US20210155402A1 - Flexible container - Google Patents

Flexible container Download PDF

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Publication number
US20210155402A1
US20210155402A1 US16/760,841 US201816760841A US2021155402A1 US 20210155402 A1 US20210155402 A1 US 20210155402A1 US 201816760841 A US201816760841 A US 201816760841A US 2021155402 A1 US2021155402 A1 US 2021155402A1
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
discharge port
surface portion
flexible container
binding member
contents
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
US16/760,841
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English (en)
Inventor
Nobumasa Shiraishi
Kazushi Takemoto
Tomohiro Matsuo
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Sumitomo Seika Chemicals Co Ltd
Original Assignee
Sumitomo Seika Chemicals Co Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Sumitomo Seika Chemicals Co Ltd filed Critical Sumitomo Seika Chemicals Co Ltd
Assigned to SUMITOMO SEIKA CHEMICALS CO., LTD. reassignment SUMITOMO SEIKA CHEMICALS CO., LTD. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: MATSUO, TOMOHIRO, SHIRAISHI, NOBUMASA, TAKEMOTO, Kazushi
Publication of US20210155402A1 publication Critical patent/US20210155402A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D88/00—Large containers
    • B65D88/16—Large containers flexible
    • B65D88/1612—Flexible intermediate bulk containers [FIBC]
    • B65D88/1618—Flexible intermediate bulk containers [FIBC] double-walled or with linings
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D88/00—Large containers
    • B65D88/16—Large containers flexible
    • B65D88/22—Large containers flexible specially adapted for transport
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D88/00—Large containers
    • B65D88/16—Large containers flexible
    • B65D88/1606—Large containers flexible double-walled or with linings
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D88/00—Large containers
    • B65D88/16—Large containers flexible
    • B65D88/1612—Flexible intermediate bulk containers [FIBC]
    • B65D88/1668—Flexible intermediate bulk containers [FIBC] closures for top or bottom openings
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D88/00—Large containers
    • B65D88/16—Large containers flexible
    • B65D88/1612—Flexible intermediate bulk containers [FIBC]
    • B65D88/1675—Lifting fittings
    • B65D88/1681—Flexible, e.g. loops, or reinforcements therefor
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D90/00—Component parts, details or accessories for large containers
    • B65D90/54—Gates or closures
    • B65D90/56—Gates or closures operating by deformation of flexible walls

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a flexible container and a method for manufacturing the flexible container.
  • Flexible containers are often used to store and transport various kinds of contents such as powder and granular materials, grain, vegetables, etc.
  • flexible containers one of which is a flexible container in which a filling port for the contents is formed in an upper portion and a discharge port for the contents is formed in a lower portion (see Patent Literatures 1 to 3).
  • Flexible containers of this type are opened while suspended, and the contents are let out from the discharge port formed in the lower portion.
  • Flexible containers described in Patent Literatures 1 to 3 have a double structure and include an inner bag to be filled with the contents and an outer bag that houses the inner bag.
  • a lower opening is formed in a bottom surface portion of the outer bag, and except for when the lower opening is open, the lower opening is covered by a corolla-shaped lid that is continuous to an edge defining the lower opening in the bottom surface portion.
  • the corolla-shaped lid is called a “lower side outer lid” (16) in Patent Literature 1, “lid holding pieces” (16 a to 16 d ) in Patent Literature 2, and a “chrysanthemum split portion” (18) in Patent Literature 3.
  • the corolla-shaped lid is constituted by portions corresponding to a plurality of petals, and as a result of a piece of cord that is passed through centers of these portions being tied off, these portions are radially arranged in a corolla-like shape, in the same plane as the bottom surface portion, and thus the lower opening is closed.
  • the piece of cord is untied, whereby the portions corresponding to petals hang down and the lower opening is opened. Then, the contents are let out via a discharge port portion that corresponds to a lower portion of the inner bag that is drawn out from the lower opening.
  • An object of the present invention is to provide a flexible container that can be easily opened and a method for manufacturing the flexible container.
  • a flexible container is a flexible container for holding contents and includes an outer bag, an inner bag, a first binding member, and a lid.
  • the outer bag includes a bottom surface portion in which a lower opening is formed.
  • the inner bag is a tubular inner bag that is housed in the outer bag, configured to be filled with the contents, and includes a discharge port portion.
  • the discharge port portion forms a discharge path for discharging the contents and extends to a lower side of the bottom surface portion via the lower opening.
