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US 5,547,331 AGranted
Method for loading bulk material into a cargo container with an aeration/vacuum liner pad system
OwnerStephen D. Podd, Victor I. Poddinventors
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OwnerStephen D. Podd, Victor I. Poddinventors
Estimating the term…
An air permeable pad to help load a bulk cargo into or unload a bulk cargo from a cargo container including a body and a hose. The body, in turn, includes a first, gas permeable layer and a second, gas impermeable layer. The two layers of the body are connected together and form an interior and a seal extending around that interior. The hose is connected to the body of the pad in communication with the interior thereof to conduct gas into or out from that interior. In use, one or more of these pads is installed in or on a cargo container or vehicle to help load a bulk cargo into the container and/or to help unload a bulk cargo from the container. More specifically, to help load a bulk cargo into a container, air is drawn from that cargo, via the air permeable pads and associated hoses, to compact the cargo therein, reducing the volume of space occupied by a given mass of the bulk cargo. To help unload a bulk cargo from a container, air is conducted into the bulk cargo via one or more air permeable pads to aerate and agitate the bulk cargo therein.
A method for loading a bulk cargo into a cargo space of a cargo container, said method comprising disposing a flexible liner within the cargo space and attaching the liner to the cargo container at a plurality of locations on both bottom and top surfaces of the container so that the liner generally conforms to the shape of the cargo container, and placing at least one air pad having at least one air permeable side within the liner on a bottom surface thereof, and drawing gas from within the cargo space and liner by connecting the at least one air pad to a suction source simultaneously with loading of the bulk cargo and continuously throughout the loading of the bulk material to draw the bulk cargo to the bottom of the cargo space and liner so as to compact the bulk cargo in the cargo space.
A method for loading a flowable bulk cargo into a cargo space of a cargo container, comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.