AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION Invention title: "Transport Container" Applicant: Ryan Wayne Faulkner Associated provisional applications: Number 2010904474 filed 6 October 2010 The following statement is a full description of the invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: 2 "Transport Container" 5 Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a transport container for shipping articles including pipeline inspection tools. Background to the Invention 10 Tools for inspection and maintenance are often utilised on oil and gas pipelines. One such tool comprises a device that is placed into the pipeline at an appropriate location and passes through the pipeline under the force of the fluid flow. Such pipeline inspection tools (referred to as 'pigging tools') generally comprise a cylindrical unit that is both expensive and heavy. 15 Due to the value of these inspection tools it is important to ensure that they are safely packaged for transport. As the devices are used on pipelines in a large number of locations, the device will be packed and shipped many times during its service life. A common method involves simply fixing the device 20 within a metal frame to protect the device during transport. Such frames are generally relatively heavy and the resulting weight of the combination of the tool and frame is therefore significantly higher than that of the tool alone. Over the many journeys that the device will make from location to location, this additional weight adds significantly to the shipping costs. 25 The present invention therefore aims to provide a transport container suitable for use in transporting devices such as pipeline inspection tools that is both sufficiently durable to protect the tool and lighter than current transport crating arrangements to reduce the shipping costs. 30 3 Summary of the Invention According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a transport container comprising: a lower casing portion comprising an elongate base wall having first and 5 second side walls extending upwardly from opposed longitudinal sides thereof; and an upper casing portion comprising an elongate base wall having first and second side walls extending downwardly from opposed longitudinal sides thereof; 10 wherein the first and second side walls of the upper casing portion are securable to respective first and second sides of the lower casing portion and each of the upper and lower casing portions includes a plurality of transverse ribs along the length of an outer surface thereof. 15 Preferably the ribs includes an outer wall being generally U-shaped in transverse cross section. Preferably the outer wall of each of the ribs include a planar central portion that is generally parallel to the base wall and planar first and second side 20 portions. In one embodiment, the first side portion extends from an end of the central portion to the distal edge of the first side wall and the second side portion extends from a second end of the central portion to the distal edge of the 25 second side wall. Preferably a first transverse wall extends from the central portion and the first and second side portions on a first longitudinal side of the rib to the outer surface of the casing portion and a second transverse wall extends from the 30 central portion and the first and second side portions on a second longitudinal side of the rib to the outer surface of the casing portion.
4 In a preferred embodiment, the lower casing portion is provided one or more hollow tube members secured to the outer surface thereof such that the elongate openings in the tube members are oriented transversely to the longitudinal axis of the transport container. 5 Each of the tube members preferably comprises a tube of rectangular cross section Preferably, the tube members are each located between a pair of adjacent 10 ribs and the height of the tube members is equal to or less than the height of the ribs. In one embodiment, a plurality of secondary ribs are provided along the length of the casing portions, the secondary ribs being located intermediate adjacent 15 pairs of ribs and extending outwardly from the upper and lower casing portions to a lesser degree than the ribs The upper and lower casing portions are preferably securable together by a plurality of clasps provided adjacent the distal edges of the first and second 20 side walls to secure the respective side walls together. Preferably the side walls of the upper and lower casing portions are each provided with a plurality of lugs and a plurality of interspersed recesses along the lengths thereof such that the lugs are each received in a corresponding 25 recess when the first and second casing portions are secured together. The first and second side walls may include lip portions along distal edges thereof, the lip portions including the lugs and recesses. 30 In one embodiment, each of the upper and lower casing portions includes a cradle comprising an elongate member having an arcuate transverse cross section secured adjacent an inner surface of the base wall. Each cradle is preferably supported by a pair of rails secured to the base wall.
