Patent Grant
6932266
This invention relates generally to shipping and storage containers, and more particularly to a container for bulk, liquid and granular materials, which is collapsible and/or reusable or recyclable.
Effective, reliable, safe and economical packaging of bulk products for handling, transport and storage has been a concern for many years. Bulk products requiring such packaging vary widely from semi-solids such as meat and other such food items; to granular materials such as beans, peas, grains, rice, salt, flour, sugar, dry chemicals, dry cementious products, animal feeds, fertilizers, etc.; to liquid materials such as syrups, milk, juices, glues, inks, resins, paints, chemicals, and the like. Since such materials have a tendency to move or flow, containment of them for shipment, handling and storage raises many challenges. It is desirable to package such materials in containers that can be readily transported by truck, rail or ship and that can be easily handled during transport and at a final destination such as at a processing facility by readily available equipment such as fork lifts, cranes and the like. The flowable nature of such products presents unique packaging issues for the container. Movement or shifting of the materials during transport can cause deformation of the container that can result in load shifting and instability and bursting containers, often with enough force to damage or destroy the container. The result is loss or damage to the container contents and undue cleanup and environmental concerns. The containers must even be more stable if stacked on top of each other.
The packaging industry has, to date, generally used two primary containment approaches: (1) corrugated bulk box containers (both plastic and paper); and (2) large bulk bags of woven fabric generally referred to as flexible intermediate bulk containers (FIBCs). Both approaches use various configurations of liners, typically made of polyethylene or polypropylene, that fit within the corrugated bulk box or within the FIBC for preventing contamination of the product being shipped and, in the case of a liquid product, to contain the liquid. Both packaging approaches use containers typically configured to be supported by and carried on pallets.
Utilizing the corrugated bulk box approach, the container strength needed to handle the wide variety of weight and product consistency requirements is addressed by using different strength grades of corrugated board materials and/or by increasing the wall thickness of the boxes by gluing corrugated sheets together or by inserting a corrugated sleeve into the box. Another approach for strengthening the box container is to wrap a number of plastic or steel straps around the outside periphery of the box. Both techniques suffer shortcomings. The price of the bulk box significantly increases with increased wall thickness and/or higher quality corrugated materials. If the box board wall strength and/or thickness is reduced in order to cut costs, and a number of external support straps or bands are used, product pressure against the thinner box walls generally causes the box to bulge outwardly between the straps, resulting in a container having marginal safety factor and leading to numerous costly box failures in shipment.
The FIBCs utilize various fabrics (such as woven polypropylene and PVC coated fabrics) and various fabric weights and sewing methods, depending on the necessary strength of the bag and its desired factor of safety. Such bags vary in size to generally hold from 5 to 120 cubic feet of material and up to about 5,000 pounds of product. They generally can be designed with various shaped tops suitable for filling, can have a solid bottom or a sewn-in discharge spout configuration, and have lifting handles. For dry or fluidized products that require a more rigid bag for stability, solid support inserts may be placed inside the bag, and between the outer bag surface and a liner (if one is used) to provide the bag's sidewalls with more rigidity. Because of the cost of the manufacturing sewing operations and the cost of the rigidity enhancing inserts used in the FIBCs, they typically result in a more expensive container than their corrugated box with strapping counterparts. If used without significant rigidity supports to store liquid materials, the FIBC bag will act like a large water balloon; thereby making the FIBCs more practical for use in shipping and storing dry bulk products instead of liquid or semi-liquid materials. Further, the inserts that are typically placed within the FIBCs to provide sidewall rigidity are typically joined/hinged at their corners to fold down flat when not in use, and do not have bottoms. Without rigid bottoms, the inserts are susceptible to significant deformation from their intended footprint configuration during loading of the FIBC, resulting in a misshaped containment system that is unstable before and during shipment. To address this problem, collapsible metal grid cages have been configured to externally support the FIBC, further adding to the cost and use inflexibility of such systems for containing liquids or semi-liquid materials.
The present invention addresses the problems and shortcomings of both the prior corrugated box and the FIBC containment systems. The present invention combines the strength of woven polypropylene materials used in the FIBC technology with unique configurations of forming members and inserts using corrugated box technology, to create a very strong container that is easy to set up, generally maintains its shape for stacking, which is significantly more cost effective, and which is safer and more reliable than heretofore known packaging methods.
