AU2016433237A1

AU2016433237A1 - Bulk bag having self-standing loop

Info

Publication number: AU2016433237A1
Application number: AU2016433237A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Hyun Ah Lee; Hyun Jung Lee; Eun Suk Park
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2016-12-21
Filing date: 2016-12-21
Publication date: 2018-08-09
Also published as: CN109071105A; WO2018117293A1; JP2019505446A; US20210198011A1; PH12019500941A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a bulk bag having a self-standing loop. More specifically, the present invention relates to a bulk bag having a self-standing loop, wherein the bulk bag is formed of a bag-type body that has a "∩"-shaped loop formed on the outside thereof to protrude upward such that the folded loop stands up resiliently by itself when the body is un-stacked, and the loop is coupled to have a predetermined distance from the upper end of the body and has an air tube coupled to the outside thereof, the air tube having a predetermined length, wherein the loop is constituted by a hanging part having a semicircular arc shape and support parts having the shape of "1" and extending from opposite ends of the hanging part; the air tube is coupled with the hanging part and at least one support part; and the portion corresponding to the boundary between the hanging part and the support part is heat-treated so as to be bent flexibly.

Description

DESCRIPTION BULK BAG HAVING SELF-STANDING LOOPS Technical Field [0001] The present invention relates generally to a bulk bag having self-standing loops. More particularly, the present invention relates to a bulk bag having self-standing loops, wherein the loops are configured to flexibly stand upright by themselves upon unstacking of the bulk bag.

Background Art [0002] As well known in the art, a bulk bag is a large bag that is used to load and transport various types of bulk products such as fertilizers, grains, minerals, and compounds, and is also known as a flexible intermediate bulk container (FIBC), a ton bag, a big bag, a super bag, etc.

[0003] Such a bulk bag, which is currently on the market, is made from a flexible material such as fabric, etc. and is configured with loops secured to a side portion of a body thereof. The bulk bag allows a forklift operator to insert forklift forks into the loops so as to be lifted thereby.

[0004] Meanwhile, the loops are also made from fabric and thus tend to sag down or folded over on themselves.

Accordingly, it requires much manual work in order to insert or release the forklift forks into or from the loops, causing work accidents to occur often.

[0005] Thus, in an effort to solve such a problem, Korean Utility Model Application Publication No. 20-2011-0008890 (hereinafter referred to as "cited invention") disclosed "Ton bag".

[0006] As shown in FIG. 1, the cited invention is configured with a bag-shaped body 10 and multiple loop means 20 each having a lower sewing strap 22 sewn to an outside of the body 10 and an upper hook 21 protruding from a top edge of the ton bag. The loop means 20 has a flexible seam material 30 equipped in the entire length thereof so as to normally maintain its shape in an upright position.

[0007] However, in order to commercialize the cited invention, it is necessary to develop a seam material exerting sufficient elastic and restoring force. However, in view of the fact that the tone bag having existing problems is used, the flexible seam material 30 to be applied to the cited invention may not easy to develop.

[0008] In particular, the above-mentioned cited invention is characterized in that the loop means 20 having the elastic seam material 30 therein is secured to the body 10 in a manner that a portion of the loop means 20 that is in contact with the body 10 is entirely sewn to define the lower sewing strap 22. Thus, there is a problem in that when multiple cited inventions are stacked and then are unstacked, the multiple loop means 20 may not be properly erected from a folded position to an upright position.

[0009] More specifically, when the body 10, which is not fully filled with contents, is stacked with another body 10 thereon, the body 10 positioned lower is generally made from PP-cloth or a stiff fabric and thus is stacked in a manner that an upper portion of the body 10 positioned lower and a portion of the loop means 20 secured thereto are folded together inwardly. Thus, upon unstacking of the bodies, the body 10 having no elastic force may remain wrinkled and folded, and the loop means 2 0 may not be properly erected from a folded position to an upright position due to the weight of the fabric constituting the body 10 or the loop means 20.

Disclosure Technical Problem [0010] Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the related art, and an objective of the present invention is to provide a bulk bag having self-standing loops, wherein the loops are configured to flexibly stand upright by themselves from a folded position upon unstacking of the bulk bag.

Technical Solution [0011] In order to accomplish the above objective, the present invention provides a bulk bag having self-standing loops, the bulk bag being configured with a bag-shaped body having a reversed "U"-shaped loop protruding upwardly from an outside thereof, wherein the loop is coupled to the body at a position spaced downwardly apart from a top edge of the body by a predetermined distance, the loop having an air tube having a predetermined length and coupled to an outside of the loop. The loop is configured with a semicircular arc-shaped hook portion and "I"-shaped supporting portions respectively extending from opposite ends of the hook portion, and the air tube is coupled with the hook portion and an at least one supporting portion and is heat-treated and flexibly bent at a portion corresponding to a boundary point between the hook portion and the supporting portion..