  • the first binding member is configured to be tied around the discharge port portion to close the discharge path.
  • the lid is configured to be attached to an outer side of the bottom surface portion to cover the discharge port portion.
  • the discharge port portion is narrowed to close the discharge path.
  • the first binding member is tied around the discharge port portion to maintain a state in which the discharge port portion is narrowed.
  • the lid is attached to the outer side of the bottom surface portion to cover the discharge port portion tied off with the first binding member.
  • a flexible container according to a second aspect is the flexible container according to the first aspect, wherein the discharge port portion is narrowed to close the discharge path and then folded back in one direction, or is folded back in one direction to close the discharge path and then narrowed.
  • the first binding member is tied around the discharge port portion to maintain a state in which the discharge port portion is folded back in one direction and narrowed.
  • the lid is attached to the outer side of the bottom surface portion to cover the discharge port portion that is folded after being tied off with the first binding member.
  • a flexible container according to a third aspect is the flexible container according to the first or second aspect that is configured such that the discharge port portion in a state of being tied off with the first binding member hangs down from the bottom surface portion when the lid is removed from the bottom surface portion.
  • a flexible container according to a fourth aspect is the flexible container according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the lid is configured to be attached to the bottom surface portion using a hook-and-loop fastener.
  • a flexible container according to a fifth aspect is the flexible container according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the first binding member is a cord-shaped member that includes a hook-and-loop fastener.
  • a flexible container according to a sixth aspect is the flexible container according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the outer bag further includes a discharge port cover that surrounds the discharge port portion.
  • the discharge port cover is fixed to the bottom surface portion to extend to the lower side of the bottom surface portion from the lower opening.
  • the first binding member is fixed to the discharge port cover.
  • a flexible container according to a seventh aspect is the flexible container according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the outer bag further includes an upper surface portion in which an upper opening is formed.
  • the inner bag further includes a filling port portion that forms an introduction path for introducing the contents and extends to an upper side of the upper surface portion via the upper opening.
  • a flexible container according to an eighth aspect is the flexible container according to the seventh aspect that further includes a second binding member configured to be tied around the filling port portion to close the introduction path.
  • a flexible container according to a ninth aspect is the flexible container according to the eighth aspect, wherein the outer bag further includes a filling port cover that surrounds the filling port portion.
  • the filling port cover is fixed to the upper surface portion to extend to the upper side of the upper surface portion from the upper opening.
  • the second binding member is fixed to the filling port cover.
  • a flexible container according to a tenth aspect is the flexible container according to the eighth or ninth aspect that further includes a hooking member that is fixed to the second binding member or a portion in the vicinity of the center of an upper portion of the outer bag and can be hooked to a suspending tool that suspends the flexible container from above.
  • a flexible container according to an eleventh aspect is the flexible container according to any one of the first to tenth aspects, wherein the contents are water-absorbent resin particles.
  • a manufacturing method is a manufacturing method for manufacturing a flexible container for holding contents and includes the following steps:
  • a manufacturing method is the manufacturing method according to the twelfth aspect, wherein the outer bag further includes an upper surface portion in which an upper opening is formed.
  • the inner bag includes a filling port portion that forms an introduction path for introducing the contents.
  • Housing the inner bag in the outer bag includes housing the inner bag in the outer bag such that the filling port portion extends to an upper side of the upper surface portion via the upper opening.
  • a manufacturing method is a manufacturing method for manufacturing a flexible container holding contents therein and includes the following steps:
  • An opening method is a method for opening a flexible container holding contents therein and includes the following steps:
  • the discharge port portion of the inner bag extending from the bottom surface portion of the outer bag is covered by the lid attached to the outer side of the bottom surface portion. Therefore, it is easy for a worker to remove the lid while stretching out their hand from a side of the flexible container to its underside when opening the flexible container. Also, the worker can open the discharge port portion of the inner bag by untying the first binding member tied around the discharge port portion, while stretching out their hand from the side. Therefore, the worker need not necessarily have to perform operations for opening the discharge port portion while standing under the flexible container, and can open the discharge port portion even while standing on a side of the flexible container. Accordingly, the flexible container can be easily opened.
  • the discharge port portion of the inner bag is folded back in one direction and then narrowed (or narrowed and then folded back) and tied off with the first binding member to maintain this state, and the tied discharge port portion is folded and covered by the lid.
