Patent Application
20240270480
The invention relates to a container for transporting a powder/granular product, in particular a flexible package.
Transport containers, such as big bags, are generally known in the prior art.
The construction of big bags comprises an accommodating body made of a flexible material, to which a flexible inlet/outlet is connected. A powder/granular product to be transported is filled into the accommodating body through the inlet/outlet and removed again after transportation.
The trend has recently developed towards coating the inlet/outlet with an aluminum coating, so as, for example, to protect the product from unwanted radiation or to prevent unwanted chemical reactions with the plastic of which the inlet/outlet is made.
The disadvantage of the aluminum lamination is that it makes the inlet/outlet rigid and difficult to seal when it is clamped to a connecting device for filling/emptying.
Against this background, the object of the invention is to provide a container, which overcomes the hereinbefore mentioned constraints. The object of the invention is at least to provide an alternative container.
This/these problem(s) is/are solved by a container according to patent claim 1. Preferred embodiments are the subject-matter of the dependent claims.
The container according to the invention, in particular package, is used to transport a powder/granular product, the container comprising:
The flexible inlet/outlet can, for example, form an integral component of the container or package or be an element attached separately to the container. In particular, the flexible inlet/outlet is designed to be tubular in shape, wherein the corresponding product flows through the flexible inlet/outlet during emptying/filling.
The container is, for example, a big bag at which the inlet/outlet is integrally formed, or a barrel on which the inlet/outlet is mounted as a separate element.
Preferably, the container comprises an accommodating body in which the product is accommodated during transportation, wherein the other portion of the inlet/outlet is a proximal end portion connected to the accommodating body.
The accommodating body can, for example, be a textile package in which an inner lining additionally encases the product. The proximal end portion can, for example, form an integral component of the inner lining.
The proximal end portion of the inlet/outlet preferably has a coating, in particular a metal coating (metal lamination), which makes the proximal end portion less flexible than the distal end portion.
The proximal end portion and the distal end portion can, for example, be formed from a film material that is identical/different and the proximal end portion also comprises the metal coating.
For example, the distal end portion of the flexible inlet/outlet is formed of polyethylene film and the proximal end portion is formed of polyethylene film with metal coating.
The metal coating is preferably an aluminum coating.
Particularly preferably, the distal end portion of the inlet/outlet is mounted on the proximal end portion of the inlet/outlet in a fusion-integrated, in particular welded, manner.
The fusion-integrated connection can be achieved, for example, in such a way that the polyethylene film of the proximal end portion carrying the coating and the polyethylene film forming the distal end portion are heated/melted and thus connected in a fusion-integrated manner.
Alternatively, the distal end portion can be formed so that the coating ends at a certain position and the uncoated film continues.
The connection between the proximal end portion and the distal end portion may be such that they do not overlap, i.e. the distal end portion of the inlet/outlet extends an immediate end of the proximal end portion.
Alternatively, the distal end portion of the inlet/outlet may be mounted on the proximal end portion such that the proximal end portion extends partially inside or outside the distal end portion.
The volume of the container according to the invention is, for example, 1 m3 to 3 m3.
Particularly preferably, the container according to the invention, as explained in the foregoing, is used for transporting a powder/granular product, wherein both the proximal end portion and the distal end portion are each closed, in particular tied, with a closure.
In this case, the closure of the distal end portion forms a stronger seal than the closure on the proximal end portion.
Below, a preferred embodiment of the invention is explained with reference to the figures attached.
The big bag 1 comprises an accommodating body 3 and an inlet/outlet 2, through which the big bag 1 can be filled or emptied with the product.
The accommodating body 3 is constructed from an outer fabric 30 and an inner lining 31. The outer fabric 30 is, for example, a textile fabric with strength that enables the big bag in a filled state to be, for example, lifted or suspended via loops 32. The inner lining 31 (also called liner) is formed from a coated film, for example an aluminum-laminated polyethylene film, which additionally jackets the product inside the outer fabric 30. The coated film forming the inner lining 31 protects the product, for example, from unwanted radiation or oxygen.
The accommodating body 3 with its outer fabric 30 and inner lining 31 forms a volume in which a large amount of product can be accommodated.
The inlet/outlet 2 is used to fill or empty the big bag 1 and is designed as tubular in shape. For filling/emptying, the inlet/outlet 2 is clamped to a connecting device (not shown), as intended, so that the product can be transferred from/to a device (not shown), such as a silo or a production plant. The clamping of the inlet/outlet 2 is sealed to such an extent that a user does not come into contact with the product or contaminate the product with particles from the external environment. In other words, the clamping prevents cross-contamination.
The inlet/outlet 2 comprises a proximal end portion 21 and a distal end portion 22.
The proximal end portion 21 is preferably an integral component of the inner lining 31 and consequently formed from the coated film.
The distal end portion 22 preferably adjoins one end of the proximal end portion 21.
The distal end portion 22 is of a different, in particular more flexible, construction than the proximal end portion 21. For example, the distal end portion 22 is constructed of an uncoated polyethylene film and, due to the lack of coating, is more flexible.
The inlet/outlet 2 is connected to the connecting device (not shown), as intended, by clamping it to the connecting device in a sealed manner. In particular, for this clamping there is used the distal end portion 22 of the inlet/outlet 2, i.e. the distal end portion 22 is clamped, as intended, to the connecting device in a sealed manner.
Since the distal end portion 22 is of a more flexible construction, the seal can be achieved much more easily compared to when the distal end portion 22 is not present and clamping is performed on a portion of the inlet/outlet 2 formed from the coated film. The coated film is stiffer and more rigid, making it more difficult to seal.
The big bag 1 illustrated in
The inlet/outlet 2 can function, for example, as an outlet for emptying, and the other inlet/outlet 2a can function as an inlet for filling.
Preferably, the container or big bag 1 is used in such a way that, as illustrated in
The closures are preferably detachable.
It should also be emphasized that the inlet/outlet 2 is separated from said connecting device after filling/emptying by being tied off twice and cut in between. This operation is easier to perform in the area of the more flexible distal end portion 22.
In the embodiment illustrated in
Alternatively, the inlet/outlet 2 can also be formed so that the coating, in particular the aluminum coating, ends at a certain position and the uncoated film, in particular the uncoated polyethylene film, continues and forms the distal end portion 22.
All of the explanations and considerations made above with regard to the inlet/outlet 2 apply equally to the preferred further inlet/outlet 2a.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2023 103 551.7 | Feb 2023 | DE | national |
