TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of storage and support panels. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a simple, improved, and cost-effective moisture resistant honey-comb panel for safe and efficient securing, and loading, storing and transporting objects such as heavy metal coils, aluminum coils, and the likes in containers during transit.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Conventionally, objects or cargo items such as rolled metal coils, which are generally very heavy, are transported in a container (also known as carriers), to secure these coils firmly on the containers and to avoid any damage to the cols as well as the containers during transit. It is important in many cases that these objects not move within the containers during transit to avoid damages. For instance, in road transport, any inadvertent braking and turning of the container or speed breakers can have an adverse effect container’s stability, causing unwanted and uncontrolled movement of the object, which may lead to damages to the objects as well as the containers.

[0003] For transportation of heavy objects such as metal coils, the existing panel involves only a support bed made up of polymers, or wood, or such material on which the coils can be placed. The shape of the support bed is adaptably molded to fit the shape of the coil or object thereon. The support bed is placed under the coils for weight distribution and support, however, the adaptably molded but rigid dimensions of the support bed make it difficult for use in case the dimensions of the coil are changed. In such circumstances, the security and safety of the coils on such beds are dangerously compromised.

[0004] One of the major problems associated with the use of only timber, wood, or biomaterial in existing support panels is that these support beds are easily susceptible to attack by termites, fire, decay due to water, and are also difficult for disposal in case of destruction because of these reasons. These materials are not flexible and can break during transit. Besides, the surface of these materials causes potential damage to the upper layer of the coils. In addition, the reliance on only wood or timber in existing panels significantly affects the environment and increases carbon footprint. Further, it may also lead to quarantine and disposal problems of timber and wood at destinations. As different objects would require different shapes of timber or wood, such timber support beds cannot generally be reused, and are generally required to be disposed of.

[0005] Another drawback of the existing support panel is that the support beds made of polymers or wood or similar material are highly prone to damages and breaking during transit, particularly on-road and by sea. Due to jerks and shocks on-road and swinging movements in the sea transit, there could be extensive damage to the object/cargo as well as containers and associated transportation means like trucks or ships. The heavy load may damage the container as well as the vehicles. In the existing panel, in case the support bed collapses, the coil may have the chance to rest on the floor of the container and may damage the floor. In addition, the existing panels involve the use of additional steel, plastic, and nails for lashing and nailing of the objects within the containers, which significantly increases the cost.

[0006] Existing panels further involves the use of Expanded Poly Styrene (EPS) foam as a replacement for wood or timber-based support bed. EPS materials are easier to be molded and shaped as per the profile and shape of the objects or coils to be supported thereon, however, EPS materials have potential safety problems as they may break into pieces due to heavy load, which may break the EPS foam into pieces or powdered, resulting in damage to the container as well as the coil. Polystyrene foam though recyclable it is not Biodegradable, thus harmful for environment at the end of its life.

[0007] Therefore, there is a need in the art to overcome the above shortcomings, drawbacks, and limitations associated with existing timber and EPS foam-based support panels, and provide a simple, improved, and cost-effective panel for safe and efficient loading, storing, and transportation of objects such as heavy metal coils, aluminum coils, and the likes in containers during transit.

OBJECTS OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE

[0008] Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies are as listed herein below.

[0009] It is an object of the present disclosure to overcome the above shortcomings, drawbacks, and limitations associated with existing timber and EPS foam-based support panels.

[00010] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a simple, improved, and cost-effective panel for safe and efficient loading, storing, and transportation of objects such as heavy metal coils, aluminum coils, and the likes in containers during transit. [00011] It is an object of the present disclosure to reduce the usage of timber or wood required in the coil loading and support panels (by up to 80%), and also enable re-use of timbers for multiple cycles of coil loading, support, and transportation process.

[00012] It is an object of the present disclosure to eliminate the use of steel and plastic for lashing of objects or coils in a container.

[00013] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a panel for safe and efficient loading, storing, and transportation of objects in containers, which is fire-resistant, weatherresistant, and does not break under higher load.

