move down along side of said one of said sides to its open, storage disposition.    
     
     
         7 . The transport cargo box container of  claim 6 , wherein: 
 said guide tracks are downwardly directed in a vertical direction.    
     
     
         8 . The transport cargo box container of  claim 2 , wherein: 
 said one of said sides is said rear end side.    
     
     
         9 . The transport cargo box container of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 said front end has a top which is completely open and unobstructed in the vertical direction between said opposed sides when said door and said rigid top are in their respective open dispositions, there being an absence of any front, top structural member in said framework.    
     
     
         10 . The transport cargo box container of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 said opposed sides and said rear end sides, including said one of said sides, are made of sheet material attached to said framework and having a main body, each sheet of material having a series of parallel, vertical, spaced crimps extending out from said main body of said sheet material, the crimps on said one of said sides extending inwardly toward said interior while the crimps on the other sides extend outwardly away from said interior.    
     
     
         11 . The transport cargo box container of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 said sides form a rectangular shape.    
     
     
         12 . The transport cargo box container of  claim 11 , wherein: 
 said rectangular shape is a square.    
     
     
         13 . The transport cargo box container of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 said framework has dimensions of at least about seven feet in each of all three dimensions.    
     
     
         14 . A method of loading cargo in a cargo box container at or at least associated with a land based dock for offshore delivery, protectively transporting the cargo in said box container via a marine vessel to an offshore site, and unloading the cargo from said cargo box container at the offshore site, comprising the following sequential steps: 
 (A) using a transportable container having a rigid, structural framework including at least—
 four, vertically and laterally spaced, longitudinally extending, horizontally disposed, side, structural beams,  
 four, longitudinally and laterally spaced, vertically disposed, corner, end beams, and  
 at least three, vertically and longitudinally spaced, laterally extending, horizontally disposed, end beams,  
    all of said beams being fixedly joined together at at least near their ends forming a rigid, structurally strong framework defining an extended, box-like configuration, said transportable container further having—
 an open interior into which cargo is placeable,  
 two end sides, a front end side and a rear end side,  
 two rigid, laterally spaced, opposed sides extending between said front and rear sides,  
 an attached, rigid, bottom floor below said interior,  
 at least one door located at its front end moveable to and from a closed disposition and an open disposition, also providing access to said interior when in its open disposition for loading and/or unloading cargo, and  
 a convertible, rotatable, rigid top having four edges and extending between and across all of said sides mounted on said framework allowing it to be rotatably moved back and forth from a closed disposition and an open disposition, providing access to said interior when said rigid top is in its open disposition for loading and/or unloading cargo, and closing off all of said sides from above when said rigid top is in its closed disposition,  
    said sides, said top, said floor and said door located surroundingly around said interior in all three dimensions protectively enclosing said interior, protecting any contained cargo when said cargo container is being transported from one location to another;    (B) loading the cargo into said cargo box container using either the door and/or through the top of the box container when said rigid top is in its open disposition;    (C) transporting the loaded cargo box container with the cargo in its interior to the offshore site;    (D) opening up said cargo box container by at least initially rotating said rigid top up about one of its four edges exposing the interior of said cargo box container through its top; and    (E) unloading at least some of the cargo using an over-head cargo crane having an over-head lifting cable extending during at least part of this unloading step down through the now open top of the container.    
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein said front end has a top which is completely open and unobstructed in the vertical direction between said opposed sides when said door and said rigid top are in their respective open dispositions, there being an absence of any front, top structural member in said framework; and wherein there is further included in step “E” the step of: 
 moving the over-head cable from the interior while the over-head cargo crane is carrying cargo from in the container through the door opening when the door is in its open disposition while the cable is extending down into said interior as well as extending above said cargo box container.  
 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein there is further included the steps of: 
 opening the rigid top to its open disposition by initially rotating it up about one of its edges from a horizontal, closed disposition to at least a generally vertical disposition and then lowering the rigid top down along side one of said sides while the rigid top is in a vertical disposition during at least part of its downward travel.    
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein there is further included the step of: 
 using a set of laterally disposed, outwardly directed pins attached to the rotating edge of the rigid top riding in an opposed set of downwardly directed guide tracks to lower the rigid top down along side said one of said sides while the rigid top is in a vertical disposition during at least part of its downward travel.    
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the width of said rigid top is less than the width of said one of said sides; and wherein there is further included a pair of angled support plates mounted on said framework on opposite sides in association with said opposed guide tracks, said angled plates extending toward each other laterally past said guide tracks, said support plates allowing said rigid top to be rotated past its vertical disposition and still be slid down said guide tracks, said support plates supporting said rigid top at least near the edge of said rigid top opposed from its rotating edge, maintaining it up in its open, storage disposition along side said one of said sides; and wherein there is further included the step of: 
 rotating said rigid top past the vertical in an over-shoot by at least about five (5°) degrees, using said angled support plates to limit the amount of vertical over-shoot; and    using said support plates to maintain said rigid top up in its lowered, open, storage disposition up along side said one of said sides.    
     
