EP3771660A1

EP3771660A1 - Convertible container for in bulk or non-bulk goods transportation

Info

Publication number: EP3771660A1
Application number: EP20188227.1A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Lauro Mariani
Original assignee: Sarl Maritime Trading Co
Current assignee: Sarl Maritime Trading Co
Priority date: 2019-07-30
Filing date: 2020-07-28
Publication date: 2021-02-03
Also published as: IT201900013338A1

Abstract

A container (1) for the transportation of in bulk and non-bulk goods, comprising a self-supporting casing (2) delimited by a floor (3), a ceiling (4), respective lateral walls (5, 6, 7) and by a rotating door (8), containing a foldable and flexible bag (10), a loading pipe (12) and an unloading pipe (14) for loading and unloading bulk goods (13) inside/from inside the bag, the loading pipe (12) being arranged adjacent to the ceiling (3), the unloading pipe (14) being connected integral with the bag (10) at a bottom portion (15) of the bag facing the floor (3) of the casing; first tie rods (16) connect a lateral wall (18) of the bag to a traction device (19) configured to hold the bag, when empty, in a first configuration, wherein the bag (10) is arranged with the unloading pipe (14) integral thereto against the floor of the casing forming a funnel (21) with the bottom portion thereof; means (38) being provided for winding the empty bag in a second configuration against the ceiling (3) of the casing.

Description

Cross-reference to Related Applications

This patent application claims priority from Italian patent application no. 102019000013338 filed on July 30, 2019 .

Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a convertible container for the transportation of mixed goods, which can transport efficiently both so-called "bulk" goods, such as grains, cereals, polymer granules, etc., and any other type of goods.

Prior art

It is known that bulk goods are mainly transported without the use of containers. In particular, the transportation of cereals takes place mainly by sea, in almost all cases by means of bulk cargo ships. These ships have a capacity of several thousand tons, approximately 10,000 to 100,000 tons. Subsequently, or for short distances, the transportation takes place by land, by means of road vehicles with cargo beds of about 30-50 tn c/u, or by rail, with similar cargo beds.
The most common logistic process includes:

The existence at the producer of the goods of silos for the temporary storage of the harvest while waiting for the road vehicles for delivery to the collection points (port or railway hubs);
collection from the silos with road carrier (approx. 30 tn). For a Panamax ship of 60,000 tons, 2000 road haulages are necessary;
The carrier transfers the goods to railway silos or to port silos;
The goods are collected from the port silos and loaded onto the ship;

These operations are repeated in reverse when the ship arrives at its destination and then the ship generally returns empty.
This transport system involves complex logistics for the various steps and operations involved, a high operating cost due to the considerable handling of the goods in the transfer to and from the various silos, the cargo beds of the road or rail vehicles, the ship holds, etc., a handling that in some cases can also affect the quality of the goods, and a high management cost.
Added to this is the fact that the vehicles used are expensive due to their specialization, which does not make them suitable for other uses, the fact that also for this reason the return journey is empty, and the fact that the means of transport described have a reduced annual use, as they are intended for the transportation of seasonal goods.
Furthermore, transportation time is long, due to all the loading and unloading operations involved.
Finally, due to the storage in large silos, even at high temperatures and the mixing of goods with different origins, a qualitative and biological deterioration, or losses, of the goods can occur, as already mentioned, with consequent economic damage.
It is also known that cereals are transported by means of specialised containers. This system uses cylindrical containers of such dimensions as to remain enclosed in a structure with the dimensions of standard containers, in order to be handled and transported in the same way.
These containers are used only marginally and in very special cases, as they are affected by:

a high construction cost;
their own specialisation, as they are suitable only for the transportation of few types of products, and therefore with unidirectional flows;
the obligation of an empty return trip;
usefulness for a short period during the year because intended for seasonal goods.

Therefore, for all these reasons, the existing specialized containers are used exclusively for land and not sea freight.
Finally, it should be noted that, although small silos consisting of bags are in use, they do not appear to be suitable for the transport of cereals by means of containers, due to the large unused space occupied by the bulky discharge cone and are likely to anyway suffer from the same drawbacks of the specialised containers.

