GB2496837A

GB2496837A - Bulk bag

Info

Publication number: GB2496837A
Application number: GB1117721.9A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael Haig Paterson; Matthew Hughson Marshall
Original assignee: POLYPAK IND AG
Current assignee: POLYPAK IND AG
Priority date: 2011-10-13
Filing date: 2011-10-13
Publication date: 2013-05-29
Also published as: GB201117721D0

Abstract

A bulk bag comprises elongate tine receiving formations 14 formed of woven material suitable for receiving and retaining the tine of a forklift and located adjacent the edge of the first or second side panels 8, 10 opposed to a support panel (2, figure 2b). The tine receiving formations 14 comprise one or more folds 22, which biases them to an open configuration allowing easier access of a forklift tine. The fold may be formed from material extending beyond the front and back panels and may be strengthened by a flexible material strip incorporated into fold. A lining material (18, figure 2a) may be incorporated into the formations 14. In use the bag is filled with bulk material to a level just below the formations so that when bags are located alongside each other or alongside, for example, a wall, the formations 14 may displace towards the centre of the bag and remain biased open. Each tine receiving formation is formed by forming a tubular loop in a region of material of each side panel which extends beyond the front and back panels. Each tubular loop is creased 24 to form the formations.

Description

1 BULK BAG

3 Field of the invention

The invention relates to the field of bulk bags for the storage and transportation of 6 granular materials, such as aggregates.

8 Background to the invention

Granular goods such as sand or grain, for example, are often stored in large flexible bags, or bulk bags, which, when the bulk bag is emptied, may be collapsed and 12 stored in a compact and therefore, space efficient manner. Conversely, before the 13 bulk bags are filled, they may be stored and transported in a collapsed and compact 14 state.

16 Once filled, the bulk bags are too heavy to be lifted or moved by people safely.

17 Therefore, bulk bags can be mounted onto wooden pallets which comprise one or 18 more apertures into which the tines of a forklift may be inserted.

However, mounting bulk bags onto wooden pallets is not very space efficient due to 21 the added space taken up by the pallets, and the manufacture of the wooden pallets 22 is environmentally damaging. Therefore, there have been provided bulk bags which 23 comprise teatures located beneath the bottom panel of the bulk bag to allow the tines 24 of a forklift to be inserted without the provision of wooden pallets. The provided 1 features must be sufficiently robust that they are not crushed and remain available for 2 the tines of forklifts when the bulk bags are full, and therefore generally reduce the 3 amount of available space within the bulk bag.

Alternative bulk bags provide sleeves or loops for receiving tines of a forklift on two 6 opposed side panels of the bulk bags and have the advantage that the available 7 storage space within the bulk bag is not reduced and the said sleeves are collapsible 8 to allow filled bulk bags to be packed close together.

However, when bulk bags with tine sleeves on the side panels, below the level of granular material retained within the bags, are packed close together, each bulk bag 12 abutting another bulk bag, the tine sleeves of adjacent bulk bags are generally 13 compressed together with only the tine sleeves at either end of the packed bulk bags 14 being available.

16 Bulk bags provided with tine sleeves on the side panel often require the user to open 17 out the tine sleeves before use. This may be due to, for example, the tine sleeves 18 being crushed whilst being stored or transported in a packing crate. Therefore, the 19 preparation of the bulk bags before they are first filled before being lifted and moved can be time consuming and once filled the tine sleeves suffer inconsistency.

22 In one aspect of the invention, it is intended to provide a bulk bag with tine sleeves 23 that require less preparation and minimal user intervention before the bulk bag can 24 be lifted by the tine sleeves.

26 Summary of the invention

28 According to the first aspect of the invention there is provided a bulk bag comprising a 29 support panel, a first side panel and an opposed second side panel, a front panel and an opposed back panel; the first and second side panels each comprising an 31 elongate tine receiving formation formed of woven material suitable for receiving and 32 retaining the tine of a forklift and located adjacent to the edge of the first or second 33 side panel opposed to the support panel; wherein the said elongate tine receiving 34 formations comprise one or more folds, which bias the respective elongate tine receiving formation to an open configuration.