5 Preferably the cradles are provided with securing straps extending between brackets provided at intervals along the opposed edges of the cradle. 5 Brief Description of the Drawings The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the following drawings in which: Figure la is an upper perspective view of a transport container in accordance 10 with the present invention; Figure 1b is a side view of the transport container of Figure 1a; Figure 1 c is an end view of the transport container of Figure 1 a; Figure 2 is an upper perspective view of the transport container of Figure 1 with the upper and lower casing portions separated and end caps removed; 15 Figure 3a is an upper perspective view of the lower casing portion of the transport container of Figure 1; Figure 3b is a side view of the lower casing portion of the transport container of Figure 1 Figure 3c is an end view of the lower casing portion of the transport container 20 of Figure 1; Figure 4a is an upper perspective view of the upper casing portion of the transport container of Figure 1; Figure 4b is a side view of the upper casing portion of the transport container of Figure 1 25 Figure 4c is an end view of the upper casing portion of the transport container of Figure 1; Figure 5 is an exploded view of the lower casing portion of the transport container of Figure 1; Figure 6 is an exploded view of the upper casing portion of the transport 30 container of Figure 1; Figure 7a is an upper perspective view of the lower casing portion of the transport container of Figure 1 containing a first tool; 6 Figure 7b is an upper perspective view of the lower casing portion of the transport container of Figure 1 containing a second tool; Figure 8a is an upper perspective view of an extended embodiment of the transport container of Figure 1 in accordance with the present invention; 5 Figure 8b is a side view of the transport container of Figure 8a; Figure 8c is an end view of the transport container of Figure 8a; Figure 9 is an upper perspective view of the transport container of Figure 8 with the upper and lower casing portions separated and end caps removed; Figure 10 is an upper perspective view of a second embodiment of a transport 10 container in accordance with the present invention; Figure 11 is an exploded view of the transport container of Figure 10; Figure 12 is an exploded view of a single pair of upper and lower casing portions from the transport container of Figure 10; and Figure 13 is an upper perspective view of an extended version of the transport 15 container of Figure 10. Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments 20 Referring to the Figures, there is shown a transport container 10 comprising a lower casing portion 12 and an upper casing portion 14. The lower casing portion comprises an elongate base wall 16 and first and second side walls 18 and 20. The base wall 16 is generally rectangular in 25 shape. The first side wall 18 extends upwardly from a first longitudinal edge of the base wall 16 and the second side wall 20 extends upwardly from a second opposed longitudinal edge of the base wall 16. The first and second side walls 18 and 20 extend slightly outwardly such that proximal edges thereof are closer together than distal edges thereof. Also, the first and second side walls 30 18 and 20 have a slightly arcuate transverse cross section. The upper casing portion 14 comprises an elongate base wall 17 and first and second side walls 19 and 21. The base wall 17 is generally rectangular in 7 shape. The first side wall 19 extends downwardly from a first longitudinal edge of the base wall 17 and the second side wall 21 extends downwardly from a second opposed longitudinal edge of the base wall 17. The first and second side walls 19 and 21 extend slightly outwardly such that proximal edges 5 thereof are closer together than distal edges thereof. Also, the first and second side walls 19 and 21 have a slightly arcuate transverse cross section. The distal edge of the first side wall 18 of the lower casing portion 12 is securable to the distal edge of the first side wall 19 of the upper casing portion 10 14. The distal edge of the second side wall 20 of the lower casing portion 12 is securable to the distal edge of the second side wall 21 of the upper casing portion 14. As can be seen in Figure 1, the transport container 10 thereby defines an elongate internal chamber between the opposed base walls 16 and 17, the first side walls 18 and 19 and the second side walls 20 and 21 of the 15 lower and upper casing portions 12 and 14. End caps 22 are provided to seal across the longitudinal ends of the internal chamber between the lower and upper casing portions 12 and 14 (as can be seen in Figure 2). Each of the upper and lower casing portions 12 and 14 includes a plurality of 20 transverse ribs 30 along the length thereof. The ribs 30 extend outwardly from the outer surface of the upper and lower casing portions 12 and 14 at regular intervals along the lengths thereof. Each of the ribs 30 includes an outer wall 32 being generally U-shaped in 25 transverse cross section. The outer wall 32 includes a planar central portion 34 that is generally parallel to the base wall 16 or 17 and planar first and second side portions 36 and 37. The first side portion 36 extends from an end of the central portion 34 to the distal edge of the first side wall 18 or 19 and the second side portion 37 extends from a second end of the central portion 30 34 to the distal edge of the second side wall 20 or 21. A first transverse wall 38 extends from the central portion 34 and the first and second side portions 36 and 37 on a first longitudinal side of the rib 30 to the outer surface of the casing portion 12 or 14 and a second transverse wall 39 extends from the central portion 34 and the first and second side portions 36 and 37 on a 8 second longitudinal side of the rib 30 to the outer surface of the casing portion 12 or 14. The ribs 30 each provide additional strength to the upper and lower casing 5 portions 12 and 14 and the transport container 10 in use rests on the outer walls 32 of the ribs 30 of the lower casing portion 12. The lower casing portion 12 is provided also with at least two hollow tube members 40 secured to the outer surface thereof. The tube members 40 are 10 secured such that the elongate openings in the tube members 40 are oriented transversely to the longitudinal axis of the transport container 10. Each of the tube members comprises a tube of rectangular cross section sized such that the openings of the tube members may receive the forks of a fork lift for lifting the transport container 10. 15 The tube members 40 are each located between a pair of adjacent ribs 30 as can be seen in the Figures. The height of the tube members 40 is equal to or less than the height of the ribs 30 such that transport container 10 rests on the ribs 30 when placed on the ground. 20 Each of the lower and upper casing portions 12 and 14 includes a cradle 24. Each cradle 24 comprises an elongate member having an arcuate transverse cross section. The cradles 24 are arranged within the lower and upper casing portions 12 and 14 such that the cradles 24 are secured adjacent inner 25 surfaces of the base walls 16 and 17 along the lengths thereof (as shown in Figures 3 and 4). The cradle 24 of the lower casing portion 12 is arranged to receive a cylindrical tool 26 as can be seen in Figure 7. The upper casing portion 14 is of the same construction as the lower casing portion 12 such that either half of the casing can be placed lowermost to receive the tool 26. 30 Further, any pair of casing portions can be secured together to form the transport container 10 and construction costs are also reduced by the use of a single design for each casing portion.
