US2184474A - Packing machine for containers and the like - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 26, 1939. A. SOWDEN PACKING MACHINE FOR CONTAINERS AND THE LIKE Filed March 31, '1.938 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 4 6 Z 7 T a wm ma V 4 J\,/Mm w4 n2 1 w I /w MW A y 3V Mr F 6 Z w? ififi fl, i I E Ila w w m fi w m M MUM a 5 M a l 6 26, A. SOWDEN 2,184,474 ucxme MACHINE FOR CONTAINERS AND was L'IKE Filed March 51, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Y a I sad 4.

A d A| Ing/legrogz fr'e a en, I afi/AQ Dec. 26, 1939. sow 2,184,474

PACKING'MACHINETDR CONTAINERS AND THE LIKE Filed March 31. 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 .IQ 'W Dec. 26, 1939. sow 2,184,474

PACKING MACHINE FOR CONTAINERS AND THE LIKE Filed March 31. 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 H2. lit

Invenfo'r:

-A red den,

Patented Dec. 26, 1939 PACKING MAGHINE FOR. coutralrmnsv AND THE LIKE. Y

Alfred Sowden, Arkansas City, Kans.

Application. March 31, 1938., Serial No. 139,225

Claims. (o1.- 226-23) This invention relates to improvements machines for packing material into containers, and v the like. It relates especially to machines for filling and packing material into bags andsimiand loosening of the-materialduring thefilling operation;- and especially I producea machine which will pack the, material with. a uniformity. from bottom to top which cannot vbe,attained.Icy

51- lar containers, but the features of: the invention any other form of, machine with which. I am '5 are not necessarily limited to such use. -I shall familiar. Suchan arrangement is tobe clearly illu trate and describe a particular application distinguished from one in which the compressing of the invention as used for the filling and action takesv place on the top of a previously packing of such materials as flour, bran, feed, introducedslugof material. v

10; fertilizer, etc., into bags, since such applica- I As a simple form or embodiment of my in 140 tions constitute an important use of theinvenvention I provide an arrangementin which the tion, but in so doing I do not intend to; limit pressure exerted on the impelleris due 'to'the. the usefulness of the invention, except as 1- weight of-the impeller and the. shaft by which may do so in the claims to. follow. it is. supported and driven, said impeller-and When such materials as flour and the like Shaft resting at. alltimes on the-topoithemass L5. are introduced into thecontainer, they are, more of continuously introduced material, and bein or less completely loosened and infiufiyor air supportedthereby, and thusexerting at all times bound condition, and a body of such material I a continuous'andsuniiormpressure on the macannot be uniformly packed or compressed by terial asitis introducedsothatthecompressing application of a compressing force to oneend of action. is uniform throughout the entire body of such body. The action of compressingsthe mamaterial, no. matter. how high the column of terial must be attended with a release of the material, or how deep the bag, may be, Gen-i air from the body of material, and furthermore erally, also, l2v support the bag stationarily; as the application of the compressing force to one, distinguishedfrom allowing the bag to fall-orend of such a body must necessarily compress descend dur g h fill nsp ratiQn; th sen the material at such end to a greater extent suring the uniformity of pressure on the enters than the compressing which will be produced ingmateriaL-since, if; they bag wereto beallowed at the. far end. Such a scheme is also attended todescendas it became filled the weight of the. with serious limitations as to the speed with bag and contained material would continuously 3! which the action can be carried on. increase with attendant dimculties oi counter- 39 Thepresent invention relates to an improved balancing and thelike. form of machine in which the material is com- -I- have providedrmeans to release the filled pressed in a regular and continuous manner as bag, allowing it to descend to a conveyor or the i it is introduced into the bag or other container, like, when filled, and clearing-themachine'prefrom the beginning to the end of the filling opparatory to another filling operation. In this 35. eration, so that when such operation is'zcomconnection, I have provided automatic means Dleted the entire mass or slug of material will for efiecting such release at the proper time, be uniformly compressed or packed throughout the supporting platform dropping, andpermitthe length of such body. Generally I'contemting the bag to descend. I have also provided 40 plate the use of means to support the bag durmeans to dampen the descent of thefilled bag 44A ing e filling and packing operation, with means so that it will reach the conveyor without ex in. the-form of a verticallymovable impeller or cessive impact. ,When the, bag thus filled" is rotor working within the bag during the operareleased and allowed to descend to the conveyor tion of introducing thematerial thereinto, and the-impellerand shaft are also allowed to de 45 which impelleror rotor is pressed down with a scend 'preparatoryto another filling operation; 45 uniform pressure during the entire operation, and 'I have also provided means to dampen the so that as the material is introduced into the fall of 'thesepartsxs'o as to avoid shocks and bag the impeller keeps working its way'higher damage incident thereto. v and higher untilthe operation is completed, the When 'thefilling' is accomplished with a'pre' v impeller working at all times on the top porweighed or predetermined. amount of material, 51} tion of the mass of material contained within the extent to which the bag willbefilled will the bag. By this means I produce a very fast depend to some extent on variable conditions; workingmachine, and onewhich will completely so that for some materials'the exact height to fill the bag with a continuous release of the which'the impeller and shaft will. rise'will corfifg contained airso as to avoi fii iqtssive plowing respondingly' vary. Ihave therefore-alsoapro- 55 vided means permitting adjustment of the point at which the platform will be released to meet this variable condition.

