Patent Publication Number: US-11655076-B2

Title: Liquid transport system and a liner bag and a method of using the same

Description:
This application is the national stage (Rule 371) of international application No. PCT/CN2017/095156 filed on 31 Jul. 2017. 
     CROSS-REFERENCE OF RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the priorities of Chinese patent application CN2016106424872, entitled “Fluid discharge system and method”, filed on Aug. 8, 2016; Chinese patent application CN2016106427315, entitled “Fluid discharge system and method”, filed on Aug. 8, 2016; and Chinese patent application CN201611024953.7, entitled “Liquid transport system and liner bag and a method of using the same”, filed on Nov. 14, 2016, the entire disclosures thereof are incorporated herein by reference. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a container, and in particular to a liner bag for containing liquid. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     For liquid storage, transportation, filling and discharging etc., there are many liquid storage and transportation devices in the market, including intermediate bulk container with a liner bag for storage and transportation solution. The liner bag of intermediate bulk container in the market typically has two types: a six-faced stereoscopic liner bag and two-faced pillow-type liner bag. The stereoscopic liner bag has great difficulty in production, because each face of the stereoscopic liner bag has to be welded, thus the production efficiency is very low and the cost is relatively high. Pillow-type liner bag is increasingly used due to its convenience in use and low processing cost. 
     The conventional liner bag is a liner bag which is formed by sealing a front panel and a rear panel, and commonly called a “pillow bag”. The pillow bag is generally hermetically connected to a discharge port for discharging the liquid in the liner bag. The discharge port is generally positioned on the front or rear panel of the liner bag and is hermetically connected to one of the panels at the center position or away from the edge of one of the panels. 
       FIGS.  1  and  3    show schematic views of the structures of two conventional prior liner bags  1 , respectively. The solid and dashed lines in the middle of  FIG.  1    represent the top and bottom surfaces after filling, respectively. The liner bag  1  of  FIG.  1    is formed by hermetically welding of the front panel  2  and the rear panel  3 . The edges of the front panel  2  and the rear panel  3  are formed with weld lines  4 . A filling port  5  is provided on the front panel  2 . A discharge port  6  is provided on the rear panel  3 . The discharge port shown in  FIG.  1    is distant from the weld line  4  by about ¼ of the length of the rear panel, such that when the liner bag is placed in an intermediate bulk container and filled with liquids, the discharge port can be located at the bottom of the intermediate bulk container. The main differences between the liner bag of  FIG.  3    and the liner bag of  FIG.  1    lie in the positions of the discharge port and the filling port. In the liner bag shown in  FIG.  3   , the discharge port and the filling port are the same port  7 , which is located in the center of the front panel. 
     As shown in  FIG.  2   , the prior liner bags are typically placed in an intermediate bulk container when filling with the liquid. The conventional arrangement of the liner bag in the intermediate bulk container is as follows: 1. The discharge port is assembled to the position of a valve port of the intermediate bulk container, and the four corners of the liner bag are tiled in the middle or bottom of the intermediate bulk container; 2. The discharge port is assembled into the valve port of the intermediate bulk container, with two corners standing up on the top. After the liner bags are filled with liquids, the discharge ports are away from the position of the weld line of the liner bag, for example, by at least ¼ of length of the front or rear panel. The weld line of the liner bag is usually located in the middle of the intermediate bulk container and is parallel to the base of the intermediate bulk container. In this way, during the liquid discharging or after the discharge is completed, the liquid remains in the four corners of the liner bag, and the residue amount is large, and the removal of the residue is complicated. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a liner bag and liquid transport system that facilitates welding and facilitates the discharge of liquids, particularly viscous liquids, contained therein. 
     In order to achieve the above object, according to an aspect of the present invention, there provides a liner bag including a liner bag body, which is formed by hermetically welding a front panel and a rear panel along the periphery thereof, and a discharge port, which is hermetically connected to the liner bag body, and a minimum distance between an edge of the discharge port and a weld line of the liner bag body is L, wherein 0≤L≤20 cm. 
     Preferably, 0≤L≤10 cm. More preferably, 0≤L≤5 cm. 
     Preferably, the front panel and the rear panel are rectangular flexible sheets. 
     Preferably, a portion of the bag body extends beyond the weld line of the side of the liner bag body farthest from the discharge port. 
     Preferably, a minimum distance S between the discharge port and the corner of the liner bag body is greater than 20 cm. More preferably, the minimum distance S is greater than 40 cm. 
