FR2472924A1 - Bag production unit for retail selling counter - has conveyor transporting bag from production site and reorientating them with open side directed horizontally - Google Patents

Abstract

The cash-desk counter incorporates a machine for producing bags, especially platic ones, for retail goods, and for keeping the bag open during packing. The frame of the counter has a packing unit (18). The bag-producing machine (30) is positioned inside the frame. A conveyor (40) conveys an open bag from the production point to the packing unit (18) in such a way that the bag is orientated in a horizontal position with its opening at the side. The conveyor (40) repositions the bag vertically. A bag support ledge (50) is positioned lengthwise in relation to the counter, at the packing unit (18).

Description

 The present invention relates to checkout counters. In particular, it relates to a cash counter intended for use in the retail industry and comprising a bag making machine.

 Usually, when using the most commonly used checkout counters, a supply of prepared bags is available in folded or flat form. Paper bags and plastic bags are often used for the packaging of goods and bags of these two types are generally kept in a folded flat form. Paper bags have the advantage of being less expensive than plastic bags and, when open, keeping them open is more convenient since they have sufficient rigidity.

On the other hand, the plastic bags are soft and must be opened repeatedly when each article is to be introduced.

 Paper bags are normally made by manufacturers and packed in folded form so that the volume is reduced to a minimum and the handling of large quantities of bags is facilitated. The bags are transported to the retail locations and then kept folded or flat. Although it is essential that the bag is folded or pleated during its manufacture so that it can be laid flat, these pleating and folding operations have the disadvantage of giving the bag memory properties, it is that is, tending to return it to the folded or flat state. Thus, even after the opening of the bag, the latter continues to have a tendency to crash inward on itself by resuming the flat shape.

This bag folding memory feature is particularly troublesome in the packing operation at the checkout counter because it requires the packer to use one hand to hold the bag open while loading the items into the bag with the other hand. .

Thus, although, on the one hand, it is essential that the bag is folded so that it can be laid flat during shipping and packaging, the memory characteristic given by pleating and folding and on the other hand undesirable when the bag is to be used for packaging goods at a cash counter.

 A cardboard box is a much more convenient container at the packing station of a cash counter.

However, the boxes cannot be used given their cost and the fact that an elaborate opening operation is necessary. A box, however, has desirable characteristics because it is consistent when opened so that the packer can use both hands to introduce the goods into a box.

When operating a grocery store, we know that the main bottleneck in the service is the cash counter, and one factor that contributes to this fact is the time required to bag the goods. The difficulty of opening paper bags and keeping them open is an essential factor in the delays experienced at the packing station. As indicated above, it is the fact that the bags have a memory which tends to fold them which contributes to presenting the difficulty of maintaining the bags in open form during the packaging operation. In some cases, two employees must be present at each cash counter, one for recording sales and the other for loading goods into bags, so the debit and collection operation requires a lot of labor and is therefore obviously crusty. When operating supermarkets, when only one employee is used at each cash counter, the entire debit operation is slow. As a result, customer relationships deteriorate and can actually cause a reduction in sales volume.

The foregoing considerations show that a large number of difficulties can be attributed to the fact that the paper bags which are used in the cash desks have a memory characteristic given by the pleating and folding necessary to minimize the space occupied by the paper bags during their transport from the manufacturer's installation and during their storage.

Although the paper bags which are folded and folded flat occupy a volume which is much lower than that of open bags, they nevertheless occupy a volume much greater than that occupied by a roll of a material intended to form bags and from which they are made. In addition, packaging and tying the bags in easy-to-handle groups at the manufacturer's costs. Thus, if the grocery store operator could use the roll material used by the bag manufacturer, the storage space required for the bags could be reduced and the manufacturer's packaging and tying costs could be reduced. If the operations carried out at the bag manufacturer could be completely eliminated, a significant saving would be made on the cost of the bags. The cash counter according to the invention gives these advantages.

The difficulties presented by unfolding or opening a paper bag at a cash counter have been known for a considerable time and many attempts have been devoted to the realization of machines for opening bags previously formed so that they are accessible to a person ensuring the packaging. However, bag opening machines do not eliminate the function of the bag manufacturer. In addition, the bag opening machines must constantly compensate for the memory characteristics of the bags. If the bag opening machine does not cooperate properly with the opposite sides of a bag, the bag collapses and resumes its closed form. Although bags opening machines have already been proposed, These have not met with great commercial success and it is believed that this is due to the fact that the mechanisms are not completely reliable as they do not allow reproducible compensation for the tendency of the bags to return to their folded form.

