DUNNAGE ASSEMBLY
A dunnage assembly that is quickly and easily installed within a shipping container and is easily reworked while remaining secure and adjustable during use is provided. The dunnage assembly of the present disclosure may also include a locking mechanism to keep the sling assembly securely positioned during shipping. Finally, according to one aspect the dunnage assembly of the present disclosure may collapse into the base of the shipping container, allowing it to remain mounted within the shipping container when the shipping container is collapsed for the return shipment back to be reused.
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This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/926,193, filed on Oct. 25, 2019; the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELDThe present disclosure relates generally to the field of shipping containers, more particularly the present disclosure relates to adjustable dunnage assemblies for use within a shipping container. Specifically, the present disclosure relates to adjustable dunnage assemblies for use within a shipping container that are easily and quickly mounted, installed, and reworked as dictated by specific shipping needs.
BACKGROUNDDunnage, as used in relation to packaging and shipping, refers to materials that are used to protect goods being shipped from physical damage, moisture, contamination, or other environmental factors. Dunnage may vary depending on the type, size, and quantity of goods being shipped but may include items such as paper, plastic, airbags, cardboard, foam, fabric, wood, or any other suitable material. When shipping multiple smaller components, it is common to use slings or bags suspended within a shipping container to keep individual good separate from its neighbor and to protect the same from damage. These slings or bags are typically flexible and formed from fabric or other similar materials and are configured to provide multiple slots to accept individual goods therein. Often a single container may include more than one sling assembly, with each sling assembly having multiple bags to carry large quantities of goods within a single shipping container.
Typically, dunnage assemblies are mounted within a shipping container utilizing a frame, having multiple side rails and cross bars slidably connected thereto. Typically, the cross bars are connected to the side rails by a structure that envelops the entire rail or by sitting or resting on the top of the side rail. While versions including attachments that completely envelop the rail, such as rings or the like, are usually more secure, they are difficult to reconfigure or rework to accommodate different types of dunnage assemblies or different sizes thereof. Current version that utilize attachments that sit on, or rest upon, the top of the side rail are more easily reconfigured but are less secure and are prone to slippage and/or movement during shipping.
The side rails themselves, used to secure dunnage assemblies within the containers, are typically attached directly to the container via one or more brackets mounted to the side wall utilizing bolts or the like. Alternatively, the side rails may be inserted through holes drilled into the sidewalls of the shipping container. Each of these mounting solutions for the side rails may require a specific type of shipping container or alternatively may need to be adjusted when used with containers of varying types and/or sizes. Further, once these types of side rails are installed, they are often difficult to uninstall or remove.
As is common in shipping containers utilizing dunnage assemblies therein, the sidewalls of the container itself are configured to collapse to reduce the overall volume of the container when empty, which helps lower costs of shipping the containers back to be refilled with additional goods and reused. Current dunnage assemblies must be removed from the containers prior to collapsing and either stored or shipped separately from the containers themselves, thus increasing the cost of using current dunnage solutions.
SUMMARYThe present disclosure addresses these and other issues by providing a dunnage assembly that is quickly and easily installed within a shipping container and is easily reworked while remaining secure and adjustable during use. The dunnage assembly of the present disclosure may also include a locking mechanism to keep the sling assembly securely positioned during shipping. Finally, according to one aspect the dunnage assembly of the present disclosure may collapse into the base of the shipping container, allowing it to remain mounted within the shipping container when the shipping container is collapsed for the return shipment back to be reused.
In one aspect, an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may provide a dunnage assembly comprising: a first side rail; a second side rail spaced apart from the first side rail within a container; at least one cross bar extending between the first and second side rails; at least one slider assembly having a first section operably connected to the at least one cross bar and a second section operable to engage one of the first side rail and the second side rail, wherein the first section of the at least one slider assembly is rotatable relative to the second section; and a sling assembly supported between the first and second side rails by the at least one cross bar.
Sample embodiments of the present disclosure are set forth in the following description, are shown in the drawings and are particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appended claims.
Similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONWith reference to
At its most basic, dunnage assembly 10 includes a first side rail 14, a second side rail 16, a plurality of cross bars 18, a plurality of slider assemblies 20, a sling assembly 21 that is configured to create a plurality of bags 24, a first mounting plate 26, a second mounting plate 28, a third mounting plate 30 and a fourth mounting plate 32. Dunnage assembly 10 may further include a plurality of shoulders 34 configured to connect the side rails 14, 16 to the mounting plates 26, 28, 30, and/or 32.
