CA1228047A - Checkout counter with bag dispensing mechanism - Google Patents

Checkout counter with bag dispensing mechanism

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Publication number
CA1228047A
CA1228047A CA000436965A CA436965A CA1228047A CA 1228047 A CA1228047 A CA 1228047A CA 000436965 A CA000436965 A CA 000436965A CA 436965 A CA436965 A CA 436965A CA 1228047 A CA1228047 A CA 1228047A
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
bag
dispenser
conveyor
station
open
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
CA000436965A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Marinus J.M. Langen
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Langen Packaging Inc
Original Assignee
HJ Langen and Sons Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by HJ Langen and Sons Ltd filed Critical HJ Langen and Sons Ltd
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1228047A publication Critical patent/CA1228047A/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Abstract

ABSTRACT
A bag dispenser mechanism for receiving open bags which are dispensed from a bag making machine,consists of a conveyor which is arranged to receive bags which are discharged from the bag making machine,and to convey the bags away from the dispenser machine in one or other of two directions. Two bag retainers are provided, one at each end of the conveyor. The drive mechanism which drives the conveyor is controlled by suitable switches to drive the conveyor so as to dispense a bag into whichever of the bag retainers is empty. The dispenser mechanism is preferably built into a checkout counter assembly.

Description

This invention relates to a bag dispensing mechanism and a checkout counter assembly, incorporating a bag dispensing mechanism.

PRIOR ART
.5.
In my prior~ Patent No. 4184413 ,dated Jan. 22, 1980, there is disclosed a bag making machine capable of making a bag and dispensing a bag in an open configuration.
In my U.S. Patent No. 4274245, dated June 23, 1981, there is disclosed a checkout counter incorporating a bag making machine.
There are a number of existing checkout counter asemblies which do not have a bag making machine incorporated therein, and are not capable of adaptation to permit a bag making machine to be mounted therein.
I have now developed an open bag dispenser which permits bags to be manufactured by the bag making machine of the type described in my prior Patent No. 4184413, which are then dispensed into one or other of two bag retaining fixtures. This arrangement is suitable for use as an independent bag dispenser, or in combination with a checkout counter. When used as an independent bag dispenser, it may be used in any number of different packing applications, in which it is necessary to load goods into open bags. The dispenser is arranged to ensure that a bag is manufactured and loaded onto a conveyor as soon as there is an indication 'hat the previous bag has been transported by the conveyor into its retainer, and a mechanism is also provided for JI b ~
~ 3~

ensuring that when a hag is removed from its retainer, it is replaced ~y a bag which has been previously manufactured.
When used in combination with a conventional checkout counter, my open bag dispenser is incorporated in a bag dispensing mechanism which is disposed rearwardly from a conventional checkout counter with one open bag retainer being disposed within the checkout station in which the checkout clerk works, and the other being disposed on the opposite side o the bag loading counter, so as to be accessible to a customer to permit self-bagging.
SUMMA~Y OF INVENTIO~
According to one aspect of the present invention, a bag dispensing mechanism comprises a housing having first and second sides at opposite sides thereof, and a counter top, bag dispenser means mounted in said housing and adapted to dispense open bags into a dispenser station, a conveyor mounted for movement through said station, first and second bag retainer means arranged one at each end of said conveyor means for receiving and retaining a bag in an upwardly open configuration, drive means communicating with said conveyor means for selectively driving said conveyor toward said first or second bag retaining means whereby a bag which is dispensed onto said conveyor may be selectively conveyed to said first and second bag retaining means as required in use.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a checkout counter which comprises a checkout counter having a goods input counter leading to a goods checkout station, a bag dispensing mechanism disposed rearwardly of the checkout counter, a transfer means communicating between the checkout counter and the bag dispensing mechanism by means of which goods from the checkout counter may be transferred to the bag loading counter, said bag dispensing mechanism comprising: a housing having first and second sides at opposite sides thereof, and a counter top, bag dispenser means mounted in said housing and adapted to dispense open bags into a dispenser station, a conveyor mounted for movement through said station, first and second bag retainer means arranged one at each end of said conveyor means for receivinq and retaining a bag in an upwardly open configuration, drive means communicating with said conveyor means for selectively driving said conveyor toward said first or second bag retaining means whereby a bag which is dispensed onto said conveyor may be selectively conveyed to said first and second bag retaining means as required in use.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
Figure 1 of the drawings is a partially sectioned pictorial view of a bag dispensing mechanism constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a plan view of a checkout counter assembly incorporating the bag dispensing mechanism of Figure 1.
With reference to the drawings, the reference numeral 10, refers generally to an open bag dispenser in the form of a bag loading counter. The dispenser comprises a housing 12 which has a counter top 14 and oppositely disposed sides 16 and 18.
A bag making machine, generally identified by the reference numeral 20 is mounted within the housing. The bag making machine 20 is constructed in accordance with the bag making machine described in my prior U.S. Patent No.
. The bag making machine 20 serves to manufacture open bags 22 from a length of roll stock 24. The open bags 22 are discharged through the discharge passage 26, bottom first and follow the path indicated by the arrow A into the dispenser station 28 which is located centrally of the through passage 30 which extends between the sides 16 and 18 of the housing. A conveyor 36 forms the bottom wall of the through passage 30. The conveyor 36 has first and second ends 32 and 34 disposed at opposite ends of the through passage 30. A guide plate 27 extends downwardly from the lower edge of the discharge passage 26 to the conveyor 36.
The guide plate acts as a support which guides the ~ag 26 as it is discharged so that it comes to rest bottom-first on the conveyor 36.