Summary of the Invention

The object of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks of the state of the art by providing a convertible container suitable for transporting in bulk cereal food products or flours, but which is at the same time fully comparable to, and usable as, a standard container, suitable for transporting non-bulk goods, such as boxes, machinery, etc.
According to the invention, therefore, a convertible container is provided having the features set out in the appended claims.
The proposed solution allows extending to the transportation of cereal products the economic and logistic benefits offered by traditional containers, namely:

indistinct use of the containers for cereals and other non-bulk goods, normally transported by traditional (standard) containers;
strong reduction of costs and time of the logistic process;

use of the container throughout the whole year, eliminating or significantly reducing the periods of empty return trips and of inactivity due to the seasonality of the product;
protection of the transported products from deterioration;
maintaining of the original qualitative differentiation of transported products, thanks to their fractioning on limited volumes.

Furthermore, it is possible with a low adaptation cost to make also existing traditional containers convertible according to the invention.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of a non-limiting embodiment thereof, provided with reference to the figures of the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 schematically illustrates a rear three-quarter and top perspective view of a convertible container according to the invention, with parts removed for a better understanding, during a filling step thereof;
Figure 2 schematically illustrates the same view of Figure 1 of the convertible container of the invention in a full load configuration;

Figure 3 schematically illustrates a cross-sectional front elevation view of the container of Figures 1 and 2 while it is in a use configuration for bulk goods;
Figures 4 to 7 schematically illustrate the same front elevation and cross-sectional view of Figure 3 during subsequent loading and unloading steps of bulk goods inside/from inside the same; and
Figure 8 schematically illustrates the same front elevation and cross-sectional view of Figure 3 of the container of the invention, in a different configuration of use.

