Bulk bag transport apparatus

[0001] Priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/735,448, filed Nov. 10, 2005, incorporated herein by reference, is hereby claimed.

[0002] This is a continuation in part of U.S. Ser. No. 11/531,926, filed Sep. 14, 2006, hereby incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] Not applicable

[0004] Not applicable

[0005] 1. Field of the Invention

[0006] The present invention relates to the transport of bulk bags with a specially configured receptacle that carries a plurality of bulk bags side by side. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to a new and improved bulk bag transport apparatus that features a receptacle having a plurality of side walls, a bottom wall and an interior with an open top. Doors enable loading with a fork lift.

[0007] 2. General Background of the Invention

[0008] In the drilling and production of oil and gas, many chemicals necessarily must be transported to a drill site which can in many instances be many miles offshore in a marine environment.

[0009] The transfer of materials to these remote marine locations can be costly and dangerous. Thus, there is a need for a simple yet effective way to transport materials to oil and gas well drilling and production platforms in an offshore marine environment.

[0010] Once a delivery is made to an offshore location, floor space is at a premium. Offshore oil and gas well drilling facilities are quite expensive to construct and there is very little extra space for the storage of supplies. It is to this problem that the present invention is directed.

[0011] The present invention provides a bulk bag transport apparatus that includes a receptacle having a plurality of side walls, a bottom wall, an interior and an open top surrounded by an upper edge.

[0012] A bulk bag transport apparatus employs a receptacle that is divided into a plurality of bulk bag holding sectors. The receptacle provides a base that is constructed of a plurality of beams such as eye beams including peripheral beams and transverse beams.

[0013] Lifting eyes are provided along each side of the receptacle.

[0014] Doors can be opened to enable forward loading of bulk bags using a fork lift.

[0026] FIGS. 1-9 show the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, designated generally by the numeral 10. Bulk bag transport apparatus 10 has a bottom portion 11, a top portion 12 and a plurality of bays or sections 13, 14, 15, 16. Each bay or section is configured to carry a bulk bag 30 as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. Each bay or section 13-16 provides a floor upon which a bulk bag 30 can rest. The bay or section 13 has floor 17. The bay or section 14 has floor 18. The bay or section 15 has floor 19. The bay or section 16 has floor 20.

[0027] Four lifting eyes 21 are placed on top portion 12. Each lifting eye 21 is adapted to be connected to rigging such as a shackle 76 and sling 75. These slings and shackles are then connected to a lifting device such as a crane. The apparatus 10 of the present invention can also be lifted with a fork lift, providing fork lift tine sockets 35, 36 as shown in FIG. 1. When adding a bulk bag 30 to the apparatus 10, either a fork lift or a crane can be used to add the bulk bag. The bulk bag 30 can either be lowered by a crane using rigging that includes for example slings 75 and shackle 76 or a fork lift having tines 32, 33 can be used to lift a pallet 31 that carries a bulk bag 30 as shown in FIG. 8. The arrow 34 in FIG. 8 schematically illustrates transfer of a pallet 31 holding a bulk bag 30. The arrow 34 indicates that a fork lift having tines 32, 33 engages and lifts the pallet 31 and the contained bulk bag 30 and then transfers the pallet 31 and its bulk bag 30 to floor 18 of bay or section 14. Because the apparatus 10 provides bays or sections 13-16 with open tops, bulk bags 30 can be added vertically from above apparatus 10. Further, because of specially configured walls and gates, the bulk bags 30 can be removed either by lifting the bag 30 vertically from its bay or section 13-16 or by pulling the bag 30 upon a pallet 31 from the bay 13-16, in any case without risk of tearing or otherwise damaging the bag 30.

[0028] The apparatus 10 is a structural liftable transportable frame that includes corner columns 22-25 which are supported upon a base that is comprised of front perimeter beam 26, rear perimeter beam 27, side perimeter beam 28, and side perimeter beam 29. Further, the perimeter beams 26-29 support the floors 17-20 which are welded thereto, the floors 17-20 and perimeter beams 26-29 being of welded steel construction for example. Transverse beams extend laterally from front perimeter beam 26 to rear perimeter beam 27. These transverse beams that are part of lower section 11 include transverse beam 77, transverse beam 78, or an intermediate floor beam 74 such as shown in FIGS. 5-7. These intermediate beams 74, 77, 78 span between the front perimeter beam 26 and the rear perimeter beam 27 at least at a position below each of the interior walls 48, 49, 50.