     Preferably, the liner bag has a volume of 250 liters, 1000 liters or 1200 liters. 
     Preferably, the liner bag is used with an intermediate bulk container, the intermediate bulk container is provided with a valve port where the discharge port is installed. 
     According to another aspect of the present invention, there provides a liner bag including a liner bag body, which is formed by hermetically welding a front panel and a rear panel along the periphery thereof, and a discharge port, which is hermetically connected to the liner bag body, and a minimum distance between an edge of the discharge port and a weld line of the liner bag body is L, wherein 0≤L≤0.1*D, where D is the minimum of lengths and widths of the front and rear panels. 
     Preferably, 0≤L≤0.05*D. More preferably, 0≤L≤0.025*D. 
     Preferably, the front panel and the rear panel are rectangular flexible sheets. 
     Preferably, the liner bag has a volume of 250 liters, 1000 liters or 1200 liters. 
     Preferably, the liner bag is used with an intermediate bulk container, the intermediate bulk container is provided with a valve port where the discharge port is installed. 
     According to another aspect of the present invention, there provides a liner bag including a liner bag body, which is formed by hermetically welding a front panel and a rear panel along the periphery thereof, thereby forming primary weld lines along the entire periphery of the liner bag body, and an secondary weld line is also formed between the at least two primary weld lines, with the two primary weld lines connecting with the secondary line; and a discharge port, which is hermetically connected to the liner bag body, and a minimum distance between an edge of the discharge port and the primary or secondary weld line is L, wherein 0≤L≤0.1*D, D is the minimum of lengths and widths of the front and rear panels. 
     Preferably, the front panel and the rear panel are rectangular flexible sheets. 
     According to another aspect of the present invention, there provides a liner bag including a liner bag body, which is formed by hermetically welding a front panel and a rear panel along the periphery thereof, at least one side of the liner bag body includes at least two sections of weld lines which are angled relative to each other; and a discharge port, which is hermetically connected to the liner bag body, and a minimum distance between an edge of the discharge port and a weld line of the liner bag body is L, wherein 0≤L≤20 cm, or 0≤L≤0.1*D, where D is the minimum of lengths and widths of the front and rear panels. 
     Preferably, 0≤L≤10 cm. More preferably, 0≤L≤5 cm. 
     Preferably, the discharge port is located at a bottom of a corner formed by the intersection of the two sections of weld lines which are connected to each other at an angle. 
     Preferably, the front panel and the rear panel are both formed by cutting off at least one corner of the rectangular sheet. 
     Preferably, the front panel and the rear panel are both formed by cutting off two adjacent corners of the rectangular sheet, and the two cut edges formed by cutting off the two corners intersect with each other. 
     According to another aspect of the present invention, there provides a liquid transport system comprising an intermediate bulk container and a liner bag, wherein the intermediate bulk container comprises a base and side walls mounted to the base, the base is provided with a valve port, and the liner bag comprises a liner bag body and a discharge port, wherein: 
     the liner bag body is formed by hermetically welding a front panel and a rear panel along the periphery thereof, the discharge port is hermetically connected to the liner bag body, and a minimum distance between an edge of the discharge port and an weld line of the liner bag body is L, wherein 0≤L≤20 cm, or 0≤L≤0.1*D, where D is the minimum of lengths and widths of the front and rear panels; 
     the liner bag is disposed in the intermediate bulk container and the discharge port of the liner bag is installed in the valve port; and 
     the liner bag is arranged in such a manner that after the liner bag is filled, a plane where the weld line is located is perpendicular to the base. 
     Preferably, the liner bag is arranged in such a manner that after the liner bag is filled, the liner bag body is bilaterally symmetrical about the weld line. 
     Preferably, 0≤L≤10 cm. More preferably, 0≤L≤5 cm. 
     Preferably, 0≤L≤0.05*D. More preferably, 0≤L≤0.025*D. 
     Preferably, the front panel and the rear panel are both formed by cutting off at least one corner of the rectangular sheet. 
     Preferably, the front panel and the rear panel are both formed by cutting off two adjacent corners of the rectangular sheet, and the two cut lines formed by cutting off the two corners intersect with each other. 
     Preferably, the liner bag further includes a filling port arranged to lie on top of the liner bag after the liner bag is filled. 
     Preferably, the discharge port is arranged to be adjacent to the weld line on the base or the weld line perpendicular to the base after the liner bag is filled. 