Detailed Description

With reference to Figures 1 to 3, reference numeral 1 indicates a container for the transportation of in bulk and non-bulk goods, comprising a self-supporting substantially rigid casing 2 delimited by a floor 3, a ceiling 4 and respective lateral walls 5, 6, 7, and by a rotating door 8 arranged at a first longitudinal end 9 of the casing 2. The rotating door 8 is of a known type, generally with two leaves, of which only one is illustrated for simplicity in Figures 1 and 2.
According to a first aspect of the invention, the container 1 further comprises at least one foldable and flexible bag 10 mounted inside of the casing 2.
The bag 10 has a volume such as to occupy, in an expanded configuration (Figure 2), a space in height substantially equal to a distance in height between the floor 3 and the ceiling 4 of the casing 2.
Preferably, the casing 2 and the bag 10 have a substantially parallelepiped shape, the bag 10 is fixed hung from the ceiling 4 by an upper portion 11 thereof in any suitable way and not shown for simplicity and the bag 10 has, in the expanded configuration, an external volume substantially equal to or slightly less than the internal volume of the casing 2, for example it has a longitudinal extension just below that of the casing 2, so as to leave free a part of the interior of the end 9 of the casing 2, proximal to the door 8. The shape of the bag 10 is also such that, when it is in an expanded configuration (for example it is full) it almost completely assumes, as will be seen, the shape of the casing 2.
The casing 2 is made of a corrugated metal welded and/or bolted sheet, in a known manner.
The container 1 also comprises at least one loading/supplying pipe 12 for loading bulk goods 13 (Figures 4, 5) inside the bag 10 itself.
The loading pipe 12 is arranged immediately adjacent to the ceiling 4, between the latter and the bag 10, for example fixed integral with the ceiling 4 in any convenient manner and is connected hydraulically with the interior of the bag 10.
The container 1 further comprises at least one unloading pipe 14 for unloading bulk goods 13 from inside of the bag 10.
The unloading pipe 14 is connected integral with the bag 10 at a bottom portion 15 of the bag 10 facing the floor 3 of the casing 2 and is also hydraulically connected with the inside of the bag 10, which, apart from the connections with the pipes 12 and 14, is generally a closed element, or open only at the top, i.e. towards the ceiling 4, at the upper portion 11, which in this case delimits only the perimeter thereof.
The bag 10 is made with known materials and technologies but suitably adapted for the specific use. For example, a fabric suitable for food transport is selected in compliance with international regulations.
For example, in a possible preferred embodiment, the fabric is of the TREVIRA® type, for example it is made of a polyethylene glycol terephthalate or equivalent, which is very resistant to loads and which allows the appropriate transpiration necessary for the in bulk goods 13 transported when this consists of cereals, as in the preferred embodiment.
It is clear that, according to possible variants not illustrated for simplicity, instead of having a single bag 10, it is possible to house two or more smaller bags in the casing 2. What will be said with reference to bag 10 applies identically to such possible variants.
The container 1 further comprises a plurality of first tie rods 16 connected integral with a lateral wall 18 of the bag 10, at an upper portion 11 of the bag 10 itself, opposite to the bottom portion 15.
The container 1 further comprises a traction device 19 connected to the first tie rods 16 and configured to normally hold the bag 10, when the bag 10 is empty, in a first configuration, partially packaged, schematically illustrated in Figure 3.
In such first partially packaged configuration, the bag 10 is partially folded in on itself.
The partial folding of the bag 10 is schematised purely by way of non-limiting example and without the pretense of likeliness in Figure 3, where the lateral wall 18 of the bag 10, shown only in its part adjacent to the wall 5, forms folds 20, schematically illustrated only in Figure 3 for simplicity.
In the first partially packaged configuration of the bag 10, the unloading pipe 14, integral with it, is arranged against the floor 3 of the casing 2.
In this first configuration of the bag 10, moreover, the bag 10 itself forms with the bottom portion 15 thereof a funnel 21 (Figure 3) delimited towards the lateral walls 5, 6 by a slanted surface or plane 22 (Figure 3).
The traction device 19 and the bag 10 are configured so that the slanted surface 22 of the funnel 21, in the first configuration illustrated in Figure 3, has an angle greater than the sliding angle of the in bulk goods 13 to be transported, an angle which depends on the chemical-physical nature of the goods 13 and therefore varies with the type of goods 13 to be transported, but which is known in the literature, for each type of goods 13.
According to an aspect of the invention, the container 1 further comprises second tie rods 23 integral with a bottom wall 24 of the bag 10, delimiting the bottom portion 15 of the bag 10 towards the floor 3 of the casing 2. The tie rods 23 can be arranged outside the bag 10, at the end 9 of the casing 2 and at an opposite longitudinal end 25 thereof (Figures 1 and 2), as shown in a non-limiting manner and only schematically, or also be, in the event of the presence of more than two tie rods 23 for each end 9,25, because for example the tie rods 23 are distributed along the length of the casing 2, partially housed within the bag 10, for example passing through it, for example fluid-tight or at least dust-tight.
In any case, the second tie rods 23 are also connected to the traction device 19, which is configured to apply tension to the second tie rods 23 before to the first tie rods 16 and as a consequence of a process of emptying the bag 10 of the in bulk goods 13, as will be seen, so as to raise at least part of the bottom wall 24 of the bag 10 with respect to the floor 3 of the casing 2.
The second tie rods 23 are fixed to the bottom wall 24 of the bag 10 in an intermediate position comprised between the first tie rods 16 and the unloading pipe 14.
The first tie rods 16 are/can be in a large number, greater than that formed by a pair of tie rods 16 arranged at each end 9, 25. In this case, they are arranged at the respective opposite lateral walls 5, 6 of the casing 2 which delimit the sides thereof, longitudinally in sequence and spaced apart from each other along the entire longitudinal extension of the bag 10, parallel to the opposite lateral walls 5, 6, as schematically illustrated in Figure 1.
According to an aspect of the invention, the traction device 19 comprises means for countering the weight of the bag 10 and of the bulk goods 13, connected to the first and second tie rods 16, 23 and configured to hold the bag 10 in said first configuration when the bag 10 is empty and in the expanded configuration (Figure 2) when the bag 10 is full.
In the preferred but non-limiting embodiment illustrated, such means for countering the weight of the bag 10 and of the bulk goods 13 consist of first counterweights 26 constrained to the first tie rods 16 and of second counterweights 27 constrained to the second tie rods 23.
The counterweights 26, 27 are housed slidingly within respective guides 28, illustrated only schematically and only in Figure 3, integral with the opposite lateral walls 5, 6 of the casing 2.
For example, according to a preferred but non-limiting embodiment, the guides 28 are arranged inside respective interspaces 29 (Figure 3) delimited by the lateral walls 5, 6 of the casing 2, or on an inner face 30 (Figure 4) of the same facing towards the loading pipes 12 and the unloading pipes 14, according to configurations that are apparent to the person skilled in the art and therefore not illustrated in detail for simplicity.
More in general, the means for countering the weight of the bag 10 and of the bulk goods 13 are constrained integral with the first and the second tie rods 16, 23 and are selected from the group consisting of: counterweights, such as the counterweights 26, 27 of the preferred embodiment; preloaded hydraulic or pneumatic mechanical springs, pneumatic or electrical hydraulic actuators housed inside the casing 2; a mechanical transmission gear 31 (figure 2) illustrated only schematically with a block, connected with the first and second tie rods 16, 23 and connectable via a power take-off 32 to a motor 33 outside of the casing 2.
Obviously, the traction device 19 also includes everything needed to operate the tie rods 16 and 23 and manipulate and shape the bag 10, such as pulleys 34 (Figures 1 and 2), return pulleys, etc., whose structure and arrangement are apparent to those skilled in the art and therefore are not illustrated in detail for simplicity.
At least the first tie rods 16 are arranged at the respective opposite lateral walls 5, 6 of the casing, as schematically illustrated in Figures 1 to 7, and the traction device 19 is configured to allow the bag 10, when full, to assume the expanded configuration (Figure 2), in which the bottom wall 24 of the bag 10 rests against the floor 3 of the casing 2, together with the pipe 14, integral with the bottom portion 15 of the bag 10, precisely at the bottom wall 24.
In the non-limiting but preferred embodiment illustrated, the loading pipe 12 and the unloading pipe 14 are arranged facing the rotating door 8 and are provided, towards the rotating door 8, with respective connection inlets 35 to loading 36 and reception 37 means outside of the casing 2 (Figure 1), illustrated only schematically.
It is clear that according to possible variants not illustrated, for example in the case of the presence of two or more smaller bags 10, instead of a single bag 10, there can be more unloading pipes, for example connected to lateral openings realised on the walls 5, 6, and more loading pipes, for example connected to loading ports realised through the ceiling 4.
Finally, the container 1 comprises means 38 (Figure 8) for winding the bag 10, when it is in the first configuration, partially packaged in Figure 3, in a second configuration, completely packaged, illustrated in Figure 8, in which the bag 10 is completely folded in on itself and is arranged together with the unloading pipe 14 integral thereto against the ceiling 4 of the casing 2. The means 38 can be of any type, for example they can consist of tie rods (not shown) connected to the pipe 14, which allow the bag 10 to be lifted, making it pass from the configuration of Figure 3 to that of Figure 8 and block it in the latter configuration.
Under these conditions, most of the internal space of the casing 2 remains free and can be used to house boxed goods 39 or bulk goods, such as machinery, introduced and then extracted thanks to the rotating door 8.
The bag 10, when empty, assumes the shape shown in Figure 3, with the bottom wall 24 slanted with an angle greater than the sliding angle of the bulk goods 13 and held in position by external mechanisms consisting of the tie rods 16, 23, the traction device 19 and, in the example given by way of example only, of the counterweights 26, 27 arranged in their lowest position.
When the loading of the bulk goods 13 through the pipe 12 begins, it begins to accumulate in the center of the lower portion 15 of the bag 10 (Figure 4).
As the filling progresses, the bottom portion 15 of the bag 10 deforms, the bag 10 stretches and fills the lower space of the casing 2 and the counterweights 26 and 27 begin to move upwards (Figure 5), until they move to a position of maximum elevation.
In the subsequent unloading step, once the inlet of the pipe 14 is opened, the natural emptying of the in bulk goods 13 begins by gravity, which stops when the lower heap reaches the natural sliding angle. Angle that for food products such as cereals is between 25° and 30°. Therefore, a quantity of material that must be unloaded remains. During this step, the counterweights 27 are activated raising part of the bottom wall 24, shaping the bottom portion 15 of the bag 10 (Figure 6) according to the imbalance of the forces involved (weight of the goods 13 residual in the bag 10 and weight of the counterweights 27 and 26). In the illustrated example, the counterweights 27 first and then also the counterweights 26 begin to descend and lift the bottom wall 24 of the bag 10, thus making the granular material or goods 13 pass the sliding angle and allowing the unloading to continue (Figure 7) until the bag 10 is completely empty.
Once the emptying is complete, if the container 1 is no longer to be used for the transport of cereals or other bulk goods 13, the bag 10 and the loading pipe 12 and unloading pipe 14 are wound on the ceiling 4, thanks to the fact that the pipes 12 and 14 are housed laterally offset from each other, so that when the bag 10 is packaged they lie side by side.
According to a possible variant, the bag 10 and the pipes 12, 14 can be wound against one of the lateral walls 5, 6, by sliding, for example on suitable transverse guides, not illustrated for simplicity.
In this way the container 1 can be used for the transport of other types of goods 39 (Figure 8), thus extending its use to the whole year and also during the return trips. All the objects of the invention are achieved.

