Tethered, inflatable holder for flowable material
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorsTimothy Brennan, Mark Wallner
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A flexible bag for receiving flowable material is suspended, as from a gantry, and is tethered transversely and yet has substantially free movement along three sides for complete filling. The length of the tethers may be selected to prevent complete collapse of the bag when empty, and tubular perforated members having an “H” configuration within the bag may be provided for this purpose. Auxiliary structures provide for cooling of materials provided to the bag, their diffusion on inlet to the bag, their recirculation in the bag, and their removal from the bag. Accessories for use with wet gas provide for separation of inlet liquid and drainage of condensate within the bag.
Claims18
A holder for flowable material, comprising:
- a flexible bag comprising a predetermined upper portion and a pair of opposite side portions;
- suspension structure connected to the upper portion for suspending the flexible bag above a surface;
- and
- tether structures extending transversely from each of the pair of opposite side portions for connecting each of the pair of opposite side portions to the surface other than the flexible bag.
The holder of claim, 3 wherein the flow structure comprises conduits, and
- wherein the conduits include rigid elements.
A holder for flowable material, comprising:
- a bag having a generally rectangular configuration, comprising an upper edge;
- a pair of side portions extending downwardly from the upper edge and disposed transversely of the upper edge, said pair of side portions include a flattened configuration,
- wherein the pair of side portions are adjacent when the bag is substantially emptied of the materials, and have an expanded configuration where the pair of side portions are spaced transversely of the upper edge when the bag is filled with the materials;
- a means extending upwardly of the bag along the upper edge for suspending the bag above a predetermined surface with unrestrained flexing of the pair of side portions between the flattened configuration and the expanded configuration;
- conduit structure for introducing flowable material into the bag and for removing flowable material from the bag;
- flexible structure for connecting said conduit structure to the bag at the upper edge so that flexing of the pair of side portions is unrestrained between the flattened configuration and the expanded configuration;
- and
- restraint structures,
- wherein the restraint structures comprise at least one tether, which extends from each of the pair of side portions in a direction transverse to the upper edge toward the predetermined surface other than the bag.
A receptacle, comprising:
- a flexible bag for flowable material,
- wherein the flexible bag comprises a pair of opposite side panels disposed in a predetermined spaced relation when the flexible bag is substantially emptied and assumes a generally flattened configuration, and
- wherein the flexible bag comprises at least a pair of flexible tethers extending individually from each of the side panels in a direction transverse to the side panels toward a predetermined surface other than the flexible bag, where each of said pair of the flexible tethers comprises ends connected to the side panel, opposite anchored ends, and lengths selected so that each of said pair of the flexible tethers hold the side panels in a position corresponding to the predetermined spaced relation when the flexible bag is in the flattened configuration.
A receptacle, comprising:
- a flexible bag for flowable materials,
- wherein the flexible bag comprises a pair of opposite side panels disposed in a predetermined spaced relation when the flexible bag is substantially emptied and assumes a generally flattened configuration,
- wherein the flexible bag comprises a pair of rigid members fixedly connected in a disposition where said pair of rigid members are situated between the side panels, extend generally parallel to the side panels, and are spaced transversely of the side panels a distance such that engagement of the side panels with said pair of rigid members maintains a portion of each side panel in a position corresponding to the predetermined spaced relation when the flexible bag is in the flattened configuration, and
- wherein the flexible bag comprises at least a pair of tethers where each tether individually extends from one of the pair of opposite side panels in a direction transverse to the pair of opposite side panels toward a predetermined surface other than the flexible bag.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.