Advantageous Effects [0012] According to the present invention, the air tube is coupled to the loop of the bulk bag and thus provides self-standing ability to the loop, thereby ensuring convenience and safety of work, as well as being commercially available immediately. Furthermore, the loop is coupled to the body such that the loop has a portion that extends from the top edge of the body by a predetermined distance, whereby when multiple bulk bags, which are not fully filled with contents, are stacked and then are unstacked, the loop can flexibly stand upright separately from the bulk bags that are in a folded position, leading to an improvement in efficiency of work.

Description of Drawings [0013] FIG. 1 is an example showing a structure of a bulk bag in the related art.

[0014] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a structure of a bulk bag having self-standing loops according to the present invention.

[0015] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a structure in which loops applied to the bulk bag having self-standing loops according to the present invention are coupled to a body of the bag.

[0016] FIGS. 4 to 6 are views showing a state of use of the bulk bag having self-standing loops according to the present invention.

[0017] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of an air tube applied to the bulk bag having self-standing loops according to the present invention.

[0018] FIGS. 8 to 11 are views showing an example in which the air tube is coupled to a loop applied to the bulk bag having self-standing loops according to the present invention .

[0019] FIGS. 12 and 13 are perspective views showing auxiliary loops provided on the bulk bag having selfstanding loops according to the present invention.

Mode for Invention [0020] In the present invention, there is provided a bulk bag having self-standing loops, the bulk bag being configured with a bag-shaped body having a reversed "U"-shaped loop protruding upwardly from an outside thereof and configured to flexibly stand upright by itself from a folded position upon unstacking of bodies, wherein the loop is coupled to the body at a position spaced downwardly apart from a top edge of the body by a predetermined distance, the loop having an air tube having a predetermined length and coupled to an outside of the loop. The loop is configured with a semicircular arc-shaped hook portion and "I"-shaped supporting portions respectively extending from opposite ends of the hook portion, and the air tube is coupled with the hook portion and an at least one supporting portion and is heat-treated and flexibly bent at a portion corresponding to a boundary point between the hook portion and the supporting portion..

[0021] The scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments and various changes and modifications from the spirit of the present invention defined in the following claims by those skilled in the art are also included in the scope of the present invention.

[0022] Hereinafter, a bulk bag having self-standing loops according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 13.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 2, a bulk bag having self-standing loops according to the present invention is configured with a hollow bag-shaped body 100 in which bulk products such as fertilizers, grains, minerals, compounds, etc. are loaded. The bag-shaped body 100 may have a square shape in cross section as shown in the drawings, or may have various shapes such as a circular shape, a polygonal shape, etc. in cross section. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the present invention will be described on the assumption that the bag-shaped body 100 has a square shape in cross section.

[0024] The body 100 has a reversed "U"-shaped loop protruding upwardly from an outside of the body 100, and multiple loops 200 are arranged along a side portion of the body 100. The forks of a forklift are inserted into the loops 200 protruding from the body 100 to transport the body 100. Furthermore, it is preferable that the multiple loops 200 are arranged along the side portion of the body 100 at respective positions corresponding to each other such that the body 100 is transported stably.

[0025] The loop has an air tube 300 having a predetermined length and coupled to an outside of the loop 200. The air tube 300 may have a structure capable of injecting or discharging air by a user. The air tube 300 in which the air has been injected allows the loop 200 to stand upright, so that as shown in FIG. 4, inserting the forks of a forklift into the loops 200 is achieved without requiring an operator to manually handle the bag.

[0026] In particular, in the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the loop 200 is divided into a non-fixed portion 200a that is not fixed to the body 100 and extends downwardly from the top edge thereof by a predetermined distance, and a fixed portion 200b fixed to the body 100 and extending downwardly from the non-fixed portion 200a. Herein, the air tube 300 is coupled to the outside of the loop 200 to simultaneously pass across the non-fixed portion 200a and the fixed portion 200b. Accordingly, the loop 200 can stand upright more effectively from a folded position, and it is possible to prevent the air tube 300 from being damaged in the process of using the forks of a forklift.

[0027] As an example, as shown in FIG. 5, when multiple bodies 100 that are not fully filled with contents are stacked on top of each other, a body 100 positioned lower is compressed and folded in a manner that an upper portion of the lower body 100 having no contents filled therein and non-fixed portions 200a of the loops 200 protruding upwardly from the body 100 and having air tubes 300 are compressed and folded due to the weight of a body 100 positioned thereon. When the upper body 100 is removed, the upper portion of the lower body 100 remains in a folded position, while the non-fixed portions 200a of the loops 200 are, as shown in FIG. 6, allowed to flexibly stand upright due to the air tubes 300. This eliminates inconvenience that the loops 200 coupled to the body 100 may not properly stand upright after unstacking of the bodies, thus requiring an operator to manually hook the loops over the forks of a forklift. Thus, it is possible to improve efficiency of work. Furthermore, when the multiple bodies 100 are stacked on top of each other, depending on a method of stacking the multiple bodies 100, only the non-fixed portions 200a of the loops 200 of the body 100 may be folded together with the body 100, and unlike shown in FIG. 5, the non-fixed portions 200a may be widened outwardly in a state in which all of the loops 200 are not folded but stand upright.

