EP2841345B1

EP2841345B1 - Improved loader

Info

Publication number: EP2841345B1
Application number: EP13769507.8A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Eggo Haschke
Original assignee: Precitec Corp
Current assignee: Precitec Corp
Priority date: 2012-03-30
Filing date: 2013-03-28
Publication date: 2017-09-13
Anticipated expiration: 2033-03-28
Also published as: RU2014143260A; RU2634934C2; WO2013149000A1; EP2841345A1; EP2841345A4; US20130255199A1

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a device for opening bags for loading material on an automated loader. Many types of automated loaders are used to encase material in a bag. For example, the automated poultry loader described in United States Published Patent Application No. 2008/0022636 A1 , Two-in-One Bagger, can be used to encase a whole dressed bird such as a chicken, turkey, or duck.
The bags used in these automated loaders are of a type as illustrated in FIG. 1, where a bag 20 has a bottom sheet 22 and a top sheet 24, joined at bottom and side edges by heat, ultrasonic welding, or other means, thereby defining an opening 25 of the bag 20. The opening 25 of the bag 20 is defined at a top edge or lip 27 of the top sheet 24, but the bottom sheet 22 has a portion 26 which extends beyond the lip 27 of the top sheet 24. A perforation line 28 defines the border between the extended portion 26 of the bottom sheet 22 and the remainder of the bottom sheet 22. One or more apertures 30 are punched through the extended portion 26 of the bottom sheet 22. The bag 20 is typically a plastic bag that is made of polyethylene film. The bag 20 may have three to ten percent ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) as a stretch agent.
In typical prior art automated loading operations, as illustrated in FIG. 2, multiple bags 20 (depicted as 20a, 20b, 20c, etc.) are provided one on top of another to form a stack 32. The bags 20a, 20b, 20c, etc. are held together in the stack 32 by a wicket 34 which extends through the apertures 30 of the bags 20a, 20b, 20c, etc. In use, material, such as a dressed chicken, is loaded into top bag 20a and the extended portion 26 separates from the remainder of the bottom sheet 22 along the perforation line 28, thereby leaving the dressed chicken encased in the bag 20a between the bottom and top sheets 22, 24. The extended portion 26 remains with the stack 32 due to the wicket 34 extending through the apertures 30 of the extended portion 26. The extended portions 26 of the bags 20a, 20b, 20c, etc. are typically disposed of when the stack 32 is depleted.
A conventional automatic poultry loader 40 as known in the prior art is shown in FIGS. 3 through 7. Loader 40 includes a frame 42, a pair of horns 44a, 44b, a horn control mechanism 46, an air nozzle 48, a ram 50, and a bag carriage assembly 52. The frame 42 has forward and rearward ends 54, 56.
Each horn 44a, 44b is typically formed of steel. The horns 44a, 44b are mirror images of one another. Thus, horn 44a has top and bottom ends 58a, 60a, forward and rearward ends 62a, 64a, and inner and outer surfaces 66a, 68a, and horn 44b has top and bottom ends 58b, 60b, forward and rearward ends 62b, 64b, and inner and outer surfaces 66b, 68b. Each horn 44a, 44b is mounted to the frame 42 between the forward and rearward ends 54, 56 thereof by a mounting assembly 70a, 70b with the forward ends 62a, 62b of the horns 44a, 44b being positioned at or proximate the forward end 54 of the frame 42.
Each horn 44a, 44b is provided with a forward portion 72a, 72b which is provided forward of the mounting assembly 70a, 70b, and a rearward portion 74a, 74b which is provided rearward of the mounting assembly 70a, 70b. The rearward portions 74a, 74b are preferably angled outwardly relative to the forward portions 72a, 72b. Alternatively, the horns 44a, 44b may be partially curved from the forward ends 62a, 62b to the rearward ends 64a, 64b. The horns 44a, 44b may also be partially curved from the top ends 58a, 58b to the bottom ends 60a, 60b.
The horn control mechanism 46 is configured to move the horns 44a, 44b in a plane, typically from a first position in which the inner surfaces 66a, 66b of the horns 44a, 44b are proximate to one another, to a second position in which inner surfaces 66a, 66b of the horns 44a, 44b are distal from one another.
The air nozzle 48 is provided proximate the forward end 54 of the frame 42, while the ram 50 is provided at or proximate to the rearward end 56 of the frame 42. The bag carriage assembly 52 is positioned forward of the forward end 54 of the frame 42. The bag carriage assembly 52 is operationally associated with the loader 40 and is configured to slide rearward under the forward end 54 of the frame 42. Bag carriage assembly 52 includes the wicket 34 such that the stack 32 of bags 20a, 20b, 20c, etc. may be positioned thereon and held in place by the wicket 34.
