Bulk Material Container With Adjustable Filling Spout Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bulk material containers face issues with contamination risks due to porous surfaces, lack of customization options, and inefficient loading operations, and are not easily recyclable.
Innovation Solution
A container design featuring a structural cage integrated with a base pallet, an outer containment bag, and an inner flexible bag, with a filling spout positioned by support means engaging horizontal ties and locking mechanisms, allowing precise and adjustable spout positioning, and made from easily recyclable materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the filling spout is manually positioned and connected by the operator at the filling station, then the loading operation can be performed, but the operation complexity and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The filling spout is pre-positioned and fixed to the inner flexible bag during manufacturing, eliminating the need for manual positioning and connection operations at the filling station. This preliminary action resolves the contradiction by preparing the spout in advance, so that loading operations can proceed without time-consuming manual alignment.
Solution Approach 2:
The filling spout is integrated as a disposable component with the inner flexible bag, designed to be pre-positioned and discarded after use. This approach eliminates complex positioning mechanisms while maintaining ease of operation, as each new bag comes with a pre-positioned spout ready for immediate connection.
2Strength
If rigid containers are used for storage and transport, then structural strength is provided, but contamination risks increase due to porous surfaces and washing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces rigid porous containers with flexible plastic bags that have non-porous surfaces. The flexible bag provides the necessary containment while eliminating the porous structure that causes contamination. The bag can be easily washed or replaced without risking contamination of the container structure itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The container system is segmented into a reusable structural cage and a disposable inner flexible bag. The flexible bag is the component that contacts the bulk material and can be independently replaced or washed, isolating the contamination risk to a replaceable element while maintaining the structural strength of the cage.
3Adaptability or versatility
If rigid containers are reused, then resource utilization improves, but contamination risks and washing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The container system separates the reusable structural cage from the disposable inner flexible bag. The cage can be reused indefinitely while the bag is replaced when contaminated, allowing resource utilization to be maximized for the cage while eliminating contamination risks by discarding the bag rather than washing it.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner flexible bag is designed as a disposable component that is replaced rather than washed. This approach allows the container system to be reused continuously by simply replacing the inexpensive bag, eliminating contamination risks associated with washing rigid containers while maintaining high resource utilization of the structural cage.
4Strength
If rigid containers are used, then structural protection is provided, but customization options such as logos or inscriptions are lost due to porous surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible plastic bag surface provides a smooth, non-porous substrate that is ideal for printing logos and inscriptions. The flexibility of the material allows for high-quality printing surfaces that are not possible with rigid porous containers, enabling full customization options while maintaining structural protection through the external cage.
Data Source
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AI summary
Container (IBC, Intermediate Bulk Container) for the storage and transport of bulk materials, typically liquids, powders, pastes, and granular materials, comprising a base pallet, a structural cage, an outer containment bag, and an inner flexible bag for containing the bulk product, where the pallet is integrated with the structural cage, where the structural cage is composed of vertical and horizontal profiles arranged along the perimeter of the pallet, defining the vertical sidewalls of the container, the outer flexible bag being placed inside and adheres to the structural cage, featuring at least one closable opening at the top and at least one opening at the bottom, the inner flexible bag is placed inside the outer flexible bag and features at least one filling spout corresponding to the top opening and at least one drainage valve corresponding to the bottom opening of the outer flexible bag, where the container includes one or more rigid upper horizontal ties fixed to the top of the structural cage and support means that engage the filling spout with at least one of the horizontal ties, allowing the positioning of the filling spout along two axes in the upper plane defined by the upper ties of the container.