In order to avoid entrance of flour or dust into the bearings and other moving parts it is desirable to provide an arrangement in which the shaft exposed within the bag shall be smooth and free of splines or other irregularities. I have therefore provided an arrangement in which this result maybe accomplished.

During the packing operation and as the material is introduced into the bag it undergoes a pro,- gressive, although rapid, compressing action at the impeller.

newly introduced material, suchmaterial is loose, and quickly undergoes a compressing action which reduces its volume to some'extent. As this action proceeds continuously, the material being at the top is greaterthan at the bottom, so that the action of these flights will'-corre'spond to the progressive compressing or packing action. Generally it will be found sufficient, in using this feature, to'provide a construction in which the im peller is in two sections; the upper section having the steeper flights, and the lower section having the easier flights, so that they correspond substantially to the packing'action aforesaid.

In connection wtih the impeller construction, it

, will also generally be found desirable to use an arrangement in which the impeller "is double threaded, that is, having two sets of flights spaced one half turn from each other on the shaft. This'is desirabledue to the rapidity with which the shaft rotates, and the rapidity with which the packing action proceeds. -In this connection, I have provided an arrangement intended forsuch high speedsof operation as the filling of one hundred' pound-bags at rates of upwards of--twenty per minute with flour and similar material, and such speeds require-a very even and continuous flow of the material and its packing into the bag in even manner in order to avoid excessive blowing due to air-contained within the bag.

I have also provided a simple and effective means to support the bags on the machine during the filling operation and one which will'permit of ready release of the filledbags.

As a further feature of my invention I have provided an arrangement'which lends itself readily to direct drive by a suitable: motor, sothat the benefits of such direct drive may be secured. In this connection, this also makes possible the use of the high impeller and shaft speeds necessary for such rapid-filling operation as are desirable.

I have also provided an arrangement whereby the machine may be readily cutoff from the chute or duct through which-the material is supplied to the machine, as when it may be desired to discontinue operations for an interval. of time.

A further feature and'objeot of the invention is to provide an arrangement which can be readily built from structural parts, and from parts which are susceptible'to manufacture at low cost and by. simple manufacturing operations.

. Otherobjects and use's 'of the invention will That is, at the instant the impeller commences its compressing action on a portion of that of Figure 1;

Figure 3 shows a fragmentary vertical section through the principal operative parts, being taken on' the lines 33 of Figures 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7, looking. in the directions of the arrows, the impeller and shaft being at their bottom position, and the platform beingin raised position to support a bag in operative position;

Figure 4 shows a horizontal section on the lines 4-4 of Figures 1, v and 3 looking in the directions-of thearrows; 5 v

Figure 5 shows a horizontal section on the lines 55 of Figures 1, Z-and 3 looking'in the directions of the arrows;

Figure 6 shows a horizontal section on the lines 6 6 of Figures 1, 2 and 3 looking-in the directions'of the arrows; a i Figure 7 shows a horizontal section on the lines 1-! -of Figures 1, 2 and 3 looking in the directions of thearrows; Figure 8 shows a fragmentary horizontal section through the position of the" cut off slide, being taken on the lines 88 of Figures 3, 9 and 12 looking in the directions of the arrows;

Figure 9 shows a vertical fragmentary crosssection through the cut-off slide, being taken on the lines 99 of Figures 3, 8 and 12 looking in the directions of the arrows;

