Patent Publication Number: US-6209747-B1

Title: Liner bag nozzle retainer

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to containers to hold a liquid or a liquefiable material which is to be gravity discharged from the container. The container conventionally has a plastic film liner bag to hold the material to be discharged and is provided with a nozzle which projects from the container. The present invention relates specifically to a means to retain the liner bag nozzle in the projecting condition. 
     PRIOR ART 
     It is known to make a container for the above purposes which has a base and four fold down side panels coupled to the base, where the four sides can be erected and interlocked to provide a four sided enclosure to which a lid is fitted to complete the container. One of the side panels is conventionally provided with an opening to allow the liner bag nozzle to project from the container. 
     In one form of container as above the side panels have been in opposed pairs. One pair of side panels are primary panels of full container height. They are hinged to the base in a manner allowing a first of the primary panels to be folded down over the base and the second primary panel to be folded down to overlie the first primary panel. The other pair of side panels are secondary panels with a height less than full container height and when erected form extensions of two upstanding base plinths with the combined heights of a base plinth and a secondary panel substantially equalling the height of a primary panel. The secondary panels are hinged to the base in a manner allowing the a first of the secondary panels to be folded down over the folded down primary panels and the second secondary panel to be folded down to overlie the first of the secondary panels. 
     One of the primary panels as described above, or a plinth associated with a secondary panel, has hitherto been provided with the opening for the liner bag discharge nozzle and with associated means to retain the bag nozzle in the opening and projecting from the container. Liner bag nozzles are commonly of two different sizes. The size of nozzle is primarily dictated by the “flowability” of the liquid material held in the liner bag. Those materials with low viscosity would use a bag with a nozzle of a size smaller than that used with materials having a high viscosity. It follows that the means to retain the nozzle in the projecting condition must be able to accommodate both nozzle sizes. 
     It is also seen as an advantage if a container as described above and used to carry liquids could be used for the transport of non-liquid materials, either contained in or not contained in a liner bag. In order to do this the nozzle opening has to be closed when non-liquid material is transported in the container. The present invention fulfills all of the above requirements. 
     BROAD STATEMENT OF INVENTION 
     A liner bag nozzle retainer including a support means with a nozzle receiving aperture through the support means, a pair of shutters with a portion of an outer shutter adjacent a side edge thereof overlying a portion of an inner shutter adjacent a side edge thereof, each shutter includes a cut-out in its side edge, the cut-outs combine to form a notch to engage a liner bag nozzle when extending through said aperture, a track in each shutter, a track follower for each track fixed to the support means, the tracks each include a first part with the first parts converging towards bottom edges of the shutters, said first track parts having a length such that when said first parts are moved relative to the track followers said shutters either move towards each other with a reduction in the size of said notch and a downward movement of the shutters to partly occlude said aperture or away from each other with an enlargement of said notch and an upward movement of said shutters so there is no occlusion of said aperture, and securing means to secure the tracks of said shutters in selected positions relative to said track followers. 
    
