Field of Invention

The present invention relates generally to the field of systems and methods of receiving, storing, transporting, and discharging bulk materials, and more particularly, to a bulk bag for use without a pallet.

Background Art

Bulk bags, also known as flexible intermediate bulk containers (FIBCs), may be used to facilitate the receiving, storing, transporting, and discharging of flowable solids and other materials. In addition, forklift trucks and pallets (or skids) have been used to aid in lifting, transporting, positioning, and stacking bulk bags and their contents. Pallets are generally flat structures used to support materials in a stable fashion that are being lifted, transported, positioned, or stacked by a forklift or other similar device or while in shipping containers. Pallets are often bulky, not easily accessible for use, and may add additional costs.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention provides a bulk bag that may be used to facilitate the receiving, receiving, storing, transporting, and discharging of flowable solids and other materials, including but not limited to, minerals, chemicals, foodstuffs, etc. In some circumstances, the bulk bag can be adapted for use with fluidized materials, semi-liquids and liquids.

More specifically, the present invention provides a bulk bag that includes a body having sidewalls, a bottom wall and a pair of opposed lift sleeves adapted to receive lifting members for lifting the bag and contents thereof. Each lift sleeve has a first sleeve end and a second sleeve end attached together and proximate to a bottom of the sidewall to form a loop, and a portion of the sleeve extending from the second sleeve end is attached to an adjacent portion of the sidewall such that the loop maintains a substantially open position.

In addition, the present invention provides a bulk bag that includes a body having sidewalls, a top wall, a bottom wall and a pair of opposed lift sleeves adapted to receive lifting members for lifting the bag and contents thereof. Four handles are attached to a top of the body. Each handle is located proximate to a corner of the body. A spout is attached to the sidewalls, the top wall or the bottom wall to selectively access contents within the body or load contents into the body. Each lift sleeve has a first sleeve end and a second sleeve end attached together and proximate to a bottom of the sidewall to form a loop, and a portion of the sleeve extending from the second sleeve end is attached to an adjacent portion of the sidewall such that the loop maintains a substantially open position.

Moreover, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a bulk bag by forming a body having sidewalls, a top wall, a bottom wall and a pair of opposed lift sleeves adapted to receive lifting members for lifting the bag and contents thereof. Each lift sleeve has a first sleeve end and a second sleeve end attached together and proximate to a bottom of the sidewall to form a loop, and a portion of the sleeve extending from the second sleeve end is attached to an adjacent portion of the sidewall such that the loop maintains a substantially open position.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a bulk bag by forming a body having sidewalls, a top wall, a bottom wall and a pair of opposed lift sleeves adapted to receive lifting members for lifting the bag and contents thereof. Each lift sleeve has a first sleeve end and a second sleeve end attached together and proximate to a bottom of the sidewall to form a loop, and a portion of the sleeve extending from the second sleeve end is attached to an adjacent portion of the sidewall such that the loop maintains a substantially open position. One or more handles are attached to the sidewalls or the top wall, each handle located proximate to a corner of the body. A spout is attached to one or more of the sidewalls, the top wall or the bottom wall to selectively access contents within the body or load contents into the body.

The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Brief Description of the Drawings

The above and further advantages of the invention may be better understood by referring to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a photograph of a bulk bag in accordance one embodiment of the present invention;

FIGURES 2A-E show various configurations of the lift sleeves in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention; and

FIGURE 3 is a sectional top view of a bulk bag in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; and

FIGURE 4 is a flow chart of a method of manufacturing a bulk bag in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

Description of the Invention

While the making and using of various embodiments of the present invention are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated that the present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the invention and do not delimit the scope of the invention. The present disclosure could generally provide bulk bags that could be lifted, transported, positioned, and/ or stacked without the use of a pallet or skid. Although the following description generally describes a particular construction, it should be understood that any suitable configuration could be used to construct the bulk bag according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

