Packaging bags

Abstract

 A flexible packaging bag (1) has a recess (4) for fitting to a fork arm (12) of a lifting device (10) arranged on a lower portion or each of both side portions of the bag, and/or at least one band-shaped hanging loop (7) for engaging with a hook (13) disposed on a carriage portion (11) of a lifting device (10) arranged on each of both side edges in a side portion of the bag in place and can be loaded and unloaded without using a pallet.

Description

[0001] This invention relates to a flexible packaging bag for packing powdered materials or granulated materials of industrial chemicals, foodstuffs, agricultural chemicals, fertilizers and the like.

[0002] Until now, the above powdered materials and granulated materials are carried by packing in a flexible packaging bag for the convenience of handling. In this case, the packaging bag packed with the powdered material is placed on an exclusive pallet made from wood or the like. In the loading operation on a container, a fork arm of a lifting device is inserted into an entry port of the pallet and then the pallet is lifted under the actuation of the lifting device and loaded on the container together with the packaging bag. In the unloading operation from the container, the pallet is unloaded from the container together with the packaging bag under the actuation of the lifting device after the fork arm is inserted into the entry port of the pallet. And also, the transfer of the packaging bag to a storage place or use place is conducted through the pallet.

[0003] However, since the packaging bags as well as the pallets are loaded on the container, the total volume and weight of the packaging bags per the volume and acceptable weight of the container are decreased by the total volume and weight of the pallets occupied in the container, so that there is yet room for improvement in this point. Furthermore, since the pallet is required every the packaging bag to be loaded on the container or stored in the storage place, the number of the pallets used becomes bulky as a whole and also the cost required in the manufacture, maintenance and storage of the pallet is large, so that there is yet room for improvement in these points. Moreover, when the pallet cannot be used, it is usually disused as an industrial waste, so that there are problems in the disposal cost and environmental condition.

[0004] It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a packaging bag capable of conducting direct loading and unloading operations to the container or transfer operation to storage place or use place through the lifting device without using the pallet.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the invention, there is the provision of a flexible packaging bag, characterized in that a recess for fitting to a fork arm of a lifting device is arranged on a lower portion or each of both side portions of the bag at a position corresponding to each of plural fork arms in the lifting device.

[0006] Moreover, it is desirable that a reinforcing member is attached to a portion of the recess contacting with the fork arm.

[0007] According to a second aspect of the invention, there is the provision of a flexible packaging bag, characterized in that at least one band-shaped hanging loop for engaging with a hook disposed on a carriage portion of a lifting device is arranged on each of both side edges in a side portion of the bag in place.

[0008] The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatically front view of a first embodiment of the packaging bag according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view illustrating a state of loading the packaging bag on a lifting device;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the packaging bag according to the invention;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the packaging bag according to the invention;

Fig. 5 is a side view of a carriage portion of a lifting device used in the above third embodiment;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the packaging bag according to the invention; and

Fig. 7 is a side view of a carriage portion of a lifting device used in the above fourth embodiment.

[0009] According to the first aspect of the invention, when the packaging bag packed with the powdered material or granulated material is loaded on a container, the lifting device is advanced toward the packaging bag and a plurality of fork arms in the lifting device are inserted into and fitted to respective recesses arranged in the lower portion or side portions of the bag in place. At such a state, the packaging bag can be lifted by raising the fork arms of the lifting device under an actuation of the lifting device. Therefore, the lifting device is advanced toward an inlet of a container at the raised state, whereby the packaging bag can be loaded on the container without using a pallet.

[0010] When the packaging bag is unloaded from the container, the lifting device is advanced toward the inlet of the container and the fork arms of the lifting device are inserted into a space between the floor surface of the container and the recess arranged in the lower portion of the packaging bag and then somewhat lifted from the floor surface and thereafter the lifting device is backed away from the container, whereby the packaging bag can be unloaded from the container without using the pallet.

[0011] According to the second aspect of the invention, the hanging loops arranged on both side portions of the packaging bag are engaged with the respective hooks arranged on the carriage portion of the lifting device and then the carriage portion is raised under the actuation of the lifting device, whereby the packaging bag can be lifted upward. Therefore, the packaging bag can be loaded on and unloaded from the container without using the pallet.

[0012] A first embodiment of the packaging bag according to the invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2.

