Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6357590
-
Patent Number
6,357,590
-
Date Filed
Monday, April 10, 200024 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, March 19, 200222 years ago
-
Inventors
-
-
Examiners
- Ramirez; Ramon O.
- Sy; Holly N.
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 248 34605
- 248 34606
- 248 371
- 248 3721
- 248 398
- 248 139
- 248 34602
- 108 571
- 206 386
- 414 417
- 414 419
- 222 77
- 222 164
- 222 166
- 222 1851
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A rectangular container base for a container for supporting a plastic liner bag for housing a liquid, includes a side panel coupling device on the container base so that four interconnectable side panels are able to be erected on the container base, respectively, adjacent edges of the base. A support panel tilting element, housed in the container base for tilting a liner bag support panel when overlying the container base, is included, and a support panel tilting device is provided with a floor panel lifter disposed adjacent one edge of the rectangular container base. The floor panel lifter has an operative position above an upper face of the container base and an inoperative position below the upper face. A resilient floor panel lifter biassing device urges the floor panel lifter to the operative position, with a floor panel lifter retaining device, for releasably retaining the floor panel lifter in the inoperative position against an action of the resilient floor panel lifter biassing device being provided.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention is concerned generally with emptying liquid from a container.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
A typical form of container for the storage and transport of liquid is one in which there is a pallet type base on which there is mounted four interlocked sides. The sides can be demountable from the base or can be hinged thereto so that the sides can fold down over the base. The base and the sides when erected on the base provide an open topped enclosure for a plastic film liner bag. A lid is provided for the open top of the container. Discharge is usually by gravity through a nozzle of the liner bag which projects through an opening in one side of the container adjacent the base of the container. The nozzle is adapted for the connection of a valve and the PC a discharge pipe.
The problem with such containers is that the construction of the container sides places the nozzle above the floor of the container and some liquid remains in the container after gravity discharge through the nozzle ceases. This can be overcome to some extent by tilting the container towards the container side having the nozzle opening. This involves equipment capable of tilting the container and means to lift the container onto and off the tilter. The cost of a tilting device and the container handling means makes this solution to the problem unattractive. Even with a tilting device there is usually a small amount of liquid, which in the case of valuable liquids can represent an unacceptable economic loss, which remains to be recovered. in order to recover the maximum amount of liquid the liner bag is often manhandled when nearly empty so as to direct substantially all of the liquid in the bag towards the bag nozzle. This approach is commercially unacceptable because of the cost of the labor involved and because it is not a satisfactory long term solution to the problem.
The present invention has as its object the provision of container base which will by a combination of features simply and effectively achieve substantially complete gravity discharge of liquid from containers of the above known type referred to above.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Broadly stated, the present invention provides a container base including tilting means for a base covering panel.
More specifically, the present invention provides a container base including tilting means for a base covering panel wherein the tilting means is resiliently biassed away from an inoperative position towards an operative position in which it will tilt a base covering panel.
Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a schematic perspective view of a container of the type with which the base of the present invention is proposed to be used,
FIG. 2
is a detailed perspective view of one form of container base according to the present invention covered in part by a floor sheet, the missing portion of the floor sheet facilitates the following description of the base,
FIG. 3
is a detailed partly sectioned fragmentary view of one arrangement for holding the floor sheet tilting means of the base of
FIG. 2
in the latched down inoperative position,
FIG. 4
is a schematic side view illustrating the manner in which the floor sheet will be tiled by the tilting means of
FIG. 3
,
FIG. 5
is a schematic end view of the base as illustrated in
FIG. 4
,
FIG. 6
illustrates another form of base cover sheet tilter in the unlatched operative condition with a base cover sheet tilted,
FIG. 7
illustrates a variation of the cover sheet tilter of
FIG. 6
in the unlatched operative condition with a base cover sheet tilted,
FIG. 8
is a schematic end view of the base cover sheet tilter latched in the inoperative position by cam means, and
FIG. 9
is a view similar to
FIG. 8
showing the base cover sheet tilter released by the cam means of FIG.
8
and the tilter in the unlatched operative position shown in FIG.
6
.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION.
The container
1
of
FIG. 1
includes a four-way entry pallet type base
2
with upstanding side panels
3
,
4
,
5
,
6
. The side panels can be permanently mounted in an upstanding manner on the base
2
, or they can be hingedly mounted at the four sides of the base allowing the side panels to fold down one over the other over the base, or they can be demountably coupled to the base at the four sides of the base. The side panel to base connection is not relevant to the present invention. A lid
7
for the container is also shown in FIG.
1
. The side panel
3
is shown having an opening
8
to allow a discharge nozzle of a plastic film liner bag in the container to project. The liner bag in the container would be filled with a liquid.
In
FIG. 2
the base
2
is shown as a four sided skeletal structure with a pair of first lateral members
9
and lateral members
10
at right angles to the members
9
and intermediate angled members
11
. Overlying the base
2
there is a cover sheet
12
to provide a support surface for a plastic film liner bag to be housed in the container.
