Cone bottom tank and liftable tank support

Abstract

A three-piece tank assembly including a tank, a support base, and a support liner. The tank has a conical bottom with a discharge conduit at its apex; a longitudinally corrugated antisplash filling trough integrally formed with a sidewall of the tank; and an integrally formed cover including a bunghole for providing access to the filling trough. The discharge conduit may include a flow valve and check valve. The base includes a sidewall for nesting engagement with the tank sidewall, a flat ground-engaging surface and transverse longitudinal slots for receiving the forks of a forklift. The support liner has an upstanding wall and a conical top wall for supporting the conical bottom of the tank and nesting within the support base. Mating projections and grooves in the tank and support base prevent relative movement of the three elements of the tank assembly. Each of the three elements is rotationally molded of cross-linked, high density polyethylene. Also disclosed is a method of forming an open-ended, inwardly projecting tubular member, or an open-ended outwardly projecting conduit, with or without a flange at its distal end, in a molded container.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.