Transport bag, a conveying apparatus and a method for opening or closing a transport bag

A conveying apparatus for transporting items, comprising:

• a rail profile with a transport chain that is moveable in a transport direction;
• a holding adapter configured to hold a respective item to be transported;
• at least one transport bag with a suspension configured to be suspended in the holding adapter;
• a loading station;
• and
• an unloading station,
• wherein the at least one transport bag further comprises
• a first bag wall;
• a second bag wall, wherein the suspension is arranged at an upper end of one of the first and second bag walls;
• closing elements arranged on a bottom end of the first and second bag walls remote from the suspension, wherein the closing elements are reversibly coupleable to each other and with which the bottom ends of the first and second bag walls are connectable to each other to form a bag base,
• wherein the closing elements are mutually latchable latching strips oriented in parallel with respect to each other,
• wherein the latching strips are formed in such a way that the latching strips are displaceable from a mutually latched transport position closing the transport bag at a bottom end of the transport bag by displacement against each other in a direction of a longitudinal axis of the latching strips to an unlatching position in which the latching strips are releasable from each other for opening the transport bag at the bottom end of the transport bag.

A method for opening a transport bag in a conveying apparatus comprising a rail profile with a transport chain that is moveable in a transport direction;

• a holding adapter configured to hold a respective item to be transported;
• at least one transport bag with a suspension configured to be suspended in the holding adapter;
• a loading station;
• and an unloading station, wherein the at least one transport bag further comprises a first bag wall, a second bag wall, wherein the suspension is arranged at an upper end of one of the first and second bag walls, closing elements arranged on a bottom end of the first and second bag walls remote from the suspension, wherein the closing elements are reversibly coupleable to each other and with which the bottom ends of the first and second bag walls are connectable to each other to form a bag base, wherein the closing elements are mutually latchable latching strips oriented in parallel with respect to each other, wherein the latching strips are formed in such a way that the latching strips are displaceable from a mutually latched transport position closing the transport bag at a bottom end of the transport bag by displacement against each other in a direction of a longitudinal axis of the latching strips to an unlatching position in which the latching strips are releasable from each other for opening the transport bag at the bottom end of the transport bag, wherein the method comprises:
• moving the transport bag along the rail profile into the unloading station between the two pressure stamps;
• moving two pressure stamps of the unloading station to a respective distance from each other corresponding to an unlatching amount, wherein the latching strips are displaced from the latching position closing the transport bag at the bottom end by displacement relative to each other in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the latching strips to an unlatching position in which the latching strips are released from each other, in order to open the transport bag at the bottom end.

A method for closing a transport bag in a conveying apparatus comprising a rail profile with a transport chain that is moveable in a transport direction;

• a holding adapter configured to hold a respective item to be transported;
• at least one transport bag with a suspension configured to be suspended in the holding adapter;
• a loading station;
• and an unloading station, wherein the at least one transport bag further comprises a first bag wall, a second bag wall, wherein the suspension is arranged at an upper end of one of the first and second bag walls, closing elements arranged on a bottom end of the first and second bag walls remote from the suspension, wherein the closing elements are reversibly coupleable to each other and with which the bottom ends of the first and second bag walls are connectable to each other to form a bag base, wherein the closing elements are mutually latchable latching strips oriented in parallel with respect to each other, wherein the latching strips are formed in such a way that the latching strips are displaceable from a mutually latched transport position closing the transport bag at a bottom end of the transport bag by displacement against each other in a direction of a longitudinal axis of the latching strips to an unlatching position in which the latching strips are releasable from each other for opening the transport bag at the bottom end of the transport bag, wherein the method comprises:
• moving the transport bag along the rail profile from the unloading station to a bag closing station downstream in the transport direction between the two pressure plates of the bag closing station, wherein the two pressure plates are moveable towards each other perpendicularly to the direction of the longitudinal axis of the latching strips,
• moving the two pressure plates of the bag closing station from a position accommodating the mutually separated latching strips between themselves to a closing position compressing the latching strips perpendicularly to the direction of the longitudinal axis of the latching strips and latches them together in this process, for closing the transport bag at the bottom end.