US20050100248A1

US20050100248A1 - Easy-to-transport sack

Info

Publication number: US20050100248A1
Application number: US10/705,072
Authority: US
Inventors: Da-Yu Chang
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-11-10
Filing date: 2003-11-10
Publication date: 2005-05-12

Abstract

An easy-to-transport sack includes a sack body and a fork-inserting unit. The sack body defines a storing space therein, and has a bottom wall that confines a bottom side of the storing space and that has two opposite sides. The fork-inserting unit is disposed outwardly of the storing space, is made of a fabric material, is secured to the bottom wall of the sack body, and is formed with a pair of elongated parallel fork passages that extend between the opposite sides of the bottom wall and that are adapted to receive prongs of a fork of a forklift truck.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a sack, more particularly to a sack that is convenient to transport.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional sack 1 is shown to comprise a sack body 11, and a plurality of loop members 12 attached to a top periphery of the sack body 11. The sack body 11 has a bottom wall 111, and a peripheral wall 112 that extends upwardly from a periphery of the bottom wall 111 and that cooperates with the bottom wall 111 to define a receiving space 113 for receiving solid materials.
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, after a plurality of sacks 1 are filled, they are loaded into a container 40 and delivered to a predetermined destination. To facilitate moving of the sacks 1 into the container 40, pallets 2 are first placed at the bottom of each sack 1, followed by filling of the materials into each sack 1, after which a forklift truck (only the fork 31 is shown in FIG. 2) is used to transport each pallet 2 into the container 40. FIG. 3 shows the sacks 1 with the respective pallets 2 stacked in the container 40.
Since the pallets 2 are required to facilitate transport of the conventional sacks 1 when the latter are filled, additional costs for the pallets 2 are incurred. It is estimated that at least 20 to 30 pallets 2 are needed in each container 40. When the container 40 reaches its intended destination, the sacks 1 with the respective pallets 2 are unloaded through the use of the forklift truck such that the pallets 2 are not returned along with the container 40 for repeated use, thereby further increasing the transport costs.
It should be noted that since the pallets 2 are generally made of wood materials, which are ideal for breeding germs, some developed countries prohibit the use of wood pallets 2, unless the wood materials are disinfected first. This process is not only troublesome but further increases the transport costs as well.
Another method of moving the conventional sacks 1 into the container 40 is by engaging the fork 31 of the forklift truck with the loop members 12 of the sacks 1. However, when the filled sacks 1 are to be piled on a top layer, a substantial moving space in the container 40 has to be prepared beforehand such that the height of each filled sack 1 has to be controlled in order to maintain an appropriate distance between the uppermost layer of the sacks 1 and an inner top surface of the container 40. This method diminishes the loading quantity of the conventional sacks 1 in the container 40 so that the transport costs are similarly increased.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a sack that is convenient to transport, that can increase loading quantity in a container, and that can effectively minimize transport costs.
According to the present invention, an easy-to-transport sack comprises a sack body and a fork-inserting unit. The sack body defines a storing space therein, and has a bottom wall that confines a bottom side of the storing space and that has two opposite sides. The fork-inserting unit is made of a fabric material, is disposed outwardly of the storing space, is secured to the bottom wall of the sack body, and is formed with a pair of elongated parallel fork passages that extend between the opposite sides of the bottom wall and that are adapted to receive prongs of a fork of a forklift truck.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional sack;
FIG. 2 illustrates the conventional sack in a state of being transported;
FIG. 3 illustrates the conventional sacks when stacked in a container;
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the first preferred embodiment of a sack according to the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the first preferred embodiment in an assembled state;
FIG. 6 illustrates the sack of the present invention being transported by a forklift truck;
FIG. 7 illustrates the sacks of the present invention when stacked in a container; and
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the second preferred embodiment of a sack according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Before the present invention is described in greater detail, it should be noted that like elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure.
Referring to FIGS. 4 to 7, the first preferred embodiment of a sack 100 according to the present invention is shown to comprise a sack body 5 and a fork-inserting unit 9.
The sack body 5 has a bottom wall 51, a peripheral wall 52 extending upwardly from a periphery of the bottom wall 51, a top wall 54 connected to a top periphery of the peripheral wall 52, and a plurality of loop members 6 secured to the top wall 54 in a conventional manner. The bottom wall 51, the peripheral wall 52 and the top wall 54 cooperate to define a storing space 53 for receiving filling materials. The bottom wall 51 includes two opposite sides 511, 512 (see FIG. 5) spaced apart in a longitudinal direction. The peripheral wall 52 includes two opposite vertical wall portions 521 extending upwardly from the sides 511, 512 of the bottom wall 51. The top wall 54 is formed with an inlet port 541 that is in fluid communication with the storing space 53 and that extends upwardly and outwardly relative to the storing space 53. A fastening unit is used for closing the inlet port 541 of the top wall 54. In this embodiment, the fastening unit is a rope 8.
After the filling materials (not shown) are poured into the storing space 53 through the inlet port 541, the inlet port 541 is tied and closed by the rope 8 so as to prevent the materials from spilling out of the storing space 53.
It should be noted that the sacks currently available in the market have different designs and shapes so as to suit different purposes and filling materials. For example, when the sack is to be filled with small particles, the sack used is one with the inlet port 541 to prevent the materials from spilling off during transport. When the filling materials are large particles, the sack with no top wall 54 is chosen since it is more stable to transport the large particles. Another design of the sack has an outlet port provided on the bottom wall 51 of the sack. The outlet port is closed prior to filling the materials into the sack, and is opened for discharging the materials from the sack.
