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
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B31/00—Packaging articles or materials under special atmospheric or gaseous conditions; Adding propellants to aerosol containers
• • 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
  • B65D19/00—Pallets or like platforms, with or without side walls, for supporting loads to be lifted or lowered
  • B65D19/02—Rigid pallets with side walls, e.g. box pallets
  • B65D19/06—Rigid pallets with side walls, e.g. box pallets with bodies formed by uniting or interconnecting two or more components
  • B65D19/20—Rigid pallets with side walls, e.g. box pallets with bodies formed by uniting or interconnecting two or more components made wholly or mainly of paper
• • 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
  • B65D2519/00—Pallets or like platforms, with or without side walls, for supporting loads to be lifted or lowered
  • B65D2519/00004—Details relating to pallets
  • B65D2519/00009—Materials
  • B65D2519/00014—Materials for the load supporting surface
  • B65D2519/00029—Wood
• • 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
  • B65D2519/00—Pallets or like platforms, with or without side walls, for supporting loads to be lifted or lowered
  • B65D2519/00004—Details relating to pallets
  • B65D2519/00009—Materials
  • B65D2519/00049—Materials for the base surface
  • B65D2519/00064—Wood
• • 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
  • B65D2519/00—Pallets or like platforms, with or without side walls, for supporting loads to be lifted or lowered
  • B65D2519/00004—Details relating to pallets
  • B65D2519/00009—Materials
  • B65D2519/00084—Materials for the non-integral separating spacer
  • B65D2519/00099—Wood
• • 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
  • B65D2519/00—Pallets or like platforms, with or without side walls, for supporting loads to be lifted or lowered
  • B65D2519/00004—Details relating to pallets
  • B65D2519/00009—Materials
  • B65D2519/00154—Materials for the side walls
  • B65D2519/00159—Paper
• • 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
  • B65D2519/00—Pallets or like platforms, with or without side walls, for supporting loads to be lifted or lowered
  • B65D2519/00004—Details relating to pallets
  • B65D2519/00009—Materials
  • B65D2519/00154—Materials for the side walls
  • B65D2519/00184—Combination, e.g. different elements made of different materials, laminates

