EP1614629B1 - Method and device for the distribution and the storage of firewood - Google Patents

Abstract

The process involves providing a container (22) to contain wooden logs (37) and to selectively release the logs. A receiving chassis (1) containing the container is provided on a warehousing location. The container is filled with the logs in parallel stacks and transported to the location and introduced in the chassis. The logs are released and the container is removed from the chassis so that the logs remain stored in the chassis. An independent claim is also included for a device for implementing a process of distributing and warehousing firewood.

Description

The present invention relates to the distribution and storage of firewood in the form of logs.

In recent decades, household consumption has evolved in the direction of the removal of wood-burning central heating in homes, which causes too much stress, and simultaneous development of amenity chimneys as secondary heating.

At the same time, there is a development of professional structures using wood heating, such as pizzerias.

Pizzerias and fireplaces require firewood cut into logs of appropriate size, which must be stored near the place of use.

Traditionally, firewood has been cut into logs about 30 to 50 cm long, which must be transported to the storage area. In the storage area, the logs must be protected from moisture, stored to reduce volume and facilitate gripping and subsequent access.

Until now, transport is usually done on a truck in a bucket where the logs are placed in bulk, covered with a net to prevent their movement and the risk of falling on the road.

The deliveryman dumps the pile of loose logs on the ground.

The logs must then be handled one by one to move them to a storage location where they must be stored in a regular pile, and the soil must be cleaned from the spill site to the storage site.

This results in relatively numerous manipulations, sources of waste of time and energy, which lead to a relatively expensive transport.

To reduce manipulation, it was proposed in the document US 5,243,901 A , a machine to collect and bind a large cycloid-shaped bundle of firewood, which can be transported on a truck and delivered to the end customer by being placed on the ground to form a stable stack of wood that is covered with wood. a protective hat. During transport, the wooden pack is held by flexible links.

The document US 5,280,933 A describes a trolley for receiving and storing logs for use in a home.

The document WO 01/68506 A1 describes a suitable transport vehicle for lifting, loading and transporting containers holding horizontally stored pieces of logs to reduce the costs of logging. The transportation and storage of firewood logs is not described.

The problem proposed by the present invention is to design a new method of distributing firewood, and means for facilitating its transport and storage near the place of use.

The invention aims in particular to reduce the cost of production and distribution of firewood, maintaining cleanliness in the vicinity of the storage location, avoiding any degradation of the vicinity of the storage location.

The invention aims to provide a new source of income to the timber industry, by encouraging consumers to use the wood heating method thanks to its low distribution cost.

Also, the invention aims to avoid the risk of accidents, both during road transport by avoiding any risk of falling logs on the road, than during handling from the transport truck to the storage structure .

To achieve these and other objects, the invention provides a method for the distribution and storage of firewood, comprising the steps defined by claim 1.

Advantageously, during step d), the transport can be performed on a truck that includes several transportable structures placed side by side.

According to one embodiment, the transportable structure is a removable rigid structure, so as to be at least partially dismounted during step f) to remove the transportable structure while releasing the logs that it holds so that they remain in the receiver frame.

In the following description, the transportable structure may be designated by the term "container".

In another aspect, the invention provides a device for carrying out the above method, comprising the features of claim 4.

Generally, the receiving frame will be limited by a large front face, a large rear face, two side faces, the upper face, and a lower face, delimited by four corner posts, two lower longitudinal members, and ante-posterior connecting ties .

In a first application, the receiving frame is a carriage provided with rolling means on the ground, its upper face being permanently open. This application is particularly suitable for professional structures such as pizzerias, but also for individuals who want to store wood inside a building such as a garage.

According to a second application, the receiving frame comprises means for anchoring to the ground, and then constitutes a fixed receiving frame structure, the anchoring means avoiding any risk of tipping under the effect of the load or external stress .

In the latter case, the upper face of the receiving frame can advantageously be closed by a retractable roof, for example by rotation along a rear horizontal axis. This creates an autonomous structure, which protects the logs against the weather.

