[0001] The present invention relates to the transfer of bulk materials, such as ores, coal and grain, from a container to the hold of a ship. The present invention relates specifically to a container (such as a lidded container) for use with a rotating spreader, sometimes referred to in the art as a "tippler".

Background of the Invention

[0002] With increasing transport costs impacting upon the economic success of many industries, the mining industry has recently been working on containerised supply chains for the movement of bulk materials. For example, containers are being loaded with mineral concentrates at mine sites, taken by rail or road to a port, stockpiled at the port, and then tippled into a ship's hold by crane. When lidded containers (able to be sealed) are utilised, the product is able to be transferred from mine to ship with very little product loss or contamination.

[0003] US patent 4,496,275 {Harp, J.J) describes an early version of an apparatus for tipping a container, the apparatus including a tipping adaptor for use with a traditional spreader capable of engaging with a container from above in the normal manner at the container's four uppermost corners. This normal manner of

engagement relies on a traditional twistlock connector that includes female corner castings incorporated into a container, the corner castings being configured to engage with a male twistlock member incorporated into a spreader at locations corresponding to the locations of the female corner castings. In this respect, it will be appreciated by a skilled addressee that such twistlock connection systems can be configured in numerous ways, and can be such that the locking mechanism is either manually or automatically operable.

[0004] More modern versions of rotatable spreaders can be seen in International patent publication WO201 1/044613 (Bridle, M.) and US patent 8,061 ,9651 (Marston, H. et al), where the Bridle arrangement is capable of rotating a container about its longitudinal axis while the Marston arrangement rotates a container about a central axis lateral to its longitudinal axis. Nonetheless, both arrangements again rely solely on these traditional twistlock connections for engagement between the container and the spreader, thus applying all lifting and rotational forces through these connections.

[0005] While the strength of these connections has generally proven to be satisfactory to transfer the necessary lifting and rotational forces, the connections nonetheless require regular replacement due to the high shear forces that they tend to encounter during normal operation. This is particularly the case when the containers are used in unloading systems of the above type, where the rotation of a fully loaded container, secured only at these four connection points, tends to apply all of the rotational forces through these connections.

[0006] Also, the very precise nature of the connection required has tended to introduce delays in the number of containers that can be unloaded into the hold of a ship. Where a crane operator is required to at least partially manually align a spreader with a container so that the four connection points align, it will be

appreciated that such an operation can be reasonably time-consuming.

[0007] There has thus proven to be a need for a system that allows for the easy and rapid capture by a container of a rotatable spreader, ideally with a strong enough engagement to permit a rotational force to be transferred from the rotatable spreader to the container when fully loaded in a manner that does not require all of that rotational force to be transferred solely through traditional twistlock connectors.

[0008] Before turning to a summary of the present invention, it must be

appreciated that the above description of the prior art has been provided merely as background to explain the context of the present invention. It is not to be taken as an admission that any of the material referred to was published or known, or was a part of the common general knowledge in Australia or elsewhere.

[0009] It is also useful to provide an explanation of some of the terms that will be used to define the spatial relationship of the bulk loading system of the present invention and various parts thereof. In this respect, spatial references throughout this specification will generally be based upon a bulk container being upright, having a rectangular floor with four perimetric upstanding walls, two of which are sidewalls and two of which are end walls, with an upwardly open top (that is normally closed with a lid) defining an interior within which bulk materials may be placed. An understanding of this normal orientation then permits reference to be made throughout this specification to spatial terms such as "upper" and "upwardly", "inner" and "outer", and "lower" and "downwardly".

[0010] Finally, some aspects of the present invention that may ultimately be claimed in isolation (and not in an in-use environment), may nonetheless be difficult to describe and understand in isolation. Thus, some of the following description does describe the invention and its embodiments in such an in-use environment (for example, when a container is in engagement with a spreader). Of course, it must be appreciated that the use of such description, and the use of the abovementioned spatial relationships, to describe the present invention, is not to be seen as a limitation and certainly is not to be seen as a limitation only to the in-use environment, unless that intention is clearly stated.

Summary of the Invention

[001 1] The present invention provides a rotating spreader bulk loading system including a rotating spreader and a bulk container, the container having an interior, opposing end walls each with an outer side, and a longitudinal axis extending between the end walls, the rotating spreader including opposing rotatable members for engagement with the outer side of a respective container end wall, the system including at least one engagement boss and at least one boss receiving member with a self-aligning opening and a boss rotation preventer, whereby rotational force applied to a rotatable member when engaged with a container transfers between the boss and the boss receiving member to rotate the container about its longitudinal axis.