This invention uses existing industry accepted packaging materials to form a unique bulk container system that is universally applicable to the packaging of solid, semi-solid, granular or liquid materials. The bulk container system of this invention combines the advantageous features of known packaging techniques in a unique manner without suffering their respective shortcomings. A forming member of relatively inexpensive lightweight corrugated material is used to define an internal geometric volumetric shape of the container in a manner that provides shape to the container and structural support for enabling stacking of loaded/filled containers. The forming member is collapsible for storage and transport and is easily erected by folding to an operable box-like configuration. The forming member has a unique bottom design that when assembled, squares-up and locks the forming member sidewalls in predetermined positions to define a desired geometric volume. The forming member is designed to be placed on and carried by a pallet.
An outer tubular sleeve, that can be configured without stitching or seams, is sized to surround and snugly engage the entire outer peripheral sidewall areas of the forming member, and assumes the defined geometric shape of the outer surface of the forming member. The sleeve, preferably of woven polypropylene material, provides the necessary strength for containing the bulk material within the forming member, while the forming member provides the desired rigidity and shape to the system. Additional layers of the woven polypropylene may be used around the forming member to provide additional strength. The forming member and the outer sleeve(s), together, form a stable, multi-purpose and universal container system configuration that is less expensive than either corrugated or FIBC known container configurations. As an option, additional layers of corrugated material or woven polypropylene material or their combination may be used as inserts engaging the inner peripheral sidewall areas of the forming member to provide additional strength. All the forming member, sleeve, and insert components of the container system can be collapsed for reuse depending on the particular use application and sanitation requirements, and are completely recyclable. A standard bag/liner can be and typically is placed within the forming member or within the insert to protect the contents from contamination or the environment and/or to retain liquids.
The forming member, the outer sleeve, and the inserts can be configured to any desired shape, as dictated by the intended use of the container system. The size of the container and the weight of its contents will dictate the strength of the outer sleeve or the inner insert, if of woven polypropylene material, which will be of a food grade fabric for food containment applications. The invention also includes forming member and inner insert configurations that allow relative movement between cooperating portions thereof, such that the forming member or the insert can expand and contract with the contained contents of the system. Another feature of the invention is a forming member or inner insert design that maintains a given footprint configuration of the container, but which allows the upper portion of the container to reconfigure along predetermined expansion lines to reduce stress across the forming member or insert sidewalls.
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a container for bulk materials comprising: (a) a forming member comprising a plurality of sidewalls extending between upper and lower edges and interconnected to cooperatively form an outer surface and to encircle an internal cavity for receiving bulk materials; and a locking assembly cooperatively engaging the sidewalls to define and fix predetermined relative positions there among; and (b) a sleeve of continuous, woven material sized to snugly engage and to overlie substantially the entire said outer surface of said sidewalls between said upper and lower edges, wherein said sleeve is configured with a fold extending from the lower edges of the sidewalls towards said internal cavity. According to a further aspect of the invention, the forming member comprises a single piece of material and may have sidewalls of corrugated construction and may be collapsible when said locking assembly is not operable to fix the positions of said sidewalls. According to yet a further aspect of the invention, the sleeve can be operatively positioned overlying said forming member by sliding the sleeve over the sidewalls, from either their said upper or lower edges. According to yet a further aspect of the invention the sleeve is tubular in shape and of substantially the same cross-sectional dimension across its entire length and may be of polypropylene material. According to yet a further aspect of the invention the sleeve is further folded back upon itself adjacent said lower edge of the sidewalls to provide additional strength to the sleeve adjacent the lower edge. According to yet a further aspect of the invention the sidewalls include foldable tabs alongside some of said upper edges of said sidewalls to enhance stacking and are configured to slidably engage one another to provide for limited relative movement thereof. According to yet a further aspect of the invention at least two of said sidewalls may be glued to each other, either by use of a releasable glue allowing relative sliding movement between the sidewalls under sufficient sheer forces, or by conventional glue techniques. According to yet a further aspect of the invention, the container may include a liner of impervious material, sized, and configured for placement within the internal cavity, and the container may have forming member sidewalls wherein the lower edges are configured to be supported by a pallet.
