A CONTAINMENT SYSTEM FOR A SUBSTANCE IN LIQUID OR PARTICULATE FORM

Abstract

Disclosed is a containment system for a substance in liquid or particulate form including juxtaposed collection containers and at least one connection bracket including a flattened base and locking unit including at least two locking elements, protruding from two respective ends of the base, wherein the collection container includes a support base which has at least one groove on its outer face which opens onto at least one edge of the support base, the groove having at least one indented housing having a plan shape equal to that of the locking elements and wherein the bracket has the first locking element inserted into the housing of a first container and the second locking element inserted into the housing of a second container.

Claims

1. A containment system for a substance in liquid or particulate form, said system comprising juxtaposed collection containers and at least one connection bracket having locking elements, in which the bracket comprises: a flattened base; and locking means comprising at least two locking elements, protruding from two respective ends of the base; and in which each container has a polygonal plan and comprises: a support base confined by edges; side walls; and a grill, present on the opposite side to the support base and resting on the walls; in which said support base presents on the support base's outer surface at least one groove that comes out on at least one edge of the support base, said groove having at least one indented housing having a plan shape equal to that of the locking elements, in which said housing is in proximity to one of said edges and in which said bracket has said first locking element inserted into the housing of a first container and said second locking element inserted into the housing of a second container.

2. The containment system according to claim 1, in which the locking elements have a polygonal plan shape.

3. The containment system according to claim 1, in which the locking elements have a shape that is tapered from the base to the top.

4. The containment system according to claim 1, in which at least two containers have the support base with at least one chamfered edge and at least one bracket comprises a further centring element that is equidistant between the two locking elements and that inserts between the chamfered edges.

5. The containment system according to claim 1, in which at least two containers have at least one housing at the top of which there is a through bore.

6. The containment system according to claim 5, in which at least one bracket has a through bore at the top of each of the locking elements, said locking elements being in fluid communication with each other, said at least one bracket being inserted in the housings having said through bore.

7. The containment system according to claim 6, further comprising connectors inserted in the through bores.

8. The containment system according to claim 1, in which at least one groove comes out onto each edge of the support base of a container.

9. The containment system according to claim 1, in which the groove comes out onto two opposite edges of the support base of a container.

10. The containment system according to claim 1, in which there is at least one housing in the vicinity of each edge of the support base.

11. The containment system according to claim 2, in which at least two containers have the support base with at least one chamfered edge and at least one bracket comprises a further centring element that is equidistant between the two locking elements and that inserts between the chamfered edges.

12. The containment system according to claim 3, in which at least two containers have the support base with at least one chamfered edge and at least one bracket comprises a further centring element that is equidistant between the two locking elements and that inserts between the chamfered edges.

13. The containment system according to claim 2, in which at least two containers have at least one housing at the top of which there is a through bore.

14. The containment system according to claim 3, in which at least two containers have at least one housing at the top of which there is a through bore.

15. The containment system according to claim 4, in which at least two containers have at least one housing at the top of which there is a through bore.

16. The containment system according to claim 2, in which at least one groove comes out onto each edge of the support base of a container.

17. The containment system according to claim 3, in which at least one groove comes out onto each edge of the support base of a container.

18. The containment system according to claim 4, in which at least one groove comes out onto each edge of the support base of a container.

19. The containment system according to claim 5, in which at least one groove comes out onto each edge of the support base of a container.

20. The containment system according to claim 6, in which at least one groove comes out onto each edge of the support base of a container.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0045] Other features and advantages of the invention will emerge from the following detailed description of the non-limiting embodiments of the invention, with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:

[0046] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the containment system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0047] FIGS. 2 and 3 show bottom perspective views of containers usable in embodiments of the present invention;

[0048] FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the containment system according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0049] FIG. 5a is a bottom perspective view of the containment system according to a variant of the embodiment of the invention;

[0050] FIG. 5b is an exploded bottom perspective view of the view of FIG. 5a;

[0051] FIG. 6 is a representation of one of the components of the containment system according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0052] FIGS. 7a, 7b and 7c are sectional representations of the connection area of two containers of the containment system of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0053] With reference to FIG. 1, the reference numeral 1 indicates as a whole the containment system according to the invention.

