Shipping Container for Personal Watercraft with Rotating Trusses
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increased beam width of newer personal watercraft models poses transport challenges due to space constraints in truck trailers, leading to higher shipping costs and uncrating difficulties at retailers, where angled support systems complicate handling and unloading.
Innovation Solution
A shipping container with a pallet and roller guides that allow trusses to rotate between angled and horizontal positions, facilitating the secure transport and unloading of personal watercraft, using a stern brace for stability during handling and shipping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If personal watercraft are mounted at an angled orientation on the pallet to accommodate larger beam widths, then the watercraft can be transported within standard trailer dimensions, but the handling and unloading process becomes more complex and difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The truss assembly is designed to be movable between a first position (angled orientation for transport) and a second position (horizontal orientation for unloading). The roller guides enable the truss to dynamically change its angular position, allowing the watercraft to be securely mounted at an angle during transport and then easily rotated to a horizontal position for unloading, thus resolving the contradiction between beam width accommodation and ease of handling
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the orientation parameter of the truss assembly from a fixed angled position to a variable position that can be adjusted between angled (for transport) and horizontal (for unloading). This parameter change is achieved through the roller guide mechanism that allows the truss to rotate along an arc, enabling easy transition between transport and unloading configurations
2Volume of moving object
If personal watercraft are placed in single pallet container loading to accommodate larger beam widths, then the watercraft fit within transport constraints, but shipping costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention utilizes the vertical dimension by mounting watercraft at an angled orientation on the pallet, rather than attempting to fit them horizontally side-by-side. This angular mounting allows the beam width to be accommodated in the vertical-clearance dimension rather than the horizontal dimension, enabling efficient use of trailer space and maintaining cost-effective shipping configurations
3Volume of moving object
If personal watercraft are mounted at an angled orientation, then larger beam widths are accommodated, but retailers lack lifting equipment to engage and lift the heavy watercraft to horizontal orientation
Solution Approach 1:
The roller guides serve as an intermediary mechanism between the angled-mounted watercraft and the horizontal unloading position. Instead of requiring retailers to have complex lifting equipment to directly lift heavy watercraft from angled positions, the roller guides provide a guided path that allows the truss assembly to be easily rotated to horizontal, with the watercraft following this guided motion, thus eliminating the need for specialized lifting equipment
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient and cost-effective transportation of personal watercraft to remote retailers by accommodating larger beam widths within standard trailer dimensions, simplifying the unloading and crating process through adaptable orientation of the watercraft.
Implementation Method 1
Each of the roller guides comprises a rotatable sleeve. The trusses are movable on the respective sleeves that rotate during movement of the truss between a first position for loading or unloading the personal watercraft seated on the trusses and a second position for storing and transporting of the personal watercraft thereon
Data Source
AI summary
A shipping container for a personal watercraft, in which a first and second pair of roller guides attach to a pallet for removably receiving a pair of trusses that support a personal watercraft thereon, the trusses movable between a first position for loading or unloading the personal watercraft and a second position for storing and transporting of the personal watercraft at an oblique angle. A method of containing a personal watercraft in a shipping container is disclosed.