According to yet a further aspect of the invention there is provided a kit for a bulk material container, comprising: (a) a forming member comprising a plurality of sidewalls extending between first and second edges and interconnectable to cooperatively form an outer surface and to encircle an internal cavity for receiving bulk materials, and a locking assembly configured to cooperatively engage the sidewalls to define and fix predetermined relative positions there among; and (b) a sleeve of continuous material sized to snugly engage and to overlie substantially the entire said outer surface of said sidewalls.
According to yet a further aspect of the invention there is provided a container for bulk materials comprising (a) a forming member, comprising a plurality of sidewalls extending between upper and lower edges and interconnected to cooperatively form an outer surface and to encircle an internal cavity for receiving bulk materials, and a locking assembly cooperatively engaging the sidewalls to define and fix predetermined relative positions there among; (b) a sleeve of continuous material sized to snugly slidably engage and to overlie substantially the entire said outer surface of said sidewalls between said upper and lower edges, wherein said sleeve is configured to retain the upright shape of said forming member outer surface as bulk materials are loaded into said internal cavity; and (c) an insert member sized and configured for placement within said internal cavity.
According to yet a further aspect of the invention the insert member comprises corrugated material. According to yet a further aspect of the invention the insert member comprises a plurality of sidewalls extending between upper and lower edges and slidably interconnected to cooperatively encircle an internal cavity for receiving bulk materials. According to yet a further aspect of the invention the insert member comprises a locking assembly cooperatively engaging the sidewalls to define and fix predetermined positions of the sidewalls relative to one another, while permitting limited movement of said sidewalls relative to each other and to the locking assembly. According to yet a further aspect of the invention the insert member is collapsible when the locking assembly is not operable to fix the positions of said sidewalls. According to yet a further aspect of the invention there is provided the locking assembly that engages said sidewalls along said lower edges and may form a bottom of the insert member and extending across the internal cavity. According to yet a further aspect of the invention the insert member comprises continuous, woven material. According to yet a further aspect of the invention the insert member is slidably disposed relative to said forming member. According to yet a further aspect of the invention the insert member is tubular in shape and of substantially the same cross-sectional dimension across its entire length and may comprise polypropylene material.
According to yet a further aspect of the invention the sleeve comprises woven material. According to yet a further aspect of the invention the sleeve can be operatively positioned overlying said forming member by sliding the sleeve over the sidewalls, from either their said upper or lower edges. According to yet a further aspect of the invention the sleeve is tubular in shape and of substantially the same cross-sectional dimension across its entire length and may comprise polypropylene material. According to yet a further aspect of the invention the sleeve is configured with a fold extending upward from the lower edges of the sidewalls to provide multiple strength resistance to forces directed outwardly from the internal cavity. According to yet a further aspect of the invention, the sleeve is configured with a fold extending from the lower edges of the sidewalls towards said internal cavity to provide strength resistance to forces directed outwardly and downwardly from the internal cavity adjacent the lower edges of said sidewalls. According to yet a further aspect of the invention, the sleeve is further folded back upon itself adjacent said lower edge of the sidewalls to provide additional strength to said sleeve adjacent the lower edge. According to yet a further aspect of the invention the container may include a liner of impervious material, sized and configured for placement within said insert.
According to yet a further aspect of the invention there is provided a kit for a bulk material container, further comprising an insert member sized and configured for placement within said internal cavity.
According to yet a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of configuring a container for bulk materials, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a forming member of the type having a plurality of sidewalls extending between first and second edges; (b) arranging said sidewalls in a closed manner such that they collectively define an internal cavity longitudinally extending between planes defined by the first and second edges; (c) providing a locking assembly; (d) engaging the locking assembly with the sidewalls to fix the geometric shape of the internal cavity defined thereby; (e) providing a circumferentially continuous length of tubular sleeve material; and (f) snugly engaging the tubular sleeve around the outer periphery of the sidewalls such that the sleeve engages substantially the entire outer surface area of said sidewalls. According to yet a further aspect of the invention, the forming member sidewalls are provided with a releasable glue that allows for relative sliding movement of said sidewalls under appropriate loading force conditions.
These and other features of the invention will become apparent upon a more detailed description of preferred embodiment of the invention as described below.
