Automatic bagging apparatus and a method therefor

An automatic bagging apparatus for automatically packing articles to be bagged in a bag, which comprises, in combination:

• a movable tray assembly for the support of the articles to be bagged, said tray assembly being supported for movement between retracted and inserted positions and having a generally U-shaped cross section as viewed in the direction of movement thereof;
• a bag receiving means positioned adjacent the inserted position of the tray assembly and remote from the retracted position thereof for the support of a bag in a position with its mouth facing towards the tray assembly;
• a bag container for the storage of at least one stack of bags of equal size in collapsed condition;
• means for successively feeding the bags from the bag container towards the bag receiving means one at a time;
• a loader assembly supported for movement between forward and withdrawn positions in a direction parallel to the direction of movement of the tray assembly, said loader assembly substantially forming the rear wall of the tray assembly with respect to the direction of movement of the tray assembly towards the inserted position and being operable to withhold and push the to-be-bagged articles towards the bag lying on the bag receiving means during the movement of the tray assembly, said tray assembly when moved to the inserted position having its front portion inserted into the bag on the bag receiving means;
• a first drive means operable in first and second modes one at a time, said first drive means when in the first mode moving the tray assembly from the retracted position towards the inserted position and, when in the second mode, moving the tray assembly from the inserted position back towards the retracted position;
• a second drive means operable in first and second modes one at a time, said second drive means being adapted to be operated in the first mode, when the first drive means is operated in the first mode, to move the loader assembly from the withdrawn position towards the forward position simultaneously with the movement of the tray assembly from the retracted position towards the inserted position and also to be operated in the second mode in response to the arrival of the tray assembly back at the retracted position to move said loader assembly back towards the withdrawn position independently of the tray assembly, said first drive means being operated in the second mode in response to the arrival of the loader assembly at the pushed position;
• a means operable subsequent to the arrival of the bag at the bag receiving means for opening the mouth of the bag receiving means to bring said bag to an open-mouthed condition;
• a means operable subsequent to the opening of the mouth of the bag on the bag receiving means for retaining the mouth of the bag on the bag receiving means in the open-mouthed condition until the loader assembly which has been moved to the forward position is returned towards the withdrawn position subsequent to the return of the tray assembly to the retracted position leaving the to-be-bagged articles inside the completely opened bag;
• a source of compressed air;
• a means operable subsequent to the retaining of the mouth of the bag in the open-mouthed condition on the bag retaining means for supplying compressed air into the open-mouthed bag to bring the latter to a completely opened condition, said first and second drive means being adapted to be operated in the respective first modes after the open-mouthed bag has been completely opened by the application of the compressed air thereinto, said compressed air applying means including a nozzle assembly positioned facing the mouth of the bag on the bag receiving means and means interposed between said nozzle assembly and said source of compressed air for alternately placing the passage between the nozzle assembly and the source of compressed air in communication with and out of communication with said source of compressed air in rapid succession for a predetermined number of cycles;
• a means positioned on one side of the bag receiving means remote from the tray assembly for erecting the bag which has been loaded with the articles with its mouth facing upwards, and comprising a generally elongated pivotable platform, said bag receptacle being pivotally connected at one end of the bottom wall adjacent said one end wall thereof to said pivotable platform for pivotal movement between receiving and erected positions, said pivotable platform being supported for pivotal movement between horizontal and tilted positions about the point of pivot which is located at a position remote from the point of pivotal connection of the bag receptacle to the pivotable platform;
• a third drive means for moving the platform from the horizontal position towards the tilted position with the bag receptacle being correspondingly tilted together with said pivotable platform;
• and
• a fourth drive means operable in response to the arrival of the pivotable platform at the tilted position for moving the bag receptacle from the receiving position towards the erected position, the sum of the angle through which the pivotable platform is moved between the horizontal and tilted positions and the angle through which the bag receptacle is moved between the receiving and erected positions being approximately 90.degree..