JP2024096266A - Packaging Equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a packaging auxiliary device and packaging device that can easily insert various sizes of packaged items into packaging bags by hand and that has a simple structure. [Solution] The packaging auxiliary device includes a pedestal, a rectangular base plate, a rectangular bag placement table, and a blower, and a bag pressing plate is provided at the blower's air outlet, and the bag placement table is rotatably attached such that one end of the bag placement table abuts against the underside of the bag pressing plate and the other end of the bag placement table is adjacent to the other end of the base plate, and a spring member generates an upward pressing force, and the other end of the base plate is rotatably attached to the other end of the pedestal. This packaging auxiliary device is used as a packaging device in combination with a bag holding frame on which a bag bundle consisting of a plurality of stacked packaging bags is placed. [Selected drawing] Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a packaging device that combines a packaging aid that allows vegetables, fruits, sweet breads, snacks, etc. to be easily placed into thin, flexible packaging bags such as plastic film packaging bags, and a packaging device that combines this packaging aid with a bag holding frame on which a bag bundle consisting of multiple stacked packaging bags is placed.

Vegetables such as eggplants, cucumbers, green peppers, cherry tomatoes, potatoes, onions, carrots, leeks, burdock, Chinese yam, spinach, and komatsuna, fruits such as mandarin oranges, apples, and persimmons, as well as bread and sweets, sold at supermarkets and other stores are packaged in transparent plastic film bags and then displayed on the shelves. This packaging process is carried out during the process of delivering the products to supermarkets and other stores.

For example, about 3-5 eggplants and cucumbers, about 3-6 peppers, potatoes and onions, and about 3-4 apples and persimmons are placed in a plastic film bag and the top is tied with adhesive tape or heat sealed. This packaging work is carried out for vegetables and fruits at facilities such as agricultural cooperatives in the producing area, with automatic packaging machines used at facilities handling large volumes and manual work at facilities handling small volumes. Sweet breads and snacks are also bagged at the producer's facility in the same way.

When this packaging work is done manually, work efficiency can drop significantly depending on the type of vegetable or fruit being packaged. For example, when packaging smooth-surfaced fruits such as eggplants, bell peppers, apples, and persimmons, or leafy vegetables, when placing several of these together in a plastic film packaging bag, the fruit's surface sticks closely to the inside of the film, making it difficult for them to slip and move to the bottom of the bag. For this reason, if the fruit is placed in the bag one by one in sequence, the sticking to the inside of the film is reduced, but work efficiency drops significantly.

In addition, when bagging long vegetables, such as asparagus, green onions, burdock, and Chinese yams, flexible, transparent, long bags made of plastic film are used, making it difficult to open the bag's opening. Even if the long vegetables are put in through the opening, they often get caught in the middle of the bag and cannot be put in smoothly to the bottom. Packing these long vegetables is a tedious task that requires a lot of effort and time.

In order to reduce the bagging work in facilities with low handling volume, many packaging devices or auxiliary packaging devices have been developed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a packaging auxiliary device configured to support a rotating body on a support erected on a base material, attach an arm member to the rotating body, and further attach a packaging bag holding frame having an opening through which the packaged item can pass to the arm member, insert the packaging bag holding frame into a packaging bag opened by a bag opening blower, and rotate the arm member to a bagging position and manually insert vegetables or the like into the packaging bag. Patent Document 2 discloses a packaging machine configured to combine an operating lever, a bag holder, and a bag opening blower, insert the bag holder into a bag opened horizontally by manually operating the operating lever, rotate the packaging bag and the bag holder together to the bagging position to make it stand upright, and insert the packaged item into the packaging bag via the bag holder at the upright bagging position.

Furthermore, Patent Document 3 describes a packaging machine equipped with a bag holder on which multiple packaging bags are attached, a bag mouth opening mechanism, a hopper that is inserted into the bag mouth opened by the bag mouth opening mechanism, a hopper introduction mechanism that lifts the hopper and inserts it into the bag mouth, and an operation mechanism, in which the hopper is made up of an annular ring having a predetermined diameter and a pair of first and second arms that rotatably hold a part of the outer circumference of the annular ring, the first arm is fixed to the hopper introduction mechanism, the second arm is equipped with a descent restriction member and is suspended from the first arm via the annular ring, the first and second arms are suspended parallel to each other, When the operating mechanism is operated to raise the hopper introduction mechanism, the bag mouth of the packaging bag is opened by the bag mouth opening mechanism in conjunction with this raising, and the first arm of the hopper is raised to bring the second arm close to the first arm and place the annular ring in a hanging state. Next, when the hopper introduction mechanism is lowered by the operating mechanism, the hopper is inserted into the bag mouth of the packaging bag with the annular ring hanging down, and when the descent continues and the hopper is inserted to a predetermined position in the packaging bag, the descent of the second arm is stopped by the descent restriction member, and the annular ring is held horizontally within the packaging bag.

Patent No. 2883843 Japanese Patent No. 4464286 Japanese Patent No. 4464295 Patent No. 6078837

According to the packaging aid disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the packaging bag is attached to the holding frame by rotating the rotor counterclockwise, so that the insertion of the packaged item can be performed continuously, and the efficiency of the packaging work can be significantly improved. Moreover, when the packaged item is pushed into the holding frame from above the packaging bag attached to the holding frame, the bottom of the packaging bag is pushed downward into the holding frame, and the packaging bag body passes through the holding frame together with the packaged item while inverting and enveloping the packaged item, and the insertion of the packaged item into the packaging bag is completed. Moreover, during this packaging process, although the surface of the packaged item and the inner film of the packaging bag come into contact with each other, there is no need for relative movement between them, and the surface of the packaged item and the inner film move simultaneously while remaining in contact, so that even if the packaged item has a smooth surface and is easily attached to the inner film, it can be smoothly inserted into the packaging bag, and there is an excellent effect of improving the insertion opening of the packaged item into the packaging bag.

According to the packaging machine disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2, the bag holder is composed of an annular ring of a predetermined size and a pair of first and second arms each pivotally supported on the outer circumference of the annular ring, so that unlike the holding frame of the prior art, a molding die is not required and the bag holder can be easily and inexpensively manufactured. Therefore, many bag holders of different sizes can be easily manufactured, so that many types of bag holders that can be applied to a wide range of packaged items according to the size of the packaged items can be provided as parts at low cost. In addition, the annular ring of the bag holder is inserted into the bag mouth in a horizontally tilted state when inserted into the bag mouth of the packaging bag, so that insertion into the bag mouth is reliable and there is no loss of packaging bags due to insertion errors. Furthermore, by pressing the operating lever, the annular ring is lifted while maintaining a horizontal state in accordance with the upright standing of both arms of the bag holder, and the packaging bag is placed on top of the bag in this horizontal state, so that the packaged items can be pushed in from the bottom of the packaging bag and smoothly inserted without contacting the annular ring. In addition, this packaging machine has the excellent effect of being able to provide a packaging machine at low cost that can be used to package a wide range of items depending on the size of the packaged items, since the bag holder can be manufactured simply and inexpensively.