Bulk bags according to embodiments of the present invention could include a coupling system to aid in lifting, transporting, positioning, and/or stacking the bulk bag without the use of a pallet. In one embodiment, the present disclosure could provide five relatively flat two-dimensional pieces (e. g., a body piece, a coupling system, a handle system, lid piece, and bottom surface piece) that may be assembled to form a bulk bag. Bulk bags in accordance with the present invention can be implemented or generally used in warehouses, garages, factories, manufacturing plants, packaging plants, processing plants, storage facilities, transportation facilities, trucks, cargo ships, shipyards, commercial real estate locations, lumber yards, mines other suitable locations, or any combination thereof according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Now referring to FIGURE 1, a photograph of a bulk bag 100 in accordance one embodiment of the present invention is shown. The bulk bag 100 includes a body 102 having sidewalls 104, a top wall, a bottom wall and a pair of opposed lift sleeves 106 adapted to receive lifting members for lifting the bag and contents thereof. The body 102 is made of one or more woven or porous materials selected from the group comprising polypropylene, micropored material, static controlled material, conductive material, metalized material, liner material, film material, foil material, coated material, tubular material, webbed material, baffle fabric, coated baffle fabric, nonflammable material, water-proof material, corrugated material, nylon, rope, jute, hemp, sisal, leather, fibers, rope-like material, twine, cloth, canvas, polyurethane, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), bungee cord material, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyester, high-gloss polyester, synthetic rubber, natural rubber, plastic, polymer, natural fibers, synthetic fibers, other suitable materials, or any combination thereof. The sidewalls 104, the bottom wall and top wall can be formed from one or more panels. The panels can be attached to one another along various seams. Other attachment means can be used, such as a hook and loop fastener system, glue, adhesive, self- adhesive, heat-sensitive fastener, tape, putty, gel, magnet, zipper, slide-lock, wire, tie-back, twist tie, wire tie, web tie, cord lock, cable, drawstring, rope, button, snap, hook, hook and eye fastener, buckle, clasp, laces, other suitable temporary or semi-permanent fastening or retaining method, or any combination thereof according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

Body 102 could include any suitable size, shape, material, construction, or configuration according to embodiments of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, body 102 and bulk bag 100, in general, could be designed to withstand or otherwise comply with certain weight/loading capacities, pushing/pulling requirements, lifting requirements, sift tolerances, contamination standards, moisture-resistant properties, temperature pressure tolerances, requirements, humidity stability requirements, tolerances, structural integrity, conductivity levels, grounding requirements, static control specifications, sealing specifications, insulation requirements, minimum or maximum air exposure requirements, hygroscopic specifications, strength-loss specifications, torque specifications, safety/hazard requirements , occupational safety and health administration (OSHA) rules and regulations, other suitable tolerances, specifications, requirements, standards, rules, or regulations associated with bulk bag 100 or any materials stored in or transported by bulk bag 100, or any combination thereof.

Each lift sleeve 106 has a first sleeve end and a second sleeve end attached together and proximate to a bottom of the sidewall to form a loop, and a portion of the loop extending from the second sleeve end is attached to an adjacent portion of the sidewall such that the loop maintains a substantially open position. In this embodiment, four handles 108 are attached to the sidewalls 104 or the top wall of the body 102. Each handle 108 can be located proximate to a corner of the body 102. Fewer than four handles 108 can be used. Moreover, the handles 108 do not have to be located proximate tot the corners. The handles 108 can be lifting loops, fabric lifting loops, tumble straps, loop hooks, buckle straps, positioning cones, stevedore straps, webbing lift loops, or other suitable design. A spout 110 is attached to the top wall to selectively access contents within the body 102 or load contents into the body 102. The spout 110 can also be attached to the sidewalls 104 or the bottom wall. The spout 110 can be a covered opening, a flap, a sling, a discharge/fill spout, a cone bottom/top, a full opening dump/duffle top, a drawstring cover, a protective cover, a fastener, a handle or other suitable design. The lift sleeves 106, handles 108 and spout 110 can be attached to body 102 along various seams. Other attachment means can be used as described above.

