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(11) | EP 3 272 676 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | FLEXIBLE CONTAINER |
| (57) A flexible container that comprises a fabric (1) disposed so as to form the walls
of the said container, comprising a bottom (10), side walls (11), and a top (12),
where the container also comprises a longitudinal elastic member (2) attached to the
fabric (1) disposed so as to form an arc on each of the side walls (11) of the said
fabric (1), the longitudinal elastic member (2) and the fabric (1) being disposed
such that, in the unfolded position of the container, the container keeps its unfolded
shape for filling through the top (12).
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Field of the Invention
[0001] The invention is directed at a type of Flexible container commonly known as Big Bags used in packaging bulk goods and in collecting building debris and garden and industrial waste of all kinds.
Background of the invention
[0002] Flexible containers known as Big Bags are normally manufactured from fabric having different warps and wefts made from polypropylene "thread", affording them exceptionally high load capacity. This type of container is generally in the shape of a cuboid having a bottom, four side walls, and a top generally having an opening for filling. They are flexible containers that can readily be folded without breaking.
[0003] The advantages of these Flexible containers are their light weight, their load capacity, and their ease of storage both empty and full, since they are easy to fold and store. An additional advantage is their low price compared with other forms of container.
[0004] Thanks to these advantages, the use of these flexible containers has grown considerably in recent years. They have also given rise to a technology designed around their use, for example, machinery for holding the containers while they are being filled and emptied or for feeding units, which has helped increase the production capacity and handling of this type of container.
[0005] Nevertheless, because of their flexibility these containers have a disadvantage, namely, filling them makes it necessary to resort to the machinery just referred to above or to a fork lift.
Description of the invention
[0006] The flexible container of the invention overcomes this disadvantage in that the container includes a longitudinal elastic member that enables it to keep its shape, thereby facilitating filling of the container. To this end the longitudinal elastic member is attached to the flexible fabric in such a way that it forms an arc in each of the side walls made from that fabric. In this way, the longitudinal elastic member and the flexible fabric are disposed such that when the container is unfolded, it keeps its unfolded shape so that it can be filled through the top.
[0007] The said longitudinal elastic member thus has a spring effect, in that the elastic force allows it to fold without breaking while at the same time conserving the tension needed to recover its original straight shape, thereby imparting that tension to the flexible fabric of the container, causing the container to hold its shape.
[0008] The container of the invention is therefore capable of keeping its unfolded shape without the need for any external element, which facilitates filling of the container and so greatly speeds up filling operations.
[0009] In addition to enabling the container to keep its shape, the aforesaid arrangement of the longitudinal elastic member also enables the container to be folded flat, the elastic member occupying a minimum of space when folded, with each side wall being flattened against the contiguous wall.
Description of the drawings
[0010] Some drawings are provided to supplement the description for a better understanding of the invention. The drawings are an integral part of the description and depict examples of embodiments of the invention.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a structure used to fill flexible containers as currently known in the art.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of an example of a first embodiment of the Flexible container of the invention.
Figure 3 is a perspective view of an example of a second embodiment of the flexible container of the invention.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of a flexible container when folded flat.
Detailed description of the invention
[0011] Figure 1 depicts a structure used for filling of the kind now employed in the present state of the art. Because of the flexibility of the fabric (1), the container will collapse during filling unless it is held up by several workers or supported by a structure of the type shown in Figure 1, in the shape of a parallelepiped composed of tubular members surrounding the flexible container and having means for hooking the container's loop handles onto the structure.
[0012] An alternative method of filling is to hang the Big Bag by its loop handles from a fork lift.
[0013] Figures 2 and 3 represent two examples of embodiments of the invention. The example of the embodiment in Figure 2 has a single longitudinal elastic member (2) extending in a continuous loop, while the example of the embodiment in Figure 3 has separate longitudinal elastic members (2, 4) each extending in separate continuous loops. Another object of this invention is a longitudinal elastic member (2) formed by various interconnected rods. The longitudinal elastic member (2) may be made from a range of materials, such as fibreglass, carbon fibre, steel rod, etc., provided that the material confers the attribute of elasticity on the member together with a tendency to recover its original shape, thereby imparting to the container the tension needed for it to keep its shape in the unfolded position.
[0014] In both examples of embodiments of the invention, the longitudinal elastic member (2) describes an arc facing the top (12) of the container on a side wall (11) followed by an arc facing the bottom (10) of the container on adjoining side walls (11), that is, the longitudinal elastic member (2) follows the shape of a wave describing an arc on each of the side walls (11).
[0015] The longitudinal elastic member (2) may be placed either on the inner surface or the outer surface of the fabric (1).
[0016] To attach the longitudinal elastic member (2) to the fabric (1) of the flexible container, the flexible fabric (1) has traversable attachment means (3) located on the surfaces of the walls of flexible fabric (1). These traversable attachment means (3) may, for example, be loops, or they may also be continuous elements on the side walls (11) able to hold longitudinal elastic member (2).
[0017] Specifically, in the examples of the embodiments shown in the Figures, the traversable attachment means (3) are located on the edges between two contiguous side walls (11) and at the bottom (10) or top (12) on alternate walls, more exactly in the centre of the said edges.
[0018] Figure 3 shows separate longitudinal elastic members (2, 4) that describe arcs on each of the side walls (11) opposite each other.
1. A flexible container that comprises a fabric (1) disposed so as to form the walls
of the said container, comprising a bottom (10), side walls (11), and a top (12),
characterised in that the container also comprises a longitudinal elastic member (2) attached to the fabric
(1) disposed so as to form an arc on each of the side walls (11) of the said fabric
(1), the longitudinal elastic member (2) and the fabric (1) being disposed such that,
in the unfolded position of the container, the container keeps its unfolded shape
for filling through the top (12).
2. Flexible container according to claim 1, characterised in that the longitudinal elastic member (2) is a single, continuous loop.
3. Flexible container according to either of the preceding claims, characterised in that the longitudinal elastic member (2) describes an arc facing the top (12) of the container
on one side wall (11) and an arc facing the bottom (10) of the container on the adjoining
side walls (11).
4. Flexible container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the longitudinal elastic member (2) may be located on the inner or outer surface
of the fabric (1).
5. Flexible container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the fabric (1) comprises some traversable attachment means (3) for attaching the
longitudinal elastic member (2).
6. Flexible container according to claim 5, characterised in that the traversable attachment means (3) are located at the edges between two adjoining
side walls (11) and at the bottom (10) or top (12) on alternating sides.
7. Flexible container according to claim 6, characterised in that the traversable attachment means (3) are located centrally on the edges.
8. Flexible container according to claim 6, characterised in that the traversable attachment means cover the longitudinal elastic member (2) in its
entirety.
9. Flexible container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it comprises a second longitudinal elastic member (4) that describes arcs on each
of the side walls (11) on the opposite side of the side wall (11) opposite the first
longitudinal elastic member (2).
10. Flexible container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the bottom (10) comprises a system for emptying the container.
11. Flexible container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the top (12) comprises a system for filling the container.
12. Flexible container according to claim 11, characterised in that the filling system comprises a valve.
13. Flexible container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the fabric (1) is made of synthetic or natural fibres.
14. Flexible container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the longitudinal elastic member (2) is made of fibreglass or carbon fibre or steel.
15. Flexible container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the longitudinal elastic member (2) comprises, at its end, a connector for attachment
to the other end of the longitudinal elastic member (2) or to another longitudinal
elastic member (2).