JP2018057514A - Flexible container for transporting liquid and washing method of flexible container - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a flexible container which can prevent a load from being applied excessively on an upper stop part or the like while an air-tight, water-proof slide fastener is at least partially opened.SOLUTION: This invention relates to a flexible container (1) for transporting a liquid in which an air-tight, water-proof slide fastener (40) is attached. The slide fastener (40) includes: a pair of fastener stringers (41, 41) respectively having element rows (43) on facing edge parts (42a); a slider (50) moving between the pair of the fastener stringers (41, 41) in one direction or the other for opening and closing; a lower stop part (70) for limiting the movement of the slider (50) in the one direction; and an upper stop part (60) for limiting the movement of the slider (50) to the other direction. A separation limiting member (80) for limiting the separation between the pair of the fastener stringers (41, 41) is provided in the vicinity of the upper stop part (60). The separation limiting member (80) can be provided in the vicinity of the lower stop part (70).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a flexible container for transporting liquid and a method for cleaning the flexible container, and more particularly to a flexible container for transporting liquid to which an airtight and waterproof slide fastener is attached, and a cleaning method thereof.

  For example, when transporting liquids such as milk, water, fruit / vegetable juice, edible oil, etc., in the past, the liquid was stored and transported in a liquid transport vehicle equipped with a tank on the outbound route, while the tank was empty on the return route. Often inefficient. As a technique for improving this point, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-72176 (Patent Document 1) discloses a foldable flexible container. By loading this flexible container on a vehicle such as a truck, the liquid is stored in the flexible container on the forward path and transported to the destination, and on the return path, the flexible container is folded and loaded with a load other than liquid. Can be transported.

  The flexible container as described above can be used repeatedly by washing after use. However, particularly when the liquid to be transported is drinkable, a high degree of washing treatment is required. An example of such a cleaning method is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 4063456 (Patent Document 2). In the flexible containers of Patent Documents 1 and 2, an airtight waterproof slide fastener is attached to the side surface of the container, and by opening the slide fastener, the inner surface of the flexible container is cleaned, sterilized, and disinfected. The drying process can be performed smoothly. Such an airtight waterproof fastener is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 62-181206 (Patent Document 3) and Japanese Patent No. 4119234 (Patent Document 4), and is a slide fastener used for general clothing and the like. It is more expensive than

  In the above-described flexible container with a slide fastener, when the slide fastener is partially or completely opened, when performing cleaning, moving, folding work, etc., in the vicinity of the upper and lower ends of the slide fastener. When the distance between the pair of fastener stringers is widened, the fastener stringer is pulled due to the weight of the flexible container itself, and a load is applied to the upper stopper and the lower stopper. If such a load continuously acts on the top stopper or bottom stopper, for example, the resin molded part of the top stopper or bottom stopper may crack, or the top stopper or bottom of the airtight waterproof slide fastener. Airtight waterproofness may be lost due to peeling of a backing material (for example, reference numeral 18 in Patent Document 3) generally welded to the stopper and its vicinity. In this case, the flexible container cannot be used.

  In addition, when the flexible container is intended for transporting beverages such as milk, the beverage may intrude into the details between the elements of the airtight waterproof slide fastener attached to the flexible container and remain slightly. I know. In order to completely remove the liquid remaining in the details of such a slide fastener, a gap between a pair of fastener stringers of the opened slide fastener is opened wide to clean the elements and the like. At this time, as described above, the space between the pair of fastener stringers is excessively widened, and a load is applied to the upper stopper and the lower stopper.

JP 2001-72176 A Japanese Patent No. 4063456 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 62-181206 Japanese Patent No. 4119234

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to prevent an excessive load from being applied to the top stopper or the like in a state where the airtight and waterproof slide fastener is at least partially opened. It is an object of the present invention to provide a flexible container and a cleaning method thereof.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, according to one aspect of the present invention, a flexible container for transporting liquid to which a watertight waterproof slide fastener is attached, wherein the slide fastener has an element row at an opposing edge. A pair of fastener stringers, a slider that moves between the pair of fastener stringers to one or the other to open and close, a bottom stop that restricts the one movement of the slider, and the other movement of the slider. The flexible container is provided with a separation restricting member that restricts the separation between the pair of fastener stringers in the vicinity of the top stopper.