     
         19 . In a convertible, transport, rigid, cargo box container suitable for protectively transporting cargo from, for example, a land based dock via a marine vessel to an offshore site, including a transportable container having a rigid, structural framework including at least—
 four, vertically and laterally spaced, longitudinally extending, horizontally disposed, side, structural beams,  
 four, longitudinally and laterally spaced, vertically disposed, corner, end beams, and  
 at least three, vertically and longitudinally spaced, laterally extending, horizontally disposed, end beams,  
 all of said beams being fixedly joined together at at least near their ends forming a rigid, structurally strong framework defining an extended, box-like configuration, said transportable container further having— 
 an open interior into which cargo is placeable,  
 two end sides, a front end side and a rear end side,  
 two rigid, laterally spaced, opposed sides extending between said front and rear sides,  
 an attached, rigid, bottom floor below said interior, and  
 at least one door located at its front end moveable to and from a closed disposition and an open disposition, also providing access to said interior when in its open disposition for loading and/or unloading cargo, and  
 a rigid top attached to said framework; said sides, said top, said floor and said door located surroundingly around said interior in all three dimensions protectively enclosing said interior, protecting any contained cargo when said cargo container is being transported from one location to another; the improvement comprising:  
 a convertible, rotatable top extending between and across all of said sides mounted to be rotatably moved back and forth from a closed disposition and an open disposition, providing access from above to said interior when said rigid top is in its open disposition for loading and/or unloading cargo, and closing off all of said sides from above when said rigid top is in its closed disposition, said rotatable top is mounted on said framework by an attachment which allows said top to be moved down along side one of said sides, said attachment, when said rigid top is in its closed disposition, allowing said rotatable top to initially rotate up at least to about a vertical disposition and then move down in a vertical direction along side said one of said sides in a open, storage disposition in parallel juxtaposition to said one of said sides,  
 a pair of laterally extending pins defining an axis of rotation, and  
 a pair of downwardly extending, opposed guide tracks each having a top end, said guide tracks being fixedly attached to said framework adjacent to said one of said sides,  
 said pins riding in said opposed guide tracks restraining and guiding the movement of said rigid top, said pins being located at the top ends of said guide tracks when said rigid top is in its closed disposition, allowing said rigid top to rotate up about the axis formed by said pins at least to about said vertical disposition, the subsequent movement of said pins in said guide tracks allowing said rigid top to thereafter move down along side of said one of said sides to its open, storage disposition, said guide tracks being downwardly directed in a vertical direction.  
 
     
     
         20 . The improved transport cargo box container of  claim 19 , wherein: 
 said rigid top has a width less than the width of said one of said sides; and    wherein there is further included:    a pair of angled support plates mounted on said framework on opposite sides in association with said opposed guide tracks, said angles plates extending toward each other laterally past said guide tracks, said support plates allowing said rigid top to be rotated past its vertical disposition and still be slide down said guide tracks, said support plates supporting said rigid top at least near the edge of said rigid top opposed from its rotating edge, maintaining it up in its open, storage disposition along side said one of said sides.