Referring to the Drawing, wherein like numerals represent like parts throughout the several views:
A preferred embodiment of a container system incorporating the principles of this invention is generally illustrated at 10 in
The forming member 12 is preferably configured of a relatively light-weight corrugated material which can be either of cellulose or plastic construction. When collapsed, the forming member 12 can be configured as a single planar sheet, or, depending upon the particular construction, folded over on itself in a collapsed manner. When erected in operative manner, the forming member 12 includes a bottom construction that provides a predetermined two-dimensional geometric configuration to the bottom of the forming member. The sidewalls 12b of the forming member extend upwardly and generally perpendicular to the plane of the bottom 12a and collectively define with the bottom an internal geometric volume that represents the storage portion of the container system. The forming member 12 is configured to lie upon and be carried by a pallet of a type well-known in the shipping industry. Depending upon the size of the forming member, one or more of such forming members may lie on the same pallet. The thickness and strength of the corrugated material of the forming member 12 is a matter of engineering design and will vary depending on the shape and size of the container and upon the type and weight of the materials to be contained thereby. However, the thickness and strength thereof can be significantly reduced as compared to standard corrugated containers, since the wall portions of the forming member do not have to provide the containment strength of the container system. Their function is to simply provide structural shape to the outer wall areas of the container, so as to provide a measure of rigidity and stability to the container system. The height, size, shape and dimensions of the forming member can also vary, as desired or dictated by the use to which the container system will be put. When used to replace FIBC containers, the forming member could be sized to accommodate a typical pallet grid unit which would enable shippers and users of the container system to handle the system with existing in-plant equipment such as fork lifts, overhead cranes or jib cranes. As with prior containers, the container system of this invention can be tailored in size and shape to fit each customer's needs. For example, the container systems could be configured to accommodate packaging needs as small as five cubic feet for handling high bulk density weight products or could be configured to handle much larger sizes up to, for example, 120 cubic feet.
While a preferred construction of the forming member is one in which the entire forming member is configured from a single planar sheet or blank of corrugated material, the invention does not require a one-piece construction. For example, the sidewall 12b portions of the forming member could be formed from a single sheet of material; whereas the bottom 12a could be formed from a second, separable piece of material. The important aspect of the forming member 12 is that it contain a bottom or similar structure that gives initial predetermined fixed geometric definition to the sidewall portions of the forming member, and particularly to the lower base portions thereof. It is preferable that the bottom portion 12b of the forming member be secured to the sidewalls 12a in a manner that will prevent the sidewalls from riding or sliding upward, away from the bottom of the forming member during filling of the container. Further, while the preferred embodiment will be described with respect to forming members that are constructed from the same corrugated material, the invention does not require the same material to be used for both the sidewall 12b and bottom or shape defining portions 12a of the forming member.
The cellulose corrugated material used in a preferred embodiment of the invention for the forming member 12 may be obtained from any corrugated material supplier such as from Menasha Corp. of Lakeville, Minn. or from the Packaging Corporation of America. Plastic corrugated materials could also be obtained from any number of different suppliers such as Menasha Corp. or Liberty Carton of St. Louis Park, Minn. As mentioned above, the weight and strength of the corrugated material depends on the application to which the container system will be put, and the method of use of the container. In general, this invention allows use of a relatively inexpensive material, since the primary containment strength of the container system will not depend on the strength of the forming member material, but rather on the strength of the outer sleeve 14. For example, for smaller containers a single weight 175 lb. C flute material might be adequate; whereas for even larger containers that might hold up to 2,000 pounds of material, a relatively low weight corrugation in the 200 lb. to 275 lb. C flute material range may suffice. In contrast, for the same application, a prior art total cardboard corrugation construction may require several layers of double wall 400 lb. to 500 lb. weight materials to achieve the same purpose. Often, the prior art corrugated materials also would require the insertion of filament tape between the flutes to provide additional support and/or cross fluted configurations and gluing of the respective corrugated layers to one another to form a strengthened laminated configuration.
A first embodiment of the forming member, constructed from corrugated cellulose (cardboard) material, is illustrated at 20 in
The forming member 20 also has a plurality of downwardly depending tab portions 27a-27h which collectively define the bottom 28 of the forming member 20, as hereinafter described. End wall 20h includes a pair of vertically aligned slots S1 and S2 for cooperatively receiving the arcuate tabs 22a of the connector wall 22. Bottom tab 27g also has an extended key member, generally designated at T. Bottom tab 27h has a horizontal slot S3 cooperatively sized for accepting the extended key member T of bottom tab 27g.
