Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for making a coated cardboard container configured for the packaging of asphalt. The asphalt may be filled hot, in a molten state, and it then solidifies within the container. The container acts as the shipping medium through which the asphalt is transported to its end user. At the end user of the solidified asphalt the container may be easily peeled away from the solidified asphalt leaving a conveniently sized and shaped solid block which is suitable for further processing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Asphalt is used for many purposes, such as roofing or road work. Asphalt is typically made in one location then packaged and shipped to the end user for use. Asphalt is typically prepared hot, poured into a container and then allowed to cool and solidify. The cooled asphalt is solid, but still sticky to the touch. The container allows the asphalt to be handled and shipped. Without the container the blocks of asphalt would adhere to each other. The common methods of packaging hot asphalt currently in use require the asphalt producer to have machinery. This machinery may be needed to cool the asphalt prior to dispensing into a packaging material, for shaping the asphalt prior to packaging, for enveloping the asphalt in a packaging material or to assist in assembling a container into which the asphalt may be filled and packaged.
There are a number of patents for asphalt containers. U.S. Pat. No. 2,310,712 to Schmied discloses a boxed lined with film or coatings to contain asphalt poured hot into the box. The coating prevents the asphalt from adhering to the material of the box. U.S. Pat. No. 2,760,629 to Thagard discloses a cardboard tube placed on a separate base for holding asphalt. The tube is constructed by stitching the sides of the tube together and then stitching the bottom on to the end of the tube. U.S. Pat. No. 3,366,233 to Roediger discloses a specially lined bag for holding and transporting asphalt. The interior lining is made up of a heat resistant film. U.S. Pat. No. 5,452,800 to Muir discloses a box lined with a special film that allows asphalt to harden into uniform blocks for ease of shipping. Asphalt is most commonly transported in cardboard of fiber drums, or tubes, having a metal bottom adhered to the end of the tube.
Manufacturers of Built Up Roofing or BUR asphalt, who need to pack their product in a container with a capacity of 50 lbs to 100 lbs to meet market demand, and who do not wish to use slower production methods involving molding a block of asphalt and then wrapping it in plastic film, are almost exclusively using a two piece keg consisting of a coated cylindrical cardboard sleeve and a circular metal base. The two components of the keg, the lined cardboard sleeve and the round metal base, are supplied in flat form to the asphalt manufacturer who then needs a special machine to crimp the circular metal base to the cylindrical cardboard sleeve in order to form the keg. This method is time consuming and labor intensive. The machinery for crimping the metal base and attaching it to the cardboard sleeve is prone to malfunction, and when it fails it requires specialist engineers to make repairs, which is costly and inconvenient. In cases where the metal base does not crimp satisfactorily to the cardboard sleeve the keg will malfunction and asphalt will leak out, causing disruption and product loss. Unfortunately it is often difficult to determine whether the leakage is due to a faulty crimping process which adhered the metal base to the cardboard sleeve, or to faulty components. This makes it hard for the asphalt manufacturer to determine how to fix the problem. The fact that the keg has a metal base is also a disadvantage for the end user for a number of reasons. First it can make removing the asphalt from the packaging more difficult due to the asphalt adhering to the metal base. Second the metal base can have sharp edges, which can cause injuries to workers trying to remove the asphalt. Finally, it makes disposal of waste more difficult because of the metal component.
The invention is a method for manufacturing a ready to use, one-piece leak proof asphalt container that does not require machinery for assembly by the asphalt manufacturer. The asphalt manufacturer receives a premade and ready to use container which simply needs opening prior to filling, which is a much quicker and economical process than crimping a metal base to the cardboard sleeve to form a keg prior to filling. Because the container is made entirely of cardboard and the interior, including the base, is fully coated, the container is easily removed from the asphalt by the end user. This also means that there are no metal edges to potentially cause injury to workers, and the disposal of waste is much easier because it is entirely cardboard without metal components.
The asphalt container is designed in such a way that the method of cutting, creasing, folding and sealing renders it leak proof when assembled so that molten asphalt may be securely contained therein. The container is made from cardboard with an internal silicone release coating. This coating is resistant to the very high temperatures at which molten asphalt is filled and it has excellent release properties so the asphalt will not stick to it. This means that the solidified asphalt may be cleanly and easily removed from the container without contaminating the asphalt with cardboard or paper fibers. The adhesives which are used to bond the container are resistant to the very high temperatures at which asphalt is filled so that the container retains it's integrity even under the stress of intense heat and pressure. The container may be collapsed flat for shipping thus minimizing transport costs and may be easily “popped open” by an operator prior to filling without the need for machinery. The filled container provides good protection for the asphalt during storage and transportation. Because the container is made entirely from coated cardboard and has no metal parts it is safer for the end user to open and when empty is easily disposed of.
Detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein. It is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, and that there may be a variety of other alternate embodiments. The figures are not necessarily to scale, and some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specified structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the varying embodiments of the present invention.
