Patent US3872644A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3872644A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus for packaging random-sized articles
Assignee: WR Grace and Co
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Filing: 1974-08-02
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Granted: 1975-03-25
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Expires: 1994-08-02
Abstract
Abstract The invention relates to an automated vacuum bagging and sealing unit. In the device the size of an article is measured to determine the appropriate bag size and the article is then fed to a mechanically spreading bag holding guide. The filled bag is conveyed to a vacuum chamber including partial confinement bars and final gathering studs to effect clipping under high vacuum. Such a machine can be operated using only one operator and at throughput rates higher than previously possible.
Inventors
- 👤 Giorgio A M Giraudi
- 👤 Nino Imperiale
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 19:48
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65B; B65B5/00; B65B5/04; B65B5/045; B65B25/00; B65B25/06; B65B25/065; B65B31/00; B65B57/00; B65B57/10; B65B57/14; B65B59/00; B65B59/001; B65B2210/00; B65B2210/04; B65B51/00; B65B51/04; B65B51/043; B65B51/10; B65B51/14; B65B51/146
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
56 words
Apparatus for packaging articles in bags and including a bagfilling station, means for feeding random sized articles towards said filling station, classifying means responsive to at least two dimensions of the article and means operatively linked to said classifying means for determining the size of bag on the basis of simultaneous assessment of those two dimensions.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
56 words
Apparatus for packaging articles in bags and including a bagfilling station, means for feeding random sized articles towards said filling station, classifying means responsive to at least two dimensions of the article and means operatively linked to said classifying means for determining the size of bag on the basis of simultaneous assessment of those two dimensions.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
54 words
Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 and including a plurality of possible paths each leading to a respective one of a plurality of bag-filling units employing different sized bags, said classifying system being effective to direct the article along an appropriate one of said paths commensurate with the size of that particular article.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
49 words
Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the classifying means includes sensing plates driven for movement between retracted and article sensing positions for sensing the width and height of the article in register with those plates and means for computing the sum of the width and height determined.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
43 words
Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said classifying means includes a photoelectric cell and a light source in register therewith which source and cell create a beam to be cut by the article on arrival adjacent the article size determining means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
83 words
Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bag-filling station includes at least one article delivery chute arranged to spread a bag into which an article passing along the chute is to be delivered, said chute consisting of a plurality of relatively movable guide members driven for movement between a closely spaced bag-receiving position and a more widely spaced bag-spreading position in which they define a non-tapering article guide of a size corresponding to at least one of said two dimensions of the article.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
101 words
Apparatus for packaging articles in bags, and including a bag-filling station having a bag loading chute including a plurality of relatively movable guide members for holding a bag while an article is passed along said chute into the bag, a drive means for moving the guide members between a closely spaced bag-receiving position and a more widely spaced bag-spreading position in which they define a non-tapering article guide, and classifying means responsive to a dimension of an article to be packed and operative to control the spacing of the guide members in said article guiding position in response to said dimension.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
101 words
Apparatus for packaging articles in bags, and including a bag-filling station having a bag loading chute including a plurality of relatively movable guide members for holding a bag while an article is passed along said chute into the bag, a drive means for moving the guide members between a closely spaced bag-receiving position and a more widely spaced bag-spreading position in which they define a non-tapering article guide, and classifying means responsive to a dimension of an article to be packed and operative to control the spacing of the guide members in said article guiding position in response to said dimension.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
28 words
Apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein said guide members are mounted to remain always substantially parallel to their orientation in the non-tapering article guide defining position.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
37 words
Apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein the guide members are L-section plates arranged to define the corners of a rectangular section passage to protect the corners of a rectangular section article passing along said chute.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
80 words
Apparatus for packaging articles in bags and including a bag loading station, means for feeding articles to the bag loading station, means for indicating to an operator at the bag loading station the size of bag required to envelop the next successive article arriving at the bag loading station, means for holding a bag selected by the operator, and means for inserting said successive article within the held bag and for advancing the filled bag from the bag loading station.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
80 words
Apparatus for packaging articles in bags and including a bag loading station, means for feeding articles to the bag loading station, means for indicating to an operator at the bag loading station the size of bag required to envelop the next successive article arriving at the bag loading station, means for holding a bag selected by the operator, and means for inserting said successive article within the held bag and for advancing the filled bag from the bag loading station.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US2580833A
Cited
US3495374A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-03-24 | 1978-09-23 | 1979-03-25 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-03-24 | 1982-09-23 | 1983-03-25 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-03-24 | 1986-09-23 | 1987-03-25 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |