GB2241219A

GB2241219A - Bags

Info

Publication number: GB2241219A
Application number: GB9003953A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mark Andrew Nattrass
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1990-02-21
Filing date: 1990-02-21
Publication date: 1991-08-28
Also published as: GB9003953D0

Abstract

A flexible container e.g. a bulk bag for particulate material such as dry, flowable chemicals, is provided having at least one outstanding wall 10, of flexible material, at least the upper portion of the wall being initially of at least double thickness, like an inverted U, the upper edge of the inverted U then being tucked back into the wall to provide a part of at least quadruple thickness, defining a V-shape slot 19, at least one other item 20 such as a strap, handle or the edge of a cover, being tucked into a slot and secured therein. <IMAGE>

Description

CONTAINERS The invention relates to containers and particularly, although not exclusively, to flexible intermediate bulk containers.

Flexible intermediate bulk containers of various types are well known, and they generally comprise a flexible body part, to which may be attached other items such as lifting straps, lifting handles, covers and the like. Various means of attaching the straps, handles, covers and the like are known, one example being shown in U.S. Patent No. 4,646,357, but I have developed a stronger and more versatile means.

Accordingly, the invention provides a flexible container having at least one outstanding wall, of flexible material, at least the upper portion of the wall being initially of at least double thickness, like an inverted U, the upper edge of the inverted U then being tucked back into the wall to provide a part of at least quadruple thickness, defining a V shaped slot, at least one other item such as a strap, handle or the edge of a cover, being tucked into the slot and secured therein.

The double thickness portion may comprise a hem in the upper region of the wall.

Alternatively, the entire wall may be of double thickness.

The container may, for example, have four walls, each with a V-shaped slot so that there is a V-shaped slot extending around the entire upper perimeter of the container.

Two opposite walls and a base of the container may be formed from a single piece of flexible material, the other two walls being formed from separate pieces of material.

Alternatively, all four walls may be formed from a single piece of material, there being a separate base.

The single piece of material may comprise a tube of material.

Alternatively, the single piece of material may comprise an elongate piece of material joined at its ends.

The material may be woven material, for example woven polypropylene. The warp and weft may comprise polypropylene tape.

At least parts of the material may be reinforced, for example in regions subject to greatest strain, and the reinforcement may be provided by increasing or cramming the number of tapes or ends during weaving.

Preferably the said other item is secured in the V-shaped slot by stitching.

The container may have a cover, the entire periphery of the cover being tucked into a peripheral Vshaped slot at the mouth of the container.

Alternative the periphery of the cover may be attached to one of the legs of the V.

There may be four lifting straps or handles, at four corners of the container, each end of each strap or handle being tucked into a V-shaped slot.

Each strap or handle may comprise a length of webbing extending from one side of the container diagonally across a corner to an adjacent side of the container.

The container may comprise a flexible intermediate bulk container.

By way of example, some specific embodiments of the invention will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which : Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of flexible container according to the invention; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view on A-A of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, but showing an alternative construction; Figure 4 shows an earlier stage in the construction of the Figure 3 embodiment; Figure 5 is a perspective view of one corner of the Figure 3 embodiment; and Figures 6 and 7 are perspective views of further embodiments of container according to the invention.

Flexible intermediate bulk containers are containers of flexible material which are used for the transportation of particulate material, for example, dry, flowable chemicals. The containers generally comprise upstanding walls, a base and handles or straps for lifting or transporting the container. There is frequently a top cover and the base and/or the top may have inlets and outlets, for example in the form of tubes or spouts.

Figure 1 shows an embodiment of flexible intermediate bulk container according to the invention, which is generally square. The container has four side walls, two which can be seen at 10 and 11, a base 12 (see Figure 2), a top 13 having a spout 14, and four lifting straps 15.

The four walls are provided by a length of circular woven polypropylene which is stitched to the base 12 and top 13. The base 12 and top 13 thus provide the container with its square shape. The base 12 is stitched to the walls by conventional stitching 16, but the top 13 and lifting straps 15 are attached in a special manner according to the invention.

The upper region of the walls is provided with a double thickness hem 17 by turning over a portion of the wall material and stitching it at 18. As with all stitching described in this specification, there may be single, double or even more rows of stitching, the number of rows, and the strength of the sewing twine being selected according to the loads to be carried by a particular container.

The stitching at 18 can either be through a simple double thickness as shown in Figure 2, or alternatively the stitching can be formed through a triple thickness as shown in the alternative embodiment of Figures 3 to 5, the triple thickness being provided by turning in the free edge of the material as clearly shown in Figures 3 and 4.

It will be seen from Figure 4 that the hem initially presents a double thickness top to the mouth of the container which is like an inverted U. The edge of this U is then tucked back into the wall to provide a part of quadruple thickness, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, and defining a V-shaped slot 19.