We have also already proposed the formation of plastic bags from a continuous sheet, in a cash counter. The bag making operation, according to these proposals, is of the type in which a plastic sheet is folded along its length and undergoes heat sealing at intervals spaced apart longitudinally so that the sheet is separated into a series of compartments; the sheet is then cut along the seam lines so that the individual bags are separated from the sheet. The compartments formed by heat sealing are filled with goods before the bags are cut from the continuous sheet. Again, maintaining the sides of the sheet on either side of the compartment, at a distance, presents considerable difficulties and a bag opening mechanism is necessary to maintain the bag in open form.

 The difficulties presented by the known devices and techniques indicated above are eliminated according to the invention by mounting a bag making machine, intended to form open and coherent bags from a continuous sheet of a coherent manufacturing material. bags, in the cash counter, and by using a device for transporting open bags from the machine to the bagging station, in open form. The manufacture of bags in open form and the transport to the bagging station in open form solve all the problems posed by the use of folded bags.

 The bagging operation is further facilitated by the use of a bagging station incorporated in the cash counter and which is intended to support the open bags so that they are substantially vertical.

The bagging operation can be further improved by using a conveyor placed at the bagging station and intended to move the bags to this station, when they are in open form.

In one embodiment, the invention relates to a cash counter having a frame delimiting a bagging station, a bag making machine placed in the frame and intended to shape a coherent bag making material, and a open bag transport device from the bag making machine to the bagging station, in open form.

 According to another characteristic of the invention, the cash counter has a bagging station intended to support an open bag in substantially vertical form.

 According to another characteristic of the invention, the bagging station has a bag support flange arranged longitudinally and which is intended to carry a bag so that the weight of the bag pushes it towards the inside of the support flange .

According to another characteristic of the invention, a conveyor is mounted on the cash counter and is arranged longitudinally at the bagging station along the support rim. The carrier drives the bags open longitudinally relative to the support flange.

 According to another characteristic of the invention, the bag making machine is intended to evacuate an open bag, with a substantially horizontal orientation, so that the open end opens out laterally, and the transport device is intended to reorient the bag so that it takes a substantially vertical direction when it is removed from the bag making machine, the latter then being transported to the bagging station in open and vertical form.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge more clearly from the description which follows, given with reference to the appended drawings in which
- Figure 1 is a perspective with parts torn from a cash counter, representing the transport mechanism
- Figure 2 is a section of the upper part of the counter, along line 2-2 of Figure 1
- Figure 3 is a perspective with parts cut away from the bag transport mechanism of the bag making machine to the bag support conveyor
- Figure 4 is a side elevation of a cam controlling the operation of the transport mechanism
- Figure 5 is a side elevation in partial section of a second cam for controlling the operation of the transport mechanism
- Figure 6 is a side elevation of a claw clutch cam for controlling the synchronization of the transport mechanism
- Figure 7 is a plan view of the transport mechanism and the conveyor mechanism, according to the arrows 7 of Figure 3
- Figure 8 is a section through the plane identified by line 8-8 of Figure 1; and
- Figure 9 shows a detail of a L-shaped segment of the transporter.

As indicated in FIG. 1 of the drawings, the reference 10 generally designates a cash counter of the type commonly used in a grocery store or the like.

This counter comprises a housing or an enclosure bearing the general reference 12. The housing has an upper face 14 along which is disposed a conveyor belt 16, between a receiving end and the bagging station 18. The conveyor belt 16 is of conventional construction and passes over a driven roller 20 at one end and over a support roller 22 at the other end, tension being ensured by rollers 24 for tensioning.

A bag making machine 30 is mounted in the housing 12 and is preferably of the type described in United States Patent Application No. 910,737 filed May 30, 1978. This bag making machine 30 manufactures open bags 32 which are folded along longitudinal lines 34 so that the bag has a memory characteristic ensuring the maintenance of the bag in open form. Thus, when the bags are removed from the manufacturing machine, they keep their open form. The bag making machine 30 is designed so that the drainage orifice 35 is placed above the transport platform 36.

