Medium Bulk Container

Abstract

A medium-sized bulk container (100) comprising a box (200) including a base (210) and side walls (220) extending upward from the base (210) and connected to each other, a liquid bag (300) placed in the box (200), a discharge port (312) having an outer wall (360) defining a discharge passage communicating with the liquid bag (300) including the side walls (220) extending upward from the base (210), and a conductive member (500) whose upper end is in contact with the outer wall (360) and is fixedly housed in the base (210) and extends at least to the bottom surface of the base (210). When the medium-sized bulk container is placed on the ground, the conductive member comes into contact with the ground, and static electricity of the liquid in the liquid bag is transferred to the ground via the discharge port and the conductive member.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] Related applications are cross-referenced.

[0002] This application claims priority to a Chinese patent application filed on June 15, 2021, application number 2021106602620, for the invention titled "Medium-Sized Bulk Container," the entire text of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] The present invention relates to storage containers, and more particularly to intermediate bulk containers. [Background technology]

[0004] There are many liquid storage and transportation devices on the market at present for the storage, transportation, filling and discharging of liquids, etc. In particular, liquid storage and transportation devices for medium-sized bulk containers are increasingly being preferred in the liquid field to meet the needs of environmental protection and energy saving.

[0005] For medium-sized bulk containers used in the field of liquid storage and transportation, some liquids have special requirements for static electricity prevention. The static electricity generated during the filling, storage, transportation, discharging and other processes must be effectively removed, otherwise the generation of static electricity sparks may cause serious damage to the products.

[0006] Currently, there is no effective overall antistatic solution for the construction of medium-sized bulk containers that provides antistatic effect to the liquid inside the container.

[0007] Therefore, there is a need in the art for a medium-sized bulk container that can efficiently remove static electricity from liquids.

[0008] Contents of the invention SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT The present invention seeks to meet the above-mentioned needs by providing a novel intermediate bulk container.

[0009] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a medium-sized bulk container comprising a box body including a base and side walls extending upward from the base and connected to each other, and a liquid bag placed within the box body, wherein the liquid bag is provided with a discharge outlet having an outer wall defining a discharge passage communicating with the liquid bag, and the lower end of the outer wall is connected to a conductive member, which is fixedly housed in the base and extends to at least the bottom surface of the base.

[0010] In one embodiment, the conductive member is an elastic conductive member, and at least a portion of the elastic conductive member is elastic so that when the box body is placed on the ground, the elastic conductive member is in a compressed state and a lower end of the elastic conductive member contacts the ground.

[0011] In one embodiment, the outer wall comprises a cylindrical body and a protruding rod extending downward from an outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body, and the conductive member is in contact with the protruding rod.

[0012] In one embodiment, the resilient conductive member is a spring.

[0013] In one embodiment, the base has an accommodating passage penetrating the base, and the conductive member is fixedly accommodated in the accommodating passage.

[0014] In one embodiment, an accommodating passage penetrating the base is provided within the base, a removable fixing seat is provided within the accommodating passage, and the conductive member is fixed to the fixing seat.

[0015] In one embodiment, the fixing seat is mounted in the receiving passage by an engagement structure.

[0016] In one embodiment, at least one side of the fixing seat is provided with an elastic locking member, and a corresponding side of the receiving passage is provided with a locking hole.

[0017] In one embodiment, an elastic conductive member mounting hole is provided in the fixed seat, the elastic conductive member has an upper end and a lower end, and the elastic conductive member is fixed to the elastic conductive member mounting hole between the upper end and the lower end.

[0018] In one embodiment, the elastic conductive member mounting hole provided in the fixed seat has an upper end and a lower end, a radial partition wall is provided between the upper end and the lower end of the elastic conductive member mounting hole, an axial through hole is provided in the partition wall, and the elastic conductive member has a reduced diameter portion, the radial dimension of the reduced diameter portion being smaller than the remaining portion and equal to or less than the radial dimension of the axial through hole.

