Flexible container assembly and methods for making and using the same
View Patent ↗A flexible container assembly and methods for making and using such an assembly are disclosed herein. The assembly is configured to hold an amount of material, such as heavy and/or bulky material (e.g., industrial, job or work site waste material). In some embodiments, the assembly includes a support structure and a flexible container structure configured to interface with, so as to be supported at least in part by, the support structure.
1. A method of disposing an amount of material, the method comprising:
(a) providing a flexible container assembly comprising
(i) a flexible container structure comprising
(A) a flexible container comprising — an openable bottom wall comprising folded bottom flaps and four side wall sections,
(B) four support pocket structures connected to an exterior upper end of each respective side wall section,
(C) a first strap affixed to a side wall section and a second strap affixed to the bottom wall section, the first strap releasably connected to the second strap and placing the bottom wall in a closed state, the bottom wall section and the side walls sections forming a walled enclosure for containing the amount of the material within the flexible container,
(D) four cross-corner lifting loops attached to a top rim of the flexible container structure and
(ii) a support structure comprising two U-shaped support members in a crisscross arrangement and having an X-shaped footprint, the two U-shaped support members comprising four vertical supports, an end of each vertical support received into a respective support pocket structure;
(b) lifting the flexible container structure upwardly and away from the support structure;
(c) removing the vertical support members from each respective support pocket structure;
(d) opening the bottom wall; and
(e) discharging the amount of material from the flexible container.
2. The method of claim 1 comprising
engaging, with a machine, the lifting loops; and
lifting the flexible container away from the support structure.
3. The method of claim 1 comprising releasing the first strap from the second strap;
opening the openable bottom wall; and
discharging, through the opened bottom wall, the material from the flexible container.
4. The method of claim 1 comprising transporting, after the lifting, the flexible container structure to another location.
5. The method of claim 1 comprising transporting, after the removing and before the opening, the raised flexible container structure to a dump site.
6. The method of claim 1 comprising discharging the amount of material into a truck bed.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the containing comprises containing an amount of construction material in the flexible container structure.
8. The method of claim 1 comprising containing from 100 kg to 2000 kg of material within the flexible container.
9. The method of claim 6 comprising discharging from 100 kg to 2000 kg of material through the open bottom wall.
10. The method of claim 1 comprising closing, after the discharging, the opened bottom wall.
11. The method of claim 1 comprising
folding, after the discharging, the bottom flaps to close the opened bottom wall;
reattaching the first strap to the second strap; and
lowering the raised flexible container structure onto the support structure.
12. The method of claim 11 comprising inserting the end of each vertical support into a respective support pocket structure.