The asphalt container 100 is made from heavy duty cardboard. This type of cardboard is typically manufactured and shipped in large rolls, which are then cut to sheets of the desired size. This cardboard may be single ply or multi ply or corrugated. It may be composed of 100% virgin pulp or 100% recycled paper or a combination of the two. It may be coated or uncoated cardboard stock. It may vary in thickness from between 0.05″ to 0.25″. A preferred material is one with multi ply solid fibreboard with a high percentage of virgin pulp in a thickness between 0.010″ and 0.050.″ A particularly preferred material is 100% virgin kraft fibreboard with a thickness between 0.013″ and 0.035″. A most preferred material is an uncoated 100% virgin kraft fibreboard with a thickness between 0.018″ and 0.026″ and sold by Kapstone Paper & Packaging Corporation under the trade name Kraftpak®. Generally a thicker material is used for a larger container to accommodate the weight of the contained asphalt. The base cardboard material may be used alone or it may be laminated together to increase thickness. The base cardboard material may be left uncoated, it may have a coating applied directly to it or it may have a coated paper laminated to it.
The cardboard from which a container is to be manufactured for the filling and packing of molten asphalt may be coated directly or it may have a pre coated paper laminated to it. The coating is applied to the inside 41 of the sheet 10 which will become the inside of the container 100. In the case of direct coating the material could be wax, polymers such as Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP) or Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Quilon®, stearic acid, silicone or others which provide the desired properties. A preferred material is emulsion silicone applied at a dry weight of between 0.5 gsm and 5.0 gsm. (Note: gsm, or grams per square meter is also abbreviated g/m2 but denoted herein as gsm.) A most preferred material is a 3 part emulsion silicone supplied by Bluestar Silicones under the trade name Silcolease®, and applied at a dry weight of between 1.5 gsm and 3.0 gsm. Coatings may be applied to the inside or outside of the cardboard or both in order to provide properties such as vapor barrier, liquid barrier, grease and oil resistance, heat resistance, release properties, anti-corrosion properties or other barrier properties necessary for the proper function of the container to made from the cardboard. In the case of a pre coated paper the material could be wax, polymers such as PE, PP or PET, Quilon®, Stearic Acid or Silicone. The paper could be recycled chip, kraft, clay coated kraft or super calendered kraft. A preferred material would be a silicone coating applied to a clay coated kraft or super calendered kraft at a dry coating weight of 0.5 gsm 5.0 gsm. A particularly preferred material would be a solventless silicone applied to clay coated kraft or super calendered kraft at a dry weight of 1.0 gsm to 4.5 gsm. A most preferred material would be a platinum catalyzed solventless silicone supplied by Wacker Chemicals under the trade name DEHESIVE® applied to a clay coated kraft or super calendered kraft at a dry weight of 1.5 gsm to 2.5 gsm. The silicone release coating may be applied directly to the cardboard, in roll form, from which the container is made or, for superior results, applied to a specialized base paper which is then laminated to the cardboard.
One edge of the cardboard roll is left free of silicone release coating in order to allow gluing of the side seam of the container 100 with a water based adhesive. Once cut to size this is uncoated portion of the inside 41 is known as the glue strip 11 because it is where the glue is applied.
The cardboard is then cut into sheet form. In the preferred embodiment the final asphalt container 100 will be roughly 2 feet tall and have a square cross section roughly 10.5″ on a side. These sized can vary according to the needs of the end user, from as small as six inches on a side to as large as two feet on a side, and from heights of twelve inches to as much as four feet, though the size of the container won't be significantly larger because it will become too heavy and unwieldy, nor too small as to make use inconvenient. The typical filled weight of asphalt containers is in the range of 50 lbs to 100 lbs, but this container, when made from appropriately thick material, can be larger and hold much higher weights. In the preferred embodiment the cut sheet 10 will be a rectangle of approximately 26½″ by 44″.
After the sheet 10 is cut a series of fold lines 50 are scored or embossed into the outside 40 of the sheet 10. The fold lines 50 allow the sheet 10 to be folded in the same place to create the container 100. The cut shape represents the final form of the container 100 and by adjusting the length, width, and height, the desired container capacity may be achieved as well as the shape of container 100 required by the customer to best suit his needs in respect of method of filling, method of storage and transportation or the specific shape desired by his end user. The scored fold lines 50 determine the way in which the container 100 is to be folded to achieve the desired shape, the way in which it is folded to seal the base 130 to make it leak proof, and the way in which it is folded to enable it to be collapsed into a flat shape for efficient storage and transportation. There is a mid-fold line 51 which allows the sheet 10 to be folded in half to form the flat sleeve 12 (
The cut and creased sheet 10 is folded in half at the mid-fold line 51 and the glue strip 11 is folded over and glued against a matching strip on the outside 40 of the sheet 10 using a special heat resistant adhesive, to form a flat sleeve 12 as shown in
The cardboard sleeve 12 is opened into a rectangular tube 13 by pushing on the insides to allow it to open along the scored side fold lines 52. The rectangular tube 13, shown in
The forming of the base 130 of the container 100 involves manipulation of the cardboard along the scored folding lines 50. Once this folding has produced the desired shape, the shape and structure is made permanent through the use of adhesive and adhesive coated paper sheets. In the first step the two opposite base sides 31 and 32, are folded downwards and flattened against the upper surface of the horizontal plate as shown in
There is a first reinforcing sheet 61 and a second reinforcing sheet 62 that are adhered to the bottom to strength the base 130 of the container 100, as described below. The first and second reinforcing sheets 61 & 62 are made from the same material, which may be recycled or virgin kraft paper or a combination of the two. They may be coated or uncoated. They may have coatings pre-applied to aid in the process of constructing the base or to provide other desirable properties to enhance the container 100. For example these paper reinforcing sheets could have a pre applied adhesive or heat seal coating to negate the need for adhesive application during the construction process. Or they could be coated with a barrier material, for example a water resistant coating could be applied to the outside surface of the second reinforcing sheet 62 which is to form the final end cap of the base 130 so as to provide water resistance to the base 130 of the container 100 if it were to be placed on wet surfaces. For the cardboard which is to be used in the construction of a container 100 for filling and packing molten asphalt the most preferred paper is a virgin kraft liner with a recycled content of approximately 30%, similar to the paper sold by Kapstone Paper under the trade name HS liner, and with a thickness of between 0.002″ and 0.013″.
The first and second reinforcing sheets 61 & 62 are glued to the bottom of the container with an adhesive. The adhesive used to bond the components of the container may be water based, solvent based, 100% solids liquid or hot melt. It may be applied by means of extrusion, roller, spray, jet, brush, wheel or any other application method. It's purpose is to bond the materials together in such a way that the container 100 may be constructed efficiently, that the materials to be bonded will be adhered sufficiently for the container 100 to carry out the function for which it is intended, and that the adhesive bond will withstand any stresses placed upon it while the container 100 is in use. For the container 100 to be used for the filling and packing of molten asphalt the preferred adhesive is a water based synthetic emulsion with a solid content of between 20% and 70%, and which imparts a bond having high heat resistance. A most preferred adhesive is a synthetic emulsion adhesive marketed by Summit Adhesives LLC with the reference number 701 which has a solid content of between 40% and 60% and which imparts a bond between paper and cardboard which has exceptionally high heat resistance.
Once the first base sides 31 & 32 are folded down to create the first flat bottom 71 as shown in
The next step is to apply adhesive to the upper exposed surface of the first reinforcing sheet 61. Then the opposite base flaps 33 & 34 are folded downward and flattened against the adhesive coated surface of the paper sheet to form the second flat bottom 72, as shown in
The next step is to cure the adhesive with heat and pressure applied over a pre-determined time. This is accomplished with a heat press (not shown) that is designed and configured to press against the horizontal surface of the forming stand, thus compressing and heating the base 130. The heat press is a heated metal plate that is lowered onto the second reinforcing sheet 62, and heat and pressure are applied to the top surface of layers of cardboard forming the base 130 of the container 100. The heat is in the range 100° F. to 300° F. with a most preferred range of 200° F. to 250° F. The pressure is in the range 30 psi to 200 psi with a most preferred range of 60 psi to 100 psi. The heat and pressure is applied for between 5 and 60 seconds, with the most preferable time being 30 seconds. The heat and pressure bond the layers of cardboard and paper together to form the leak proof base 130 of the container 100. The adhesive bonds created between the base sides 31 and 32, and the first and second reinforcing sheets 61 & 62 create a seal of sufficient strength to prevent leakage from the hot melt asphalt poured into the container 100.
After the heat press is removed, the container 100 is removed from the forming stand, and placed with it's open end 20 facing upwards and it's sealed base 130 sitting on a flat surface. The container is then folded flat for shipping. The pre scored collapse folds 56 are pressed in, as shown in
When the container 100 reaches the end user asphalt manufacture it can easily be opened by reaching into the top 20 of the container 100 and pressing outward against the collapse folds 56 and unfolding the base 130, not unlike unfolding a paper bag. This is done simply and requires no special equipment. The container 100 that is shipped to the end user is in one piece and ready to be filled. It does not require specialized equipment to form a leak proof container. The container 100 can then be filled with the liquefied asphalt in the conventional manner, as shown in
The present invention is well adapted to carry out the objectives and attain both the ends and the advantages mentioned, as well as other benefits inherent therein. While the present invention has been depicted, described, and is defined by reference to particular embodiments of the invention, such reference does not imply a limitation to the invention, and no such limitation is to be inferred. The depicted and described embodiments of the invention are exemplary only, and are not exhaustive of the scope of the invention. Consequently, the present invention is intended to be limited only be the spirit and scope of the claims, giving full cognizance to equivalents in all respects.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/882,204, filed on Sep. 25, 2013, the teachings of which are fully incorporated herein.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61882204 | Sep 2013 | US |