Patent Application
20060144734
The present invention relates to a bulk bag and rigid fork lift tine receiving member combination.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,305 (Baker et al 2001) describes a bulk bag which has a pair of flexible sleeves depending from the bottom of the bulk bag. Rigid fork lift tine receiving members are inserted into the sleeves. This facilitates the insertion of fork lift tines into the fork lift tine receiving members, so that the bulk bag may be lifted by a fork lift.
Although beneficial results may be obtained through the use of the bulk bag and rigid fork lift tine receiving members, as described by Baker et al; after prolonged use the sleeves on the bottom of the bulk bag tend to become worn. This is due to the fact that the sleeves are frequently in contact with the floor.
What is required is a bulk bag and rigid fork lift tine receiving member combination which will have greater wear resistance.
According to the present invention there is provided a bulk bag and rigid fork lift tine receiving member combination. The combination includes a bulk bag having a bottom and a peripheral sidewall. Two rigid parallel-piped fork lift tine receiving members are provided, each having an exterior surface with a tie receiving channel extending across a bottom face of the exterior surface. The fork lift tine receiving members are tied with ties to the bottom of the bulk bag. The ties are positioned within the receiving channels. Further beneficial results may be obtained through the use of velcro ties.
With the combination, as described above, the ties used to secure the fork lift tine receiving members to the bottom of the bulk bag are protected from wear within the tie receiving channel as the bottom face of the fork lift tine receiving members move across a floor.
Although beneficial results may be obtained through the use of the combination, as described above, it is desirable to limit movement of the fork lift tine receiving members as much as possible. Even more beneficial results may, therefore, be obtained when adjacent side faces of the fork lift tine receiving members also have tie receiving channels. The tie receiving channels on the adjacent side faces help to limit movement of the fork lift tine receiving members. It is preferred that the tie receiving channel on the bottom face be substantially aligned with the tie receiving channels in the adjacent side faces.
There are two alternative approaches to providing the above described tie receiving channels. A first approach is to have the tie receiving channel or channels recessed relative to the exterior surface of the fork lift tine receiving member. A second approach is to have the tie receiving channel or channels raised so that they protrude from the exterior surface.
Although beneficial results may be obtained through the use of the combination, as described above, even more beneficial results may be obtained when the recessed tie receiving channel or channels are in the form of a dove-tail groove. This structure allows a tie, such as a belt, to be inserted into the groove in one orientation and resists the removal from the groove in another orientation.
Further beneficial results may be obtained through the use of slots positioned at the outward ends of the fork lift tine receiving members adapted to receive further ties.
These and other features of the invention will become more apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings, the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended to in any way limit the scope of the invention to the particular embodiment or embodiments shown, wherein:
A first preferred embodiment of bulk bag/fork lift tine retaining member, generally identified by reference numeral 10, will now be described with reference to
Structure and Relationship of Parts of First Embodiment 10:
Referring to
Operation:
The use and operation of a Bulk Bag and Rigid Fork Lift Tine Receiving Member Combination generally identified by reference numeral 10, will now be described with reference to
Structure and Relationship of Parts of Second Embodiment 100:
Referring to
Operation:
The use and operation of a Bulk Bag and Rigid Fork Lift Tine Receiving Member Combination generally identified by reference numeral 100, will now be described with reference to
It is possible to combine the teachings of first embodiment 10 and second embodiment 100 to arrive at a third embodiment 200:
Structure and Relationship of Parts of Third Embodiment 200:
Referring to
Operation:
The use and operation of a Bulk Bag and Rigid Fork Lift Tine Receiving Member Combination generally identified by reference numeral 200, is as previously outlined in regard to the previous embodiments.
Variations:
The term “tie” is used as all encompassing term to cover all of the many possible variations. Referring to
Further, receiving channels 32 on side faces 22 of fork lift tine receiving members 18 serve to limit relative axial movement between the ties and the fork lift tine receiving members. Referring to
Operation:
The use and operation of the further variations of ties as outlined above is as previously outlined in regard to the previous use of ties.
In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be one and only one of the elements.
It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the illustrated embodiment without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined in the Claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,409,471 | Oct 2002 | CA | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CA03/01610 | 10/22/2003 | WO | 10/21/2005 |