  • the discharge port portion of the inner bag is located in the vicinity of the lowest end portions of the inner bag and the outer bag and likely to largely move to the left and the right (i.e., likely to sway) and interfere with the lid when the flexible container is carried while suspended. If the discharge port portion and the lid excessively interfere with each other, there is a risk that the lid will be unintentionally opened.
  • the discharge port portion is tied off with the first binding member in the folded state except for when it is opened, and accordingly the position of the lowest end of the discharge port portion is slightly raised, and the discharge port portion is unlikely to interfere with the lid. Therefore, the lid is prevented from being unintentionally opened even if the discharge port portion covered by the lid sways when the flexible container is carried.
  • FIG. 1 is a side view showing a state in which a flexible container according to one embodiment of the present invention is spread out;
  • FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which a discharge port is folded back and fixed using a binding member
  • FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the flexible container in a state in which a lid is attached
  • FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the flexible container in a state in which the lid is about half-removed
  • FIG. 5 is a plan view of an outer bag in a state in which a corolla-shaped lid is closed;
  • FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which the flexible container is suspended from above using a suspending tool
  • FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which the flexible container is suspended from above using the suspending tool without a hooking member of a filling port being hooked to the suspending tool;
  • FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a binding member according to a variation.
  • FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a method for binding the discharge port according to a variation.
  • FIG. 1 shows a side view of a flexible container (hereinafter may simply be referred to as a “container”) 1 (from which a lid 5 described later is omitted) according to the present embodiment.
  • the flexible container 1 is a container for holding contents and is used to store and transport the contents.
  • the flexible container 1 is constituted by a soft material as indicated by its name. Therefore, the container 1 spreads out three-dimensionally in a state of being filled with contents, but can be folded to be planar in an empty state.
  • FIG. 1 shows a state in which the upper portion and the lower portion of the container 1 are spread out.
  • the type of contents to be held in the container 1 is not specifically limited, and typical examples of the contents include powder and granular materials, grain, vegetables, etc., and the contents in the present embodiment are water-absorbent resin particles (pellets).
  • the flexible container 1 has a double structure and includes an outer bag 2 and an inner bag 3 that is housed in the outer bag 2 (see FIG. 6 ). The contents are held in the inner bag 3 .
  • the outer bag 2 includes a main body portion 20 that includes an upper surface portion 21 , a bottom surface portion 22 , and a side surface portion 23 .
  • the upper surface portion 21 and the bottom surface portion 22 have a square shape.
  • the main body portion 20 of the outer bag 2 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the side surface portion 23 includes four rectangular side surface portions.
  • a pocket 23 a for inserting a label etc., is attached to the side surface portion 23 .
  • An opening (hereinafter referred to as an “upper opening”) 21 a is formed at the center of the upper surface portion 21 .
  • an opening (hereinafter referred to as a “lower opening”) 22 a is formed at the center of the bottom surface portion 22 .
  • the openings 21 a and 22 a are both circular in the present embodiment. Note that positions of the openings 21 a and 22 a are indicated by shading in the side view shown in FIG. 1 for reference, although the openings 21 a and 22 a are otherwise not visible in this side view.
  • the main body portion 20 , the upper surface portion 21 , the bottom surface portion 22 , and the openings 21 a and 22 a are coaxially arranged and have a common central axis, which will be denoted by a reference numeral A 1 in the following description.
  • the inner bag 3 has a tubular shape. An upper portion of the inner bag 3 extends to the upper side of the upper surface portion 21 via the upper opening 21 a and forms a filling port portion 31 for the contents. A lower portion of the inner bag 3 extends to the lower side of the bottom surface portion 22 via the lower opening 22 a and forms a discharge port portion 32 for the contents. The contents are introduced into the inner bag 3 via the filling port portion 31 and discharged from the inner bag 3 via the discharge port portion 32 . Namely, the filling port portion 31 forms an introduction path R 1 for introducing the contents into the inner bag 3 , and the discharge port portion 32 forms a discharge path R 2 for discharging the contents from the inner bag 3 .
  • the outer bag 2 further includes a tubular filling port cover 25 that extends to the upper side of the upper surface portion 21 from the upper opening 21 a and a tubular discharge port cover 26 that extends to the lower side from the lower opening 22 a.
  • the filling port cover 25 covers the outer side of the filling port portion 31 of the inner bag 3 protruding from the upper surface portion 21 via the upper opening 21 a
  • the discharge port cover 26 covers the outer side of the discharge port portion 32 of the inner bag 3 protruding from the bottom surface portion 22 via the lower opening 22 a.
