Bulk bag bottom and discharge assembly including a reinforcer

A flexible fabric bulk bag with a bottom and discharge assembly, the bottom and discharge assembly comprising:

• a) a bottom having a bottom inner surface and a bottom opening with a periphery, and comprising bottom fabric;
• b) a discharge tube having a first open end and a second open end;
• c) an insert that is formed from insert fabric that is separate from the discharge tube and bottom, the insert having an insert opening;
• wherein the bottom inner surface is directly coupled to both the insert and to the discharge tube at a bottom-discharge tube connection and at a bottom-insert connection;
• wherein the discharge tube is connected to the bag at the bottom-discharge tube connection and wherein the insert is connected to the bag at the bottom-insert connection;
• wherein a portion of the insert that is not coupled to the bottom inner surface is also not coupled to the discharge tube and extends under the discharge tube at a location where the bottom inner surface is coupled to the discharge tube along the periphery of the bottom opening and reinforces the bottom-discharge tube connection;
• and
• wherein bulk material contained within the bag can be discharged through the insert opening, through the bottom opening, through the first open end of the discharge tube and through the second open end of the discharge tube;
• wherein the bottom opening has a substantially square shape with bottom opening corners and wherein bottom slits extend from at or about the bottom opening corners into the bottom fabric;
• wherein the insert opening has a substantially square shape with insert opening corners, and wherein an insert slit is included in between two of said insert opening corners;
• and
• wherein the bottom is adapted to be folded into a bottom gusseted configuration with a substantially trapezoidal shape that can be unfolded to a bottom expanded configuration.

A flexible fabric bulk bag with a bottom and discharge assembly, the bottom and discharge assembly comprising:

• a) a bottom comprising a substantially flat piece of bottom fabric having a bottom opening with a periphery, the bottom having a bottom gusseted configuration that has a bottom folded shape and having a bottom expanded configuration;
• b) a discharge tube comprising a tubular piece of fabric and having a discharge tube first end that is open and a discharge tube second end that is open, and having a discharge tube gusseted configuration that has a discharge tube folded shape that is different from the bottom folded shape, and having a discharge tube expanded configuration;
• and
• c) a reinforcer comprising a substantially flat piece of reinforcer fabric, the reinforcer for reinforcing a connection between the bottom and the discharge tube, the reinforcer having a reinforcer opening, having a reinforcer gusseted configuration that has a reinforcer folded shape that is at least substantially the same as the bottom folded shape, and having a reinforcer expanded configuration, and wherein in the reinforcer folded shape there is a reinforcer first end that is open and a reinforcer second end that is open;
• d) a bottom-discharge tube connection that connects the bottom to the discharge tube and a bottom-reinforcer connection that connects the bottom to the reinforcer, and wherein the discharge tube is connected to the bag at the bottom-discharge tube connection and wherein the reinforcer is connected to the bag at the bottom-reinforcer connection;
• e) wherein the reinforcer is not coupled to the discharge tube;
• and
• f) wherein a portion of the reinforcer that is not connected to the bottom freely extends downward along the discharge tube and reinforces the bottom-discharge tube connection when the bottom is in the bottom expanded configuration, when the discharge tube is in the discharge tube expanded configuration, and when the reinforcer is in the reinforcer expanded configuration.

A flexible fabric bulk bag with a bottom and discharge assembly, the bottom and discharge assembly comprising:

• a) a bottom comprising bottom fabric, the bottom having a bottom opening with a periphery, having a bottom gusseted configuration that has a bottom folded shape, and having a bottom expanded configuration;
• b) a discharge tube comprising discharge tube fabric, the discharge tube having an interior surface, having a discharge tube first end that is open and a discharge tube second end that is open, having a discharge tube gusseted configuration that has a discharge tube folded shape that is different from the bottom folded shape, and having a discharge tube expanded configuration;
• and
• c) a reinforcer comprising reinforcer fabric with a reinforcer opening, the reinforcer having a reinforcer gusseted configuration that has a reinforcer folded shape that is different from the discharge tube folded shape, and having a reinforcer expanded configuration, and wherein in the reinforcer folded shape there is a reinforcer first end that is open and a reinforcer second end that is open;
• d) a bottom-discharge tube connection that connects the bottom to the discharge tube and a bottom-reinforcer connection that connects the bottom to the reinforcer;
• and
• e) wherein the reinforcer is not coupled to the discharge tube and a portion of the reinforcer that is not coupled to the bottom freely extends downward along the interior surface of the discharge tube and strengthens the bottom-discharge tube connection when the bottom is in the bottom expanded configuration, when the discharge tube is in the discharge tube expanded configuration and when the reinforcer is in the reinforcer expanded configuration.