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JP-7856386-B2 - Hermetic seal for foil-backed FIBC (bulk bags)

JP7856386B2JP 7856386 B2JP7856386 B2JP 7856386B2JP-7856386-B2

Inventors

  • ポール エー．ワイスブロッド

Assignees

  • リンカーン グローバル，インコーポレイテッド

Dates

Publication Date
20260511
Application Date
20200205
Priority Date
20190206

Claims (20)

  1. A seal assembly system for bulk bags, A bag for storing materials, the bag including an opening, The bag comprises an inner layer and an outer layer, the inner layer being a foil laminate, the interior of the inner layer being in contact with the material, and the outer layer being a ribbon woven structure made of polypropylene. A flange having an upper end, a lower end opposite to it, an inner wall defining a passage extending between the upper end and the lower end , and an outer wall opposite to the inner wall , and having a thickness and diameter for the passage , The aforementioned guard is, The edge portion on the upper end, The web on the lower end , comprising a web extending vertically and outward from the outer wall , It has a support rib between the edge and the web , The web of the flange is integrated with the inner layer and the outer layer at the opening . The flange is attached around a portion of the bag such that one or both of the inner wall and the outer layer fold back onto the outer wall on the edge of the flange , An elastic band positioned around the flange between the edge of the flange and the web of the flange, pressing at least one of the inner layer or the outer layer toward the outer wall of the flange, A lid configured to be releasably attached to the edge of the flange to provide a hermetic seal in the opening, wherein the lid has an upper surface having a first diameter, and when attached to the flange, the lid applies a force that presses against the lid, the inner layer and the outer layer, or both, and the edge of the flange, the bottom of the lid abuts against the inner layer, and the lid has a sample collection opening molded to the same height as the upper surface of the lid, having a second diameter smaller than the first diameter, and a removable cap. When attached to the aforementioned sample collection port, the aforementioned sample collection port is sealed. A lid comprising a cap configured to provide access to the material when the lid is removed from the sample collection opening while remaining attached to the edge of the flange, Seal assembly system.
  2. The seal assembly system according to claim 1, further comprising a seal attached to the upper surface of the lid and the removable cap.
  3. The seal assembly system according to claim 1, wherein the sample collection port includes a threaded connector, and the removable cap is a threaded cap.
  4. The seal assembly system according to claim 1, wherein the sample collection port is a plug port, and the removable cap is a plug.
  5. The seal assembly system according to claim 4, wherein the plug comprises a ring attached to the upper surface of the plug.
  6. The seal assembly system according to claim 1, wherein the removable cap, when attached to the sample collection port, forms a recess below the upper surface of the lid.
  7. The seal assembly system according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the web is integrated between one or more layers of the bag.
  8. The seal assembly system according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the web is integrated with the inner layer of the bag.
  9. The seal assembly system according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the web is bonded to the outer layer, and the outer layer is bonded to the inner layer.
  10. The seal assembly system according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the web is coupled to the inner layer of the bag.
  11. Furthermore, the seal assembly system according to claim 1, comprising heat welding to fix a portion of the flange to a portion of the bag.
  12. A bag configured to hold a certain amount of material, The opening on the top surface of the bag, An inner layer configured to provide an airtight enclosure for the material, wherein the airtight enclosure includes an inner layer accessible through the opening, The outer layer is positioned around the inner layer and provides structural support and consistency with the ribbon weave, The opening includes a neck portion formed by at least one of the inner layer or the outer layer. A flange having an upper end, a lower end opposite to it, an inner wall defining a passage extending between the upper end and the lower end, and an outer wall opposite to the inner wall, and having a thickness and diameter for the passage, The flange is positioned above the neck portion, at least one of the inner layer or the outer layer is folded over the edge of the flange, at least one of the inner layer or the outer layer is folded over the outer wall of the flange , and the flange includes a web on the lower end that extends outward from the outer wall . An elastic band positioned around the flange between the edge of the flange and the web of the flange, pressing at least one of the inner layer or the outer layer toward the outer wall of the flange, A lid that is releasably coupled to the flange, and which, when attached to the flange, applies a force to press the lid, the outer layer, the inner layer, and the edge of the flange together, wherein the lid has a sample collection opening molded at the same height on its upper surface and a removable cap, When attached to the aforementioned sample collection port, the aforementioned sample collection port is sealed. A lid comprising a cap configured to provide access to the material when the lid is removed from the sample collection port while remaining attached to the flange, bag.
  13. The bag according to claim 12, wherein the lid further comprises a seal attached to the upper surface of the lid and the removable cap.
  14. The bag according to claim 12, wherein the sample collection port includes a threaded connector, and the removable cap is a threaded cap.
  15. The bag according to claim 12, wherein the sample collection port is a plug port, and the removable cap is a plug.
  16. The bag according to claim 15, wherein the plug comprises a ring attached to the upper surface of the plug.
  17. The bag according to claim 12, wherein the upper surface of the lid has a first diameter, and the sample collection opening has a second diameter smaller than the first diameter.
  18. The bag according to claim 12, wherein the elastic band maintains the connection when the lid is removed from the flange.
  19. The bag according to claim 12, wherein when the lid is joined to the edge of the flange, the edge of the flange abuts against the exterior of the outer layer, and the bottom of the lid abuts against the interior of the inner layer.
  20. A seal assembly system for bulk bags, A bag for storing material, having a first end and a second end opposite to it, wherein the first end includes an opening, The bag comprises an inner layer and an outer layer, the inner layer being a foil laminate, the interior of the inner layer being in contact with the material, and the outer layer being a ribbon woven structure made of polypropylene. A flange having an upper end, a lower end opposite to it, an inner wall defining a passage extending between the upper end and the lower end , and an outer wall opposite to the inner wall , and having a thickness and diameter for the passage , The aforementioned guard is, The edge portion on the upper end, The web is perpendicular to the aforementioned outer wall and is located on the outside, It has a support rib between the edge and the web, The flange is attached around a part of the bag such that the outer layer abuts against the inner wall and the outer wall, An elastic band positioned around the flange between the edge of the flange and the web of the flange, pressing at least one of the outer layer or the inner layer toward the outer wall of the flange, A lid having a top surface having a first diameter, wherein the lid is configured to be releasably attached to the edge of the flange to provide a hermetic seal in the opening , wherein when the lid is attached to the flange, a force is applied to press the lid, one or both of the inner layer and the outer layer and the edge of the flange together , the edge abutting against the outer layer, the lid abutting against the inner layer, the lid being coupled to the edge with the outer layer and the inner layer in between, the lid having a sample collection opening molded to the same height as the top surface of the lid, having a second diameter smaller than the first diameter, and a removable cap, When attached to the aforementioned sample collection port, the aforementioned sample collection port is sealed. The lid is equipped with a cap configured to provide access to the material when it is removed from the sample collection opening while the lid remains attached to the edge of the flange, Seal assembly system.

