Method and apparatus for filling and sealing plastic bag fluid containers
OwnerChristopher C. Rutterinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Flexible heat-sealable plastic bags to be filled with a fluid or loose particulate material without exposure to the atmosphere are connected to the elliptical nozzle of the filling machine by use of overlapping ellipses. A filling hole, either elliptical or circular, cut in a corner from another otherwise sealed bag will readily slip over the larger elliptical nozzle. The bag is then tightly clamped by a movable member pressing against the rear surface of the elliptical nozzle of the filling machine while the bag is filled with its material through the nozzle. The bag is subsequently heat-sealed around the hole with a heated ring, and a suction stem is inserted into the sealed-off filling hole to withdraw any residual fluid.
Claims8
A method for connecting a plastic bag to a filling nozzle for filling said bag with a fluid material, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a filling nozzle with a substantially elliptical nozzle face plate, said plate having a substantially flat first and second surface, a portion of said second surface being connected to a stationary member;
- providing a plastic bag that is completely sealed with the exception of a filling hole in one side thereof;
- wherein said filling hole in said plastic bag is substantially elliptical and is similar to but smaller than said elliptical nozzle face plate with a maximum major axis length being greater than the width of the minor axis of said elliptical nozzle face plate;
- rotating said plastic bag so that the major axis of said filling hole is substantially at right angles to the major axis of said elliptical nozzle face plate;
- inserting said nozzle face plate through said filling hole;
- and re-rotating said bag to substantially align the major axis of said nozzle fact plate.
A filling nozzle for flowing a fluid material into a plastic bag that is completely sealed except for an elliptical filling hole in one side of said bag, said nozzle comprising:
- a housing having therein a fluid material chamber having an input port and outlet port, said outlet port having a circular cross-section and extending through a tubular neck of said housing;
- a movable tubular valving rod extending through said fluid chamber and into said tubular neck, said valving rod having an outside diameter substantially identical with the inside diameter of said tubular neck for blocking flow from said chamber when said valving rod is moved into a first position;
- a tubular vacuum stem within and coaxial with said valving rod, said stem having a solid end section for sealing the bore of said tubular stem when retracted, said stem being movable through said valving rod for extending the end section of said stem adjacent said tubular neck through said neck to open the bore of said stem;
- and
- a substantially elliptical face plate having first and second surfaces, a portion of said second surface being connected to the end of said tubular neck and normal to the longitudinal axis thereof, the elliptical surfaces of said face plate being larger than the elliptical filling hole in said plastic bag with the longest dimension of the plastic bag elliptical filling hole being greater than the shortest dimension of said elliptical face plate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.