Claims

A container (1) for the transportation of in bulk (13) and non-bulk (39) goods, comprising a self-supporting substantially rigid casing (2) delimited by a floor (3), a ceiling (4), respective lateral walls (5, 6, 7) and by a rotating door (8) arranged at a first longitudinal end (9) of the casing; characterised in that the container further comprises, in combination:
a)- at least a foldable and flexible bag (10) mounted inside of the casing, the bag having a volume such as to occupy, in an expanded configuration, a space, the height of which is substantially equal to a distance in height between floor and ceiling of the casing;

b)- at least a loading pipe (12) for loading bulk goods (13) inside the at least a bag (10), the loading pipe being arranged adjacent to the ceiling (4), between the latter and the bag;

c)- at least an unloading pipe (14) for unloading bulk goods (13) from inside of the at least a bag, the unloading pipe being connected integral with the bag (10) at a bottom portion (15) of the bag facing the floor (3) of the casing;

d)- first tie rods (16) connected integral with a lateral wall (18) of the bag, at an upper portion (11) of the bag, opposite to said bottom portion (15); and

e)- a traction device (19) connected to the first tie rods (16) and configured to normally hold the bag (10), when empty, in a first configuration, partially packaged, wherein the bag is partially folded in on itself and is arranged with the unloading pipe (14) integral thereto against the floor (3) of the casing and to form, with the bottom portion (15) thereof, a funnel (21) delimited towards the lateral walls by a slanted surface.
The container according to Claim 1, characterised in that it comprises second tie rods (23) integral with a bottom wall (24) of the bag, delimiting said bottom portion (15) of the bag towards the floor (3) of the casing (2); said second tie rods (23) being connected to said traction device (19) which is configured to apply traction onto the second tie rods (23) before applying onto the first tie rods (16) as a result of emptying the bag, so as to lift at least part of the bottom wall (24) of the bag with respect to the floor of the casing.
The container according to Claim 2, characterised in that the second tie rods (23) are fixed to the bottom wall (24) of the bag in an intermediate position comprised between the first tie rods (16) and the unloading pipe (14).
The container according to Claim 2 or 3, characterised in that said first tie rods (16) are arranged at respective opposite lateral walls (5, 6) of the casing, longitudinally in sequence and spaced apart from one another along an entire longitudinal development of the bag (10), parallel to said opposite lateral walls.
The container according to one of the claims from 2 to 4, characterised in that said traction device (19) comprises means for countering the weight of the bag and of the bulk goods, connected to the first and second tie rods (16, 23) and configured to hold the bag in the first configuration when the bag is empty and in the expanded configuration when the bag is full.
The container according to Claim 5, characterised in that said means for countering the weight of the bag and of the bulk goods of said traction device (19) consist of first counterweights (26) constrained to the first tie rods (16) and second counterweights (27) constrained to the second tie rods (23); the first and the second counterweights being housed slidingly within respective guides (28) integral with opposite lateral walls (5, 6) of the casing arranged inside respective interspaces (29) delimited by lateral walls (5, 6) of the casing or on an inner face (30) of the same facing towards the loading and unloading pipes.
The container according to Claim 5, characterised in that said means for countering the weight of the bag and of the bulk goods are constrained integral with the first and the second tie rods (16, 23) and are selected from the group consisting of: counterweights (26, 27), hydraulic or pneumatic mechanical springs, pneumatic or electrical hydraulic actuators housed inside the casing; a mechanical transmission gear (31) connected with the first and the second tie rods (16, 23) and connectable via a power take-off (32) to a motor (33) outside of the casing.
The container according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the casing (2) and the bag (10) have a substantially parallelepiped shape, the bag (10) being hung from the ceiling and at least the first tie rods (16) being arranged at respective opposite lateral walls (5, 6) of the casing; the traction device (19) being configured to allow the bag (10), when full, to assume the expanded configuration, in which the bottom wall (24) of the bag rests against the floor (3) of the casing.
The container according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said loading pipe (12) and said unloading pipe (14) are arranged facing the rotating door (8) and are provided, towards the rotating door, with respective connection inlets (35) to loading and reception means (36, 37) outside of the casing.
The container according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it comprises means (38) for winding the bag (10) in a second configuration, packaged, wherein the bag is folded in on itself and is arranged, together with the unloading pipe (14) integral thereto, against the ceiling (4) of the casing.