In this embodiment, a basic design of the sack is illustrated. In practice, the sack is not limited to the disclosed preferred embodiment.
The fork-inserting unit 9 is made of a fabric material, is secured to the bottom wall 51 of the sack body 5 by stitching, and is formed with a pair of elongated parallel fork passages 93 that extend between the opposite sides 511, 512 of the bottom wall 51 and that are adapted to receive prongs of a fork 41 of a forklift truck 4 (see FIG. 6). The fork-inserting unit 9 includes a pair of parallel first sheets 92 and a pair of parallel second sheets 91. Each of the first and second sheets 92, 91 has a thickness that is at least three times the thickness of the sack body 5.
In this embodiment, each of the second sheets 91 has a length longer than that of the bottom wall 51 of the sack body 5. Each of the second sheets 91 is secured to the bottom wall 51, and has an intermediate portion 911 sewn to the bottom wall 51, and two fixed ends 912 that extend respectively from two opposite ends of the intermediate portion 911, that are folded upwardly relative to the bottom wall 51, and that are sewn respectively to the vertical wall portions 521 of the peripheral wall 52 of the sack body 5, as best shown in FIG. 5.
Each of the first sheets 92, in this embodiment, has a length longer than that of the bottom wall 51 of the sack body 5, and has an intermediate portion 921 with two longitudinal sides 9211 sewn to the intermediate portion 911 of a corresponding one of the second sheets 91 so as to define therebetween one of the fork passages 93 for extension of a respective prong of the fork 41 of the forklift truck 4 therethrough, and two free ends 922 that extend outwardly and respectively from two opposite ends of the intermediate portion 921 and that extend out of the opposite sides 521, 522 of the bottom wall 51 so as to facilitate insertion of the prongs of the fork 41 of the forklift truck 4 into the fork passages 93, as best illustrated in FIG. 6.
A detailed description of the transporting method for the sack 100 will now be described with further reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.
When filling and packing of the sacks 100 are completed, each sack 100 is transported into the container 40 by inserting directly and respectively the prongs of the fork 41 of the forklift truck 4 into the fork passages 93 in the respective sack 100, after which the forklift truck 4 is operated to raise the fork 41 so as to lift and transport the sack 100 into the container 40.
It should be noted that prior to lifting of the sack 100 by the fork 41 of the forklift truck 4, due to cooperation of the fixed ends 912 of the second sheets 91, which extend upwardly relative to the bottom wall 51 of the sack body 5, and the free ends 922 of the first sheets 92, which extend freely out of the bottom wall 51 of the sack body 5, to form openings of the fork passages 93, the prongs of the fork 41 can be guided into the fork passages 93. Furthermore, the fixed ends 912 of the second sheets 91 are sewn to the peripheral wall 52 of the sack body 5 so as to reinforce the peripheral wall 52 and protect the same from being punctured by the fork 41 of the forklift truck 4. On the other hand, the free ends 922 of the first sheets 92 are designed in such a way that they sag due to gravity to enlarge the openings of the fork passages 93 so that the prongs of the fork 41 of the forklift truck 4 can be inserted easily into the fork passages 93.
When transporting of the filled sacks 100 is desired, the operator of the forklift truck 4 operates downward or upward movement of the fork 41 until a suitable position is reached. Then, the operator drives forward movement of the truck 4 to insert the prongs of the fork 41 into the fork passages 93 of a respective sack 100, after which the fork 41 is operated to raise the sack 100. When the truck 4 reaches the container 40, and the fork 41 is adjusted to a suitable height, the truck 4 is moved rearward so as to withdraw the fork 41 from the fork passages 93 in the sack 100. The sack 100, through its own weight, stabilizes itself in the container 40. Repeating the aforementioned steps would result in stacking of a plurality of the sacks 100 in the container 40, as best illustrated in FIG. 7.
Therefore, the sack 100 of the present invention not only can be easily transported into the container 40, but also dispenses with the need for pallets 2, which are required when transporting the aforementioned conventional sack 1. Furthermore, the fork 41 of the forklift truck 4 is not required to engage the loop members 6 on the sack body 5 when transporting the sack 100 into the container 40 so that there is no need to maintain a space between an uppermost layer of the sacks 100 of the present invention and the inner top face of the container 40.
Referring to FIG. 8, the second preferred embodiment of the sack 100 according to the present invention is shown to be substantially similar to the first preferred embodiment. However, in this embodiment, the fork-inserting unit 9 includes only a pair of parallel sheets 92, each of which is made of a fabric material and is secured to and cooperates with the bottom wall 51 to define an elongate fork passage 93 that extends between the opposite sides 511, 512 of the bottom wall 51 and that is adapted to receive a corresponding one of the prongs of the fork 41 of a forklift truck 4 (see FIG. 6). Each sheet 92 has an intermediate portion 921 with two longitudinal sides 9211 sewn to the bottom wall 51 of the sack body 5, and two free ends 922 that extend outwardly and respectively from two opposite ends of the intermediate portion 921 and that extend out of the opposite sides 521, 522 of the bottom wall 51 so as to facilitate insertion of a corresponding one of the prongs of the fork 41 of the forklift truck 4 into the corresponding fork passage 93.
From the aforementioned description of the preferred embodiments of the sack 100 of the present invention, it is apparent that due to the presence of the fork-inserting unit 9 on the bottom wall 51 of the sack body 5, the pallets 2 are dispensed herewith, thereby reducing transport costs. Furthermore, through the use of the forklift truck 4, the sacks 100 of the present invention can be conveniently transported into the container 40. Moreover, the loading quantity in the container 40 is increased because there is no need to maintain a space between an uppermost layer of the sacks 100 and the inner top face of the container 40.
While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.

