WEATHER PROOF BULK HOLD HATCH
A vessel hatch cover has a first plurality of sliding panels that allow a bulk hose receptacle to move across the width of a vessel hold without exposing the underlying bulk material. The first plurality of panels forms a loading portion which itself forms one of a second plurality of second sliding panels which allow the loading portion to move fore and aft so as to position the bulk hose receptacle in virtually any location over the hold without ever exposing the underlying hold to the elements. Thus, loading can occur in inclement weather without fear of contamination, reducing demurrage and in port vessel time.
This application claims priority in U.S. Provisional patent application no. 61/809,632 filed 8 Apr. 2013, the contents of which are incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe invention is generally directed to a weather proof hold hatch which allows vessels carrying bulk materials to be loaded with a bulk cargo during inclement weather using a specially designed hold cover that allows the bulk loading and unloading of grains and other commodities without the risk of wetting or contaminating the cargo being loaded/unloaded.
BACKGROUNDIt is well known that many millions of dollars are spent yearly in vessel demurrage charges at ports around the world exclusively due to poor weather conditions.
In addition to the vessel demurrage costs, ports and storage facilities may be unable to unload trucks and rail cars due to adverse weather conditions, contributing to a vast fleet of transportation vehicles waiting for loading and unloading, congesting ports, roads, streets and rail yards at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars per year unnecessarily increasing the cost of commodities being exported or imported.
Therefore, there is a need for a system to allow the loading/unloading of bulk cargo in adverse weather conditions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt is an object of the present invention to provide an improved hatch cover either attached to the vessel hold itself or portable to be used by port operators to allow the loading/unloading of cargo in adverse weather conditions.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved hatch cover having a movable bulk loader hose receptacle to facilitate the even distribution of cargo in the hold.
Still another object of the invention is to protect the cargo from contamination during loading such as from dust and particles originating from nearby material handling operations, such as when other bulk cargoes are being loaded/unloaded.
Still other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following specification.
The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the construction as hereinafter set forth.
For a fuller understanding of the invention, reference is made to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
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The flexible material that forms the covers would typically be located over a frame, with the frame having legs 40 which extend downwardly into the side rails 41 and which are slidable therein. The frames would be spaced apart in an amount sufficient to accommodate a full movement fore and aft, to permit the flexible material to fold or flatten accordingly. Typically, the frame would be made of a lightweight but strong material, such as plastic or metal.
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In each of these embodiments, appropriate mechanisms may be provided for driving the panels so as to slide them to their appropriate positions. This may optionally involve using chain or direct drives, or a worm drive with an associated motor and control system. Of course, it is contemplated that the port crane, as it moves the hose will simultaneously cause the appropriate panels to slide so as to position the bulk hose receptacle in the desired location, as the most economical means of sliding the panels. This is why particular other mechanisms have not been shown, so as to simplify the illustration of the invention, but adapting such mechanical and/or electrical systems to the present invention would be well within the skill on one in the art.
The sliding panels are preferably made from light material such as thin aluminum sheets when used in ports where wind is not a problem, as then, the grain loading hose is easily fitted into the receptacle 9, and then the crane moving the hose will simultaneously move the panels as they slide with the crane movement, the panels shifting as necessary to evenly load the vessel's hold.
It should be understood that while a single receptacle has been disclosed in the moving section, that it is possible to include more than one. In addition, it is possible to provide the moving section with the multiple moving sections in a modular construction, so that for example, 1, 2 or more of the modules can be placed over a hold and each utilized for filling the hold in their designated areas. In this way, multiple feed points can be provided for simultaneous loading, to reduce the time it takes to fill the hold.
It should also be understood by those skilled in the art that while flexible panels and hard panels have been discussed in separate embodiments, that a hatch according to the present invention may include both hard panels and flexible panels, and that it may be possible to provide a hatch where the panels are interchangeable so as to be adapted to specific ship holds. Additionally, the hatch may be designed for strength and dexterity to meet requirements for ocean travel or be designed les stringently, as a portable assembly that remains in port and so is transferred from ship to ship. In either case, the hatch of the applicant's invention will provide substantial benefits in terms of time for loading, balancing of the load, and reduction of dust.
It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent in the preceding description, are efficiently obtained and, since certain changes may be made in the above constructions without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.
It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.
Claims
1. A hatch for closing a hold of a vessel while permitting loading and unloading thereof without exposing contents of the hold to the weather, the hatch comprising:
- at least one loader portion having multiple sliding panels movable over each other, at least one of the panels incorporating a receptacle to accommodate a bulk loading hose for filling the hold, the panels being slidable for displacing the receptacle for distributing material loaded into the hold, the sliding panels movable in a side to side direction for moving the loading receptacle over the hold;
- at least one forward hatch cover having multiple sliding panels movable over each other in a forwards and aft direction;
- at least one rear hatch cover having multiple sliding panels movable over each other in a forwards and aft direction;
- wherein the loader portion, forward hatch cover and rearward hatch cover are assembled together for covering the hold, the loader portion being movable in a forwards and aft direction in correspondence with loading of the hold, the forward hatch cover and rearward hatch cover following the loader portion so that the contents of the hold are no exposed.
2. The hatch cover according to claim 1 wherein the sliding panels are made of metal or plastic.
3. The hatch cover according to claim 1 wherein the at least one forward hatch cover is made of flexible material supported by a frame, the flexible material being collapsible and expandable as the loader portion moves forwards and rearwards over the hold.
4. The hatch cover according to claim 1 wherein at least one sliding panel has a rain barrier for preventing rain water from entering the hold between the sliding panels.
5. The hatch cover according to claim 4 wherein the forward hatch cover has downwardly extending legs along the sides thereof, side rails mounted on opposite exterior sides of the hold for receiving the legs which are slidable therein.
6. The hatch cover according to claim 1 wherein the rear hatch cover has downwardly extending legs along the sides thereof, side rails mounted on opposite exterior sides of the hold for receiving the legs which are slidable therein.
7. The hatch cover according to claim 1 wherein the at least one bulk receptacle is pivotably mounted for maintaining a horizontal orientation to better accommodate a bulk loading apparatus.
8. The hatch cover according to claim 1 wherein the sliding panels are connected to a moving device for automatic movement of the panels in coordination with the movement of the bulk loading apparatus.
9. The hatch cover according to claim 1 further comprising an air outlet incorporated into an end or at least one sliding panel for ventilating the hold during loading.
10. The hatch cover according to claim 9 wherein the at least one air outlet incorporates or is connected to at least one exhausting fan.
11. The hatch cover according to claim 10 wherein the at least one air outlet is connected to a filtration system.
12. The hatch cover according to claim 5 further comprising wheels attached to the legs for rolling within the side rails.
13. The hatch cover according to claim 1 where the bulk receptacle incorporates a shield to protect a bulk loading apparatus to be attached to the receptacle for preventing water from entering the hold.
14. The hatch cover according to claim 6 further comprising wheels attached to the legs for rolling within the side rails.
15. The hatch cover according to claim 1 wherein the at least one loader portion includes two or more receptacles.
16. The hatch cover according to claim 1 wherein the loader portion, forward hatch cover and rearward hatch cover are assembled together to form a modular loading unit, and wherein multiple modular units are assembled together to form the hatch cover.
17. The hatch cover according to claim 1 wherein the moving panels are made of metal, plastic, a flexible material and combinations thereof.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 2, 2014
Publication Date: Mar 10, 2016
Inventor: Carlos Jose Duarte Matias (Lisbon)
Application Number: 14/783,401