The forming member patterned blank material of
The bottom 28 of the forming member 20 is defined by folding in the lower tab extensions 27, toward the center of the enclosed cavity defined by the connected sidewalls 20. The angled tabs 27a, 27b, 27c and 27d are folded in first, followed by tabs 27e and 27f, and finally by tabs 27g and 27h. The distal key end (T) of bottom tab 27g is received by and retained within the slot S3 of tab 27h, in interlocking manner, to complete and hold the bottom assembly 28 in place, as illustrated in FIG. 4D. Such bottom configuration 28 not only defines but locks in the positions of the sidewalls. The inner sidewalls and bottom portions of the assembled forming member 20 collectively define an internal geometric solid shaped cavity as established and maintained by the outer peripheral edge shape or “footprint” of the plane of the bottom 28. According to a preferred configuration of the
It will be noted that in this illustrated embodiment of a forming member, the tab members 22a are slidable within the slots S1 and S2. Such sliding construction provides for limited relative movement of the sidewall configuration to accommodate expansion and contraction of the material being contained by the container assembly. Such movement prevents rupturing of the forming member within the outer sleeve that might otherwise occur if the forming member ends were fixedly glued together. Also, such expansion feature accommodates any tolerance differences between the circumferences of the outer surface of the forming member and the inner surface of the tubular sleeve.
Although the preferred embodiment of the forming member includes a sidewall construction wherein the sidewalls are slidably expandable as above-described, the sidewalls may be fixedly secured for no movement relative to one another. For example, the connecting wall 22 can be glued in standard fashion to the end sidewall 20h to provide for further structural integrity and rigidity, especially for stacking purposes. In such embodiment, even if the forming member were to subsequently rupture, since the outer sleeve 14 will continue to withstand the loading pressure, the containment system would still serve its purpose. Gluing of the corrugated forming member sidewalls is always an option whenever there is an accompanying outer sleeve member constructed of woven polypropylene material surrounding the forming member. Gluing of the forming member sidewalls may be attractive to some container manufacturers since the material blank member from which the forming member is configured can be made from less material than might otherwise be used if an expandable slot/tab configuration is used to accommodate a slidable sidewall configuration such as described with respect to FIG. 4. Gluing would also eliminate the need for a container manufacturing step of assembling the forming member (such as described in
Another embodiment of a forming member construction that accommodates both the desire for use of a smaller blank of forming member material and the advantages of slidably movable sidewalls is to configure the forming member in the same manner as one would when permanently gluing the sidewalls to one another, but to use a glue that is “releasable” in nature when subjected to a predetermined sheer force that is less than the sheer rupture parameter of the material to which the glue is applied. With the use of such releasable glue, the glue would have enough bonding strength to affix the sidewalls together for handling and transportation purposes, as though the forming member sidewalls were permanently glued to one another. However, the releasable glue would be applied in a manner and selected for properties such that as the container is being filled and pressure is being applied by the load to the forming member sidewalls, the glue in the sidewall joint will release the sidewalls at the joint from one another, enabling the sidewalls at the joint to move/slide in expansion manner relative to one another, before the load pressure applied to the sidewalls is large enough to cause the sidewall material to rupture. When the expansion force that provides the release sheer forces on the glue has subsided, the releasable glue will once again form a bond between the sidewalls at the “glued” joint. Therefore, this configuration provides the advantages of both an expandable, slidable forming member that also acts as a glued structure when harmful expansion forces are not present. Those skilled in the art can select the proper glue and application techniques for accomplishing the described configuration. Releasable glues that have been found to be acceptable for these purposes are sold by H. B. Fuller Company under its PD0661 and AP6903 labels. Such glue can be applied by standard glue application techniques such as by extrusion or spraying. Alternatively, hot melt glue applications could be used that would provide the aforementioned desired glued joint slip/release properties. By using such slip/release glued sidewall joint technique, it has been found that a sidewall overlap of from 4 to 5 inches at the glue joint is adequate to provide the desired slip joint tolerance and forming member rigidity parameters, which is generally less than the amount of forming member overlap material required to form a non-glued slip joint.
