Method and apparatus for placing fiber bales in readiness for removing fiber tufts therefrom

Abstract

An apparatus for placing fiber bales into readiness for removing fiber tufts therefrom by a travelling bale opener has a fiber bale depositing device for positioning an initial fiber bale at an inclined orientation to the vertical and for positioning, adjacent the initial fiber bale, an additional fiber bale at an angle of inclination greater than the angle of inclination of the initial bale as viewed codirectionally with the angle of the initial bale; a bale-supporting device for engaging and stabilizing the initial fiber bale; a displacing device for moving the bale-supporting device into and out of engagement with the initial fiber bale; and a control device for automatically operating the fiber bale depositing device and the displacing device for automatically and sequentially depositing the initial fiber bale, moving the bale-supporting device into engagement with the initial fiber bale, depositing the additional fiber bale into a countersupporting engagement with the initial fiber bale and moving the bale-supporting device out of engagement with the initial fiber bale.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.