Figure 10 shows a fragmentary vertical or elevation view of the upper or head portion of the machine, partlyin sectionyand it shows the construction of the vertical slide at the upper end of the shaft, the platform release means, and the means for dampening the downward movement .of the shaft and connected parts at the completion of the'filling and packing operation; I

Figure 11 shows a fragmentary view, partly in section, through the lower portion of the stand, looking in the direction opposite to that of Figure 2,and.showing the means for dampeningthe downwardmovement of the filled bag as it descends to the conve or:

Figure 12 shows a fragmentary vertical section similar to that of Figure 3, but illustrating 'a modified construction in which the shaft is (ii-- rectly driven by a suitable electric motor, the shaft passing up through the quill or hollow shaft of the rotor of the motor;

Figure 13 shows a fragmentary horizontal sec tion on the line I 3| 3 of Figure 12, looking in the direction of the arrows, showing the splined drive to the upper portion of the shaft; and

Figure 14 shows a horizontal fragmentary section on the line I 4l 4 of Figure 12, looking in the direction of the arrows, beneath the splined drive to the shaft.

Referring first to the arrangement shown in Figures 1 to 11 inclusive, '1 have therein shown a frame including the four vertical channel posts 2!], 2!, 22 and 23. Just above the position of the llill arcane Also, the. members 28 and 29 extend. between the cross members. 26 and 21-, and-the members: 30.! s and 3l extend between the cross members Hand 25, so that; the. entire'frame is brought into a rigid but light structure.

A bag supporting head is carried by the posts 22 and 23. This head includes the. circular-member 32 which is provided with the brackets 33: and 34- which connect: to the posts 22 and 23. and are supported thereby as best shown in Figure. 6'. This member 32'is provided with the transverse slot 35 reaching" across the member from front. to rear, so that a cut ofi?" slide 36' maybe-slipped across the member to cut off inflow of material. This slide is provided with the slot 31 which reaches partially across the slide to accommodate the impeller shaft presently to be described. The

back portion of this slot may also be closed bya supplementally small, slide 38, set into place from the back side of the machine, if desired,

and up to the position of the shaft. The member 32 is also preferably provided with an encircling groove'39 to receive a circular band of rubber or the like, and thus cover over the exposed opening of the slot when the slide is not in place during the running of the machine. Such a band 40- is "shown in place in Figures 3, 4, 5, 6 and 12.

Connected to the member 32 is a downwardly extending ring 4| to which may be detachably' connected the bag tube 42 as best shown in Figores 3 and 12. The tube 42 is preferably formed with an enlarged portion atits upper end, tapering rapidly to a smaller neck 43, and then flaring gradually to its lower end 44. The material is to be introduced into and packed within the bag holder, and due to such flare the slug so packed may easily descend into and be contained within the bag at the conclusion of theoperation to be presently described. Connected to the member 32 there is also a head member 45, hav-' ing the chute connection lfi through which the material is fed to the packing and filling" machine, usually from a location at a higher elevation, and usually from a suitable weighing machine.

The bag tube may be removed from the member in convenient manner, not shown in detail, and another tube of greater or smaller size sub stituted as desired, according to the operations to be performed. Connected to the upper end of the bag tube, or to the member 32, there are the depending arms or fingers 41 and 48 which are spaced away from the body portion of the tube to allow the bag to be conveniently set upwards into place around the tube. For this purpose the arms 41 and 48 preferably have their'lower ends beaded as shown in Figure 3, and turned inwardly towards the bag tube; and if desired one or more balls such'as 49 may be set between each of these arms and the bag tube so that the bag may be readily set upwards into place, but will be retained in place with sufficient force, but not to prevent ready downward movement away from the tube at the conclusion of the operation.

Beneath the lower end of the bag tube and the bag thereon, is a platform 50 upon which the weight and pressure of the bag and its contents is supported during the filling and packing operation. This platform is preferably carried'by a hinged bracket hinged to the bracket members 52 and 53 which are carried by the posts is: also provided with an outwardly reaching arm 54 to'which is connected a link 55, which link is,

controlled and operatedifromabove in the manner presently to be described. this means the platform is sup-ported inhorizontal position during the. filling :operation, and it: sustains the weight'of the bagand filled material, as well as the packing pressure, and when the link is released the platform is allowed toswing down and allow the filled and packed bag to, descend to the conveyor 56' ('see. Figures 1: andv 2), which con;-

21- and 22 respectively. I Thisrplatformbracket' 5|.

veyor is placed substantially at floor level and travels from left to right-when viewed as in Figure 1.

