Intermodal container handling system

Abstract

An intermodal container handling system for collapsing a collapsible intermodal container including a pair of opposing side walls each hingedly connected to a roof and a floor respectively, wherein said walls remain substantially parallel to one another whilst the collapsible container is collapsed from an expanded configuration to a collapsed configuration, said handling system comprising: a docking assembly adapted for docking of the collapsible intermodal container in the expanded configuration; a collapsing assembly operatively coupled to the docking assembly via a transit assembly adapted to releasably engage the docked collapsible container to facilitate movement of said collapsible container between the docking assembly and the collapsing assembly; a folding sub-assembly associated with the collapsing assembly, said folding sub-assembly adapted for releasable engagement with a first of the pair of opposing side walls wherein movement of the folding sub-assembly and the associated first side wall relative to a second of the opposing side walls collapses said container between the expanded configuration and the collapsed configuration; a stacking assembly operatively coupled to the collapsing assembly via the transit assembly adapted to facilitate movement of the container between the collapsing assembly and the stacking assembly for stacking in a vertical orientation with a further collapsible intermodal container in a collapsed configuration and vertical orientation.

1 . An intermodal container handling system for collapsing and/or expanding a collapsible intermodal container including a pair of opposing side walls each hingedly connected to a roof and a floor respectively, wherein said walls remain substantially parallel to one another whilst the collapsible container is moved between an expanded configuration and a collapsed configuration, said handling system comprising:
 a docking assembly adapted for docking of the collapsible intermodal container;   a collapsing assembly operatively coupled to the docking assembly via a transit assembly adapted to releasably engage the docked collapsible container to facilitate movement of said collapsible container between the docking assembly and the collapsing assembly;   a folding sub-assembly associated with the collapsing assembly, said folding sub-assembly adapted for releasable engagement with a first of the pair of opposing side walls wherein movement of the folding sub-assembly and the associated first side wall relative to a second of the opposing side walls moves said container between the expanded configuration and the collapsed configuration;   a stacking assembly operatively coupled to the collapsing assembly via the transit assembly adapted to facilitate movement of the container in the collapsed configuration between the collapsing assembly and the stacking assembly for stacking or unstacking the container in a vertical orientation with a further collapsible intermodal container in a collapsed configuration and vertical orientation.   
     
     
         2 . The intermodal container handling system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the transit assembly includes a pair of parallel conveyors along which the collapsible intermodal container moves from the docking assembly to the collapsing assembly and in turn to the stacking assembly. 
     
     
         3 . The intermodal container handling system as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the pair of parallel conveyors are separated a distance less than a length dimension of the collapsible container wherein both of said conveyors maintain contact with the floor of said container. 
     
     
         4 . (canceled) 
     
     
         5 . The intermodal container handling system of  claim 1 , also comprising an anchoring sub-assembly associated with the folding sub-assembly and adapted for releasable engagement with the second side wall, said anchoring sub-assembly being effective in anchoring the second side wall during movement of the first side wall toward the second side wall via the folding sub-assembly. 
     
     
         6 . The intermodal container handling system as claimed in  claim 5 , also comprising a structural framework associated with the collapsing assembly, said framework including an upper framework assembly and a lower framework assembly. 
     
     
         7 . (canceled) 
     
     
         8 . (canceled) 
     
     
         9 . (canceled) 
     
     
         10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . The intermodal container handling system of  claim 1 , also comprising roof and floor lock activators associated with the collapsing assembly and adapted to release roof and floor locks associated with the roof and the first wall, and the floor and the second wall, respectively, thereby permitting collapsing of the collapsible container via the folding sub-assembly. 
     
     
         12 . The intermodal container handling system of  claim 5 , wherein the anchoring sub-assembly includes upper and lower pin sub-assemblies fixed stationary to the upper and lower framework assemblies, respectively. 
     
     
         13 . The intermodal container handling system of claim  7 , wherein the upper and the lower car of the folding sub-assembly are slidably mounted to the upper and lower framework assemblies, respectively, thereby permitting movement of the first side wall toward the second side wall during movement of the folding sub-assembly and the engaged first side wall toward the anchored second side wall. 
     
     
         14 . The intermodal container handling system of claim  7 , wherein the collapsing assembly further includes roof and floor support arrangements adapted for releasable contact with respective of the roof and the floor to support them during movement of the folding sub-assembly, and the consequential collapsing of the collapsible container from the expanded configuration to the collapsed configuration. 
     
     
         15 . The intermodal container handling system of claim  9 , wherein the roof support arrangement is mounted to the upper framework assembly and includes a magnetic coupling adapted for magnetic retention of the roof to support it during collapsing of the collapsible container. 
     