As best seen in
With reference to
First and second side rails 14, 16 may be formed of any suitable material provided it is strong enough to resist bending while fully supporting the weight of the sling assembly 21 and the associated items being shipped therein. According to one aspect, first and second side rails 14, 16 may be formed of galvanized steel and may be solid or tubular according to the desired implementation. According to another aspect, first and second side rails 14, 16 may be formed of any material, including but not limited to, other metals, plastics, wood or other the like. First and second side rails 14, 16 may be connected to the first and second ends 36, 38 of container 12 via the first through fourth mounting plates 26, 28, 30, and/or 32 and the shoulders 34 as discussed further herein.
The plurality of cross bars 18 may extend transversely between first and second sides 40, 42 of container 12, terminating at or near the first and second side rails 14, 16. Cross bars 18 may be hollow cylindrical tubes and may be formed of any suitable material including metal, plastic, wood, or the like. According to one aspect, cross bars 18 may be galvanized steel.
Cross bars 18 may be connected to first and second side rails 14, 16 via a plurality of slider assemblies 20, with one slider assembly 20 at each end of each cross tube 18, as discussed further below. Cross tubes 18 may be used to support the sling assembly 21 and bags 24. According to one aspect, the hollow interior 19 of cross bars 18 may extend the entire length of the cross bars 18. According to another aspect, a central portion of cross bars 18 may be solid with hollow openings disposed at each end of cross bars 18.
With continued reference to
Sling assembly 21 may have any number of bags 24 formed therefrom or therewith as dictated by the particular needs of the dunnage assembly 10. The number of bags 24 may be limited only by the space available in any given container 12 being used with dunnage assembly 10.
Within reference to
Tube arm 50 may extend perpendicularly from upright member 54 and may be generally parallel to top surface 53 of base 52. Tube arm 50 may be sized to fit within the hollow interior 19 of cross bars 18 and may have a slight taper 58 at the end 60 farthest away from upright member 54 to facilitate the insertion of tube arm 50 into cross bars 18. According to another aspect not shown in the figures, tube arm 50 may be a hollow cylindrical tube with an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of cross bars 18 to facilitate the insertion of cross bars 18 into tube arm 50.
According to one aspect, tube arm 50 may have a plus-shaped or T-shaped cross section to facilitate the connection with cross bars 18, as well as to allow a slidable engagement therewith, as discussed further below. According to another aspect, tube arm 50 may have any suitable cross section provided tube arm 50 retains the ability to slidably engage with cross bars 18.
First section 44, including base 52, upright member 54 and tube arm 50 may be constructed as a single piece and formed from any suitable material including plastic, metal, or the like and may be fabricated using any suitable manufacturing method. According to one aspect, first section 44 may be molded from nylon as a single piece. According to another aspect, base 52 and upright member 54 of first section 44 may be formed separately from tube arm 50 and fixedly connected thereto through any suitable means including adhesives, epoxy, welding, or mechanical fasteners such as screws, rivets, or the like.
Second section 46 is contemplated as the portion of slider assembly 20 that connects the first section 44 (and cross bars 18) to the side rails 14 and 16, as discussed below. Second section 46 may have a generally c-shaped clip body 62 which may extend in a generally downward direction and may be sized to clip over first and/or second side rails 14, 16 to slidably engage side rails 14, 16. Clip body 62 may have an outer surface 64 and an inner surface 66. Extending upwards from outer surface 64 of clip body 62 may be a mounting shoulder 68, which may engage within slot 56 defined in base 52 of first section 44. Specifically, mounting shoulder 68 may have a plate 70 that engages the slot 56 and a neck 72 that engages flange 57 of base 52, as discussed further below.
Second section 46, including clip body 62 and mounting shoulder 68 may be formed as a single piece using any suitable manufacturing method and may be formed of any suitable material such as plastic, metal, or the like. According to one aspect, second section 46 may be formed of a rigid material provided that material has enough flexibility to allow clip body 62 to snap over side rails 14, 16 without permanently deforming or breaking. According to this aspect, second section 46 may be formed of a nylon polyamide or a similar polymer.
As best illustrated in
With reference to
Lock arm 78 may be attached to an outer surface 82 of cylindrical body 74 and may extend outwardly therefrom with a first end 84 of lock arm adjacent the collar flange 76 and a second end 86 of lock arm 78 spaced apart longitudinally therefrom. Second end 86 may have an angled terminus 88 that may be angled back towards an imaginary center line C extending through the central opening 80 of shoulder 34. The angled terminus 88 may allow lock arm to interact with slider assemblies 20 to lock them in position as discussed below.
