REINFORCED FLEXIBLE CONTAINER FOR FLOWABLE MATERIALS

Abstract: The invention concerns a small package intended for fluid materials, comprising an inner package (21) provided with a support structure (23) and a possible outer package. The small package (20) is exclusively made of resilient materials, and the small package does not reach its ultimate shape until during filling. The small package is provided with a member for carrying (25).

Description: Reinforced flexible container for flowable materials The invention concerns a small package intended for fluid materials, comprising an inner package provided with a support structure and a possible outer package. From the prior art, small packages are known which are intended for fluid materials, such as liquids. A small package is understood as a package in which about 1...50 kilograms, as a rule about 1...25 kilograms, of fluid materials are packed. The most common small package is a rigid plastic bottle or plastic can. Storage and transportation and use of plastic bottles or cans causes certain problems. Moreover, when they are empty, plastic bottles or cans occupy an abundance of space. From the prior art, a small package is also known which consists of an inner package made of a resilient material and of a box-like outer package made of a rigid material, such as, for example cardboard. As a rule, the inner package made of a resilient material has no support structure, but inner packages of a resilient material are also known in which there is a support structure. It is a drawback of such small packages that they are not portable, at least not readily portable. Nor can the inner package be handled without the outer package. Emptying of such small packages requires a cork or cap provided on the inner package and a hole provided for the cork or cap in the outer package. Thus, emptying of the liquid stored in small packages is often difficult. Also, when empty, such a small package occupies a con¬ siderable space and requires separate assembly. Moreover, suitability of the small package for recirculation is poor, because the small package comprises two different material types, i.e. an inner package of plastic and an outer package of cardboard. The object of the present invention is to provide an improvement over the prior-art small packages. It is a more specific object of the invention to provide a small package that is readily portable and whose filling and emptying do not cause major problems. It is a further object of the invention to provide a small package which occupies a minimum of space when empty. It is a further object of the invention to provide a small package whose recirculation is easier and better as compared with the prior-art solutions. It is a further object of the invention to provide a small package whose weight when empty is as low as possible. The objectives of the invention are achieved by means of a small package, which is characterized in that the small package is exclusively made of resilient materials, the small package not reaching its ultimate shape until during filling, and that the small package is provided with a member for carrying. It has been realized to manufacture the small package in accordance with the invention exclusively out of resilient materials, in which case, owing to the support structure that is used, the small package reaches its ultimate shape only during filling. The small package comprises an inner package and a possible outer package. The inner package is exclusively made of. for example, a film material and provided with a support structure. The support structure gives the inner package a specified shape when the package has been filled. The inner package is provided with a filling and emptying member, which may consist of the material of the inner package or which may be a separate filling and emptying member tightly connected with the inner package (for example, a screw cap). The filling and emptying member can be closed tightly after filling, for example, mechanically, thermally, by gluing, etc.. so that the package is fully sealed. The filling and emptying can take place either from the same point through a common filling and emptying member, or from different points on the package. In the small package in accordance with the invention, the inner package is provided with a member for carrying, such as a carrying handle, for handling. The carrying member is preferably a carrying member formed out of the material of the inner package by folding, seaming, or gluing. If necessary, such a carrying member can be reinforced by means of a reinforcement tag, as is described, for example, in the Finnish Patent No. 65, 751. The outer package, which surrounds the inner package tightly, may also form a carrying member for the small package. The outer package of the small package can be. for example, an outer package made of a woven plastic fabric or of some other resilient material, which outer package also protects the inner package from mechanical shocks. Between the inner and the outer package, if necessary, for example, plate-like protective members can be fitted to improve the resistance of the small package to shocks further. The fields of use of the small package in accordance with the invention include all fluid materials, such as liquids. The small package in accordance with the invention is also excellently suitable for glues, chemicals, foods, paints, and cleaning products (for example, waxes and detergents). By means of the small package in accordance with the invention, a number of significant advantages are obtained. Small packages in accordance with the invention can be placed readily side by side, because they stand upright unsupported. The small packages can be loaded, for example, on a pallet so that the area of the pallet is utilized completely. Filling and emptying of the small packages in accordance with the invention are easy, and the small packages are readily portable. When empty, the small packages in accordance with the invention require less space, and their recirculation is considerably better and easier, compared with the prior-art solutions, because one type of material only has to be recirculated. The weight of the small packages in accordance with the invention when empty is very low. Moreover, the overall requirement of the material or materials necessary for the manufacture of the small packages in accordance with the invention is very little, whereby economies are obtained in the material costs. Nor do separate mould costs arise, because the package is manufactured out of a resilient material. The invention will be described in detail with reference to some preferred embodi¬ ments of the invention illustrated in the figures in the accompanying drawings, the invention being, yet, not supposed to be confined to said embodiments alone. Figure 1 is an axonometric view of a prior-art small package. Figure 2 is an axonometric view of a preferred embodiment of the small package in accordance with the invention. Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III in Fig. 2. Figure 4 is an axonometric view of a second preferred embodiment of the small package in accordance with the invention. Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along the line V-V in Fig. 4. Figure 6 is an axonometric view of a third preferred embodiment of the small package in accordance with the invention. Figure 7 is an axonometric view of a fourth preferred embodiment of the small package in accordance with the invention. Figure 8 is an axonometric view of a fifth preferred embodiment of the small package in accordance with the invention. Figure 9 is an axonometric view of a sixth preferred embodiment of the small package in accordance with the invention. The prior-art small package shown in Fig. 1 is denoted generally with the reference numeral 10. The small package 10 consists of an inner package 11 made of a resilient material and of an outer package 12 made of a rigid material, such as cardboard. The inner package 11 made of a resilient material may have no support structure, or it may be provided with a support structure 13 in itself known. The member of emptying of the inner package 11 consists of a cap 14. In the embodiment shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the small package in accordance with the invention is denoted generally with the reference numeral 20. The small package consists of an inner package made of a resilient material, such as. for example, a plastic sack. The support structure in the inner package 21 is denoted with the reference numeral 23. The support structure 23 can be any support structure whatsoever. The small package 20 is provided with a carrying member, i.e. a carrying handle 25. Such a construction of a carrying handle 25 may include a reinforcement tag, as is described in the applicant's Finnish Patent No. 65, 751 of earlier date. In the embodiment shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the sectional shape of the small package 20 in accordance with the invention is a triangle. In the embodiment shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the small package in accordance with the invention is denoted generally with the reference numeral 40. The small package consists of an inner package made of a resilient material, such as. for example, a plastic film. The support structure in the inner package 41 is denoted with the reference numeral 43. The small package 40 is provided with a carrying member, i .e. a carrying handle 45. Such a construction of a carrying handle 45 may include a reinforcement tag. In this embodiment, the sectional shape of the small package 40 in accordance with the invention is a hexagon. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 6, the small package in accordance with the invention is denoted generally with the reference numeral 60. The small package consists of an inner package made of a resilient material, such as, for example, a plastic sack. The support structure in the inner package 61 is denoted with the reference numeral 63. The support structure 63 can be any support structure whatsoever, and such support structures are described, e.g. , in the applicant's Finnish Patent No. 91,954 of earlier date. The small package 60 is provided with a carrying member, i.e. a carrying handle 65. Such a construction of a carrying handle 65 may include a reinforcement tag, as is described in the applicant's Finnish Patent No. 65, 751 of earlier date. The small package 60 is provided with a filling and emptying member 64, which is, in this embodiment, a separate filling and emptying member. The small package shown in Fig. 7 is denoted generally with the reference numeral 70. The small package 70 consists, for example, of a plastic bag 71. which is provided with a support structure 73. The carrying handle of the small package is denoted with the reference numeral 75. In this embodiment, the top portion of the small package is a folded top portion, which has been seamed. Into such a folded, seamed top portion, the carrying handle 75 construction is formed. The carrying handle 75 is narrower than the carrying handle 65 illustrated in the embodiment shown in Fig. 6. because it consists of a higher number of material layers. The small package shown in Fig. 8 is denoted generally with the reference numeral 80. The small package 80 consists of an inner package 81 made of a resilient material and of an outer package 82 made of a resilient material. The support structure in the inner package 81 is denoted with the reference numeral 83, and the filling and emptying member is denoted with the reference numeral 84. The outer package 82 is. in fact, fully equal to a prior-art unit-load package, but. of course, of smaller size. The carrying member of the small package 80 consists of the carrying handle 85 of the outer package 82, the construction of said handle being, for example, similar to the lifting loop of the unit-load package. In this embodiment, the filling and emptying member consists of a nose-like filling and emptying member 84 seamed onto the inner package 81. The small package shown in Fig. 9 is denoted generally with the reference numeral 90. The small package 90 is in the other respects similar to the small package shown in Fig. 8. but the carrying member 95 consists of two lifting loops 95 provided on the outer package 92. The inner package 91 and its support structure 93 and the filling and emptying member 94 can be of a construction fully equal to the inner package shown in Fig. 8. If desired, the small packages shown in Figs. 2 to 7 can also be provided with an outer package made of a resilient material, on which a carrying handle is, however, not needed, because a carrying handle is already provided on the inner package. Above, just some preferred embodiments of the invention have been described, and it is obvious to a person skilled in the art that numerous modifications can be made to said embodiments within the scope of the inventive idea defined in the accom¬ panying patent claims.