The transport platform 36 has a general L shape and has a base wall 38 and a side wall 40. The platform 36 is articulated on a support arm 44 by a hinge 42, the other end of the arm 44 being mounted on a longitudinal member 46 of the chases. As described in the remainder of this specification, the platform 36 is movable between the receiving position shown in FIG. 1 and the evacuation position shown in FIG. 3.

When in the receiving position of FIG. 1, the platform 36 is located at a certain distance below the discharge orifice 35 of the bag-making machine so that, when a bag is evacuated by this machine, it falls on the platform under the action of its own weight. As shown in Figure 1, the side wall 40 is disposed up to a point very close to the outlet orifice 35 of the bag making machine.

 A flange bearing the general reference 50 is disposed longitudinally at the bagging station and is intended to carry the bags in open form at the bagging station. The rim forms a bottom wall and a side support wall and is inclined inwards relative to the vertical plane, towards the counter, so that the weight of the bags and their contents tends to push the bags inwards , towards the counter, so that they are automatically supported on the platform. A support rail 52 intended to prevent accidental lateral movement of the bags from the counter, before they are loaded, has a first end fixed at point 54 on a vertical member 56 of the chassis and is placed at a certain distance from the rim 50.

 The rail 52 ends at a point which is inside the loading station at a distance corresponding to the width of a bag approximately so that the bags are at least partially loaded before moving longitudinally beyond the end of the support rail 52. After a partial loading of the bags, the weight of the contents ensures that the bags remain on the support.

A conveyor mechanism 60 ensures the transport of the bags to the bagging station. The conveyor mechanism 60 is shown clearly in Figures 7 and 8 of the drawings. As indicated in these figures, the counter frame comprises vertical support uprights 62 (only one is shown) each carrying inclined uprights 64. Guide plates 66 are fixed on the uprights 64 and protrude perpendicularly from them. The guide plates 66 have rails 68 arranged longitudinally with respect to their lateral face and at a certain distance therefrom since they are held by support brackets 70 intended to form runners 72 for passage of chains.

Drive sprockets 74 and 76 are mounted on shafts 78 and 80 which are themselves mounted on support brackets 82 placed at opposite ends of the plates 66. It should be noted that two drive sprockets 76 are mounted on the the shaft 80 and two drive sprockets 74 are mounted on the shaft 78. Chains 84 and 86 pass one above the other and are placed around the sprockets 74 and 76.

 Several segments 90 in L are mounted on chains 84 and 86, side by side. These segments 90 are shown clearly in FIG. 9 which indicates that each segment comprises a rear panel 92 and a lower support panel 94. The segment shown in Figure 9 also has a thrust blade 96 which protrudes from the front of the rear panel 92. It should be noted in Figure 1 that one in three L-shaped segment 90 has such a thrust blade 96. Sufficient space is left between the successive blades 96 so that a bag 32 can be housed between two blades. It should be noted that the outer arm of the blade 96 has an inclined part 98 which leaves a space for the rear wall 100 of the counter as shown in FIG. 8 so that the width of this counter can remain minimal. Each segment 90 has two mounting brackets 102 which protrude towards the rear. Each of the mounting brackets has a passage 104 at one end and an elongated slot 106 at the other end.

The elongated axes 108 protrude outside the chains 84 and 86 and enter the passages 104 and 106. The passage 106 is elongated so that it allows the displacement of the associated axis 108 so that the chain can follow the part curve of its path, around the gables 74 and 76.

As shown in Figures 1 and 8, the conveyor mechanism 90 is driven by the rotation of the shaft 78 ensured by means of bevel gears 110 and 112. The pinion 112 is mounted on a shaft 114 which is driven by a pinion 116 which is itself driven by a chain 118 (Figure 3). The latter is driven by the main motor 120 by means of a reduction gear 122 and a pinion 124 mounted on the output shaft 126. A chain tensioning pinion 128 is intended to maintain the chain 118 at the necessary tension.

We now consider, with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, 5 and 6, the mechanism which regulates the movement of the platform 36. As indicated previously, the platform 26 is articulated, as indicated by the reference 42 on the arm 44. A rod 130 connects a bracket 132 mounted on the base plate 38 of the platform to a lever arm 134 which projects from a shaft 136.

