CONTAINER FOR FLOWABLE MATERIALS

Abstract: A container for flowable materials, particularly suitable for delivering sand, etc., to building sites comprising a pallet base (1) on which is stood a flexible metal sleeve (3) having a vertical opening (7) held together by fasteners such as tie wires (11). The container is filled with e.g. sand in a plastics bag (12) contained within the sleeve (3). Upon delivery the fasteners (11) are undone and the sleeve (3) opened out and peeled off for return leaving the sand (5) in the bag (12) on the pallet (1).

Description: "CONTAINER FOR FLOWABLE MATERIALS" TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to a container for flowable materials and has been devised particularly though not solely for the handling and delivery of wet or dry materials to building sites. BACKGROUND ART It is frequently necessary to deliver bulk flowable materials such as sand, mortar and various paste materials to building sites where they are used in the construction of the building. At present mortar is commonly delivered to building sites in steel bins which are bulky and difficult to handle, and are cumbersome to store and eventually return to their origin once empty. Sand is commonly delivered in bulk by the truckload, with difficulties in delivery and handling on site, or alternatively in large bottom opening PVC bags, which are expensive, and difficult to handle on site, requiring the use of a crane. None of the existing methods provide for convenient location and storing of the flowable materials on site and frequently leave the materials open to the elements where they can be damaged by rain or blown about the site by wind. DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION The present invention therefore provides a container for flowable materials comprising a base member, an open ended sleeve member of generally cylindrical configuration having a vertical axis and being supported on the base member, and a liner bag located within the sleeve member, said sleeve member being formed of a semi-rigid material and having a vertical closure down the length thereof arranged such that when the closure is opened, the sleeve member is able to be deformed outwardly away from the liner bag. Preferably the sleeve member is formed from sheet metal, but could be made of other materials such as fibreglass, sheet plastics material, wood, cardboard or wire mesh. Preferably the sleeve member is formed from spiral metal tubing of the type commonly used for formwork for concrete pillars. It could also be made from corrugated iron (wherein the ribs extend circumferentially) . Preferably the closure comprises a pair of angle iron members fastened to the sleeve on either side of a vertical slit therein, a plurality of pairs of aligned holes, one in each angle iron member, and a plurality of tie wires, one through each aligned pair of holes. Alternatively the closure could be made by way of other devices such as toggles, latches, etc. Preferably the base member comprises a pallet. Preferably the liner bag comprises an open top bag of sheet plastics material adapted to be gathered and closed at the top by a tie. The invention may be used to transport dry materials, or wet materials such as lime-sand-water mixtures to which cement is added insitu. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Notwithstanding any other forms that may fall within its scope, one preferred form of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Fig. 1 is a general perspective view of the container, Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a container for flowable materials according to the invention, and; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the container shown in Fig. 2. MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION In the preferred form of the invention a container for flowable materials which is particularly adapted for use in delivering materials such as sand or mortar to a building site, but which has numerous other uses, is constructed as follows. The container comprises a base member 1 which is typically in the form of a pallet 2 adapted to receive the tynes of a forklift truck. The container is provided with an open ended sleeve member 3 of generally cylindrical configuration, having a vertical axis and being supported at its lower end 4 by the base member 1. The sleeve member is typically fabricated from sheet metal, and conveniently from spiral metal tubing comprising helically wound bands of sheet metal 5 seamed or otherwise joined at their edges 6. Such tubing is readily available and commonly used for ducting or for formwork in the pouring of concrete pillars. The sleeve member is provided with a vertical closure 7 extending down the length of the sleeve and arranged such that when the closure is opened, the sleeve member is able to be deformed outwardly and hence enlarged in diameter from its normal configuration as shown in the accompanying drawings. This is possible due to the fact that the sleeve member is formed of a semi-rigid material, e.g. sheet metal, which generally maintains its rigidity in the vertical plane due to its cylindrical configuration, but yet is flexible in the horizontal plane allowing the cylinder to be "opened out" by opening the closure member. Although typically formed from sheet metal, the sleeve member could also be formed from other suitable materials such as sheet plastics material, various forms of semi rigid timber origin sheeting, fibreboard or even various forms of mesh sheeting. The closure member may be of any desired configuration, but in the form