Patent ID: 8616370

Claim:
A bulk material shipping container comprising: a pallet including a shelf having a front shoulder, a left side shoulder, and a right side shoulder; a compartment mounted on the pallet, said compartment including: (a) a lower exterior bottom wall defining a substantially central material release opening, (b) a plurality of wedge shaped interior bottom wall supports attached to the lower exterior bottom wall, (c) a front exterior wall attached to the lower exterior bottom wall, (d) a back exterior wall attached to the lower exterior bottom wall, (e) a first exterior side wall attached to the lower exterior bottom wall, (f) a second exterior side wall attached to the lower exterior bottom wall, and (g) an upper interior bottom wall defined by a plurality of attached downwardly angled sections, said sections attached to and supported by: (i) the lower exterior bottom wall, (ii) the plurality of interior bottom wall supports, (iii) the front exterior wall, (iv) the back exterior wall, (v) the first exterior side wall, and (vi) the second exterior side wall, each of a plurality of said sections having a lower edge positioned adjacent to the material release opening and supported by the pallet; a material unloading assembly supported by the compartment and the pallet, said material unloading assembly including a plurality of guide rails attached to the bottom compartment and resting on the shelf of the pallet, a gate supported by the guide rails and having a closure member and a handle attached to the closure member, said closure member movable between closed and open positions, said material unloading assembly including a knife having a leaf spring having one end attached to the gate and a fin shaped blade attached to a free end of leaf spring, the fin shaped blade including a cutting member having a cutting edge and a back edge opposite the cutting edge, said leaf spring configured to bias the cutting member to extend through a slot in the closure member of the gate when the closure member is in an open position; and a material loading assembly attached to the compartment.