[00014] It is an object of the present disclosure to ease and speedup container stuffing and de-stuffing with objects (coils).

[00015] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a panel for safe and efficient loading, storing, and transportation of objects in containers during transit, which is acceptable and up to standards of all shipping lines.

[00016] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a panel for safe and efficient loading, storing, and transportation of objects in containers, which can be used for a single object weight up to 27 tons.

[00017] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a panel for safe and efficient loading, storing, and transportation of objects in containers during transit, which do not break, fail or powder under heavy load and unwanted movement of the container.

[00018] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a panel that is moisture resistant and lighter in weight in comparison with conventional panels.

[00019] It is yet another object of the present disclosure to provide whereas support panels that are reusable, recyclable and 100% Biodegradable.

SUMMARY

[00020] The present disclosure relates to the field of storage and support panels. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a simple, improved, and cost-effective moisture resistant honey-comb panel for safe and efficient securing, and loading, storing and transporting objects such as heavy metal coils, aluminum coils, and the likes in containers during transit.

[00021] In an aspect, a panel for loading, securing and transporting one or more objects in containers/trucks/ breakbulk by water transport is disclosed. The panel comprises a plurality of honeycomb shaped panels with each panel being formed by stacking one or more flat structures horizontally and vertically in a series wherein the panel provides side support to an object stored within a container. The panel is honeycomb shaped and is moisture resistant.

[00022] In an embodiment, the panel is positioned along sides of the one or more objects to replace choking members.

[00023] In another aspect, a method for loading, storing, and transportation of one or more objects in a container is disclosed. The method comprises, placing a set of beams extending parallelly over a surface of the container, positioning the panels at predefined positions around the one or more accommodated objects inside the container such that the panel remains in contact with an inner surface of the container and an outer surface of the one or more objects to restrict movement of the corresponding objects.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[00024] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure. The diagrams are for illustration only, which thus is not a limitation of the present disclosure.

[00025] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary view of a panel for loading, storing and transporting objects in a container in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[00026] FIG. 2 illustrates exemplary views of the proposed panel for loading, storage and transportation of objects in a container.

[00027] FIG. 3 illustrates a picture of a panel for loading, storing and transporting objects in a container in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[00028] FIG. 4 illustrates a picture of the proposed panel for loading, storage and transportation of objects in a container.

[00029] FIG. 5 illustrates exemplary views of various stages of the proposed panel for loading, storage, and transportation of objects in a container, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[00030] The following is a detailed description of embodiments of the disclosure depicted in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are in such detail as to clearly communicate the disclosure. However, the amount of detail offered is not intended to limit the anticipated variations of embodiments; on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

[00031] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to storage and support panels. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a simple, improved, and cost-effective panel for safe and efficient loading, storing and transporting objects such as heavy metal coils, aluminum coils, and the likes in containers during transit.

[00032] According to an aspect, the present disclosure elaborates upon a panel for loading, storing, and transportation of one or more objects in a container. The panel can include a plurality of layers of a material stacked one on top of another.

[00033] In an aspect, a panel for loading, securing and transporting one or more objects in containers/trucks/ breakbulk by water transport is disclosed. The panel comprises a plurality of honeycomb shaped panels with each panel being formed by stacking one or more flat structures horizontally and vertically in a series wherein the panel provides side support to an object stored within a container. The panel is honeycomb shaped and is moisture resistant.

[00034] In an embodiment, the panel is positioned along sides of the one or more objects to replace choking members.

[00035] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary view of a panel 100 for loading, storing and transporting objects in a container in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The single panel can be comprised of a plurality of horizontal layers made of paper based flat structures that are stacked one on top of the other in a series. The single panel may also comprise a plurality of vertical stacks of the paper based flat structures positioned adjacent to one another along their sides and affixed to increase the overall dimensions of the panel. A single panel may comprise one or more vertical stacks of the horizontally stacked paper based flat structures. FIG. 1 illustrates a panel comprising four vertical stacks of the horizontally stacked paper based flat structures in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[00036] FIG. 2 illustrates exemplary views of the proposed panel 200 for loading, storage and transportation of objects in a container. The FIG. 2 illustrates the side view showing a side cover 250 of the vertical horizontally stacked paper based flat structures. Multiple horizontally stacked paper based flat structures may be stacked along the side cover 250 such that a first side cover of a first vertical stack is adjacent to a second side cover of a second stack. The panel may be comprised of a plurality of such vertical stacks that may be used to support the objects during packaging and transportation.