The previous amounts can advantageously be connected by a removable upper spar. Removal of the upper spar facilitates insertion of the container into the receiving frame by movement from top to bottom and from front to back.

Preferably, the lower rails are fixed on the uprights in the raised position relative to the ground, to protect the logs against soil moisture, and to facilitate removal of the lower longitudinal members of the container after introduction into the receiving frame.

Depending on a particular application, the side faces may be closed, but at least one of the side faces may open to facilitate the removal of the lower container spars.

In one embodiment, the container may be a removable rigid structure made from metal tubes arranged according to four corner posts, four longitudinal members and crosspieces; at least the lower rails are detachable amounts. In this way, when the container is introduced into the receiving frame and contains wood logs, it is possible to detach the lower longitudinal members of the container, they can be removed from below or from one side, and the remainder can be removed from above. container structure, leaving the logs in place in the receiving frame.

The upper longitudinal members of the container may be connected by at least two cross members provided with articulated hoisting rings as hooking means. This ensures a stable lifting of the container, facilitating its movement from the transport truck to the receiver frame structure.

Preferably, the amounts of the container are connected to the longitudinal members by rounded corner structures, avoiding damage to the receiving frame during handling of the container by a crane for its introduction into the receiving frame.

According to a particular application, the upper rails and the cross members of the container are also detachable amounts, allowing the disassembly of the container elements that can be easily removed separately from the receiving frame.

In all embodiments, within the container and the receiving frame, the logs are preferably oriented in the anteroposterior direction. This facilitates the subsequent handling of the logs for their transport from the receiving frame to the home.

• la figure 1 est une vue schématique en perspective d'un châssis receveur selon un premier mode de réalisation de l'invention, constituant une structure fixe ;
• la figure 2 est une vue en perspective partielle de l'ossature du châssis receveur de la figure 1 ;
• la figure 3 est une vue partielle en perspective de la partie supérieure d'un châssis receveur de la figure 1 ;
• la figure 4 est une vue en perspective d'une structure de châssis receveur selon un second mode de réalisation de l'invention, constituant un chariot ;
• la figure 5 est une vue en perspective d'une structure de conteneur selon un mode de réalisation de l'invention ;
• la figure 6 est une vue en perspective montrant le conteneur de la figure 5 introduit dans le châssis receveur de la figure 4 et portant des bûches de bois ;
• la figure 7 est une vue en perspective illustrant l'étape de retrait du conteneur hors du châssis receveur en laissant en place les bûches de bois ; et
• la figure 8 illustre le transport des conteneurs sur un camion.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of particular embodiments, with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:

• the figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a receiving frame according to a first embodiment of the invention, constituting a fixed structure;
• the figure 2 is a partial perspective view of the frame of the receiver frame of the figure 1 ;
• the figure 3 is a partial perspective view of the upper part of a receiver frame of the figure 1 ;
• the figure 4 is a perspective view of a receiver frame structure according to a second embodiment of the invention, constituting a carriage;
• the figure 5 is a perspective view of a container structure according to an embodiment of the invention;
• the figure 6 is a perspective view showing the container of the figure 5 introduced into the receiver frame of the figure 4 and carrying logs of wood;
• the figure 7 is a perspective view illustrating the step of removing the container from the receiving frame leaving the wood logs in place; and
• the figure 8 illustrates the transport of containers on a truck.

We first consider a fixed receiver frame as illustrated on the Figures 1 to 3 .

In this embodiment, the receiving frame 1 is generally parallelepipedal, having an anterior face 2 and an upper face 3 which can both be fully open, but which can also, at least as regards the upper face 3, be selectively closed by a protective wall.

In practice, the receiving frame 1 is bounded by a large front face 2, a large rear face 4, two lateral faces 5 and 6, the upper face 3, and a lower face 7.

The carrying structure of the receiving frame 1 is formed of four corner posts, designated respectively by the reference numerals 8, 9, 10 and 11, two lower longitudinal members 12 and 13 ( figure 2 ), and anteroposterior connecting ties such as sleepers 14, 15 and 16.

