Bagging apparatus

Claim 1

A bagging apparatus for use with bags each having a mouth with a lower lip extending beyond the upper lip, the thickness of the main body portion of each bag in a collapsed state being at least twice that of the extended lower lip thereof, which apparatus comprises: a. a horizontally disposed unit supply surface over which units to be bagged are moved downstream to the bagging area; b. a substantially horizontal receiving surface for receiving bagged units which is at substantially the same level as said unit supply surface means; c. a split-level, bag support means for holding a stack of bags with their length in a generally horizontal position, said bag support means being located downstream of and immediately adjacent to said unit supply surface and upstream of said receiving surface means, the upper surface of said bag support means having a horizontally disposed upstream bag lip support surface adapted to firmly hold and support the extended lower lip portions of a said stack of bags and a horizontally disposed downstream bag body support surface which is adapted to support the main body of a said stack of bags, the length of said bag lip support surface being not substantially greater than the length of the extended lower lip of a bag, said bag lip support surface and said bag body support surface being movable vertically with respect to said unit supply surface and with respect to each other, means connecting said bag lip support surface to said bag body support surface such that said bag lip support surface and said bag body supporT surface are at substantially the same level when substantially at the level of said unit supply surface and such that a vertical movement of said bag lip support surface results in a vertical movement in a like direction but of a greater magnitude of said bag body support surface, the magnitude of vertical movement of said bag body support surface bearing to the magnitude of vertical movement of said bag body support surface in the same ratio that the thickness of the thickest section of the main body portion of a bag, in a collapsed state and excluding any gusset at the lower end thereof, bears to the thickness of the extended lower lip of a bag; d. detecting means for detecting the level of the uppermost nondistended bag of a said stack of bags disposed on said bag support means; e. means for moving said bag lip support surface and said bag body support surface of said bag support means vertically in response to said detecting means so as to maintain the uppermost nondistended bag of a said stack of bags substantially at the level of said unit supply table; f. means to distend the mouth of the upper bag of a said stack of bags located on said bag support means so that that upper bag may receive a unit to be bagged; g. means to move a unit to be bagged downstream over said unit supply surface and generally horizontally into the bag whose mouth is so distended and for continuing movement thereafter in the same general downstream direction to move such bag containing such unit away from said bag support means and onto said receiving surface.