Bag retainers generally identified by the reference numeral 40 are located at each end of the through passage 30. Each bag retainer comprises a ramp ~2 which forms a downwardly and outwardly inclined bottom wall 42 which extends from the ad~acent end of the conveyor, and an outer wall 4~ and an end wall 46. The outer wall ~4 extends upwardly from the ramp 42 and is outwardly inclined.
The end wall 46 extends between the outer wall ~4 and the adjacent side wall of the counter.
A slot 50 is formed in each ramp 42. An actuator finger ~2 of switch 54 projects through the slot 50, and will extend above the surface of the ramp 52 when located in a first position. The switches 54 serve to activate and deactivate the motor 56 which drives the conveyor 36. The motor 56 is a reversible motor capable of driving the conveyor 36 in both directions. A photoelectric switch 60 is mounted in the housing, and positioned so as to be operable to detect the presence or absence of a bag in the bag receiving station 28, which as previously indicated, is located directly at the discharge end of the bag making machine.
In use when the bag dispenser Figure 1 is activated, the bag making machine will manufacture and dispense an open bag bottom-first into the dispenser station 28 whenever the detector 60 detects the absence of a bag 22 in the dispenser station. When the fingers 52 of the detectors 54 are allowed to project through the notch 50, the detector 54 genera-tes a signal which indicates that no bag is located in its associat,ed retainer. The signal generated by the switch 50 activates the motor 56 to drive the conveyor so that a bag which is located in the dispenser station is transported by the conveyor to the empty retainer. ~he downward incline of the ramp 42 serves to permit the bag 22 to fall under its own weight against the outer wall 44 and the weight of the bag is sufficient to depress the finger 52 thereby deactivating the motor 56.
The movement of a bag 22 from the dispenser station reactivates the detector 60, which in turn activates the bag making machine to produce a further bag 22, which may then be transmitted as previously indicated, to whichever o the retainers is empty. Thus it will be seen that the bag dispenser illustrated in Figure 1, when fully operational, will house three open bags, one in each retainer and one in the dispenser station. It will be understood that an appropriate override may be provided in the control circuit used for controlling the operation of the conveyor to ensure that the motor 56 can only receive a signal from one or another of the detectors 54.
Figure 2 illustrates an installation in ~hich the bag dispenser 10 is located downstream from a conventional checkout counter 70, of the type commonly used in supermarkets, whic'n includes a conveyor 72 which is used for the purposes of directiDg the goods to a cashier 74 postioned in a checking station 76. A bag 22 may be positioned on a platform 78 so that the cashier may load the goods directly into the bag 22 while also operating a cash register 80. Alternatively, the goods can be transported by means of a slide or additional conveyor 82 to the counter top 14 of the bag dispenser 10 by positioning the dispenser 10 so that one of the receivers 40 is positioned in the checking station, and the other receiver 40 is positioned on the customer side of the counter, it is possible for a checkout assistant to pack the goods into the bag 22 which is located in the checkout station, and or, to have the customer 75 pack goods directly into the bag which is located in the other retainer.
When a slide 82 is used between the conveyor 72 and the counter top 14, it may be arranged so as to be removable when the checkout counter assembly is being used in the configuration wherein the checkout clerk is packing goods into bags 22 located on the support ledge 78. It will be apparent that by combining the bag dispenser 10 with a conventional checkout counter 72, the advantage is to be derived from manufacturing a bag on sight, which are described in my earlier patent, can be achieved in association with a conventional checkout counter. These and other advantages of the apparatus of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

