Collapsible bulk material container

Abstract

A container assembly for bulk materials and a kit for assembling same are disclosed. A forming member having a plurality of sidewalls defines an internal cavity for receiving bulk materials. The sidewalls are arranged relative to one another and are locked into position so as to define a geometric volume of predetermined shape, by means of a locking assembly. The locking assembly can be integrally attached to or can be separable from the sidewalls, and can form a bottom of the container assembly. A tubular sleeve of continuous material is sized to snugly engage and overlie substantially the entire outer surface area of the sidewalls. The sleeve provides the containment strength, while the forming member provides structural shape and stability to the container assembly. Additional layers of corrugated material or woven polypropylene material or their combination may be used as inserts engaging the inner peripheral sidewall areas of the forming member to provide additional strength to the container assembly. The forming member sidewalls may be freely slidable relative to one another or may be slidably affixed to one another by releasable glue.

Description

[0001] This is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 351,389, filed Jul. 13, 1999.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention relates generally to shipping and storage containers, and more particularly to a container for bulk, liquid and granular materials, which is collapsible and / or reusable or recyclable. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Effective, reliable, safe and economical packaging of bulk products for handling, transport and storage has been a concern for many years. Bulk products requiring such packaging vary widely from semi-solids such as meat and other such food items; to granular materials such as beans, peas, grains, rice, salt, flour, sugar, dry chemicals, dry cementious products, animal feeds, fertilizers, etc.; to liquid materials such as syrups, milk, juices, glues, inks, resins, paints, chemicals, and the like. Since such materials have a tendency to move or flow, containment of them for shipment, handling and storage raises many chall...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The invention is a unique bulk container system that can be used for packaging solid, semi-solid, granular, or liquid materials. It combines the benefits of existing packaging techniques to create a cost-effective and versatile container system. The forming member is a corrugated material that provides shape and support, while the outer sleeve is made of woven polypropylene material that provides strength and can be folded for easy storage and transport. The forming member and sleeve can be collapsible for reuse and are recyclable. The container system can be adapted for different uses and has a unique design that allows for flexibility and reduced stress on the container components."

Problems solved by technology

Since such materials have a tendency to move or flow, containment of them for shipment, handling and storage raises many challenges.

The flowable nature of such products presents unique packaging issues for the container.

Movement or shifting of the materials during transport can cause deformation of the container that can result in load shifting and instability and bursting containers, often with enough force to damage or destroy the container.

The result is loss or damage to the container contents and undue cleanup and environmental concerns.

If the box board wall strength and / or thickness is reduced in order to cut costs, and a number of external support straps or bands are used, product pressure against the thinner box walls generally causes the box to bulge outwardly between the straps, resulting in a container having marginal safety factor and leading to numerous costly box failures in shipment.

Because of the cost of the manufacturing sewing operations and the cost of the rigidity enhancing inserts used in the FIBCs, they typically result in a more expensive container than their corrugated box with strapping counterparts.

Without rigid bottoms, the inserts are susceptible to significant deformation from their intended footprint configuration during loading of the FIBC, resulting in a misshaped containment system that is unstable before and during shipment.

To address this problem, collapsible metal grid cages have been configured to externally support the FIBC, further adding to the cost and use inflexibility of such systems for containing liquids or semi-liquid materials.

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