The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 26, 1997
Filed:
Sep. 05, 1995
Charles S Alack, St. Louis, MO (US);
Avrom R Handleman, Webster Groves, MO (US);
Benjamin Allan Wanner, Hillsboro, MO (US);
Semi-Bulk Systems, Inc., Fenton, MO (US);
Abstract
A container for holding fluent material comprises a bag of flexible material defining a volume for containing a load of material, a rigid base for supporting the bag, and tension members within the bag for constraining the bag to assume a shape in which the bag is generally rectangular in horizontal cross section when a load is contained within the volume. The bag has four side walls, a top opening in communication with the volume for loading of fluent material into the container, and a bottom. The tension members include a first elongate flexible tension member extending across the interior of the bag between a first side wall and a second side wall of the bag, and a second elongate flexible tension member extending across the interior of the bag between a third side wall and a fourth side wall of the bag. The respective ends of respective tension members are connected to respective side walls of the bag for constraining outward bulging of the side walls when a load is contained within the volume so that the bag assumes a generally rectangular horizontal cross section. The elongate tensions members of the set are so positioned and so dimensioned in transverse cross section that they do not significantly inhibit free flow of the fluent material within the volume in any direction.