With reference to
Mounting plate 26 may have a first side edge 90 spaced apart from a second side edge 92 and defining therebetween a horizontal or transverse direction. First side edge 90 may be the side edge oriented towards the outside of container 12 (and nearest first and second sides 40 and 42 of container 12) when mounting plate 26 is installed therein, as discussed below. First mounting plate 26 may also have a top edge 94 spaced apart from a bottom edge 96 and defining therebetween a vertical direction. First mounting plate 26 may have an inner face 98 defined as the face oriented towards the interior of container 12 when installed therein. Inner face 98 may be spaced apart from an outer face 100, with the outer face 100 being defined as the face of mounting plate 26 oriented towards the outside or towards the outer walls (e.g. first and second ends 36 and 38) of container 12 when installed therein. Mounting plate 26 may have a rounded corner 102 positioned at the intersection of the top edge 94 and second side edge 92. This rounded corner 102 may be oriented to be the innermost top side of mounting plate 26 when mounting plate 26 is installed within container 12. This rounded corner 102 may serve to help indicate the proper positioning of mounting plate 26 for installation in container 12 as well as may prevent injuries and/or damage to other components of dunnage assembly 10 by eliminating a sharp corner/edge at the top 94 and interior (second) side 92 of mounting plate 26.
Defined through mounting plate 26 may be one or more shoulder 34 mounting apertures 104 which may be configured to accept the shoulders 34 therethrough. Mounting apertures 104 may be defined through the thickness of mounting plate 26 and may be generally circular with an extended notch 106 corresponding to the lock arm 78 of shoulders 34. The circular portion 108 of mounting apertures 104 may be sized to accept the cylindrical body 74 of shoulders 34 while lock arm 78 may pass through the aforementioned notch 106. Collar flange 76 of shoulders 34 may be larger than the circular portion 108 of mounting apertures 104 to prevent shoulders 34 from passing all the way through mounting plate 26 through the interaction of collar flange 76 with the outer face 100 of mounting plate 26. As seen throughout the figures, particularly
With reference to
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With references to
Mounting plate 526 may differ from previous embodiments of mounting plate 26 and 226 in that mounting plate 526 may be formed of two separate pieces, namely, an upper plate 610 and a lower plate 612 that may be connected or otherwise seated together at a joint 614 therebetween. Joint 614 may alight with hinge 122 of container 12, or more particularly hinge 122 of end walls 36, 38 of container 12 to allow upper plate 610 to rotate downwards relative to lower plate 612 when collapsing container 12 for return shipping, as discussed further below with regards to the operation of container 12 and mounting plates 526. According to another aspect, joint 614 may be hinged with any suitable hinging mechanism that allows the upper plate 610 to rotate relative to lower plate 612.
Another difference between mounting plate 526 and mounting plates 26 and 226 is that the mounting apertures 104, 304 defined through mounting plates 26 and 226 respectively have been replaced by a central channel 616, which may allow shoulders 34 or 234 and the first and second side rails 14, and 16 to move vertically therein, as discussed further below. This central channel 616 may allow the sling assembly 21 and bags 24 to be collapsed into the interior of container 12 for storage and return shipping as discussed further below.
With reference to
Locking pin 620 may be any suitable securing mechanism to hold rotatable hook 618 in position when the sling assembly 21 and bags 24 are installed as discussed further herein. According to one example, as shown in
With reference to
Having thus described the elements and components of dunnage assembly 10, the assembly and operation thereof will now be discussed.