The latter is mounted so that it can pivot in support brackets 138 placed at its oppc ed ends. A second lever arm 140 projects radially outside the shaft 36 and its outer end is connected to a first end of a connecting rod 142. The other end of this rod 142 is connected to a first arm 144 of an oscillating lever having the general reference 146. This lever 146 (FIG. 5) is articulated on an axis 151 and has a second arm 148 which protrudes towards it. 'outside. A cam touch 150 is placed at the outer end of the arm 148. This touch 150 is housed in a cam track 152 formed in a cam plate 154. The track has four distinct cam surfaces placed on arcs of a circle A1, B1, C1 and D1. The plate 154 is fixed to a shaft 156 by a key 158 for locking. The shaft 156 is connected to the main drive shaft of the bag making machine 30 and is rotated when this machine 30 is controlled so that it makes a bag. The cam plate 154 is rotated in the direction of arrow 160 by the shaft 156.

When the cam touch 150 occupies the position indicated in FIG. 5, at the start of the circular arc A1, the platform 36 occupies the receiving position indicated in FIG. 1. The rotation of the cam plate 154 in the circular arc Al causes the lifting of the platform 36 towards the evacuation position, in alignment with the platform 60. The rotation on the circular arc B1 maintains the platform shape in the high position and the rotation in the arc of circle C1 causes the lowering of the platform in the receiving position also shown in Figure 1. The-rotation on the arc of circle D1 maintains the platform in low or receiving position.

The transport mechanism also includes a lateral movement mechanism for moving the bags from the platform to the conveyor. This lateral movement mechanism is clearly shown in FIGS. 3 and 7. I1 comprises a member 170 in the form of an L-shaped blade which has a part 172 arranged in a plane parallel to that of the lateral wall 40 for supporting the platform. when it occupies its high position. The member 170 in L also has an arm 174 which projects inwards towards a support 176 on which it is permanently mounted. The support 176 is itself carried by a linkage 178 in parallelogram. The internal ends of the linkage 178 are articulated at points 180, the external ends being articulated at points 182 on the support 176. A support bar 184 is placed below the arms 178 of the linkage in parallelogram and supports them. This bar 184 is itself carried by a transverse member 186 of the chassis and a second transverse member of the chassis (not shown)
So much so that it carries most of the weight of the push arm. The linkage 178 is driven as described below between a first and a second position so that it displaces the blade-shaped thrust plate 170 between the retracted position shown in dashed lines in FIG. 7 and the advanced position shown in solid line on this same figure, so that it can come into contact with a bag 32 and move it along the platform on the support flange. The arms 178 of the linkage in parallelogram are controlled by the energy coming from the drive shaft 156 which, as indicated above, constitutes the output shaft of the bag making machine 30. A cam 182 is fixed to the shaft 156 by a key 184 (Figure 4). Cam 182 has track 186 which has three different parts of cam A, B and C.

The cam touch 188 is mounted so that it moves along the track 186 and it is carried by an arm 190 which projects outwards from a lever 192. One end of this lever 192 is mounted on the shaft 148 and the other end is connected to a connecting rod 194. This rod 194 (FIG. 3) is connected to a plate 196 forming a lever, this plate being articulated on a support shaft 198 and being connected to the connecting rods forming the arms 178 of the parallelogram by a connecting rod 200.

During operation, the rotation of the shaft 156 from the position shown in FIG. 4, on the arc of a circle A, causes the displacement, by the parallelogram mechanism, of the transport member 170 from the position shown in solid lines in Figure 7 to the recessed position shown in broken lines in Figure 7. A rotation on the arc
B causes the plate 170 to be held in its recessed position and the arm to rotate along the arc of a circle
C causes the plate 170 to move from its retracted position to its advanced position shown in FIG. 7.

The operation of the bag making machine and the transport mechanism is cyclical so that, during a complete cycle, a bag is made by the bag making machine while the bag which has been previously made is transmitted to the carrier and moved along it a distance equal to the width of a bag. The operation of the bag making machine, the transport mechanism and the conveyor is limited to one cycle for each demand signal by a cam 210 (FIG. 3) which is mounted on the shaft 156. This cam 210 has arcs of circle A2, B2 and
C2 for clearly different functions. A touch 212 is placed at the end of the arm 214 of an oscillating lever 216 which is articulated on an axis 218.

The arm 220 of the other end of the lever 216 has a shoulder 222 which cooperates with a corresponding shoulder of a clutch plate 224.

