EP0147287B1 - Bag dispenser - Google Patents

Description

The object of the present invention relates to a machine for distributing or selling bags of the type of those which use a tubular and continuous strip of plastic material, normally provided with a series of transverse weld lines and perforation lines. or weakening, the distance between them corresponds to the length of each bag after it has been separated from the continuous strip. These machines are particularly usable in establishments and large centers or markets intended for the sale of products, preferably food, where the buyer introduces the articles which he has bought in one or more bags supplied by the machine. There are certain types of machines in which the distribution of bags is triggered by the introduction into the machine of one or more coins or tokens, which obliges the buyer to determine the number of coins required for transport purchased items, before their accounting has been made at the checkout, and taking into account the value and weight of these items; the buyer must therefore plan, before obtaining the bags, to have the necessary coins or tokens with him. The operation of these machines is carried out when the coin mechanism sends the start signal to the rollers which distribute the bags from a reel or a package folded in a zig-zag, stopping them s '' effecting thanks to a coin switch which is activated a certain time after the fall of the coin or token.

In addition to the drawbacks they present for the buyer, these machines usually have a heavy and bulky appearance, which causes a problem of space for the merchant.

Another disadvantage of the known bag distribution or sale machines lies in the mechanism for separating these bags which is put into service after the machine has been put into operation. In fact, these bag separation mechanisms act by exerting a tensile force which in turn affects the entire line of perforations or weakening existing on the continuous strip of bags. This traction is usually obtained through a pair of rollers between which the continuous strip of bags passes and which rotate at a speed greater than that of the feed rollers of the continuous strip; consequently they produce a stretching of the portion of strip to be separated which ends up breaking the entire line of perforations or weakening at once. This undoubtedly requires a significant effort from the drive unit and the transmission which actuates these endless stretching rollers or bands. This organ must therefore be endowed with appreciable power. On the other hand, the stretching in question of the strip of bags can even happen to deform the bag which it is desired to separate from the continuous strip.

Finally, to illustrate the state of the art, it is worth recalling the machines illustrated by US Patents 4,336,681 and DE A 2,124,413.

US Patent 4,336,681 relates to a bag dispensing machine in which the bags are stored in the form of a continuous tubular strip which has, at regular intervals, perforations delimiting the bags and which is driven by electric motors actuating rollers tension and pressure of the bag strip. An electrical contact is provided to detect perforations between bags and to consequently control the stopping and operation of the motors. Finally, a system is provided downstream to separate the bags from the strip. It is however important to observe that the detection and the separation of the bags are done individually, the machine being intended to distribute only one bag at a time, while the present invention aims to provide a machine allowing, at will, the distribution of 'any number of bags.

Such a distribution of any number of bags is certainly known per se from DE A 2 124 413. This is, however, a bag dispenser which only allows a predetermined number of bags to be separated in the strip bags when this number is reached, while the dispensing machine according to the invention is intended in particular to allow, in trade, to automatically distribute a determined number of bags based on information from the cash register of payments.

To achieve this goal, in the dispensing machine according to the invention, an electronic circuit receiving the signal from a push button or a switch connected to the keyboard of a cash register for payments in order to select the number of bags to be dispensed triggers the operation of the electric motor actuating the traction roller of the tubular strip, the circuit comprising a member detecting the passage of the bags, and the pusher or the switch sending an electrical signal applied to a counting apparatus or to the recording machine for the purpose to count and record the number of bags distributed, and to cut through the means of detection the current of the electric motor actuating the traction roller of the strip of bags, thus stopping the drive cycle and the supply of bags. The bag separation device comprises means making it possible to apply, to the final bag to be separated from the continuous strip itself, a series of tensile forces applied successively at points aligned transversely, these tensile forces breaking segments successive lines of dotted zones or weakening zones which connects the bag to the rest of the strip, until complete separation of this bag. This or these bags exit outside through a front opening of the machine and, as they are obtained in a continuous strip wound or folded in a zig-zag inside the machine and separated by a weakened or stamped part, the buyer himself can take the units that came out of the machine.

The machine object of the present invention, thanks to the reduced size of its elements and because it does not have a coin mechanism and a case for storing money or tokens, has a relatively and considerably light appearance; and if the place where it is placed does not have a conveyor belt, it can be placed on a table or hung on the wall, its constitution and shape giving it a pleasant appearance.

• La Figure 1 en représente une vue en coupe- élévation ;
• la Figure 2 montre une disposition de la bande continue de sacs à fournir ;
• la figure 3 est un diagramme par blocs du circuit électronique de la machine ;
• la figure 4 est une vue partielle et schématique de la partie de la machine où est placé le mécanisme de séparation des sacs ;
• la figure 5 est une vue par dessus de l'arbre porteur des doigts de séparation ;
• les figures 6 et 7 sont des vues en élévation d'un doigt au moment où il sépare la portion correspondante d'un sac et au moment de l'expulsion de cette portion déjà séparée, et
• les figures 8 et 9 sont des vues par dessus du même arbre à doigts, où l'on peut observer la fonction de séparation respectivement de la première patte et de la dernière.