Referring now to FIGURES 2A-E, various configurations of the lift sleeves 106 are show in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention. As previously described each lift sleeve 106 has a first sleeve end 202 and a second sleeve end 204 attached together and proximate to a bottom of the sidewall 104 to form a loop 206, and a portion 208 of the sleeve extending from the second sleeve end 204 is attached to an adjacent portion 210 of the sidewall 104 such that the loop maintains a substantially open position. FIGURE 2B shows an example in which the first sleeve end 202 is part of the bottom wall 212. FIGURE 2C shows an example in which the second sleeve end 204 is part of the sidewall 104. FIGURE 2D shows an example in which the first sleeve end 202 is part of the bottom wall 212 and the second sleeve end 204 is part of the sidewall 104. FIGURE 2E shows an example in which the first sleeve end 202 and the second sleeve end 204 extend between an attachment of the sidewall 104 to the bottom wall 212. FIGURE 2B shown an example in which the sidewall 104 extends between the attachment of the first sleeve end 202 and the second sleeve end 204. FIGURE 2C shows an example in which the bottom wall 212 extends between the attachment of the first sleeve end 202 and the second sleeve end 204. Other configurations can be used and are considered within the scope of the present invention (e.g., U.S. Patent 5,695,286 which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety). Lift sleeves 106 could be a part of or a removable part of body 102 and be used to removably couple with blades to push, pull, lift, transport, position, and/or stack bulk bag 100 and the contents therein without a pallet according to embodiments of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, lift sleeves 106 could include an elongated cylinder- like shaped structure that securely attaches to the sides or bottom end of bulk bag 100. In one embodiment, lift sleeves 106 could be included on each sidewall 104 of bulk bag 100 to provide access to bulk bag 100 regardless of the orientation of bulk bag 100. In addition, by providing lift sleeves 106 on each bottom edge of bulk bag 100, different lengths of lift sleeves 106 could be used to accommodate and appropriately grip or couple with a particular size of blades according to one embodiment of the present invention. It should be understood that lift sleeves 106 could be appropriately sized to grip or couple with any suitably sized blades or custom designed to grip or couple with a particular size, brand, model, configuration, or type of blades as desired. In one embodiment, lift sleeves 106 could include a length generally equal to the length of bottom edge of bulk bag 100, such as shown in FIGURE 1. Thus, bulk bag 100 having sides of unequal length could include unequally sized lift sleeves 106. In one embodiment, the sidewall 104 of bulk bag 100 could include multiple lift sleeves 106 disposed at various intervals along the length of the sidewall 104. Bulk bag 100 could include lift sleeves 106 disposed just at the corners of each sidewall 104 of bulk bag 100 or include lift sleeves 106 in a generally central position along the length of the sidewall 104 of bulk bag 100 according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Although a particular structure of lift sleeves 106 is generally illustrated in FIGURES 1-3, it should be understood that lift sleeves 106 could include any suitable structure, design, configuration, size, or shape to aid in lifting, transporting, positioning, and/or stacking bulk bag 100 and the contents therein without the use of a pallet, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. As an example, lift sleeves 106 could be suitably sized and configured to grip or couple with blades that are generally parallel to each other or generally disposed at acute or obtuse angles relative to each other. In one embodiment, the size or shape of lift sleeves 106 could generally be changed or altered to accommodate coupling with different sized or shaped blades. In one embodiment, lift sleeves 106 could be lined or otherwise reinforced with a lining, support structure, or other mechanism. For example, lift sleeves 106 could include a lining or protective coating on one or more surfaces of lift sleeves 106 to provide additional strength or support when lift sleeves 106 grip or couple with blades. In other embodiments of the present disclosure, lift sleeves 106 could include a support plate or rigid strips of material made of metal, plastic, extruded plastic, or other suitable material sewn into or otherwise included on one or more surfaces of lift sleeves 106.

