WO2004052727A1

WO2004052727A1 - Bag cutter

Info

Publication number: WO2004052727A1
Application number: PCT/AU2003/001635
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jason Ian Nathaniel Beath; James Gilder Dixon
Original assignee: Jason Ian Nathaniel Beath; James Gilder Dixon
Priority date: 2002-12-09
Filing date: 2003-12-09
Publication date: 2004-06-24
Also published as: AU2002953286A0

Abstract

A bag cutter (10) includes a container (12) which has a hinged lid (14). Beneath the lid (14) is a bag locater (16) which has two portions (18, 20) which are hinged together (40). The two bag locater portions (18, 20) have floors (22, 24) provided with spikes (36) to engage a bag (38) containing a corrosive material (46). A blade (42) is operated by a lever (44) to enter the bag locater (16) from beneath, passing between the floors (22, 24) to lacerate the bag (38). A quick release mechanism (48) is actuated by a handle (50), to allow the bag locater (16) to fold about the hinge (40), separating the floors (22, 24) and allowing the contents (46) of the bag (46) to fall through the base of the container (12) into a hopper.

Description

BAG CUTTER

This invention relates to apparatus for cutting bags containing corrosive substances.

In many of the tropical regions of the world, where deltas of mangrove swamps occur, there exist formations of marine sediments commonly known as "sulphidic marine sediments" or iron monosulphides. These sediments may be identified by their black "oozy" nature, their sulphurous organic odour, and their general relationship with tropical tidal areas.

These sulphidic black oozes are produced by a chemical reaction involving the sulphur in sea water and dissolved ferric iron, in an anoxic condition which exists in shallow coastal swamps. This reaction is fuelled by organic matter, produced by abundant plant species. The result of these reactions is the vast formation of iron monosulphides or sulphidic sediments.

Once these sulphidic sediments are exposed to atmospheric oxygen, they rapidly oxidize, and sulphuric acid is formed. Accordingly, should the sediments be disturbed, by, for example, construction work for residential projects or to form canals, drainage projects, or by farming practices, bringing them into contact with the atmosphere, as a result of which large scale oxidation of sulphidic marine sediments will occur. Sulphuric acid produced by this oxidation will be discharged into watercourses and waterways, resulting in extreme environmental damage to flora and fauna. For example, acid runoff caused serious fish kills in the aftermath of the Lismore and Grafton floods in early 2001.

PCT/AU03/00094 describes a method and apparatus for treating waterways, watercourses and disturbed soils affected by the runoff from acid sulphate soils, and for general pH correction. In that method and apparatus, a body of water is dosed with various reagents which react with contaminants to, for example, precipitate metals from solution and to restore a neutral pH to the body of water. Reactive materials, such as those utilised in the method and apparatus of PCT/AU03/00094, are generally highly alkaline or highly acidic, and their highly corrosive nature creates a number of occupational health and safety issues. Such materials are conventionally packaged in bags, usually of between 20kg and 25kg in weight. The major problem encountered when handling such bags is the corrosive dust produced when the bags are cut and the contents decanted into a storage hopper.

It is an object of this invention to provide apparatus for safely opening bags containing corrosive materials.

The invention provides apparatus for discharging the contents of a container, characterised by container locater means, said container locating means being adapted in one orientation to support said container, and being adapted in another orientation to permit the discharge of said contents.

An embodiment of the invention will be described in detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of apparatus for cutting bags, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, with the front panel removed and with the mechanism in first position; and

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the apparatus of Fig. 1 , with the front panel removed and with the mechanism in a second position.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, there is shown an embodiment of a bag cutter in accordance with the present invention. The bag cutter 10 consists of a structure 12 in the preferred form of a cuboidal container, which is open at the bottom thereof. A lid 14 is preferably hinged to the long (laterally-extending in Figs. 1 and 2) side of the container 12.

A bag locater 16 is mounted within the container 12, beneath lid 14. The bag locater 16 has two parts 18, 20. In the first position of Fig. 1 , the floors 22, 24 of the respective bag locater parts 18, 20 are shown as co-planar. Spikes or the like 36 may be located on either or both of floors 22, 24, to engage the material of a bag 38 of corrosive material which may be loaded into the apparatus 10, as will be described later in this specification. Each bag locater part 18, 20 may be in the form of a trough or tray, with upstanding sides (only two of which are shown, as 26, 28) preferably to the front and/or rear of the parts. In each case, the portion of each part 18, 20 which in Fig. 1 is located at the centre of the apparatus 10, is open. As can most clearly be seen in Fig. 2, parts 18, 20 are hinged together (30) at the top of sides 26, 28.

Bag locater part 18 is hingedly connected to container 12 at 30. Bag locater part 20 is also hingedly connected to container 12, at 32, but this is effected by a bolt or the like 32 attached to part 20, bolt 32 being captive in a slot 34 in container 12 for movement therealong. The inner ends of bag locater parts 18, 20 are hinged together at 40, such that the floors 22, 24 of bag locater parts 18, 20 form a hinged divided floor. Where the inner ends of each part 18, 20 are hinged together, at 40, a space is provided between the ends, so that a blade 42 may penetrate the divided floor. This could be accomplished by having the floors 22, 24 hinged together only at the front and back, leaving a gap between the hinges, or may be accomplished in any other suitable manner.