[0013] In Fig. 1 is shown a front view of a packaging bag 1 according to the invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the packaging bag 1 is provided at its upper portion with an inlet port 2 for a powdered material and at its lower portion with an outlet port 3 for the powdered material and is a bottomed cylindrical body having a rectangular profile at transverse section as a whole.

[0014] Moreover, the inlet port 2 and the outlet port 3 can be opened or closed by a tightening rope 8 shown in Fig. 1, a tightening tape or the like.

[0015] The packaging bag is made from a flexible and light-weight material having excellent durability and strength such as a cloth material of polyethylene, polypropylene or the like, or a fiber reinforced plastic sheet.

[0016] In the lower portion of the packaging bag 1 are arranged two recesses 4, 4 along two opposite sides at the periphery of the lower portion. These recesses 4, 4 are fitted to a pair of fork arms 12, 12 horizontally extending forward from a lower end of a carriage portion 11 of a self-driven lifting device 10 shown in Fig. 2 over substantially a full length of the recess. The fork arms 12, 12 are contacted with the respective recesses 4, 4 and raided upward at a horizontal state, whereby the packaging bag 1 packed with the powdered material can be lifted up to a given height.

[0017] Each of the recesses 4, 4 is preferable to be reinforced with a reinforcing member 5 by attaching the reinforcing member 5 to the whole of the recess 4 as shown in Fig. 1 or a portion of the recess 4 at least contacting with the fork arm 12. As the reinforcing member 5, mention may be made of a reinforced cloth, a reinforced resin sheet and the like. The use of the reinforcing member 5 can improve the durability of the recess 4 and ensure the engagement between the recess 4 and the fork arm 12.

[0018] In the illustrated embodiment, the height of the recess 4 is set to a size larger than the thickness of the fork arm 12 and the width of the recess 4 is set to a size larger than the width of the fork arm 12 as shown in Fig. 1. Therefore, the fork arm 12 can easily be inserted in the recess 4 and surely be applied to the recess 4. Moreover, the width of the recess 4 is not always required to be made larger than the width of the fork arm 12. That is, the width of the recess 4 may be smaller than the width of the fork arm 12 as much as the recess 4 can surely be engaged with the fork arm 12.

[0019] The operation of the illustrated embodiment will be described below.

[0020] When the packaging bag 1 packed with the powdered material of industrial chemicals or the like is loaded on a contained (not shown), the lifting device 10 is first advanced to insert the two fork arms 12, 12 in the respective recesses 4, 4 formed in the lower portion of the packaging bag 1 (see Figs. 1 and 2). At such a state, the carriage portion 11 is raised upward by the driving of motor to engage the fork arms 12, 12 with the recesses 4, 4 of the packaging bag 1, whereby the falling of the packaging bag 1 from a space between the fork arms 12, 12 is completely prevented to surely lift the packaging bag 1 upward.

[0021] When the position of the packaging bag 1 reaches to a height corresponding to an inlet of a container, the raising of the carriage portion is stopped and then the lifting device 10 is advanced forward toward the inlet of the container, whereby the fork arms 12, 12 are entered into the inside of the container together with the packaging bag 1 and then somewhat descended to load the packaging bag 1 on the floor of the container. After the packaging bag 1 is completely loaded on the floor of the container, the lifting device 10 is backed away from the container to pick out the fork arms 12, 12 from the recesses 4, 4 of the packaging bag 1.

[0022] On the other hand, when the packaging bag 1 loaded on the container is unloaded from the container, the lifting device 10 is advanced toward the inlet of the container to insert the fork arms 12, 12 into a space between the floor surface of the container and the recess 4 formed in the lower portion of the packaging bag 1. At such a state, the carriage portion is somewhat lifted upward to float the packaging bag 1 from the floor of the container and then lifting device 10 is backed away from the container, whereby the packaging bag 1 can be unloaded from the container.

[0023] In addition to the loading and unloading operations to the container, the transfer of the packaging bag 1 to storage place or use place can be conducted without using the pallet.

[0024] A second embodiment of the invention is shown in Fig. 3, in which the same member as used in the first embodiment is represented by the same numeral. Moreover, the inlet port and outlet port for the powdered material are closed.

[0025] In this embodiment, recesses 6, 6 are arranged on opposite side faces in both side portions of the packaging bag 1 at a position corresponding to substantially a half height of the bag so as to horizontally extend in parallel with each other over a full length of the side portion. The recess 6 develops the same function as the recess 4 in the first embodiment, so that it is fitted onto the fork arm 12 of the lifting device 10 for the lifting of the packaging bag 1.