Description

Cross-reference of related applications: This application claims the benefits of U.S. Patent Application No. 16/268,985 filed on February 6, 2019, which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. Patent Application No. 15/785,551 filed on October 17, 2017, claiming the benefits of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/447,129 filed on January 17, 2017. The entirety of such application is incorporated herein by reference. Generally, the present invention relates to hermetic seal assemblies for bags or flexible containers. The use of large fabric bags, commonly known as flexible medium-sized cargo containers (FIBCs) or simply bulk bags, is widespread for transporting large quantities of goods (e.g., powders, granular materials, liquids, etc.). Bulk bags can be lifted, moved, or transported by forklifts and other material handling equipment with hooks or wheels. Typically, the fabric for bulk bags may be made from natural fibers, but is often woven from strong, tape-like synthetic resin fibers (e.g., polypropylene, among many others). Flexible medium-sized cargo containers are widely used for containing, storing, transporting, and unloading all kinds of fluid materials. Bulk bags may also be constructed to include an inner layer to prevent atmospheric intrusion or to prevent exposure to ambient humidity conditions. Often, a foil laminate can be included as an inner layer to limit moisture absorption. For example, a bulk bag can contain flux materials that are prone to moisture absorption and may lead to diffusible hydrogen in the weld metal. While a bulk bag with a foil laminate inner layer can limit exposure to moisture, the effectiveness of the foil laminate decreases when the bulk bag is opened. Therefore, improved bulk bag assemblies, systems, or techniques are needed to address these concerns. Figure 1 shows a hermetic seal assembly with a lid that can be removed from the flange.Figure 2 shows a hermetic seal assembly with a lid that is attached to the flange.Figure 3 shows a plan view of a hermetic seal assembly with a lid that can be removed from the flange.Figure 4 shows a bottom view of the flange of the hermetic seal assembly.Figure 5 shows a bag having laminated polypropylene sheets or films.Figure 6 shows the ribbon weave structure of the bag.Figure 7 shows a container bag.Figure 8 shows a hermetic seal assembly integrated with the side of a bag having an opening.Figure 9 shows the flange of the hermetic seal assembly attached around the opening end of the bag.Figure 10 shows a hermetic seal assembly that seals the open end of the bag.Figure 11 shows a hermetic seal assembly that seals the opening of the bag.Figure 12 shows a perspective view of the flange of a hermetic seal assembly.Figure 13 shows a plan view of the flange of the hermetic seal assembly.Figure 14 shows a bottom view of the flange of the hermetic seal assembly.Figure 15 shows a front view of the flange of a hermetic seal assembly, where the rear view, left side view, and right side view are mirror images thereof.Figure 16 shows a perspective view of the lid of the hermetic seal assembly.Figure 17 shows a bottom view of the lid of the hermetic seal assembly.Figure 18 shows a plan view of the lid of the hermetic seal assembly.Figure 19 shows the outer and inner layers of a bag having a neck section and an opening.Figure 20 shows a diagram of an opening on a bag having an outer layer and an inner layer.Figure 21 shows a hermetic seal assembly used with a bag having one or more layers along with a compression member to facilitate connection.Figure 22 shows a diagram of one embodiment of the lid of a hermetic seal assembly.Figure 23 shows a diagram of one embodiment of a lid for a hermetic seal assembly with a removable plug.Figure 24 shows the sample collection procedure using the inlet inside the lid of the hermetic seal assembly.Figure 25 shows a ventilation procedure utilizing a bag and a corresponding hermetic seal assembly. Embodiments of the invention relate to a method and system for a hermetic seal assembly used with a bulk bag, providing a hermetic seal for a bulk bag that can be opened and closed while maintaining the hermetic seal for the bulk bag and the material stored inside. The hermetic seal assembly may include a lid and a flange, the flange of which can be releasably attached to a portion of the bulk bag or integrated into the opening of the bulk bag. As used herein, "welding" includes other elements of this term and refers to the welding of molten materials via the operation of an electric arc, including, but not limited to, submerged arc, GTAW, GMAW, MAG, MIG, TIG welding, any high-energy heat source (e.g., laser, electron beam, etc.), or any electric arc used by a welding system. Furthermore, the welding operation may be performed on a base material including a coating, such as, but not limited to, a hot-dip galvanized film. As used herein, "component" or "controller" may include at least one processor and