In operation, and as shown in FIG. 3, a chicken 90 is presented rearward of the rearward ends 64a, 64b of the horns 44a, 44b and forward of the ram 50, either by manual placement or by automated delivery, such as by a conveyor belt. As shown in FIG. 4, bag carriage assembly 52 raises to present the top bag 20a of the stack 32 adjacent to the forward ends 62a, 62b of the horns 44a, 44b. The air nozzle 48 directs a stream of compressed air at the lip 27 of the top sheet 24 of the bag 20a in order to slightly raise the top sheet 24 over the bottom sheet 22, thus increasing the size of the opening 25 of the bag 20a.
As shown in FIG. 5, bag carriage assembly 52 slides rearward under the forward end 54 of the frame 42, pulling top bag 20a over and around the forward ends 62a, 62b of the horns 44a, 44b. With the top bag 20a having been pulled over and around the horns 44a, 44b, the horn control mechanism 46 causes the horns 44a, 44b to move from the first position (where the inner surfaces 66a, 66b are proximate to one another) to the second position (where the inner surfaces 66a, 66b are distal to one another), thereby stretching open the bag 20a. Ram 50 is then operated to stroke forward in order to push the chicken 90 between the inner surfaces 66a, 66b of the horns 44a, 44b, through the opening 25 of the bag 20a, and past the forward ends 62a, 62b of the horns 44a, 44b, such that the chicken 90 is entirely positioned within the bag 20a. During this process, the bag 20a tightens around the chicken 90. Ram 50 then reverse strokes to its original, rest position and waits for another chicken 90 to be delivered.
It is to be understood that, while the loader 40 and bag carriage assembly 52 of the prior art illustrated in FIGS. 3-7 provides for the top bag 20a to be pulled over and around the horns 44a, 44b and then for the horns 44a, 44b to move in a planar manner relative to one another to stretch open the bag 20a, that other loader assemblies may operate in slightly different manners in order to achieve the same purpose. More specifically, in other devices, the horns themselves may be moved into a stationary bag. In other prior art devices, the horns may be rotated axially instead of in a plane. In either case, the bag has to be opened enough to go over and around the horns and/or to receive the horns.
In a conventional poultry loader such as described above, horns 44a, 44b separate sideways to stretch open top bag 20a. When the chicken 90 is pushed into the bag 20a by the ram 50, the top and bottom of the chicken 90 encounter plastic from the bag 20a and the sides of the chicken 90 encounter steel from the horns 44a, 44b. It is known in the art that consumers prefer to purchase dry chicken, so chicken baggers have a marketing incentive to bag the chickens in a dry state. However, there is a fairly high coefficient of friction between the skin of a dry, dressed chicken (or other poultry) and a bag made of polyethylene or similar plastic. Accordingly, there is a tendency for the chicken to either get stuck in the bag 20a or to tear the bag 20a as the ram 50 pushes it into the bag 20a, which slows production considerably. Chicken baggers could ameliorate the situation by bagging wet chicken, but consumers would not appreciate it. Similar concerns apply to other material that is bagged in a similar manner.
From EP 2 237 946 a method and an apparatus for packaging articles, in particular a stack of insulation panels, are known in which an adjustable spout comprises at least four spout members (51, 51, 53, 54) moveable relative to each other in one or more directions perpendicular to the transfer direction for increasing or decreasing the height and the width of the spout.
A similar sprout is known from EP 2 256 043 A1 wherein the L-shaped sprouts additionally show rounded corners.
The present invention addresses these and other deficiencies of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the invention a pair of horns is provided, each of said horns comprising: an upstanding wall having top and bottom ends, forward and rearward ends, and inner and outer surfaces; and a bottom wall which extends inwardly from the bottom end of the upstanding wall wherein one of the horns of the pair of horns is positioned slightly higher than the other horn of the pair of horns, characterized in that the inner surface of the upstanding wall has an air channel formed therein which extends from the forward end to the rearward end.