Furthermore, according to the packaging machine disclosed in Patent Document 3, when the hopper is inserted into the packaging bag, the hopper itself opens, so packaging can be performed without getting caught even when relatively light-weight items are inserted as in the past. Also, the multiple annular rings that make up the hopper are inserted into the bag mouth while hanging down from a pair of first and second arms when inserted into the bag mouth, so they can be smoothly inserted into the bag mouth even if the bag mouth opening is smaller than the outer circumference of the annular ring.

Furthermore, since this hopper is composed of an annular ring of a predetermined size and a pair of first and second arms each journaled around the outer periphery of this annular ring, it has a simple structure and can be manufactured inexpensively. As a result, many hoppers of different sizes can be easily manufactured, and a wide variety of hoppers that can be applied to a wide range of packaged items according to the size of the packaged items can be provided inexpensively as parts. In addition, since the hoppers can be easily and inexpensively manufactured, this packaging machine has the excellent effect of being able to provide an inexpensive packaging machine that can be applied to a wide range of packaged items according to the size of the packaged items.

However, although the packaging machine disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 is widely used for packaging various vegetables and fruits, etc., the type (size) of the holding frame is limited, and depending on the type, size, and amount of the packaged item, bagging may be difficult. This can be solved by preparing many different types of holding frames of different sizes, but preparing many different types of holding frames requires high production costs for the molds used to manufacture the plastic holding frames, so this is not easily adopted. In addition, since the insertion part of the holding frame into the bag mouth is cylindrical, when the bag mouth opening mechanism is performed by blowing air, the bag mouth must be expanded to a size where the circular cylindrical outer shape of the holding frame can be inserted. However, in the case of a packaging bag in which the outer shape of the holding frame and the bag mouth are close in size, the bag mouth cannot be smoothly inserted into the bag mouth unless the bag mouth is opened beyond the outer shape of the holding frame, which causes loss of packaging bags.

In addition, the packaging machines disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3 above each allow good manual packaging efficiency to be achieved for packaged items of sizes that correspond to the respective packaging machines, but the packaging efficiency is poor for packaged items of different sizes, and there is also the problem that the configuration is complicated.

As such, many of the conventional simplified packaging devices have limited uses, and most cannot be used to package items if the size or type of the packaged item changes, so multiple types of packaging devices are required to bag a variety of packaged items. However, it is difficult for small-scale agricultural organizations and packaging centers to install multiple types of packaging devices due to the size of their sorting areas. Furthermore, in recent years, agricultural products have been packaged in small quantities and in a wide variety of products, and there is a demand for packaging that meets the needs of retailers and is shipped in a design, size, or shape that meets their needs. In addition, the aging of agricultural product producing areas and the labor shortage of agricultural organizations and packaging centers are becoming more serious. For this reason, there is a demand for packaging devices that are easy to use even for unskilled personnel, are small, and can be used for a wide variety of packaged items.

The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the conventional auxiliary packaging tools or packaging devices as described above. That is, the object of the present invention is to provide an auxiliary packaging device that allows packaging items of various sizes to be easily inserted into a packaging bag by hand and packaged, has a simple configuration that allows even unskilled persons to operate it easily, and a packaging device that combines this auxiliary packaging device with a bag holding frame on which a bag bundle consisting of multiple stacked packaging bags is placed.

According to one aspect of the paving auxiliary device of the present invention, there is provided a packaging auxiliary device comprising a pedestal, a rectangular base plate, a rectangular bag placement table, and a blower, the blower being attached to one end of the base plate in such a manner that an air outlet blows air from above the base plate toward the other end of the base plate, the air outlet being provided with a bag pressing plate extending to the other end of the base plate, the bag placement table being attached rotatably such that one end of the bag placement table abuts against the underside of the bag pressing plate and the other end of the bag placement table is adjacent to the other end of the base plate, such that a spring member generates an upward pressing force, and the other end of the base plate is rotatably attached to the other end of the pedestal.

According to this aspect of the packaging auxiliary device, by appropriately combining bag holding frames on which a bag bundle consisting of a plurality of stacked packaging bags (provided separately) is placed, a packaging auxiliary device is obtained that can manually insert and package a wide range of items into a packaging bag, from small items such as cherry tomatoes, walnuts, almonds, arare, and rice crackers, to various vegetables and breads of general size such as eggplant, komatsuna, spinach, and sweet bread, and even long vegetables such as radish, burdock, and Chinese yam, and long French bread such as baguettes.

In addition, with this type of packaging auxiliary device, the air outlet of the blower is located above one end of the base plate, and the other end of the bag placement table is attached close to the other end of the base plate, so the bag placement table is naturally attached at a predetermined angle to the base plate. There is no critical limit to this predetermined angle, but it should be around 15° to 40°. If this angle is close to 0°, in other words, if the bag placement table is close to horizontal, it is difficult to insert various packaged items into the interior of the packaging bag, which is not preferable.

In the packaging auxiliary device of this aspect, the spring member is preferably a leaf spring member. For example, if a coil spring is used to generate an upward pressing force when one end of the bag placement table abuts against the underside of the bag pressing plate and the other end is close to the other end of the base plate, a separate means must be provided to allow the bag placement table to rotate relative to the base plate. However, with the packaging auxiliary device of the above aspect, the leaf spring itself can be used to generate an upward pressing force when one end of the bag placement table abuts against the underside of the bag pressing plate and the other end is close to the other end of the base plate, and can be rotated, so that the configuration can be simplified and more packaging bags can be placed within the movable range of the leaf spring.

In the packaging auxiliary device of this aspect, it is preferable that a bag holding frame on which a bag bundle of multiple stacked packaging bags is placed is placed on the bag placement table of any of the packaging auxiliary devices so that the lip of the bag bundle abuts against the underside of the bag pressing plate of the packaging auxiliary device. With such a configuration, a packaging device can be provided that can manually insert and package packaged items selected from the wide range described above into packaging bags. In this case, multiple types of packaging bags or bag bundles of several stacked packaging bags with different widths and lengths according to the size or length of the packaged items can be prepared in advance, and the most suitable one can be selected and used as appropriate.

In addition, when the packaging device of this aspect operates the blower, the wind from the blower naturally enters the packaging bag and the packaging bag opens. Therefore, for example, if the packaged items are leafy vegetables such as komatsuna or spinach, the leafy vegetables can be picked up and inserted into the packaging bag through the opening, and packaged. If the packaged items are small, such as cherry tomatoes, walnuts, or almonds, they can be inserted into the packaging bag through the opening using an appropriately shaped insert, and multiple packaged items can be efficiently inserted and packaged at once. Furthermore, if the packaged items are bread or other items that should not come into contact with anything other than the bag, they can be inserted and packaged without directly touching them by holding the packaged items with tongs or the like and inserting them into the packaging bag through the opening.

The packaging device of this type can be used not only by placing it on a workbench, but also by hanging it on a wall or pillar, or by hanging it from a person's waist so that fruit, etc. can be inserted into a packaging bag immediately after harvesting and then packaged.

In addition, in the packaging device of this aspect, it is preferable that an auxiliary lever for pressing down the bag placement table is provided on the underside of the bag placement table. In order to fix the bag holding frame on which the bag bundle, which is made up of multiple stacked packaging bags, is placed on the bag placement table, it is necessary to press down the bag placement table in advance to widen the gap between the bag placement table and the bag pressing plate, but this operation can be easily performed by pressing down the auxiliary lever.