Blade 42 may be hinged (not shown) to the inside of container 12, and is preferably connected to an actuating means 44, preferably in the form of an externally mounted hand-operated lever 44 which, when pushed down quickly, causes the cutting blade to describe a predetermined upward arc (the direction of which is shown by the arrow in Fig. 1) to rapidly penetrate the aforementioned area between floors 22, 24. This action will lacerate a bag 38 which is located on floors 22, 24.

The hinged divided floor (22, 24) is provided with a locking and releasing mechanism, which when released allows the hinged floor (22, 24) of the bag locater 16 to rotate, under the influence of gravity, about hinge 40. This causes part 18 to rotate about hinge 30, and part 20 to also rotate, as bolt 32 slides along slot 34. As a result of the rotation of parts 18, 20, floors 22, 24 separate and instead of being co-planar, become in an angular relationship with each other. This causes further tearing of the bag 38, but most importantly allows the contents 46 of the bag to fall between floors 22, 24, through the open base of the container 12, for subsequent location in a hopper (not shown) or the like. The empty bag 38 is retained on the spikes 36 for subsequent easy removal.

Part of the locking and release mechanism is the externally mounted lever 44 (or another actuating means) which also has a provision for relocating the floors 22, 24 from the second position of Fig. 2 to the first position of Fig. 1 , where the bag locater 16 may be latched by a locking tab (not shown) into the first position by the locking portion of the mechanism, in any suitable fashion. Downward pressure on lever 44 lifts floors 22, 24 from the second position to the first, substantially horizontal, position where a locking tab and quick release mechanism 48 are located.

The locking tab holds bag locater 16 in the first position of Fig. 1 , and is automatically reloaded and locked by the action of lever 44. The quick release mechanism 48 includes a handle 50, which, when actuated, releases the locking tab, which then allows the bag locater 16 to move from the first position to the second position under the influence of gravity, as described previously in this specification.

The apparatus 10 may be operated as follows. Firstly, the lid 14 is lifted and a bag 38 (conventionally weighing between 20kg and 25kg) containing corrosive material 46 is located on the spikes 36 of bag locater 16. The lid 14 is then closed. Lever 44 is then rapidly "pumped¹, pressed downward a number of times, gravity causing the handle to return to the upper position after each press. This causes blade 42 to cut and/or lacerate the fabric of bag 38. Lever 44 has a limiting stopper (not shown) which contacts the base of the bag locater 16. The blade 42 is adapted, when lever 44 is released, to fall clear of bag locater 16. Handle 50 of the quick release mechanism 48 is then operated, which frees the locking tab, which causes the bag locater to move from the first position of Fig. 1 to the second position of Fig. 2. That in turn causes the contents 46 of the bag 38 to be discharged between the separated floors 22, 24, and through the open base of the container 12 to a hopper or the like.

The bag locater 16 is then reloaded to the first position with a downward movement of lever 44. The limiting stopper contacts the base of bag locater 16 and pushes it upwards until it reaches the position shown in Fig. 1 , in which position it is latched by the locking tab. The lid 14 is then opened and the empty bag 38 is removed. The apparatus 10 is then ready for another bag to be cut and the contents 46 discharged.

It can be seen that the present invention provides an improved apparatus for discharging corrosive or other dangerous substances from containers of such substances.

The entire contents of the specification and drawings of Australian provisional patent application no. 2002953286, filed on 9 December 2002, are hereby incorporated into this specification.

The claims form part of the disclosure of this application. A method may also be claimed. The method may take the form of a method of discharging the contents of a container, characterised by the steps of locating the container on container locater means, breaching the material from which the container is formed, by lacerating, perforating, cutting, breaking or the like, and causing the container to deform to allow said contents to be discharged. Preferably, the deformation occurs when a divided floor of said bag locater means separates, forming a gap between divided floor portions, through which gap said contents are adapted to flow.

Claims

1. Apparatus for discharging the contents of a container, characterised by container locater means, said container locating means being adapted in one orientation to support said container, and being adapted in another orientation to permit the discharge of said contents.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 , characterised in that said container locater means has a floor, said floor being adapted to receive and support said container, in that said floor has at least two portions, and in that in said first orientation said at least two floor portions form a substantially continuous floor, and in said second orientation said floor portions are separated such that said contents are permitted to pass between said floor portions.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterised by container treatment means adapted to breach the wall of said container to permit the discharge of said contents.

4. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, characterised in that said treatment means is a blade adapted to lacerate or cut said container.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, characterised in that said blade is adapted to pass between said floor portions to lacerate or cut said container.

6. Apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterised in that said treatment means is actuated by lever means.

7. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, characterised in that said apparatus includes a housing, in which said container locater means is positioned.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7, characterised in that said housing includes a lid and an open base, through which open base said contents may be discharged.

9. Apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterised in that said lever extends beyond said housing.

10. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, characterised in that the floor portions of said container locater means are hinged together, such that when the locater moves from said first orientation to said second orientation, said floor portions move about said hinge, relative to one another, thereby creating a gap between said floor portions.

11. Apparatus according to claim 10, characterised in that said container locater means is adapted to move from said first orientation to said second orientation under the influence of gravity.

12. Apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 11 , characterised in that said lever means is also adapted to return said container locater means to said first position from said second position.

13. Apparatus according to claim 11 , characterised in that latching means are provided to releasably secure said bag locater means in said first orientation.

14. Apparatus according to claim 13, further characterised by release means for releasing said latching means.

15. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, characterised in that said container is a bag.

16. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, characterised in that said contents are corrosive.

17. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, further characterised by locating means situated on said container locater means, said locating means being adapted to retain said container in place.