[0012] In a preferred form, it is at least one rotatable member that has a container engagement boss, and it is the outer side of at least one container end wall that has the boss receiving member with the self-aligning opening and the boss rotation preventer.

[0013] Thus, the present invention preferably provides a rotating spreader bulk loading system including a rotating spreader and a bulk container, the container having an interior, opposing end walls each with an outer side, and a longitudinal axis extending between the end walls, the rotating spreader including opposing rotatable members for engagement with the outer side of a respective container end wall, at least one rotatable member having a container engagement boss, and the outer side of at least one container end wall having a boss receiving member with a self-aligning opening and a boss rotation preventer, whereby rotational force applied to the rotatable member transfers via the boss to the boss receiving member to rotate the container about its longitudinal axis.

[0014] The present invention also provides a bulk container for use in a rotating spreader bulk loading system, the system including a rotating spreader with opposing rotatable members, at least one rotatable member having either an engagement boss or a boss receiving member with a self-aligning opening and a boss rotation preventer, the bulk container having an interior, opposing end walls each with an outer side, and a longitudinal axis extending between the end walls, the outer side of at least one container end wall having either an engagement boss or a boss receiving member with a self-aligning opening and a boss rotation preventer, whereby, in use, an engagement boss engages with a boss receiving member such that rotational force applied to the rotatable member of the rotating spreader transfers between the boss and the boss receiving member to rotate the bulk container about its longitudinal axis.

[0015] In a preferred form, it is at least one rotatable member of the spreader that has a container engagement boss, and it is the outer side of at least one container end wall that has the boss receiving member with the self-aligning opening and the boss rotation preventer

[0016] Thus, the present invention preferably also provides a bulk container for use in a rotating spreader bulk loading system, the system including a rotating spreader with opposing rotatable members, at least one rotatable member having a container engagement boss, the bulk container having an interior, opposing end walls each with an outer side, and a longitudinal axis extending between the end walls, the outer side of at least one container end wall having a boss receiving member with a self-aligning opening and a boss rotation preventer, whereby, in use, rotational force applied to the rotatable member of the rotating spreader transfers via the boss to the boss receiving member to rotate the bulk container about its longitudinal axis. [0017] A suitable rotating spreader for use in the present invention will generally include a longitudinal support member with opposing container support arms depending from respective ends of the support member. The rotatable spreader may include means for adjusting the length of the longitudinal support member so that the spreader is able to engage with containers of different lengths.

[0018] In a preferred form, both rotatable members will have a container engagement boss, and the outer side of both container end walls will have a boss receiving member with a self-aligning opening and a boss rotation preventer. This preferred form is likely to be the form adopted for bulk containers that are purpose- built for use in the present invention, where the end walls of the containers are made with the necessary boss receiving members. However, where existing bulk

containers are retro-fitted for us in the present invention, those containers will often have one end wall in the form of opening walls, with the other end wall being a solid end wall. In this situation, it is envisaged that the solid (non-opening) end wall will be the end wall that is modified to include a suitable boss receiving member. At the other end of the container, the engagement of the container with the rotatable member at that end of the spreader will be via the normal form of twistlock connectors as described above.

[0019] In this respect, much of the following description will be directed to the preferred form of the present invention where a boss receiving member is provided for both end walls of the container, and thus both rotatable members are provided with a container engagement boss.

[0020] In this form, each container support arm will include a respective rotatable member for engagement with the outer side of a respective container end wall as mentioned above. Ideally in this form, the container engagement boss of each rotatable member is the primary engagement member between the spreader and the container, through its interaction with the boss receiving member of the outer side of each container end wall. However, in a preferred form, each rotatable member will additionally include male twistlock members able to engage with corresponding female corner castings of a container, the subsequent twistlock connection providing additional engagement between the spreader and the container. The male twistlock members may each be located adjacent a locating guide, preferably flared outwardly so as to assist with the capture of the female corner castings by the male twistlock members as the spreader moves closer towards a container.

[0021] Before describing preferred configurations for the container engagement boss of each rotatable member, the boss receiving member of the outer side of each container end wall will firstly be described.

[0022] In a preferred form, each boss receiving member is either secured to an end wall, or is incorporated into an end wall, in a rigid manner such that the boss receiving member moves with the end wall. Thus, if a rotational force is applied to the boss receiving member, the end wall will correspondingly rotate. It will appreciated that by being able to modify the end wall of an existing container to have rigidly secured thereto a suitable boss receiving member, an existing container may be retro-fitted for use in the system of the present invention, as mentioned above.

