Twin Container

Abstract

To provide a twin-type rectangular container (twin container) that improves the transport efficiency of rectangular containers and is easy to operate and safe for use with forklifts, etc. [Solution] A twin container 10 comprises a pair of rectangular containers 11 (11A, 11B) whose abutting side surfaces 10a are joined together, a large lid 13 that covers the upper openings of the containers, and a frame 15 that houses them. Each of the pair of rectangular containers 11 has a container body 110 that has a rectangular tubular section 111 with a rectangular inlet 113 at the top and a hopper section 112 that gradually reduces in cross section below it and reaches a rectangular outlet at the bottom, and dampers 12 that open and close the outlet, and the pair of outlets are located below the joined side surfaces 10a and as close as possible to allow the pair of dampers 12 to be attached and detached.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a container used for transporting and storing powdered materials such as feed and fertilizer, and in particular to a twin container suitable for transportation by truck or the like. [Background technology]

[0002] Containers used for transporting and storing powdered materials such as feed and fertilizer are generally rectangular, with a discharge outlet at the bottom of the hopper that forms the bottom of the container, and a damper for opening and closing the discharge outlet. Such rectangular containers may, for example, measure 2m high x 1.8m wide x 1.2m deep, and proposals have been made to improve the efficiency of their handling and truck transport, or to address problems.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a container for handling bulk materials such as feed, which comprises a square tube with a supply port equipped with an opening / closing plate at the top, an inverted conical tube at the bottom edge, a sliding opening / closing plate at the bottom opening of the inverted conical tube, upright members at the four corners of the square tube extended below the bottom opening, the extended portions connected by horizontal bars, and the horizontal bars forming a fork insertion space and an upper support for the inserted forks of a forklift. This bulk material handling container for feed, etc., is said to be easy to store bulk materials in the container and to eject them from the bottom opening by sliding them along the inner surface of the inverted conical tube, and can be loaded neatly on the bed of a vehicle, allowing bulk materials to be easily added and supplied through the supply port, making it easy to handle with a forklift, and also effective in preventing the bulk materials from getting wet during rain.

[0004] Furthermore, Patent Document 2 proposes a bulk handling container that can accommodate bulk materials during distribution and can be lifted by the forks of a forklift truck, the container comprising a container body having a substantially square pyramidal cylindrical portion tapering toward an upper opening to which an opening / closing member is attached and a square cylindrical portion with a bottom connected to the substantially square pyramidal cylindrical portion, and a frame body having a square pillar-like shape surrounding the container body, with a pair of upper and lower fork insertion members installed at different heights on one of the four frame side faces so that each member projects outward from the frame. This bulk handling container is highly stable when loaded onto the platform of a transport vehicle or the like for transportation and distribution, and is easy to remove the contents after transportation and to feed them into a receiving container at the delivery location. It also allows for a reduced tare weight, which helps prevent increases in distribution costs. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-251946 [Patent Document 2] Registered Utility Model No. 3144404 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The bulk material handling container described in Patent Document 1 discloses examples of a single-piece box container and a two-piece combined box container. While the specific configurations and features of these containers are not described, the two-piece combined box container is presumably advantageous in terms of transport efficiency. However, to create a two-piece combined box container that is efficient overall, including the ease of handling powder and granular materials, it is not necessarily easy to determine what configuration of single-piece box containers should be combined to form the two-piece combined box container. The bulk material handling container described in Patent Document 2 is said to be highly stable when operated with a forklift during transportation, but its shape and usage differ from those of conventional rectangular containers that have a proven track record, making it difficult to operate.

[0007] The purpose of this invention is to improve the transport efficiency of square containers by taking into account the size restrictions on the truck beds used for transport, and to provide a twin-type square container (twin container) that maintains the good characteristics of conventional single-type (single-piece) square containers regarding loading and unloading, and is easy to operate and safe using forklifts, etc.

[0008] The twin container of the present invention is a twin container having a pair of rectangular containers joined at their abutting side portions, a large lid that covers the upper openings of the containers, and a frame that houses them, and each of the pair of rectangular containers has a container body that has a rectangular tubular portion with a square inlet at the top and a hopper portion with a gradually decreasing cross-section at its lower portion that leads to a square outlet at the bottom, and a damper that opens and closes the outlet, and the pair of outlets of the rectangular containers whose abutting side portions are joined are located below the joined side portions and as close as possible to allow the pair of dampers to be attached and detached.

[0009] In the above device, the pair of rectangular containers can be joined by joining the abutting side portions of the container bodies via a strip-shaped FRP laminated glass mat.

[0010] The pair of dampers may be attached so as to extend downwardly toward the joined side surfaces of the container body.

[0011] In addition, the upper edge of the twin container formed by the pair of rectangular containers is preferably formed in a convex shape so that a large lid having a water gradient can be attached.

[0012] The large lid may have smaller lids corresponding in size and position to the inlet and outlet of each rectangular container.

