Stackable, flexible, intermediate bulk bag container having corner baffles
AssigneeBulk Lift International Incorporated
InventorDavid Nattrass
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A bulk container bag of a flexible fabric has an essentially cubic configuration wherein vertically extending baffles are provided in the interior corners of the bags to permit the bags to better retain their cubic configuration and to improve stability when filled. The baffles have slits defining flaps, alternatively, apertures and flaps, so that the loose granular material captures the flaps after it is filled in the bulk container bag. A method of filling the bag with granular materials is also provided.
Claims20
A method of loading a flexible container bag with granular materials, the container bag comprising an exterior body including plural sidewalls of flexible material, corners to define a rectangular configuration;
- baffles to maintain the rectangular configuration, at least one of the baffles having a first aperture and additional apertures vertically oriented relative to the first aperture, the baffles and plural sidewalls forming an interior volume in the container bag and the baffles and corners defining a corner volume between the baffles and each corner;
- and a first aperture flap at least partially covering at least the first aperture, the method comprising:
- loading granular material into the interior volume;
- causing the granular material to rise above the level of the first aperture within the interior volume and then to flow through the first aperture into the corner volume;
- pushing the first aperture flap away from the interior volume and into the corner volume as the granular material flows through the first aperture;
- and
- continuing to load granular material into the interior volume so that granular material flows into the corner volume through an aperture disposed above the first aperture and settles onto the first aperture flap that is pushed into the corner volume so as to capture the first aperture flap within the granular material.
A method of loading a flexible container bag with granular material, comprising:
- providing the flexible container bag comprising an exterior body, a baffle coupled to the exterior body to divide a corner volume from an interior volume and maintain a configuration of the flexible container bag, a first aperture formed through the baffle, and a first aperture flap that at least partially covers the first aperture;
- loading granular material into the flexible container bag to a height greater than a height of the first aperture such that a portion of the granular material flows through the first aperture toward the corner of the exterior body;
- pushing, by flow of the granular material, a portion of the first aperture flap away from the first aperture toward the corner of the exterior body;
- and
- capturing the first aperture flap within the granular material with a first portion of the granular material disposed below and in contact with the first aperture flap and a second portion of the granular material disposed above and in contact with the first aperture flap.
A method of loading a flexible container bag with granular material, comprising:
- providing the flexible container bag comprising an exterior body, a baffle coupled to the exterior body to maintain a configuration of the flexible container bag, a first aperture formed through the baffle, and a first aperture flap that at least partially covers the first aperture;
- loading granular material into the flexible container bag to a height greater than a height of the first aperture such that a portion of the granular material flows through the first aperture;
- pushing, by flow of the granular material, a portion of the first aperture flap away from the first aperture;
- and
- capturing the first aperture flap within the granular material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.