High speed bag filling machine

Claim 1

A high speed bag filling machine, comprising: a frame assembly; a bag filling spout for filling a bag with particulate material, said spout attached to said frame assembly and connected to product supply means, said spout being tiltable between a first position and a second position; means for introducing and attaching a bag to the spout in said first position; means for supporting said bag on said spout; means for opening and closing said spout for introducing a quantity of said material into said bag; means for moving said spout between said first and second positions; a conveyor assembly located generally beneath the second position of said spout for transporting the filled bag from said filling machine; a transfer carriage pivotably attached to the frame assembly for reversible vertical movement, said transfer carriage comprising: a generally horizontal elongate bag forming bar having a rear elongate surface positioned to intercept an upper portion of a first face of the bag when said spout is in said second position, said bag forming bar being pivotable between a bag holding position and a forwardly and upwardly pivoted retracted position, whereby said bag forming bar is pivoted about a horizontal axis upwardly displaced from and generally parallel to the bag forming bar; a first generally horizontal rotor arm rotatable about a vertical axis at a proximate end thereof, said first rotor arm having a distal end and a first elongate surface positioned between said proximate end and said distal end of said first rotor arm to engage a first upper portion of a second face of the bag; a second generally horizontal rotor arm rotatable about a vertical axis at a proximate end thereof, said second rotor arm having a distal end and a second elongate surface positioned between said proximate and said distal end of said second rotor arm to engage a second upper portion of the second face of the bag, said distal ends of said first and second rotor arms being proximate each other, whereby a bag may be engaged by and clamped between the first elongate surface and the second and third elongate surfaces; means for rotating said rotor arms to a position whereby a loaded bag may be passed therebetween; and means for further rotating said rotor arms for engagement of the first and second elongate surfaces with the second face of the bag to clamp said bag against said rear elongate surfaces.