Packings for transport and storage especially of liquid and pasty products

The present invention relates to a complex packing, especially adapted for the transport and storage of liquid and pasty products in large quantities, for example of the order of a thousand litres or more, this packing having a large safety factor during handling while full, while enabling a small volume to be obtained when empty. The complex packing is composed firstly of a plastic bag of parallelepiped shape capable of being folded flat when empty, and secondly of a pallet of corresponding parallelepiped shape which constitutes a rigid outer casing for the plastic bag, the pallet comprising a base platform and four dismantlable sides, of which at least two have handles for handling by slings. The platform is furthermore arranged so as to receive a cross-member which may be engaged in the handles of the pallet located immediately below, so as to couple the two pallets together for handling in series.

The present invention relates to a packing device for the transport and 
storage of products, especially liquid and pasty products. 
Packings are generally stiff, and for that reason they take up as much 
space when empty as when full, which considerably increases the cost of 
transport. 
It has also been proposed to pack products in foldable bags which have the 
advantage that they take up less space during transport when empty, but 
they are liable to have insufficient strength during handling while full, 
particularly if special precautions are not taken. 
The present invention has for its object a complex packing intended 
especially for liquid and pasty products in large quantity, for example, 
by way of illustration and not in any limitation sense, of the order of 
one thousand litres or more, this packing having a large safety factor in 
handling while full, while permitting a small volume to be obtained when 
empty. 
According to the invention, this complex packing is characterized in that 
it is composed on the one hand of a plastic bag of parallelepiped shape, 
capable of beig folded flat, and on the other hand of a pallet of 
corresponding parallelepiped shape so as to constitute a rigid outer 
casing for the plastic bag, the said pallet having a base platform and 
four dismantlable sides, of which at least two have handles for handling 
by slings. 
The fact of providing handles of this kind for handling by suspension has 
the result of creating, during the handling, the introduction of a 
component of force towards the interior of the pallet, which tends to 
increase the clamping together of the assembly for maintaining the lateral 
pressures applied by the bag containing the product, especially in the 
liquid or pasty state. 
There is thus an effect of co-operation between the suspension handles of 
the pallet, the fact that this pallet is dismantlable and therefore more 
particularly sensitive to the hydraulic pressures which tend to spread it 
out, and the fact that it co-acts precisely with a foldable bag containing 
a product, particularly in the liquid or pasty state, developing hydraulic 
pressures of this kind. 
The fact of providing handling grips on certain sides presents however the 
problem of good interlocking of the sides with the base platform. 
In order to ensure this interlocking, it is preferably provided to arrange 
in the immediate vicinity of each handle, more particularly level with a 
notch for the handle, a tie-rod which passes right through the height of 
the side and through the platform, and receives a fixing means uch as a 
nut or the like; thus, the handle while introducing a component towards 
the interior which tends to maintain the hydraulic pressure, makes it 
possible to transmit a vertical component of the handling forces directly 
to the lower platform, that is to say in a manner which renders the 
assembly very strong. 
The tie-rod is preferably arranged between the two arms of the handle along 
such manner as to act in the axis of the handle. 
More particularly, the bottom of a notch for the handle receives a mounting 
plate having three guiding holes, the two outer holes being provided for 
the two arms of the handle, the central hole to receive the tie-rod. 
The handle is preferably mounted slidably between a retracted position on 
the one hand, inside a notch, so as to permit of stacking when empty in 
the contour of the platform, and on the other hand, a projecting position 
above the upper edge of the side for handling. The platform is furthermore 
arranged so as to receive a cross-member which may be engaged in the 
handles of a pallet placed immediately below, for the purpose of coupling 
the two pallets together for handling in series.

In the form of construction shown in FIGS. 1 to 11, a complex packing for 
the transport and storage of products, especially liquid and pasty, is 
composed of a foldable plastic bag 10 (FIG. 1) having a generally 
parallelepiped shape, and more particularly with a cubic shape in the 
example shown. More precisely, this plastic bag 10 has a side of one 
meter, so as to have a capacity of a thousand liters. It will thus be 
appreciated that the complex packing is intended to contain especially 
liquid or pasty products in any quantity, rather large however or even 
very large. 