[0023] The boss receiving member preferably includes a self-aligning opening in the form of a tapered opening that communicates with a boss rotation preventer in the form of a boss receiving neck sized to prevent rotation of a boss once received therein. In this manner, it will be appreciated that rotation of a boss received in the neck of the boss receiving member will thus cause rotation of the boss receiving member, which in turn will cause rotation of the end wall of the container and thus of the container.

[0024] The tapered opening is preferably a V-shaped opening, with the wider portion of the V opening upwardly at or near the top of the side wall and the narrower portion of the V opening to, and communicating with the boss receiving neck. Ideally, this preferred configuration thus gives rise to the boss receiving member itself being generally Y-shaped (or funnel-shaped).

[0025] The container engagement boss preferably has a polygonal cross-section having at least two parallel sides, such as a rectilinear polygon in the form of a rectangle or a square. The boss rotation preventer of the boss receiving member mentioned above (in the form described above being the neck sized to prevent rotation of the boss) will thus ideally be provided by opposed parallel walls separated by a distance equivalent to, or slightly greater than, the distance between the parallel sides of the boss. By ensuring a snug fit between the boss and the neck, any rotational force applied to the boss will thus transfer to the side wall of the container.

[0026] In this form, the boss will have a height that is suitable for it to be received deeply enough within the neck to permit the transfer of the rotational force without disengaging. It will also be appreciated that the overall dimensions of the boss, the nature of the material of construction of the boss and its incorporation with the rotatable member, will ideally need to be sufficient so as to provide the strength required for the boss to be the primary engagement member between the spreader and the container. Indeed, it is envisaged that sensible engineering practice will see these elements of the technical design of a preferred embodiment of the present invention being such as to allow the boss to be the sole engagement member between the spreader and the container.

[0027] Each rotatable member is preferably configured such that its container engagement boss faces inwardly for engagement with a respective outwardly configured boss receiving member on the outer side of each container end wall. Noting that a spreader will normally, in use, approach a container from above, and that the preferred form of self-aligning opening of a boss receiving member is upwardly opening, it is preferred for a boss to be configured at or near a lower portion of a rotatable member. In the preferred form, where male twistlock members are additionally provided on each rotatable member, the male twistlock members will preferably be provided at or near an upper portion of that rotatable member.

[0028] In this form, a boss will be the first portion of a rotatable member to come into contact with the self-aligning opening of a boss receiving member, as the spreader lowers onto the container. Indeed, with each self-aligning opening being relative wide (relative to the width of a boss itself), it will be appreciated that each boss is able to be easily caught, with little need for precision, in the wide self-aligning opening, with each boss then sliding down the taper of a respective opening towards the neck of its boss receiving member, to align each rotatable member (and thus the spreader) with the end walls of the container.

[0029] As the spreader continues to lower onto the container, the alignment is completed as each boss enters each neck. With further downward movement of the spreader, and as each boss continues movement along each neck, the upper portion of each rotatable member approaches and comes into contact with the container, aligning respective male twistlock members of each upper portion with the

corresponding female corner castings of the container, creating suitable twistlock connections in addition to the engagement of the bosses with the boss rotation preventers.

[0030] A further advantageous feature, that can further assist with the easy alignment and capture of the bosses, is the presence of the means for adjusting the length of the longitudinal support member, as mentioned above, and its concordant operation to bring the rotatable arms of the spreader together at the same time as the spreader is being moved from above onto the container. Such concordant movement would permit a crane-operator to effectively "grasp" the container with the spreader, in a virtually completely self-aligning manner.

[0031] It will thus be appreciated that, by the use of the system of the present invention, a crane operator is able to move a spreader to, and into engagement with, a container relatively quickly, without the need for precision in crane movements, permitting quite rapid capture of a container, at least relative to prior art techniques that rely simply on the precise alignment (by a crane operator) of male and female twistlock members.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0032] The present invention will now be described in relation to a preferred embodiment as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. However, it must be appreciated that the following description is not to limit the generality of the above description.

[0033] In the drawings:

[0034] Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views from above of a first embodiment of a rotating spreader bulk loading system in accordance with the present invention, with Figure 1 showing a spreader and a container apart, while Figure 2 shows the spreader and the container when engaged; [0035] Figures 3a, 3b, and 3c show, in sequence, the engagement of a rotatable member of the spreader of Figures 1 and 2 with an end wall of the container of Figures 1 and 2, with Figure 3d showing the subsequent relationship of the rotatable member and the container after rotation of the container about 90 degrees; and

[0036] Figure 4 is a perspective view from above of a second embodiment of a rotating spreader bulk loading system also in accordance with the present invention, showing a spreader and a container when engaged.

Detailed Description of a Preferred Embodiment

[0037] Illustrated in the accompanying drawings is a rotating spreader bulk loading system in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.

