Method and apparatus for filling a bag with individual packs of articles or produce

Claim 1

A machine for filling a bag or sack with individual packs of produce or articles, comprising a main frame fitted with a bag clamp for supporting a bag in an upright position with the mouth thereof open at the top of the bag, a conveyor operable to feed the packs into a bag held in the bag clamp, a plurality of constriction means mounted on the frame below the bag clamp and each operable to at least partially flatten a bag held in the bag clamp to form a plurality of constrictions of the interior of the bag at spaced intervals along the length of the bag whereby packs fed into the bag are supported initially on the walls of the bag at the uppermost constriction, and control means for releasing each of the constriction means in sequence by releasing in turn the constriction means which is uppermost to permit the packs to drop in several stages into the lower portion of the bag, wherein said constriction means are housed in two opposing constrictor units arranged below the bag clamp, one of the constrictor units being fixed and the other constrictor unit being movable between an operating position in which it is in opposing relationship to the fixed constrictor unit so that a bag on the bag clamp is suspended between the constrictor units and an offset position in which the movable constrictor unit is displaced to one side of the fixed constrictor unit.