     According to another aspect of the present invention, there provides a method for using a liner bag, wherein providing a liner bag comprising a liner bag body, which is formed by hermetically welding a front panel and a rear panel along the periphery thereof, and a discharge port, which is hermetically connected to the liner bag body, and the minimum distance between an edge of the discharge port and a weld line of the liner bag body is L, wherein 0≤L≤20 cm, or 0≤L≤0.1*D, where D is the minimum of lengths and widths of the front and rear panels; 
     placing the liner bag in an intermediate bulk container, wherein the intermediate bulk container comprises a base and side walls mounted to the base, the base is provided with a valve port where the discharge port of the liner bag is installed; 
     arranging the liner bag in such a manner that after the liner bag is filled, a plane where the weld line is located is perpendicular to the base. 
     Preferably, the liner bag is further arranged in such a manner that after the liner bag is filled, the liner bag body is bilaterally symmetrical about the weld line. 
     Preferably, 0≤L≤10 cm. More preferably, 0≤L≤5 cm. 
     Preferably, 0≤L≤0.05*D. More preferably, 0≤L≤0.025*D. 
     Preferably, the front panel and the rear panel are both formed by cutting off at least one corner of the rectangular sheet. 
     Preferably, the front panel and the rear panel are both formed by cutting off two adjacent corners of the rectangular sheet, and the two cut lines formed by cutting off the two corners intersect with each other. 
     The liner bag of the present invention is simple to manufacture and facilitates the discharge of liquids, particularly viscous liquids, contained therein. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a schematic view showing the structure of a prior liner bag. 
         FIG.  2    is a view showing a state of the liner bag shown in  FIG.  1    when it is filled with liquids. 
         FIG.  3    shows a schematic view of the structure of another prior liner bag. 
         FIG.  4    shows a schematic view of the structure of a liner bag in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG.  5    shows a cross-sectional view of the liner bag of  FIG.  4    taken along section line I-I. 
         FIG.  6    shows a front view of the liner bag of  FIG.  4   . 
         FIG.  7    is a schematic view showing the structure of the liner bag of  FIG.  4    in an intermediate bulk container and filled with liquids. 
         FIG.  8    is a perspective view showing the structure of the liner bag of  FIG.  4    filled with liquids and deployed. 
         FIG.  9    is a view showing the structure of a first variant of the liner bag of  FIG.  4   . 
         FIG.  10    is a view showing the structure of a second variant of the liner bag of  FIG.  4   . 
         FIG.  11    is a view showing the structure of a third variant of the liner bag of  FIG.  4   . 
         FIG.  12    is a view showing the structure of a fourth variant of the liner bag of  FIG.  4   . 
         FIG.  13    is a view showing the structure of a fifth variant of the liner bag of  FIG.  4   . 
         FIG.  14    is a view showing the structure of a sixth variant of the liner bag of  FIG.  4   . 
         FIG.  15    is a view showing the structure of still another variant of the liner bag of  FIG.  4   . 
         FIG.  16    is a view showing a state after the filling of the liner bag of  FIG.  15    is completed. 
     
    
    
     THE DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, so that the purposes, features and advantages of the present invention can be more clearly understood. It should be understood that the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and is only used for illustrating the essential spirit of the technical solution of the present invention.
         As shown in  FIGS.  4 - 6   , the liner bag  10  includes a liner bag body and a discharge port  104 . The liner bag body is formed by hermetically welding a front panel  101  and a rear panel  102  along the periphery thereof. Primary weld lines  103  are formed along the entire periphery of the liner bag body. Preferably, the front panel  101  and the rear panel  102  are rectangular flexible sheets. The discharge port  104  is hermetically connected to the liner bag body. Specifically, the discharge port  104  is welded to one of the front panel  101  and the rear panel  102 . In the drawings, the discharge port  104  is welded to the front panel  101 .       

     The discharge port  104  is arranged close to the weld line  103 . In principle, the closer the edge of the discharge port  104  is to the weld line, the better the effect is. In an embodiment, it is assumed that the minimum distance between the edge of the discharge port  104  and the weld line  103  of the liner bag body is L, then 0≤L≤20 cm. Preferably, 0≤L≤10 cm. More preferably, 0≤L≤5 cm. Alternatively, 0≤L≤0.1*D, where D is the minimum length C or width W of the front or rear panel. Preferably, 0≤L≤0.05*D. More preferably, 0≤L≤0.025*D. 