In addition, in the packaging device of this aspect, the bag pressing plate is divided into multiple pieces in the width direction by slits, and the bag holding frame is formed with a guide member consisting of a pin or screw in the middle of the width direction at a position corresponding to the lip portion of the packaging bag bundle, and when the bag holding frame with the bag bundle placed on it is placed on the bag placement table, it is preferable that the guide member is inserted between the slits formed in the bag pressing plate. With such a configuration, the guide member of the bag holding frame is stably fixed in the slit of the bag pressing plate, and the bag holding frame can be fixed to the bag placement table so that it does not easily move, improving the efficiency of inserting various packaged items into packaging bags.

In addition, in the packaging device of this aspect, it is preferable that a protrusion is formed in the center of the bag placement table, and an opening is formed in the bag holding frame in a portion facing the protrusion formed on the bag placement table, so that when the bag holding frame is placed on the bag placement table, the protrusion formed on the bag placement table fits into the opening formed in the holding frame. With this configuration, the bag holding frame is stably fixed to the bag placement table and can be fixed so that the bag holding frame does not easily move on the bag placement table, improving the efficiency of inserting various packaged items into packaging bags.

In addition, in the packaging device of this aspect, it is preferable that a gutter-shaped insertion guide for guiding the packaged items into the packaging bag is provided on the upper surface side of the blower in a removable manner. When such an insertion guide is provided, various packaged items can be easily inserted into the opening of the packaging bag through the insertion guide, improving the efficiency of inserting various packaged items into the packaging bag. It is preferable that the width of the gutter-shaped insertion guide narrows toward the packaging bag in order to improve the efficiency of inserting the packaged items into the packaging bag.

In addition, in the packaging device of this aspect, an auxiliary support may be provided between one end side of the base plate and the pedestal to fix the base plate and the pedestal at a predetermined angle, and the predetermined angle may be an angle between the bag placement table and the pedestal of 15 to 90 degrees. This predetermined angle may be appropriately selected according to the length of the packaged item. For example, to insert packaged items of about 10 to 20 cm in length, such as carrots, cucumbers, asparagus, and bread rolls, into a packaging bag, the angle may be about 40 to 60 degrees, and for longer packaged items such as radishes, burdock, Chinese yam, and baguettes, the angle may be made larger to about 60 to 90 degrees, which makes it easier to insert the packaged items into the packaging bag than if an auxiliary support was not provided, improving the efficiency of inserting various packaged items into the packaging bag.

In the packaging device of this aspect, it is preferable that the auxiliary support pillar has a right-angled triangular shape in side view having a base, a vertical surface, and an inclined surface, the base being fixed to the surface of the base, and the upper part of the vertical surface being fixed to one end side of the bag placement table. With such a configuration, the strength of the auxiliary support pillar is increased, so that the base plate and the base can be stably fixed even if the angle between them becomes large.

In addition, in the packaging device of this aspect, an auxiliary support pillar having a right-angled triangular shape in side view with a base, a vertical surface, and an inclined surface is erected on a base on the side of the bag placement table, and the auxiliary support pillar is provided with a rotor that can rotate about a horizontal axis, an arm member attached to the rotor, and a packaging bag holding frame attached to the arm member, to which the packaging bag can be attached and which has an opening through which the packaging bag containing the packaged item can slide and pass. In such a case, it is preferable that the rotation of the rotor is locked at a certain angle.

With this type of packaging device, even if the surface of an object is smooth, such as an eggplant or a tomato, and multiple packaged objects would stick together when they come into contact with each other, they can be easily inserted into the packaging bag. As an example of a device equipped with such a rotating body, arm material, packaging bag holding frame, and click mechanism, the configuration disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 can be used.

Furthermore, in the packaging device of this aspect, a gutter-shaped hopper holding means with an open top is provided on the upper side of the blower, a hopper for guiding the packaged items into the packaging bag is placed on the hopper holding means, and the hopper is preferably made of a plastic sheet rolled and molded so that its diameter becomes smaller as it approaches the packaging bag, and is capable of sliding toward the packaging bag.

The hopper in the packaging device of this aspect is made of a rolled plastic sheet, so it can be easily deformed, and is rolled so that the diameter becomes smaller toward the packaging bag so that the packaged item can be guided into the packaging bag. Therefore, with the packaging device of this aspect, when the packaged item is grasped and inserted into the hopper, and the hand is moved toward the packaging bag, the hopper moves toward the packaging bag and the rolled part of the hopper opens, so that the hand can be moved close to the packaging bag while still holding the packaged item. If the hand is moved further into the packaging bag in this state, the packaging bag containing the packaged item is separated from the bag bundle. This makes it possible to easily package the packaged item through a series of operations. The packaging device of this aspect can achieve good packaging efficiency, especially for packaged items that have a large resistance to being inserted into a packaging bag, such as spinach or Japanese mustard spinach. The hopper in the packaging device of this aspect is sometimes called a chute.

In addition, in the packaging device of this aspect, it is preferable that the hopper is provided with an elastic member on the side away from the packaging bag for returning the hopper, which has been slid toward the packaging bag, to its original position. With this configuration, the hopper moves toward the packaging bag when the packaging of the packaged items is finished, but naturally returns to its original position when the user removes the hand, improving packaging efficiency.

In addition, in the packaging device of this aspect, the elastic member can be a flat member connected between the side of the hopper that is separated from the packaging bag and the one end side of the base plate. With this configuration, the hopper can be returned to its original position by the flat plastic or metal elastic member, and the maximum movement of the hopper can be adjusted by the length and extension range of the flat elastic member, resulting in a packaging device with good operability despite its simple configuration.

In addition, in the packaging device of this aspect, a reinforcing member is disposed on the outer surface side of the elastic member, and the reinforcing member is fixed to the outer surface side of the elastic member on the base plate side and is fixed to the base plate, and the reinforcing member preferably prevents the elastic member from bending further outward. According to the packaging device of this aspect, once the packaging of the packaged items is completed, the hopper returns to its original position, but the reinforcing member can prevent the hopper from returning too far, resulting in a packaging device with better operability.

As described above, the packaging auxiliary device of the present invention can be used to appropriately combine bag holder frames on which a separately provided bag bundle of stacked packaging bags is placed, to provide a packaging device that can easily insert and package a wide range of items into packaging bags by hand, from small items such as cherry tomatoes, walnuts, almonds, arare, and rice crackers, to various types of vegetables and breads of general size such as eggplant, komatsuna, spinach, and sweet breads, and even long vegetables such as radishes, burdock, and Chinese yam, and long French bread such as baguettes.