[0019] In one embodiment, when the medium-sized bulk container is placed on the ground, the portion of the elastic conductive member located between the radial partition and the upper end of the elastic conductive member mounting hole and the portion located between the radial partition and the lower end of the elastic conductive member mounting hole are both in a compressed state.

[0020] In one embodiment, the elastic conductive member includes a first spring and a second spring, the first spring being located between the radial partition and the upper end of the elastic conductive member mounting hole, and the second spring being located between the radial partition and the lower end of the elastic conductive member mounting hole, the first spring and the second spring being electrically connected to each other by a metal rod, the metal rod passing through the axial through hole in the radial partition.

[0021] In one embodiment, the metal rod is a screw, and the screw is fixed to the radial partition by a nut.

[0022] In one embodiment, the positioning rod is a valve rod of a butterfly valve in the outlet.

[0023] The present invention provides a liquid antistatic method for medium-sized bulk containers, which solves the problem of static electricity of liquid bags inside the box, and the elastic conductive member used in the present invention has a simple structure, good manufacturing process, easy operation, and saves costs. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a medium-sized bulk container according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a medium-sized bulk container according to the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of a medium-sized bulk container according to the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is another top perspective view of the intermediate bulk container with the fixing seat of the present invention removed from the base. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an exploded top view of a medium-sized bulk container according to the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of part B in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an exploded view of a medium-sized bulk container according to the present invention.

[0025] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In order to better understand the objectives, features and advantages of the present invention, the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. It should be understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention, but merely to describe the essential spirit of the technical solution of the present invention.

[0026] In the following description, for the purpose of explaining each disclosed embodiment, certain specific details are set forth in order to fully understand each disclosed embodiment. However, those skilled in the art should recognize that the embodiments may be practiced without one or more of these specific details. In other instances, well-known devices, structures, and techniques related to the present application may not be shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the embodiments.

[0027] Unless otherwise required by context, throughout the specification and claims, the word "comprises" and variations thereof, such as "including" and "having," are to be understood in their open and inclusive sense, i.e., to be interpreted as "including, but not limited to."

[0028] References throughout the specification to "one embodiment" or "one embodiment" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of "in one embodiment" or "in one embodiment" in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Also, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any manner in one or more embodiments.

[0029] As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "said" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The term "or" is generally used in its sense including "and / or" unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0030] In the following description, many directional terms are used to clearly indicate the configuration and operation of the present invention, but terms such as "front," "rear," "left," "right," "outside," "inside," "outward facing," "inward facing," "up," and "down" should be understood as terms of convenience rather than limitations.

[0031] One embodiment of the present application relates to a medium-sized bulk container 100, which comprises a box 200 and a liquid bag 300, the box 200 including a base 210 and side walls 220 extending upward from the base 210 and connected to each other, the liquid bag 300 is placed within the box 200, the liquid bag 300 is provided with an outlet 312 having an outer wall 360, the outer wall 360 defines an outlet passage 313 communicating with the liquid bag 300, and a conductive member 500 is connected to the lower end of the outer wall 360, the conductive member 500 being fixed and housed in the base and extending to at least the bottom surface of the base.

[0032] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0033] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a medium-sized bulk container according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a medium-sized bulk container 100 includes a box 200 and a liquid bag 300. As shown in FIG.

[0034] The box 200 includes a base 210 and side walls 220 that extend upward from the periphery of the base 210 and are connected to each other. In the illustrated embodiment, the base 210 has a generally rectangular plate shape, and the four side walls 220 extend upward from the periphery of the base 210 and are connected to each other so as to form an internal space for accommodating the liquid bag 300. However, it should be understood that the base 210 may have other shapes, such as a circle, a square, etc. As long as the side walls 220 together with the base 210 define an internal space for accommodating the liquid bag 300, the side walls 220 may extend upward from any position on the upper surface of the base 210, and the bottom of the box 200 is provided with a drain port attachment portion 212 for attaching the drain port 312 of the liquid bag 300 and making the drain port 312 accessible from the outside of the box 200.