  • the filling port cover 25 is fixed to the upper surface portion 21 through sewing etc., and arranged to protrude from the vicinity of an edge that defines the upper opening 21 a.
  • the filling port cover 25 has a circular cross section that has substantially the same size as the upper opening 21 a.
  • the discharge port cover 26 is fixed to the bottom surface portion 22 through sewing etc., and arranged to protrude from the vicinity of an edge that defines the lower opening 22 a.
  • the discharge port cover 26 has a circular cross section that has substantially the same size as the lower opening 22 a.
  • the main body portion 20 of the outer bag 2 has a larger diameter than the filling port cover 25 and the discharge port cover 26 .
  • the diameter of the inner bag 3 is constant in the direction of the central axis A 1 and larger than diameters of the filling port cover 25 and the discharge port cover 26 . Accordingly, when the inner bag 3 is housed in the outer bag 2 , creases are formed in the upper portion (filling port portion 31 ) of the inner bag 3 and the diameter of the upper portion is reduced. Similarly, when the inner bag 3 is housed in the outer bag 2 , creases are formed in the lower portion (discharge port portion 32 ) of the inner bag 3 and the diameter of the lower portion is reduced.
  • the filling port portion 31 forms a filling port together with the filling port cover 25 , and accordingly the filling port portion 31 and the filling port cover 25 may be collectively referred to as a “filling port P 1 ” in the following description.
  • the discharge port portion 32 forms a discharge port together with the discharge port cover 26 , and accordingly the discharge port portion 32 and the discharge port cover 26 may be collectively referred to as a “discharge port P 2 ” in the following description.
  • the discharge port P 2 is tied off using a binding member 40 (first binding member) to close the discharge path R 2 .
  • the binding member 40 is fixed to an outer surface of the discharge port cover 26 as shown in FIG. 1 .
  • the binding member 40 is a cord-shaped member (hereinafter referred to as a “cord”) 41 that includes hook-and-loop fasteners 42 and 43 .
  • the cord 41 is attached to the vicinity of the center of the discharge port cover 26 in the up-down direction through sewing etc., such that the cord 41 horizontally extends in a state of not being tied around the discharge port P 2 .
  • the hook-and-loop fasteners 42 and 43 are configured to be fixed to each other and are arranged with a space therebetween in a longitudinal direction of the cord 41 . Note that the position of the hook-and-loop fastener 43 is indicated for reference in FIGS. 1 and 2 , although the hook-and-loop fastener 43 is arranged on the opposite side of the cord 41 and is otherwise not visible in these drawings.
  • FIG. 2 shows a state in which the discharge port P 2 is folded back and fixed using the binding member 40 .
  • the discharge port P 2 is folded such that its lower end is oriented upward, and the cord 41 is wound around mutually facing portions of the folded discharge port P 2 .
  • the wound state of the cord 41 is fixed using the hook-and-loop fasteners 42 and 43 fixed to the cord 41 .
  • FIGS. 3 and 4 are bottom views of the flexible container 1 .
  • the flexible container 1 includes a lid 5 that is attached to the bottom surface portion 22 in a detachable manner to open or close the lower opening 22 a.
  • the lid 5 is attached to the outer side of the bottom surface portion 22 when the lower opening 22 a is closed.
  • the lid 5 has a sheet-like shape, and is rectangular in the present embodiment. Hook-and-loop fasteners 51 are fixed to an inner surface 5 a of the lid 5 that faces the bottom surface portion 22 , through sewing etc., at substantially constant intervals along an outer peripheral portion.
  • hook-and-loop fasteners 52 are fixed through sewing etc., to portions of the bottom surface portion 22 that face the hook-and-loop fasteners 51 .
  • the lid 5 is attached to the bottom surface portion 22 .
  • positions of the hook-and-loop fasteners 51 are indicated for reference in FIGS. 3 and 4 , although the hook-and-loop fasteners 51 are attached to the inner surface of the lid 5 and are not visible from the outside.
  • FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the flexible container 1 in a state in which the lid 5 is about half-removed. As shown in FIG. 4 , when the lid 5 is removed from the bottom surface portion 22 , the discharge port P 2 tied off with the binding member 40 is exposed from the bottom surface portion 22 . At this time, the discharge port P 2 hangs down under gravity and enters the state shown in FIG. 2 when viewed from a side.