1 Bulk bags known in the art comprising tine receiving formations can require the user 2 to manually open out the said formations before the tines of a forklift can be received, 3 or more commonly the tines of a forklift are used to open out the tine receiving 4 formations using skilled or over ambitious driving. This process is time consuming and prone to user error, and in the extreme can regularly lead to the tine receiving 6 formations being damaged.

8 Accordingly, the provision of a bulk bag comprising elongate tine receiving formations 9 that are biased to an open configuration with minimal, or no user intervention reduces the time required to lift and move the said bulk bags and allows more bulk bags to be moved in a given amount of time. t2

t3 Preferably, the elongate tine receiving formations comprise a peripheral edge at each 14 end and the one or more folds are located at one or both of the said peripheral edges of each elongate tine receiving formation.

17 The one or more folds may comprise at least one fold of the woven material of the 18 elongate tine receiving formation which forms a material of at least two ply. The one 19 or more folds may comprise at least a double fold of the woven material of the elongate tine receiving formation. The double fold of woven material of the elongate 21 tine receiving formation may form a material of at least three ply. The double fold of 22 woven material of the elongate tine receiving formation may form a material of at 23 least four ply.

The one or more folds may comprise at least one fold of the woven material, wherein 26 the folded-back edge is at an angle to the fold at the peripheral edge of the respective 27 elongate tine receiving formation.

29 The at least one fold of the woven material having a folded-back edge at an angle to the fold at the peripheral edge may be generally trapezoidal. The at least one fold of 31 the woven material having a folded-back edge at an angle to the fold at the peripheral 32 edge may be generally triangular.

34 Alternatively, the said at least one fold may be curved.

36 The at least one fold of the woven material having a folded-back edge at an angle to 37 the fold at the peripheral edge may create tension within the peripheral edge such 1 that the peripheral edge is stronger and less easily deformed. The said at least one 2 fold may result in the peripheral edge being biased towards an open configuration.

4 Typically, one side of each tine receiving formation is a portion of the exterior of the respective side panel of the bulk bag. Therefore, the peripheral edge of each tine 6 receiving formation comprises a side portion corresponding to the edge of the 7 respective side panel, and a loop portion.

9 The one or more folds may extend around the loop portion of the peripheral edge of the tine receiving formations. The one or more folds may extend around a part of the loop portion of the tine receiving formations. The part of the oop portion around 12 which the one or more folds extends may strengthen that part of the loop portion only, 13 thereby granting the peripheral edge of the tine receiving formation a different profile 14 or different properties depending on where the one or more folds are located.

16 For example, in embodiments where the loop portion comprises a flat top part and 17 curved side part (for example, so as to resemble the numeral "7"), locating the one or 18 more folds on the flat top part would strengthen the flat top part but leave the curved 19 side part relatively weak. Alternatively, locating the one or more folds on the curved side part would strengthen the curved side part and leave the flat top part relatively 21 weak, or locating the one or more folds at the apex where the flat top part meets the 22 curved side part would strengthen the apex.

24 Strengthening different parts of the loop portion may provide a peripheral edge profile that is more amenable to the insertion of the tine of a forklift, or to a loop portion that 26 is more strongly biased towards an open configuration, for example.

28 In addition, strengthening a part of the loop portion with one or more folds may alter 29 the angle of the peripheral edge presented to the tine of a forklift as it approaches the tine receiving formation. For example, a peripheral edge that has not been 31 strengthened with a fold is generally directed towards the tine receiving formation, 32 whereas, a peripheral edge that has been strengthened by a fold at the top of the 33 peripheral edge (such as the flat top edge discussed above) may be angled above 34 the forklift tine, thereby directing a tine that is aimed at the peripheral edge into the tine receiving formation.

37 The one or more folds may retain a metallic strip.

2 Preferably, the elongate tine receiving formations are tubular sleeves.

4 Typically, in use, when the bulk bag is seated on the support panel, each elongate tine receiving formation does not extend above the respective side panel.

7 Each elongate tine receiving formation may comprise a reinforcing sheet that extends 8 along its length such that each elongate tine receiving formation is formed of a two 9 ply material around at least part of its periphery.