[0013] The frame may also be provided with a forklift claw insertion portion on the bottom surface thereof. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] The twin tank of the present invention can improve the transport efficiency of rectangular containers by taking into account the size of the truck bed and the load weight restrictions involved in transport. It also maintains the good loading and unloading characteristics of conventional single-type rectangular containers, providing a twin container that is easy to operate and safe using forklifts, etc. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a twin container according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing the lower part of the twin container shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing how the twin container of the present invention is operated by a forklift and its contents are dumped into a bulk vehicle. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the state in which the twin container according to the present invention is loaded onto a semi-trailer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 shows an example of a twin container according to the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, this container is configured by joining a pair of rectangular containers having identical shapes at their abutting side surfaces. That is, this twin container 10 has a pair of rectangular containers 11 (11A, 11B) joined at their abutting side surfaces 10a, a large lid 13 covering their upper openings, and a frame 15 that houses them. Each of the pair of rectangular containers 11 has a container body 110 having a rectangular tubular portion 111 with a rectangular inlet 113 at its upper end and a hopper portion 112 whose cross-section gradually decreases below it to a rectangular outlet 114 at its lower end, and a damper 12 that opens and closes the outlet 114.

[0017] In this twin container 10, the pair of discharge ports 114 of the pair of rectangular containers 11 are provided below the joined side surfaces 10a and as close as possible to allow for the attachment and detachment of the pair of dampers 12. This ensures a sufficient area for the side surfaces 10a where the pair of rectangular containers 11 described below are joined, thereby ensuring the strength, durability, and stability of the twin container 10.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 2, the twin container 10 has a small inclined surface 112a of the hopper section 112 below the joined side section 10a, ensuring a gap g that allows the damper 12 to be attached and detached. The gap g is, for example, 65 mm. Unlike a truncated pyramid formed by joining a pair of triangular pyramids of equal shape, such as the inverted conical cylinder described in Patent Document 1, which is cut by a plane parallel to the bottom base, the hopper section 112 has the shape of a constricted truncated pyramid formed by joining triangular pyramids of equal bases but different heights and cutting them by a plane parallel to the bottom base.

[0019] As described above, the pair of discharge ports 114 of this twin container 10 are provided as close as possible to allow the pair of dampers 12 to be attached and detached, so the twin container 10 can be operated with a forklift as shown in Figure 3. In other words, by inserting the tines 305 of the forklift 30 into the fork insertion ports 155 (Figure 2) of the twin container 10, feed or the like can be easily thrown into the bulk inlet 355 of the bulk vehicle 35.

[0020] The pair of rectangular containers 11 are preferably joined by adhesively joining the side surfaces of the rectangular tube portions 111 of each of the pair of container bodies 110 and the side surfaces (side surface portions 10a) having the small inclined surfaces 112a of the hopper portion 112 via strip-shaped FRP laminated glass mats. This allows the side surface portions 10a of the pair of container bodies 110 to be tightly attached and firmly joined.

[0021] The pair of dampers 12 are preferably attached in a direction that causes them to descend toward the joined side surface portions 10a of the container body 110. This allows for easy discharge of feed and the like.

[0022] The upper edge of the twin container formed by the pair of rectangular containers 11 is preferably formed in a convex shape so that a large lid 13 with a water gradient can be attached. The large lid 13 is preferably provided with a small lid 131 whose size and position correspond to the inlet 113 and outlet 114 of each rectangular container 11. This improves the waterproofness and operability of the twin container 10.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 4, this twin container can load and transport, for example, 12 twin containers onto a 27-ton semi-trailer 33.

[0024] The twin container according to the present invention has been described above. This twin container is made up of a pair of independent rectangular containers joined together, but the small lids are spaced apart to allow for accurate feeding of feed and other materials and prevent contamination. The capacity of this twin container is 1.65 x 2 (m 3) and can carry 2 tons of bird feed (specific gravity 0.7). Also, a 27-ton semi-trailer can load and transport 12 twin containers. [Explanation of symbols]

[0025] 10 Twin Containers 11 Square container 110 Container body 111 Square tube part 112 Hopper section 113 Inlet 114 Outlet 12 Damper 13 Large lid 130 Large lid body 131 Small lid 15 Frame Border 155 Fork socket 30 forklift 305 Nails 33 Semi-trailer 35 Bulk Car 355 Bulk Inlet

Claims

1. A twin container having a pair of rectangular containers joined at their abutting side surfaces, a large lid covering the upper openings of the containers, and a frame that houses them, Each of the pair of rectangular containers has a container body including a rectangular tubular portion having a rectangular inlet at the top end and a hopper portion having a cross section gradually decreasing downward to a rectangular outlet at the bottom end, and a damper for opening and closing the outlet, A pair of discharge ports of the rectangular container whose abutting side portions are joined are located below the joined side portions and are as close as possible to the minimum extent possible to allow the pair of dampers to be attached and detached.

2. A twin container as described in claim 1, characterized in that the pair of rectangular containers are joined by joining the abutting side portions of the container bodies via a strip-shaped FRP laminated glass mat.

3. 3. A twin container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pair of dampers are attached in a direction that descends toward each other toward the joined side portions of the container body.

4. 3. A twin container according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the upper edge of the twin container formed by the pair of rectangular containers is formed in a convex shape so that a large lid having a water gradient can be attached.

5. 3. A twin container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the large lid is provided with small lids corresponding in position and size to the inlets and outlets of the pair of rectangular containers.

6. 3. A twin container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the frame has a bottom surface provided with a forklift claw insertion portion.

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