If the filled bag were to be allowed to descend directlyto the conveyor upon the freeing of the platform, the bag WOll'Id'CGIIlG to. the conveyor with considerable impact, and damage might'resuit. I'have thereforeprovideda suitable dampener. The same includes. the side plates Eland 5.8-which are hinged at their upper edgesto suitable brackets 59', 60,61 and 62', by means of the shafts 63 and 64 as best shown. in FiguresZ, 3. and 7. Springsfi'ii;and-68v normally press the, lower end portions of these plates. inwardly towards each other, and if desired the lower edge portions of the plates may be provided with the protuberanceszGT and 681' which will produce an amplified retarding action just before the bag reaches the conveyor, but above all, will result in production of a side pressure'against the lower edge portion of the bag, with release of pressure from the upper'portion of the bag, so that the movement of the conveyor travelling laterally will not. tend to tilt the bag and cause it to fall over as it comes onto the conveyor. In other words, the bag will be delivered upright onto the surface of'the conveyor.

If desired, a, suitable shock absorber may be connected to the lower portions of the plates 5'! and 58 to control their action and dampen the same. This is the hydraulic-shook absorber shown diagrammatically at 69. It may be of any suitable form, such as the so-called Hou- I of filled bag release, will be cushioned, and the bag will beeased down'onto the conveyor. This shock absorber is carried by a cross member "M connected to the lower portions of the posts 21 and 22 at the side of the machine awayfrom the direction of bag travel.

There is a vertical shaft .15 which is axially carried with respect to the-bag tube, and is driven at relatively high speed in suitable manner. This shaft extends down throughthe hood 45, and is preferably sealed therethrough in relatively dust tight manner, as by the'felts it (see Figures 3 and 12). The lower end of this shaft carries the impeller, which in the form shown includes the upper and lower sectionsl'l and 18. The section I? has its flights of steeper pitch than the section 18 as shown in Figures 3 and 12, so that the incoming material first encounters these steeper flights which act to rapidly compact the material, and then the material is subjected to the action of the flights oflesser pitch by which the materialis further compacted and the action thus completed. In the form shown the two setsof flights are in the form of individual impellers, but manifestly a'single impeller might be used with its flights of'progressively be of uniform pitch.

Generally it will be found satisfactory to use an arrangement in which the flights are relatively short, encircling only a portion of a revolution, as shown, in which they constitute only a half turn. It will also in many cases be found desirable to use a doublethreaded arrangement as shown, each flight making only a half turn, and the flights operating in succession on the material. It is convenient to provide the lower portion of the shaft I5 with a portion 19 of reduced size onto which the impeller sections are set and held in place by the set screws as shown.

The shaft passes up from the hood 45, and through a roller bearing 88,.which is carried by the plate BI on the cross members 38 and 3I of the frame of the machine. Above the said cross members and roller bearing, is placed the pulley 82, shown as being of the multi-groove, V-groove type. This pulley may, of course be driven in any convenient manner. A quill 88 is placed on the shaft at the position of the pulley, and the pulley is connected to this quill. The shaft is splined for a distance vertically according to the vertical travel which it must make during the filling operation, such splines being shown at 84. It will be seen that with this arrangement the shaft is at all times driven irrespective of its vertical travel.

The upper end portion of the shaft carries a head member 85, best shown in Figure 10. For this purpose there is a suitable bearing 86 set into said head member so that the shaft may rotate freely, but the head member will nevertheless travel up and down with. the shaft, and the head member is incapable of axial movement along the shaft. A nut 81 is threaded onto the extreme end of the shaft as shown.

Extending upwardly from the main portion of the frame are the stands 88 and 89, (see Figures 1, 2, 3, 4 and 10). Each of these includes the side plates 98 and 9|, with the channel section 92 between them; and each of the channel sections carries a pair of vertical guide bars 93 and 94 which thus provide a vertical groove. The head member is provided with the side portions 95 and 96 which travel in such grooves vertically.

