Patent ID: 7374387

Claim:
Method for emptying a Big Bag which is filled with pourable, pulverized goods which are not to come into contact with the surroundings, comprising the following steps: inserting the Big Bag from above into a substantially vertically arranged sluice means ( 2 ) which is sealable from the surroundings and communicates with a processing container ( 3 ) for receiving the contents of the Big Bag, cutting open the Big Bag inside the sluice means by a cutting means ( 6 ) arranged on the lower side of the sluice means, on which the Big Bag is placed, and transferring the empty Big Bag to a removal zone (A) in the sluice means, in which the Big Bag is compressed and removed into a plastic sack ( 8 ) attached to the sluice means ( 2 ), characterized in that the Big Bag is inserted into the sluice means by a transporting unit ( 1 ), which transporting unit ( 1 ) comprises on its lower side a transporting plate ( 1 a ) for carrying the Big Bag, which transporting plate is connected to a crane arrangement by a cable ( 1 e ) so that the transporting plate with the Big Bag is lowered by the crane arrangement within the sluice means and the transporting unit, by being set down on the sluice means, seals the sluice means off from its surroundings after removal of the Big Bag from the sluice means, a part ( 1 a ) of the transporting unit ( 1 ) transporting the Big Bag inside the sluice means ( 2 ) is lifted into a washing zone (W) over a slider ( 4 ), by which the sluice means ( 2 ) is sealed off, while the part ( 1 a ) of the transporting unit is washed by spray jets ( 12 ) and then dried.