INTERMODAL AIR CARGO CONTAINERS

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to intermodal air cargo containers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Air cargo (or freight) is generally air transported in a standardised air cargo container, for example a unit load device (ULD), and as bulk loose cargo in an aircraft cargo hold. Once the aircraft is unloaded, the ULD and loose freight items are ground transported to an air cargo terminal operation (CTO) where the cargo is broken down (or unpacked), sorted, checked in, placed in bins or on pallets, and stored in a fixed racking system in the CTO awaiting delivery to consignees, such as freight forwarders or customs agents.

The consignees send trucks to the CTO to collect the air cargo, where they wait in queues, often for hours and incur considerable costs in manpower and vehicle down time. To deliver the air cargo, the CTO has to recover the bins or pallets from the CTO racking system, position them on a dock using forklifts, and then the air cargo has to be manually unloaded from the bins or pallets onto the waiting trucks.

The current process is manpower intensive and time consuming, involves multiple handling, increases the risk of damage to goods, exposes workers to occupational, health and safety dangers, and is expensive for both the CTO and consignees.

A requirement accordingly exists for a solution that improves the efficiency of ground handling of air cargo.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, there is provided an intermodal air cargo container which is a parallelepiped having opposed side walls, opposed front and back walls, and a base with an opposed top wall, the base and walls defining a volume therein for storing air cargo, wherein the width and length of the base are equal to, or are integer fractions of, the width and length of a standardised air cargo pallet or unit load device, and wherein the intermodal air cargo container is movable via and/or selectively couplable to one or more air cargo handling systems of an air cargo terminal operation (CTO), so that in use the intermodal air cargo container transfers air cargo from the CTO to a truck, or vice versa.

The one or more CTO air cargo handling systems can be selected from a CTO roller system, a CTO elevated transfer vehicle system, a CTO container delivery system, and combinations thereof.

The truck can be a roller bed truck.

The base can be a pallet having one or more pairs of forklift pockets therein for receiving forklift tines.

The top, front and side walls can be frames with mesh infill. The top, front and side walls can be detachable from the base and one another so as to collapse in a knock-down condition. The detachable top, front and side walls can be sized and dimensioned to stackably overlie the base and one another in the knock-down condition.

One or more of the top, front, back walls can be openable and closeable. The front and/or back walls can be openable and closeable. The front and/or back walls can be single or double vertically hinged gates. The top and front walls can be interconnected, and the top wall can be horizontally hinged to top portions of the side walls, so that the interconnected top and front walls are openable above the base and the side walls. The interconnected top and front walls can be spring-loaded in an open position.

Complementary male and female connectors can be respectively provided at opposed top and bottom corners of the intermodal air cargo container to enable vertical stacking thereof.

The present invention also provides a method of transferring air cargo from a CTO to a truck, or vice versa, using the above intermodal air cargo container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be further described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front view of one embodiment of an intermodal air cargo container of the invention; and

Figures 2, 3 and 4 are respective rear, side and top views of the intermodal air cargo container of Figure 1 ;

Figure 5 is a front view of another embodiment of an intermodal air cargo container of the invention;

Figures 6, 7 and 8 are respective rear, side and top views of the intermodal air cargo container of Figure 5; Figure 9 is a perspective view of a collapsible embodiment of an intermodal air cargo container of the invention; and

Figure 10 is a sequence of perspective views showing collapsing of the intermodal air cargo container of Figure 9 into a knock-down, stackable position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to Figures 1 to 4, one embodiment of an intermodal air cargo container 100 of the invention is a parallelepiped having opposed side walls 102, opposed front and back walls 104, 106, and a base 108 with an opposed top wall 110. The base 108 and walls 102, 104, 106, 110 define a volume therein for receiving air freight (not shown). The base 108 is a rectangular pallet having a width and length equal to the width and length of a

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standardised air cargo pallet, for example an International Standards Organisation (ISO) main deck P6P pallet. The height of the intermodal air cargo container 100 is also compatible with CTO air cargo handling systems. This allows the intermodal air cargo container 100 to move though the CTO roller and storage systems in the same way as standardised airline air cargo pallets. The base 108 may also have other widths and lengths that are equal to, or integer fractions of, a standardised air cargo pallet and/or ULD, for example half the length and widths of a P6P pallet. The intermodal air cargo container 100 is used to store larger items up to, for example, 2.4 metres high, and has a maximum cargo weight of, for example, 4000 kg.