The reinforcing sheet may extend around the loop portion and not the side portion of 12 the periphery of the elongate tine receiving formation.

14 In embodiments where the elongate tine receiving formations comprise a reinforcing sheet, the one or more folds may comprise at least one fold of the woven material of 16 the elongate tine receiving formation and reinforcing sheet to form a material of at 17 least four ply. The one or more folds may comprise at least a double fold of the 18 woven material of the elongate tine receiving formation and reinforcing sheet to form 19 a material of at least eight ply.

21 For example, the tine receiving formations may comprise one fold and the reinforcing 22 sheet forms part of the one told to form a material of four ply, or the tine receiving 23 formations may comprise a double fold and the reinforcing sheet forms part of the 24 double fold to form a material of eight ply.

26 Each elongate tine receiving formation may comprise at least two longitudinal edges 27 forming convex internal angles. Preferably, during use, the at least two longitudinal 28 edges form convex internal angles.

The elongate tine receiving formations may be attached to the respective side panel 31 of the bulk bag via one of the at least two longitudinal edges.

33 The longitudinal edges of the elongate tine receiving formations may be formed by 34 heat tieatment of the woven material.

C

1 At least one of the longitudinal edges of the elongate tine receiving formations may 2 be formed by a seam or crease between the elongate tine receiving formation and the 3 respective side panel.

The elongate tine receiving formations may be folded along one or more longitudinal 6 edges such that when unpacked, the elongate tine receiving formations open to 7 enable a tine to be inserted.

9 The elongate tine receiving formations may be made of woven polypropylene, for

example. l1

12 The elongate tine receiving formations may be attached to the respective side panels 13 by being formed from the same continuous piece of material as the respective side 14 panel. Preferably, the front panel, the support panel and the back panel form a continuous piece of woven material and form a U shape in the bulk bag. Preferably, 16 the woven material of the first side panel is stitched to the woven material adjacent to 17 an edge of the front panel, the support panel and the back panel. Preferably, the 18 woven material of the second side panel is stitched to the woven material adjacent to 19 an edge of the front panel, the support panel and the back panel opposed to the edge of the first side panel. Accordingly, when manufactured, the panels of the bulk bag 21 bound an open volume within which granular material may be retained and the top 22 edge of the front panel, the first side panel, the back panel and the second side panel 23 bound an aperture opposed to the support panel.

The peripheral edge may form a functional curve.

27 By "top edge" we refer to the exposed edge of the front panel, first side panel, back 28 panel and the second side panel, which runs around the top of the bulk bag when the 29 bulk bag is filled with granular material and sat on a pallet, for example.

31 Preferably, the elongate tine receiving formations are located adjacent to the top 32 edge of the first and second side panel and preferably, the elongate tine receiving 33 formations are formed from the woven material of the respective side panel.

Providing a bulk bag comprising a front panel, a support panel and a back panel, 36 which form a continuous piece of woven material, and where the elongate tine 37 receiving formations are formed from separate pieces of woven material and then 1 stitched to the U-shaped continuous piece of woven material grants the bulk bag 2 greater integral strength and capability to support the weight of granular material 3 (typically a tonne) than would be the case if each panel and the elongate tine 4 receiving formations were formed from separate pieces of woven material.

6 Preferably, during use, the elongate tine receiving formations are arranged above the 7 level of the granular material retained by the bulk bag. The elongate tine receiving 8 formations may be arranged at or below the top edge of the bulk bag.

The provision of the elongate tine receiving formations above the level of the granular material retained by the bulk bag allows the tines of a forklift to access the elongate 12 tine receiving formations of a first bulk bag abutting other bulk bags without requiring 13 some or all of the said other bulk bags to be moved first to allow access to the 14 elongate tine receiving formations.

16 In addition, the provision of elongate tine receiving formations at or below the top of 17 the bulk bag allows the bulk bags to be stacked without the said elongate tine 18 receiving formations from being crushed, for example.

Preferably, the bulk bag is collapsible to a compressed state for storage and 21 transportation.