The upper face 3 of the receiving frame 1 is closed by a roof 17 retractable by rotation along a rear horizontal axis 18 ( figure 3 ).

As we see on the figure 2 , the lower longitudinal members 12 and 13 are advantageously fixed on the corresponding uprights 8 and 9 in raised position relative to the ground. Logs are thus isolated from soil moisture and container removal is facilitated, as will be explained later.

As illustrated on figures 1 and 3 , the lateral faces 5 and 6 are closed by isolation walls, for example made of wood, at least one of the lateral faces, for example the lateral face 5 on the figure 3 , which can be opened for example by rotation of posterior vertical axis.

Alternatively, the side faces 5 and 6 can remain open, the logs can be sufficiently held by the end posts such as the uprights 8 and 9.

In this embodiment of a receiving frame 1 intended to be fixed, ground anchoring means 21 are preferably provided, for example by the extension of the uprights 8 and 9 such that the extension 21 illustrated on FIG. figure 2 , to avoid any risk of overturning the receiver chassis structure 1.

The rear face 4 of the receiving frame 1 of this embodiment may advantageously be closed by an isolation wall, for example a wall made of horizontal planks as illustrated in FIG. figure 3 .

The anterior face 2 may also be partially obscured, as illustrated on the figure 1 , by boards such as the board 2a slid into lateral grooves such as the grooves 8a ( figure 2 ) and 10a ( figure 1 ) corresponding side uprights 8 and 10. This avoids any risk of overturning intermediate logs of the stack of logs, and thus avoids some risk of accidents to which are exposed children. The boards 2a can be removed as and when the consumption of logs.

In the illustrated embodiment on the figure 2 , the subsequent amounts such as the subsequent amount 9 and the corresponding amount 11 ( figure 1 ) are connected by the lower spar 13, by an upper spar 13a, and optionally by an intermediate spar 13b.

By cons, the previous amounts 8 and 10 are connected only by the lower spar 12, without intermediate spar. It is possible, if necessary, to provide a removable upper spar 12a, which must be removed when the container is inserted into the receiving frame 1.

The second embodiment of the receiver frame 1 is then considered, as illustrated in FIG. figure 4 .

It is then a carriage, provided with rolling means on the ground such as the wheels 19, 19a, 20 and 20a. The upper face 3 of the carriage 1 is permanently open. The carriage structure is in fact made of tubular elements, forming two lower longitudinal members 12 and 13, four uprights 8, 9, 10 and 11 ending in free upper ends, and cross members such as cross members 14 and 15.

We then consider the figure 5 which illustrates a possible container structure 22, according to one embodiment.

The container 22 is a removable rigid structure made from metal tubes arranged according to four corner posts 23, 24, 25 and 26 respectively, four longitudinal members 27, 28, 29 and 30, and cross members 31, 32, 33 and 34 on the side faces. In addition, two upper crosspieces 35 and 36 are provided, provided with articulated hoisting rings 35a and 36a, respectively, which constitute hooking means.

The posts 23-26 are connected to the corresponding longitudinal members 27-30 by rounded corner structures as shown in the figure.

To selectively release the logs, the lower longitudinal members 27 and 28 are detachable uprights 23-26, providing for example that the longitudinal members 27 and 28 have curved ends in which the lower ends of the uprights 23-26 fit together, the joining being provided by keys 23a-26a and 27b, 28b engaged in corresponding holes of the ends of spars and uprights. By removing the keys 23a-26a, the lower beams 27 and 28 are released relative to the uprights 23-26. The lower rails 27 and 28, once released, can be removed from the front or the side. This is facilitated by the elevation of the lower beams 12 and 13 of the receiving frame 1 above the ground.

