Flexible storage device for packaging particulate solid substances or liquids, method for manufacturing this device and packaging method using this device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11208259-B2
Application number	US-201615744235-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 22, 2016
Priority date	Jul 24, 2015
Publication date	Dec 28, 2021
Grant date	Dec 28, 2021

Abstract

A flexible storage device for packaging particulate solid substances or liquids, having a bottom and lateral walls defining a storage volume, includes: hanging loops toward the top intended for lifting an assembly including: a flexible external wrapper forming at least the four lateral walls of the storage volume, a flexible tubular internal wrapper secured to the four lateral walls of the external wrapper, dividing the storage volume into five vertical compartments including a central compartment defined by the interior volume of the internal wrapper, and four peripheral compartments defined between the lateral walls of the external wrapper and the lateral walls of the internal wrapper. The internal wrapper has an upper edge defining the upper mouth of the central compartment and a lower edge defining the lower mouth of the central compartment. The upper edge of the internal wrapper is at or below the upper edge of the lateral walls.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A flexible storage device ( 1 ) for packaging of particulate solids or liquids, having a bottom and side walls defining a substantially parallelepiped storage volume with four corners at four longitudinal edges of the parallelepiped storage volume, said flexible storage device comprising:
a flexible container ( 2 ), including a bottom ( 20 ), an upper part, at least two side walls ( 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ), and suspension loops ( 25 ) in the upper part for lifting, said suspension loops ( 25 ) secured to the upper part of said flexible container ( 2 ), the flexible container formed of a web of raw, coated or laminated polymeric fibers; and
a unit ( 3 ) configured as an insert between the bottom ( 20 ) and said at least two side walls ( 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ) of said flexible container, said unit ( 3 ) comprising:
a flexible outer envelope ( 30 ), comprising at least four side walls ( 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ) and a bottom wall, the bottom wall forming the bottom of the storage volume and the at least four side walls forming the side walls of the storage volume, said outer envelope having, at the four corners of the storage volume, substantially vertical flaps (B 1 , B 2 , B 3 , B 4 ) along a height of the storage volume, said vertical flaps (B 1 , B 2 , B 3 , B 4 ) being configured as a bonding edge or seam edge for securing said unit ( 3 ) to said flexible container, and
a tubular, flexible inner envelope ( 40 ) secured by vertical attachment lines ( 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 ) to the at least four side walls ( 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ) of the outer envelope ( 30 ), the inner envelope comprising sidewalls defined between the vertical attachment lines, and the inner envelope and the vertical attachment lines dividing the storage volume into five vertical compartments (C 1 , C 2 , C 3 , C 4 , C 5 ), including a central compartment (C 1 ) defined by an interior volume of the inner envelope, and four peripheral compartments (C 2 , C 3 , C 4 , C 5 ), respectively defined between the at least four side walls of the outer envelope ( 30 ) and the side walls of the inner envelope ( 40 ),

wherein the inner envelope ( 40 ) has an upper edge ( 50 ) defining an upper mouth of said central compartment (C 1 ) and a lower edge ( 51 ) defining a lower mouth of said central compartment (C), the upper edge ( 50 ) of the inner envelope ( 40 ) being located at the same height or below an upper edge of the side walls of the storage volume, so that the upper edge ( 50 ) of the inner envelope constitutes an overflow allowing the discharge of material from the central compartment (C 1 ) to the four peripheral compartments (C 2 to C 5 ), said inner envelope ( 40 ) having no opening greater than 200 microns in diameter between the upper edge ( 50 ) of the inner envelope ( 40 ) and the lower edge ( 51 ) of the inner envelope ( 40 ),
wherein the outer envelope ( 30 ) is constituted by a first polymer film and the inner envelope ( 40 ) is constituted by a second polymer film, the first polymer film forming a first sheath and each vertical flap of the outer envelope obtained by welding together two thicknesses of the first polymer film, and the second polymer film forming a second bellows sheath that is extruded as one piece and deprived of a weld, said vertical attachment lines being weld lines between the first polymer film and the second polymer film, each weld line directly joining the outer envelope ( 30 ), to the inner envelope ( 40 ),
wherein the second polymer film and the first polymer film are between 50 microns and 250 microns thick,
wherein the bottom ( 38 ) of the storage volume is provided with a discharge chute ( 36 ) formed by the outer envelope ( 30 ) that extends through an opening ( 26 ) in the bottom ( 20 ) of the flexible container ( 2 ), and
wherein the outer envelope ( 30 ) defines a cover ( 35 ) provided with a filling chute ( 37 ).