Figures 1 and 2 show the bulk loading system including a rotating spreader 10 and a bulk container 12, the container 12 having an interior (not visible), opposing end walls 14,16 each with an outer side 18, and a longitudinal axis extending between the end walls 14,16. The container 12 also includes a lid 19, which in some embodiments may be hinged in a normal manner along edge 21 , or in other embodiments need not be hinged but be capable of being lifted and lowered in a normal manner.

[0038] The spreader 10 includes a longitudinal support member 22 with opposing container support arms 24 depending from respective ends thereof. The spreader 10 may include means (not shown) for adjusting the length of the support member 22 so that the spreader 10 is able to engage with containers of different lengths.

[0039] The spreader 10 also includes opposing rotatable members 20 for engagement with the outer side 18 of a respective container end wall 14,16. In this embodiment, each rotatable member 20 has a container engagement boss 26, and the outer side 18 of each container end wall 14,16 has a boss receiving member 28 with a self-aligning opening 30 and a boss rotation preventer 32. Rotational force applied to the rotatable members 20 by the spreader 10 transfers via each boss 26 to the boss receiving member 28 to rotate the container 12 about its longitudinal axis.

[0040] Each rotatable member 20 additionally includes male twistlock members 34 able to engage with corresponding female corner castings 36 of the container 12, the subsequent twistlock connection providing engagement between the spreader 10 and the container 12 that is additional to the primary engagement provided by the relationship between the bosses 26 and the boss receiving members 28 . The male twistlock members 34 are each shown located adjacent a locating guide 38, in this embodiment shown flared outwardly so as to assist with the capture of the female corner castings 36 by the male twistlock members 34 as the spreader 10 moves closer towards the container 12 in the direction of arrow X. However, in another embodiment it is envisaged that the locating guides 38 could be straight (not flared).

[0041] Each boss receiving member 28 (of which only one is evident in the Figures) is shown in this embodiment secured to an outer side 18 such as by welding or bolting, obviously such that the boss receiving member 28 moves with the end wall 14,16. If a rotational force is applied to the boss receiving member 28, the end wall 16 (and thus the container 12) will correspondingly rotate.

[0042] With additional reference now to Figures 3a, 3b and 3c as appropriate, the boss receiving member 28 (not separately identified by reference numeral in Figures 3a, 3b and 3c) is shown having a self-aligning opening 30 in the form of a tapered opening that communicates with a boss rotation preventer 32 in the form of a boss receiving neck sized to prevent rotation of a boss 26 received therein. Thus, rotation of the boss 26 received in the neck 32 of the boss receiving member 28 will cause rotation of the boss receiving member 28 due to the engagement therebetween, which in turn will cause rotation of the end wall 16 of the container 12 and thus of the container 12 itself.

[0043] The tapered opening 30 is a V-shaped opening, with the wider portion of the V formed by tapered walls 30a, 30b and opening upwardly at or near the top of the end wall 16. The narrower portion of the V opens to, and communicates with, the boss receiving neck 32. This configuration gives rise to the boss receiving member 28 itself being generally Y-shaped.

[0044] The boss 26 has a rectangular cross-section with opposed parallel sides 26a,26b and a lower portion 40 tapered inwardly (towards the rotatable member) and downwardly to assist with the self-alignment function thereof. The boss receiving neck 32 is provided by opposed parallel walls 32a, 32b separated by a distance equivalent to, or slightly greater than, the distance between the parallel sides 26a, 26b of the boss 26. By ensuring a snug fit between the boss 26 and the neck 28, any rotational force applied to the boss 26 will thus transfer to the end wall 18 of the container 12 when the boss 26 and neck 32 engage.

[0045] The boss 26 has a height (being the distance that each boss 26 projects away from its respective rotatable member 20) that is suitable for it to be received deeply enough within the neck 32 to permit the transfer of the rotational force without disengaging.

[0046] The boss 26 is shown configured near a lower portion 20a of a rotatable member 20 and the male twistlock members 34 are provided at an upper portion 20b of a rotatable member 20. As indicated by arrow X in both Figures 1 and 3a, a spreader 10 normally approaches a container 12 from above. Thus, the bosses 26 are the first portion of the rotatable members 20 to come into contact with the self- aligning tapered openings 30 of the boss receiving members 28, as the spreader 10 lowers onto the container 12.

[0047] In this respect, also evident from Figure 3a is that the sides 41 ,43 of the support arms 24, and of the correspondingly shaped rotatable members 20, are of different lengths. It will be appreciated that the longer side 43, being the side that tends to align second with the container 12, can thus act as an extra guiding mechanism for a crane operator, when lowering the spreader 10 onto the container 12. Another benefit from having the two sides of different length is that the sides are less likely to lock in place before the bosses 26 have completed their movement and have reached their final position, as will be described below.