  The flexible container according to the present invention includes a separation limiting member that restricts the separation between the pair of fastener stringers at least in the vicinity of the top stopper portion of the airtight waterproof slide fastener attached to the flexible container. When cleaning, moving, folding, etc. with the slide fastener partially or completely open, even if the gap between the pair of fastener stringers is about to widen near the top end of the slide fastener, the slide fastener is separated. The restricting member blocks. For this reason, the distance between the pair of fastener stringers does not increase so much that the upper stopper is not overloaded.

  In the present invention, the separation limiting member is a member for preventing the pair of fastener stringers from separating more than necessary (for example, exceeding 5 cm), and between the two fastener stringers, the flexible container is washed. It is permissible to open a space necessary for work (for example, a maximum of 5 cm). The separation limiting member can be integrally attached to a flexible container including a slide fastener by welding or the like, and at least one of both ends of the separation limiting member is flexible using a snap button, a hook-and-loop fastener, a hook, or the like. It can also be removably attached to the container.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the separation limiting member is provided on the outer surface of the flexible container. The separation limiting member is not provided on the inner surface of the flexible container, but is preferably provided on the outer surface from the viewpoint of hygiene of the liquid contained in the flexible container, and the separation limiting member itself can be easily cleaned. However, when the separation limiting member is provided so as to connect one of the pair of fastener stringers and the other as described later, the separation limiting member can be provided on the inner surface side of the flexible container.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the pair of fastener stringers is continuous from one to the other of the pair of fastener tapes at the pair of fastener tapes and at the upper stopper portion on the back surface of the pair of fastener tapes and in the vicinity thereof. And a backing material laminated in a manner. Such a backing material is continuously welded over the two fastener tapes on the back surface of the pair of fastener tapes in the upper stopper portion and the vicinity thereof, and the airtight waterproof performance between the fastener tapes is enhanced. In the present invention, when cleaning or the like is performed with the slide fastener partially or completely open, the separation restricting member prevents the gap between the pair of fastener stringers from widening in the vicinity of the top end of the slide fastener. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the backing material from being peeled off from the fastener tape.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the flexible container includes the separation limiting member in the vicinity of the bottom stop. When the slide fastener of the flexible container is partially open, the pair of fastener stringers in the vicinity of the bottom stop portion is closed, so the load due to the pair of fastener stringers being too far apart is applied to the bottom stop portion. Does not work. However, when the slide fastener is completely open, the slider is present and is suppressed rather than the upper stopper, but the load due to the pair of fastener stringers being too far apart is applied to the lower stopper. By providing a separation limiting member in the vicinity of the bottom stop, it can be prevented.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the separation limiting member is a band-like or string-like member whose both ends are attached to the flexible container across the pair of fastener stringers. One end and the other end of such a band-like or string-like member straddle a pair of fastener stringers and are connected to a flexible container, preferably an outer surface. As for the connection of the band-like or string-like member to the flexible container, there are an aspect of being integrally connected to the flexible container by welding or the like, and an aspect of being detachably connected using a hook-and-loop fastener, a snap button or the like. The band-like or string-like member includes a tape, a strap, a wire, a twisted string, and a chain-like member.

  In the present invention, the separation limiting member is made of the same material as the flexible container. In this case, the drying time of the separation limiting member and that of the flexible container are the same, and it becomes easy to manage cleaning and drying operations, and it is difficult to leave an undried portion. For example, the flexible container and the separation limiting member are made of an elastic sheet material in which a fiber reinforcement layer is covered with a polyurethane resin.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for cleaning the flexible container described above, wherein the slide fastener is completely opened and at least one of an upper stopper and a lower stopper by the separation limiting member. A process A in which the outer surface of the flexible container is washed in a state where the separation between the pair of fastener stringers in the vicinity of the upper stopper is restricted, and the slide fastener is washed, and the flexibility in a state in which the slide fastener is completely closed. A method for cleaning a flexible container is provided, which includes a process B for cleaning the outer surface of the container and a process C for cleaning the inner surface of the flexible container.