     
         16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . The intermodal container handling system of claim  9 , wherein the collapsing assembly also includes a swing assembly adapted to releasably engage each of a pair of opposing end frames of the collapsible container in the expanded configuration, said swing assembly being rotated outward of said container for opening of the pair of end frames into an open position wherein said end frames are disposed substantially parallel to and alongside an outer-facing surface of the first side wall. 
     
     
         18 . The intermodal container handling system of  claim 11 , wherein the folding sub-assembly includes one or more end frame lock actuators adapted to actuate respective of end frame locks associated with each of the end frames, said end frame locks being actuated with said end frames in the open position for retention of said end frames in the open position with the collapsible container in the expanded configuration. 
     
     
         19 . The intermodal container handling system of  claim 11 , wherein the swing assembly includes a swing arm at one end pivotally mounted to the lower framework assembly and at an opposite end mounted to a retractable swing pin sub-assembly adapted for releasable engagement with the end frame wherein rotation of the swing arm, with said swing pin sub-assembly engaged with the end frame, effects opening of the end frame between a closed position and the open position. 
     
     
         20 . The intermodal container handling system of  claim 13 , wherein the swing arm is extendible thereby enabling adjustment of the length of said arm. 
     
     
         21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . (canceled) 
     
     
         23 . The intermodal container handling system of  claim 1 , wherein the transit assembly includes a lower carriage sub-assembly mounted to the lower framework assembly and adapted for releasable engagement with the collapsible container for its movement between the docking, collapsing, and stacking assemblies. 
     
     
         24 . The intermodal container handling system of  claim 15 , wherein the transit assembly also includes an upper carriage sub-assembly mounted to the upper framework assembly and adapted for releasable engagement with the collapsible container for its movement in concert with the lower carriage sub-assembly between the collapsing and stacking assemblies. 
     
     
         25 . The intermodal container handling system of claim  16 , wherein the upper carriage sub-assembly and the lower carriage sub-assembly each include a plurality of upper and lower retractable pins arranged for releasable engagement with both the first and the second side walls of the collapsible container for its movement whilst being retained via said retractable pins in either the expanded or the collapsed configurations; and
 wherein the plurality of lower and upper retractable pins of the respective lower and upper carriage sub-assemblies are adapted for engagement with the lower and the upper beams of the first and second side walls of both the collapsible container and the further collapsible container for their movement in the packaged configuration from the collapsing assembly to the stacking assembly.   
     
     
         26 . (canceled) 
     
     
         27 . The intermodal container handling system of claim  16 , wherein the upper and lower carriage sub-assemblies together enable movement of the collapsible containers in the packaged configuration from the collapsing assembly to the stacking assembly and thereafter movement via the lower carriage sub-assembly alone to another docking assembly for subsequent removal and transportation in the packaged configuration; and
 wherein the plurality of upper retractable pins of the upper carriage sub-assemblies are adapted for release from the upper beams of the side walls of the collapsible and the further collapsible containers in the packaged configuration to permit their movement from the stacking assembly to the other docking assembly under the influence of the lower carriage sub-assembly alone.   
     
     
         28 . (canceled) 
     
     
         29 . The intermodal container handling system of  claim 2 , wherein the docking assembly includes a shunt assembly adapted for longitudinal shunting of the collapsible container in its expanded configuration for alignment with the collapsing assembly prior to placement of the aligned collapsible container on the pair of parallel conveyors for movement between the docking and collapsing assemblies. 
     
     
         30 . The intermodal container handling system of  claim 19 , wherein the shunt assembly includes a pair of nudge sub-assemblies located at the docking assembly and adapted to contact the collapsible container at respective of its opposite ends for longitudinal and lateral alignment of said container relative to the pair of parallel conveyors; and
 wherein the pair of nudge sub-assemblies each include an end nudge plate and a side nudge plate adapted to contact respective of the end frame and either the first or second side wall thereby nudging the container for the required longitudinal and lateral alignment.   
     
     
         31 . (canceled) 
     
     
         32 . A method of handling a collapsible intermodal container including a pair of opposing side walls each hingedly connected to respective of a roof and a floor wherein said walls remain substantially parallel to one another whilst the collapsible container is collapsed from an expanded configuration to a collapsed configuration, said method comprising:
 docking the collapsible intermodal container in the expanded configuration at a docking assembly;   moving the docked collapsible container in the expanded configuration from the docking assembly to a collapsing assembly via a transit assembly configured for releasable engagement of the collapsible container;   collapsing the collapsible container at the collapsing assembly by (a) releasably engaging a folding sub-assembly with a first of said opposing side walls, (b) moving the folding sub-assembly and the associated first side wall toward a second of the opposing walls wherein said container is collapsed from its expanded configuration to the collapsed configuration;   moving the collapsible container in the collapsed configuration from the collapsing assembly to a stacking assembly via the transit assembly for stacking in a vertical orientation with a further collapsible intermodal container in a collapsed configuration and vertical orientation.   
     
     
         33 - 46 . (canceled)