According to a second aspect, a bag-opening device is provided, comprising: the pair of horns of the first aspect, a mounting assembly configured to mount the pair of horns in position to provide that the inner surfaces of the upstanding walls of the pair of horns face one another, the mounting assembly further being configured to mount one of the horns higher than the other one of the pair of horns; and a horn control mechanism which is configured to move the forward end of at least one of the pair of horns proximate to the forward end of at least the other one of the pair of horns, wherein during such movement the bottom wall of one of the pair of horns will be moved into a generally overlapping position relative to the bottom wall of the other one of the pair of horns due to one of the pair of horns being mounted higher than the other one of the pair of horns.
According to a third aspect, an automated loader is provided, comprising: a frame having forward and rearward ends; a bag carriage assembly provided proximate the forward end of the frame; a ram mounted to the frame proximate to the rearward end thereof; and the bag-opening device of the second aspect, wherein the mounting assembly is mounted to the frame between the forward and rearward ends thereof in a manner where the rearward ends of the pair of horns are provided forward of the ram, and where the forward ends of the pair of horns are configured to be operatively associated with the bag carriage assembly.
According to a fourth aspect, a method of bagging material is provided, the method comprising the steps of: providing an automated loader having a bag carriage assembly and a pair of horns, wherein the bag carriage assembly is configured to provide a bag into which the material is to be inserted, wherein each said horn has an upstanding wall and a bottom wall, said upstanding wall having top and bottom ends, forward and rearward ends, and inner and outer surfaces, said bottom wall extends inwardly from the bottom end of the upstanding wall, and wherein the inner surface of the upstanding wall has an air channel formed therein which extends from the forward end to the rearward end; the inner surfaces of the upstanding walls of the pair of horns facing one another; positioning the material to be bagged rearward of the rearward ends of the horns; opening a bag; causing the forward ends of the pair of horns to be positioned within the opening of the bag, wherein the bottom walls of the horns are generally in an overlapping configuration; causing the forward end of at least one of the pair of horns to move away from the other one of the pair of horns in order to stretch the opening of the bag, wherein the bottom walls of the horns move to a generally non-overlapping configuration; and moving the material to be bagged over the bottom walls of the horns, past the forward ends of the horns, and into the bag.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The organization and manner of the structure and operation of the invention, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying non-scale drawings, wherein like reference numerals identify like elements in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation view of a prior art plastic bag used in automated loading operations;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a prior art stack of the plastic bags of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an elevation schematic view of a prior art loader using a bag opener;
FIG. 4 is an elevation schematic view of the prior art loader of FIG. 3 as the top bag is being slightly opened;
FIG. 5 is an elevation schematic view of the prior art loader of FIG. 3 with the top bag partially pulled over the horns of the loader;
FIG. 6 is a partial front view of the prior art loader of FIG. 3;
FIG. 7 is a partial top view of the prior art loader of FIG. 3;
FIG. 8 is an elevation schematic view of a loader of a preferred embodiment of the present invention using a bag opener;
FIG. 9 is an elevation schematic view of the loader of FIG. 8 as the top bag is being slightly opened;
FIG. 10 is an elevation schematic view of the loader of FIG. 8 with the top bag partially pulled over the horns of the loader;
FIG. 11 is a partial front view of the loader of FIG. 8 with the horns being in a first position;
FIG. 12 is a partial front view of the loader of FIG. 8 with the horns being in a second position;
FIG. 13 is a top perspective view of the horns of FIG. 8;
FIG. 14 is a drawing of one type of textured steel as used in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 15 and 16 are drawings of other types of textured steel that can be used in embodiments of present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