[0026] For this end, the height position of the recess 6 is set to be more larger than the thickness of the fork arm 12. On the other hand, the width of the recess 6 is favorable to be larger than the width of the fork arm 12. However, the width of the recess 6 may be smaller than the width of the fork arm 12 as much as the packaging bag 1 can surely be supported by the fork arm 12. Moreover, the recess 6 is preferable to be reinforced with the reinforcing member 5 likewise the first embodiment for preventing the falling down of the packaging bag 1 from the space between the fork arms 12 of the lifting device 10.

[0027] A third embodiment of the invention is shown in Figs. 4 and 5, in which the same member as used in the first embodiment is represented by the same numeral.

[0028] In this embodiment, two band-shaped hanging loops 7 are attached to each of both side edges in a side portion of the packaging bag 1 at upper and lower positions as shown in Fig. 4. These band-shaped hanging loops 7 can be engaged with respective hooks 13 disposed on the carriage portion 11 of the lifting device at four positions as shown in Fig. 5. In this case, the fork arms 12 of the lifting device may be omitted , or may be concealed under the bottom of the packaging bag directly or through a spacer, or may be shifted in left and right directions so as to sandwich the packaging bag there-between from both sides. In any case, the packaging bag 1 is held with the carriage portion 11 at the horizontal state by engaging the band-shaped hanging loops 7 with the respective hooks 13.

[0029] A fourth embodiment of the invention is shown in Figs. 6 and 7, in which the same member as used in the first embodiment is represented by the same numeral.

[0030] In this embodiment, a band-shaped hanging loop 7 is attached to each of both side edges in a side portion of the packaging bag 1 at a given position as shown in Fig. 6. On the other hand, a hook 13 is disposed on the carriage portion 11 of the lifting device at a position corresponding to the height of the respective loop 7 formed in the packaging bag 1 and a bracket 14 is attached to the lower end of the carriage portion 11 in stead of the fork arm as shown in Fig. 7.

[0031] The bracket 14 is L-shaped in section and supports the packaging bag 1 from the bottom as shown in Fig. 6. The length of the bracket 14 in the longitudinal direction is near to or more than a width value of the side portion of the packaging bag 1.

[0032] In any case, the packaging bag 1 is held with the carriage portion 11 at the horizontal state by engaging the band-shaped hanging loops 7 with the respective hooks 13 while supporting the bottom of the packaging bag 1 by the bracket 14.

[0033] As mentioned above, according to the invention, the flexible packaging bag can be raised upward or descended downward by directly supporting with the lifting device without using the pallet, so that the loading and unloading operation of the packaging bag to the container can be conducted without the pallet. Therefore, the packaging bags can be loaded on the container over the full volume of the container, so that the effective utilization of the container can be attained. Furthermore, the packaging bag can be transferred to storage place or use place without using the pallet. Moreover, the pallet required in the conventional technique is useless, so that the cost required for the manufacture, storage, maintenance and disposal of the pallet can be cut down and also the environmental preservation is improved.

Claims

1. A flexible packaging bag (1), characterized in that a recess (4; 6) for fitting to a fork arm (12) of a lifting device (10) is arranged at a lower portion or each of both side portions of the bag at a position corresponding to each of a plurality of fork arms of the lifting device.

2. A flexible packaging bag (1), characterized in that at least one band-shaped hanging loop (7) for engaging with a hook (13) disposed on a carriage portion (11) of a lifting device (10) is arranged on each of both side edges in a side portion of the bag in place.

3. A flexible packaging bag as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that a reinforcing member (5) is attached to a portion of the recess (4; 6) contacting with the fork arm (12).

4. A flexible packaging bag as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the reinforcing member (5) is a reinforced cloth or a reinforced resin sheet.

5. A flexible packaging bag as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the bag is made from a flexible and light-weight material selected from polyethylene cloth, polypropylene cloth and a fiber reinforced plastic sheet.

6. A flexible packaging bag as claimed in claims 1, 3 or 4, characterized in that at least one band-shaped hanging loop (7) for engaging with a hook (13) disposed on a carriage portion (11) of the lifting device (10) is arranged on each of both side edges in a side portion of the bag in place.

Drawing