[0035] The liquid bag 300 is placed within the box 200, the liquid bag 300 is typically a vinyl bag made of a flexible plastic sheet, and in the embodiment shown, when the liquid bag 300 is placed within the box 200, it has an approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape, and referring to Figures 6 and 8, the liquid bag 300 includes a bottom 310, a side 320 and a top 330 molded integrally with the bottom, and the liquid bag 300 is provided with a fill port 340 and a drain port 312, and when the liquid bag 300 is placed within the box 200, the fill port 340 is typically located at the top of the liquid bag 300, and the drain port 312 is located at the bottom of one side of the liquid bag 300.

[0036] 2 and 8, the portion where the bottom 310 of the liquid bag 300 abuts against the outlet 312 is located in a recess formed in the upper surface of the base 210, the outlet attachment portion 212 is a through opening provided on the side of the recess of the base 210 facing the outside, and the outlet 312 is attached and fixed in the outlet attachment portion 212. Since the portion where the bottom 310 of the liquid bag 300 abuts against the outlet 312 is recessed, the liquid in the liquid bag 300 can be more easily drained. It should be understood that the outlet attachment portion 212 may be provided on the bottom of the side wall 220.

[0037] The outlet 312 has an outer wall 360 that defines an outlet passage 313 that communicates with the liquid bag 300, and a conductive member 500 is connected to the lower end of the outer wall 360 and is fixedly housed in the base and extends at least to the bottom surface of the base.

[0038] In one embodiment, the outer wall 360 includes a cylindrical body 361 and a protruding bar 362 extending downward from the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body 361. Providing the protruding bar 362 can facilitate good contact with the conductive member 500. However, it should be understood that the outer wall 360 may include only the cylindrical body 361 with which the conductive member 500 directly contacts. In the embodiment shown, the protruding bar 362 sealingly penetrates the outer wall 360 of the discharge passage 313, with the upper end of the protruding bar 362 located within the discharge passage 312 and the lower end of the protruding bar 362 extending downward outside the discharge passage 313. However, it should be understood that the protruding bar 362 may be formed integrally with the outer wall 360. The conductive member 500 is fixedly housed within the base 210, and its upper end contacts the protruding rod 362. The outer wall 360, the protruding rod 362, and the conductive member 500 are all made of antistatic materials, i.e., electrically conductive materials. When the box body 200 is placed on the ground, the lower end of the conductive member 500 contacts the ground, and the static electricity in the liquid bag 300 is transmitted to the ground via the protruding rod 362 and the conductive member 500.

[0039] 3, 4 and 6, the base 210 of the box 200 is provided with a plurality of protrusions 211 extending downward, and the plurality of protrusions 211 are at least the same in height so that the box 200 can be stably placed on a horizontal surface. Since the above-mentioned recess is formed in any of the protrusions 211 of the base 210, a discharge port attachment part 212 for attaching the discharge port 312 of the liquid bag 300 is formed on the side of the recess of the base 210. That is, the discharge port attachment part 212 is installed at a position corresponding to the discharge port 312 of the liquid bag 300, and the discharge port 312 is provided with a protrusion rod 362 made of an antistatic material, the upper end of which passes through the outer wall of the discharge passage 313 in a sealed manner and contacts the liquid in the discharge passage 313 to conduct static electricity, and the lower end of which extends downward from the outer wall of the discharge passage 313 to the outside of the discharge passage 313. Here, the surface resistivity of the antistatic material is 10 5 ~10 11 It is Ohm.