[0054] In the context of the present invention, the terms lower, upper, side refer to the components of the system 1, in the position of use, i.e. resting on the ground, as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 6 and 7.

[0055] The system 1 comprises two, three or more containers R1, R2, R3 with a generally square or rectangular support base A.

[0056] Each of these containers R1, R2, R3 has: [0057] a support base A confined by edges O; [0058] side walls P, which are typically substantially perpendicular to the support base A; [0059] and [0060] a grill G opposite the support base A.

[0061] Such grill G rests on the side walls P.

[0062] As illustrated in FIG. 1, this system 1 has an upper surface formed by two or more of said grills G. Said grill(s) G forms/form a support surface suitable for supporting a drum L containing the substance in liquid or particulate form, for example a fine powder, to be discharged from the drum L.

[0063] The support base has grooves C on the outer face. In particular, the container R2, R3 has only two grooves orthogonal to each other, so as to form a square cross, and the container R1 has two series of grooves, each series is composed of three grooves parallel to each other, and the grooves of the two series intersect each other in an orthogonal manner, so as to form a grill.

[0064] In the preferred and illustrated embodiment, each of the grooves C opens, on one side, on a first edge O and, on the opposite side, on a second edge O opposite the first of the support base A.

[0065] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the support base A has two housings D for each groove. More precisely, the housing D is in the vicinity of the edge O of the support base A. Typically, the seat is about 10-100 mm from the edge O.

[0066] In the first embodiment, the bracket S has a flattened base B and two locking elements E1, E2, each of which is at each end of the base B and has a hexagonal shape.

[0067] The base B is equal to or just less than the depth of the groove C.

[0068] The locking element E1, E2 fits into the seat D, which is also hexagonal in shape. This element is completely housed in the housing D, therefore the seat D has a height just higher than that of the locking element E1, E2.

[0069] It is clear that, on the whole, the bracket S and the groove C have complementary shapes and similar volumes, so that the bracket fits into the groove precisely, i.e. without forming a step between them, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5a. Said complementarity of shape and volume limits and/or excludes clearance between the bracket and the portion of the groove in which the bracket is inserted.

[0070] According to a preferred embodiment variant, the locking element E1, E2 is chamfered towards the top. This feature of said locking element favours and facilitates the insertion in the vertical direction of this element in its housing D and therefore of the container on the bracket.

[0071] According to a preferred embodiment variant, illustrated in the figures, the containers R1, R2, R3 have chamfered edges 0. This allows creating a further locking and centring zone and giving even more stability to the system 1 thanks to a bracket S as drawn in the variant illustrated below.

[0072] Within the scope of such variant, according to a preferred embodiment variant, illustrated in FIG. 6, the bracket has a further centring element Ec. This element Ec, hereinafter also referred to as the central element, is equidistant between the two locking elements E1, E2.

[0073] The central element Ec has a plan shape equal to the space formed between the wall and the support base A of two juxtaposed containers. The central element Ec fits into the space created between two juxtaposed collection containers in the lower part, this constitutes a further factor of stability and union in the containment system 1 according to the present invention.

[0074] In general, said central element Ec has the same width as the base B, with an upper face U flat and parallel to the flattened base B, two walls G parallel to each other and two inclined walls I, I. Each of the two inclined walls I, I abuts against the corresponding chamfered edge of the support base A of each of the two containers R1, R2, R3 that the bracket joins.

[0075] In the example illustrated in FIG. 6, said central element Ec has the shape of an isosceles trapezoid in section X-X, and in the shape of a parallelepiped in section Z-Z.