In practice, the first ends of the lower longitudinal members 27 and 28 can be bent at 90 °, as seen in the figures, while the second ends of the longitudinal members 27 and 28 receive corner pieces 27a and 28a reported, bent at 90.degree. °, which connect them to the other two uprights 25 and 26. The corner pieces 27a and 28a reported, after separation by removal of the keys 27b and 28b, to slide longitudinally the lower rails 27 and 28 without risk of snagging on the superimposed logs.

Then we consider figures 6 and 7 , which illustrate the use of the container 22 vis-à-vis a carriage-type receiving frame 1 according to the embodiment of the figure 4 .

The container 22 is filled with logs such as the log 37, arranged in a stack. It is moved by means of a hoist such as a crane, hooked by the two lifting rings 35a and 36a, to introduce it through the upper face 3 into the receiving frame 1, until it reaches the position of the figure 6 in which the container 22 is fully inserted into the receiving frame 1. The anterior and posterior ends of the lower logs 37 then rest on the longitudinal members 12 and 13 of the carriage 1. The lower longitudinal members 27 and 28 of the container 22 are then separated from each other. 23-26 of the container 22, and it is then possible to remove the lower longitudinal members 27 and 28 by the space under the side members 12 and 13 of the receiving frame 1, and the remainder of the structure of the container by lifting up, the wood logs 37 remaining laid and stored on the receiving frame 1, as illustrated on the figure 7 .

As we see on the figure 8 several containers such as the containers 22, 22a and 22b can be transported on the same truck 38, on which they are arranged next to each other.

At the place where firewood is produced, trees are cut down, cut into logs and packaged in containers such as container 22.

For distribution, the containers 22 are then lifted by a lifting device such as a crane to place them on the truck 38. When the truck 38 is at the distribution place, a container 22 containing the logs of wood is lifted. using a hoist such as a crane, the crane can be provided on the truck 38 itself. The crane can move the container 22 away from the truck 38, for example in a range of about 6 meters, to introduce a container 22 into a receiving frame 1. The container structure is then removed leaving the logs in place in the container. receiver frame 1.

As will be appreciated, the handling of the wood from the firewood production site to the receiver frame structure 1 produces no degradation of the environment and no debris that would then need to be removed.

Handling with lifting equipment such as cranes avoids any risk of domestic accidents. On the truck 38, the container structures 22 ensure in themselves the maintenance of the logs of wood, and avoid any risk of falling logs on the roadway.

The delivery of the wood at home can be done off property, thanks to the reach of a crane that allows the container 22 to be placed at a distance from the truck 38. This avoids damaging the environment.

By lowering the cost of transportation and distribution, it becomes possible to distribute smaller amounts of wood, which avoids the large volumes of storage around the properties.

In practice, there may be several sizes of containers: containers of standard size, having about 1.80 m high by 1.90 m wide; smaller containers, 90 cm high by 1.90 m wide.

The size of these containers corresponds to a demand for regional distribution.

Containers 1.80 m high by 2.40 m long can also be provided, with containers that are reduced by half. Such a dimension of 2.40 m corresponds to the usual width of a truck, which makes it possible to optimize transport.

The half height containers can be positioned on the higher containers, in order to optimize the loads during transport. They are also suitable for low consumption uses, or for recharging a receiving frame whose consumption is not completed.

The receiving frames may have dimensions corresponding to those of the containers, while being slightly longer.

In embodiments of receiving chassis with closed vertical walls, one or more vertical walls may advantageously be perforated, to facilitate the ventilation and drying of the logs.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments which have been explicitly described, but it includes the various variants and generalizations thereof within the scope of the claims below.