With reference to
First side rail 14 and second side rail 16 may be installed with the ends thereof inserted into shoulders 34 such that side rails 14, 16 may extend between two mounting plates 26, 28, 30, and 32 and parallel to a side of container 12. For example, first side rail 14 may extend from first mounting plate 26 to second mounting plate 28 along first side 40 of container 12 as best seen in
With the first, second, third and fourth mounting plates 26, 28, 30, and 32, shoulders 34, and first and second side rails 14 and 16 installed within container 12, the sling assembly 21, cross bars 18 and slider assemblies 20 may be assembled. As best seen in
Once the sling assembly 21 is assembled with all cross bars 18 and slider assemblies 20 connected thereto, the slider assemblies 20 may be attached to the first and second side rails 14, 16, as best seen in
With reference to
When utilizing more than one dunnage assembly 10 in a single container 12, such as when using dunnage assemblies 10A and 10B, as illustrated in
With reference to
As best seen in
Contrast this with the slider assemblies 20 of the present disclosure and it is apparent that the unique two-piece design of slider assemblies 20 wherein the first section 44 may rotate a full 360° relative to the second section 46 allows these slider assemblies 20 to be moved along the side rails 14, 16 freely and without binding. Further, the rotation of first section 44 relative to second section 46 allows sliders 20 connecting a cross bar 18 to first side rail 14 to move independently from the sliders 20 connecting the opposite end of the same cross bar 18 to second side rail 16. The rotation of first section 44 relative to second section 46 is illustrated by arrows FF in
Another advantage of the present dunnage assembly 10 over current dunnage systems is that the angling of cross bars 18 relative to side rails 14 and 16 further causes bags 24 to be angled relative to the sides 40 and 42 of the container 12, which can, in turn, allow dunnage assembly 10 to accommodate goods of a size slightly larger than the side-to-side width of container 12. In this configuration, the goods may likewise be angled relative to the side walls of container 12 allowing slightly larger items to be shipped.
With reference to
When it is no longer desirable to have the corner sliders 20 locked, the lock arm 78 may be pulled outwards away from the clip body 62 of slider 20, and the slider 20 may be moved away from shoulder 34 to release it from its locked position.
With reference to
The unique design of sliders 20, 220 having clip body 62, 262 that snaps down and over side rails 14 and 16 allows for the side rails 14, 16 to be installed in the container before the sling assembly 21 and bags 24 are inserted. This allows for dunnage assembly 10 to be customized for the specific shipping needs, including easily reworking or reconfiguring dunnage assembly 10 to accommodate different goods in different shipments. For example, when a first shipment of goods is complete, sliders 20, 220 may be removed from side rails 14, 16 and an alternate configuration, e.g. a different number or size of sling assemblies 10 having a different number or size of bags 24, may be substituted to accommodate a different set of goods in a subsequent shipment.
With reference to
Utilizing mounting plates 526, 528, 530, and 532, as discussed herein, can allow the dunnage assembly 10 of the present disclosure to remain within container 12 while the container 12 is collapsed for return shipping. To accomplish this, dunnage system 10 may be installed as discussed previously herein, with the exception that shoulders 34 may be installed through central channel 616 of mounting plates 526, 528, 530, and 532, which may then be installed within container 12 by affixing the upper and lower plates 610 and 612 to the ends 36, 38 of container 12 with joint 614 aligned with, or in close proximity to, a hinge 122 on the ends 36, 38 of container 12. Central channel 616 of mounting plates 526, 528, 530, and 532 allows sling assemblies 22 and side rails 14 and 16 to drop into the bottom of container 12 prior to collapsing ends 36 and 38.
This embodiment may utilize rotatable hooks 618 and locking pin 620 to keep side rails 14 and 16 in place when dunnage assembly 10 is being used for shipping goods while allowing the rails 14, 16 and dunnage assembly 10 to be collapsed with container 12.
When used for shipping, side rails 14 16 may be raised into the desired position within central channel 616 and hooks 618 may be rotated to support side rails 14 and/or 16 (
As best seen in
When it is then desired to collapse dunnage assembly 10 into the bottom of container 12, the lock pins 620 may be removed from the opening 621, thus allowing hooks 618 to be rotated down and away from side rails 14 and 16 as indicated by arrow II in
With reference to
While various inventive embodiments have been described and illustrated herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety of other means and/or structures for performing the function and/or obtaining the results and/or one or more of the advantages described herein, and each of such variations and/or modifications is deemed to be within the scope of the inventive embodiments described herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and/or configurations will depend upon the specific application or applications for which the inventive teachings is/are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific inventive embodiments described herein. It is, therefore, to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto, inventive embodiments may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Inventive embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, kit, and/or method described herein. In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods, if such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods are not mutually inconsistent, is included within the inventive scope of the present disclosure.
All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood to control over dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and/or ordinary meanings of the defined terms.