[0029] Each bay 13-16 is thus defined by a floor section 17-20, a wall 46, 47, 48, 49, 50 and a gate 37-40. Each gate 37-40 attaches to a front intermediate column 67, 68, 69 at a provided hinge or hinges 41. Each bay 13-16 is also defined by a rear wall section 42, 43, 44 or 45.

[0030] As shown in FIGS. 4-6 and 8-9, specially configured angled plate sections 51, 52, 53 are placed to prevent damage to any bulk bag 30 during either placement within a selected bay 13-16 or during removal of a bulk bag 30 from a selected bay 13-16. For example, in FIG. 4, the interior wall 50 is provided with an angled plate section 52 that extends generally horizontally across the upper end portion of interior wall 50. Another angled plate section 53 extends generally vertically along the forward edge of interior wall 50 at a position next to gate 39. These angled plate sections 51-53 extend from an interior wall 48, 49, 50 to an upper transverse beam such as 60 or 61 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 so that when a bag 30 is lifted upwardly, the bag is deflected by plate section 51, 52, 53 so that it does not engage or become damaged by an upper transverse beam 60, 61 or a gate 37-40.

[0031] The apparatus 10 includes a plurality of intermediate columns 54, 55, 56. Upper transverse beams 58-62 extend transversely, helping to divide the bays 13-16 apart.

[0032] Upper rear beams 63-66 are provided as are front intermediate columns 67, 68, 69. Latch parts are provided on the doors or gates 37-40 which engage corresponding latch parts on an intermediate column. In FIG. 1, the latch part 71 is provided on each gate 37-40. The latch part 70 is provided on each column for enabling a connection to be made with the latch part 71 of the gate.

[0033] Each gate can be reinforced with a plurality of horizontal beams 72. Each gate has vertical beams 79, 80. Each gate 37-40 is provided with gate plate sections 73.

[0034] In FIG. 10, the transport apparatus 10A is similar in construction to the transport apparatus 10 of FIGS. 1-9, but provides eight (8) bays 81-88.

[0035] The following is a list of parts and materials suitable for use in the present invention:

[0036]

PARTS LIST:
Parts Number	Description
10	apparatus
10A	apparatus
11	bottom portion
12	top portion
13	bay/section
14	bay/section
15	bay/section
16	bay/section
17	floor
18	floor
19	floor
20	floor
21	lifting eye
22	corner column
23	corner column
24	corner column
25	corner column
26	front perimeter beam
27	rear perimeter beam
28	side perimeter beam
29	side perimeter beam
30	bulk bag
31	pallet
32	fork lift tine
33	fork lift tine
34	arrow
35	socket
36	socket
37	gate
38	gate
39	gate
40	gate
41	hinge
42	rear wall section
43	rear wall section
44	rear wall section
45	rear wall section
46	end wall
47	end wall
48	interior wall
49	interior wall
50	interior wall
51	angled plate section
52	angled plate section
53	angled plate section
54	intermediate column
55	intermediate column
56	intermediate column
58	upper transverse beam
59	upper transverse beam
60	upper transverse beam
61	upper transverse beam
62	upper transverse beam
63	upper rear beam
64	upper rear beam
65	upper rear beam
66	upper rear beam
67	front intermediate column
68	front intermediate column
69	front intermediate column
70	latch part
71	latch part
72	gate horizontal beam
73	gate plate section
74	intermediate floor beam
75	sling
76	shackle
77	transverse beam
78	transverse beam
79	vertical beam
80	vertical beam
81	bay/section
82	bay/section
83	bay/section
84	bay/section
85	bay/section
86	bay/section
87	bay/section
88	bay/section

[0037] All measurements disclosed herein are at standard temperature and pressure, at sea level on Earth, unless indicated otherwise. All materials used or intended to be used in a human being are biocompatible, unless indicated otherwise.

[0038] The foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only; the scope of the present invention is to be limited only by the following claims.