It will be apparent that the bag dispenser apparatus of Figure 1 has many applications other than its application in association with a checkout counter. The bag dispenser apparatus can be used to make and dispense bags for any industrial application or commercial application in which bags such as paper bags are required. The apparatus has the advantage that it serves to deliver bags in an open configuration, the bags having never been creased or formed to a knock-down configuration, and therefore having no tendency to collapse if made from a stiff paper such as craft paper or the like.
These and other advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims (11)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A bag dispensing mechanism comprising:
(a) a housing having first and second sides at opposite sides thereof, and a counter top, (b) bag dispenser means mounted in said housing and adapted to dispense open bags into a dispenser station, (c) a conveyor mounted for movement through said station, (d) first and second bag retainer means arranged one at each end of said conveyor means for receiving and retaining a bag in an upwardly open configuration, (e) drive means communicating with said conveyor means for selectively driving said conveyor toward said first or second bag retaining means whereby a bag which is dispensed onto said conveyor may be selectively conveyed to said first and second bag retaining means as required in use.
2. A bag dispensing mechanism as claimed in Claim 1 further comprising first and second bag detector means at said first and second bag retaining means respectively for detecting the presence or absence of a bag therein, said first and second detector means communicating said drive means to activate said drive means to selectively drive said conveyor means towards said first or second retainer means to deliver a bag to whichever receiver does not contain an open bag.
3. A bag dispensing mechanism as claimed in claim 2 further comprising third bag detector means at said dispenser station for detecting the presence or absence of an open bag in said dispenser station, said third detector means communicating with said dispenser means to activate said dispenser means to dispense an open bag into said dispenser station when said third detector means detects the absence of an open bag in said dispenser station.
4. A bag dispensing mechanism as claimed in Claim 1 wherein said bag dispenser means further comprises a bag making machine adapted to manufacture an open bag.
5. A bag dispensing mechanism as claimed in Claim 4 wherein said first and second bag retainer means each comprise a ramp which is downwardly inclined from an adjacent end of said conveyor, an outer wall which extends upwardly at right angles to the ramp and a side wall extending from the housing to the outer wall, said ramp outer wall and side wall cooperating to define an upwardly opening bag retaining compartment.
6. A checkout counter comprising:
(a) a checkout counter having a goods input counter leading to a goods checkout station, (b) a bag dispensing mechanism disposed rearwardly of the checkout counter, (c) a transfer means communicating between the checkout counter and the bag dispensing mechanism by means of which goods from the checkout counter may be transferred to the bag loading counter, (d) said bag dispensing mechanism comprising:
I. a housing having first and second sides at opposite sides thereof, and a counter top, II. bag dispenser means mounted in said housing and adapted to dispense open bags into a dispenser station, III. a conveyor mounted for movement through said station, IV. first and second bag retainer means arranged one at each end of said conveyor means for receiving and retaining a bag in an upwardly open configuration, V. drive means communicating with said conveyor means for selectively driving said conveyor toward said first or second bag retaining means whereby a bag which is dispensed onto said conveyor may be selectively conveyed to said first and second bag retaining means as required in use.
7. A checkout counter as claimed in Claim 6 further comprising first and second bag detector means at said first and second bag retaining means respectively for detecting the presence or absence of a bag therein, said first and second detector means communicating said drive means to activate said drive means to selectively drive said conveyor means towards said first or second retainer means to deliver a bag to whichever receiver does not contain an open bag.
8. A checkout counter as claimed in Claim 7 further comprising third bag detector means at said dispenser station for detecting the presence or absence of an open bag in said dispenser station, said third detector means communicating with said dispenser means to activate said dispenser means to dispense an open bag into said dispenser station when said third detector means detects the absence of an open bag in said dispenser station.
9. A checkout counter as claimed in Claim 6 wherein said bag dispenser means further comprises a bag making machine adapted to manufacture an open bag.
10. A checkout counter as claimed in Claim 9 wherein said first and second bag retainer means each comprise a ramp which is downwardly inclined from an adjacent end of said conveyor, an outer wall which extends upwardly at right angles to the ramp and a side wall extending from the housing to the outer wall, said ramp outer wall and side wall cooperating to define an upwardly opening bag retaining compartment.
11. A checkout counter as claimed in Claim 6 wherein said checkout counter and said transfer means are arranged to convey goods in a first direction and said bag dispensing mechanism is arranged with said opposite sides of said counter extending at right angles to said first direction, whereby one of said bag retainer means is disposed in said goods checkout station so as to be readily accessible to a sales clerk working within said checkout station, and the other of said bag retainer means is disposed remote from said checkout station so as to be accessible to a customer.
CA000436965A 1983-01-03 1983-09-19 Checkout counter with bag dispensing mechanism Expired CA1228047A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US45507083A 1983-01-03 1983-01-03
US455,070 1989-12-22

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1228047A true CA1228047A (en) 1987-10-13

Family

ID=23807270

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA000436965A Expired CA1228047A (en) 1983-01-03 1983-09-19 Checkout counter with bag dispensing mechanism

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CA (1) CA1228047A (en)

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