  According to the flexible container cleaning method of the present invention, in step A, the slide fastener is completely opened, and the separation between the pair of fastener stringers in the vicinity of the top stopper is restricted by the separation restriction member. In order to clean the outer surface of the flexible container and the slide fastener, the liquid remaining on and attached to the details of the slide fastener is effectively washed without overloading the pair of fastener stringers and applying a load to the top stopper. be able to.

  In the flexible container according to the present invention, the slide fastener is partially or completely provided by including a separation limiting member that restricts separation between the pair of fastener stringers at least in the vicinity of the top stopper portion of the airtight waterproof slide fastener. When the cleaning or the like is performed in a state where the slide fastener is open, even if the gap between the pair of fastener stringers is greatly increased near the top end of the slide fastener, the separation limiting member prevents this. As a result, the upper stopper or the like is not overloaded, and the life of the flexible container including the slide fastener can be extended.

  In the flexible container cleaning method according to the present invention, in step A, the slide fastener is completely opened, and the flexible member is flexible in a state in which the separation between the pair of fastener stringers in the vicinity of the top stopper is restricted by the separation restricting member. In order to clean the outer surface of the plastic container and the slide fastener, the liquid remaining on and attached to the details of the slide fastener can be effectively washed without overloading the pair of fastener stringers and imposing a load on the top stopper. it can.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a flexible container according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of the flexible container for showing the attachment range of the airtight waterproof slide fastener to the flexible container. FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial plan view showing the vicinity of the top end of the slide fastener. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments, and modifications and the like can be made within the scope of the claims and equivalent scope.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a flexible container (hereinafter simply referred to as “container”) 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the container 1 is in a full state filled with a liquid to be transported or air used for cleaning. As an example, the container 1 is made of an elastic sheet material in which a fiber reinforcing layer is covered with a polyurethane resin, and has an upper surface 2, a bottom surface 3, a front surface 4, a rear surface 5, a left side surface 6, and a right side surface 7. Shape. In this example, the left and right side surfaces 6 and 7 are formed to be longer than the front and rear surfaces 4 and 5. Note that front, rear, left and right are relative. In the full state, the upper surface 2, front and rear surfaces 4, 5 and left and right side surfaces 6, 7 of the container 1 are not flat surfaces but curved surfaces that are slightly convex outward. As an example of the size of the container 1, the vertical length (the length between the front and rear surfaces 6 and 7) is 4,3100 mm, the horizontal length (the length between the left and right side surfaces 6 and 7) is 2,310 mm, and the height is high. Is 1240 mm (the height of the front and rear surfaces 6 and 7, not the top of the upper surface 2 swelled upward). In this case, the volume of the container 1 is about 12 m ³ .

  The container 1 includes a nozzle opening 10 through which a cleaning shower (not shown) having a cleaning shower attached at the tip thereof is passed at the time of cleaning on the front surface 4 side of the upper surface 2 at the left and right center. In the present embodiment, the nozzle opening 10 protrudes outward from the upper surface 2 in the following shape. That is, the nozzle opening 10 includes a substantially triangular front and rear surface 11 and left and right side surfaces 12 having a substantially rectangular shape connecting the two hypotenuses of the triangle of the front and rear surface 11 respectively. A slide fastener 14 is attached to the top 13 of the nozzle opening 10 where the left and right side surfaces 12 meet. As this slide fastener 14, what has airtight waterproofness can be used like the slide fastener 40 attached to the side surface of the container 1 mentioned later. By using the slide fastener 14 at the top 13 of the nozzle opening 10, when cleaning the inner surface of the container 10, the slide fastener 14 of the nozzle opening 10 is opened only to the upper limit necessary for passing the cleaning nozzle (not shown). A cleaning operation can be performed, and thereby, the cleaning liquid or the like scattered outside from the gap of the nozzle opening 10 can be minimized. Further, since the slide fastener 14 is arranged in a straight line, it is easy to perform an opening / closing operation, and it is not necessary to use a curvilinear shape. The container 1 that can withstand use can be provided. The nozzle opening 10 may pass not only the cleaning nozzle but also an air nozzle for supplying air to the container 1 to inflate it during the cleaning. An opening through which such an air nozzle passes may be provided in the container 1 separately. In addition, the container 1 includes a liquid port 30 for injecting and discharging a liquid to be transported on the front surface 4 side of the bottom surface 3, that is, almost right below the nozzle opening 10. The liquid port 30 is also used for discharging the cleaning liquid when cleaning the inner surface of the container 1.