    
     GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional container of the fold-down panel type described above (without a lid) provided with a nozzle retaining means according to the invention, 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the nozzle retaining means of FIG. 1 as it would be seen when a cover for the retaining means is held in a raised position, the retaining means is shown at its maximum opening to allow a liner bag nozzle to pass through the retainer, 
     FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 with the retaining means in the retaining position for a large nozzle, 
     FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 with the retaining means in the retaining position for a small nozzle, 
     FIG. 5 is a view with the retaining means in a position in which the nozzle opening is closed off, 
     FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing a variation of the securing means which holds the retaining means in a selected position. 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a base for a container different to that shown in FIG.  1  and 
     FIG. 8 is a sectional end view of a folded down container having the base of FIG.  7 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In FIG. 1 there is shown a container  1  having a base  2  with an opposed pair of upstanding plinths  3  and  4 . At each corner the base  2  has a panel supporting post  5 . A pair of primary side panels  6  and  7  are hinged in known manner to the base  2  allowing the panels  6  and  7  to be folded down from the upstanding position of FIG. 1 (where they engage the supporting posts) to an overlying position, one panel over the other over the base  2 . 
     In known containers of this type one of the panels  6  or  7  would have an opening to accept the nozzle of a liner bag and would be provided with nozzle retaining means. As illustrated the container differs from the “nozzle opening in panel” construction just described, although it is to be understood that the retaining means of the present invention can be applied to a side panel such as that identified  6  in FIG.  1 . 
     In FIG. 1 secondary side panels  8  and  9  are hinged in known manner to the base  2  and when erected, as shown in FIG. 1, engage the supporting posts  5  and sit on the top of the plinths  3  and  4 . The combined heights of a secondary panel and a plinth is substantially the same as the height of a primary panel. The hinging of the secondary panels allows those panels to be folded down into overlying relationship on top of the overlying primary panels  6  and  7 . 
     Coupling means of known type are used to couple the bottom rails of the panels  6 , 7  and  8 , 9  to the base  2  and the plinths  3 , 4 , respectively and further coupling means of known type are provided to couple adjacent edges of the panels  6 , 7 , 8 , 9  to provide a rigid four sided enclosure which is coupled to and upstands from the base  2 . 
     In this invention there is a liner bag nozzle opening  10  in the base plinth  3 , the size of the opening  10  is sufficient to allow the largest nozzle to be used to pass there through. The plinth  3  has an upper flange  11  and a lower flange  12  which is stepped, as indicated  13 , above a base foot  14 . The upper flange  11  has two depending lugs  15 . A cover  17  is pivotally mounted to the lugs  15  by links  16 . The cover  17  can pivot between the closed position (see FIG.  1 ), where it would cover a bag nozzle extending through the opening  10 , and a bag nozzle exposing open position, as shown in FIG.  2 . The cover  17  can be retained in the FIG. 2 position by engagement of a lug  20  on the flange  11  engaged in a slot  21  in the cover  17 . 
     Two downwardly convergent bars  22  and  23  connect the flanges  11  and  12  and the bars  22  and  23  intersect the flange  12  at positions spaced from the ends of the step  13  thereby providing lands  24  on the flange  12 . 
     Two retainer plates  25  shaped as best shown in FIGS. 2 and 7 are mounted in the zone defined by the flanges  11  and  12  and the bars  22  and  23 . The plates  25  include guide slots  26  respectively engaged by studs  27  threaded and fitted with wing nuts  28 . Inner edges of the plates are provided with notches with faces  29 , 30  at 120 degrees between the faces to engage respectively pairs of sides of a six sided collar on a bag nozzle or engage in a circumferential groove around a liner bag nozzle. 
     As will be clear from FIG. 3, with the plates  25  fully retracted and the studs  27  at the lowermost ends of the slots  26  the opening  10  is in no way occluded. In FIG. 7, the plates have been moved to bring the notch faces  29  and  30  closer together, to partly occlude the hole  10 , in which position the notch faces  29 , 30  would engage the co-operating surfaces of the largest of the bag nozzles to be used. At this stage the wing nuts  28  would be tightened and the nozzle extending through the opening  10  would be retained in the projecting position. 
     If a smaller liner bag nozzle was to be used, the plates  25  would be moved closer together until the notch faces have the spacing shown in FIG. 4, corresponding with the size of the bag nozzle in use and then the wing nuts  28  would be tightened. It will be noted here that the tails  31  of the plates  25  are now entered into a slot formed by a joggled plate  43 . The studs  27  are now at the direction change position of the slots  26 . 
     It follows that any further movement of the plates  25  to occlude the opening  10  will involve only lateral movement of the plates  25 . That movement has been made in FIG. 5, the opening  10  is fully occluded, the studs  27  are now at the ends of the slots  26  and when the wing nuts  28  are tightened the opening  10  will be securely closed off allowing use of the container for material such as plastic granules or the like, either loosely placed in the container or housed in a liner bag in the container. 
     The cover  17  would then be released and lowered to the FIG. 1 position. Securement means of a suitable type can be provided to releasable secure the cover  17  in the closed position. 
     Referring now to the FIG. 6, which is a variation of the basic arrangement just described. In FIG. 6, there is provided a retainer bar  39  which overlies the plates  25  and keeps them in close relationship during their relative movement and when in their operational positions. There is also provided bars  40  with notches  41 , the arrangement being such that the side flanges  42  of the cover  17  will register with notches for the several positions in which the plates  25  are retained to accord with nozzle sizes and the position where the opening  10  is closed off. 
     The positioning of the plates  25  is made positive in this embodiment not by wing nuts but by providing registration enlargements  44 , 45 , 46 , 47  in the grooves  26 . The positioning of the plates  25  is by the engagement in the slot enlargements of a nose part of a spring loaded locator  48 , the locators being slidably mounted in pins engaged in the tracks  26 . 
     It follows that when the plates  25  are in the fully separated position they will be held in that position by the engagement of the nose parts of the locators  48  engaging in the enlargements  47 . When the larger of the two nozzles to be used is to be engaged by the notches in the plates  25 , the locators  48  would be moved away from the plates  25  (against spring action provided by springs in the locators) to disengage the nose parts of the locators from the enlargements  47 . The plates  25  would then be moved together to the nozzle securing position where the nose parts of the locators would be aligned with the enlargements  46 . The locators would then be released to engage the locator nose parts in the enlargements  46  thereby retaining the plates  25  in that position. 
     When the locator nose parts are in the enlargements  45  the plates  25  would be set to the securing position for the smaller of the two nozzles to be used and the plate tails  31  would be behind the plate  43 . When the locator nose parts are in the enlargements  44  plates  25  would be positioned to close off the hole  10 . 
     The cover connecting links  16  allow the cover  17  to be spaced at different distances from the plates  25 . This is to allow for the fact that the larger nozzle will project further beyond the plates  25  than will the smaller nozzle. The securement means for the cover is a slide bolt  49  for engagement in one or other of the holes  50  in the cover side flange  42 , depending upon whether the cover is over a small or large nozzle. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8, these FIGS. illustrate an arrangement which allows the liner bag to be mounted on a container and remain in place and in tact when the container side panels are folded down. In order to achieve this a space is required for the liner bag. The space is provided by rails  34  on the base  2 . The panels  6 , 7  when erected sit on the top edges of the rails  34 , in the same manner as the panels  8 , 9  sit on the top edges of the plinths  3 , 4 . When folded down, see sectional view FIG. 8, the container panels  6 , 7 , 8 , 9  are in overlying position and there is a space  35  between the lowermost side panel and the support surface  36  of the base  2 . The liner bag  37  is housed in the space  35 . 
     In a container supply situation, where the assembly as illustrated in FIG. 8 is sold or hired to a user, an unused liner bag  37  would be housed in the space  35 , the container side panels  6 , 7 , 8 , 9  and a container lid  38  would be in overlying position and held against lateral movement by the supporting posts  5 . In an after-use situation where liner bags after emptying are returned to the container supplier or hirer for re-use or recycling or destruction, the liner bag, after emptying, would be folded down on the base support surface  36 , the container side panels and lid would be positioned as shown in FIG.  8  and the complete container and bag would be shipped bag to the hirer or supplier. 
     As will be understood, changes can be made to the members described in the embodiments without departing from the inventive concepts herein disclosed. For example, the bars  22 , 23  can be sloped to correspond with the sloping sides of the shutters  25  so the shutters are guided in their up and down movement by engagement between the bars  22 , 23  and the sloping sides of the shutters.