Modular cargo containers with surface connectors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11299341-B2
Application number	US-201916720185-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2019
Priority date	Dec 19, 2019
Publication date	Apr 12, 2022
Grant date	Apr 12, 2022

Abstract

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for a modular container, including: six sides, wherein: each side of the six sides of the modular container comprises at least four surface connector arrangements, each surface connector arrangement of the at least four surface connector arrangements comprises at least two connector elements, wherein: at least one connector element of the at least two connector elements is of a first type, and at least one connector element of the at least two connector elements is of a second type; and an access door in at least one side of the six sides.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A modular container, comprising:
six sides, wherein:
each side of the six sides of the modular container comprises a face and at least four surface connector arrangements of connector elements as part of the face,
each surface connector arrangement of connector elements of the at least four surface connector arrangements of connector elements comprises at least two connector elements, wherein:
at least one connector element of the at least two connector elements is of a first type comprising a protrusion, and
at least one connector element of the at least two connector elements is of a second type comprising a recess; and

an access door in at least one side of the six sides.

2. The modular container of claim 1 , wherein each surface connector arrangement of connector elements comprises a 2-inch pattern of connector elements.

3. The modular container of claim 2 , wherein each side of the six sides of the modular container further comprises four corner fittings.

4. The modular container of claim 3 , wherein each respective corner fitting of the four corner fittings comprises:
a first face on a first side of the six sides of the modular container,
a second face on a second side of the six sides of the modular container,
a third face on a third side of the six sides of the modular container, and
an aperture centered approximately 3.379 inches from a first edge of the respective corner fitting and approximately 3.379 inches from a second edge of the respective corner fitting.

5. The modular container of claim 1 , wherein at least two sides of the six sides of the modular container are rectangular.

6. The modular container of claim 1 , wherein: at least one side of the six sides comprises a surface connector arrangement of connector elements of a first type and a surface connector arrangement of connector elements of a second type.

7. The modular container of claim 1 , wherein each face of each side of the six sides comprises one of a corner-located, an edge-located, or a face-located surface connector arrangement of connector elements.

8. An agglomerated container, comprising:
a plurality of modular containers, wherein:
each respective modular container of the plurality of modular containers comprises six sides,
each side of the six sides of a respective modular container comprises a face and at least four surface connector arrangements of connector elements as part of the face, wherein:
each surface connector arrangement of connector elements of the at least four surface connector arrangements of connector elements comprises at least two connector elements,
at least one connector element of the at least two connector elements is of a first type comprising a protrusion, and
at least one connector element of the at least two connector elements is of a second type comprising a recess; and

each respective modular container of the plurality of modular containers is connected to another modular container of the plurality of modular containers via engagement between one or more surface connector arrangements of connector elements on a first side of the respective modular container and one or more surface connector arrangements of connector elements on a first side of the another modular container.

9. The agglomerated container of claim 8 , wherein:
each of the plurality of modular containers is a same size,
each of the plurality of modular containers further comprises eight corner fittings, wherein:
each respective corner fitting of the eight corner fittings for a respective modular container of the plurality of modular containers comprises a corner fitting aperture centered approximately 3.379 inches from a first edge of the respective corner fitting and approximately 3.379 inches from a second edge of the respective corner fitting.

10. The agglomerated container of claim 8 , wherein:
the agglomerated container is approximately 95.727 inches wide, and
the agglomerated container is approximately 95.727 inches long.

11. The agglomerated container of claim 8 , wherein:
the agglomerated container is approximately 95.727 inches wide, and
the agglomerated container is approximately 119.659 inches long.

12. The agglomerated container of claim 8 , wherein:
the plurality of modular containers is arranged in a plurality of layers,
a first layer of the plurality of layers comprises a first subset of the plurality of modular containers,
wherein each modular container of the first subset of the plurality of modular containers comprises:
eight corner fittings,
wherein each respective corner fitting of the eight corner fittings comprises a corner fitting aperture centered approximately 3.379 inches from a first edge of the respective corner fitting and approximately 3.379 inches from a second edge of the respective corner fitting.

13. The agglomerated container of claim 12 , further comprising:
a second layer of the plurality of layers comprising a second subset of the plurality of modular containers,
wherein each modular container of the second subset of the plurality of modular containers does not comprise a corner fitting.

14. The agglomerated container of claim 8 , wherein:
the plurality of modular containers is arranged in a plurality of layers,
a first layer of the plurality of layers has a first cross-sectional area, and
a second layer of the plurality of layers has a second cross-sectional area that is different than the first cross-sectional area.

15. The agglomerated container of claim 8 , wherein:
the plurality of modular containers comprises a first subset of modular containers of a first size, and
the plurality of modular containers comprises a second subset of modular containers of a second size.

16. A method of forming an agglomerated container, comprising:
connecting a plurality of modular containers to form an agglomerated container, wherein:
each respective modular container of the plurality of modular containers comprises six sides, wherein:
each side of the six sides of the modular container comprises a face and at least four surface connector arrangements of connector elements as part of the face,
each surface connector arrangement of connector elements of the at least four surface connector arrangements of connector elements comprises at least two connector elements, wherein:
at least one connector element of the at least two connector elements is of a first type comprising a protrusion, and
at least one connector element of the at least two connector elements is of a second type comprising a recess; and

each respective modular container of the plurality of modular containers is connected to another modular container of the plurality of modular containers via engagement between one or more surface connector arrangements of connector elements on a first side of the respective modular container and one or more surface connector arrangements of connector elements of a first side of the another modular container.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein each surface connector arrangement of connector elements of the at least four surface connector arrangements of connector elements comprises a 2-inch pattern of connector elements.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein:
each of the plurality of modular containers is a same size, and
each of the plurality of modular containers further comprises eight corner fittings, each respective corner fitting of the eight corner fittings for a respective modular container of the plurality of modular containers comprises a corner fitt

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Grip Robert Erik
• Karapetian Michael S
• Brown John J

Classifications

• B65D88/14

  by air · CPC title

• B65D90/0006 Primary

  Coupling devices between containers, e.g. ISO-containers (coupling devices between containers and vehicles B60P7/13) · CPC title

• B65D88/121

  ISO containers · CPC title

• B65D90/0026

  Corner fittings characterised by shape, configuration or number of openings · CPC title

• B65D2590/0008

  Coupling device between containers · CPC title