Flexible Bitumen Container Rectangular Geometry

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Solution Overview

Problem

Large-volume packaging containers made of flexible material for transporting bitumen face challenges with stackability and transportability due to their conical or truncated pyramid shape, leading to lost transport volume and difficulties in unstacking, especially when filled with bitumen at transport temperature.

Innovation Solution

Designing the packaging container with rectangular lateral surfaces and a rectangular contact area, where the first side length of the contact area is more than 80% longer than the container height, and incorporating carrying loops that connect opposite side edges, forming a tunnel shape to enhance stability and stackability, while maintaining material strength to handle flowing bitumen.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stability of the object's composition

If the lateral surfaces are designed as truncated pyramid or cone shape to increase stability, then the container becomes self-stabilizing, but transport volume is lost and unstacking becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveself-stabilizing capabilityVSAvoidtransport volume
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSVolume of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the geometric parameters of the container by using rectangular lateral surfaces with specific dimension ratios (first side length of contact area more than 80% longer than height) instead of conical or truncated pyramid shapes. This parameter change maintains stability while maximizing transport volume and improving stackability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Stability of the object's composition

If the lateral surfaces are designed as truncated pyramid or cone shape to increase stability, then the container becomes self-stabilizing, but unstacking becomes difficult due to bitumen flowing around

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveself-stabilizing capabilityVSAvoidunstacking ease
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the geometric parameters by using rectangular lateral surfaces with controlled dimension ratios, preventing bitumen from flowing around during stacking while maintaining container stability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of using conical shapes that cause unstacking problems, the patent inverts the approach by using rectangular shapes with specific proportions that eliminate the flowing issue while maintaining stability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Volume of stationary object

If the first side length of contact area is more than 80% longer than container height, then stackability and transport efficiency improve, but container stability may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransport efficiencyVSAvoidcontainer stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of stationary objectVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent establishes an optimal parameter range where the first side length of the contact area is more than 80% longer than the container height. This specific parameter relationship maximizes transport efficiency while maintaining adequate stability through the rectangular geometry and carrying loop design.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP2477912B1Packaging container for bitumen
Publication Date: 2013.07.10 POLYCUBE SYST
  • EP2477912B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2477912B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

The invention relates to a large-volume packaging container (2) made of flexible material, preferably of polypropylene fabric, having a rectangular contact area (3) on which the packaging container (2) is supported in the transport position and four shell surfaces (4) and a cover surface (5) for transporting bitumen, wherein the contact area (3), shell surfaces (4) and cover surface (5) are each connected to the neighboring surface(s) by seams, characterized in that each shell surface (4) has the shape of a rectangle and at least one first side length (10, 11) of the contact surface (3) is more than 40%, preferably more than 50% and particularly preferably more than 100% longer than the height (H) of the packaging container (2).