FIG. 1A is a plan view of a packaging auxiliary device according to a first embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a side view of the same. FIG. 2A is a plan view of a bag holding frame commonly used in each embodiment, and FIG. 2B is a side view of the same. FIG. 3A is a plan view of the packaging device of the first embodiment, FIG. 3B is a side view of the same, and FIG. 3C is a side view of the same with the blower in operation. 4A to 4E are diagrams showing usage forms of the packaging device of the first embodiment. FIG. 5A is a plan view of the auxiliary packaging device of the second embodiment, and FIG. 5B is a side view of the same. FIG. 11 is a side view of a packaging auxiliary device according to a third embodiment. FIG. 13 is a side view of a packaging auxiliary device according to a fourth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a side view of a packaging device according to a fifth embodiment. 9A to 9C are a plan view, a front view, and a right side view, respectively, of an arm member used in a packaging device of embodiment 5. 13 is a perspective view showing a packaging procedure in the packaging device of the fifth embodiment. FIG. FIG. 11A is a side view of a hopper used in the packaging device of the sixth embodiment, and FIG. 11B is a plan view of the same. FIG. 12A is a side view of the packaging device of embodiment 6 when the hopper is in the original position (initial position), FIG. 12B is a side view of the same during packaging, and FIG. 12C is a side view of the same when packaging is completed. 1A to 1C are perspective views each illustrating the packaging process of leafy vegetables as the packaged item in order.

The following describes, with reference to the drawings, an auxiliary packaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention and a bag holding frame on which a bag bundle of stacked packaging bags for use with this auxiliary packaging device is placed. However, the embodiments shown below are merely examples of auxiliary packaging devices and bag holding frames to embody the technical concept of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention thereto, and the present invention may be equally applied to other embodiments included in the scope of the claims.

[Embodiment 1 (packaging auxiliary device)]
A packaging auxiliary device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. Figure 1A is a plan view of the packaging auxiliary device of the first embodiment, and Figure 1B is a side view of the same. Figure 2A is a plan view of a bag holding frame commonly used in each embodiment, and Figure 2B is a side view of the same. Figure 3A is a plan view of the packaging device of the first embodiment, Figure 3B is a side view of the same, and Figure 3C is a side view of the same with the blower in operation. In Figures 1 to 3, the left end side of the drawings is referred to as one end A side, and the right end side is referred to as the other end B side.

The packaging auxiliary device 10a of the first embodiment includes a base 11, a rectangular base plate 12, a rectangular bag placement table 13, and a blower 14. The blower 14 is attached to one end A of the base plate 12 in such a manner that the blower port 14a blows air from above the base plate 12 toward the other end B of the base plate 12. The blower port 14a is provided with a bag pressing plate 15 that extends to the other end B of the base plate 12. The bag placement table 13 is rotatably attached by a spring member 16 in such a manner that one end A of the bag placement table 13 abuts against the lower surface 15a of the bag pressing plate 15 and the other end B of the bag placement table 13 is adjacent to the other end B of the base plate 12.

Here, a U-shaped leaf spring is used as the spring member 16, laid horizontally, and the elastic force of this spring member 16 applies a predetermined upward pressing force to the lower surface 15a of the bag pressing plate 15 at one end A of the bag placement table 13, and the other end B can be rotatably attached to the other end B of the base plate 12. The other end B of the base plate 12 is rotatably attached to the other end B of the pedestal 11 by a rotating member 17, for example a hinge.

In addition, as the spring member 16, a well-known spring member 16 such as a coil spring other than a leaf spring can be provided between the bag placement table 13 and the base plate 12. In this case, however, it becomes necessary to provide a separate rotating member for rotatably fixing the other end B side of each of the bag placement table 13 and the base plate 12 to each other. Therefore, as the spring member 16, it is preferable to fix the other end B side of each of the bag placement table 13 and the base plate 12 in a state where a U-shaped leaf spring is laid horizontally.

As a result, one end A of the bag placement table 13 abuts against the underside 15a of the bag pressing plate 15, and the other end B is in close proximity to the other end B of the base plate, and the bag placement table 13 is rotatably attached so as to generate an upward pressing force. As a result, the bag placement table 13 is rotatably fixed and its upward movement is restricted by the bag pressing plate 15 so that the bag placement table 13 is at a predetermined angle θ with the base plate 12. Details of this predetermined angle θ will be described later.

In addition, an auxiliary lever 13a is formed on one end A side of the bag placement table 13 to push down one end A side of the bag placement table 13. This auxiliary lever 13a is formed to manually push down the bag placement table 13, which is fixed and prevented from moving upward by the bag pressing plate 15, when placing the bag holding frame 18 shown in FIG. 2 on the bag placement table 13, making it easier to place the bag placement table 13.

The blower 14 is fixed to the lower part of the input guide fixing plate 19 that is provided so as to completely surround the periphery of the blower 14, and the lower end A side of one side of this input guide fixing plate 19 is fixed to the end A side of one side of the base plate 12, and the other end B side is fixed to the base plate 12 via the side of the blower port 14a of the blower 14.

Here, in order to improve the mechanical strength of the base plate 12 portion, the insertion guide fixing plate 19 is extended from the end B on the other side of the base plate 12 to the end A on one side of the base plate 12, then extended so as to cover the outer periphery of the blower 14 and fixed to the side of the blower port 13a, then extended again so as to cover the front side of the base plate 12 and fixed to the base plate 12, and then bent horizontally into a U-shape at the end B on the other side of the base plate 12 to form the spring member 16, and extended to one end A of the bag placement table 13. That is, the insertion guide fixing plate 19 and the spring member 16 bent horizontally into a U-shape are integrally formed from a metal plate.

Furthermore, the auxiliary lever 13a may also be formed integrally with the insertion guide fixing plate 19 and the spring member 16 by bending the metal plate into a horizontal U-shape. In the packaging auxiliary device 10a of embodiment 1, the insertion guide fixing plate 19 and the spring member 16 bent into a horizontal U-shape are formed in two separate parts in the width direction of the blower 14, but they may be formed from a single plate-like member. In addition, a protrusion 20 is formed in the center of the bag placement table 13 as a fixed guide for the bag holding frame 18 (see FIG. 2), which is not shown in FIG. 1. Furthermore, the bag pressing plate 15 is formed in a state where it is divided into two members by a slit 15b, as shown in FIG. 1A.

Here, the function of these protrusions 20 and the slits 15b of the bag pressing plate 15 will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. The bag holding frame 18 shown in Figure 2 has a bag holding plate 18a and a bag bundle 22a in which a plurality of packaging bags 22 are stacked on the bag holding plate 18a.
The width of the bag holding plate 18a and the width and length of the packaging bag 22 are prepared in advance in a number of different types according to the size and length of the packaged items, and are selected appropriately for use. Each packaging bag constituting the bag bundle 22a used here has a perforation 22d formed on the underside of the boundary with the lip portion 22b, and the front side is open without a lip portion.
Such packaging bags 22 and bag bundles 22a were well known prior to the filing of the present application, as disclosed in, for example, the above-mentioned Patent Document 4, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The bag bundle 22a is fixed at the widthwise center of the lip portion 22b by a first screw member 23, and is further fixed at both widthwise ends by a pair of second screw members 24. This results in a bag holding frame 18 in which the bag bundle 22a, in which multiple packaging bags 22 are stacked, is stably fixed to the surface side of the bag holding plate 18a. An opening 25 having a diameter approximately the same as the outer diameter of the protrusion 20 (see FIG. 1) formed on the bag placement table 13 is formed at approximately the center of the bag holding plate 18a. When the bag holding frame 18 is placed on the bag placement table 13, the packaging device 10A of embodiment 1 is completed as shown in FIG. 3.