Definitions

• the present invention generally relates to packaging techniques of food stuffs.
• the invention relates to packaging techniques making use of currently named “big bag” containers (other current names of this kind of containers being “bulk bag” or FIBC, acronym for Flexible Intermediate Bulk Container).
• big bag containers are susceptible of being used for transporting food stuffs such as powdered milk, dried fruit, hazelnuts, etc., e they are disclosed, for example, in EP-A- 1316515, FR-A-2802189, WO-A-89/00957, WO-A-01 -17069, WO-A- 01/27000, WO-A-03106269, and GB-A-2327072.
• Big bags are usually filled with bulk goods and are made of flexible laminar material, such as a synthetic yarn cloth (i.e. a polypropylene cloth).
• a synthetic yarn cloth i.e. a polypropylene cloth
• the currently used big bags may have basic dimensions in the range oM 00-120 cm and may be 180 cm in height. Of course, these dimensions cause the big bag, when filled with goods, to have a significant weight. For this reason, big bags are usually provided with one ore more lifting ears on its top, which enable to suspend the big bag to be emptied.
• a bag enclosure substantially similar to a big sack made of flexible material disposed within the big bag makes the loading of goods into the big bag clearly difficult, since the support somehow of the bag within the big bag is required when filling, moreover when it is being loaded with the product falling inside. More drawbacks will arise during the discharging phase of the big, unless discharging apertures are provided on the lower wall of the bag (which is not easy), which are initially closed and subsequently somehow openable at the positions of the big bag discharging apertures.
• big bags are often provided with reinforcing frames therein, provided to cause the big bag to keep a substantial parallelepiped shape, even when full with product.
• These reinforcing members such that they do not hinder evidently the direct filling of the big bag with the packaged product, will be an obstacle when a bag is to be inserted into the big bag.
• a bag or sack placed within the big bag would be intended to receive and support, at least in the first instance, the mechanical stress arising from the material weight. This factor would be even more important when filling such a bag with the product and place it inside the big bag subsequently, is desired.
• Such practice assumes to have a bag capable to bear the product bias and weight by itself.
• the present invention has the aim to fully and satisfactorily solve the above-mentioned problems.
• Fig. 1 is a general perspective view of a packaging according to the invention, with some parts of the depiction cut away for sake of illustration clarity;
• Figs. 2 to 6 schematically illustrate the process leading to the making of such packaging.
• the herein described packaging throughout denoted by 1 , comprises two fundamental members, i.e.:
• a laminar enclosure 3 substantially similar to a large case or large sack, intended to wrap the big bag container 2.
• the container 2 may correspond to any big bag currently used. Thus, it may be any kind of big bag actually commercially available at the time of filing the present Application, for example, generally parallelepiped shaped and sized as above noted (only by way of reference and therefore the invention is not intended to be limited).
• the container 2 may be made for example of polypropylene cloth.
• the reference to a parallelepiped shape is not to be intended to limit the invention; this is also valid for the choice to provide lifting ears 2a, at the upper vertexes of the container 2.
• the big bag container 2 may be provided with reinforcing members (not depicted in the drawings, but of a well known kind). Such reinforcing members are intended to cause the container 2 to substantially keep its shape when being filled with the product and when this filling has been completed, particularly when the packaging 1 with the product therein is moved, transported, stocked and fitted on the discharging apparatus of the container.
• a product denoted by P in Fig. 1
• is composed of hazelnuts for example shelled hazelnuts and probably subjected to a toasting process).
• the sectional view of fig. 2 shows a cloth portion (e.g. polypropylene) which is part of the container 2 wall juxtaposed to a portion of the enclosure 3 wall.
• the enclosure 3 is composed of a four-layer laminar material, substantially made of a sandwich structure comprising two layers of nylon cloth 3a and an aluminium layer 3b interposed therebetween.
• the sandwich thus realized is subsequently covered (“coupled") with a heat sealable material 3c, typically made of polyethylene, on the side intended to face the inside of the packaging, thus toward the big bag 2 wall.
• Fig. 2 points out the likelihood, given by the process herein described, of using a laminar material for the enclosure 3, that is enough thin (its thickness being typically around 250 micron) compared to a big bag 2 cloth around 1 millimetre thick.
• a thin laminar material of the described type is commercially available at a low cost, which enables it to be used as a disposable material.
• the sectional view of Fig. 2 allows to appreciate an important aspect of the process herein described, i.e. the fact that the enclosure 3 is placed outside the big bag container 2 - and not therein.
• fig. 3 depicts the big bag container 2 unfolded and placed on a pallet 4, preferably with a separating layer (interflap) 5 interposed, made of material such as cardboard.
• Fig. 3 shows the big bag 2 hooked at the ears 2a, such that it is positioned at the air outlet of a filling silos S. Material P, intended to be packaged, pours out of this outlet, usually by free fall.
• the described filling modes and tools needed to practice it are well known in the art and they do not need to be described in more detail herein.
• Fig. 4 shows that, when the filling of product P below the silos S ha been completed, big bag 2 is wrapped by the enclosure 3, using the general bag or sack shape of the enclosure 3 itself.
• Big bag 2 may also be inserted into the enclosure 3 before starting the filling step, or, alternatively, also while the filling step is in process. This may be achieved providing means (not explicitly showed) which enable the enclosure 3 to be supported, such that it keeps in the wrapping conditions of big bag 2.
• the achievable final result is the one depicted in Fig. 5, with big bag 2 full of product P and closed (also here according to criteria know di per se) at an outlet part 2b (it may be a closing part which is tied with a string, noose or similar member).
• Fig. 6 schematically depicts the conclusive steps of preparing the packaging 1.
• Such a sequence of steps essentially provides the closure of the enclosure 3, usually carried out by closing the bag forming the enclosure at its outlet side, thereby forming two lips 30 (better seen in the perspective view in fig. 1 ) sealingly welded to each other by heat sealing.
• Such step is carried out by exploiting the presence of the above lips on the opposite faces, the heat sealable material layer 3 (see fig. 2).
• the above heat sealing operation is obviously replaceable with equivalent processes (ultrasonic sealing, deposition welding, crimp, etc.).
• a cycle will be started, which provides: - forming a vacuum level (sub atmospheric pressure) within the enclosure 3 containing the big bag 2 and filling with product P, resulting in the removal of most of the air therefrom,
• protective inert gas typically nitrogen
• a typical value is around 76 mm of mercury, which corresponds to a value equal to one tenth of normal atmospheric pressure, i.e. 760 mm of mercury.
• the seal enclosure 3 which is a continuous enclosure, (the above said continuity and seal being ensured principally by the aluminium layer 3b in the shown exemplary embodiment), ensures the full insulation of product P from external agents susceptible of affect negatively the product P.
• a similar action of protection is also carried out for the material composing the big bag 2, which is particularly protected (as product P) against moisture seepage or against the risk of incidental penetration of liquid which are likely to occur.
• packaging 1 may be kept outside, in an outdoor stocking site or in a position exposed to the external environment while being transported, if necessary.
• the experiences carried out by the Applicants have proven that, surprisingly, also a relatively thin and low cost enclosure, such as that previously mentioned, shows - when used within the scope of the just described packaging 1 - excellent seal features and, moreover, mechanical stress resistance. This is also true for shock stresses and stress susceptible to arise when packaging 1 is accidentally dropped on the ground while handling.
• the emptying step may be carried out simply by tearing and removing only one part of enclosure 3, thereto, for example, uncover the lifting ears 2a, which enables to lift and hang the big bag 2.
• the enclosure 3 may be removed (if not completely, at least at the zones where the discharging outlets of big bag 2 are), carrying out, thus, the downloading of product P, based on the same modes of those currently used for usually employed big bags.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Dispersion Chemistry (AREA)
• Packages (AREA)
• Vacuum Packaging (AREA)
• Wrappers (AREA)
• Auxiliary Devices For And Details Of Packaging Control (AREA)
• Basic Packing Technique (AREA)
• Bag Frames (AREA)
• Buffer Packaging (AREA)
• Container Filling Or Packaging Operations (AREA)
• Packging For Living Organisms, Food Or Medicinal Products That Are Sensitive To Environmental Conditiond (AREA)
• Supplying Of Containers To The Packaging Station (AREA)