  A watertight waterproof slide fastener 40 is attached to the flexible container 1 over the three surfaces of the front surface 4, the left side surface 6 and the rear surface 5. The slide fastener 40 is attached to the container 1 by high frequency welding, ultrasonic welding, or the like. In the present embodiment, the height position where the slide fastener 40 is attached is near the upper surface 2 on the side surface of the container 1. FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of the flexible container for showing a range where the slide fastener 40 is attached to the side surface of the container 1, and the container 1 is represented by a rectangle. As can be seen from FIG. 2, the upper stopper 60 that exists on one end side of the slide fastener 40 is positioned near the right side surface 7 of the front surface 4 of the container 10, and the lower stopper 70 that exists on the other end side of the slide fastener 40. Is positioned near the right side surface 7 of the rear surface 5. The slide fastener 40 extends from the front surface 4 to the entire length in the front-rear direction of the left side surface 6 and then reaches the rear surface 5. Therefore, the slide fastener 40 does not exist at all on the right side surface 7. Since the slide fastener 40 is attached near the upper surface 2 above the side surface of the container 1, the load of the liquid stored in the container 1 is less than that when the slide fastener 40 is attached below the side surface of the container 1. Not only that, the life of the slide fastener 10 can be extended. By setting the upper stopper 60 and the lower stopper 70 near the right side 7 of the front surface 4 and near the right side 7 of the rear surface 5, the straight portions of the slide fastener 40 can be formed long on the front surface 4 and the rear surface 5, respectively. The opening / closing operation of the slide fastener 40 can be performed smoothly at the start of opening / closing, or for a while after the opening / closing start (at the time of initial operation). Furthermore, even if there are two curved portions (corner corners) of the slide fastener 40 corresponding to the container 1, the slide fastener 40 is opened and the container 1 has a large opening as in the case where the curved portions are four. It is easy to carry out cleaning and drying operations, and it is easy to fold so that the curved portion is not loaded when the container 1 is folded by packing, etc. A useful container 1 can be provided.

  3 is an enlarged partial plan view showing the vicinity of the top stopper 60 of the slide fastener 40, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. The slide fastener 40 extends in a strip shape (left and right are based on the paper surface of FIGS. 3 and 4). The pair of fastener stringers 41 and 41 and the pair of fastener stringers 41 and 41 move to one or the other to move to a pair. A metal slider 50 that opens and closes between the fastener stringers 41, 41, a lower stop 70 (see FIG. 2) that restricts movement of one of the sliders 50 (downward in the plane of FIG. 3), and the other (see FIG. 2) 3 and an upper stopper 60 for restricting the movement of the upper part in the drawing. Hereinafter, a direction in which the fastener stringer 41 extends is referred to as a longitudinal direction, and a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and along the left and right is also referred to as a width direction. The pair of fastener stringers 41, 41 is a pair of left and right fastener tapes 42, 42 extending in a strip shape in the vertical direction, and opposing edge portions 42a that are edges of the pair of fastener tapes 42, 42 facing each other in the width direction (see FIG. 4)), the upper end 60 and the lower end 70 on the back surface of the pair of fastener tapes 42, 42, and these elements. And a backing material 43 welded to the vicinity. In the present embodiment, the upper stopper 60 and the lower stopper 70 are made of resin, but may be made of rubber or metal. Reference numeral 61 in FIGS. 3 and 4 is a resin base of the upper stopper 60. The backing material 43 is welded so as to continue from one of the pair of fastener tapes 42, 42 to the other, and connects the two fastener tapes 42, 42 while filling a gap between the pair of fastener tapes 42, 42. The fastener tape 42 and the backing material 43 are, for example, waterproof or elastic by coating or bonding synthetic rubber, polyvinyl chloride resin, polyurethane resin or the like to a base fabric woven with warps and wefts. Is granted.