9 The cradles 24 are each supported by a pair of rails 28. A first rail 28a is secured to the base wall 16 or 17 adjacent the first side wall 18 or 19 and a second rail 28b is secured to the base wall 16 or 17 adjacent the second side wall 20 or 21. Each rail 28 comprises an elongate length of angle bar secured 5 to the base wall 16 or 17 such that a first side of the angle bar is secured to the base wall 16 or 17 and a second side extends upwardly from the first side adjacent the side wall 18, 19, 20 or 21. Each rail 28 includes a plurality of holes along the length thereof to reduce weight. 10 The rails 28, cradles 22 and tube members 40 are expected to be constructed of a metal, while the upper and lower casing portions 12 and 14 will be constructed of a suitable plastic material. The upper and lower casing portions 12 and 14 are securable together by a 15 plurality of clasps 42 provided along the length thereof. The clasps 42 are provided adjacent the distal edges of the first and second side walls 18, 19 and 20, 21 to secure the respective side walls together. The clasps 42 are each provided on the first and second side portions 36 and 37 of the outer wall 32 of the ribs 30. 20 Also, the cradles 24 are provided with a plurality of brackets 44 along the length thereof. The brackets 44 comprise loops secured at regular intervals along the opposed edges of the cradle 22 to which can be connected securing straps 46. The securing straps 46 can then be tightened down over the tool 26 25 resting on the cradle 24 to secure the tool 26 in place. The construction of the transport container 10 also allows extended embodiments of the transport container 10 to be created by joining together further upper and lower casing portions 12 and 14. Figures 8 and 9 show an 30 extended embodiment of the transport container 10'. The transport container 10' includes additional lower casing portions 12' and upper casing portions 14'. In the embodiment shown a pair of lower and upper casings 12' and 14' are secured to each end of the first lower and upper casing portions 12 and 14.
10 In the embodiment shown, the additional casing portions 12' and 14' are secured by means of interconnecting rails 50. Pairs of interconnecting rails 50 are provided where first interconnecting rails 50a secure the first rails 28a of 5 adjacent casing portions together and second interconnecting rails 50b secure adjacent pairs of second rails 28b together. The interconnecting rails 50 are provided with holes that align with holes in the rails 28 for receiving a fastener, such as a nut and bolt. 10 Figures 10 to 13 show a second embodiment of a transport container 10 in accordance with the present invention. The transport container 10 of Figures 10 to 13 is similar to that of Figures 1 to 9 and like reference numerals are used to denote like parts. 15 The transport container 10 of Figures 10 to 13 is formed of first and second lower casing portions 12 and first and second upper casing portions 14. Also, the transport container 10 does not include the cradle 24 of the first embodiment. The cylindrical tool rests directly on the inner surface of the lower casing portion 12. The transport container 10 also includes secondary 20 ribs 31 along the length thereof. The secondary ribs 31 are of similar construction to the ribs 30 but extend outwardly from the upper and lower casing portions 12 and 14 to a lesser degree. The secondary ribs 31 are located intermediate adjacent pairs of ribs 30. 25 The first and second side walls 18, 19, 20 and 21 of the lower and upper casing portions 12 and 14 are each provided with a lip portion along a distal edge thereof. The lip portions each include a plurality of lugs 62 along the length thereof. A plurality of recesses 63 are also provided interspersed between the lugs 62. The lugs 62 of the first side walls 18 and 19 are in the 30 same longitudinal positions as the recesses 63 on the second side walls 20 and 21 and the recesses 63 on the first side walls 18 and 19 are in the same longitudinal positions as the lugs 62 on the second side walls 20 and 21 (as can be seen in Figure 11). In this way, the lugs 62 are each received in a 11 corresponding recess 623 when the first and second casing portions 12 and 14 are secured together. The transport container 10 can also be extended by adding further upper and 5 lower casing portions 12 and 14 between the end caps 22. Each of the upper and lower casing portions 12 and 14 is provided with an end flange portion 60 at each end thereof. The end flange portions 60 of the first and second casing portions 12 and 14 form end flanges when the upper and lower casing portions 12 and 14 are secured together. Multiple segments of upper and 10 lower casing portions 12 and 14 can thereby be secured together by fasteners provided to secure adjacent end flanges together. Figure 13 shows an embodiment in which four upper casing portions 14 and four lower casing portions 12 are utilised to form an extended transport 15 container 10 twice the length of that of Figures 10. It will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the relevant arts that various modifications and improvements may be made to the foregoing embodiments, 20 in addition to those already described, without departing from the basic inventive concepts of the present invention.