Multi-station filling apparatus and process for filling bulk containers

A multi-station filling apparatus for the facilitated alignment, filling, conveyance and transporting of relatively large material containers such as flexible intermediate bulk containers of the type having suspension means for operable attachment of the containers to the apparatus, while simultaneously facilitating the deployment and staging of at least one such empty container, said multi-station filling apparatus comprising:

• one or more container filling station means, each operably and fixedly aligned with a corresponding elevated substantially stationary filling chute for filling corresponding ones of said containers with a desired amount of said material,
• each of said container filling station means including container support means operably and distally positioned below each said elevated filling chute for providing an underlying support to each of said containers during at least a portion of the filling of same with said desired amount of said material;
• conveying means operably positioned in aligned cooperation with said container support means for facilitating conveyance of filled ones of said containers to a container take-off area;
• at least one container deployment station means operably positioned at a location apart from said one or more container filling station means, associated container support means and said conveying means, for enabling attachment of a first empty container to said multi-station filling apparatus alternatively prior to the operable positioning and filling of said first empty container at said container filling station means, as well as simultaneously with the filling of another one of said containers at said container filling station means,
• one or more of said at least one container deployment station means being positioned at said location apart from said container filling station means, container support means and conveying means, to enhance the isolation and safety of an operator involved with the attachment of said first empty container to said multi-station filling apparatus;
• movable carriage means operably associated with each of said empty, filling and filled containers and both said container filling station means and said container deployment station means, for operably suspending said containers, as well as for reorienting said first empty container from said container deployment station means into operable alignment of said first empty container at one of said one or more container filling station means, to, in turn, enable operable filling of said first empty container with a desired amount of said material from said respective elevated stationary filling chute;
• said movable carriage means including container attachment means operably associated therewith for releasable securement of the suspension means of the respective material containers to said movable carriage means;
• said container attachment means releasing said suspension means of said container, and, in turn, said container itself, to said container support means of said container filling station means, and, in turn, to said conveying means, after said container has been filled with said desired amount of said material;
• and
• control means for operably controlling the reorientation of said first empty container from one of said one or more container deployment station means into said operable alignment with said container filling station means so as to enable said container to be filled with said material being discharged from said elevated substantially stationary filling chute, the discharge of material from said elevated stationary filling chute into each of said containers operably positioned at said one or more container filling station means, and the release of said filled containers to said container conveying means, together with the conveying of said released and filled containers to said container take-off area.