Bagging apparatus and method

Claim 3

The method of claim 1 wherein the forward side of the bag, after it has been gripped but before material is deposited in the bag, is moved upwardly rapidly to cause the lower end of the bag to be moved away from the next succeeding bag of the series.

Claim 4

The method of claim 2 wherein the step of ceasing to grip the forward side of the bag occurs after the material has been deposited in the bag and wherein force is thereafter applied to move the forward side of the bag against the rearward side thereof and then heat is applied across the upper end of the bag to seal the upper end thereof.

Claim 5

The method of claim 3 including the step of moving a door between the opened bag and the next succeeding bag after the opened bag has had its lower end moved away from the next succeeding bag and wherein the door is positioned to support the rear side of the bag while the forward side is moved against the rearward side and while heat is being applied to seal the bag.

Claim 6

The method of claim 1 wherein at least the upper portion of the bag is of heat sealable material and including the further step of sealing the upper end of the bag after said material has been deposited therein by applying heat across the upper end of the bag after it has been closed while pressing the sides of the bag together at the locus of the application of heat.

Claim 9

The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said bag opening element is a rod having a thin lower end, said element mounting means mounting the rod on the carrier so that as the carrier moves forward, the rod is moved along said inclined surface.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said bag support means is mounted on the carrier to move into the bag as aforesaid responsive to forward movement of the carrier and then to move upwardly while grasping the forward side of the bag to move the bottom of the bag away from the other bags.

Claim 11

The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said bag support means includes a blade carried by the carrier for vertical reciprocation with respect thereto and on downward movement, moving inside the bag, and a clamping member carried by the blade and operable to be moved responsive to movement of the blade to a position such that the forward side of the bag is between the clamping member and the blade and then to be moved to claMp the forward side of the bag to the blade to support the forward side of the bag while the bag is in open position.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said closure means is a sliding door and wherein means are provided for moving the door to open position prior to operation of said means for moving the forward side of a bag and for moving the door toward closed position prior to filling of a bag.

Claim 17

The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said means closing the bottom of the cavity includes a trap door mounted on the carrier adjacent the bottom of the cavity; means for holding the trap door in closed position as the carrier moves toward said forward discharge position and permitting the trap door to open when the carrier moves to said discharge position; and means for moving the trap door to closed position prior to the carrier returning to its filling position.

Claim 18

The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the means for holding the trap door in closed position includes a plate beneath the carrier disposed so that the trap door slides therealong to be held in closed position, said plate terminating adjacent the rear side of the opened bag.

Claim 19

An appartus for opening, filling and sealing a succession of plastic bags of heat sealable material, the bags being of the type which have a portioN of their rearward sides extending upwardly above their forward sides, comprising, in combination; a housing including a bin for storing material to be bagged, said bin having a lower discharge opening; a carrier mounted in the housing and having a measuring cavity therein open at the top and bottom, said carrier being mounted in the housing for reciprocation between a rearward filling position where the cavity is in register with the bin opening to a forward discharge position where the contents of the cavity are to be discharged from the bottom of the cavity; said housing having a bag filling section and a bag storage section beneath the carrier with an opening between the sections for passage of a bag from the storage section to the filling section; means for supporting a plurality of flattened bags of the aforesaid type in said bag storage section so that the forward bag has its upwardly extending portion inclined upwardly and rearwardly of the remainder of the bag; a bag opening element having a relatively thin lower end; actuating means for the bag opening element including means mounting the element for movement to move the lower end of the element downwardly into sliding contact with the inclined portion of a bag and thence along said portion down into the interior of the bag to move the forward side thereof away from the rearward side of the bag to partially open the bag; support means movable into the partially opened bag to engage and support the forward side of the bag and move it to a more fully open position so that as said carrier moves to discharge position the contents thereof can fall into the open bag; means for so moving the bag support means into the bag and for retracting the element from the bag and for releasing and withdrawing the bag support means from the bag; closure means normally closing said opening between the bag storage and filling sections and movable to open said opening so that a bag can be opened and filled and also being movable to closed position after a bag has been moved into the filling section and while in closed position being between the bag in the filling section and the bags in the storage section; and heat sealing means movable, responsive to movement of the carrier after a bag has been filled to apply a heat seal across an upper portion of the bag by pressing said upper portion of the bag against said closure means when it is in closed position and applying heat to seal the bag.

Claim 20

An appartus for opening, filling and sealing a succession of plastic bags of heat sealable material, the bags being of the type which have a portioN of their rearward sides extending upwardly above their forward sides, comprising, in combination; a housing including a bin for storing material to be bagged, said bin having a lower discharge opening; a carrier mounted in the housing and having a measuring cavity therein open at the top and bottom, said carrier being mounted in the housing for reciprocation between a rearward filling position where the cavity is in register with the bin opening to a forward discharge position where the contents of the cavity are to be discharged from the bottom of the cavity; said housing having a bag filling section and a bag storage section beneath the carrier with an opening between the sections for passage of a bag from the storage section to the filling section; means for supporting a plurality of flattened bags of the aforesaid type in said bag storage section so that the forward bag has its upwardly extending portion inclined upwardly and rearwardly of the remainder of the bag; a bag opening element having a relatively thin lower end; actuating means for the bag opening element including means mounting the element for movement to move the lower end of the element downwardly into sliding contact with the inclined portion of a bag and thence along said portion down into the interior of the bag to move the forward side thereof away from the rearward side of the bag to partially open the bag; support means movable into the partially opened bag to engage and support the forward side of the bag and move it to a more fully open position so that as said carrier moves to discharge position the contents thereof can fall into the open bag; means for so moving the bag support means into the bag and for retracting the element from the bag and for releasing and withdrawing the bag support means from the bag; closure means normally closing said opening between the bag storage and filling sections and movable to open said opening so that a bag can be opened and filled and also being movable to closed position after a bag has been moved into the filling section and while in closed position being between the bag in the filling section and the bags in the storage section; and heat sealing means movable, responsive to movement of the carrier after a bag has been filled to apply a heat seal across an upper portion of the bag by pressing said upper portion of the bag against said closure means when it is in closed position and applying heat to seal the bag.

Claim 21

The apparatus of claim 15 wherein means are provided to snap the forward side of the bag upwardly as it is being moved to open position, to cause the lower end of the bag to be moved away from the remaining bags in the bag storage section.