At the upper end of the stand 88 there is a bell crank 91 pivoted to the stand, and with its arm 98 adapted to reach over into alignment with the side of the portion 95 of the head memher. A trip pin may be set into one or the other of the holes 99 or I88 of the side portion 85, so that when the shaft and head member reach the upper limit of travel said pin will move against the arm 98 and rock ,the bell crank. A link 'I8I connects to the other arm I82 of the bell crank, and it will be noted from Figures 1 and 10 that when the bell crank stands with its arm 98 horizontal, said link I8I has passed dead center so that no amount of pull downwardly on the link can rock the bell crank to the left. The arm 88 of the bell crank reaches through a slot of the stand 88, and said arm of the bell crank rests against the floor of such slot to limit rocking movement of the right. Thus when the platform 58 is to be supported horizontal the bell crank is held against further rocking movement towards the right in Figures 1 and 10. There is a lever I83 pivoted to the cross member 383* andthe'upper end of the link 55' connectsto one end of said lever, and the lower' end of the link 'I8I connects to the other end of said lever. When the platform is loaded the link 55 is in compression, and the link I8I isintension, so that the action as hereinabove explained will occur. I

It will be noted that as soon as the shaft and its head have reached the upper limit of movement, thebell crank willbe slightly rocked towards the left, and as soon as dead center is passed the tension of the link I8I will swing the bell crank suddenly full over, so that the platform will be suddenly released, and the filled bag will be delivered as already explained. After the bag has been thus delivered the platform may be again raised and the bell crank turned over, either by hand or otherwise, preparatory to'another operation. Generally this may be accomplished by merely swinging the platforminto horizontal position which will serve also to throw the bell crank over into set position It will be noted that upon the release of the platform, with consequent dropping of the filled bag, the shaft and impeller are allowed to fall, due to the fact that the force which caused them to rise was the engagement of the impeller with the top portion of the material within the bag. Such falling of the shaft and impeller might result in damage thereto, and would be objectionable in any case. I have therefore provided means to check such fall. The same, in the form shown, takes the form of a shock absorber I84 of suitable form, such as a hydraulic type hereinbefore mentioned, mounted on the stand 88, and having the arm I85 reaching through a slotof said stand to a position where it may be engaged by a pin' I88 on the head member as the latter nears the lower limit of its travel. A spring I8I may be provided for restoring the arm I 85 of the shock absorber to its initial position when the shaft and head member again rise during another filling and packing operation, and a pin I88 may limit the movement of the arm I85 under the force of such spring. The bottom travel of the head member and shaft is limited by the engagement of the head member 85 with a plate I88 carried by the cross members 28 and 28, or by angle bars H8 and III carried thereby, as shown in Figure 10.

Itis noted that the splines 84 on the shaft should be of sufficient length to permit driving engagement with the quill 83 during the maximum travel needed for filling bags of the maximum capacity intended for use in the machine. In the form shown in Figures 1 to 11 inclusive these splines travel down into the upper portion of the enclosure when the shaft and impeller are low down, so that at such times the splines are subject to the dust and other material within such enclosure. Such material does not, however, escape to the atmosphere. 7

In the modified arrangement shown in Figures 12, 13 and 14 I have provided means to drive the shaft directly by means of an electric motor. The same is designated as H2, and is shown as of an alternating current type, such as an induction motor. It has the rotor I I3 which is mounted on the quill H4, and the shaft I5 passes up through this quill. The upper end of the quill has the teeth to engage the splines of the shaft, the lower portion of the quill being untoothed as shown, especially by comparison of Figures 13 and 14, which are sections at the points designated on Figure 12. The motor may be mounted in any convenient manner above the hood 45, and due to amine-4 1 the height of the motorritself it will generally be found-that when the teeth of the -quill are formed near the upper end ofthey quill the shaft may be soproportion'ed as respects the' splines that the full upward movement duringa filling o'per'ation maybe accomplished-even when'the splines do not !enter into the hood during the :full lowering =r'novement of the shaft and impeller. It will be underl'stood'ithajt'thefshaftFabove the motor of Figure 12 is provided with a head such as the head 85, and that the o erations are to that extent the same as heretofore explained.

This arrangement and means and process'for filling and packing the bags is well adapted for high speeds of operation. In fact speeds equal to normal motor speeds may be used, such as from 1200 to 1750 revolutions per minute, so that the direct motor drive is very well adapted to this work.