The articles “a” and “an,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, should be understood to mean “at least one.” The phrase “and/or,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims (if at all), should be understood to mean “either or both” of the elements so conjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively present in other cases. Multiple elements listed with “and/or” should be construed in the same fashion, i.e., “one or more” of the elements so conjoined. Other elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified by the “and/or” clause, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a nonlimiting example, a reference to “A and/or B”, when used in conjunction with open-ended language such as “comprising” can refer, in one embodiment, to A only (optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to B only (optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to both A and B (optionally including other elements); etc. As used herein in the specification and in the claims, “or” should be understood to have the same meaning as “and/or” as defined above. For example, when separating items in a list, “or” or “and/or” shall be interpreted as being inclusive, i.e., the inclusion of at least one, but also including more than one, of a number or list of elements, and, optionally, additional unlisted items. Only terms clearly indicated to the contrary, such as “only one of” or “exactly one of,” or, when used in the claims, “consisting of,” will refer to the inclusion of exactly one element of a number or list of elements. In general, the term “or” as used herein shall only be interpreted as indicating exclusive alternatives (i.e. “one or the other but not both”) when preceded by terms of exclusivity, such as “either,” “one of,” “only one of,” or “exactly one of.” “Consisting essentially of,” when used in the claims, shall have its ordinary meaning as used in the field of patent law.
As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase “at least one,” in reference to a list of one or more elements, should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including at least one of each and every element specifically listed within the list of elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the list of elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified within the list of elements to which the phrase “at least one” refers, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a nonlimiting example, “at least one of A and B” (or, equivalently, “at least one of A or B,” or, equivalently “at least one of A and/or B”) can refer, in one embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, with no B present (and optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, B, with no A present (and optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, and at least one, optionally including more than one, B (and optionally including other elements); etc.
When a feature or element is herein referred to as being “on” another feature or element, it can be directly on the other feature or element or intervening features and/or elements may also be present. In contrast, when a feature or element is referred to as being “directly on” another feature or element, there are no intervening features or elements present. It will also be understood that, when a feature or element is referred to as being “connected”, “attached” or “coupled” to another feature or element, it can be directly connected, attached or coupled to the other feature or element or intervening features or elements may be present. In contrast, when a feature or element is referred to as being “directly connected”, “directly attached” or “directly coupled” to another feature or element, there are no intervening features or elements present. Although described or shown with respect to one embodiment, the features and elements so described or shown can apply to other embodiments. It will also be appreciated by those of skill in the art that references to a structure or feature that is disposed “adjacent” another feature may have portions that overlap or underlie the adjacent feature.
Spatially relative terms, such as “under”, “below”, “lower”, “over”, “upper”, “above”, “behind”, “in front of”, and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if a device in the figures is inverted, elements described as “under” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “over” the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “under” can encompass both an orientation of over and under. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly. Similarly, the terms “upwardly”, “downwardly”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “lateral”, “transverse”, “longitudinal”, and the like are used herein for the purpose of explanation only unless specifically indicated otherwise.
Although the terms “first” and “second” may be used herein to describe various features/elements, these features/elements should not be limited by these terms, unless the context indicates otherwise. These terms may be used to distinguish one feature/element from another feature/element. Thus, a first feature/element discussed herein could be termed a second feature/element, and similarly, a second feature/element discussed herein could be termed a first feature/element without departing from the teachings of the present invention.
An embodiment is an implementation or example of the present disclosure. Reference in the specification to “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “some embodiments,” “one particular embodiment,” “an exemplary embodiment,” or “other embodiments,” or the like, means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments is included in at least some embodiments, but not necessarily all embodiments, of the invention. The various appearances “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “some embodiments,” “one particular embodiment,” “an exemplary embodiment,” or “other embodiments,” or the like, are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiments.
If this specification states a component, feature, structure, or characteristic “may”, “might”, or “could” be included, that particular component, feature, structure, or characteristic is not required to be included. If the specification or claim refers to “a” or “an” element, that does not mean there is only one of the element. If the specification or claims refer to “an additional” element, that does not preclude there being more than one of the additional element.
Additionally, the method of performing the present disclosure may occur in a sequence different than those described herein. Accordingly, no sequence of the method should be read as a limitation unless explicitly stated. It is recognizable that performing some of the steps of the method in a different order could achieve a similar result.
In the claims, as well as in the specification above, all transitional phrases such as “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “holding,” “composed of,” and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of” shall be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases, respectively, as set forth in the United States Patent Office Manual of Patent Examining Procedures.
In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness, and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed.
Moreover, the description and illustration of various embodiments of the disclosure are examples and the disclosure is not limited to the exact details shown or described.