When the bag holding frame 18 is placed on the bag placement table 13, the protrusions 20 formed on the bag placement table 13 fit into the openings 25 formed in the bag holding plate 18a, so that the bag holding frame 18 is stably fixed to the upper surface of the bag placement table 13. In addition, a notch 18b is formed in the center of one end A side of the bag holding frame. Although not shown in detail, when the bag holding frame 18 is placed on the bag placement table 13, both widthwise ends of the mounting portion of the bag pressing plate 15 are positioned within this notch 18b, so that the connection between the bag pressing plate 15 and the bag holding frame 18 is strengthened, and the fixed state of the bag holding frame 18 on the bag placement table 13 is more stabilized.

The bag holding frame 18 can be easily placed on the bag placement platform 13 by manually pushing down the auxiliary lever 13a formed on the underside of the bag placement platform 13 to form a gap between the bag pressing plate 15 and the bag placement platform 13, and then placing the bag holding frame 18 on the bag placement platform 13. In addition, the first screw member 23 provided at a position corresponding to the lip portion 22b of the bag bundle 22a of the bag holding frame 18 is fitted into the slit 15b provided in the bag pressing plate 15, and the upper portion of the lip portion 22b of the bag bundle 22a is pressed by the underside of the bag pressing plate 15, so that the bag bundle 22a is fixed on the bag placement platform 13 in a more stable state.

In the packaging auxiliary device 10a and packaging device 10A of the first embodiment, the blower 14 is mounted at an angle θ between the base plate 12 and the bag placement table 13 so that the height of the air outlet 14a side of the blower 14 is high and the other end B side of the bag placement table is low. There is no critical limit to this predetermined angle θ, but it may be set to about 15° to 40°. If this angle is close to 0°, that is, if the bag placement table 13 is close to horizontal, it becomes difficult to insert various packaged items into the interior of the packaging bag 22, and if it is close to 90°, it becomes easy to insert long packaged items, but it becomes difficult to insert packaged items with small diameters or short lengths, such as cherry tomatoes.

In the packaging auxiliary device 10a and packaging device 10A of the first embodiment, the other end B side of each of the base 11 and the base plate 12 is rotatably attached by a rotating member 17, so that the angle between the base 11 and the base plate 1 can be changed. Therefore, in the packaging auxiliary device 10a and packaging device 10A of the first embodiment, θ is set to about 15° to 40°, so that packaging efficiency is improved for packaged items with small diameters or short lengths, and a certain degree of packaging efficiency is also ensured for long items. For example, when the packaged items are mainly long items, the angle between the base 11 and the base plate 1 is changed to increase the angle between the base 11 and the bag placement table 13, as shown in the third and fourth embodiments, so that packaging efficiency for long items is improved.

When the blower is operated in this state, as shown in FIG. 3C, air is blown into the opening 22c of the packaging bag 22 located at the top of the bag bundle 22a, and the opening 22c of the packaging bag 22 opens wide, so that various packaged items can be easily inserted into the packaging bag 22 by hand through the opening 22c of the packaging bag 22. Note that if the packaged items are inserted into the packaging bag 22 and then the packaging bag 22 is cut off by hand along the perforation 22d of the bag bundle 22a together with the packaged items, the opening 22c is formed at the top of the packaging bag 22 at the top of the bag bundle 22a, so that the wind from the blower 14 naturally enters the packaging bag 22 and the opening 22c of the packaging bag 22 opens wide again to the state shown in FIG. 3C.

Using the packaging device 10A of the first embodiment, the packaging form of various packaged items will be described with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4A shows an example in which the packaging device 10A of the first embodiment is used to package, for example, leafy vegetables such as Japanese mustard spinach or spinach, by collecting an appropriate amount of the packaged items 31 on the scale 30 so that the weight falls within a predetermined range, then manually inserting the packaged items into the packaging bag 22. With the packaging device 10A of the first embodiment, when the blower 14 is operated, the opening 22c of the packaging bag 22 at the top of the bag bundle opens wide, so that even if the packaged items 31 are, for example, leafy vegetables that tend to spread out and become bulky, they can be easily inserted into the packaging bag 22 and packaged.

4C shows an example of small packaged items 31 such as cherry tomatoes, walnuts, almonds, rice crackers, and arare. Since inserting small packaged items 31 one by one or several by hand into a packaging bag is inefficient, a predetermined amount of packaged items 31 is placed in an appropriately shaped inserting tool 32, and then inserted into the packaging bag 22 all at once, so that multiple packaged items 31 can be efficiently inserted and packaged into the packaging bag 22 at one time. As the inserting tool 32, a tool called a chute or hopper can be used, and a funnel-shaped tool can also be used depending on the type of packaged item.
In addition, if the packaged item 31 is something such as bread that you do not want it to come into contact with anything other than the packaging bag 22, you can grasp the packaged item 31 with tongs 33 or the like and insert it into the packaging bag 22 through the opening of the packaging bag 22, so that the packaged item 31 can be inserted into the packaging bag 22 and packaged without directly touching it with your hands.

Although Figures 4A to 4C show an example in which the packaging device 10A of embodiment 1 is placed on a horizontal surface such as a workbench, it can also be used by leaning it against a pillar or wall 34 as shown in Figure 4D, or even by hanging it from a person's waist as shown in Figure 4E. In particular, in the form of use shown in Figure 4E, for example, at a site where fruit is harvested as the packaged item 31, the packaged item 31 can be inserted into the packaging bag 22 immediately after harvesting and packaged.

[Embodiment 2]
A packaging device 10B of the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5A is a plan view of the packaging device of the second embodiment, and Fig. 5B is a side view of the same. In Fig. 5, the same components as those of the packaging device 10A of the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed description of those components will be omitted.

The packaging device 10B of embodiment 2 differs from the packaging device 10A of embodiment 1 in that an input guide 19a is detachably attached to the upper side of the input guide fixing plate 19, and the other configuration is substantially the same as that of the packaging device 10A of embodiment 1. This input guide 19a is a trough-shaped member with a wider width at one end A and a narrower width at the other end B, and can be attached and detachably fixed to the upper surface of the input guide fixing plate 19 by providing a planar fastener directly on the upper surface of the input guide fixing plate 19, or by attaching an adapter with a separate planar fastener to the input guide fixing plate 19.

In the packaging device 10B of this second embodiment, a bag holding frame 18 is attached to the surface of the bag placement table 13. The bag holding frame 18 has a bag bundle, which is a stack of multiple packaging bags and has a configuration similar to that shown in FIG. 2, fixed to the surface side of the bag holding plate 18a. According to the packaging device 10B of the second embodiment, the presence of the insertion guide 19a allows the packaged items to be efficiently inserted into the packaging bag regardless of the size of the packaged items, thereby improving packaging efficiency compared to when the insertion guide 19a is not provided.

[Embodiment 3]
A packaging device 10C of the third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a side view of the packaging device of the third embodiment. In Fig. 6, the same components as those of the packaging device 10A of the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed description of those components will be omitted.

The packaging device 10C of embodiment 3 differs in configuration from the packaging device 10A of embodiment 1 in that an auxiliary support 35 of a predetermined height is provided between the fixed portion 21 provided on one end A side of the base plate 12 and the base 11, the angle φ between the base 11 and the bag placement table 13 is larger than the angle θ between the base plate 12 and the bag placement table 13, and the position of the blower 14 side is fixed higher than in the case of the packaging auxiliary device 10a of embodiment 1. The other configurations are substantially the same as those of the packaging device 10A of embodiment 1.