While the invention may be susceptible to embodiment in different forms, there is shown in the drawings, and herein will be described in detail, specific embodiments with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the invention, and is not intended to limit the invention to that as illustrated and described herein. The embodiments of the present invention will be described as part of an automated poultry loader. The present invention can be used on loaders for bagging and/or netting whole poultry, cut-up poultry, or whole muscle meat products, on other applications in which a material is enclosed in a casing, bag, or netting, such as sealants, adhesives, and explosives, or for any other application in which horns are used to hold open a casing, bag, or netting for the insertion of material.
The preferred embodiment of the improved automatic loader 140 includes a bag-opening device 141 of the present invention is described and illustrated with reference to FIGS. 8-13. The bag-opening device 141 includes a pair of horns 144a, 144b, a horn control mechanism 146, and a mounting assembly 170a, 170b. Other structural and functional aspects of the automatic loader 140 other than those associated with the bag-opening device 141 are identical to those of the automatic loader 40 of the prior art and, therefore, will not be discussed herein again in any detail, except as otherwise noted hereinbelow.
Each horn 144a, 144b is typically formed of steel. Each horn 144a, 144b has an upstanding wall 145a, 145b and a bottom wall 147a, 147b. The horns 144a, 144b are mirror images of one another. Thus, the upstanding wall 145a of the horn 144a has top and bottom ends 158a, 160a, forward and rearward ends 162a, 164a, and inner and outer surfaces 166a, 168a, and the upstanding wall 145b of the horn 144b has top and bottom ends 158b, 160b, forward and rearward ends 162b, 164b, and inner and outer surfaces 166b, 168b. The bottom walls 147a, 147b of the horns 144a, 144b extend inwardly from the bottom ends 160a, 160b, respectively, of the upstanding walls 145a, 145b of the horns 144a, 144b. The upstanding walls 145a, 145b are preferably slightly curved or arcuate in cross-section, both from the forward ends 162a, 162b to the rearward ends 164a, 164b, and from the top ends 158a, 158b to the bottom ends 160a, 160b.
In a preferred embodiment, the inner surfaces 166a, 166b of the upstanding walls 145a, 145b preferably each have air channels 176a, 176b formed therein which extend from the forward ends 162a, 162b to the rearward ends 164a, 164b. The air channels 176a, 176b are preferably V-shaped in configuration and are provided generally equidistantly between the top ends 158a, 158b and the bottom ends 160a, 160b. The bottom walls 147a, 147b are preferably flat.
Each horn 144a, 144b preferably has a forward portion 172a, 172b and a rearward portion 174a, 174b. The rearward portions 174a, 174b are preferably outwardly angled relative to the forward portions 172a, 172b, preferably at an angle of approximately ten degrees.
Each horn 144a, 144b is mounted to the frame 42 between the forward and rearward ends 54, 56 thereof by a mounting assembly 170a, 170b in such a manner that the forward ends 162a, 162b of the horns 144a, 144b are positioned at or proximate the forward end 54 of the frame 42. Each mounting assembly 170a, 170b includes a post 178a, 178b and a mounting bracket 180a, 180b having a slot 182a, 182b formed therethrough.
The mounting bracket 180a, preferably extends laterally outwardly from the outer surface 168a of the upstanding wall 154a of the horn 144a. The mounting bracket 180a preferably connects to the horn 144a at or proximate to the connection of the forward and rearward portions 172a, 174a of the horn 144a. The post 178a extends through the slot 182a of the mounting bracket 180a and is then secured to the frame 42. Likewise, the mounting bracket 180b preferably extends laterally outwardly from the outer surface 168b of the upstanding wall 154b of the horn 144b. The mounting bracket 180b preferably connects to the horn 144b at or proximate to the connection of the forward and rearward portions 172b, 174b of the horn 144b. The post 178b extends through the slot 182b of the mounting bracket 180b and is then secured to the frame 42. The mounting bracket 180a mounts the horn 144a in a slightly higher position than the mounting bracket 180b mounts the horn 144b. This configuration can be accomplished in any number of ways, including by attaching the post 178b slightly lower in the frame 42, or by adding one or more washers (not shown) between the post 178b and the mounting bracket 180b.
The horn control mechanism 146 is preferably an air cylinder, servo motor, or similar device, that is operatively associated with at least one of the horns 144a, 144b in order to move or rotate, depending on the exact configuration desired (as previously discussed, it is known to have horns move in planar or rotated manner relative to one another), the horns 144a, 144b from a first position where the inner surfaces 166a, 166b of the upstanding walls 145a, 145b are proximate to one another, to a second position where the inner surfaces 166a, 166b of the upstanding walls 145a, 145b are distal to one another. When the inner surfaces 166a, 166b are proximate to one another, the bottom wall 147a of the horn 144a is preferably positioned over the bottom wall 147b of the horn 144b, as best illustrated in FIG. 11. However, when the inner surfaces 166a, 166b are distal from one another, the bottom walls 147a, 147b of the horns 144a, 144b are no longer provided in substantially overlapping relationship, but rather are preferably provided adjacent to one another (but with the bottom wall 147a being slightly higher than the bottom wall 147b), as best illustrated in FIG. 12.