  Referring to FIG. 4, the pair of fastener tapes 42, 42 are tape bent portions 42 a, 42 a in which opposite end portions 42 a are bent upward (upper and lower are based on the paper surface of FIG. 4). The element 44a is fixed to the tape bending portion 42a as follows. That is, a tape bending portion 42b that is curved in a substantially Ω shape so as to open toward the opposing tape bending portion 42a is formed slightly above the middle in the vertical direction of the tape bending portion 42a. The fastener tape 42 is restrained from the outside by a substantially C-shaped or U-shaped restraining member 45 which is a separate member. An element 44a is accommodated and fixed in the tape bending portion 42b. A large number of elements 44a are provided at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of the tape bending portion 42b to form an element row 44. The element 44a includes a meshing head 44b that slightly protrudes from the opening of the tape bending portion 42b. Then, when the meshing heads 44b, 44b of the opposing element 44a mesh with each other, the pair of fastener stringers 41, 41 closes, and when the meshing heads 44b, 44b of the opposing element 44a separate, the pair of fastener stringers 41, 41 open. The fastener stringers 41 and 41 are opened and closed by moving the slider 50 in one of the vertical directions or the other. A reference number 51 in FIG. 3 is a handle that the user picks when the slider 50 is moved.

  1 and 2, the flexible container 1 is provided with a strip-like or tape-like separation preventing member 80 in the vicinity of the upper stopper 60 and the lower stopper 70 of the slide fastener 40, respectively. The separation preventing member 80 straddles the pair of fastener stringers 41, 41 of the slide fastener 40, and both end portions are welded to the side surfaces (front surface 4 and rear surface 5) of the container. The separation preventing member 80 is represented by a broken line in FIG. In the present embodiment, the separation preventing member 80 is attached to a location separated from the upper stopper 60 and the lower stopper 70 by about 10 to 20 cm. By separating the separation preventing member 80 from the fastener stringer 41 and the end portion of the container 1, the separation preventing member 80 is detached from the container 1, and the welding can be made difficult to peel off. The separation preventing member 80 restricts the space between the fastener stringers 41 and 14 in the vicinity of the upper stopper 60 and the lower stopper 70 to be separated to a certain level, for example, 5 cm or more. This prevents a situation in which the gap between the pair of fastener stringers 41 is unnecessarily widened and a load is applied to the upper stopper 60 and the lower stopper 70 and the backing material 43 is peeled off from the back surface of the fastener tape 42. The life of the slide fastener 40 and the container 1 can be extended. The separation preventing member 80 is made of the same material as the container 1 such as an elastic sheet material in which a fiber reinforcing layer is covered with a polyurethane resin. In this case, the drying time of the container 1 and the separation preventing member 80 is the same, the cleaning and drying operations are easily managed, and the undried portion is difficult to remain, which is sanitary.

After the liquid is transported by the flexible container 1 described above, the container 1 is cleaned as follows.
Step A: First, the outer surface of the container 1 is washed while the slide fastener 40 of the container 1 is completely opened, and the slide fastener 40 is washed. Thereby, the liquid which remained and adhered to the details, such as between the elements 44a of the slide fastener 40, can be effectively washed. Further, in the process A, since the separation between the pair of fastener stringers 41 and 41 in the vicinity of the upper stopper 60 and in the vicinity of the lower stopper 70 is restricted by the separation restriction member 80, a load is applied to the upper stopper 60 and the lower stopper 70. Do not spend.
Step B: Next, the outer surface of the container 1 is washed with the slide fastener 40 completely closed.
Step C: Next, the inner surface of the container 1 is washed. The cleaning of the inner surface of the container 1 is performed as described in Patent Document 2, the slide fastener 40 is closed with respect to the empty container 1, the cleaning nozzle and the air nozzle are passed through the nozzle opening 10, and the container 1 is discharged from the air nozzle. While supplying the air into the container 1 to inflate the container 1, the cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning nozzle to clean the entire inner surface of the container 1. This cleaning liquid is discharged from the liquid port 30. Thereafter, draining and drying of the container 1 are performed.