In the packaging device 10A of the first embodiment, the angle θ between the base plate 12 and the bag placement table 13 is set to about 15° to 40°, but in the packaging device 10C of the third embodiment, the auxiliary support 35 is used to lift the base plate 12 relative to the base 11, and the upper part of the auxiliary support 35 is fixed to the fixed part 21 and the lower part of the auxiliary support 35 is fixed to the base 11. This allows the angle φ between the base 11 and the bag placement table 13 to be about 40° to 70°. It is also possible to make the angle φ between the base 11 and the bag placement table 13 larger, but if the angle φ between the base 11 and the bag placement table 13 is made larger by simply providing an auxiliary support 35 of a predetermined height between one end A side of the base 11 and the fixed part 21 provided on one end A side of the base plate 12, the length of the auxiliary support 35 will increase and the center of gravity will become higher, making the fixation of the bag placement table 13 unstable. Therefore, it is preferable that the upper limit of the angle φ in the packaging device of embodiment 3 be approximately 70°.

In the packaging device 10C of the third embodiment, a bag holding frame 18 is attached to the surface of the bag placement table 13, and the bag holding frame 18 has a bag bundle, in which multiple stacked packaging bags are arranged in the same manner as shown in FIG. 2, fixed to the surface side of the bag holding plate 18a. According to the packaging device 10C of the third embodiment, the angle φ between the base 11 and the bag placement table 13 can be set to about 40° to 70°, so that it is easier to package longer items than in the packaging devices of the first and second embodiments, and packaging efficiency is improved. Note that the packaging device 10C of the third embodiment may also be provided with an insertion guide, as in the second embodiment. In this case, the packaged items can be inserted into the packaging bag more efficiently than in the case where there is no insertion guide, and packaging efficiency is improved.

[Embodiment 4]
A packaging device 10D of the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a side view of the packaging device of the fourth embodiment. In Fig. 7, the same components as those of the packaging device 10C of the third embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed description of those components will be omitted.

The packaging device 10D of the fourth embodiment differs from the packaging device 10C of the third embodiment in that the shape of the auxiliary support 35a is changed to form a substantially right-angled triangle in side view, and the other configurations are substantially the same as those of the packaging device 10C of the third embodiment. In the packaging device 10D of the fourth embodiment, the auxiliary support 35a is used to raise the base plate 12 relative to the base 11, and the fixing part 21 is fixed to the upper part of the auxiliary support 35a, while the bottom part 35b of the auxiliary support 35a is fixed to the base 11. This increases the area of the part where the bottom part 35b of the auxiliary support 35a contacts the surface of the base 11, so that the bag placement table 13 can be fixed in a stable state even if the angle φ between the base 11 and the bag placement table 13 is close to 90°.

In the packaging device 10D of this fourth embodiment, a bag holding frame 18 is attached to the surface of the bag placement table 13, and the bag holding frame 18 has a bag bundle, in which multiple stacked packaging bags of the same configuration as shown in FIG. 2 are fixed to the surface side of the bag holding plate 18a. With the packaging device 10D of this fourth embodiment, even longer packaged items such as radish, burdock, Chinese yam, baguette, etc., which are longer in length, can be easily inserted into the inside of the packaging bag, improving the efficiency of inserting various packaged items into the packaging bag. Also, the packaging device of the fourth embodiment may be provided with an insertion guide as in the second embodiment. In this case, too, longer packaged items can be inserted into the packaging bag more efficiently than in the case where there is no insertion guide, improving packaging efficiency.

[Embodiment 5]
A packaging device 10E of embodiment 5 will be described with reference to Figures 8 to 10. Figure 8 is a side view of the packaging device of embodiment 5. Figures 9A to 9C are a plan view, a front view, and a right side view, respectively, of an arm member used in the packaging device of embodiment 5. Figure 10 is a perspective view showing the packaging procedure in the packaging device of embodiment 5. In Figure 8, components similar to those of the packaging device 10A of embodiment 1 are given the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions of those parts are omitted.

The packaging device 10E of the fifth embodiment differs from the packaging device 10A of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3C in that an auxiliary support 35b, which is a right-angled triangular shape in side view having a base, a vertical surface, and an inclined surface, is erected on the base 11 on the side of the bag placement table 13, and a rotating body 40 that can rotate about a horizontal axis is attached to the auxiliary support 35b. The rotating body 40 includes an arm shaft 41, an arm member 42, and a packaging bag holding frame 45 that is detachably attached to the arm member 42, can hold the packaging bag 22, and has an opening 43a through which the packaging bag 22 containing the packaged item can slide and pass. The auxiliary support 35b used here is substantially similar in configuration to the auxiliary support 35a used in the packaging device 10D of the fourth embodiment, but the positions of the auxiliary supports are different.

As specifically shown in Figs. 9A to 9C, the rotating body 40 rotatably attached to the auxiliary support 35b has an arm member 42 that can slide in the left-right direction in Figs. 9A and 9B relative to a through hole 41a formed in the rotating shaft 41. A groove 43 is formed in the arm member 42 in the direction in which the rotating shaft 41 extends. This groove 43 is provided to move the arm member 42 left-right in the drawing relative to the rotating shaft 41 in cooperation with a click mechanism 44 provided on the rotating shaft 41, thereby fixing the position of the arm member relative to the rotating shaft 41 at any position. Also, mounting parts 42a for packaging bag holding frames 45 (see Fig. 8) are provided on both ends of the arm member 42.

The packaging device 10E of embodiment 5 is operated as follows. First, in a packaging device having the same configuration as the packaging device 10A of embodiment 1, the auxiliary support 35b is fixed to a predetermined position on the side of the bag placement table 13 (the rear side in FIG. 9). Next, packaging bag holding frames 45 are attached to the mounting parts 42a on both sides of the arm material 42. The configuration of this packaging bag holding frame 45 is well known, as disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted. Note that it is preferable to prepare multiple types of packaging bag holding frames 45 with different opening diameters according to the size of the packaged items.

Then, the rotating shaft 41 of the rotating body 40 is rotatably attached to the upper part of the auxiliary support 35b. At this time, in order to prevent the lower packaging bag holding frame 45 from touching the blower 14, etc., the click mechanism 44 is operated to adjust the length of the arm material 42 located below the rotating shaft 41 to be shorter first, and the length of the arm material located above to be longer. In addition, a plastic contact prevention material 19b may be fixed to the input guide fixing plate 19 on the upper part of the blower 14 to prevent it from being scratched even if the packaging bag holding frame 45 comes into contact with it. This contact prevention material 19b may be removably fixed to the surface of the input guide fixing plate 19 by land-mounting it to a planar fastener, or it may be fixed by making a cut in the side of the contact prevention material 19b and sandwiching it between the guide fixing plate 19.