In operation, and as shown in FIGS. 8-13, a chicken 90 is presented rearward of the rearward ends 164a, 164b of the horns 144a, 144b and forward of the ram 50, either by manual placement or by automated delivery, such as by a conveyor belt. As shown in FIG. 9, bag carriage assembly 52 raises to present the top bag 20a of the stack 32 adjacent to the forward ends 162a, 162b of the horns 144a, 144b. The air nozzle 48 directs a stream of compressed air at the lip 27 of the top sheet 24 of the bag 20a in order to slightly raise the top sheet 24 over the bottom sheet 22, thus increasing the size of the opening 25 of the bag 20a.
As shown in FIG. 10, bag carriage assembly 52 slides rearward under the forward end 54 of the frame 42, pulling top bag 20a over and around the forward ends 162a, 162b of the horns 144a, 144b. With the top bag 20a having been pulled over and around the horns 144a, 144b, the horn control mechanism 146 causes the horns 144a, 144b to move from the first position (where the inner surfaces 166a, 166b are proximate to one another and where the bottom walls 147a, 147b are in overlapping position - FIG. 11) to the second position (where the inner surfaces 166a, 166b are distal to one another and where the bottom walls 147a, 147b are in adjacent position - FIG. 12), thereby stretching open the bag 20a. Ram 50 is then operated to stroke forward in order to push the chicken 90 between the inner surfaces 166a, 166b of the horns 144a, 144b, over and on top of the bottom walls 147a, 147b, through the opening 25 of the bag 20a, and past the forward ends 162a, 162b of the horns 144a, 144b, such that the chicken 90 is entirely positioned within the bag 20a. During this process, the bag 20a tightens around the chicken 90. Ram 50 then reverse strokes to its original, rest position and waits for another chicken 90 to be delivered.
In the poultry loader 140 such as described above, horns 144a, 144b separate (in either a rotational or planar manner) to stretch open the top bag 20a. In comparison to the poultry loader 40 of the prior art, when the chicken 90 is pushed into the bag 20a by the ram 50, only the top of the chicken 90 may now possibly encounter plastic from the bag 20a. The bottom of the chicken 90 will slide along the bottom walls 147a, 147b of the horns 144a, 144b and the sides of the chicken 90 will slide along the inner surfaces 166a, 166b of the upstanding walls 154a, 154b of the horns 144a, 144b, thereby minimizing the possibility of the chicken 90 becoming stuck in the bag 20a or tearing the bag 20a, such that interferences in production are minimized.
The provision of the air channels 176a, 176b in the horns 144a, 144b also provides for a benefit in comparison to the horns 44a, 44b of the prior art. More specifically, as the chicken 90 is moved into the bag 20a, the provision of the air channels 176a, 176b allows for a place for the air in the bag 20a to escape to when the chicken 90 is inserted therein, thereby preventing further possible problems when bagging the chicken 90, such as the possibility of the bag 20a popping as the chicken 90 is bagged.
It is to be understood that the horns 144a, 144b of the loader 140 could be used in connection with other types of loaders 40 of the prior art, such as those described hereinabove.
It is to be understood that horns 144a, 144b are preferably made of highly polished stainless steel. For food-loading operations, stainless steel is likely required by government regulation. For other applications, stainless steel may not be required but is preferred for ease of sliding the material in front of ram 50.
In another aspect of the present invention, at least a portion of the inner surfaces 166a, 166b of the upstanding walls 145a, 145b and bottom walls 147a, 147b of horns 144a, 144b have dimples or textures. Preferably, horns 144a, 144b are formed entirely of textured or dimpled stainless steel. With at least the inner surfaces 166a, 166b of the upstanding walls 145a, 145b and bottom walls 147a, 147b having textures, dry chicken will slide even more easily through horns 144a, 144b. Preferably, the textured stainless steel is diamond-shaped textured stainless steel, such as HS Item Number R813000041, available from McNichols Co., Tampa, Florida, or type 4.WL, available from Mechanical Metals, Newtown, Pennsylvania. A representative diamond-shaped texture is shown schematically in FIG. 14. Other textures can be used as well, such as the ones shown, by way of example and not by way of limitation, in FIGS. 15 and 16.
Preferably, horns 144a, 144b are formed with a constant wall thickness, which would provide for the stamping of textures or dimples into all of or a portion of the interior surface of the steel.
In another aspect of the invention, at least a portion of the inner surfaces 166a, 166b of the upstanding walls 145a, 145b and bottom walls 147a, 147b of horns 144a, 144b is embedded, overlaid, coated or otherwise applied with a slippery synthetic substance, meaning one that has a lower coefficient of friction with the material being loaded than does smooth stainless steel and the material being loaded. Most preferably, the substance is a thermoplastic polymer, preferably polytetrafluoroethylene, most preferably one of the materials sold under the brand name Teflon® by E. 1. du Pont de Nemours and Company or its affiliates. Any other slippery substance can be used as well. The use of a slippery synthetic substance will enhance bagging of dry poultry. Nevertheless, the apparatus can also be used with wet poultry and therefore will be more useful to users than an apparatus that can only be used with one or the other.
While preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown and described, it is envisioned that those skilled in the art may devise various modifications of the present invention without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

