Fluent material handling – with receiver or receiver coacting mea – Filling means with receiver or receiver coacting means – With puncturing connecting means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-10
2001-09-25
Huson, Gregory L. (Department: 3751)
Fluent material handling, with receiver or receiver coacting mea
Filling means with receiver or receiver coacting means
With puncturing connecting means
C141S114000, C141S329000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06293318
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application relates to German Application DE 199 37 700.6, filed Aug. 10, 1999, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an emptying station for bulk bags, in particular for bulk bags containing particulate hazardous materials, such as cyanuric chloride. The emptying station of this invention is especially useful for emptying bulk bags in a dust-free, safe manner and for rinsing the emptied bags.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various devices are known for emptying bulk bags, which as referred to herein mean large packaging containers which have in particular a capacity of from 100 to 1000 kg and are made of single-ply or multi-ply sacking material. U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,070 discusses one such device, which is purportedly useful for preventing problems arising during emptying of a bulk bag comprising an inner sack and an outer sack. The emptying device comprises a double-tube structure having an inner tube and an outer tube, a holding device arranged centrally above the inner tube for receiving a bulk bag, a raisable and lowerable closing ring for closing the upper end of an annular gap formed by the inner and outer tubes of the double-tube structure, and gripping and pulling devices for gripping and pulling taut the discharge neck of the inner sack. In operation, a bulk bag is inverted and lowered so that its outlet neck is gripped and pulled into the inner tube. The tie of the discharge neck can then be untied to release the contents of the bulk bag into the inner tube. Although this device allows safe emptying of powder-form bulk material, such as cyanuric chloride, handling of bulk materials with this device is rather complex. Another drawback of the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,070 is that no provision is made for rinsing the emptied bulk bag before disposal of the emptied bulk bag.
It is also known in the art to cut open the bottom of a bulk bag suspended from a carrier means by lowering the bulk bag onto an opening device to thereby empty the bulk bag. The opening device consists of commercially available cutters known as pyramid cutters. At least three cutters are used in the opening device, and in the case of bulk bags of substantially rectangular cross section, preferably four cutters are used. The cutters are arranged in a pyramid with their blades coming together at the top to form an apex of the pyramid. A pin is positioned at the pyramid apex for piercing the bottom of a bulk bag lowered onto the opening device. The pyramid cutters are conventionally arranged in a bulk bag receiving means provided with an outlet. During the opening operation, the bulk bag is lowered through a top opening of the bulk bag receiving means until the bulk bag is pierced then cut by the pin and cutters, respectively. During the emptying operation, a stationary rubber sleeve arranged between the bulk bag and the receiving means functions to reduce the amount of dust escaping through the top opening. The rubber sleeve is constructed as an inverted bowl or as a cylindrical element. However, the rubber sleeve is only partially effective, making devices equipped with the rubber sleeve unsatisfactory for emptying bulk bags filled with hazardous materials. Such emptying stations also lack means for rinsing out the bulk bag with a liquid rinsing agent immediately after emptying thereof. The absence of an effective rinsing means allows contents of the bulk bag to remain adhered to the sack wall after the emptying operation is complete, since no rinsing means is provided for dissolving or rinsing the residual contents away.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a bulk-bag emptying station which is suitable for safe, dust-free emptying of contents, especially hazardous materials, from bulk bags.
In accordance with the principles of this invention, the above other objects are attained by the provision of a bulk-bag emptying station for emptying bulk bags having suspenders. The station comprises a bulk bag receptacle body comprising side walls. The side walls preferably form a box having a rectangular or square cross section and a sufficient height and volume to receive the bulk bag and suspenders thereof while leaving gaps between inner surfaces of the side walls and the bulk bag received therein. The receptacle body has a top opening configured to receive the bulk bag and a bottom outlet configured to dispense contents of the bulk bag. A bulk-bag cutting subassembly is accommodated in the bulk bag receptacle body and comprises at least three cutters and a puncture pin. Each of the cutters has an associated blade facing upwards, with the cutters collectively being arranged to define a pyramid having an apex, with the puncture pin positioned at the apex to point upwardly. The emptying station further comprises a top closure raisable into a receiving state in which the top closure is spaced from the receptacle body and lowerable into a closed state in which the top closure is received in the top opening. The top closure is engageable with the suspenders of the bulk bag so that raising and lowering of the top closure moves the bulk bag, when engaged to the top closure, out of and into contact with the cutting subassembly. A sealing structure positioned on the inner surfaces of the side walls of the receptacle body seals the gaps formed between the side walls and the bulk bag when the filled bulk bag is received in the receptable body.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a bulk-bag emptying station which allows for dust-free emptying of hazardous materials from bulk bags and, subsequent to the emptying operation, allows for rinsing of the inner sack and optionally the outside of the outer sack. In accordance with the principles of this invention, the above and other objects are attained by providing the emptying station with one or more spray nozzles and one or more supply lines for supplying a rinsing agent to the spray nozzles. The spray nozzles are preferably positioned inside the pyramid, so that subsequent to opening a bulk bag with the cutting subassembly and emptying of the opened bulk bag, the inside of the bulk bag can be washed. Spray nozzles can also be positioned outside of the pyramid of cutters to rinse the outside of the bulk bags.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a process of emptying and cleaning a single- or multi-ply bulk bag having a substantially flat bottom and suspenders, especially bulk bags having hazardous contents, such as cyanuric chloride.
In accordance with the principles of this invention, the above and other objects are attained by the provision of a process in which an emptying station is provided, the emptying station comprising a bulk-bag receptacle body including side walls and having a top opening and bottom outlet, a bulk-bag cutting subassembly accommodated in the receptacle body and comprising at least three cutters and a puncture pin, a raisable and lowerable top closure, and a sealing structure positioned on the inner surfaces of the side walls of the bulk bag receptacle body. The cutters each have an associated blade facing upwards and the cutters are collectively arranged to define a pyramid having an apex, with the puncture pin positioned at the apex to point upwardly. The suspenders of the bulk bag are coupled to the top closure, and the bulk bag is suspended from the top closure and spaced from the bulk bag cutting subassembly. The top closure and the bulk bag coupled thereto are then lowered so that the substantially flat bottom surface of the bulk bag is pierced by the puncture pin and cut by the blades of the cutters to begin emptying of the contents from the bulk bags. At the same time, the sealing structure seals the gaps formed between the inner surfaces of the side walls and the bulk bag. In this manner, the sealing structure prevents dust from escaping through the top opening, which is not yet
Ehrlich Johannes
Ohlemacher Jurgen
Schmidt Manfred
Degussa - AG
Huson Gregory L.
Huynh Khoa D.
Pillsbury & Winthrop LLP
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