After that, the blower 14 is operated to inject air into the uppermost packaging bag 22 of the bag bundle 22a. Figure 8 shows the state in which air has been injected into the packaging bag 22. Then, the arm member 42 is rotated to insert the packaging bag holding frame 45 attached to the lower arm member 42 into the packaging bag 22, and while rotating the arm member 42 further, the click mechanism 44 is operated to pull up the packaging bag holding frame 45 that was originally at the bottom, while continuing to rotate the arm member. Then, the length of the initially upper arm member 42 becomes shorter as it moves downward, and conversely, the length of the initially lower arm member 42 becomes longer as it moves upward, so that the packaging bag holding frame 45 does not come into contact with the blower 14 or the insertion guide fixing plate 19. At the same time, the packaging bag holding frame 45 moving upward moves upward together with the packaging bag 22 while being inserted inside the packaging bag 22. When the arm member 42 reaches the upper vertical direction, it cannot be rotated further as it is due to the action of the click mechanism 44. In this state, various packaged items are inserted into the packaging bag 22.

Here, the process of inserting the packaged article in the packaging device 10E of the fifth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Fig. 10(a) shows a state in which the arm member 42 has reached the upper vertical position.
In this state, the ring 45a of the packaging bag holding frame 45 is covered by the packaging bag 22. Although the top of the packaging bag 22 may protrude upward, the protruding packaging bag 22 can be placed inside the ring 45a by lightly pressing it with a hand. In this state, as shown in Fig. 10(b), for example, multiple eggplants as packaged items 31 are inserted together into the packaging bag 22 located inside the ring 45a. In this way, even if the eggplants tend to stick to each other, they can be easily inserted into the packaging bag 2 located inside the ring 45a.

In this state, if the eggplant serving as the packaged item 31 is further pushed in, it will reach the state shown in FIG. 10(c), and when the packaged item 31 is pulled down together with the packaging bag 22, the packaged item 31 is obtained in a packaged state by the packaging bag 22. By repeating this operation in sequence, it becomes possible to easily insert and package the packaged item into the packaging bag, even if the packaged items tend to stick together.

[Embodiment 6]
The packaging device 10F of the sixth embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 11 to 13. Figure 11A is a side view of a hopper used in the packaging device of the sixth embodiment, and Figure 11B is a plan view of the same. Figure 12A is a side view of the hopper of the packaging device of the sixth embodiment when it is in the original position (initial position), Figure 12B is a side view of the same during packaging, and Figure 12C is a side view of the same at the end of packaging. Figures 13(a) to (c) are perspective views sequentially explaining the packaging process of leafy vegetables as the packaged items when the packaging device 10F of the sixth embodiment is used. In Figures 11 to 13, the same reference symbols are given to components similar to those of the packaging device 10B of the second embodiment, and detailed descriptions of those parts are omitted.

The packaging device 10F of embodiment 6 differs in configuration from the packaging device 10B of embodiment 2 in that it is equipped with a hopper holding means 50, a hopper 51, an elastic member 52, a reinforcing member 53, and a fixing means 54 for the elastic member 52 instead of the input guide 19a of the packaging device 10B of embodiment 2, and the other configurations are substantially the same as those of the packaging device 10B of embodiment 2.

The hopper holding means 50 is trough-shaped with an open top, and is removably fixed to the input guide fixing plate 19 on the top side of the blower 14. The length of this hopper holding means 50 is not critical, but it can be about 5 to 10 cm, and it is made of a plastic material that is strong enough not to easily deform even when the hopper 51 inserted into the trough-shaped hopper holding means 50 slides and moves inside the hopper holding means 50.

As shown in FIG. 11, the hopper 51 is made of a plastic sheet that is rolled so that the tip side 51a has a smaller diameter, that is, the diameter becomes smaller toward the packaging bag 22 (see FIG. 12), and it can be easily pushed open by hand, but is strong enough to naturally return to its original shape when released. The rear end side 51b of the hopper 51 is open at the top so that various packaged items can be inserted, but the tip side 51a may be open at the top, or both sides may be overlapped so that the top side appears closed.

The rear end side 51b of the hopper 51 is provided with a plate-shaped elastic member 52 made of plastic at the bottom. The elastic member 52 only needs to have a length sufficient to move the tip side 51a of the hopper 51 from the state (original state) in which it can be placed inside the hopper holding means 50 to the inside of the packaging bag 22, and also needs to have an elasticity sufficient to naturally return to the original position when the hopper 51 is released while inserted inside the packaging bag 22. This elasticity can be controlled to an optimal value by appropriately setting the width of the middle part 52a of the plate-shaped elastic member 52 as shown in FIG. 11B. Furthermore, a reinforcing member 53 that cannot be easily bent is arranged on the surface side (outer surface side in FIG. 12) of the plate-shaped elastic member 52. The reinforcing member 53 is adhesively fixed to the surface side of the elastic member 52 only at the rear end side 52b of the elastic member 52. The rear end side 53a of the reinforcing member 53 extends from the rear end side 52b of the elastic member 52, and a fixing means 54 such as a screw is provided at this portion.

The packaging device 10F of the sixth embodiment, to which the hopper holding means 50, the hopper 51, the elastic member 52 and the reinforcing member 53 are attached, will be described with reference to FIG. 12. FIG. 12a shows the state before the hopper 51 is slid (original state). The hopper 51 is in a state of being raised to the maximum extent, and the tip side 51a is in a state of being in contact with the bottom of the hopper holding means 50. The rear end side 53a of the reinforcing member 53 is forcibly bent to match the shape of the fixing part 21 formed on the other end side of the base plate 12, and is fixed to this fixing part 21 by the fixing means 54. As a result, the reinforcing member 53 is fixed to the base plate 12 so as not to move. In this state, the elastic member 52 and the reinforcing member 53 are stretched in parallel, and the inner side of the reinforcing member is in a state of being in contact with the surface of the elastic member 52 as a whole, and the hopper naturally settles into the state shown in FIG. 12A due to the elastic force of the elastic member 52.

When the hopper 51 is manually slid toward the packaging bag 22 from the state shown in FIG. 12A, a part of the elastic member 52 moves away from the inner surface of the reinforcing member 53 as shown in FIG. 12B. When the hopper 51 is manually slid further into the packaging bag 22, most of the elastic member 52 moves away from the inner surface of the reinforcing member 53 as shown in FIG. 12C. In this state, a force is applied to pull the hopper 51 back to its original state due to the large bending stress of the elastic member 52. When the hopper 51 is released after the packaged items have been packaged, it returns to its original state as shown in FIG. 12A. At this time, the reinforcing member 53 prevents the elastic member 52 from bending further toward the outer surface, and the hopper 51 remains in a stable state as shown in FIG. 12A.

Next, a specific example of packaging an item consisting of leafy vegetables such as spinach will be described with reference to FIG. 13. For convenience of photography, FIG. 13 is shown from the opposite side to the state shown in FIG. 12. First, as shown in FIG. 13(a), the item is grasped by hand and inserted into the opening of the hopper. In this state, the hopper is slid in the hopper holding means while still grasping the item, and moved until the tip of the hopper enters the inside of the packaging bag, as shown in FIG. 13(b). Then, the item is inserted into the packaging bag while still grasping the item, and when the item is further forcibly pushed into the packaging bag while still grasping the item, the packaging bag is separated from the bag bundle, as shown in FIG. 13(c), and the periphery of the item is wrapped in the packaging bag. If the hand is then lifted to remove the item wrapped in the packaging bag, the hopper naturally returns to the position shown in FIG. 12A.

