Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The present invention relates to flexible containers to
be filled with bulk material, and the containers comprise
integrated lifting loops. The invention also comprises a
method for manufacturing such containers from flat-woven
or round-woven base material which are joined together for
forming at least one integrated lifting loop.
Containers of the above mentioned type have been used for
some time and been found to be suitable for several purposes.
Usua1ly they comprise an inner bag or liner of impervious
materialO The container is usually first blown up by air
before it is filled with free-flowing bulk material. Such
a container is described in US Patent No. 4.136.723. This
container has a double bottom and is preferably equipped with
two integrated lifting loops having a total width substantial-
ly equal to half of the container's circumference such that
the lifting loops comprise all of the longitudinal fibres of
the con~ainer. The container can be filled by using an appara-
tus described in GB-Patent No. 1.505.583~ and it will then be
standing on a floor or the like without any extra support. Its
lifting loop can be placed on a hook or the like before the
container is blown up and filled with bulk materialO The con-
tainer can then be made ready for further transport, and this
process might comprise closing the inner bag and joining the
lifting loops by ;pressing them together and secure them in
this position such that one obtains a suitable loop which
easily can be placed on a hook or some other lifting means.
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If a broad hook is applied to hang the lifting loops on during
the filling operation, the wide loops will be pressed together
to a few cm and can be kept in this position by means of a
tape. One will then obtain a well-defined loop which makes
the container well suited for further transport, and this
is described in EP-application No. 81108748,5 (publication
No. 54145).
However, it has been found that the above mentioned process
for making the container ready beforehand also has certain
disadvantages. Also when the container's li~ting loops are
made ready after filling it implies some drawbacks. Thus the
capacity of the filling apparatus will be reduced because of
the time i~ takes for the operator to place the lifting :Loops
onto a hook which will press them togetherO If this operation
is carried out after the container is filled in order to im-
prove the capacity of the apparatus, then the total filling
operation will be more labour-consuming because an extra
operator is needed for making the container's loops ready.
Further, the container's form itself implies tha~ it is
necessary to use filling apparatuses of a special type in
order to obtain an efficient filling and an effective process
for making such containers ready. The fact that such special
filling apparatuses are not available everywhere where filling
of such containers can take place, has accordingly hindered a
widespread use of the container.
The lifting loops, which may have a total width corresponding
to half the container's circumference, implies that the pro-
cess of joining together the loops to one lifting loop becomes
somewhat labour~consuming. The wide loops also result in cer-
tain disadvantages when the container shall be placed up on
the filling apparatus or connected to it. Accordingly, there
has been a need for making these operations easier and less
labour consuming.
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One would like to continue having some form of lifting loops
because of -the good experience with integrated lifting loops
which after filling of bulk material in the container were
joined together by tape for making a lifting loop. During
further transport of the container such liEting loops had
been found to be suitable for placing lifting hooks, forks
and other means used for lifting and transporting the con-
tainer into the lifting loop.
When fork trucks shall be used, one should apply special
lifting devices whereupon the lifting loop is placed. This
device is connected to the forks. lt has further been found
that the tape applied in certain cases can be damaged during
the further lifting and transport of the container~ especially
if there in this connection are applied lifting forks having
sharp edges, the load carrying fibres of the lifting loop can
be damaged.
In such cases there is therefore a need for a better protec-
tion of the fibres in the lifting loop and a way of joining
which can endure the strain when lifting forks are applied~
The object of the present invention was to arrive at lifting
loops ha~ing a permanent lifting handle which eould endure
the strain they would be exposed to during application of the
flexible containerO Another object was to be able to apply all
types of filling apparatuses and lifting devices such that
application of the container would not be limited by the need
for special equipment. A further object was to arrive at a
rational way of making flexible containers with integrated
lifting loops equipped with a permanent lifting handle.