Other characteristics of this machine will emerge from the description which follows, with reference to the appended schematic drawing which represents, by way of example, an embodiment.

• Figure 1 shows a sectional elevation view thereof;
• Figure 2 shows an arrangement of the continuous strip of bags to be supplied;
• FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the electronic circuit of the machine;
• Figure 4 is a partial and schematic view of the part of the machine where the bag separation mechanism is placed;
• Figure 5 is a top view of the carrier shaft of the separation fingers;
• FIGS. 6 and 7 are elevation views of a finger when it separates the corresponding portion of a bag and when this already separated portion is expelled, and
• Figures 8 and 9 are views from above of the same finger shaft, where we can observe the separation function of the first leg and the last respectively.

• un boîtier (1) à la partie intérieure duquel il existe un compartiment de stockage (2) de la bande tubulaire et continue (3) de sacs ;
• une plate-forme (4) essentiellement horizontale ;
• un microinterrupteur mécanique ou photo- électrique (5) ;
• un moteur électrique (6) entraînant un rouleau moteur (7) ;
• un rouleau de pression (8) placé sur ce rouleau moteur (7), monté sur un support (9) et poussé contre le rouleau moteur (7) par des ressorts à compression (10) ;
• des systèmes de séparation des sacs (11) placés dans une zone (12) de la paroi frontale (13) de la machine, en face d'une ouverture (14) et actionnés comme indiqué plus loin ;
• et un circuit électronique (15) activé par un ou des poussoirs (16), par une pédale de la machine elle-même ou par le clavier d'une machine enregistreuse de paiements conventionnelle.

In FIG. 1, it can be seen that the machine comprises:

• a housing (1) at the interior of which there is a storage compartment (2) of the tubular and continuous strip (3) of bags;
• an essentially horizontal platform (4);
• a mechanical or photoelectric microswitch (5);
• an electric motor (6) driving a driving roller (7);
• a pressure roller (8) placed on this drive roller (7), mounted on a support (9) and pushed against the drive roller (7) by compression springs (10);
• bag separation systems (11) placed in an area (12) of the front wall (13) of the machine, opposite an opening (14) and actuated as indicated below;
• and an electronic circuit (15) activated by one or more pushers (16), by a pedal of the machine itself or by the keyboard of a conventional payment recording machine.

The continuous strip (3) of bags placed in the lower compartment (2) of the machine can be wound on a reel (17) supported on rollers (18) which can be free-axis or self-powered, or can be folded in a zigzag form a block (19) placed in a housing (20) (fig. 2).

In this type of strip, the separation of each bag (3a) from that which immediately follows or precedes it (3b) is marked by a transverse line of dotted lines (21). Likewise, these bags, which can be made of plastic, paper, etc. have a detection element such as a matrix (22) or a printed strip, through which the microswitch (5) can be actuated next to the strip (3) which passes over the platform (4) . In the case of conventional “shirt” type bags, this stamping (22) consists of one of the voids which form the handles (FIG. 2).

When the push button or the pedal (16), which allows the user to select the desired quantity of bags he wishes to distribute, are pressed, the timer (25) is activated by means of the switch (24) which through the microswitch supplies current to the electric motor (6) which starts the roller (7) which, thanks to the pressure exerted by the roller (8), drives the strip (3) of bags coming from the storage compartment (2); the microswitch (5) detects the passage of each bag of the band (3) and sends a signal which is received by the switch (24) until the quantity of bands to be distributed previously selected by the pusher (16) is reached, and then this switch (24) disconnects the electric motor (6), and the roller (7) then stops driving the bags.

The switch (24) simultaneously supplies a signal applicable to a counter or to a conventional payment recording machine (26) which records and notes the number of bags distributed on the corresponding delivery note or invoice. This counter or recording machine in turn sends back a control signal which is received by the switch (24) (FIG. 3).

As it exits through the opening (14), the strip of bags passes through the separation mechanism which produces the stretching of the exit bag (3c), finally causing the line of dotted line (21) which separates it from the next bag (3b) and distributes it in a separate state.

Referring to Figures 4 and 5, the bag separation mechanism (3) comprises a rotary shaft (27) actuated by a transmission and a drive member (not shown); on this shaft are fixed, in an integral manner, a series of radial fingers (28), equidistant from each other and phase shifted relative to each other by a reduced angle of the order of 10 ° by example.

