Automatic bagging machine
OwnerKarl E. Schwarzinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bagging machine which automatically encloses a garment in a bag. A continuous web of flexible material is fed into the machine, separated to form a tube, and that tube of material is pulled down over the garment. Material pulldown is stopped according to the length of the garment, the material is sealed, cut off from the web of material, then pulldown is completed to force a hanger through the top of the bag thus formed. In the preferred embodiment, pneumatic cylinders are used, and no electric motors are required. A hanger mechanism supports a garment in a manner which permits that garment to accommodate misalignment with respect to the machine, and the web separator is self-adjusting.
Claims28
A garment bagging machine comprising:
- a cabinet;
- material guide means on said cabinet for guiding tubular bag forming material from a bag forming material supply means;
- spreader means on said cabinet for spreading the walls of said tubular material apart;
- hanger means on said spreader for supporting a garment to be bagged;
- pulldown means movably mounted on said cabinet and having material gripping means thereon for gripping the bag forming material so that such bag forming material can be pulled down over a garment supported on said hanger means;
- gripping means power means on said pulldown means, and gripping jaw connecting means connecting said gripping means power means to said gripping means;
- garment length sensing means on said pulldown means;
- bag sealing means mounted on said cabinet for sealing the walls of the tubular bag forming material together, said sealing means including a hot air generating means which generates air hot enough to melt the bag forming material, hot air directing means on said hot air generating means for directing hot air onto the bag forming material to be sealed, and clamping means on said bag sealing means for clamping the walls of the bag forming material together adjacent said hot air directing means so that hot air issuing from said hot air directing means contacts the clamped together walls of the bag forming material whereby such hot air melts the bag forming material so that such clamped together walls are fused together thereby forming a seal on a bag;
- bag cutoff means on said bag sealing means for cutting off a length of material from the bag forming material guided from the supply means;
- main drive power means for moving said pulldown means, said main drive power means including a drive pneumatic cylinder;
- said pneumatic cylinder including an actuating rod and connecting means connecting said pneumatic cylinder actuating rod to said drive means with said connecting means including a drive block slidably mounted on said cabinet and connected to said actuating rod to be reciprocated thereby, a pulley mounted on said drive block, a sprocket mounted on said drive block, a first rotatable drive sprocket mounted on said cabinet, a cable means trained around said pulley and connected at the end thereof to said cabinet, said cable means translating the linear reciprocating movement of said drive block into rotational movement of said first drive sprocket so that as said drive block reciprocates in response to reciprocating movement of said drive pneumatic cylinder actuating rod, said first drive sprocket rotates, a second drive sprocket connected to said first drive sprocket for rotation therewith, a pulldown means chain means trained around said second drive sprocket to be moved thereby and connected at the ends thereof to said pulldown means for causing linear reciprocating movement of said pulldown means in response to rotation of said second drive sprocket;
- and
- control means for controlling operation of said main drive power means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.