The complex packing also comprises a pallet 11 also of parallelepiped form 
corresponding to that of the bag 10, that is to say cubic in the example 
shown. This pallet 11 forms an outer shell adapted to support the bag 10 
at the bottom and along the sides. The pallet 11 is composed (see FIG. 3) 
of a lower platform 12, two opposite sides 13 provided with handles 15, 
and two other opposite sides 14 which may not have any handles. 
The platform 12 and the sides 13 and 14 are completely dismantlable and are 
such that each of them does not exceed a square former of pre-determined 
dimensions, being for example slightly more than one meter on a side. 
Thus, when the packing is empty, the platform 12 and the sides 13 and 14 
can be superimposed, as shown in FIG. 2, and receive the plastic bag 10 
folded in turn to a small thickness, so that the volume of the packing 
when empty and in the folded condition is small. For example, in order to 
give an idea, an empty unit constituted by the platform 12, the sides 13, 
13 and 14, 14 and the folded bag 10, can take up a space of the order of 
one-fifth of that of the complex packing in the full condition, and it can 
be seen for example from FIG. 2 that five empty packings superimposed 
occupy approximately the same space as one packing in the full condition 
(see FIG. 1). 
The platform 12 comprises four beams 16, spaced apart, to which are fixed 
an upper plate 17 and a lower plate 18. As can be seen from FIG. 3, the 
periphery of the plate 18 is slightly set back with respect to the 
periphery of the plate 17 so as to constitute a nesting rebate. 
The space 19 formed between each end beam 16 and each central beam 16 is 
intended to receive the forks of a handling trolley. The space 20 formed 
between the central beam 16 receives an armature 21 (see FIG. 5) 
constituted by two angle-irons 25 assembled together by two other angle 
irons 26. Each angle iron 25 is fixed to the upper plate 17 by screws 
passing through holes 28 in the angle iron 25. Between the holes 28, the 
angle-iron 25 has a hole 29, the purpose of which will become apparent 
later. 
Each side 13 comprises a frame 30 and overlapping plates 30A on each side 
of this frame. The frame 30 comprises an upper beam 31 in which is formed 
a notch 32 for housing the handle 15, a lower beam 33 and two side beams 
34. In the interior of the frame 30 is mounted another smaller frame 35 to 
increase the rigidity. 
The handle 15 which is housed in the notch 32 comprises two arms 36 which 
are slidably engaged in guiding passages 37 of the upper beam 31 and the 
frame 35. Each of the arms 36 comprises at its extremity an abutment 
projection 38. 
A vertical rod or tie-rod 39 is slidably engaged in a guiding passage 40 
which is formed in the upper beam 31 between the passages 37 and in the 
guiding passage 41 formed in the beam 33, the passages 40 and 41 being 
extended in the small frame 35 in order to permit a sliding movement of 
the rod 39 in the whole of the passages thus aligned. 
At its upper portion, the rod 39 comprises an abutment 39A. At its lower 
extremity, the rod 39 is intended to be engaged in the hole 29 of the 
angle-iron 25 and this extremity is threaded at 42 in order to receive a 
fixing nut 43 (see FIG. 7). 
The sides 14 are also constituted by a large frame 44 and a small frame 45 
and are lined on both sides by the plates 44A. 
As can be seen more particularly from FIG. 3, the upper beam 31 of each 
side 13 comprises laterally two tenons 47, while the upper beam of each 
frame 44 comprises laterally two mortices 48 in which are engaged the 
tenons 47. The assembly of the sides 13 and 14 is completed by removable 
pins 50 which are engaged in the tenons 47 and which penetrate into the 
uprights of the large frame 41 of the side 14. 