     In order to prevent the four corners of the liner bag  10  from blocking the discharge ports during discharging, the discharge port  104  should have a distance from the corner of the liner bag body. Preferably, the minimum distance S between the discharge port  104  and the corner of the liner bag body should be greater than 20 cm. More preferably, S should be greater than 40 cm. It would be appreciated that the above minimum distance S is defined to be primarily applicable to the case where the liner bag is housed in a container having one base and four side walls mounted to the base. When the container is cylindrical or the container has more than four side walls, for example six side walls, the discharge port can also be located directly at the corner of the liner bag body, i.e., there is no limit for the minimum distance between the discharge port and the corner of the liner bag. 
     Herein, the sizes (i.e., volume) of the liner bag are typically 2501, 10001, and 12001. Correspondingly, the front panel and the rear panel are approximately 0.95 m*1.55 m, 2.1 m*2.25 m, and 2.1 m*2.45 m. 
       FIG.  7    illustrates the use of the above described liner bag  10  in an intermediate bulk container  20 , which forms a liquid transport system with the intermediate bulk container. As shown in  FIG.  7   , the intermediate bulk container  20  includes a base  201  and a side wall  202  mounted to the base  201 . The base  201  is provided with a valve port (not shown). The liner bag  10  is placed in the intermediate bulk container  20  and the discharge port  104  of the liner bag  10  is installed in the valve port. The liner bag  10  is arranged in such a manner that after the liner bag is filled, a plane where the weld lines  103  are located is perpendicular to the base  1 , as shown in  FIG.  8   . Further, the liner bag is also arranged in such a manner that when the liner bag is filled, the liner bag body is bilaterally symmetrical about the weld lines  103 . Thereby, when liquids, especially viscous liquids is being discharged, the liner bag can be clamped at the weld line by the extruding device, and the extruding force is applied to the liner bag while moving downward along the liner bag, thereby the liquid adhered to the inner surface of the liner bag is scraped off downward to reduce the residual liquid. 
     Specifically, by arranging the liner bag  10  in such a manner that after the liner bag is filled, a plane where the weld lines  103  are located is perpendicular to the base  1 , it can facilitate extruding downward along the weld lines with the extruding device. In contrast, in the prior art, since the weld lines of the liner bag are substantially parallel to the base after the filling is completed, the extruding device is blocked by the weld lines and is difficult to complete the extruding when moving to the weld lines, thereby it is difficult to remove the adhered liquid on the inner surface of the liner bag. By disposing the discharge port near the weld line and arranging the liner bag in such a manner that after the liner bag is filled, the liner bag body is bilaterally symmetric about the weld lines, so that the liner bag is substantially axially symmetric about the discharge port, thus during the liquid discharging, the liquid can be relatively thoroughly discharged from the liner bag through the discharge port. 
       FIG.  9    is a view showing the structure of a first variant of the liner bag of  FIG.  4   . The liner bag shown in  FIG.  9    is mainly different from the liner bag shown in  FIG.  4    in that, in the liner bag shown in  FIG.  8   , the discharge port is also used as a filling port, and in the liner bag  30  shown in  FIG.  9   , the discharge port  301  and the filling port  302  are provided separately, the discharge port  301  is close to the bottom edge of the liner bag, and the filling port  302  is close to the top edge of the liner bag. The rest are the same and will not be described in detail here. 
       FIG.  10    is a view showing the structure of a second variant of the liner bag of  FIG.  4   . The liner bag  40  shown in  FIG.  10    is mainly different from the liner bag shown in  FIG.  4    in that, in the liner bag  40  shown in  FIG.  10   , on the outer side of the weld line  401  on one side, that is, the weld line  401  farthest from the discharge port, a portion of the bag body  402  is also extended beyond there. The primary function of this portion of the bag body is to facilitate the gripping by the extruding device (which is used to extrude the liquid in the liner bag to reduce liquid residue). The rest are the same and will not be described in detail here. 