A pair of horns (144a, 144b) for a bag-opening device (141), each of said horns (144a, 144b) comprising:
an upstanding wall (145a, 145b) having top (158a, 158b) and bottom (160a, 160b) ends, forward (162a, 162b) and rearward (164a, 164b) ends, and inner (166a, 166b) and outer (168a, 168b) surfaces; and

a bottom wall (147a, 147b) which extends inwardly from the bottom end (160a, 160b) of the upstanding wall (145a, 145b) wherein one of the horns (144a) of the pair of horns (144a, 144b) is positioned slightly higher than the other horn (144b) of the pair of horns (144a, 144b),

characterized in that the inner surface (166a, 166b) of the upstanding wall (145a, 145b) has an air channel (176a, 176b) formed therein which extends from the forward end (162a, 162b) to the rearward end (164a, 164b).
The pair of horns (144a, 144b) as described in claim 1, wherein the upstanding wall (145a, 145b) is at least partially curved between the top (158a, 158b) and bottom (160a, 160b) ends.
The pair of horns (144a, 144b) as described in claim 1, wherein the upstanding wall (145a, 145b) is at least partially curved between the forward (162a, 162b) and rearward (164a, 164b) ends.
The pair of horns (144a, 144b) as described in claim 1, wherein the upstanding wall (145a, 145b) defines a forward portion (172a, 172b) and a rearward portion (174a, 174b), the forward portion (172a, 172b) extending from the rearward portion (174a, 174b) to the forward end (162a, 162b), the rearward portion (174a, 174b) extending from the forward portion (172a, 172b) to the rearward end (164a, 164b), wherein the rearward portion (174a, 174b) is angled relative to the forward portion (172a, 172b).
The pair of horns (144a, 144b) as described in claim 1, wherein the inner surface (166a, 166b) of the upstanding wall (145a, 145b) defines a channel which extends from proximate the forward end (162a, 162b) to proximate the rearward end (164a, 164b).
The pair of horns (144a, 144b) as described in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the inner surface (166a, 166b) comprises textures.
The pair of horns (144a, 144b) as described in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the inner surface (166a, 166b) is coated with a slippery synthetic substance.
The pair of horns (144a, 144b) as described in claim 7, wherein the substance comprises a thermoplastic polymer.
The pair of horns (144a, 144b) as described in claim 8, wherein the thermoplastic polymer comprises polytetrafluoroethylene.
A bag-opening device (141) comprising:
the pair of horns (144a, 144b) according to claim 1

a mounting assembly (170a, 170b) configured to mount the pair of horns (144a, 144b) in position to provide that the inner surfaces (166a, 166b) of the upstanding walls (145a, 145b) of the pair of horns (144a, 144b) face one another, the mounting assembly (170a, 170b) further being configured to mount one of the horns (144a) higher than the other one (144b) of the pair of horns (144a, 144b); and

