The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 21, 1999
Filed:
Jun. 19, 1998
Harold R McGregor, Owatonna, MN (US);
James R McGregor, Lakeville, MN (US);
Scott Mitchell Anderson, Austin, MN (US);
Kurt Bernard Snaza, Owatonna, MN (US);
LaVern Wobschall, Owatonna, MN (US);
Slidell, Inc., Owatonna, MN (US);
Abstract
A bag filling machine of the type having a discharge spout with clamps to hold a bag mouth on the spout is disclosed as incorporating gusset pleat gripping assemblies on opposite sides of the spout. Each of those assemblies has a pair of cooperatively actuable gusset gripping members operable between open and closed positions to selectively and independently grip each of the two gusset pleats on opposite sides of a gusseted bag and to pull those pleats apart to fully open positions. This increases the effective, material-receiving area of the bag mouth as it is opened with the opening of the spout to dispense granular material into the bag. A gusset tucker is also utilized on each side of the discharge spout in cooperative juxtaposition to the gusset pleat gripping assemblies. The gusset tuckers are moved inwardly towards each other and towards the bag to engage in the fold between the two gusset pleats on each side of the bag as the bag top is flattened to a closed position after being filled on a spout. This action of the gusset tuckers insures that the gusset pleats will be fully returned to their normal shape with a complete V-fold therebetween, after the bag has been spread open by the gusset gripping members. An improved cylinder structure and gusset wedge apparatus are also disclosed herein, the cylinder structure and gusset wedge apparatus functioning together to increase the reliability of the placement of the bags upon the spout of the bag filling machine at the start of the bag filling cycle.