[0028] Meanwhile, the air tube 300 may be comprised of a single tube. However, as shown in FIG. 7, the air tube 300 may be comprised of a bundle of multiple tubes 330, thereby solving the problems that may occur in the case of the single tube. For example, in a case where the air tube 300 comprised of the single tube is coupled to the loop 200, when the air tube 300 is damaged, the loop may not be supported in position but fall down. However, in a case where the air tube 300 is comprised of a bundle of the multiple tubes 330, even when a part of the tubes 330 is damaged, remaining tubes 330 allow the loop 200 to be flexibly supported in position.

[0029] The air tube 300 may have an air injection portion 340 allowing air to be injected into the tubes 330. Although not shown in the drawings, a valve provided at each of the multiple tubes 330 communicates with the air injection portion 34 0 such that air is injected into the multiple tubes 300 through the air injection portion 340, and air pressure is adjusted to adjust a supporting force for the loop 200. Furthermore, although not shown in the drawings, the air tube 300 may have an air generating member provided therein, and the air generating member generates air due to a chemical reaction. Accordingly, the air tube 300 having no air injected thereinto is coupled to the loop 2 00, and then the air generating member is manipulated for air injection.

[0030] Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 7, the air tube 300 has a margin portion 310 integrally formed at a side thereof by extending along a longitudinal direction thereof, and the margin portion 310 is coupled with the loop 200. As shown in FIG. 8, the air tube 300 is entirely sewn to the loop 200 along the margin portion 310, whereby it is possible to suitably accommodate a change in shape depending on usage such as when the air tube 300 is folded or unfolded together with the loop 200, thereby preventing the air tube 300 from bursting or tearing, and from separating from the loop due to lack of flexibility.

[0031] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9, the margin portion 310 and the loop 200 are joined together by a zipper, so that when the air tube 300 is partially damaged, the damaged air tube 300 can be easily removed from the loop 200 for replacement. In addition, when the body 100 or the loop 200 is partially damaged, the air tube 300 that remains undamaged can be removed for recycling.

[0032] Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 9, the reversed "U"-shaped loop 200 of the present invention is configured with a semicircular arc-shaped hook portion 210 and "I"-shaped supporting portions respectively extending from opposite ends of the hook portion 210. One or multiple air tubes 300 may be coupled to the loop 200.

[0033] First, as shown in FIG. 8, in a case where one air tube 300 is coupled to one loop 200, the air tube 300 is coupled to the hook portion 210 and to at least one supporting portion 220 as shown in FIG. 9. For example, the air tube 300 is formed into a hook shape so as to be coupled to one supporting portion 220 and to the hook portion 210 including a top of the loop 2 00, whereby one air tube 300 can be used to allow both supporting portions 220 constituting one loop 200 to stand upright. Furthermore, even though the air tube 300 itself is formed into a hook shape so as to be coupled to the hook portion 210 and to at least one supporting portion 220, an "I"-shaped portion of the air tube 300 (for example, a portion corresponding to a boundary point between the supporting portion 220 and the hook portion 210) may be heat-treated and thus be flexibly bent.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 10, in a case where two air tubes 300 are coupled to one loop 200, the air tubes 300 are formed in an "I" shape and are coupled to both supporting portions 220, respectively. Accordingly, the both supporting portions 220 are allowed to stand upright, so that the hook portion 210 formed integrally with the both supporting portions 220 is also allowed to be maintained upright. This type of air tube 300 may be coupled in various ways as well as being entirely coupled to the loop 200 by the margin portion 310 as described above. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the air tube 300 is coupled to the loop 2 00 in a manner that opposite ends thereof are coupled to upper and lower portions of the loop, respectively, whereby the air tube 300 and the loop 200 can be more flexibly deformed and used.

[0035] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 11, a flexible portion 320 made of an elastic material is provided at an end of the air tube 300. In this case, the flexible portion 320 is coupled to the upper portion of the loop 200. Thus, when the bag is lifted by a forklift via the loops 200 having the air tubes 300 coupled thereto, the pressure acting on the air tubes 300 can be reduced by an elastic force of flexible portions 320.