The operation and sequence of events will be readily understood, but the following explanation is also desirable. When the platform has been raised and latched up, a bag is placed up over the tube 42. The new weighed body of material is then fed down through the chute 46 from above, and as it descends into the upper portion of the tube 42, and down through the same, the rapidly rotating impeller forces the first portions of such material against the bottom of the bag supported on the platform. As further material descends so that the space beneath the impeller becomes fully occupied, the impeller rests on the material so far compacted, and still furtherincrements of the material flow in and the impeller keeps Working on them, working its way higher and higher as the material continues to flow in, but at all times the impeller compacts the material to the extent determined by the weight of the shaft and the impeller and the head 85, all which parts must be supported solely by the engagement of the impeller blades with the so compacted material. The direction of rotation is, of course, such as to tend to make the impeller feed its way upwards through the material, as shown by the arrows in Figures 3 and 12. It will be noted that the compacting and packing operation is at all times that due to the weight of the shaft and connected parts, so that the compacting or packing action, is perfectly uniform throughout the height of the mass, from the bottom to the top. Also, this compacting action proceeds uniformly throughout the entire mass, and proceeds as the material enters the bag tube 42, as distinguished from an arrangement in which the entire mass of material is compressed from one end thereof, in which case such uniformity cannot be secured.

It will also be noted that if desired a certain additional packing action might be secured by allowing the impeller to remain in contact with the upper portion of the compacted or packed mass of material, whereupon the rotations of the impeller would of themselves exert a certain amount of jarring action on the entire mass. In such case, however, the weight exerted on the entire mass would be due to that of the shaft and connected parts. In this connection it may be mentioned that in some cases a weight of substantially two hundred fifty pounds will be found satisfactory for the filling of bags of flour containing substantially one hundred pounds of flour.

While I have herein shown and described only certain embodiments of the features of my invention, still I do not intend to limit myself thereto, except as I may do so in the claims to follow. v

I claim;

the'lewerrclosed endof; the bag,- means to sup- I port saidfpkatform permittingithefsameto swing down awayfrom the bagrsupport; means to convey the-filled bags laterally away from the filling position, ":me arns" to dampen the falling. "moves-men't 10f the '1 bagsias 'thecpl'atform .is :pei'mitte'd to swing down comprising a pair of plates pivotally mounted at the sides of the bag to swing about horizontal axes, and spring means tending to move said platestowards each'other, and means to supply loose material to the upper open end of the bag, and to compact said material within the bag, substantially as described.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination of means to support a bag vertically with its open end up, a platform beneath the lower closed end of the bag, means to support said platform permitting the same to swing down away from the bag support, means to convey the filled bags laterally away from the filling position, said means travelling transversely of the axis of swing of the platform and in direction from such axis across the vertical alignment of the bag, together with means to dampen the fall of the bag from the platform, comprising spring pressed means to engage the side faces of lower portion of the bag adjacent to the lateral conveying means, substantially as described.

3. In a machine of the class described, the

combination of a tubular bag support mounted in vertical position, means to secure the upper end of a bag embracing said support, toithe sup port, means to direct material laterally and downwardly into the support and into the sosupported bag, a vertically extending shaft extending centrally downwardly through the support and said shaft being vertically movable,

meansto support said shaft, and means tocontinuously drive the shaft while permitting such vertical movement thereof, comprising a motor above the upper end. of the bag support and having a stationary stator, and also having a rotary rotor, in alignment with the shaft, and a splined connection between the rotor aforesaid and the shaft, together with an impeller on the lower end portion of the shaft, the splines of said connection being such as to permit vertical movement of the shaft and impeller substantially equal in amount to the vertical dimension of the bag, substantially as described.

4., In a machine of the class described, the combination of means to support a bag in vertical position with its upper end open, means to direct material into said upper open end, a vertical shaft reaching downwardly axially of "the bag, means to support said shaft to permit vertical and rotary movement thereof, an impeller on the lower end portion of said shaft, and means to drive the shaft continuously while permitting vertical movement of the shaft, comprising a motor mounted above and in alignment with the shaft and impeller, and including a stator and a rotor within the stator, together with a splined connection between the rotor and 5. In a machine of the class: described, the

combination of a vertical bag'tube, means to support a bag on said tube with its open end support the platform along one edge thereof, a

vertically extending shaft extending downwardly into and concentric with the bag tube, means to support said shaft in such position while permitting both rotary and vertical axial movements of the shaft, means to drive the shaft dur- 'ing its axial movements, a catch for supporting V the platform in substantially horizontal position,

and an element carried by the shaft to engage the catch at the upper limit of shaft movement and disengage the platform, to thereby permit the same to swing down and deliver a bag supported thereon, substantially as described.

ALFRED SOWDEN.

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