  • the filling port P 1 is tied off using a binding member 45 (second binding member) to close the introduction path R 1 .
  • the binding member 45 is fixed to an outer surface of the filling port cover 25 as shown in FIG. 1 .
  • the binding member 45 is a cord-shaped member.
  • the binding member 45 is attached to the vicinity of the center of the filling port cover 25 in the up-down direction through sewing etc., such that the binding member 45 horizontally extends in a state of not being tied around the filling port P 1 .
  • the filling port portion 31 is narrowed together with the filling port cover 25 covering the filling port portion 31 , to close the introduction path R 1 .
  • the binding member 45 is wound around the filling port P 1 to maintain the narrowed state.
  • the binding member 45 is tied into a bow etc., for example.
  • a configuration may be employed in which the filling port cover 25 and the filling port portion 31 are tied together with a half-knot, thereafter the filling port portion 31 protruding from the filling port cover 25 is folded back in one direction such that the leading end of the filling port portion 31 is oriented downward, and then the folded portion of the filling port portion 31 and the filling port cover 25 are tied together with a bowknot.
  • the outer bag 2 includes a corolla-shaped lid (hereinafter referred to as a “corolla lid”) 24 for opening and closing the upper opening 21 a.
  • FIG. 5 is a plan view of the outer bag 2 in a state in which the corolla lid 24 is closed.
  • the corolla lid 24 includes a plurality of petal-shaped portions (hereinafter referred to as “petal portions”) 24 a. In a state in which the corolla lid 24 is closed, these petal portions 24 a are radially arranged around the central axis A 1 and cover the upper opening 21 a except for its center portion.
  • the petal portions 24 a have the same shape, which is a substantially trapezoidal shape but includes an arcuate base that conforms to the outline of the upper opening 21 a. Namely, the bases of the petal portions 24 a are continuous to the edge defining the upper opening 21 a in the upper surface portion 21 .
  • Cord insertion paths that extend in a circumferential direction with respect to the central axis A 1 are formed in the vicinity of inner end portions of the petal portions 24 a, and a piece of cord 24 b is passed through these paths. Both end portions of the cord 24 b that are not passed through the cord insertion paths are bundled using a slider 24 c. As a result of the slider 24 c moving along the bundle of the two end portions of the cord 24 b, the corolla lid 24 is opened or closed.
  • the slider 24 c when the slider 24 c is moved to reduce the size of a loop formed by the cord 24 b, i.e., when the cord 24 b is tied off, the petal portions 24 a collapse to spread in the same plane as the upper surface portion 21 and enter a closed state shown in FIG. 5 .
  • the slider 24 c when the slider 24 c is moved to increase the size of the loop formed by the cord 24 b, i.e., when the cord 24 b is loosened, the petal portions 24 a can be caused to stand upright in the up-down direction as shown in FIG. 1 .
  • the filling port cover 25 is arranged on the inner side of the corolla lid 24 .
  • the corolla lid 24 is fixed to the upper surface portion 21 such that the corolla lid 24 surrounds the filling port cover 25 from the outer side.
  • an inner lid 4 is arranged on the outer side of the filling port cover 25 and on the inner side of the corolla lid 24 .
  • the inner lid 4 is also surrounded by the corolla lid 24 from the outer side.
  • the filling port P 1 tied off with the binding member 45 is appropriately folded and housed on the inner side of the corolla lid 24 , and thereafter the corolla lid 24 is closed.
  • the inner lid 4 covers the filling port P 1 from above on the inner side of the corolla lid 24 .
  • the corolla lid 24 need not necessarily have to be completely closed as shown in FIG. 5 . Namely, a portion of the filling port P 1 may protrude from an opening 24 d that is formed in a center portion of the corolla lid 24 .
  • the container 1 further includes a hooking member 48 that is fixed to the binding member 45 .
  • the hooking member 48 is constituted by a piece of cord that forms a loop.
  • the hooking member 48 is a member to be hooked to a suspending tool 7 that suspends the flexible container 1 from above.
  • FIG. 6 shows a state in which the flexible container 1 is suspended from above by hooking the hooking member 48 to the suspending tool 7 .
  • the suspending tool 7 is typically a hook.
  • a plurality of hooking members 35 b that are fixed to the outer bag 2 are also hooked to the suspending tool 7 .