The rotation of the shaft 156 from the position shown in Figure 6 ensures rapid release of the clutch during rotation along the arc of a circle A2. An additional rotation, along the arc of a circle B2, causes the shoulder 222 to be held in the clutch release position 224 So that the shaft 126 on which the clutch plate 224 is keyed can perform several turns . Then, during the rotation along the circular arc C2, the shoulder 222 is pushed inwards and interrupts the transmission of energy to the transport mechanism by cooperation with the corresponding shoulder formed in the clutch plate 224.

 The number of bags manufacturing operations carried out by the machine is counted by a counter 230 (FIG. 3) which has an actuating arm 232 connected by a spring 234 to the lever 192.

 In use, two rolls of paper 240 and 242 are mounted in the housing on suitable support shafts allowing their unwinding, and the sheet of the first roll 242 is fed to the bag making machine. The necessary energy reaches the main motor 120 of the bag making machine so that it drives the main drive shaft 156 via a chain and sprocket arrangement (not shown which connects the shafts 126 and 156 as described in the aforementioned patent application of United States of America No. 910 737. The transmission of energy is controlled by a pedal which is available to the person who provides packaging at the cash counter. bag making machine 30 then ensures the manufacture of a bag by shaping the sheet around the square mandrel 250 and by gluing the sheet to the necessary configuration of the bag, then by cutting the section of sheet forming the bag in the sheet continues, the transport mechanism then operates on a full cycle, at the same time as the operation of the bag making machine, however, since a bag has not been previously manufactured, no actual transport is ensured. The operation of the bag making machine is then interrupted when a bag has been made and is ready to be discharged. The transport mechanism occupies a position in which the transport platform 36 occupies the receiving position shown in FIG. 1. The operator controls the control panel again and the bag which has been produced begins to be evacuated from the mandrel 250 on the transport platform. Simultaneously, the sheet which is unwound from the roll 242 begins to move along the guide path formed around the mandrel 250.

Thus, when a bag is evacuated from the bag making machine, it operates simultaneously and makes the next bag. The operation of the bag making machine causes the main drive shaft 156 and the associated cams 154, 182 and 210 to rotate. At the start of each transport cycle, the platform 36 is in the position of reception indicated in FIG. 1, as described above, and the transport blade 170 occupies the position indicated in FIG. 1 and in phantom in FIG. 7 in which it is at a certain distance outside relative to the transport platform, on the opposite side from that of the conveyor. The rotation of the drive shaft 156 ensures the control of the operation and the synchronization of the movement of the transport platform via the cam 154, of the plate 170 for transport via the cam 182 and the conveyor 50 via the cam 210.

As indicated previously, the operation of the cam 154 over a full revolution causes the lifting of the platform from the position indicated in FIG. 1 to that shown in FIG. 3, the platform remaining in the high position when the blade 170 of thrust is controlled and moves laterally above the platform so that it drives a bag on the platform of the conveyor which is simultaneously driven longitudinally. Note in FIG. 7 that the synchronization of the conveyor advance is such that the thrust plate 96 remains outside the axis of passage of the evacuated bag at least until the withdrawal of the transport plate 170.

The foregoing description indicates that the cash counter according to the invention comprises a bag making machine and suitable transport mechanisms, so that it allows the manufacture of a bag and its transport in open form to a post. packing. The method of manufacturing the bag and the transport of the latter are such that the bag is not formed beforehand with fold lines giving it characteristics of folded configuration memory, so that the bag naturally tends to take a shape open and keep it permanently. This feature makes it much easier to load the bag at the counter packing station. In addition, it should be noted that the bags are formed in the counter from a continuous roll material, so that the problems posed so far by the storage of large quantities of folded bags of paper do not arise.

It is understood that the invention has only been described and shown as a preferred example and that any technical equivalence may be made in its constituent elements without going beyond its ambit.

