Ice bagger for ice merchandiser
AssigneePremier Ice Manufacturing, Inc.
InventorsMark Metzger, Brandon Metzger
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bagger for an ice vending machine provides improved design, operation, and maintenance characteristics. An ice vending machine includes a merchandiser having a door providing access into an interior, an ice maker with a chute, and an ice bagger mounted to the merchandiser in communication with the ice maker. The ice bagger includes a frame having opposed, unitary, first and second frame elements, a spool of bags pivoted to a front of the frame on a swingarm, a cutting element mounted to the frame for reciprocal movement, and a tensioning assembly carried on the frame to provide tension to bags unrolled from the spool.
Claims20
A bagging machine for use on an ice vending machine, the ice vending machine including an ice merchandiser and an ice maker producing ice and conveying it out a chute, the bagging machine comprising:
- a frame comprised of opposed, unitary, first and second frame elements;
- a spool of bags pivoted to a front of the frame on a swingarm;
- a heating element carried near a rear of the frame;
- a cutting element, distal to the heating element, mounted to the frame for reciprocal movement toward and away from the heating element;
- and
- a tensioning assembly carried on the frame to provide tension to bags unrolled from the spool.
An ice vending machine for dispensing a bag, filing the bag with ice, and vending the bag to consumers, the ice vending machine comprising:
- a merchandiser having a door providing access into an interior of the merchandiser;
- an ice maker with a chute;
- and
- a bagging machine mounted to the merchandiser in communication with the ice maker, the bagging machine comprising:
- a frame comprised of opposed, unitary, first and second frame elements;
- a spool of bags pivoted to a front of the frame on a swingarm;
- a heating element carried near a rear of the frame;
- a cutting element, distal to the heating element, mounted to the frame for reciprocal movement toward and away from the heating element;
- and
- a tensioning assembly carried on the frame to provide tension to bags unrolled from the spool.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.