Claims: Claims 1. A small package intended for fluid materials, comprising an inner package (21,41.61,71.81,91) provided with a support structure (23,43,63,73,83,93) and a possible outer package (82,92), characterized in that the small package (20,40,60, 70,80,90) is exclusively made of resilient materials, the small package not reaching its ultimate shape until during filling, and that the small package is provided with a member for carrying (25,45,65,75,85,95). 2. A small package as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the carrying member (25,45.65.75) is a carrying handle formed out of the material of the inner package (21 ,41.61.71). 3. A small package as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the carrying handle (25,45,65,75) is provided with a reinforcement tag. 4. A small package as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the carrying member (85.95) is a part (85.95) of the outer package (82,92) that surrounds the inner package (81.91). 5. A small package as claimed in any of the claims 1 to 4. characterized in that the inner package (61.81,91) is provided with a filling and emptying member (64,84. 94). 6. A small package as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the filling and emptying member (64) consists of a separate filling member and a separate emptying member. 7. A small package as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the filling and emptying member (84,94) has been formed out of the material of the inner package (41,51). 8. A small package as claimed in any of the claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the outer package (82,92) is made of a woven plastic fabric or of some other, equivalent strong resilient material, and that the outer package (82.92) is fitted to protect the inner package (81,91) from mechanical shocks. 9. A small package as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that plate-like shields have been fitted between the inner package (81,91) and the outer package (82,92) to improve the resistance to shocks.

Inventors: KOSKINEN ERKKI, TAMMINEN HANNU, KOSKINEN, ERKKI, TAMMINEN, HANNU
Applicants: KOSKINEN ERKKI, ROSENLEW AB OY W, TAMMINEN HANNU, KOSKINEN, ERKKI, OY W. ROSENLEW AB, TAMMINEN, HANNU
Application year: 1995
Main classification: B65D33
IPC codes: B65D33, B65D75, B65D77, B65D88