Mechanism for filling bags of different sizes

A method for changing over operation of a machine for filling bags to handle bags of varying in lateral widths, said bags being laterally interconnected with one another in a chain and each having reclosable mechanically interlocked upper end mouths through which fill material is passed into the bag, and said machine having a drive means for laterally conducting said chain through various work stations for opening, filling, reclosing, and separating filled and closed bags from the chain, said drive means alternately imparting forward and reverse stroke movements to said chain, comprising:

• separately adjusting the lengths of the forward and reverse stroke movement imparted by said drive means in accordance with the different lateral widths of bags.

In an apparatus for automatically filling plastic bags one at a time laterally connected together in a chain, each bag having reclosable, mechanically interlocked upper end mouth sidewalls between which fill material is passed into the bag, a drive for alternately imparting forward stroke movements to said chain such that the bags of said chain are passed sequentially through various bag opening, filling, closing, and separation work station and reverse stroke movements to said chain such that each bag of said chain is slackened for transverse spreading of said mouth sidewalls in said filling work station and separated from the remainder of said chain in said separation work station, said drive imparting a predetermined forward movement overtravel to each bag entering said filling station to be corrected by said reverse stroke movement, and a control means for detecting excessive overtravel of any bag in said filling station and lengthening the reverse stroke movement of said drive to compensate for such excessive amount of overtravel.

In an apparatus for automatically filling plastic bags one at a time laterally connected together in a chain, said bags each having closed bottom and side edges and a reclosable upper end mouth having interlocking fastener strip profiles running laterally across inner facing surfaces of said mouth, an intermittently operating drive for conducting said chain in strokes along a lateral transport path between various work station fixed along said transport path, a displacement means for providing a uniform stroke input, and a connector linkage between said displacement means and said drive for controlling the stroke lengths of said drive, said connector linkage having a lost motion variably adjustable to set said drive for use with respective said bags of different lateral dimensions to assure proper registrations thereof before said work station.