23 Preferably, the bulk bag is folded such that the elongate tine receiving formations are 24 folded along one or more longitudinal edges such that when unpacked, the elongate tine receiving formations open up to enable a tine to be inserted.

27 A bulk bag substantially as described with reference to the figures.

29 The invention extends to a second aspect of the invention wherein a method of manufacture of a bulk bag according to the first aspect of the invention is provided, 31 comprising the steps of: 32 providing a woven material; 33 forming the woven material into a bulk bag comprising a front panel, a 34 back panel, a first side panel, a second side panel and a support panel, wherein the first and second side panels comprise a region of material 36 extending beyond the front and back panels; 1 forming a tubular loop of material having a peripheral edge from each 2 of the said region of material extending beyond the front and back panels of 3 the first and second side panels; 4 forming at least one fold on each tubular loop of material; and creasing one longitudinal edge into the tubular loops of material to 6 form elongate tine receiving formations.

8 The woven material may comprise a plastics woven material, such as polypropylene 9 fabric.

The at least one fold may be formed by folding the edges of the region of material 12 extending beyond the front and back panels of the first and second side panels to 13 produceaseam.

The at least one fold may be formed by folding the edges of the region of material 16 extending beyond the front and back panels of the first and second side panels twice 17 to form a double seam.

19 Alternatively, the at east one fold may be strengthened by threading a strip of strong, flexible material into the seam of the peripheral edge. The strip may comprise a 21 metal such as aluminium, iron or zinc, for example. The strip may comprise a strip of 22 a plastics material such as polypropylene or polystyrene, for example.

24 Preferably, the step of forming a bulk bag comprises stitching the woven material.

26 Preferably, the front panel, the support panel and the back panel form a single, 27 continuous piece of the woven material. Typically, the front panel, the support panel 28 and the back panel form a U shape, the first side panel is stitched to the woven 29 material of one edge of the U shape and the second side panel is stitched to the woven material of the second U shaped edge to bound a volume within which 31 granular material may be retained 33 Preferably, the longitudinal edges of the elongate tine receiving formations are 34 formed by heat treating a fold or folding under pressure of the woven material, and the said longitudinal edges have convex internal angles.

1 The method may further comprise the step of securing a reinforcing sheet on to the 2 region of material extending beyond the front and back panels of the first and second 3 side panels before the step of forming tubular loops.

The reinforcing sheet may comprise woven material.

7 Description of the Drawings

9 An example embodiment of the present invention will now be illustrated with reference to the following Figures in which: l1 12 Figure 1 is a perspective view from the front of a bulk bag; 14 Figure 2 is front view of (a) a bulk bag and (b) the panels of a bulk bag before stitching together; 17 Figure 3 is a perspective view of a tine sleeve (a) after stitching, (b) after heat treating 18 and (c) after the formation of the double seam; Figure 4 is a front view of a tine sleeve with and without a reinforcing sheet; 22 Figure 5 is a perspective view of the formation of a double seam; 24 Figure 6 is three perspective views of the bulk bag being folded to the collapsed state, wherein the fold lines are shown in bold; 27 Figure 7 is a front view of a row of bulk bags of the prior art (a) and of the current 28 invention (b); and Figure 8 is an illustration of how the bulk bag of the invention may be lifted by a 31 forklift.

33 Detailed Description of an Example Embodiment

With reference to Figures 1 to 8, a bulk bag 1 comprises a support panel 2, a front 36 panel 4, a back panel 6 and two side panels 8, 10. Each panel is made of a woven 37 polypropylene fabric. The support panel, the front panel and the back panel are part 1 of the same continuous piece of woven polypropylene 12 and form a "U" shape to 2 which the two side panels are stitched. The two side panels each comprise a tine 3 sleeve 14 (acting as an elongate tine receiving formation) on the edge opposed to the 4 support panel 16. Each tine sleeve is formed from a region of the material that forms each side panel and a lining sheet 18 (acting as a reinforcing sheet). The lining sheet 6 is stitched to the material of the side panel such that the lining sheet does not extend 7 onto the respective side panel when the tine sleeve is formed. The material of the 8 side panel and the lining sheet have been folded back and stitched onto the side 9 panel at a point below the top edge of the respective side panel, to form a tubular loop extending laterally from the side panel, the tine sleeves. l1

12 The tine sleeves comprise a peripheral edge 20 at each end of the tine sleeve. Each 13 peripheral edge comprises a double seam 22 (acting as a double fold). The tine 14 sleeves have been creased to form a longitudinal edge 24 running along the length of each tine sleeve.