A second octagonal embodiment of a forming member 20′ is illustrated in
A third embodiment of a forming member is illustrated generally at 30 in
This embodiment of the forming member includes a stress relief feature associated with each of the corners 32a-32d of the forming member. As the container assembly is filled, causing pressure to be applied to the sidewalls 31a-31d of the forming member, there is a natural tendency for the upper portion of the forming member to deform to a circular cross-sectional configuration. Such deformation tendency places stress on the forming member sidewalls that is greater in a rectangular container configuration where the corners between sidewalls are at 90° angles. In order to relieve such stress, and to allow for controlled sidewall deformation, the sidewalls are vertically scored adjacent and on either side of the corners 32a-32d, as indicated by the dashed score lines 50a-50d in FIG. 6A. Each of the score line pairs vertically extends on either side of a respective corner, in parallel manner, from the upper edge 35 and downwardly to the edges of the cuts C1-C5. It will be noted that the score line pair 50a is partially on sidewall 31a and partially on 31d, since these two sidewalls will be contiguous to one another in the assembled structure. Each pair of the stress relief score lines converge toward one another, in V-shaped manner, slightly below the cuts C1-C5 and meet at the fold line 36 that will represent the bottom of the respective sidewalls. As illustrated in more detail in
The forming member patterned blank material of
The bottom 45 of the forming member 30 is defined by folding in the lower panel extensions 41 toward the center of the enclosed cavity defined by the connected sidewalls 31. As illustrated in
While several configurations of forming member have been described with respect to specific preferred embodiments of the invention, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that many other configurations of such forming members can be designed within the scope of this invention. Further, while specific corrugated materials have been described for use in association with constructing the forming members, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that other materials can be employed.
The outer containment sleeve 14 is preferably constructed of the same types of materials, well-known in the art, that are used for making flexible intermediate bulk containers (FIBCs). The sleeve is preferably configured from a flexible woven fiber material, preferably woven polyethylene material which are known for their strength and light weight. Such fabrics come in various weights, which would be selected in accordance with the necessary strength and safety factors required by the container. As with fabrics used in the FIBC industry, the sleeve material could be coated, as for example with polyethylene, or remain breathable, could be treated for ultra violet retardation, could be configured for weather resistance, or could, for example, be of a fabric that complies with the Food and Drug Administration criteria for foods, pharmaceuticals and edibles, and the like. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize these and other options for appropriate materials that could be used for the containment sleeve. The sleeve provides the containment strength of the container system, and must be of a strength suitable for supporting the forces applied by the contained material against the inner surfaces of the forming member sidewalls 12b. The sleeve is preferably of tubular and seamless construction, requiring no sewing or stitching. For assembly purposes, the sleeve material could simply be cut to a desired length by a sheer or laser or by a hot knife technique that also conditions the woven material to prevent unraveling thereof. The sleeve 14 is sized to snugly engage and cover virtually the entire outer peripheral surface area of sidewalls. The sleeve 14 extends from the upper edges of the sidewalls 12b of the forming member to their lower edges.
In one embodiment of the outer sleeve, as illustrated in FIGS. 1,2, and 3 the length or height of the sleeve 14 is cut longer than the vertical height of the sidewall portions of the forming member 12, such that the lower portion of the sleeve 14 can be folded back upon itself (as illustrated at 15 in FIGS. 1,2, and 3) and extends upwards along the lower portions of the sidewalls to provide additional strength along the surface area portions of the sidewalls, where the pressure caused by weight of the contained material is the greatest. While it can extend along the entire height of the sidewalls, the folded over sleeve portion 15 preferably extends from about 20% to 50% of the height of the sidewalls 12b, and more preferably from about 20% to 30% of the height of the sidewalls.
In another embodiment of the outer sleeve, the sleeve 14 extends past the lower edges 17 of the sidewalls 12b of the forming member and is folded along the lower edges 17 of the sidewalls 12b towards the internal cavity formed by the forming member (as illustrated at 19 in FIGS. 8 and 9). Once folded, the folded portion 19 of the sleeve may be tucked into the gaps formed at the bottom of the forming member when it is fully assembled (as illustrated at 19a). Liquids and semi-liquids, such as meat, have a high tendency to flow during shipment. Such movement increases the pressure against the sidewalls of the forming member that the flow and movement are directed against. Tucking the sleeve under the forming member in this manner counteracts the increased pressure and provides extra strength to the container system. It also provides stability to the sleeve member and prevents unwanted movement of the sleeve member, such as rising up of the sleeve along the sidewalls 12b. The weight of the container content when loaded into it holds the tucked sleeve member 19a in place during shipment. Since the sleeve 14 does not have a closed bottom as is the case with an FIBC, significant manufacturing costs are saved as compared to the FIBC manufacturing process, by eliminating all stitching and sewing operations.