  • the hooking members 35 b correspond to upper portions of cord-shaped elongated members (hereinafter referred to as “pieces of frame cord”) 35 that are respectively arranged at four corners of the outer bag 2 . More specifically, intermediate portions 35 a of the four pieces of frame cord 35 are fixed to the side surface portion 23 through sewing etc., such that the intermediate portions extend in the up-down direction along boundaries between the four surfaces of the side surface portion 23 of the outer bag 2 .
  • the upper portions of the pieces of frame cord 35 are formed to maintain a loop shape, and serve as the hooking members 35 b.
  • lower portions 35 c of the four pieces of frame cord 35 are bent along the bottom surface portion 22 , extend toward the center of the bottom surface portion 22 , and are radially arranged when viewed together.
  • the lower portions 35 c are fixed to the bottom surface portion 22 through sewing etc. Innermost end portions of the lower portions 35 c do not reach the lower opening 22 a and the lid 5 .
  • the innermost end portions of the lower portions 35 c also form loops, and a piece of cord 36 is passed through these loops.
  • the cord 36 is pulled toward four corners of the bottom surface portion 22 by the lower portions 35 c of the pieces of frame cord 35 . Under this tension, the cord 36 is stretched into a substantially square shape and, as a result, the bottom surface portion 22 of the container 1 holding the contents is kept planar.
  • the following describes a method for preparing an empty flexible container 1 (i.e., a method for manufacturing the flexible container 1 ), a method for filling the empty flexible container 1 with contents (i.e., a method for manufacturing the flexible container 1 holding contents), and a method for opening the flexible container 1 , in this order.
  • the outer bag 2 and the inner bag 3 are provided, and the inner bag 3 is housed in the outer bag 2 .
  • the filling port portion 31 in the upper portion of the inner bag 3 is inserted into the upper opening 21 a in the upper surface portion 21 of the outer bag 2 and the filling port cover 25 and drawn out such that the filling port portion 31 is slightly exposed from the upper end of the filling port cover 25 .
  • the filling port P 1 is formed by the filling port cover 25 and the filling port portion 31 protruding to the upper side of the upper surface portion 21 via the upper opening 21 a.
  • the discharge port portion 32 in the lower portion of the inner bag 3 is inserted into the lower opening 22 a in the bottom surface portion 22 of the outer bag 2 and the discharge port cover 26 and drawn out such that the discharge port portion 32 is slightly exposed from the lower end of the discharge port cover 26 .
  • the discharge port P 2 is formed by the discharge port cover 26 and the discharge port portion 32 protruding to the lower side of the bottom surface portion 22 via the lower opening 22 a.
  • the discharge port P 2 is closed. Specifically, the discharge port P 2 is narrowed to close the discharge path R 2 formed inside the discharge port portion 32 , and thereafter the narrowed discharge port P 2 is folded back in one direction. Then, the binding member 40 is firmly wound around the folded discharge port P 2 to surround the discharge port P 2 from the outer side, and the wound state is locked using the hook-and-loop fasteners 42 and 43 . Then, the discharge port P 2 is further folded, and the lid 5 is attached to the bottom surface portion 22 to cover the folded discharge port P 2 .
  • the lid 5 is attached to the outer surface of the bottom surface portion 22 by aligning the hook-and-loop fasteners 51 on the lid 5 with the hook-and-loop fasteners 52 on the bottom surface portion 22 .
  • the lower opening 22 a is closed and the discharge port P 2 is housed on the inner side of the lid 5 .
  • a lower surface of the flexible container 1 is formed, and a flexible container 1 that can be filled with contents via the filling port P 1 is manufactured.
  • the empty container 1 is arranged under an apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a “supply apparatus”), such as a hopper, that supplies contents, such that the upper surface portion 21 is oriented upward.
  • a supply apparatus such as a hopper
  • the hooking members 35 b at the four corners of the outer bag 2 are hooked to a suspending tool, such as a hook, of the supply apparatus to suspend the flexible container 1 from above.
  • the corolla lid 24 is opened by loosening the slider 24 c, the inner lid 4 is also opened, and the filling port P 1 is opened as wide as possible into a tubular shape.
  • the introduction path R 1 is widely opened upward, i.e., toward a discharge port of the supply apparatus from which the contents are to be discharged. Subsequently, the discharge port of the supply apparatus is inserted into the introduction path R 1 . Then, the discharge port of the supply apparatus is opened to introduce the contents from the supply apparatus into the inner bag 3 via the introduction path R 1 .