Claims (9)

1. Cash counter, characterized in that it comprises  a) a chassis having a bagging station (18), b) a bag-making machine (30), placed in the chassis and intended to form an open and coherent bag from a coherent sheet of bag-making material, and  c) a device (40) for transporting an open bag from the bag making machine to the bagging station while the bag is open 2. Counter according to claim 1, characterized in that the machine (30) for making bags is intended to evacuate an open bag which has a substantially horizontal orientation so that its open end opens out laterally, and the transport device (40 ) is intended to redirect the bag so that it takes a general vertical position when it is removed from the bag-making machine and transported to the bagging station. 3. Counter according to claim 2, characterized in that a rim - (50) of bag support is arranged longitudinally relative to the counter, at the bagging station (18), the rim having a lower wall projecting in a first substantially horizontal plane and a vertical side wall arranged in a second plane, the bottom and side walls being intended to be arranged under a bottom wall and a side wall of a bag respectively so that they support an open bag in a substantially vertical position and open upwards, the rim having an inlet end placed near the bag making machine, the bag-making machine (30) is placed laterally at a certain distance from a first side of the entry end of the support flange and has a discharge orifice opening towards the second plane of the vertical wall,  the transport device (40) comprises a platform (36) having a base wall and a side support wall for supporting a bottom wall and a side wall of a bag, the platform being mounted so that it can pivot about a first axis between a discharge position in which the platform is adjacent to the entry end of the support ledge and the lateral support wall and the support base wall are aligned with the wall vertical side and the bottom wall of the support flange respectively, and a loading position in which the side support wall is arranged towards the discharge end of the bag-making machine and is located below this end, and the base wall is arranged towards the outside with respect to the discharge end and is directed towards this end, the apparatus further comprising a device (130) intended to drive the platform alternately between its discharge and loading positions, and a device (170) intended to cooperate with a bag placed on the platform in the evacuation position and to move the bag towards the entry end of the support flange. 4. Counter according to claim 1, characterized in that the machine (30) for making bags comprises a mandrel (250) for shaping bags intended for the formation of a bag with a rectangular bottom. 5. Cash counter, characterized in that it comprises  a) a housing (12) having an upper face, a receiving end, a rear end, a front side and a rear side, the housing having a closed chamber inside,  b) a support flange (50) disposed longitudinally at the front face of the counter, between a first point distant towards the rear of the receiving end and a second point adjacent to the rear end of the housing, the support flange having a bottom wall and a side wall intended to be placed under a bottom wall and a side wall of an open bag so that it is supported in a vertical position, -with the opening upwards, for loading, c) a transport passage opening from the chamber to the support rim at the first point,  d) a bag making machine (30) mounted in the chamber for making a coherent bag from a continuous sheet of bag forming material, the bag making machine having a discharge end of a bag in a substantially horizontal plane with the bottom in front, the discharge end being distant laterally inwards from the plane of the side wall of the support flange and towards the front of this flange support, and e) a transport device (40) intended to receive an open bag of substantially horizontal orientation, discharged through the discharge end of the bag making machine, and to reorient the bag so that it is disposed substantially vertically and deposited on the support rim, with its orifice upwards. 6. Counter according to claim 5, characterized in that the transport device 140) comprises a platform (36) having a base wall and a side wall, each wall having an external end, the platform being mounted so that it pivots about a first axis between a first position adjacent to the support flange (50), the support side wall and the support base wall being aligned with the bottom wall and the side wall of the support flange respectively so that vertical bags can slide transversely from the platform to the support ledge, and a loading position in which the side support wall is turned towards the bag making machine (30) at a level lower than that of the former discharge end so that it is placed under one side of a bag when it is evacuated by the bag making machine, the support base wall being placed outside the orifice evacuation (35) and in front of this orifice so that it constitutes a stop limiting the movement of a bag in its movement away from the evacuation orifice, and an evacuation arm (170) mounted in the housing and intended to move along the platform, towards the first point so that it moves a bag disposed on the platform towards the support ledge, and a device for driving the platform between its first and its second position. 7. Counter according to claim 6, characterized in that the support platform (36) is articulated around a first axis adjacent to the outer edge of the base wall so that, when the platform is in its second position, the base wall is arranged below the plane of the bottom wall of the support flange and the side support wall of the platform is inclined downward from the discharge opening of the bag making machine towards the base wall, so that the bags from the bag making machine (30) can fall under their own weight towards the support base wall, the platform (36) pivoting around the first axis when it moves to its second position and lifting the support base wall and the support side wall which aligns with the support flange. 8. Counter according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a conveyor (60) mounted on the chassis and disposed longitudinally at the bagging station, the conveyor being intended to move the open bags along the support rim. 9. Counter according to claim 8, characterized in that the conveyor (60) passes around a first and a second support placed at a first and at a second end of the support flange respectively, the supports having an axis of rotation parallel to the side wall of the support flange.