  In the above embodiment, the separation preventing member 80 that is attached to the side surface of the flexible container 1 across the pair of fastener stringers 41, 41 has been described, but one end of the pair of fastener stringers 41, 41 has the other end. It may be a separation preventing member connected to the other end. Further, another example of the separation preventing member is shown by reference numeral 80 'in FIG. The separation preventing member 80 ′ is made of, for example, a flat plate made of metal, resin, or the like that prevents the fastener stringers 41, 41 from being deformed to the outside inside or outside the pair of fastener stringers 41, 41. It is a core material. Such a separation preventing member 80 ′ can restrict the unnecessary separation between the fastener stringers 41 and 41 by preventing the fastener stringers 41 and 41 from being deformed outward. When the separation preventing member 80 ′ is provided on the surface of the fastener stringers 41, 41, the separation preventing member 80 ′ appears on the outside of the container 1. A similar separation preventing member 80 ′ can be provided on the bottom stopper 70 side of the slide fastener 40.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Flexible container 2 Upper surface (of flexible container) 4 Front surface (of flexible container) 5 Rear surface of (flexible container) 6 Left side surface (of flexible container) 7 (of flexible container) Right side 10 Nozzle opening 40 Airtight waterproof slide fastener 41 Fastener stringer 42 Fastener tape 42a Opposing edge (tape bent part)
43 Backing material 44 Element array 44a Element 50 Slider 60 Upper stopper 70 Lower stopper 80, 80 'Separation limiting member

Claims (7)

A flexible container (1) for transporting liquid, to which a watertight waterproof fastener (40) is attached,
The slide fastener (40) includes a pair of fastener stringers (41, 41) each having an element row (44) at the opposite edge (42a) and a pair of fastener stringers (41, 41) as one or the other. A slider (50) that moves and opens and closes, a lower stop (70) that restricts the one movement of the slider (50), and an upper stop (60) that restricts the other movement of the slider (50). )
The flexible container (1) is provided with a separation limiting member (80, 80 ′) that restricts separation between the pair of fastener stringers (41, 41) in the vicinity of the top stopper (60). container.   The flexible container according to claim 1, wherein the separation limiting member (80, 80 ') is provided on an outer surface of the flexible container (1).   The pair of fastener stringers (41, 41) includes a pair of fastener tapes (42, 42) and the pair of fastener tapes (42, 42) on the back surface of the pair of fastener tapes (42, 42) and in the vicinity thereof. The backing container (43) laminated | stacked so that it may continue from one side of the fastener tape (42, 42) of the other to the other.   The flexible container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising the separation limiting member (80, 80 ') in the vicinity of the bottom stop (70).   The said space | interval limitation member (80) is a strip | belt-shaped or string-like member by which both ends are attached to the said flexible container (1) across said pair of fastener stringers (41, 41). The flexible container of any one of Claims.   The flexible container according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the separation limiting member (80) is made of the same material as the front flexible container (1). A method for cleaning a flexible container (1) according to any one of claims 1-6,
A pair of the slide fastener (40) is completely opened, and at least one of the upper stopper (60) and the lower stopper (70) in the vicinity of the upper stopper (60) by the separation limiting member (80, 80 '). Cleaning the outer surface of the flexible container (1) in a state where the separation between the fastener stringers (41) is restricted, and cleaning the slide fastener (40);
Cleaning the outer surface of the flexible container (1) with the slide fastener (40) completely closed;
A method for cleaning a flexible container, comprising the step C of cleaning the inner surface of the flexible container (1).

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