[0048] Considering Figure 3b, as the spreader 10 continues to be lowered in the direction of arrow X, with each self-aligning tapered opening 30 being relative wide (relative to the width of a boss 26), each boss 26 is able to be easily caught, with little need for lateral precision, in the wide self-aligning openings 30. Each boss 26 then slides down one of the tapered walls 30a of a respective opening 30 (in the direction of arrow Y in Figure 3b), towards the neck 32 of its boss receiving member 28, to align each rotatable member 20 (and thus the spreader support arms 24 and the spreader 10 itself) with the associated end wall 16 of the container 12. [0049] As the spreader 10 continues to lower onto the container 12 in the direction of arrow Z, the alignment is completed as each boss 26 enters each neck 32, as can be seen in Figure 3c. With further downward movement of the spreader 10, and as each boss 26 continues movement along each neck 32, the upper portion 20b of each rotatable member 20 approaches and comes into contact with the container 12, aligning respective male twistlock members 32 of each upper portion 20b with the corresponding female corner castings 36 of the container 12, creating suitable twistlock connections (generally indicated in Figure 3c by the letters A and B), in addition to the engagement of the bosses 26 with the respective boss receiving necks 32.

[0050] Considering Figure 3d, where the rotatable members 20 have been rotated 90 degrees in the direction of arrow P about axis 50 (which is ideally the centre of gravity of the container 12 when loaded) in preparation for unloading the bulk content, arrows Q and R represent the principal engagement points between the spreader 10 and the container 12. The engagement between the boss 26 and the boss receiving member 28 at arrow Q is the primary engagement in terms of both load and

rotatational force, although it will be appreciated that as the rotatable members 20 continue to rotate in the direction of arrow P, the load of the container 12 transfers more to the twistlock connections A and B, with the boss 26 continuing its primarily rotational role.

[0051] It will be appreciated that, in one form, the lid 19 of the container 12 (not visible in Figures 3a to 3d) will open about its hinge 21 as the rotatable members 20 continue to rotate beyond the position shown in Figure 3d, allowing the bulk content of the container 12 to fall under the weight of gravity into a ship's hold or the like. In this respect, a suitable hinge mechanism and locking/unlocking mechanisms may be adopted with the lid 19 as necessary. Alternatively, the lid 19 need not be hinged and the spreader 10 may include any suitable lid lifting mechanism that is capable of lifting the lid before rotation and replacing the lid after rotation.

[0052] As the rotatable members 20 continue to rotate in the direction of arrow P, to a position of 180 degrees (total inversion with the lid open at 90 degrees to the container 12), the bulk content will have completely unloaded, allowing the rotatable members 20 to continue the rotation further until the container 12 has returned to its upright position, or the rotatable members 20 may be operated in reverse (opposite to the direction of arrow P) to return the container 12 to its upright position.

[0053] Illustrated in Figure 4 is a second embodiment of the present invention that differs from the first embodiment in that the engagement boss is provided on the outer side of the container end walls and the rotatable members each include a boss receiving member with the self-aligning opening and the boss rotation preventer in the same form as described above in relation to the first embodiment.

[0054] Thus, in Figure 4, and using like reference numerals to describe the same elements as present in the first embodiments but "prime" reference numerals to describe adapted elements, the bulk loading system includes a rotating spreader 10 and a bulk container 12, the container 12 having an interior (not visible), opposing end walls 14,16 each with an outer side 18 ¹ , and a longitudinal axis extending between the end walls 14,16. The spreader 10 also includes opposing rotatable members 20' for engagement with the outer side 18 ¹ of a respective container end wall 14,16. In this embodiment, each rotatable member 20' has a a boss receiving member 28' with a self-aligning opening 30' and a boss rotation preventer 32' and the outer side 18 ¹ of each container end wall 14,16 has a container engagement boss 26'. Rotational force applied to the rotatable members 20' by the spreader 10 transfers via each boss 26' to the boss receiving member 28' in the same manner as described above in relation to the first embodiment to rotate the container 12 about its longitudinal axis.

[0055] It will be understood that there may be other variations and modifications to the configurations described herein that are also within the scope of the present invention.

[0056] Future patent applications may be filed in Australia or overseas on the basis of, or claiming priority from, the present application. It is to be understood that the following provisional claims are provided by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of what may be claimed in any such future application. Features may be added to or omitted from the provisional claims at a later date so as to further define or re-define the invention or inventions.