The intermodal air cargo container 100 is movable via and/or selectively couplable to one or more air cargo handling systems of a CTO, for example, a CTO roller system, a CTO elevated transfer vehicle (ETV) system, a CTO container delivery system, and combinations thereof. For example, the intermodal air cargo container 100 is compatible with all air cargo handling systems used in the CTO. In use, the intermodal air cargo container 100 transfers air cargo from the CTO to a truck, for example, a roller bed truck, or vice versa.

The base 108 is formed as, for example welded steelwork, and has two pairs of forklift pockets 112, 114 extending transversely therethrough for receiving forklift tines (not shown). The base 108 has increased rigidity and solidity compared to the lightweight aluminium construction of a ULD or standardised air cargo pallet. Specifically, the base

108 is sufficiently rigid to be loaded with ad hoc fashion with loose air cargo items. The increased rigidity of the base 108 also allows the intermodal air cargo container 100 to be ground handled through the CTO to a truck using forklifts.

The side, front, back, and top walls 102, 104, 106, 110 are frames with mesh infill. The side walls 102 are fixedly connected to the base 108, and the top wall 110 is fixedly connected to the tops of the side walls 102. The intermodal air cargo container 100 is formed as, for example, welded steelwork. Other equivalent materials and constructions may also be used, for example, plastics materials.

Referring again to Figure 1, the front wall 104 consists of a pair of gates that are vertically hinged to the front edges of side walls 102. Although not shown, the back wall 106 also consists of a pair of vertically hinged gates. This allows double-sided access to the intermodal air cargo container 100 for loading and unloading air cargo. The front and back gates are releasably lockable to the front and back edges of the base 108 and the top wall 110 by vertically rotatable truck- or container-type locking assemblies 116. Other equivalent arrangements of openable and closeable walls may also be used to allow the intermodal air cargo container 100 to be loaded and unloaded with air cargo.

Referring to Figures 9 and 10, another embodiment of an intermodal air cargo container 300 has collapsible side, front, back, and top walls 302, 304, 306, 310 that are removably connected to one another and the base 308, for example by releasable fasteners lugs, pins, fixed abutments, etc. (note that the mesh infill has been omitted for clarity). The walls 302, 304, 306, 310 are detachable from the base 308 and one another to collapse in a knock-down condition. The base 308 has two pairs of forklift tines 312, 314 for receiving forklift tines. Referring to Figure 10, the walls 302, 304, 306, 310 are sized and dimensioned to stackably overlie the base 308 and one another in the knock-down condition. This allows a number of intermodal air cargo containers 300 to be stacked and transported empty in the knock-down condition.

Figures 5 to 8 illustrate another embodiment of an intermodal air cargo container 200 of the invention having side walls 202, a back wall 206, and top and front walls 210, 204 which are fixedly interconnected, for example welded. The top wall 210 is horizontally hinged to top portions of the side walls 202, so that the interconnected top and front walls 210, 204 are openable above a base 208 and the side walls 202. The interconnected top and front walls are spring-loaded towards an open position by spring-loaded hinges 212. Chain stays 214 limit rearward opening of the interconnected top and front walls 210, 204. Although not shown, horizontal safety stops are inwardly pivotable from the side walls 202 adjacent to the spring-loaded hinges 212 to stop the interconnected top and front walls 210, 204 from closing during loading and unloading of air cargo. Spring-loaded locking pins 216 are respectively provided on opposed upper side portions of the front wall 208. The

locking pins 216 are spring-loaded towards a closed position to lock the front wall 208 to front edges of the side walls 202. A keeper pin (not shown) is also provided to keep the locking pins 216 in an open position while the container 200 is being used to receive sorted air freight for intermediate storage in the CTO. The lockable, spring-loaded top/front opening of the intermodal air cargo container 200 is used to import and/or export loose air cargo.