[0040] In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the protruding rod 362 is a valve rod of a butterfly valve in the discharge passage 313, and the protruding rod 362 passes through the cylindrical body 361 of the outer wall 360 in a sealing manner so that the upper end of the valve rod is located in the discharge passage 313 and the lower end of the valve rod extends downwardly outside the discharge passage 313. However, it should be understood that the protruding rod 362 may be a separate member separate from the valve rod, as long as it is sealed and inserted into the discharge port so as to come into contact with the liquid, thereby being able to guide the static electricity of the liquid out of the discharge port 312.

[0041] A conductive member 500 is provided under the protruding rod 362, and the conductive member 500 is fixed and accommodated in the base 210, with its upper end in contact with the protruding rod 362. When the box body 200 is placed on the ground, the lower end of the conductive member 500 contacts the ground, and static electricity generated from the liquid in the liquid bag 300 is conducted to the conductive member 500 via the protruding rod 362. The conductive member 500 contacts the ground and conducts the static electricity to the ground. It is understood that the outer wall 360 can also be independently conductive, and the lower end of the conductive member 500 contacts the ground and the upper end is in sufficient contact with the outer wall 360 to discharge the static electricity in the liquid bag 300.

[0042] According to the above-described configuration of the present invention, the upper end of the protruding rod 362 is in contact with the liquid in the liquid bag 300, and the lower end is in contact with the conductive member 500. When the box body 200 is placed on the ground, the conductive member 500 comes into contact with the ground, so that the static electricity in the liquid can be introduced to the ground via the protruding rod 362 and the conductive member 500, thereby enabling the static electricity charged in the liquid in the liquid bag 300 to be discharged.

[0043] 5, below the outlet mounting part 212 of the box 200, a receiving passage 213 is provided which penetrates the base 210 and communicates with the outlet mounting part 212, the receiving passage 213 is a rectangular passage that opens toward the bottom, the fixing seat 400 is provided in the receiving passage 213, the conductive member 500 is provided in the fixing seat 400, and the conductive member 500 is fixed to the base 210 by placing the fixing seat 400 in the receiving passage 213. However, it should be understood that the conductive member 500 may be directly fixed and installed in the receiving passage 213 formed on the base 210, as long as the conductive member 500 comes into contact with the ground when the box 200 is placed on the ground after the conductive member 500 is fixed.

[0044] In order to facilitate the removably installation of the fixed seat 400 in the receiving passage 213, at least one locking hole 214 is provided on the inside of the receiving passage 213, and at least one elastic locking device 410 is correspondingly provided on the outer circumferential side of the fixed seat 400, which is engaged in the locking hole 214 to form an engagement structure, so that the fixed seat 400 is removably mounted in the receiving passage 213 by the engagement structure. However, it should be understood that this engagement structure may also be implemented in other ways, for example, by disposing an elastic locking device in the receiving passage 213 and providing a locking hole on the outer circumferential surface of the fixed seat 400. In the illustrated preferred embodiment, the elastic locking devices 410 are respectively provided on both sides of the outer circumferential surface of the fixed seat 400, and one locking hole 214 is respectively provided on the opposite sides of the inner circumferential surface of the receiving passage 213. However, it should be understood that the positions and numbers of the elastic locking device 410 and the locking hole 214 may be arbitrarily set as required. Also, for example, the engagement between the fixing seat 400 and the receiving passage 213 may be realized by an elastic arm and an engagement groove provided on the outer periphery of the fixing seat 400, respectively. Of course, the fixing seat 400 and the receiving passage 213 may be detachably attached by other methods, such as screw connection, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0045] The fixed base 400 is a rectangular frame, and the outer contour of the rectangular frame matches the inner contour of the accommodating passage 213 so that it can be stably installed within the accommodating passage 213. After the conductive member 500 is fixed to the fixed base 400, the fixed base 400 and the conductive member 500 are fixed and accommodated within the accommodating passage 213.

[0046] It should be understood that the receiving passage 213 and the fixed seat 400 may be of other shapes, such as cylindrical or prismatic, as long as the shapes of the fixed seat 400 and the receiving passage 213 match and the fixed seat 400 is installed within the receiving passage 213.