A base cover sheet tilter is provided and it includes an arm
13
which is pivotally mounted at one end at
14
to the lateral members
9
at a position remote from the first side
15
of the base
2
. The arm extends towards the first base side
15
and a pressure plate
16
is fixed to the arm
13
at the arm end adjacent the base first side
15
.
Referring now to detail drawing
FIG. 3
, there is a compression spring socket member fixed to the under face of the plate
16
and a compression spring
17
is housed in part in the socket member with its upper end abutting the plate
16
and its lower end engaged over a spigot
18
fixed to a ground engaging member
19
of the base
2
. Projecting from the spring socket member there is a lug
20
with an upper abutment face
21
.
Slidably mounted in a tubular upper base member
39
at the first side
15
of the base
2
there is a plunger
23
which is spring loaded by spring
40
to a position where the inner free end of the plunger
23
lies in the path of the lug
20
of the plate
16
thereby preventing movement of the base cover sheet tilter from the lowered inoperative position to the raised operative position thereof. The spring
17
urges the abutment face
21
of the lug
20
against the plunger
23
. The under face of the lug
20
includes a cam face
22
. It will be readily understood that in order to return the tilter arm
13
to the latched position it only requires a downward force on the plate
16
to the extent that the cam face
22
will cause the plunger
23
to retract. As soon as the lug abutment face
21
passes to an elevation below the plunger
23
the plunger will move to the extended position under the influence of the spring
40
. The plate
16
when released will move upward under the influence of the spring
17
to a position where the abutment face
21
of the lug
20
bears on the lunger
23
. To facilitate the manual retraction of the plunger
23
a hand grip
24
is provided. It is to be noted that the handgrip
24
has a tail
25
for a reason to be described.
As will be seen from the schematic view
FIG. 4
the base tilter arm
14
when raised causes the base floor sheet
12
(shown in broken lines) to be tilted and slope towards the base edge at which the container side
3
(with the nozzle hole
8
) is mounted. The strength of the spring
17
used to raise the base floor sheet need not be great. The invention is concerned with the recovery of the small amount liquid which would be trapped in the liner bag due to the height of the nozzle above the base floor sheet. It is therefore not necessary to raise and tilt the base floor sheet until most of the liquid in the liner bag resting on the base floor sheet has been discharged. It follows that when an operator notes that the liquid has ceased to gravity discharge from the nozzle the operator could withdraw the plunger
23
to allow the base floor sheet tilter to come into play to direct the last of the liquid in the liner bag towards the nozzle in the opening
8
.
In order to allow complete emptying of the liner bag without the need for operator monitoring of the liquid flow from the container the handle
24
on the plunger
23
is provided with the tail
25
. At the commencement of a container emptying cycle the operator would draw back the plunger
23
, turn the plunger
23
to align the tail
25
with the base member
39
(see
FIG. 5
) and allow the spring
40
to draw the tail
25
into contact with the member
39
The plunger
23
is thereby held retracted. The operator can then walk away knowing that when sufficient liquid has been discharged from the liner bag the base cover sheet will be tilted automatically to direct liquid to the nozzle.
Referring now to schematic views
FIGS. 6
to
9
showing alternative arrangements to the plunger arrangement illustrated in FIG.
3
.
FIG. 6
illustrates a leaf spring
26
in a floor cover sheet tilting condition. The spring
26
adjacent one end bears on a support bar
28
of the base
2
and at that end is hooked under another bar
27
of the base
2
. The other end of the leaf spring is provided with a leg
30
which extends towards the base
2
and terminates with a foot
31
. Force applied to the foot
31
will cause the leaf spring
26
to be deflected and energy is stored in the spring as a result. The spring can be latched in the deflected condition in several ways one of which could be a variation of the plunger
23
arrangement just described or by way of a cam, to be described later.
FIG. 7
illustrates a variation of the leaf spring arrangement of FIG.
6
. In
FIG. 7
the leaf spring
32
has a Vee shaped body with a limb
33
fixed to the base and an upwardly outwardly angled limb
34
, as has the spring
26
. The spring limb
34
has a leg
35
and a foot
36
, as has the leaf spring
26
.
In
FIGS. 6
to
9
there is illustrated a cam
37
which can be rotated between the orientation of FIG.
8
and FIG.
9
. In
FIG. 8
the cam lobe holds the foot (
31
,
36
) depressed thereby latching the leaf spring in the inoperative position. In
FIG. 9
, the cam has been rotated 180 degrees and the cam lobe no longer holds the leaf spring depressed and the leaf spring is in the unlatched and base cover sheet tilting condition, as illustrated in
FIGS. 6 and 7
.
It is to be noted that the base cover sheet
12
in
FIGS. 4 and 6
is shown as curved along the majority of its length whereas the base cover sheet
12
is shown in
FIG. 7
as bending at a specific position indicated
38
. At the position
38
there is a lateral crease or reduced thickness zone of the sheet
12
thereby predisposing the sheet to fold at that position. The result is a tilt of a major portion of the base covering sheet
12
. As will be understood the material from which the sheet
12
is made will be a factor in deciding whether the sheet
12
is to bend as a curve (
FIGS. 4 and 6
) or sharply (FIG.