a horn control mechanism (146) which is configured to move the forward end (162a, 162b) of at least one of the pair of horns (144a, 144b) proximate to the forward end (162a, 162b) of at least the other one of the pair of horns (144a, 144b), wherein during such movement the bottom wall (147a, 147b) of one of the pair of horns (144a, 144b) will be moved into a generally overlapping position relative to the bottom wall (147a, 147b) of the other one of the pair of horns (144a, 144b) due to one of the pair of horns (144a, 144b) being mounted higher than the other one of the pair of horns (144a, 144b).
The bag-opening device (141) as described in claim 10, wherein the upstanding wall (145a, 145b) of each horn (144a, 144b) defines a forward portion (172a, 172b) and a rearward portion (174a, 174b), the forward portion (172a, 172b) extending from the rearward portion (174a, 174b) to the forward end (162a, 162b), the rearward portion (174a, 174b) extending from the forward portion (172a, 172b) to the rearward end (164a, 164b), wherein the rearward portion (174a, 174b) is angled relative to the forward portion (172a, 172b).
The bag-opening device (141) as described in claim 10, wherein the upstanding wall (145a, 145b) of each horn (144a, 144b) defines a forward portion (172a, 172b) and a rearward portion (174a, 174b), the forward portion (172a, 172b) extending from the rearward portion (174a, 174b) to the forward end (162a, 162b), the rearward portion (174a, 174b) extending from the forward portion (172a, 172b) to the rearward end (164a, 164b), wherein the mounting assembly (170a, 170b) is secured to each horn (144a, 144b) proximate to the connection of the forward (172a, 172b) and rearward (174a, 174b) portions.
The bag-opening device (141) as described in claim 10, wherein the upstanding wall (145a, 145b) of each horn (144a, 144b) defines a forward portion (172a, 172b) and a rearward portion (174a, 174b), the forward portion (172a, 172b) extending from the rearward portion (174a, 174b) to the forward end (162a, 162b), the rearward portion (174a, 174b) extending from the forward portion (172a, 172b) to the rearward end (164a, 164b), wherein the horn control mechanism (146) is operatively associated with the rearward portion (174a, 174b) of at least one of the horns (144a, 144b).
An automated loader (140) comprising:
a frame (42) having forward (162a, 162b) and rearward (164a, 164b) ends;

a bag carriage assembly (52) provided proximate the forward end (162a, 162b) of the frame;

a ram (50) mounted to the frame proximate to the rearward end (164a, 164b) thereof; and

the bag-opening device (141) of claim 10, wherein the mounting assembly (170a, 170b) is mounted to the frame (42) between the forward (162a, 162b) and rearward (164a, 164b) ends thereof in a manner where the rearward ends (164a, 164b) of the pair of horns (144a, 144b) are provided forward of the ram (50), and where the forward ends (162a, 162b) of the pair of horns (144a, 144b) are configured to be operatively associated with the bag carriage assembly (52).
A method of bagging material, the method comprising the steps of:
a) providing an automated loader (140) having a bag carriage assembly (52) and a pair of horns (144a, 144b), wherein the bag carriage assembly (52) is configured to provide a bag into which the material is to be inserted, wherein each said horn (144a, 144b) has an upstanding wall (145a, 145b) and a bottom wall (147a, 147b), said upstanding wall (145a, 145b) having top (158a, 158b) and bottom (160a, 160b) ends, forward (162a, 162b) and rearward (164a, 164b) ends, and inner and outer surfaces, said bottom wall (147a, 147b) extends inwardly from the bottom end (160a, 160b) of the upstanding wall (145a, 145b), and wherein the inner surface (166a, 166b) of the upstanding wall (145a, 145b) has an air channel (176a, 176b) formed therein which extends from the forward end (162a, 162b) to the rearward end (164a, 164b);
the inner surfaces (166a, 166b) of the upstanding walls (145a, 145b) of the pair of horns (144a, 144b) facing one another;

b) positioning the material to be bagged rearward of the rearward ends (164a, 164b) of the horns (144a, 144b);

c) opening a bag;

d) causing the forward ends (162a, 162b) of the pair of horns (144a, 144b) to be positioned within the opening of the bag, wherein the bottom walls (147a, 147b) of the horns (144a, 144b) are generally in an overlapping configuration;

e) causing the forward end (162a, 162b) of at least one of the pair of horns (144a, 144b) to move away from the other one of the pair of horns (144a, 144b) in order to stretch the opening of the bag, wherein the bottom walls (147a, 147b) of the horns (144a, 144b) move to a generally non-overlapping configuration; and

f) moving the material to be bagged over the bottom walls (147a, 147b) of the horns (144a, 144b), past the forward ends (162a, 162b) of the horns (144a, 144b), and into the bag.