At the end of each finger (28) (FIGS. 6 and 7) there is an extension (29) of flexible and elastic material, such as rubber or plastic, elongated along the longitudinal axis of the continuous strip ( 3). The posterior end (30) of these extensions is significantly thinned. It should be emphasized that the curvature of the active surface (31) of this extension (29) has a radius R greater than the radius r that describes the surface (31) when it rotates.

During the operation of the machine, after stopping the feed rollers (7) and (8) which lead the continuous strip (3) above the platform (32) to the separation mechanism (11 ), this separation mechanism (11) comes into action. The extension (29) of each finger (28) comes into contact through its front end and its central part with a portion of the bag to be detached, the opposite face of which is applied against a curved surface (33) (FIG. 8). When this portion of the bag has been detached and it follows the rotation of the shaft (27), the rear end (30) of the extension (29) comes into contact with the bag, and because of its greater curvature and of its elasticity, it exerts an action of expulsion of the separate portion of bag (3c) (FIG. 7).

By the rotation of the shaft (27) all the ends (29) of the radial fingers (28) come into contact successively with different portions (34a, 34n) of the bag (3c) which must separate from the continuous strip (3) , by successively breaking the respective segments (21 a ... 21 n) of the dotted line or weakening until the rupture and total separation of the bag (3c) (Figures 8 and 9).

It is visible that the width of the bags may vary in the different bands placed in the store or storage compartment (2) of the machine, and for this reason the rollers (7) and (8), the opening (14) and the entry (12), as well as the separation mechanisms (11) will have the width which corresponds to the bags of greater width (FIG. 1).

It is preferable that the rear wall (35) of the machine is mounted on upper hinges (36) (Figure 1) so that it can be opened and have access to the interior, or to place a new coil (17) or a block (19) of bags, either to replace the one that is already finished, or to intervene in the circuit or the mechanism of the machine.

Claims (5)

1. Machine for the dispensing of bags (3a, 3b), especially shopping bags, of the type comprising, on the one hand, a magazine space (19) or container (21) receiving a continuous tubular strip (3) of flexible material, such as plastic, wound or folded in a zigzag formation and equipped with apertures (22) or printed zones for their detection and with a series of welding lines and lines of dots (21) or weakening lines made previously and defining the bottoms and separations of the bags, said tubular strip (3) being driven as a result of its passage between at least two rollers (7, 8), one of which is driven by an electric motor (6) controlled by a micro-switch (5) detecting the passage of the bags (3a, 3b), and, on the other hand, a device (11) for separating these bags, characterized in that an electronic circuit (15) receiving the signal from a pushbutton (16) or from a switch connected to the keyboard of a payment register box, for the purpose of selecting the number of bags to be dispensed, triggers the functioning of the electric motor (6) actuating the draw roller (7) of the tubular strip (3), the circuit (15) possessing a member (5) detecting the passage of the bags, and the pushbutton (16) or the switch sending an electrical signal applied to a counting unit or to the register machine for the purpose of accounting and recording the number of bags dispensed and of cutting off, by means of the detection member (5), the current of the electric motor (6) actuating the draw roller (7) of the strip of bags (3), thereby stopping the bag- driving and supply cycle, and in that the device for separating the bags comprises means making it possible to exert on the last bag (3c) to be separated from the continuous strip (3) itself a series of pulls exerted successively at transversely aligned points, these pulls breaking successive segments of the line of dotted zones or of weakening zones which attaches the bag to the rest of the strip, until the complete separation of this bag is obtained.

2. Machine according to Claim 1, characterized in that the detection member (5) is located between the magazine (2) of the strip of bags (3) and a pair of draw and pressure rollers (7) and (8), the continuous strip of bags (3) passing opposite this element (5) when it comes from the magazine, so that each bag is detected by the detection member which sends the corresponding electrical signal received by a switch (24), this switch (24) causing the disconnection of the motor (6) driving the continuous strip (3) when the previously selected number of bags is obtained.

3. Machine according to Claim 1, characterized in that the means exerting the successive pulls on the last bag in order to separate it from the strip (3) comprise a shaft (27) driven in rotation by a motor member and equipped with a multiplicity of radial fingers (28) placed next to one another, so that between them they cover the entire width of the continuous strip of bags (3), each finger (28) being offset at a small angle relative to those adjacent to it, so that each comes successively in contact with a corresponding portion of the bag (3c) which is to be separated from the rest of the continuous strip (3) by means of the line of dots or weakening line, the face of the bag to be separated bearing against a curved surface (33) opposite that with which the ends of these fingers (28) come in contact.

4. Machine according to Claims 1 and 3, characterized in that each of the ends of the fingers (28) is equipped with a plastic anti-slip extension (29), the active surface of this extension preferably having a curvature of larger radius than that described by the finger during its rotation, the rear end of this extension (29) being thinned in order to bring about an effect of expelling the bag portion already separated.

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