7
).
Latching means to latch the base covering sheet tilter in the inoperative position has been described in detail above. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the base having latching means as specifically described and illustrated and is not limited to the base having latching means for the base covering sheet tilter.
Claims
- 1. A container having a rectangular container base for supporting a plastic liner bag for housing a liquid, comprising:side panel coupling means on said rectangular container base so that four interconnectable side panels are capable of being erected on said rectangular container base, respectively, adjacent edges of said rectangular container base; support panel tilting means housed in said rectangular container base for tilting a liner bag support panel when overlying said rectangular container base, said support panel tilting means including a floor panel lifter disposed adjacent one edge of said rectangular container base, said floor panel lifter having an operative position above an upper face of said rectangular container base and an inoperative position below said upper face; resilient floor panel lifter biassing means for urging said floor panel lifter to the operative position; and, floor panel lifter retaining means for releasably retaining said floor panel lifter in the inoperative position against an action of said resilient floor panel lifter biassing means.
- 2. The container according to claim 1, wherein said resilient floor panel lifter biassing means is a spring in which energy is stored by deflection of said spring as said floor panel lifter is moved from said operative position to said inoperative position.
- 3. The container according to claim 2, wherein said resilient floor panel lifter biassing means is a leaf spring.
- 4. The container according to claim 2, wherein said floor panel lifter is a body part of a leaf spring anchored to said rectangular container base, said leaf spring body part extending from adjacent a central area of said rectangular container base upwardly at an angle from said rectangular container base when said floor panel lifter is in said operative position and extends outwardly to adjacent said one edge of said rectangular container base where said leaf spring body part terminates in a leg extending towards said rectangular container base, a foot on said body part of said leaf spring being engagable with a part of said rectangular container base for limiting an angle at which said body part of said leaf spring is able to lie relative to said rectangular container base when said floor panel lifter is in said operative position.
- 5. The container according to claim 4, further comprising a cam mounted on said rectangular container base and rotatable about an axis at right angles to said one edge of said rectangular container base, said cam being in engagement with said foot of said body part of said leaf spring and having a profile, so that when said cam is rotated in a first direction, said floor panel lifter is movable from said inoperative position towards said operative position, said cam when moved in an opposite direction moves said floor panel lifter to said inoperative position.
- 6. The container according to claim 1, wherein said floor panel lifter is part of an arm pivotally connected to said rectangular container base at a location remote from said one edge of said rectangular container base and extending from the location of the pivotal connection of said arm to said rectangular container base to adjacent said one edge of said rectangular container base, with said resilient floor panel lifter biassing means being disposed between said arm and said rectangular container base.
- 7. The container according to claim 6, wherein said resilient floor panel lifter biassing means is a compression spring in which energy is stored via deflection of said compression spring as said floor panel lifter moves from said operative position to said inoperative position.
- 8. The container according to claim 7, further comprising a plunger mounted on said rectangular container base and linearly movable between a latching position for latching said floor panel lifter in said inoperative position and an unlatching position, said plunger being biassed to said latching position, wherein said plunger lies in a path of travel of an abutment face of said arm a lug for prevent-said floor panel lifter from adopting said operative position.
- 9. The container according to claim 8, wherein said abutment face is on said lug on a spring socket on said arm housing part of said compression spring.
- 10. The container according to claim 9, wherein said lug has a cam face for causing said plunger to move linearly away from said latching position as said floor panel lifter is manually returned to said inoperative position from said operative position for placing said abutment face of said lug below said plunger.
- 11. The container according to claim 9, further comprising plunger retaining means for releasably retaining said plunger out of said latching position.
- 12. The container according to claim 6, further comprising a cam mounted on said rectangular container base and rotatable about an axis at right angles to the axis of a pivotal connection of said arm to said base, said cam being in engagement with an abutment face of a lug on a presser plate attached to said arm and having a profile so that when said cam is rotated in a first direction, said floor panel lifter is movable from said inoperative position towards said operative position, said cam when moved in an opposite direction moves said arm for placing said floor panel lifter in said inoperative position.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
PO 9858 |
Oct 1997 |
AU |
|
PCT Information
Filing Document |
Filing Date |
Country |
Kind |
PCT/AU98/00729 |
|
WO |
00 |
Publishing Document |
Publishing Date |
Country |
Kind |
WO99/20539 |
4/29/1999 |
WO |
A |
US Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
533687 |
Walker |
Feb 1895 |
A |
3166218 |
Paintin |
Jan 1965 |
A |
Foreign Referenced Citations (7)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0134095 |
Mar 1985 |
EP |
0361696 |
Apr 1990 |
EP |
2137159 |
Oct 1984 |
GB |
2211480 |
Jul 1989 |
GB |
2271550 |
Apr 1994 |
GB |
2296701 |
Oct 1996 |
GB |
2300175 |
Oct 1996 |
GB |