Manufacture of the lifting handle itself by joinina the
lifting loops at the filling station had been found to be
rather labour-consuming and additionally it required special
hooks on tne filling apparatus. To start with one desired to
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make a liEting handle in order -to be independent of special lif-t-
ing hooks, and -the inventors soon found that it would be easiest
to make the lif-ting handle at the same place as the container it-
self was made.
If the empty con-tainer is equipped with lifting loops
having a permanent lifting handle, -the -transport of such empty
containers will be more e~pensive than for -the usual containers
because of the larger volume to be transported. But it was found
that the filling operation itself became so much easier when one
used containers having permanent lifting handle -that the advan-
tages would be far greater than the disadvantages of transporting
empty containers.
The problem now was how the permanent lifting handle
could be formed most appropriately. It was found tha-t the method
would vary somewhat according to what ]cind of base material the
container was made from. For containers having integrated lift-
ing loops it can be generally said that one has two types of base
material, i.e. flat-woven or round-woven textile. The round-
woven textile can be joined together in different ways. For
instance such that one either attains lif-ting loops having a seam
or lifting loops without a seam, but -then containers with side
seams. It was surprisingly found that it was possible to make
the lifting handle principally in the same way for the different
types of base materials.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a flexible
container to be filled with bulk materlal and comprising inte-
grated lifting loops, charac-terized in that -the lifting loop or
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loops axe joined together in at :Leas-t one lifting loop having a
permanent lifting handle comprising lifting loops folded or
pressed together and joined together a-t a lifting area by means
of glue or at least one seam.
The present inven-tion also provides a me-thod for making
the immediately aforesaid flexible container, and made from fla-t--
woven or lound-woven base material which is joined to form a-t
least one lif-ting 1oop characterized in that that part of -the base
ma~erial which shal:L form -the lif-ting loops are folded or pressed
together to a-t :least one lifting area to which there is fastened
a piece of material to at least the lower part of the area, where
b~ a permanent lifting handle is formed.
The width of the lif-ting loops is hereby reduced to a
suitable dimensiorl for forming a lifcing loop with a lifting
handle. ~t was Lurther found that the total width of the lifting
loop at least should be reduced so much that the width of -the
liftlng area became maximum 1/6 of the container's circumference.
One
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would then obtain a lifting loop with a lifting handle which
was appropriate and advantageous for all operations as
filling, handling, lifting, transport and discharge of the
container. In certain cases one desires to avoid wear on the
load~carrying fibres of the lifting loop formed in this way.
In that case the lifting handle itself is equipped with an
extra piece of materialO This piece of material should at
least cover the lower part of the ]ifting handle, that means
that part which will lie against the lifting device, Eor in-
stance a lifting fork, a hook or the like, when the flexible
container is lifted and/or transported. This extra piece of
material can also be in the form of a sleeve such that it sur-
rounds the lifting handle. Said piece of material must be made
from a strong material which can endure the strains it is ex-
posed to and which can be joined to the material o. the lift-
ing loops such that a permanent lifting point is obtained.
This piece of material will preferably consist of woven
material, for instance of the same type which is used in the
container itself.
The special features of the invention are stated in the
following claims.
The invention will now be further explained with reference to
the drawings.
igure 1 shows a flat~woven base material for a flexible
container.
igure 2 shows a round-woven base material for a flexible
container having lifting loops comprising a seam~
i~ure 3 shows a round-woven base material for a flexible
container having liEting loops without seams.
igure 4 shows a lifting loop with a lifting handle seen
from above.
Figure 1 shows a base material 1 consisting of two halves A
and B, and with side edges 3 and a cut 8 which makes it
possible to form a container having a double bottom. The piece
of material 1 is first folded against the centre such that
those parts which later on shall form the lifting loops 6 are
collected in the rniddle of a folding line 2 in an area 4 which
is less or like 1/6 of the container's circumerence~ In most
cases it will be an advantage to have a lifting area which is
le~s than 1/10 of said circumference.
The side edges 3 will now be placed a5 shown by the reference
number 3'. The area 4 marked out on the lifting loops 6 is
then joined by means of glue or preferably at least one seam.