[0036] Meanwhile, the body 100 may have at least one guide strip 110 at a portion thereof where the loop 200 is coupled thereto, the guide strip having a predetermined length and being coupled at opposite ends thereof to the body 100 so as to enclose the loop 200 and the air tube 300. In particular, the guide strip 110 may be provided at an upper side of the portion of the body where the loop 200 is coupled thereto, that is, at an upper side of the fixed portion 200b, and serves to allow the air tube 300 and the loop 200 to be firmly secured without loosening and thus enhances self-standing ability of the loop 200 obtained from the air tube 300. In addition, the guide strip 110 serves to guide an operator to fill the bag with contents to at least the portion where the guide strip is provided such that the loops 200 can most effectively stand upright from a folded position upon unstacking of the multiple bodies 100.

[0037] Meanwhile, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the body 100 may have an auxiliary loop 400 positioned inwardly of the loop 200 and coupled to the side portion of the body to protrude upwardly. The auxiliary loop 400 may have various shapes such as a circular shape as shown in FIG. 13 as well as a reversed "U" shape as shown in FIG. 12.

[0038] As an example, when the body 100 is moved, auxiliary loops 400 as shown in FIG. 12 are hooked on to the forks of a forklift together with the loops 200 having the air tubes 300 coupled thereto. In this case, it is preferable that the auxiliary loops 400 have a length sufficient to be in contact with the loops 200 when the bag is lifted by a forklift via the auxiliary loops hooked on to the forks of a forklift, such that the load can be applied to the loops 200 rather than the auxiliary loops 400.

[0039] As another example, auxiliary loops 400 as shown in FIG. 13 are attached to a silo such that the body 100 remains stationary in place. Generally, contents to be loaded into the body 100 are temporarily accommodated in a silo and then are loaded into the body 100. The loops 200 applicable to the present invention are coupled to the body 100 at positions spaced downwardly apart from the top edge of the body by a predetermined distance, so that the top edge of the body 100 having no loops 200 coupled thereto are likely to be folded during a content loading operation.

Thus, the auxiliary loops 400 are attached to the silo whereby an opening of the body 100 is maintained in a most open state during the content loading operation.

[0040] description of the Reference Numerals in the

Drawings> [0041] 100: body 110: guide strip [0042] 200: loop 200a: non-fixed portion [0043] 200b: fixed portion 210: hook portion [0044] 220: supporting portion 300: air tube [0045] 310: margin portion 320: flexible portion [0046] 330: tube 340: air injection portion [0047] 4 00: auxiliary loop

Claims

1. A bulk bag having self-standing loops, the bulk bag comprising: a bag-shaped body 100 having a reversed "U"-shaped loop (200) protruding upwardly from an outside of the body, the loop (200) being coupled to the body (100) at a position spaced downwardly apart from a top edge of the body by a predetermined distance, the loop having an air tube (300) having a predetermined length and coupled to an outside of the loop, wherein the loop (200) is configured with a semicircular arc-shaped hook portion (210) and "I"-shaped supporting portions (220) respectively extending from opposite ends of the hook portion (210), and the air tube (300) is coupled with the hook portion (210) and an at least one supporting portion (220) and is heat-treated and flexibly bent at a portion corresponding to a boundary point between the hook portion (210) and the supporting portion (220).

2. The bulk bag of claim 1, wherein the air tube (300) has a margin portion (310) formed at a side thereof by extending along a longitudinal direction of the air tube, such that the margin portion (310) and the loop (200) are coupled to each other.

3. The bulk bag of claim 2, wherein the margin portion (310) and the loop (200) are coupled to each other by a zipper to allow replacement or recycling of the air tube (300) .

4. The bulk bag of claim 1, wherein the loop (200) is divided into a non-fixed portion (200a) that is not fixed to the body (100) and extends downwardly from the top edge of the body by the predetermined distance, and a fixed portion (200b) fixed to the body (100) and extending downwardly from the non-fixed portion (200a), and the air tube (300) is coupled to the outside of the loop (200) to simultaneously pass across the non-fixed portion (200a) and the fixed portion (200b).

5. The bulk bag of claim 1, wherein the loop (200) is configured with the semicircular arc-shaped hook portion (210) and the "I"-shaped supporting portions (220) respectively extending from the opposite ends of the hook portion (210), and the air tube (300) is coupled to each of the supporting portions (22).

6. The bulk bag of claim 4, wherein the body (100) has a guide strip (110) at a portion thereof that corresponds to an upper side of the fixed portion (2 00b) , the guide strip having a predetermined length and being coupled at opposite ends thereof to the body (100) so as to enclose the loop (22) and the air tube (300).

7. The bulk bag of claim 1, wherein the body (100) has an auxiliary loop (400) positioned inwardly of the loop (200) and coupled to a side portion of the body to protrude upwardly.

8. The bulk bag of claim 1, wherein the air tube (300) is comprised of a bundle of multiple tubes (330) such that even when a part of the tubes (330) is damaged, a supporting force acting on the loop (200) is maintained.