  • the filling port P 1 is closed. Specifically, the filling port P 1 is narrowed to close the introduction path R 1 formed inside the filling port portion 31 . Then, the binding member 45 is firmly wound around the narrowed filling port P 1 to surround the filling port P 1 from the outer side, and then the wound state is locked by tying off the binding member 45 . Subsequently, the filling port P 1 is folded, the inner lid 4 is placed on the filling port P 1 , and the corolla lid 24 is closed. Thus, the upper opening 21 a is closed and the filling port P 1 is housed on the inner side of the corolla lid 24 . At this time, the hooking member 48 fixed to the binding member 45 is drawn out to the outside from the opening 24 d in the center portion of the corolla lid 24 . Thus, the flexible container 1 holding contents is manufactured.
  • the flexible container 1 holding contents is stored at an appropriate storage site and transported as necessary.
  • the flexible container 1 can be placed on a pallet and carried using a conveyance apparatus such as a forklift.
  • a conveyance apparatus such as a crane, that includes a suspending tool, such as a hook, can be used. Namely, the flexible container 1 can be easily moved by driving the conveyance apparatus in a state in which the hooking members 35 b are hooked to the suspending tool of the conveyance apparatus.
  • the container 1 holding contents is arranged above an apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a “supplied apparatus”), such as a hopper, that is to be supplied with the contents, such that the bottom surface portion 22 is oriented downward.
  • a supply apparatus such as a hopper
  • the hooking members 35 b at the four corners of the outer bag 2 are hooked to the suspending tool 7 , such as a hook, of a dedicated suspending apparatus (e.g., a hoist) to suspend the flexible container 1 from above.
  • the hooking member 48 fixed to the binding member 45 wound around the filling port P 1 is also hooked to the suspending tool 7 of the suspending apparatus.
  • the lid 5 can be removed with a single touch owing to the above-described configuration of the lid 5 .
  • the discharge port P 2 tied off with the binding member 40 automatically hangs down from the bottom surface portion 22 under the weight of the discharge port P 2 , as shown in FIG. 2 .
  • the worker unwinds the binding member 40 from the hanging discharge port P 2 while standing on the side of the flexible container 1 and stretching out their hand to the underside of the flexible container 1 .
  • the binding member 40 can be unwound with a single touch owing to the above-described configuration of the binding member 40 .
  • the discharge port P 2 which has been folded such that its lower end is oriented upward, extends straight under its own weight such that the lower end is oriented downward.
  • the discharge path R 2 is widely opened downward, i.e., toward an introduction port of the supplied apparatus that receives the contents, and the contents are introduced into the supplied apparatus via the discharge path R 2 .
  • FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which the flexible container 1 is suspended from above using the suspending tool 7 without the hooking member 48 being hooked to the suspending tool 7 .
  • the upper surface portion 21 is pulled down by the inner bag 3 under the weight of the contents, and accordingly the inner bag 3 moves down.
  • the inner bag 3 loses its bulge and is elongated in the up-down direction, and accordingly the lower end of the inner bag 3 hangs further downward.
  • the lower portion of the inner bag 3 may close the introduction port of the supplied apparatus and obstruct discharge of the contents. Therefore, it is preferable to hook the hooking member 48 to the suspending tool as shown in FIG. 6 to keep the lower end of the inner bag 3 from hanging downward past a predetermined position.
  • the main body portion 20 of the outer bag 2 has a rectangular tube shape, but there is no limitation thereto, and the main body portion 20 may also have a cylindrical shape, for example.
  • the openings 21 a and 22 a have circular shapes in the above-described embodiment, but their shapes are not specifically limited, and may also be elliptical shapes or rectangular shapes, for example. Note that, if the shapes of the openings 21 a and 22 a are changed, it is preferable to appropriately change the shapes of the filling port cover 25 and the discharge port cover 26 to similar shapes.
  • the shape of the lid 5 is also not specifically limited, and may also be a circular shape or an elliptical shape, for example.
  • the binding member 40 is not limited to the above-described configuration, and may also simple be a piece of cord 41 that does not include the hook-and-loop fasteners 42 and 43 similarly to the binding member 45 , or a piece of cord 41 that includes a button (including a snap button) that can fix the wound state. Note that, if the binding member 40 is a piece of simple cord, the binding member 40 is tied into a bow etc., similarly to the binding member 45 .