Now referring to FIGURE 3, a sectional top view of the bulk bag 100 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The bulk bag 100 may also include one or more baffles 300 disposed within the body 102 to maintain a shape of the body 102. Each baffle 300 may include one or more openings 302 to allow contents of the bag 100 to move on either side of the baffle (e.g., U.S. Patent 5,203,633 which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety). The baffles 300 can be attached to the body 102 along various seams. Other attachment means can be used as described above.

In one embodiment, the bulk bags and the contents therein could be, for example, stacked on top of one another, transported, or handled as desired without the use of a pallet by coupling at least one flange-like structure disposed on one or more bottom edges of the bulk bag with one or more pulling, pushing, gripping, and/or coupling blades of a forklift-like device (e.g., International Publication Number 2012/016077 Al which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety). The bulk bag could include three relatively flat two-dimensional pieces (e.g., a body piece, lid piece, and bottom surface piece) that are easily assembled to form a bulk bag having a lid and a bottom surface. As an example, the structure of the bulk bag could be secured or otherwise retained in place by simply folding certain portions of the lid and bottom surface pieces and joining these portions using a fastening system.

Note that the handles 108, spout 110, baffles 300 and top wall are optional and are not required in other embodiments of the present invention. As a result, the bulk bag 100 may include a body 102 having sidewalls 104, a bottom wall and a pair of opposed lift sleeves 106 adapted to receive lifting members for lifting the bag and contents thereof. The sidewalls 104, the bottom wall and top wall can be formed from one or more panels. The panels can be attached to one another along various seams. Other attachment means can be used. Each lift sleeve 106 has a first sleeve end and a second sleeve end attached together and proximate to a bottom of the sidewall to form a loop, and a portion of the loop extending from the second sleeve end is attached to an adjacent portion of the sidewall such that the loop maintains a substantially open position. The lift sleeves 106 can be attached to body 102 along various seams. Other attachment means can be used as described above.

Bulk bag 100 could include different configurations for different applications, ease of use, and maximum fill/discharge efficiency according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, bulk bag 100 could be used as a platform to stack a second bulk bag on top of a first bulk bag 100. Bulk bag 100 could include a flat surface, stackable surface, liner, seal, opening, flap, sling, discharge/fill spout, cone bottom/top, full opening dump/duffle top, sling bottom, protective cover, fasteners, handles, identification information, color accessories and information, or coding, other any combination suitable thereof according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

When in use, bulk bag 100 and the contents therein could be, for example, stacked on top of one another, transported, or handled as desired according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, when not in use, bulk bag 100 could be folded or otherwise stored, recycled, or reused as desired. Bulk bag 100 could also be easily disassembled into relatively flat two-dimensional pieces and stored, recycled, or reused as desired according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Although a particular structure of bulk bag 100 has been generally illustrated in FIGURES 1-3, it should be understood that bulk bag 100 could include any suitable structure, design, configuration, size, or shape.

Referring now to FIGURE 4, a flow chart for a method 400 of manufacturing a bulk bag in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention is shown. A body having sidewalls, a top wall, a bottom wall and a pair of opposed lift sleeves adapted to receive lifting members for lifting the bag and contents thereof is formed in block 402. Each lift sleeve has a first sleeve end and a second sleeve end attached together and proximate to a bottom of the sidewall to form a loop, and a portion of the sleeve extending from the second sleeve end is attached to an adjacent portion of the sidewall such that the loop maintains a substantially open position. One or more handles are attached to the sidewalls or the top wall, each handle located proximate to a corner of the body in block 404. A spout is attached to one or more of the sidewalls, the top wall or the bottom wall in block 406 to selectively access contents within the body or load contents into the body.

Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various alterations, changes, modifications and substitutions can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from the disclosure, processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized according to the present disclosure. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps.