Container apparatus for fluid material

• US 5,437,384 A
• Filed: 06/03/1993
• Issued: 08/01/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Structure-Flex Limited (Spanfax Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Peter J. Farrell
• Inventors: Farrell, Peter J.
• Primary Examiner(s): CASTELLANO, STEPHEN J
• Application Number:
  US08/072,181
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• Field of Search: 141/114, 141/314, 141/316, 141/390, 141/391, 248/95, 248/99, 248/100, 248/101, 220/6, 220/7, 220/4.16, 220/4.33, 220/1.5, 220/9.1, 220/9.2, 220/9.3.403, 220/404, 220/401, 220/400, 220/402, 220/666, 220/668
• US Class Current: 220/1.5
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 19/12 Collapsible pallets
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00691 separately formed
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 77/061 the containers being mounted on a pallet
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 88/56 by tilting
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 90/205 for flexible containers, i.e. the flexible container being permanently connected to the frame B65D77/061, B65D88/1612, B65D90/046 take precedence; unpacking of Flexible Intermediate Bulk Container [FIBC] B65B69/0075; crane hooks for frames for FIBC B66C1/226

Abstract

Container apparatus (2) for transporting and storing fluid material, comprising a flexible bag (8), a rigid frame member (10) which is attached to an upper portion of the flexible bag (8), a rigid base (12), and elongate support members (16) which are positioned outside the flexible bag (8) and which are movable from a first position in which they extend between the rigid frame member (10) and the rigid base (12), to a second position in which they allow the sides of the flexible bag (8) to collapse, and the container apparatus being characterized in that the rigid frame member (10) is provided with inboard portions (13) which are attached to the sides (9) of the flexible bag (8) thereby to draw the sides of the flexible bag substantially inboard of the rigid base and force the fluid material towards corners of the flexible bag which are formed by points of attachment of the flexible bag to corners of the rigid frame member and to create an upper portion to the flexible bag which has opposing sides which are inclined toward each other in order progressively to reduce the volume for a liner bag (6) to occupy as it is filled, and characterized in that the container apparatus is free of constraint members which extend parallel to the rigid base to constrain the sides of the flexible bag.

Claims

1. Container apparatus for transporting and storing fluid material, which container apparatus comprises a flexible bag having opposed sidewalls, corners and an upper portion with sides, a liner bag within said flexible bag, a rigid frame member which is attached to said upper portion of the flexible bag, a rigid base, and elongate support members which are positioned outside the flexible bag, the elongate support members being such that they are moveable from a first position in which they extend between the rigid frame member in the rigid base to hold the rigid frame member firm with respect to the rigid base, to a second position in which they allow the sides of the flexible bag to collapse by folding when the flexible bag does not contain the fluid material, and the container apparatus being characterized in that the rigid frame member is provided with inboard portions which are attached to the sides of the said upper portion of the flexible bag thereby to draw the sides of the flexible bag substantially inboard of the rigid base, the inboard portions having corners which are adjacent upper portions of the elongate support members when the elongate support members are in their first position so that the corners of the inboard portions of the rigid frame member cause the fluid material during filling to be forced toward the corners of the flexible bag which are attached by points of attachment of the flexible bag to the corners of the inboard portions of the rigid frame member, the inboard portions causing the upper portion of the flexible bag to have opposing sidewalls which are inclined towards each other in order progressively to reduce the perimetric area of the flexible bag as the liner bag is filled thereby to eliminate the need for manual adjustment, which would be necessary if the opposing sidewalls were parallel, of the liner bag during filling of the container apparatus with the fluid material, characterized in that the container apparatus is free of constraint members which extend parallel to the rigid base, and characterized in that the container apparatus includes a flat member which is attached to the rigid base at one extremity and which is positioned under the flexible bag and to which raising means is attached at the other extremity, the raising means being such as to move the flat member to a raised position thus inclining the base of the flexible bag to facilitate drainage.

2. Container apparatus according to claim 1 in which the rigid frame member has a four sided rectilinear part which is attached to the flexible bag.

3. Container apparatus according to claim 1 in which the flexible bag is tapered towards its base.

4. Container apparatus according to claim 1 in which the flexible bag is made of a material which cannot be seen through, and in which the flexible bag includes a sight window made from a material through which the fluid material can be seen in order to monitor the level of the fluid material in the container apparatus.

5. Container apparatus according to claim 1 in which the rigid base has a recessed portion for receiving a valve which is attached to a liner outlet gland.

7. Container apparatus according to claim 1 in which the elongate support members each comprise first and second parts, and in which the second part of each one of said elongate support members is of a smaller external dimension than a corresponding hole in the rigid base such as to allow a loose fit of the second part in the said corresponding hole when the support members are in said second position.

8. Container apparatus according to claim 1 in which the elongate support members each comprise first and second parts, and in which the first and the second parts are secured to each other in the erected condition of the container apparatus by a spring loaded lock.

6. Container apparatus for transporting and storing fluid material, which container apparatus comprises a flexible bag having opposed sidewalls, corners and an upper portion with sides, a liner bag within said flexible bag, a rigid frame member which is attached to said upper portion of the flexible bag, a rigid base, and elongate support members which are positioned outside the flexible bag, the elongate support members being such that they are moveable from a first position in which they extend between the rigid frame member and the rigid base to hold the rigid frame member firm with respect to the rigid base, to a second position which they allow the sides of the flexible bag to collapse by folding when the flexible bag does not contain the fluid material, and the container apparatus being characterized in that the rigid frame member is provided with inboard portions which are attached to the sides of the said upper portion of the flexible bag thereby to draw the sides of the flexible bag substantially inboard of the rigid base, the inboard portions having corners which are adjacent upper portions of the elongate support members when the elongate support members are in their said first position so that the corners of the inboard portions of the rigid frame member cause the fluid material during filling to be forced towards the corners of the flexible bag which are attached by points of attachment of the flexible bag to the corners of the inboard portions of the rigid frame member, the inboard portions causing the upper portion of the flexible bag to have the opposing sidewalls which are inclined towards each other in order progressively to reduce the perimetric area of the flexible bag as the liner bag is filled thereby to eliminate the need for manual adjustment, which would be necessary if the opposing sidewalls were parallel, of the liner bag during filling of the container apparatus with the fluid material, characterized in that the container apparatus is free of constraint members which extend parallel to the rigid base, and characterized in that the rigid base has a recessed portion for receiving a valve which is attached to a liner outlet gland, and the container apparatus including a bracket which permits a swivelling motion of the valve in synchronous motion with vertical movement of the flexible bag during transport.