The lifting straps 15 each comprise an elongate piece of woven polypropylene webbing. Each end 20 of the webbing is tucked into the slot 19 as shown in Figures 2 and 3, and is then secured in position by the desired number of rows of stitching, using sewing twine of the desired strength.

As seen in Figure 1, each strap 15 extends from an anchorage point on one of the walls diagonally across one of the corners of the container, to a second anchorage point on an adjacent wall.

In the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 5, the edges of the top 13 are stitched to one side of the material forming the inner edge of the V-shaped slot, as best shown in Figure 2. However, the edges of the top may, in a preferred construction, be themselves tucked into the V-shaped slot 19.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, longitudinal regions 22, of the walls, which take most of the strain when the filled container is hanging from the straps 15, may be reinforced by so-called piggy back reinforcement, in which the number of tapes is increased in those areas during weaving.

It will be seen that the tucking in of the hem, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, produces a configuration which can perhaps best be described as an M-shaped configuration.

Although the hem 17 is shown as extending for only a small proportion of the walls 10 and 11, the stitching 18 can in fact be positioned at any desired height, and it may be at the bottom of the wall if desired, so that each entire wall is of double thickness.

It is preferred that the distance from the bottom 23 of the v (see Figure 5) to the lower edge 24 of the hem is of a significant distance. The distance is preferably more than one centimetre, and may, in a typical case be five centimetres.

In the alternative embodiment shown in Figure 6, the walls are provided not from tubular woven material but from an elongate length of woven material generally referred to as flat bed woven cloth, the ends of the length of woven material being joined together to provide an upwardly extending seam, which can be seen at 25 on wall 11.

In a further embodiment shown in Figure 7, one length of continuous flat bed material is formed into a U to provide wall 10, the base, and the opposite wall to wall 10. The wall 11 and its opposite wall, are provided by separate square panels sewn to the other piece of material.

The position of the corners may be marked if desired, for example by weaving in a corner marker, as shown at 26 in Figure 5.

Where an upwardly extending seam 25 is provided, the seam need not be in the middle of wall 11 as shown.

The seam may, for example, be positioned at a corner.

The containers may have differing shapes, and a rectangular container may, for example, be provided, instead of a square container.

The embodiments of container shown are particularly cost effective, since they can be manufactured with considerable ease and speed.

The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with or previous to this specification and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference.

All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.

Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s). The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

Claims

1. A flexible container having at least one outstanding wall, of flexible material, at least the upper portion of the wall being initially of at least double thickness, like an inverted U, the upper edge of the inverted U then being tucked back into the wall to provide a part of at least quadruple thickness, defining a V shaped slot, at least one other item such as a strap, handle or the edge of a cover, being tucked into the slot and secured therein.

2. A container as claimed in Claim 1, in which the double thickness portion comprises a hem in the upper region of the wall.

3. A container as claimed in Claim 1, in which the entire wall is of double thickness.

4. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, having four walls, each with a V-shaped slot so that there is a V-shaped slot extending around the entire upper perimeter of the container.

5. A container as claimed in Claim 4, in which two opposite walls and a base of the container are formed from a single piece of flexible material, the other two walls being formed from separate pieces of material.

6. A container as claimed in Claim 4, in which all four walls are formed from a single piece of material, there being a separate base.

7. A container as claimed in Claim 6, in which the single piece of material comprises a tube of material.

8. A container as claimed in Claim 6, in which the single piece of material comprises an elongate piece of material joined at its ends.

9. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, in which the material is woven material.

10. A container as claimed in Claim 9, in which the material is woven polypropylene.

11. A container as claimed in Claim 10, in which the warp end weft comprises polypropylene tape.

12. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, in which at least parts of the material are reinforced.

13. A container as claimed in Claim 12, in which reinforcement is provided by increasing or cramming the number of tapes or ends during a wearing process.

14. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, in which the said other item is secured in the V-shaped slot by stitching.

15. A container as claimed in any of the preceding Claims, in which the container has a cover, the entire periphery of the cover being tucked into a peripheral V-shaped slot at the mouth of the container.

16. A container as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 14, in which the container has a cover, the cover being attached to one of the legs of the V.

17. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, having four lifting straps or handles, at four corners of the container, each end of each strap or handle being tucked into a V-shaped slot.

18. A container as claimed in Claim 17, in which each strap or handle comprises a length of webbing extending from one side of the container diagonally across a corner to an adjacent side of the container.

19. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, comprising a flexible intermediate bulk container.

20. A container constructed and arranged substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 and 2, or Figures 3 to 5 or Figure 6, or Figure 7 of the accompanying drawings.