US 5,177,939 AGranted

Bagging machine with bag holding transfer and stretch means

AssigneePamco, Inc.

InventorArnold Lipes

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Abstract

A bagging machine comprising an article discharge chute for releasing one or more articles in an open bag held thereunder at a bag loading position. A plurality of collapsed plastic bags are supported under and adjacent the discharge chute. The mouth of an outer one of the plastic bags is opened with a bag opening clamp and the rear and front wall of the bag are held spaced apart so as to receive one or more articles therein through the discharge chute. Bag holding and stretching fingers grip the bag at opposed upper side edge portions thereof whereby to transfer the first bag filled with the articles to a sealing station after the front and rear walls of the bag are detached from their bag opening securement. At the sealing station, a clamp engages the stretched rear and front walls together below the mouth opening and the rear and front walls together are sealed across the mouth opening above the clamp after release and removal of the bag holding and stretching fingers to effectuate a substantially crease-free seal entirely across the mouth opening of the bag.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A bagging machine comprising an article discharge means for releasing one or more articles into an open bag held thereunder at a bag loading position, means for supporting a plurality of collapsed plastic bags under and adjacent said discharge means, means for opening a mouth of an outer one of said collapsed plastic bags immediately adjacent said discharge means, said means for opening having positive bag holding means holding portions of a rear and a front wall of said outer bag in spaced relationship to open said mouth to receive said one or more articles therein from said discharge means;

bag holding and stretching means engaging opposed upper side edge portions of said open mouth bag for clamping and vertically transferring said outer bag when filled with said articles to a sealing station below said loading position after said positive bag holding means are released and for stretching said open mouth of said bag to pull said rear and front walls taut to prevent creasing when sealing said bag, said sealing station comprising clamping means to clamp said rear and front walls together while said bag is in a stretch condition, said clamping means being spaced below said mouth opening, and sealing means to seal said rear and front walls together in a seal area across said mouth opening and above said clamping means after release and removal of said bag holding and stretching means to effectuate a substantially crease-free seal entirely across said mouth opening of said bag while said bag is supported by said clamping means which supports the load in the bag to prevent stress in said seal area above said clamping means.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.