       FIG.  11    is a view showing the structure of a third variant of the liner bag of  FIG.  4   . The liner bag  50  shown in  FIG.  11    is mainly different from the liner bag shown in  FIG.  4    in that, an secondary weld line  504  is formed between two adjacent primary weld lines  502  and  503 , and a secondary weld line  505  is also formed between two adjacent primary weld lines  501  and  502 . The secondary weld lines  504  and  505  are both connected to the primary weld line and are inclined downward. The secondary weld lines  504  and  505  intersect with each other to form a corner, a discharge port  506  is located at the bottom of the corner. Here, the minimum distance L between the discharge port  506  and the secondary weld line is also as small as possible. Preferably, 0≤L≤20 cm; or 0≤L≤0.1*D, where D is the minimum of lengths and widths of the front and rear panels. More preferably, 0≤L≤10 cm, or 0≤L≤0.05*D. Most preferably, 0≤L≤5 cm, or 0≤L≤0.025*D. The rest are the same and will not be described in detail here. 
     It would be appreciated that the primary purpose of the secondary weld lines are to form a flow guiding structure to facilitate the discharge of liquids. The arrangement of the secondary weld lines can be variously modified, for example, only one secondary weld line can be provided, for example, only one of the secondary weld lines  504  and  505  is provided. Alternatively, more secondary weld lines can be provided. The secondary weld lines do not have to intersect each other. 
       FIG.  12    is a view showing the structure of a fourth variant of the liner bag of  FIG.  4   . The liner bag  60  shown in  FIG.  12    is mainly different from the liner bag shown in  FIG.  4    in that, the liner bag of  FIG.  4    is formed by welding two rectangular sheets along the periphery thereof, and the liner bag of  FIG.  12    is formed by welding two rectangular sheets with one corner  601  cut off along the periphery thereof. Here, the position relationship between the discharge port  602  and the weld line is the same as that of the liner bag of  FIG.  4   , and will not be described in detail herein. After the completion of the welding, the cut off corner can form a flow guiding structure, which is favorable for the discharge of liquids. The rest are the same and will not be described in detail here. 
       FIG.  13    is a view showing the structure of a fifth variant of the liner bag of  FIG.  4   . The liner bag  70  shown in  FIG.  13    is mainly different from the liner bag shown in  FIG.  4    in that, the liner bag of  FIG.  4    is formed by welding two rectangular sheets along the periphery thereof, and the liner bag of  FIG.  13    is formed by welding two rectangular sheets with two corners  701  and  702  cut off along the periphery thereof. The cut lines of the two cut off corners intersect with each other. Here, the position relationship between the discharge port  703  and the weld line is the same as that of the liner bag of  FIG.  4   , and will not be described in detail herein. After the welding of two cut off corners are completed, a flow guiding structure can be formed to facilitate the discharge of liquids. The rest are the same and will not be described in detail here. 
       FIG.  14    is a view showing the structure of a sixth variant of the liner bag of  FIG.  4   . The liner bag  80  shown in  FIG.  14    is mainly different from the liner bag shown in  FIG.  4    in that, the liner bag of  FIG.  4    is formed by welding two rectangular sheets along the periphery thereof, and the liner bag of  FIG.  14    is formed by welding two rectangular sheets with two corners  801  and  802  cut off along the periphery thereof. The cut lines of the two cut off corners don&#39;t intersect with each other (although their extension lines intersect with each other). Here, the position relationship between the discharge port  803  and the weld line is the same as that of the liner bag of  FIG.  4   , and will not be described in detail herein. After the welding of two cut off corners are completed, a flow guiding structure can be formed to facilitate the discharge of liquids. The rest are the same and will not be described in detail here. 
     It would be appreciated that in each of the above embodiments, the filling port may be separately provided, or the discharge port may be also used as the filling port. In the case of providing a filling port, the filling port is usually located at the top of the liner bag after the liner bag is filled with liquids. In each of the above embodiments, the discharge port is usually adjacent to a weld line on the base when the liner bag is filled with liquids. However, the discharge port may also be disposed adjacent to the weld line perpendicular to the base when the liner bag is filled with liquids and close to the base. For example, as shown in  FIGS.  15  and  16   , the discharge port  901  on the liner bag  90  is disposed adjacent to a weld line  903 , wherein a weld line  902  is placed on the base when the liner bag is filled with liquids, and the weld line  903  is substantially perpendicular to the base. It would be appreciated that the discharge port  901  can also be disposed adjacent to a weld line  904 . 
     The liner bag of the invention has simple welding structure, less residual amount after discharging, good manufacturing process, simple operation and cost saving, and is especially suitable for the containing and transport of viscous liquids. 
     Preferable embodiments of the invention have been described in detail as above. It should be understood that, after reading the above teaching of the invention, various changes or modifications of the invention can be made by those skilled in the art. All of the equivalents fall in the protection scope defined by the attached claims.