In yet another embodiment of the outer sleeve 14′, as illustrated in
In yet another embodiment of the outer sleeve 14″, as illustrated in
Those skilled in the art can envision yet other methods for selectively increasing the strength of the outer sleeve by using folding techniques. Alternatively and/or additionally, extra layers of outer sleeve 14 may be used around the forming member 12 to provide additional strength. Each layer may be non-folded or folded according to any of the embodiments discussed above depending upon the intended use of the container system and the additional strength needed.
The woven tubular material forming the outer sleeve 14 can be readily purchased from any supplier of FIBCs such as from B.A.G. Corp. of Dallas, Tex. or from other distributors or suppliers such as Tech Packaging Group of Joplin, Mo. or National Paperboard Group, Inc. of Burnsville, Minn. The woven polypropylene tubular sleeve material is typically graded by weight. A preferred weight of material that is acceptable for most applications is a 5.2 oz. weight. The liner bags 16 can be purchased generally from the same suppliers that supply the FIBCs.
Lighter weight materials can be used for the outer sleeve of this invention as compared with FIBC applications, since the sleeve only needs to support horizontally applied containment forces. It should be noted that the maximum bulk material handling weight specifications for materials used in constructing FIBCs do not generally apply to this invention, since the weakest feature of FIBC construction relates to the stitching used in the FIBC bag construction. Generally, the stitching of a FIBC will fail long before the woven fabric. Since there is no stitching required for the sleeve of the present invention, this invention takes full advantage of the base strength of the woven material, enabling the use of relatively lighter weight materials for containing relatively heavy parcels of contained materials. Further, due to its woven construction, small holes or the like that may be imparted to the sleeve fabric during use will generally not result in catastrophic failure or unraveling or rupture of the sleeve that would reduce its containment strength as used in this invention. Also, if the woven polypropylene sleeve material is coated with polyethylene, the unraveling of the polypropylene material is generally prevented by the coating.
Referring to
A first embodiment of a one-piece insert, constructed from corrugated cellulose (cardboard) material, is illustrated at 64 in FIG. 13. In this embodiment, the one-piece insert 64 is configured from a single piece of corrugated material that is scored and patterned for folding, as illustrated in FIG. 13. Referring thereto, the insert 64 has nine sidewall portions 64a-64i consecutively connected and defined by intervening fold lines 65a-65h respectively, which collectively define the eight “corners” of an octagonally shaped configuration formed by the insert. The insert patterned blank material of
A second embodiment of the one-piece insert, constructed from corrugated cellulose (cardboard) material, is illustrated at 64″ in FIG. 14. In this embodiment, the one-piece insert is configured from a single piece of corrugated material that is scored and patterned for folding, as illustrated in FIG. 14. Referring thereto, the insert 64′ has ten sidewall portions 64a′-64j consecutively connected and defined by intervening fold lines 65a′-65j respectively, which eventually define the eight “corners” of the insert. The insert patterned blank material of
The inserts 64 and 64′ described above did not have any “bottoms”. However, a third embodiment of the one-piece insert, constructed from corrugated cellulose (cardboard) material, which does have a bottom structure, is illustrated at 20 in FIG. 4A. In this configuration, the embodiment of the forming member, previously described and illustrated at 20 in
The one-piece insert configurations described above are by no means exhaustive of the configurations that are possible. Depending upon the forming member configuration utilized, the insert should be accordingly shaped and configured to fit within the forming member. While several configurations of the one-piece insert have been described with respect to specified preferred embodiments of the invention, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that many other configurations of such inserts can be designed within the scope of the invention. Further, while specific corrugated materials have been described for use in association with constructing the forming members, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that other materials can be employed.
