Bemis Company, Inc.

Gaylerd M Lieder

Robert E Odom

Philip G Rawlins

Harold K Fox

Richard H Ayres

Two bag pick up assemblies and a feed assembly pick up two bags at a time from two bag stacks and direct the bags to a bag positioner assembly. The positioner assembly moves the bags to a nearly vertical position in longitudinal alignment to be conveyingly engaged at the top edge portions and conveyed beneath hopper spout assemblies whereat hanger assemblies clampingly engage bag top corner portions and dependingly support the bags. Bag top side wall portions of the clamped bags extending above the members are spread by vacuum cups on conveyor members. Spout jaws move downwardly between the spread side wall portions. The conveyor members move from a chain closed position to a chain open position as product is discharged through the opening jaws to open the clamped bags. The hanger assemblies move the corner portion to close the filled bags and the conveyor members move to their chain closed position to conveyingly engage the filled bags and in conjunction with the bottom conveyor convey the filled bags to transfer stations conveyors which are driven at a slower rate of speed than the conveyor members when the conveyor members are being driven and out of their chain open position and at the same higher rate of speed as the conveyor member when the conveyor members are being driven.

Dual bag filling apparatus

A method of and apparatus for packing gusseted open-mouth bags with a fluent solid product wherein the bags are opened and filled with an initial quantity of product weighing less than the target weight, the top is reformed and the bag transported under control to a position for being topped off with the product, opened up in the latter position for being topped off, the top again being reformed and the bag transported under control to a bag closer.

Bag packing

For retaining the bag top of a filled bag in an upright aligned condition as the filled bag is dropped onto a filled bag conveyor after having been clamped to a spout assembly and being conveyed to a bag top closure machine, bag top forming and retaining apparatus that includes a longitudinally elongated pivot member pivotally mounted on the frame and mounting a pair of fingers for pivotal movement therewith and pivotal movement relative thereto between a spread apart (out) position and a together 'in' position, a piston cylinder subassembly for pivoting the pivot member to elevate the fingers to a position to drop into the bag mouth portion when the bag is clamped on the spout and the fingers are in their in position, thus allow the fingers to drop to an intermediate elevation to extend into the bag, and when the filled bag is released by the spout, move to a lower elevation to remain in the bag, a swing arm conveyor assembly, and control means to move the fingers to their out position when the fingers are at their intermediate elevation and thus move the fingers to their in position and operate the piston cylinder subassembly to elevate the fingers out of the bag after the swing arm conveyor assembly has conveyingly engaged at least the bag top leading edge portion.

Bag top forming and retaining apparatus

Apparatus for filling a bag that has a bag pick-up assembly movable from a pick-up position to pick up a flat folded bag from a magazine to a bag release position, a table for supporting the released bag in a generally horizontal condition, a bag opening assembly for grippingly engaging the mouth edge portions of the bag on the table and opening the bag mouth portion, the bag opening assembly including stationarily mounted lower vacuum cups on the table and vertically movable upper cups, a spout assembly for clampingly engaging an opened bag, transferring the clamped bag from a bag transfer position to a filled bag release position, discharge a weighed charge into the clamped bag, and release the filled bag, the spout assembly including spout jaws and bag holders to clamp the opened bag to the jaws, a bag transfer assembly for moving the opened bag on the table to the spout in the bag transfer position, the transfer assembly including a pair of fingers that are movable toward one another and into the bag that is held open by the bag opening assembly and then apart to support the opened bag after it is released by the bag opener assembly, and after the bag is clamped to the spout, moved out of the bag mouth, and controls for the above assemblies. While a bag on the spout is being filled, the transfer assembly is returning to a position for extending the fingers into another opened bag mouth. In a second embodiment a piston cylinder combination and control elements are provided to shift the pick up assembly a limited amount in the event a picked up bag was longitudinally offset on the bag magazine.

Bag opening and filling apparatus

A case opener and bottom sealer machine that includes a frame, a conveyor assembly on the frame for stacks of flat folded case blanks, a lift assembly on the frame that includes suction cups for grippingly engaging the uppermost blank of the adjacent stack and elevating the gripped blank, longitudinally elongated rails on the frame for supporting a blank in an erect condition as it is moved therealong, a case erect assembly mounted on the frame for opening the gripped blank to an erect condition and after the erect blank is released by the cups move the erect blank along the rails, folder mechanism for folding the minor flaps at one end of the erect blank and thence partially fold the major flaps of the erect blank, a glue device for applying glue to the folded minor flaps, a compression assembly for completing the folding of the major flaps and holding the folded flaps under compression to provide a good seal, and controls for automatically operating the conveyor, erect, and compression assemblies and the glue device.

Case opener and bottom sealer

A case magazine and case stripper part of a case opening, loader sealer machine, including longitudinal case slide rails for supporting a vertical stack of unopened, horizontal, flat folded cases, lug devices mounted on a carriage that is longitudinally reciprocated by an endless chain drive to remove the lowermost case from the stack and push the lowermost case forwardly along the slide rails as the carriage moves forwardly, vertical stack support magazine brackets locates adjacent the corners of the stack extending upwardly from adjacent the elevation of the slide rails, and being mounted to be selectively adjustably positioned longitudinally and transverse relative one another, vacuum cup assemblies on opposite transverse sides of the slide rails for pivoting transversely opposite lowermost flaps about fold lines to a given angle of inclination and then release the flaps, spring hold down mechanism for retaining the flaps at said angle while permitting the flaps to be translated forwardly and control mechanism for the vacuum cup assemblies. The carriage mounts the gripper lug devices for engaging the inclined flaps and moving the lowermost case forwardly of the magazine brackets while the flaps are being retained at said angle.

Flap pull down case stripping apparatus

A case magazine and case stripper part of a case opening, loader sealer machine, including longitudinal case slide rails for supporting a vertical stack of unopened, horizontal, flat folded cases, pusher assemblies mounted on a carriage that is longitudinally reciprocated by an endless chain drive to remove the lowermost case from the stack and push the lowermost case forwardly along the slide rails as the carriage moves forwardly, vertical stack support brackets located adjacent the corners of the stack extending upwardly from adjacent the elevation of the slide rails, and being mounted to be selectively adjustably positioned longitudinally and transverse relative one another, and case lifter assemblies mounted on the stack support brackets for elevating that part of the stack that is located vertically above the slide rails more than a preselected distance, automatically allowing the elevated part of the stack to bear against that part of the stack still supported by the slide rails, and thereafter elevate that part of the stack that is located more than a preselected distance above the slide rails. Each case lifter assembly includes a vertical piston cylinder combination that as the combination is operated towards its retracted position, the gripper plate and pad are moved upwardly thereby and are cammed into abutting relationship with horizontally adjacent cases for elevating cases from the part of the stack therebeneath.

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Minneapolis, MN, United States of America

Gaylerd M Lieder