Claims

1. An easy-to-transport sack comprising:

a sack body defining a storing space therein and having a bottom wall that confines a bottom side of said storing space and that has two opposite sides; and

a fork-inserting unit disposed outwardly of said storing space, made of a fabric material, secured to said bottom wall of said sack body, and formed with a pair of elongated parallel fork passages that extend between said opposite sides of said bottom wall and that are adapted to receive prongs of a fork of a forklift truck.

2. The easy-to-transport sack as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fork-inserting unit includes a pair of parallel first sheets and a pair of parallel second sheets, said second sheets being sewn to said bottom wall, said first sheets being aligned with and being secured to said second sheets, respectively, and cooperating with said second sheets to define said fork passages.

3. The easy-to-transport sack as claimed in claim 2, wherein said sack body further has a peripheral wall including two opposite vertical wall portions, each of said second sheets having an intermediate portion sewn to said bottom wall, and two fixed ends extending respectively from two opposite ends of said intermediate portion, and folded upwardly relative to said bottom wall, and connected respectively to said vertical wall portions of said peripheral wall of said sack body.

4. The easy-to-transport sack as claimed in claim 3, wherein each of said first sheets has an intermediate portion with two longitudinal sides sewn to said intermediate portion of the respective one of said second sheets, and two free ends that extend outwardly and respectively from two opposite ends of said intermediate portion of said first sheet and that extend out of said opposite sides of said bottom wall so as to facilitate insertion of the prongs of the fork of the forklift truck into said fork passages.

5. The easy-to-transport sack as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of said first and second sheets has a thickness that is at least three times the thickness of said sack body.

6. The easy-to-transport sack as claimed in claim 0.3, further comprising a plurality of loop members secured to a top periphery of said peripheral wall of said sack body.

7. The easy-to-transport sack as claimed in claim 3, further comprising a top wall extending from a top periphery of said peripheral wall of said sack body and formed with an inlet port.

8. The easy-to-transport sack as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a fastening unit for closing said inlet port of said top wall.

9. An easy-to-transport sack comprising:

a fork-inserting unit disposed outwardly of said storing space, and including a pair of parallel sheets, each of which is made of a fabric material, and is secured to and cooperates with said bottom wall to define an elongated fork passage that extends between said opposite sides of said bottom wall and that is adapted to receive a prong of a fork of a forklift truck.

10. The easy-to-transport sack as claimed in claim 9, wherein each of said parallel sheets has an intermediate portion with two longitudinal sides sewn to said bottom wall, and two free ends that extend outwardly and respectively from two opposite ends of said intermediate portion and that extend out of said opposite sides of said bottom wall.

11. The easy-to-transport sack as claimed in claim 9, wherein each of said parallel sheets has a thickness that is at least three times the thickness of said sack body.

12. The easy-to-transport sack as claimed in claim 9, wherein said sack body further has a peripheral wall extending from said bottom wall and having a top periphery with a plurality of loop members secured thereto.

13. The easy-to-transport sack as claimed in claim 9, wherein said sack body further has a peripheral wall extending from said bottomwall, and a top wall extending from a top periphery of said peripheral wall and formed with an inlet port.

14. The easy-to-transport sack as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a fastening unit for closing said inlet port of said top wall.