Claims (16)

1. Method for distributing and storing firewood, comprising the steps of:

   a) providing a rigid transportable structure (22) adapted to hold a quantity of logs (37) and to release the logs selectively,

   b) providing a receiver frame (1) on the storage site conformed to contain the transportable structure (22) and the logs (37),

   c) filling the transportable structure (22) with logs (37) arranged horizontally in one or more parallel stacks,

   d) transporting the transportable structure (22) full of logs (37) to the storage site,

   e) introducing the transportable structure (22) full of logs (37) arranged horizontally into the receiver frame (1),

   f) releasing the logs and withdrawing the transportable structure (22) from the receiver frame (1), thus leaving the logs (37) arranged horizontally in the receiver frame (1).
2. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that, during the step d), transport is effected on a lorry (38) that groups a number of transportable structures (22, 22a, 22b) placed side by side.
3. Method according to either of claims 1 or 2, characterised in that the transportable structure (22) is a rigid structure adapted to be dismantled so that it can be at least partially dismantled during the step f) to withdraw the transportable structure (22) whilst releasing the logs (37) that it holds in order for them to remain in the receiver frame (1).
4. Device for implementing a method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising a receiver frame (1) adapted to receive and retain the logs (37) arranged horizontally and stacked, characterised in that:

   - the receiver frame (1) is of parallelepiped general shape, having an anterior face (2) and a upper face (3) that can be entirely open,

   - a rigid transportable structure (22) is provided, of slightly smaller size than the receiver frame (1) so that it can be introduced into the receiver frame (1), and is conformed to receive and transport at least one arranged stack of firewood logs (37), including lifting rings (35a, 36a) so that it can be moved by lifting means such as a crane and means for selectively releasing the logs (37) to leave them in place in said at least one arranged stack of logs.
5. Device according to claim 4, characterised in that the receiver frame (1) is limited by a large anterior face (2), a large posterior face (4), two lateral faces (5, 6), the upper face (3), and a lower face (7) delimited by four corner uprights (8-11), two lower longitudinal members (12, 13) and front-to-back connecting crossmembers (14-16).
6. Device according to claim 5, characterised in that the receiver frame (1) is a trolley provided with means for rolling on the ground (19, 19a, 20, 20a), its upper face (3) being permanently open.
7. Device according to claim 5, characterised in that the receiver frame (1) includes means for fixing it to the ground (21) to constitute a fixed receiver frame structure.
8. Device according to claim 7, characterised in that the upper face (3) of the receiver frame (1) is closed by a roof (17) that can be retracted by rotation about a posterior horizontal axis (18).
9. Device according to claim 8, characterised in that the front uprights (8, 10) are connected by a removable upper longitudinal member (12a).
10. Device according to either of claims 7 or 8, characterised in that the lower longitudinal members (12, 13) are fixed to the uprights (8-11) at a position raised above the ground.
11. Device according to any one of claims 7 to 10, characterised in that the lateral faces (5, 6) are closed, at least one of the lateral faces (5) being adapted to be opened.
12. Device according to any one of claims 4 to 11, characterised in that:

    - the transportable structure (22) is a rigid structure adapted to be dismantled and produced from metal tubes arranged as four corner uprights (23-26), four longitudinal members (27-30) and crossmembers (31-34),

    - at least the lower longitudinal members (27, 28) are detachable from the uprights (23-26) so that, when the transportable structure (22) is introduced into the receiver frame (1) and contains logs (37), the lower longitudinal members (27, 28) can be detached from the transportable structure and can be removed from the bottom or from one side and the rest of the transportable structure (22) can be removed from above, leaving the logs (37) in place in the receiver frame (1).
13. Device according to claim 12, characterised in that the upper longitudinal members (29, 30) of the transportable structure (22) are connected by at least two crossmembers (35, 36) provided with articulated lifting rings (35a, 36a).
14. Device according to either of claims 12 or 13, characterised in that the corner uprights (23-26) of the transportable structure (22) are connected to the longitudinal members (27-30) of the transportable structure by rounded corner structures.
15. Device according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterised in that the upper longitudinal members (29, 30) of the transportable structure and the crossmembers (31-36) of the transportable structure are also detachable from the uprights, enabling the transportable structure (22) to be dismantled into elements that can easily be withdrawn separately from the receiver frame (1).
16. Device according to any one of claims 12 to 15, characterised in that the logs (37) are oriented in the front-to-back direction in the transportable structure (22) and in the receiver frame (1).

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