  • the binding member 40 may also be a fastening tool 70 as shown in FIG. 8 .
  • the fastening tool 70 includes a piece of cord 71 and a slider 72 through which both end portions of the cord 71 are passed in parallel to each other.
  • the cord 71 and the slider 72 form a loop, and the discharge port P 2 to be bound is passed through the loop.
  • the slider 72 is configured to move along both end portions of the cord 71 .
  • a lock member 73 for locking the slider 72 in a state of being unable to move along the cord 71 is attached to the slider 72 .
  • a piece of cord 74 is attached to an end portion of the lock member 73 .
  • the lock member 73 When the cord 74 is pulled, the lock member 73 is moved, the lock is released, and the slider 72 is allowed to move relative to the cord 71 .
  • the lock member 73 is coupled to the slider 72 and kept from coming loose from the slider 72 even when the lock is released. Accordingly, when the cord 74 is further pulled to pull the slider 72 via the lock member 73 . the loop formed by the cord 71 and the slider 72 is enlarged. Therefore, the cord 71 falls off from the discharge port P 2 and the discharge port P 2 is unbound.
  • the binding member 45 is also not limited to the above-described configuration, and may also be a piece of cord that includes hook-and-loop fasteners similarly to the binding member 40 , a piece of cord 41 that includes a button (including a snap button) that can fix the wound state, or the fastening tool 70 as shown in FIG. 8 .
  • binding members 40 and 45 need not necessarily have to be fixed to the filling port cover 25 or the discharge port cover 26 , and may also be a member that is independent from the outer bag 2 or the inner bag 3 .
  • the hooking member 48 may also be fixed to a portion in the vicinity of the center of the upper portion of the outer bag 2 , such as a portion in the vicinity of the center of the filling port cover 25 , the corolla lid 24 , the inner lid 4 , or the upper surface portion 21 , rather than the binding member 45 .
  • the lower end of the inner bag 3 can be prevented from hanging downward past a predetermined position when the container 1 is suspended by hooking the hooking member 48 to the suspending tool.
  • the method for attaching the lid 5 to the bottom surface portion 22 is not limited to the method using the hook-and-loop fasteners, and the lid 5 may also be fixed to the bottom surface portion 22 using a button, for example
  • a button is attached to one of the bottom surface portion 22 and the lid 5 and a button hole is formed in the other, for example.
  • a configuration is also possible in which a male part of a snap button is attached to one of the bottom surface portion 22 and the lid 5 and a female part of the snap button is attached to the other.
  • the discharge port P 2 is narrowed to close the discharge path R 2 , then the narrowed discharge port P 2 is folded back in one direction, and the folded and narrowed state is fixed using the binding member 40 .

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Bag Frames (AREA)
  • Packages (AREA)
US16/760,841 2017-11-01 2018-10-25 Flexible container Abandoned US20210155402A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

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JP2017211677 2017-11-01
JP2017-211677 2017-11-01
PCT/JP2018/039582 WO2019087908A1 (ja) 2017-11-01 2018-10-25 フレキシブルコンテナ

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US20210155402A1 true US20210155402A1 (en) 2021-05-27

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US16/760,841 Abandoned US20210155402A1 (en) 2017-11-01 2018-10-25 Flexible container

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US (1) US20210155402A1 (ja)
EP (1) EP3705421A4 (ja)
JP (1) JP7330105B2 (ja)
KR (1) KR102649842B1 (ja)
CN (1) CN111247073B (ja)
BR (1) BR112020008723A2 (ja)
CA (1) CA3080892A1 (ja)
PH (1) PH12020550492A1 (ja)
SG (1) SG11202003844YA (ja)
TW (1) TWI741224B (ja)
WO (1) WO2019087908A1 (ja)

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CN111247073B (zh) 2022-12-13
CA3080892A1 (en) 2019-05-09
TW201922593A (zh) 2019-06-16
BR112020008723A2 (pt) 2020-11-03
EP3705421A4 (en) 2021-06-30
CN111247073A (zh) 2020-06-05
KR102649842B1 (ko) 2024-03-21
PH12020550492A1 (en) 2021-03-22
SG11202003844YA (en) 2020-05-28
TWI741224B (zh) 2021-10-01
EP3705421A1 (en) 2020-09-09
WO2019087908A1 (ja) 2019-05-09
JPWO2019087908A1 (ja) 2020-10-01
KR20200075842A (ko) 2020-06-26

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