[0047] In the illustrated embodiment, the conductive member 500 is an elastic conductive member, which is in a compressed state when the box body 200 is placed on the ground, and can ensure reliable electrical contact between the elastic conductive member, the protruding rod 362, and the ground. The rectangular frame of the fixing base 400 is provided with an integrally molded elastic conductive member mounting hole 420 penetrating the thickness direction of the base 210 for mounting the elastic conductive member. A radial partition wall 421 is provided at the middle of the cylindrical elastic conductive member mounting hole to divide the elastic conductive member mounting hole 420 into an upper part and a lower part. The radial partition wall 421 is provided at the fixing base 400. 2 and 3, the elastic conductive member mounting hole 420 is a cylindrical through hole, but it is understood that the elastic conductive member mounting hole 420 may also be of other shapes, such as a prismatic or other polygonal prism, and the conductive member mounting hole 420 may be installed according to the shape of the elastic conductive member.

[0048] The elastic conductive member is fixed and attached in the elastic conductive member mounting hole 420 of the fixed base 400, the elastic conductive member has an upper end 510, a lower end 520, and a reduced diameter portion 600, the radial dimension of which is smaller than the remaining portion and is equal to or smaller than the radial dimension of the axial through hole 422 of the fixed base 400, the reduced diameter portion 600 is located between the upper end 510 and the lower end 520 of the elastic conductive member, the elastic conductive member is located at the upper part of the upper part of the reduced diameter portion 600 and the lower part of the lower part of the reduced diameter portion 600, and is attached to the upper and lower parts of the fixed base 400, respectively, the reduced diameter portion 600 is attached within the axial through hole 423 of the fixed base 400, and the elastic conductive member is fixed within the elastic conductive member mounting hole 420 by the reduced diameter portion 600. In the specific embodiment shown in Figures 5, 6 and 7, the elastic conductive member is a coil spring, the upper section of the elastic conductive member is a first spring 510, the lower section is a second spring 520, the reduced diameter portion 600 is a metal bar 600, the first spring 510 is located at the upper end of the radial partition wall 421 and the axial through hole 422, i.e., attached to the upper part of the fixed base 400, the upper end of the first spring 510 protrudes from the upper end of the fixed base 400 so as to abut the lower part of the protruding bar 362, the second spring 520 is located at the lower end of the radial partition wall 421 and the axial through hole 422, i.e., attached to the lower part of the fixed base 400, the lower end of the second spring 520 protrudes from the upper end of the fixed base 400 so as to abut the lower part of the protruding bar 362, and the second spring 520 is located at the lower end of the radial partition wall 421 and the axial through hole 422, i.e., attached to the lower part of the fixed base 400, and the lower end of the second spring 520 protrudes from the upper end of the fixed base 400 so as to abut the lower part of the protruding bar 362, 5, 6 and 7, the metal rod 600 is a screw 610, which is fixed to the radial partition 421 by a nut 620, but it should be understood that the elastic conductive member may be in other forms, such as an elastic wire mesh tube, a three-dimensional braided wire mesh column or a leaf spring, as long as the elastic conductive member is conductive and elastic, so that it can be compressed when the box 200 is placed on the ground. The narrowed portion of the elastic conductive member may be in a different form, for example, when the elastic conductive member is a wire mesh tube or a three-dimensional braided wire mesh column, it can be inserted into the axial through-hole 422 to form a narrowed portion by being compressed in the radial direction.It should be understood that the elastic conductor may also be secured within the elastic conductor mounting hole 420 in other manners, for example, glued or welded to the inner wall of the elastic conductor mounting hole 420 between both ends of the elastic conductor.

[0049] After the elastic conductive member is fixed and attached to the fixed base 400, the upper end of the first spring 510 contacts the protruding rod 362, the lower end of the first spring 510 is electrically connected to the upper end of the second spring 520 via the screw 610, and the lower end of the second spring 520 contacts the ground, so that the static electricity of the liquid in the liquid bag 300 is transmitted to the ground via the protruding rod 362, the first spring 510, the screw 610, and the second spring 520, thereby ensuring that the inside of the liquid bag 300 is free of static electricity.