In this way, with the packaging device 10F of embodiment 6, the packaged item can be packaged through a series of continuous operations from gripping the packaged item to packaging it, eliminating unnecessary movements and improving packaging efficiency. And because this packaging process is all performed while the packaged item is being gripped by hand, it becomes easy to package even bulky leafy vegetables such as spinach and komatsuna, and vegetables that tend to stick to the packaging bag, such as eggplant.

10A to 10F: Packaging device 10a: Packaging auxiliary device 11: Base 12: Base plate 13: Bag placement table 13a: Auxiliary lever 14: Blower 14a: Air outlet 15: Bag pressing plate 15a: Underside (of bag pressing plate) 15b: Slit (of bag pressing plate) 16: Spring member 17: Rotating member 18: Bag holding frame 18a: Bag holding plate 18b: Notch 19: Insert guide fixing plate 19a: Insert guide 19b: Contact prevention plate 20: Protrusion (of bag placement table) 21: Fixing portion 22: Packaging bag 22a: Bag bundle 22b: Lip portion (of bag bundle) 22c: Opening (of packaging bag) 22d: Perforation 23: First screw member 24: Second screw member 25: Opening 30...Weighing machine 31...Item to be packaged 32...Insertion tool 33...Tongs 34...Wall, pillar 35, 35a, 35b...Auxiliary pillar 40...Rotating body 41...Rotating shaft 41a...Through hole (of rotating shaft) 42...Arm member 42a...Mounting portion (of packaging bag holding frame) 43...Groove (of arm member) 44...Click mechanism 45...Packaging bag holding frame 45a...Ring (of packaging bag holding frame) 50...Hopper holding means 51...Hopper 51a...Front end side (of hopper) 51b...Rear end side (of hopper) 52...Elastic member 52a...Middle portion (of elastic member) 52b...Rear end side (of elastic member) 53...Reinforcing member 53a...Rear end side (of reinforcing member) 54...Fixing means (of reinforcing member) A...One end side B...Other end side

The present invention relates to a packaging device that has a bag holding frame on which a bag bundle consisting of a plurality of stacked packaging bags is placed, and that can easily place vegetables, fruits, sweet breads, snacks, etc. into thin, flexible packaging bags such as those made of plastic film.

The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the conventional packaging auxiliary tools or packaging devices as described above. That is, the object of the present invention is to provide a packaging device equipped with a bag holding frame on which a bag bundle formed by stacking a plurality of packaging bags is placed, which allows packaged items of various sizes to be easily inserted into packaging bags by hand for packaging, and which has a simple configuration and can be easily operated even by an unskilled person.

As described above, the packaging device of the present invention allows a wide range of items to be selected and manually inserted into the packaging bag with ease, using the bag holder frame on which a bag bundle consisting of multiple stacked packaging bags is placed, from small items such as cherry tomatoes, walnuts, almonds, arare, and rice crackers, to various types of vegetables and breads of general size such as eggplant, komatsuna, spinach, and sweet bread, as well as long vegetables such as radish, burdock, and Chinese yam, and long French bread such as baguettes.

Claims (16)

A packaging auxiliary device including a base, a rectangular base plate, a rectangular bag placement table, and a blower,
The air blower is attached to one end of the base plate in a state in which an air outlet blows air from above the base plate toward the other end of the base plate, and a bag pressing plate extending to the other end of the base plate is provided at the air outlet,
the bag placement table is rotatably attached such that one end of the bag placement table abuts against the lower surface of the bag pressing plate and the other end of the bag placement table is in close proximity to the other end of the base plate, and such that a spring member generates an upward pressing force thereon;
The auxiliary packaging device according to claim 1, wherein the other end of the base plate is rotatably attached to the other end of the pedestal. The packaging auxiliary device according to claim 1, characterized in that the spring member is a leaf spring member. A packaging auxiliary device according to claim 1 or 2;
a bag holding frame on which a bag bundle consisting of a plurality of stacked packaging bags is placed is placed on the bag placing table of the auxiliary packaging device so that the lip portion of the bag bundle abuts against the underside of a bag pressing plate of the auxiliary packaging device. The packaging device according to claim 3, characterized in that an auxiliary lever for pushing down the bag placement table is provided on the underside of the bag placement table. The bag pressing plate is divided into multiple sections in the width direction by slits,
A guide member made of a pin or a screw is formed in the bag holding frame at a position corresponding to the lip portion of the package bag bundle in the width direction middle portion,
5. The packaging device according to claim 3, wherein when the bag holding frame on which the bag bundle is placed is placed on the bag placing table, the guide member is inserted between slits formed in the bag pressing plate. A protrusion is formed at the center of the bag placement table,
A packaging device as described in any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that an opening is formed in the bag holding frame in a portion opposite to a protrusion formed on the bag mounting table, and when the bag holding frame is placed on the bag mounting table, the protrusion formed on the bag mounting table fits into the opening formed in the holding frame. The packaging device according to any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that a gutter-shaped guide for guiding the packaged item into the packaging bag is detachably provided on the upper surface side of the blower. The packaging device according to any one of claims 3 to 7, characterized in that an auxiliary support is provided between one end side of the base plate and the pedestal to fix the base plate and the pedestal at a predetermined angle. The packaging device according to claim 8, characterized in that the predetermined angle is an angle between the bag placement table and the base, and is between 40 and 90 degrees. The packaging device according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the auxiliary support pillar has a right-angled triangular shape in side view having a base, a vertical surface, and an inclined surface, the base is fixed to the surface of the base, and the upper part of the vertical surface is fixed to one end side of the bag placement table. An auxiliary support pillar is provided on a base on a side surface of the bag placement platform, the auxiliary support pillar having a right-angled triangular shape in a side view having a base, a vertical surface, and an inclined surface,
The packaging device according to any one of claims 3 to 7, characterized in that the auxiliary support is provided with a rotating body rotatable about a horizontal axis, an arm material attached to the rotating body, and a packaging bag holding frame attached to the arm material, to which the packaging bag can be attached and which has an opening through which the packaging bag containing the packaged item can slide and pass. The packaging device according to claim 11, characterized in that it is equipped with a click mechanism that stops the rotation of the rotating body at a fixed angle. A gutter-shaped hopper holding means having an open upper surface is provided on the upper surface side of the blower, and a hopper for guiding the packaged item into the packaging bag is placed on the hopper holding means,
The packaging device according to any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that the hopper is made of a plastic sheet that is rolled so that its diameter becomes smaller toward the packaging bag, and is capable of sliding toward the packaging bag. The packaging device according to claim 13, characterized in that the hopper is provided with an elastic member on the side away from the packaging bag for returning the hopper, which has been slid toward the packaging bag, to its original position. The packaging device according to claim 14, characterized in that the elastic member is a flat member connected between the side of the hopper that is separated from the packaging bag and the one end side of the base plate. A reinforcing member is disposed on the outer surface side of the elastic member,
the reinforcing member is fixed to an outer surface of the elastic member on the base plate side and is fixed to the base plate;
The packaging device according to claim 15, wherein the reinforcing member prevents the elastic member from bending further outward.

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