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein said flexible container ( 2 ) consists essentially of said bottom ( 20 ) and only two of said at least two side walls ( 22 , 24 ) that are substantially parallel, covering two of the at least four side walls of the outer envelope ( 30 ), and so that the other two of the four side walls ( 31 , 33 ) of the outer envelope ( 30 ) are not covered by the walls of said container ( 2 ).

3. The device according to claim 2 , wherein the second polymer film and the first polymer film are made from a same monolayer or multi-layer extruded polymer film.

4. The device according to claim 2 , wherein the first polymer film and the second polymer film have surface resistivity of between 1.0×10 9 Ω to 1.0×10 12 Ω and are provided with dissipative agents so that the storage device is classifiable as type B flexible intermediate bulk containers according to standard 61340-4-4 Edition 2.0 2012-01 when the container is made from an insulating or dissipative material as defined in the standard, or type C when the container is made from a conductive material within the definition of the standard.

5. The device according to claim 2 , wherein the first polymer film and the second polymer film are made from an electrically conductive material with surface resistivity of less than 1.0×10 7 Ω so that the device storage is classifiable as type C flexible intermediate bulk containers according to standard 61340-4-4 Edition 2.0 2012-01.

6. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the upper edge ( 50 ) of the inner envelope ( 40 ) has notches ( 52 ) facing the four peripheral compartments (C 2 to C 5 ), favoring discharge of particulate matter by overflow from the central compartment (C 1 ) to the peripheral compartments (C 2 to C 5 ).

7. The device according to claim 6 , wherein the second polymer film and the first polymer film are made from a same monolayer or multi-layer extruded polymer film.

8. The device according to claim 6 , wherein the first polymer film and the second polymer film have surface resistivity of between 1.0×10 9 Ω to 1.0×10 12 Ω and are provided with dissipative agents so that the storage device is classifiable as type B flexible intermediate bulk containers according to standard 61340-4-4 Edition 2.0 2012-01 when the container is made from an insulating or dissipative material as defined in the standard, or type C when the container is made from a conductive material within the definition of the standard.

9. The device according to claim 6 , wherein the first polymer film and the second polymer film are made from an electrically conductive material with surface resistivity of less than 1.0×10 7 Ω so that the device storage is classifiable as type C flexible intermediate bulk containers according to standard 61340-4-4 Edition 2.0 2012-01.

10. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the second polymer film and the first polymer film are made from a same monolayer or multi-layer extruded polymer film.

11. The device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first polymer film and the second polymer film is one selected from the group consisting of:
a complex of polyamide/polyethylene
a 100% PE multi-layer,
a polyolefins complex of the same or of different types, and
a complex of polyolefins and aluminium.

12. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the outer envelope ( 30 ) and the inner envelope ( 40 ) have surface resistivity of between 1.0×10 9 Ω to 1.0×10 12 Ω and are provided with dissipative agents so that the storage device is classifiable as type B flexible intermediate bulk containers according to standard 61340-4-4 Edition 2.0 2012-01 when the container is made from an insulating or dissipative material as defined in the standard, or type C when the container is made from a cond

Assignees

• Roquette Freres
• So Bag

Inventors

• Chartrel Bernard
• Chevalier Nicolas

Classifications

• B65D88/1618 Primary

  double-walled or with linings · CPC title

• B65D88/1643

  with multiple compartments · CPC title

• B65D88/165

  with electrically conductive properties · CPC title

• B65D88/1631

  with shape keeping flexible elements · CPC title

• B65D88/1656

  for liquids · CPC title