17 The bulk bag is generally folded once manufactured and stored in compact pallets. A 18 method of folding is shown in Figure 6. The support panel is folded from the fiont to 19 the back such that the support panel folds up and the front and back panels are folded down the centre resulting in the two side panels being adjacent to each other.

21 The tine sleeves are flattened by extending the creased edge of the tine sleeves until 22 they are oriented in the same plane as the respective side panel, compressing them 23 such that the tine sleeve is folded along the creased longitudinal edge. The bulk bag 24 is then folded twice along the side panels from front to back to a collapsed and compact state wherein the tine sleeves are flattened but not deformed or crushed.

27 Accordingly, when a pallet of bulk bags arrives at a destination and the bulk bags are 28 unloaded, the bulk bags may be unfolded. Due to the method of folding, the tine 29 sleeves retain the longitudinal edges and the double seams bias the tine sleeves to an open configuration when the bulk bags are unpacked, and therefore the tine 31 sleeves are ready to receive the tine of a forklift with minimal manual intervention.

33 In use, the bulk bags are unpacked from pallets, unfolded and then filled with a 34 granular material, such as aggregate, to a level generally below the top edge of the front, back and two side panels. Bulk bags typically retain about a tonne of material 36 and so the bulk bags are now too heavy to be lifted manually by the user and 37 therefore require either a crane (generally via lifting loops located at the corners of 1 the top edge) or, more usually, a forklift using the tine sleeves to lift and move them.

2 Once filled the tine sleeves are rigidly held above the level of the granular material 3 within the bulk bag (but at or below the level of the top of the bulk bag) and, due to 4 their strengthening elements, lining sheet and sharply defined longitudinal edges, are biased to fall open ready to receive the tines of a forklift.

7 In order to be space efficient it is often necessary to arrange bulk bags side by side 8 such that the side panel of one bulk bag abuts the side panel of another bulk bag.

9 Bulk bags known in the art 26 sometimes comprise tine sleeves 28 on the side panel 30 of the bulk bag such that the tine sleeve forms a "V" shaped cross section.

However, when the bulk bags are arranged as described above, typically the "V' 12 shaped tine sleeves are crushed between the granular material retained within the 13 two abutting bulk bags and it is necessary to manually open them out again to allow 14 the ingress of a tine of a forklift.

16 The tine sleeves of the bulk bags according to the current invention are arranged 17 above the level of the aggregate 32 retained by the bulk bag and therefore are not 18 subject to the crushing forces imposed by the granular material retained within the 19 bulk bags on the tine sleeves in the art. In addition, the location of the tine sleeves above the level of the aggregate allows the tines of a forklift to directly access the tine 21 sleeves and lift the bulk bags without requiring repositioning of the bulk bags.

23 In alternative embodiments, the support panel, the front panel and the back panel are 24 separate panels. Alternatively, the two side panels and the support panel may form a single, continuous piece of woven material.

27 As discussed above, when filled, the maximum level the bulk bag is filled with 28 aggregate is generally below the total height of the bulk bag (typically the height of 29 the first and second side panels and the front and back panels). Therefore, there is a portion of the woven material of the bulk bag which is above the level of the granular 31 material retained within the bulk bag. The elongate tine receiving formation of each 32 side panel is located above the level of retained granular material and therefore the 33 side panel may deform to some extent if, for example, the filled bulk bag is placed 34 adjacent to another large object, such as another filled bulk bag, or a wall, for example. Therefore, the elongate tine receiving formation is able to be displaced in 36 towards the centre of the bulk bag by the presence of the large object adjacent to it.

37 Accordingly, the elongate tine receiving formations of the bulk bag are available to 1 receive the tine of a forklift, even when the bulk bag is placed adjacent to another 2 large object as described.

4 Further variations and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention herein disclosed.