[0076] In a further preferred embodiment variant, illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, said containment system 1 comprises collection containers R1, R2, R3 placed in fluid communication with each other through said bracket S. This allows the substance that has been poured more into a first collection container to have the possibility of automatically distributing itself also in at least a second collection container connected to the first collection container by said bracket S so that the collection containers R1, R2, R3 can be equally filled up since the beginning of the leak of the substance from the drum L. This reduces the chances of a collection container overflowing.

[0077] In this variant, the system 1 comprises at least two collection containers R1, R2, R3 in each of which the support base A has at least one housing D having at its top a through bore F and at least one bracket S in fluid connection, hereinafter referred to as hollow bracket S, with said containers R1, R2, R3 said hollow bracket S fits into said housing D of said containers R1, R2, R3, said hollow bracket S having each of the locking elements E1, E2 having a through bore N1, N2 at their top.

[0078] This through bore F of the housing D is exactly at the through bore N1, N2 present in the locking element E1, E2. Said through bore F has a diameter equal to the through bore N1, N2 and said two bores F and N1, N2 coincide and overlap each other. The diameter of said bores F, N1, N2 is typically comprised between 15 and 40 mm.

[0079] According to a first embodiment of this hollow bracket, the latter has inside it a tube which connects the bore N1 of a first locking element E1 with the bore N2 of the second locking element E2.

[0080] According to a second preferred embodiment of this hollow bracket, the latter is totally hollow inside, so that the bracket can be filled with the substance poured into the containers R.

[0081] In this embodiment variant, the system 1 is further advantageous since the hollow bracket constitutes a further collection container, thereby increasing the volume capacity of the containment system.

[0082] In this variant of the system 1, the system may be provided with sealing plugs, in order to close the bores F of the seats D at which a locking element of a bracket is not inserted.

[0083] In a preferred variant, as illustrated in FIGS. 7a-7c, of such embodiment variant having bores in the containers R1, R2, R3 and in the hollow bracket S, a fitting V provided with a gasket is inserted in each bore F of the housing D and in the corresponding bore N1, N2 of the side locking element E1, E2.

[0084] This fitting V is typically a tube, smooth or, preferably, threaded. In the case of a threaded pipe V, the walls of the bore N1, N2 of the bracket S, or also the walls of the bore F of the housing D, have a counter-thread.

[0085] The tube V preferably has a collar Q which rests on the contour of the bore F.

[0086] The presence of this fitting is preferable to ensure a better seal of the system 1, so as to prevent the substance from escaping from the containment system 1.

[0087] In general, the groove C has the following dimensions: width of 70-100 mm and depth of 30-80 mm. Furthermore, in the case of two or more grooves parallel to each other on the outer face of the support base A of a container R1, R2, R3, the grooves have a distance between them, in general, between 10 cm and 50 cm, or in any case a distance which is preferably not greater than that between two blades of a forklift. This allows lifting the container R1, R2, R3 with a forklift by inserting the blades into the grooves C.

[0088] These containers have variable width and length dimensions. Generally such containers have a volumetric capacity from 100 to 1000 litres or more.

[0089] It goes without saying that in order to make the assembly of the system 1 according to the present invention quicker and more practical, in the same system 1 the same parts (i.e. grooves with seats, bracket, locking elements, holes, etc.) have the same size and shape, except for the containers which may have different shapes and volumes, as specified above.

[0090] Preferably, the containers R1, R2, R3 have at least one housing D in proximity to each edge O of the support base A.

[0091] As previously mentioned, the assembly procedure of the system 1 provides for the container to be inserted and locked onto the bracket with a simple movement which occurs only along a vertical axis Y (FIGS. 5b, 7c).

[0092] In general, said collection containers as well as the bracket are made of plastic material, for example polyethylene. This material allows them to be advantageously produced by, for example, a moulding or thermoforming process.

[0093] Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiments illustrated and described above, those skilled in the art may make variations and modifications without departing from the scope of the invention.