[0050] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, it should be understood that aspects of the embodiments can be modified, if necessary, to provide other embodiments using aspects, features, and concepts of the various patents, applications, and publications.

[0051] These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of the above detailed description. In general, in the claims, the terms used should not be construed as being limited to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and claims, but should be understood to include all possible embodiments along with any equivalent scope to which these claims are entitled.

Claims

1. a box including a base and side walls extending upward from the base and connected to each other; a liquid bag located within the box; a discharge port having an outer wall defining a discharge passage communicating with the liquid bag; and a conductive member having an upper end in contact with the outer wall, fixed to and housed in the base, and extending at least to a bottom surface of the base; a receiving passage penetrating the base is provided in the base, a detachable fixing seat is provided in the receiving passage, and the conductive member is fixed to the fixing seat; the conductive member is an elastic conductive member, an elastic conductive member mounting hole is provided in the fixing seat, the elastic conductive member has an upper end and a lower end, and the elastic conductive member is fixed to the elastic conductive member mounting hole between the upper end and the lower end, the elastic conductive member mounting hole provided in the fixing seat has an upper end and a lower end, a radial partition wall is provided between the upper end and the lower end of the elastic conductive member mounting hole, an axial through hole is provided in the partition wall, the elastic conductive member has a reduced diameter portion, and a radial dimension of the reduced diameter portion is smaller than a remaining portion and is equal to or smaller than the radial dimension of the axial through hole, A medium-sized bulk container characterized by:

2. 2. A medium-sized bulk container as described in claim 1, characterized in that the conductive member is an elastic conductive member, and at least a portion of the elastic conductive member has elasticity such that when the box body is placed on the ground, the elastic conductive member is in a compressed state and a lower end of the elastic conductive member contacts the ground.

3. 2. A medium-sized bulk container as described in claim 1, characterized in that the outer wall comprises a cylindrical body and a protruding rod extending downward from the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body, and the conductive member is in contact with the protruding rod.

4. 3. The intermediate bulk container according to claim 2, wherein the elastic conductive member is a spring.

5. 2. The intermediate-sized bulk container according to claim 1, wherein the base has a receiving passage penetrating the base, and the conductive member is fixed and received within the receiving passage.

6. 2. The intermediate-sized bulk container according to claim 1, wherein the fixed seat is attached to the receiving passage by an engagement structure.

7. 7. The intermediate-sized bulk container according to claim 6, characterized in that an elastic locking member is provided on at least one side of the fixing seat, and a locking hole is provided on the corresponding side of the receiving passage.

8. A medium-sized bulk container as described in claim 1, characterized in that when the medium-sized bulk container is placed on the ground, the portion of the elastic conductive member located between the radial partition and the upper end of the elastic conductive member mounting hole and the portion located between the radial partition and the lower end of the elastic conductive member mounting hole are both in a compressed state.

9. The medium-sized bulk container according to claim 1, characterized in that the elastic conductive member includes a first spring and a second spring, the first spring being located between the radial partition and the upper end of the elastic conductive member mounting hole, the second spring being located between the radial partition and the lower end of the elastic conductive member mounting hole, the first spring and the second spring being electrically connected to each other by a metal rod, the metal rod passing through the axial through hole in the radial partition.

10. 10. The intermediate bulk container according to claim 9, wherein the metal rod is a screw, and the screw is fixed to the radial partition by a nut.

11. A medium-sized bulk container as described in claim 3, characterized in that the protruding rod is a valve rod of a butterfly valve in the discharge port, and the valve rod passes through the cylindrical body of the outer wall in a sealing manner so that the upper end of the valve rod is located in the discharge passage and the lower end of the valve rod extends downward outside the discharge passage.

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