[00037] FIG. 3 illustrates a picture of a panel for loading, storing and transporting objects in a container in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[00038] FIG. 4 illustrates a picture of the proposed panel for loading, storage and transportation of objects in a container.

[00039] FIG. 5 illustrates exemplary views of various stages of the proposed panel for loading, storage, and transportation of objects in a container, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring now to FIG. 5 which is an implementation of the proposed panel 500 for loading, storage and transportation in a container, the panels may be positioned at multiple positions within the container to provide support to the stored objects. A rolled metal sheep is shown with the panels being provided at various positions throughout the length of the container along possible points of contact between the rolled metal sheet and the inner container body to prevent direct contact and thereby damage to the rolled metal sheet or the container inner body.

[00040] In another aspect, a method for loading, storing, and transportation of one or more objects in a container is disclosed. The method comprises, placing a set of beams extending parallelly over a surface of the container, positioning the panels at predefined positions around the one or more accommodated objects inside the container such that the panel remains in contact with an inner surface of the container and an outer surface of the one or more objects to restrict movement of the corresponding objects.

[00041] In an embodiment, the panel is composed of paper based material that is fully recyclable and bio -degradable. The present disclosure provides an excellent combination with timber to substitute conventional systems as well as elimination of all times of foam and plastic. In an embodiment, the disclosed panels may be used with existing timber based packing and support systems. In an embodiment, the panel is in the form of a honeycomb structure. In an embodiment, the panel may be in the form of a honeycomb structure.

[00042] While some embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described, those are completely exemplary in nature. The disclosure is not limited to the embodiments as elaborated herein only and it would be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous modifications besides those already described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. All such modifications, changes, variations, substitutions, and equivalents are completely within the scope of the present disclosure. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims.

ADVANTAGES OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

[00043] The present invention overcomes the above shortcomings, drawbacks, and limitations associated with existing timber and EPS foam-based support panels.

[00044] The present invention provides a simple, improved, and cost-effective panel for safe and efficient loading, storing, and transportation of objects such as heavy metal coils, aluminum coils, and the likes in containers during transit.

[00045] The present invention reduces the usage of timber or wood required in the coil loading and support panels (by up to 80%) and also enables the re-use of timbers for multiple cycles of coil loading, support, and transportation process.

[00046] The present invention eliminates the use of steel and plastic for lashing objects or coils in a container.

[00047] The present invention provides a panel for safe and efficient loading, storing, and transportation of objects in containers, which is fire-resistant, weather-resistant, and does not break under higher load.

[00048] The present invention eases and speeds up container stuffing and de-stuffing with objects (coils).

[00049] The present invention provides a panel for safe and efficient loading, storing, and transportation of objects in containers during transit, which is acceptable and up to standards of all shipping lines.

[00050] The present invention provides a panel for safe and efficient loading, storing, and transportation of objects in containers, which can be used for a single object weight up to 27 tons.

[00051] The present invention provides a panel for safe and efficient loading, storing, and transportation of objects in containers during transit, which do not break, fail or powder under heavy load and unwanted movement of the container.

[00052] Polystyrene foam though recyclable it is not Biodegradable, thus harmful for environment at the end of its life whereas in contrast, the honeycomb panels are reusable, recyclable and 100% Biodegradable.

[00053] The present disclosure provides an effective substitute to timber and foam that offers strong and high resistance to horizontal compression. [00054] The present disclosure provides a panel comprised of a lightweight material leading to increased load ability in containers as compared to using full timber system.

[00055] The panels as disclosed by the present disclosure enjoys exemption from IS PM 15 norms thereby eliminating the need for fumigation.