of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings is formed from a pair of angle iron members 8 fastened to the sleeve 3 on either side of a vertical slit 9 in the sleeve. The angle iron members are typically riveted, bolted or welded to the sleeve member. The angle iron members are provided with a plurality of pairs of aligned holes 10, one of each pair being located in each angle iron member, and the closure is held in the closed position by a plurality of tie wires 11, one through each aligned pair of holes. The tie wires are twisted together to hold the two angle iron members in close proximity and therefore to maintain the sleeve member in the closed cylindrical configuration shown in the accompanying drawings. The container is further provided with a liner bag 12 which is typically of cylindrical configuration and sized to fit within the sleeve member 3. The liner bag may be formed from a low cost material and is typically fabricated from sheet polythene material, but could be of other materials such as kraft paper, plastics mesh etc. In use of the container, the sleeve member 3 is placed on the base member 1, and an empty liner bag placed within the sleeve member. The liner bag is then filled with the flowable material (e.g. sand or mortar) and the bag closed and secured by a tie 13 at the top. The container may then be lifted by forklift onto a truck and conveyed to a building site or other desired end point. At the building site the container may be lifted by conventional materials handling equipment and placed in the desired location on the site. The tie wires 11 in the closure 7 may then be cut, allowing the closure to be opened and the sleeve member deformed outwardly and removed from the liner bag which remains in place on the pallet 1. The sleeve member may then be returned to the point of loading to be utilized in the formation of further containers in conjunction with a new base member 1 and liner bag 12. In this manner a small number of sleeve members may be used for transport, forming effective containers for the flowable material, while yet allowing the material to be stored on site in convenient and inexpensive polythene liner bags 12 on pallet bases 1. It has been found that attempts to deliver flowable materials by truck to building sites in polythene bags (without the sleeve member 3) result in rapid slumping of the material within the bag into a wide and shallow configuration which is then impossible or difficult to handle. The present invention, by providing the reusable sleeve member 3 as part of the container, enables the material in the liner bag to be retained in a convenient cylindrical configuration during transportation while allowing the major part of the container (the sleeve) to be returned for immediate reuse at the point of loading. It is a further feature of the invention, that a plurality of sleeves, once removed from the liner bags, may be stacked in the "open" configuration by nesting one inside the other so that a large number of sleeve members may be returned in a single truck delivery. In this manner a container for flowable materials is provided which enables the materials to be simply and cheaply packaged for transportation and delivery to site and which enables the materials to be retained on site in conveniently bagged modules, safe from the elements while allowing the major part of the containers to be returned to point of origin for the delivery of further goods. Although the container has been described as being particularly suitable for delivering bulk flowable building materials it has many other uses and could be used for packaging assembly components, fruit, etc.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A container for flowable materials comprising a base member, an open ended sleeve member of generally cylindrical configuration having a vertical axis and being supported on the base member, and a liner bag located within the sleeve member, said sleeve member being formed of a semi-rigid material and having a vertical closure down the length thereof arranged such that when the closure is opened, the sleeve member is able to be deformed outwardly away from the liner bag. 2. A container as claimed in claim 1 wherein the closure comprises a pair of flanges fastened to the sleeve on either side of a vertical slit therein, and a plurality of fastening means arranged to connect the flanges to one another at intervals down their length. 3. A container as claimed in claim 2 wherein the flanges are formed from a pair of angle iron members fastened to the sleeve. 4. A container as claimed in either claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the fastening means comprise a plurality of tie wires, each being inserted through a pair of aligned holes one of each pair being located in each angle iron member at intervals down the length of the flanges. 5. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the base member comprises a pallet. 6. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the sleeve member is formed from spiral wound metal tubing. 7. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the liner bag comprises an open top bag of flexible material adapted to be gathered and closed at the top by a tie. 8. A container as claimed in claim 7 wherein the liner bag is of a generally cylindrical configuration of substantially the same diameter as the diameter of the sleeve member.

Inventors: JOHNES CEDRIC STANLEY, JOHNES, CEDRIC, STANLEY
Applicants: JOHNES CEDRIC STANLEY, JOHNES, CEDRIC, STANLEY
Application year: 1988
Main classification: B65D19
IPC codes: B65D19, B65D77