Once configured, the one-piece insert is placed within the forming member 12 to engage the inner peripheral sidewall areas of the forming member. The one-piece insert is preferably sized in order to snugly engage the inner peripheral sidewall areas of the forming member so that, when bulk material is being poured inside the cavity formed by the forming member, the insert does not slide up along the inner sidewall areas 12b of the forming member 12, as illustrated in FIG. 16. The insert 62 may also be placed in an offset fashion within the forming member 12, where each corner of the insert defined by the sidewalls of the insert engages each of the inner sidewalls 12b of the forming member generally along a vertical centerline of the forming member sidewalls, as illustrated in FIG. 17. This offset configuration (FIG. 17), providing a tight fit, prevents unwanted movement of the insert 62 inside the forming member 12 that might tend to collapse the insert prior to the container loading or filling operation. Also, offsetting the insert 62 in this manner provides additional strength to the container assembly by distributing the stress on the sidewalls 12b of the forming member 12 and the insert 62 instead of placing it all at the weaker fold lines. Typically, an oversized liner 16 is used with the container system. The upper portion of the liner is folded over the top edges of the forming member and insert(s) and down along the outside surfaces of the forming member sidewalls, such that the liner material overlays and “covers” the gaps or spaces between the insert and forming member sidewalls (see FIGS. 17 and 19), so that the material being loaded into the container does not fall within such gaps or spaces during the loading operation. The insert sidewalls are thus freely allowed to expand outwardly toward and into engagement with the forming member sidewalls during the loading operation.
In a one-piece insert, the insert can also be of the same type of materials that are used for the outer sleeve 14. For assembly purposes, the sleeve material could simply be cut to a desired length by, for example, any of the techniques previously discussed. The sleeve material one-piece insert is sized to be placed inside the forming member to provide an additional layer of strength. The sleeve material one-piece insert may be folded in any of the combination of ways discussed above for the outer sleeve member, when placed inside the forming member depending upon the intended use and the needed strength of the containment system. Folding the lower edge of the insert sleeve material towards the inside, as illustrated at 69 in
The insert may also be constructed of at least two pieces, the pieces being configured of any combination of the materials or the shapes discussed above for the one-piece insert (as illustrated at 62 in
Depending on the intended use of the containment system or the strength needed, three or more pieces can be utilized to make up the inner insert, being configured of any of the combination of the materials and the shapes, discussed above, of the one-piece insert (as illustrated at 62 in FIG. 20). The optional bag/liner, illustrated at 16 in
In a preferred configuration of the invention as used for carrying a 2000-lb. load of liquids or semi-liquids such as meat, the following container system parameters have been found to provide safe and successful performance: an elongated octagonal outer forming member of 350 lb. weight and of double-wall flute corrugation; an outer sleeve of 5.2 oz. polycoated polypropylene having an operative circumference of 144 inches (stretches about 1 inch) and extending beyond the lower edge of the sidewalls of the forming member by approximately 8 inches.
In a preferred configuration of the invention as used for carrying a 1200-1400-lb. load of semi-solids such as resin, the following container system parameters have been found to provide safe and successful performance: a regular octagonal outer forming member of 350 to 500 lb. double wall corrugated material; an outer sleeve of 5.2 oz. polycoated polypropylene having an operative circumference of 144 inches (stretches about 1 inch) and extending beyond the lower edge of the sidewalls of the forming member by approximately 8 inches; and an inner sleeve insert (placed around a corrugated insert of 275 lb. C-flute material) of 5.2 oz. coated polypropylene having an operative circumference of 142 inches (stretches about 1 inch).
In a preferred configuration of the invention as used for carrying a 3000-lb. load of solids such as sugar, the following container system parameters have been found to provide safe and successful performance: a regular octagonal outer forming member of 500 lb. weight and of double-wall flute corrugation; an outer folded sleeve of 5.2 oz. polycoated polypropylene having an operative circumference of 144 inches (stretches about 1 inch) and extending beyond the lower edge of the sidewalls of the forming member by approximately 8 inches; and an inner sleeve insert (placed around a corrugated insert) of 5.2 oz. coated polypropylene having an operative circumference of 142 inches (stretches about 1 inch).
The above specification, examples and data provide a complete description of the manufacture and use of the composition of the invention. Since many embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended
This is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/351,389, filed Jul. 13, 1999 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,456,435.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20030024971 A1 | Feb 2003 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 09351389 | Jul 1999 | US |
| Child | 10217638 | US |
