Bag-filling and handling machine

Claim 1

AN AUTOMATIC BAG-FILLING AND CONVEYING MACHINE HAVING A BAG-FILLING STATION, A WEIGHT-CHECKING STATION AND A DISCHARGE STATION, A HORIZONTALLY-EXTENDING FILLING TUBE AT SAID FILLING STATION ADAPTED TO EXTEND INTO HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED OPENING IN THE TOP OF THE BAG TO BE FILLED, BAGHOLDING MEANS ADAPTED TO CLAMP SAID BAG AGAINST SAID FILLING TUBE SO THAT THE BAG IS SUSPENDED THEREFROM, WEIGHING MEANS CARRYING THE WEIGHT OF SAID FILLING TUBE, VALVE MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE FLOW OF MATERIAL TO BE PACKAGED TO SAID FILLING TUBE, A WEIGHING SCALE HAVING AN INCLINED WEIGHING PLATFORM AT SAID WEIGHT-CHECKING STATION FOR ENABLING AN OPERATOR TO VISUALLY CHECK THE WEIGHT OF THE FILLED BAGS FED TO SAID PLATFORM, CONVEYOR MEANS COMPRISING AN INCLINED CONVEYOR EXTENDING FROM A POINT ADJACENT SAID BAG-FILLING STATION TO SAID WEIGHT-CHECKING STATION FOR CONVEYING BAGS BY FORCE OF GRAVITY TO SAID PLATFORM OF SAID WEIGHING SCALE, NORMALLY-CLOSED GATE MEANS AT THE LOWER END OF SAID PLATFORM FOR HOLDING A BAG UPON SAID INCLINED PLATFORM, THE OPENING OF SAID GATE MEANS DISCHARGING THE BAG THEREAT TO SAID DISCHARGE STATION, FIRST CONTROL MEANS ADAPTED WHEN OPERATED FROM A FIRST CONDITION TO A SECOND FILLING CYCLEINITIATING CONDITION TO MOVE SAID BAG-HOLDING MEANS TO ITS BAG-CLAMPING POSITION AND TO OPEN SAID VALVE MEANS TO START THE FLOW OF SAID MATERIAL TO SAID FILLING TUBE, START MEANS FOR INITIATING THE OPERATION OF SAID FIRST CONTROL MEANS TO SAID FIRST CONDITION, SECOND TIME DELAY CONTROL MEANS OPERABLE A GIVEN TIME INTERVAL AFTER THE INITIATION OF SAID OPERATION OF SAID FIRST CONTROL MEANS FOR OPENING SAID NORMALLY-CLOSED GATE MEANS TO ALLOW THE PASSAGE OF A PREVIOUSLY FILLED BAG TO SAID DISCHARGE STATION, SAID TIME INTERVAL BEING AT LEAST SUFFICIENT TO ENABLE AN OPERATOR TO CHECK THE WEIGHT OF THE BAG ON SAID WEIGHING SCALE PLATFORM AND BEING LESS THAN THE TIME REQUIRED TO FILL THE BAG THEN AT SAID FILLING STATION AND DELIVER THE SAME TO SAID CHECKING STATION, THIRD CONTROL MEANS OPERABLE IN RESPONSE TO THE OPERATION OF SAID FIRST CONTROL MEANS TO SAID CONDITION FOR OPERATING SAID BAG-DISCHARGING MEANS BEFORE THE BAG ON SAID WEIGHING SCALE PLATFORM IS CONVEYED TO SAID DISCHARGE STATION, FOURTH CONTROL MEANS OPERATED FROM A FIRST NON-DISABLING TO A SECOND DISABLING OPERATING CONDITION BY SAID WEIGHING MEANS WHEN THE BAG IS FILLED FOR RETURNING SAID FIRST CONTROL MEANS TO SAID FIRST CONDITION AND DISABLING IT FROM OPERATION TO ITS FILLING INITIATING-CYCLE CONDITION, TO EFFECT THE CLOSING OF SAID VALVE MEANS AND THE RELEASE OF THE BAG FROM SAID BAG-HOLDING MEANS, MEANS AT SAID BAG-FILLING STATION FOR DISCHARGING THE BAG THEREAT TO SAID CONVEYOR MEANS WHEN THE BAG HAS BEEN RELEASED FROM SAID BAG-HOLDING MEANS, BAG POSITION-RESPONSIVE MEANS AT THE END OF SAID CONVEYOR MEANS WHICH INDICATES THE PASSAGE OF A BAG ONTO SAID WEIGHING SCALE PLATFORM, AND MEANS CONNECTING SAID BAG POSITION-RESPONSIVE MEANS TO SAID FOURTH CONTROL MEANS FOR RETURNING THE FOURTH CONTROL MEANS TO ITS FIRST NON-DISABLING OPERATING CONDITION TO FREE THE FIRST CONTROL MEANS FOR OPERATION TO ITS SECOND CYCLE-INITIATING CONDITION WHEN A BAG IS CONVEYED FROM SAID BAG-FILLING STATION TO SAID WEIGHT-CHECKING STATION.