Complementary male and female connectors 218 (for clarity, only male connectors are shown) are respectively provided at opposed top and bottom corners of the intermodal air cargo container 200 to enable vertical stacking of two or more of the intermodal air cargo containers 200. The footprint of the pallet base 208 is sized and dimensioned to fit the footprint of both a standard LD7 and a P6P aircraft pallet, fitting two containers 200 on the floor of the pallet with a further two containers 200 stacked on a second level, providing a total of four containers per aircraft pallet. The height of the intermodal air cargo container 200 is also compatible with CTO air cargo handling systems. Thus, the containers 200 are able to be used as a single unit or stacked multiple units on an aircraft pallet for ease of storage and delivery. For example, stacking allows for four containers 200 to be delivered at once.

The dimensions of the pallet base 208 of the container 200 can be different integer fractions of the dimensions of a standardised air cargo pallet or ULD, for example, a half- length and/or -width pallet, a third-length and/or -width pallet, a quarter-length and/or - width pallet, etc. This allows different packing or stacking densities of the containers 200, for example, four quarter-length pallets, or two quarter-length and one half-length pallets, etc. The intermodal air cargo container 200 is movable via and/or selectively couplable to one or more air cargo handling systems of an CTO, for example, a CTO roller system, a CTO ETV system, a CTO container delivery system, and combinations thereof. For example, the intermodal air cargo container 200 is compatible with all air cargo handling systems used in the CTO. In use, the intermodal air cargo container 200 transfers air cargo from the CTO to a truck, for example, a roller bed truck, or vice versa.

Embodiments of the invention therefore provide intermodal air cargo containers that allow an air CTO to position loose air cargo destined for a particular freight forwarder into a container, immediately after check-in. Once full, or at agreed time intervals, the container is closed and delivered directly to the forwarder's premises. This means that the forwarder does not need to commit trucks and manpower to the pick-up process nor wait in queues. The CTO handles the freight once rather than twice and does not need to commit manpower for extended periods of time to the delivery process. Embodiments of the invention therefore provide a solution that improves efficiency at each stage of the air cargo handling of air freight, for example, from unpacking, sorting and intermediate storage through to pick up, ground transport and delivery.

From the CTO perspective, embodiments of the invention provide the following advantages.

• Immediate reduction in double and triple handling of individual lines of freight. • Improved loose freight storage options on the CTO floor and ETV.

• Less manpower/overtime required for the total process from check-in to delivery.

• Ability to re-allocate manpower to other terminal tasks, producing subsidiary benefits in other areas.

• Levelling out of delivery peaks through a controlled delivery process. • Large reduction in CTO congestion.

• Positive improvement in occupational health and safety risks through a focused system delivery process, less truck movements, less fork movements, less single line movements, etc.

• Intermodal air cargo containers (or cages) can be staged in preparation for a continuous all-day collection process.

• Loose for night flights caged and ready to deliver at 0500 hrs.

• Ability to pre-load trailers positioned at the CTO dock during the night and early morning, i.e. first load ready and waiting for delivery to forwarder at 0500 hrs.

• Reduction in special deliveries due to efficiency of cage system.

From the standpoint of airfreight forwarders and importers, embodiments of the invention provide the following advantages.

• No need to commit trucks and manpower to loose pick up.

• Freedom from the truck queues and lost productivity. • Strong potential to reduce trucks/manpower needs or to reallocate resources to other areas of revenue production.

• Improved timeframe for freight availability.

• Less requirement for special deliveries as routine delivery of loose freight can be provided in reduced timeframes. • Improved delivery timeframes to end customers.

• Reduced need to communicate with CTO.

• More loose freight moved, more quickly at less cost.

• Ability to use cages for the delivery of loose export freight for the benefit of both parties.

The embodiments have been described by way of example only and modifications are possible within the scope of the claims which follow.