One can fasten a piece of material 5 over the area 4, for in-
stance by means of a seam. The piece of material 5 can be
fastened around the area 4 such that it gets the form of a
sleeve. The material 1 is folded over the line 2 such that the
halves A and B cover each other. Thereupon the container is
sewn along the side edges 3 and at the bottom, whereby a com-
pletely finished container with lifting loops 6 and a lifting
handle 10 comprising the protecting piece of material SO The
piece of material 5 can be of woven material, for instance of
the same type as that used in the container itself, or of some
other suitable material which is strong enough to endure the
strains it will be exposed to during Further handlina of the
container. The piece of material 5 might have a special colour
such that the lifting point is clearly marked out, and it can
for instance be applied as colour code for the type of con-
tainer used or the material which shall be transported. On
figure 5 there is shown application of an extra piece of
material 5, but the permanent lifting handle 10 can as pre-
viously 1nentioned also be made without this piece of material,
that is by just ~oining together the area 4~
Figure 2 shows a round-woven base material 1. This must first
be joined in its upper part by seams 11 for forming at least
one lifting loop 60 Thereupon there is made a cut in the upper
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part of the piece of material for forming openings 7 in which
lifting devices as a hook or fork can be placed, and which
also can be used as filling opening for the bulk material
which shall be transported or stored in the container. The
lifting area 4 is then formed by folding together the loops 6
and joining by means of glue or at least one seamO A piece of
material 5 can then be fastenecl to the area 4 in the same way
as described in connection with figure 1, and one gets the
permanent likting handle 10. The container's bottom can be
formed in known manner, and the container is then ready for
being filled.
In figure 3 it is also shown a round-woven base material 1,
but here one has already made the lifting loops 6 ready
beforehand, and the lifting area 4 can be formed by bending
or folding together these as described above. The container's
side edges are then joined by seams 11 which terminate some-
what below the lifting loops such that openings 7 are formed.
Unles one desires to make the container with a special
bottom, the container will now be ready for filling.
In figure 4 is a lifting loop 6 with lifting handle 10 shown
seen from above. 'rhe piece of material 5 which here is only
fastened at the lower part of the lifting handle, is not
visible on the figure~ but the seams 9 for fastening the piece
of material 5 to the area 4 is shown. The openings 7 are here
shown equally large, but if so desired the opening which shall
be use~ as filling opening can be made somewhat larger than
the other one.
A container made according to the invention is ready for being
connected directly to the filling apparatus. The filling pipe
is put into one of the openings 7, and the container can be
blown up by air and thereupon filled with free flowing
material. During the filling operation the lifting loops can
be placed on a hook on the filling apparatus, but strictly
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speaking this is not necessary. It has in fact been found
that the blown up cvntainer can stand freely and without sub~
stantial support sideways during the filling operation. As
soon as the container is filled it is just to close its inner
bay, and then it is ready for beirlg transported.
By the present invention one has obtained a rational manuEac-
ture of a container with lifting loop having a permanent
lifting handle. Filling of such readymade containers can be
carried out quickly and easily with fewer operators than
usually is necessary when one has to form the lifting point
at the filling station. The filling operation itself will
accordingly be strongly simplified, as placement of the con-
tainer on special lifting hooks or forming of lifting handles
will not be necessary. The container will thereby be ready for
further transport as soon as it is filled and the inner bag is
closed. The capacity of the filling apparatus can be uitilized
maximally, and the total operation for filling and making the
container ready for further transport will be less labour-
consuming.
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An'c~ccntit~l ~ vantage which is obtained by the present in-
vention is that one is not dependent on complicated or special
filling apparatuses or lifting devices. Thus one can use lift-
ing ~orks which easily can be put in under the well-defined
lifting handle, which is thus strongly made that it can endure
several handling operations of the filled container without
damaging the lifting handle or the lifting loop by the hand-
ling devices. Even when especially rough lifting devices are
used, the lifting handle according to the invention comprising
the protecting piece of material 5 will secure the fibres in
the lifting loop against wear.