Claims
1. A dunnage assembly comprising:
- a first side rail;
- a second side rail spaced apart from the first side rail within a container;
- at least one cross bar extending between the first and second side rails;
- at least one slider assembly having a first section operably connected to the at least one cross bar and a second section operable to engage one of the first side rail and the second side rail, wherein the first section of the at least one slider assembly is rotatable relative to the second section; and
- a sling assembly supported between the first and second side rails by the at least one cross bar.
2. The dunnage assembly of claim 1 further comprising:
- at least two slider assemblies operably connected to the at least one cross bar on a first end and a second end thereof, wherein the slider assembly of the at least two slider assemblies operably connected to the first end engages the first side rail and the slider assembly of at least two slider assemblies operably connected to the second end engages the second side rail.
3. The dunnage assembly of claim 2 wherein the at least two slider assemblies removably engage the first and second side rails via a clip body.
4. The dunnage assembly of claim 3 wherein the clip body is operable to flex over the first and second side rails.
5. The dunnage assembly of claim 4 wherein the at least two slider assemblies are slidable along the first and second side rails.
6. The dunnage assembly of claim 2 wherein the at least one cross bar is extendable.
7. The dunnage assembly of claim 6 wherein the at least two slider assemblies further comprise:
- a tube arm slidably engaged with the at least one cross bar.
8. The dunnage assembly of claim 7 wherein the extension of the at least one cross bar is achieved through the slidable engagement the at least one cross bar with the tube arm of the at least two slider assemblies.
9. The dunnage assembly of claim 1 wherein the at least one cross bar is movable between a first position wherein the at least one cross bar is perpendicular relative to the first and second side rails and a second position wherein the at least one cross bar is angled relative to the first and second side rails.
10. The dunnage assembly of claim 9 wherein the at least one cross bar is moved between the first and second positions relative to the side rails via slideable engagement between the at least two slider assemblies and the first and second side rails.
11. The dunnage assembly of claim 10 wherein the sling assembly is operable to accommodate an item longer than a width of the container in which the dunnage assembly is installed when the at least one cross bar is in the second position.
12. The dunnage assembly of claim 2 further comprising:
- at least one mounting plate with at least one shoulder disposed through a mounting aperture defined therein; and
- wherein the at least one shoulder is operable to secure one of the first and second rails to the at least one mounting plate.
13. The dunnage assembly of claim 12 wherein the at least one shoulder further comprises:
- a shoulder flange operable to prevent the at least one shoulder from passing through the mounting aperture defined at least one mounting plate; and
- a lock arm extending forward from the shoulder flange of the at least one shoulder.
14. The dunnage assembly of claim 13 wherein the lock arm of the at least one shoulder is configured to engage the second section of at least one of the at least two slider assemblies.
15. The dunnage assembly of claim 14 wherein the lock arm of the at least one shoulder is operable to lock the at least one of the at least two slider assemblies into place relative to the first and second side rails.
16. The dunnage assembly of claim 2 wherein the at least two slider assemblies further comprise:
- a mounting shoulder extending from an outer surface of the second section; and
- a slot defined in a base of the first section operable to engage the mounting shoulder of the second section.
17. The dunnage assembly of claim 1 further comprising:
- a plurality of cross bars extending between the first and second side rai Is;
- a plurality of slider assemblies having a first section operably connected to the plurality of cross bars on a first end and a second end, and a second section operable to engage the first side rail on the first end of the plurality of cross bars and the second side rail on the second end of the plurality of cross bars, wherein the first section of the plurality of slider assemblies is rotatable relative to the second section; and
- wherein the sling assembly is supported between the first and second side rails by the plurality of cross bars.
18. The dunnage assembly of claim 17 wherein the plurality of cross bars are extendable.
19. The dunnage assembly of claim 18 wherein the plurality of cross bars are movable between a first position wherein the plurality of cross bars are perpendicular relative to the first and second side rails and a second position wherein the plurality of cross bars are angled relative to the first and second side rails.
20. The dunnage assembly of claim 19 wherein the sling assembly is operable to accommodate an item longer than a width of the container in which the dunnage assembly is installed when the plurality of cross bars are in the second position.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 26, 2019
Publication Date: Apr 29, 2021
Applicant: Pine Valley Packaging Limited (Uxbridge)
Inventors: Michael D Clee (Caledon), Mitchell L Malkoski (Whitby), Steven M Brayford (Pefferlaw)
Application Number: 16/695,755