Priority Applications (11)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Related Child Applications (1)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=34960434

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (18)

Cited By (3)

Families Citing this family (9)

Citations (4)

Family Cites Families (112)

• 2004
  • 2004-10-01 IT IT000472A patent/ITRM20040472A1/it unknown
• 2005
  • 2005-01-20 AT AT05703274T patent/ATE391092T1/de active
  • 2005-01-20 DK DK05703274T patent/DK1802540T3/da active
  • 2005-01-20 PL PL05703274T patent/PL1802540T3/pl unknown
  • 2005-01-20 PT PT05703274T patent/PT1802540E/pt unknown
  • 2005-01-20 WO PCT/IT2005/000029 patent/WO2006038238A1/en active IP Right Grant
  • 2005-01-20 CN CN2005800333920A patent/CN101031486B/zh active Active
  • 2005-01-20 ES ES05703274T patent/ES2306084T3/es active Active
  • 2005-01-20 MX MX2007003788A patent/MX269026B/es active IP Right Grant
  • 2005-01-20 US US11/576,468 patent/US20080307755A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2005-01-20 BR BRPI0516821-0A patent/BRPI0516821B1/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2005-01-20 SI SI200530290T patent/SI1802540T1/sl unknown
  • 2005-01-20 EP EP05703274A patent/EP1802540B1/de active Active
  • 2005-01-20 DE DE602005005842T patent/DE602005005842T2/de active Active
• 2007
  • 2007-03-20 IL IL182040A patent/IL182040A0/en unknown
  • 2007-03-30 ZA ZA200702676A patent/ZA200702676B/xx unknown
• 2008
  • 2008-01-09 HK HK08100242.8A patent/HK1109608A1/xx not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2008-06-27 CY CY20081100678T patent/CY1108162T1/el unknown
• 2012
  • 2012-03-20 US US13/425,011 patent/US20120198792A1/en not_active Abandoned

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