The four sides 13, 13 and 14, 14 thus assembled are positioned in the 
platform 12 (see FIG. 4) while being retained by a rod 51, 51 and on the 
upper face of the platform 12 at the periphery of this latter. The rod 51 
is interrupted at 52 over the passage of the rod 39. 
The lower face of all the sides 13, 13 and 14, 14 comprises a rod 53 which 
is displaced from the periphery by the width of the rod 51 so as to form a 
rebate 54 fitting on this rod 51. At the level of the space 52 where the 
rod 51 is interrupted, the lower face of each of the sides 13 receives, 
instead of the rod 53, a batten 55 which covers the width of the underside 
of this side 13 in such manner as to be able to fit, in the manner of a 
projection, in the space 52 and to form a centering means. This batten 55 
comprises a hole 56 which is aligned with the hole 41 for the passage of 
the rod 39. 
In order to place the complex packing in a condition ready for service, the 
sides 13, 13 and 14, 14 are first assembled by engaging the pins 50 and 
fitting the rebates on the rods 51 of the platform 12, making sure that 
the battens 55 are well engaged in the spaces 52 for the purpose of 
ensuring the centering. In this way, the sides 13, 13 and 14, 14 and the 
platform 12 are perfectly positioned with respect to the others. The 
threaded extremities 42 of the rod 39 are engaged in the holes 29 of the 
angle-irons 25, and the nuts 43 are tightened, which strongly fixes the 
side 13 and in consequence also the sides 13 and in consequence also the 
sides 14 with the platform 12. It will be noted that the frame constituted 
by the angle-irons 25, 26 increases the rigidity of the assembly. 
The plastic bag 10 is then placed in the pallet thus constituted and it is 
filled with liquid or pasty product. The product is from tht time on 
positioned in the complex packing and is ready for transport and storage. 
It should be noted that the forks of a handling truck can be engaged in 
the passages 19 of the platform 10. By virtue of the recess formed by the 
lower plate 18 of the platform 12, this latter can be stacked on a packing 
placed below, with a nesting effect on the upper edges of the sides of the 
corresponding pallet. There is thus obtained a locked stack as can be seen 
from FIG. 11. 
It should be noted that each complex packing thus constituted can be 
advantageously handled by means of slings 69 (see FIG. 10) engaged in the 
handles 15, and this method of handling has the advantage that the sides 
13 tend to be held close to each other in spite of the hydraulic pressure 
of the liquid or the pasty product contained in the plastic bag 10. 
During the course of handling, a number of complex packings may furthermore 
be handled in series and, to this end, a transverse bar 61 can be engaged 
in holes 62 formed facing each other in the angle-irons 25 of the platform 
12 of a pallet. This transverse bar 61 is in turn engaged in the handles 
15 of the pallet located immediately below, these handles being raised 
until they abut against the projections 38. In this way, a series of 
several complex packings can be constituted, as shown in FIG. 10. 
It should be noted that in the filled storage position (see FIG. 11) and 
also in the stacked position when empty (see FIG. 2) the handles 15 are on 
the contrary withdrawn into the notches 32 of the sides 13. 
In this empty position (FIG. 2) it is furthermore possible to cause the 
rods 39 to move upwards in order that the threaded extremities 42 do not 
exceed the gauge of the side 13, then bringing the head of the rod 39 
closer towards the top of the handle 15, still held down so as not to pass 
beyond the notch 32. Thus, the sides of the pallet do not exceed the gauge 
of the empty stack (see FIG. 2) as has previously been stated, which 
permits a smaller volume to be obtained. 
It should be observed that the spindle 61 for the suspension of the pallets 
in series may be replaced by two spindle ends associated with the 
angle-irons 25 of the armature 21 and mounted imprisoned and mobile 
between a working position and a retracted position. 
It will also be noted that the pallet 11 may be made of any appropriate 
material, for example of wood, plywood, sheet metal, light alloy sheet, 
plastic sheet, etc., while the armature 21 is preferably made of steel.