US2398356A - Bag cleaning machine - Google Patents

Description

Ap Q L. 'BURWICK ETAL 2,398,356

BAG CLEANING MACHINE Filed Nov. 4., 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet l INQVENTORS 1. [a BUR w/e K J0 JEPHZJPR nv 65R p l 1946; L.. BURWICK ET AL 2,398,356

- BAG CLEANING MACHINE Filed Nov. 4, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /lllll::

' Patented Apr. 16, 1946 5m x Leo "Burwick' andJoseph Ja- Springer, Buffalo, a i NLY assignors to Carl Burwiclc 'lh 'Company ai 7 f1 partnershipcomposed of Carl Burwick, Hyman Burwiek, Israel Burwick, and:Leo Burwick i A plication November 4, 1943; Serial No: 508926 p eclaims. (01.1223-43): This invention relates" to'bag cleaning machines, particularly of the type using air suction for removing particles from the bags;

Objects of the invention'include the provision of a continuously operating automaticmachine having means rendering'the same capable of clamping bags in series, moving the bags intooperative location relative to an air suction device so thatthe bag is projected into the device for the initial cleaning step, at the same time the bag beingthereby turned inside out; while still clamped the bag isadvanced and the bag clampv is rotatedlBO degrees to position the inverted bag in'a location to be acted upon by a second air suction device'which performs the final cleaning operation and-again reverses the bag to its original condition; theelampbeing then again rotated180 degrees to bring-it to labor to be performed-except in initially "posioriginalposition, and clean; the bagthen being discharged and the bag clamp advancing to the original loading position, thus completing the cycle.

Further objects of the inventioninclude the V provision of .a continuously operating automatic bagjcleaning machine which is so constructed that the only. action necessary on the part of the operator is to insert the open end of the bag in a holder which f-automatically clamps the bag in open position; the provision ofa bag cleaning machine as aforesaid comprising a rotating plat form on which are mounted a plurality of rotatable shafts in general radial relationthereto, each shaft being provided .at its outer end with tion so as to clean the bag tw distance: of approximately four feet'f ro' m the floor. The operator lpicksup a bag andholdsit by its open 'end under the openingin the pipe, whereupon'th'e air suction will invert the bag and draw itjup into the pipe"to'anextent'limited by the operator; the operatorthenf pulls the inverted bag down out of thepipeand'rjepeats the opera once for each side, and this results in returning'.'the{bag to its original position afterthe cleaningh'as been a'ccomplished. V The present"inventionTpi'ovides a machine for accomplishing" jth above stated action mechanically and "automatically with no tioning'theb'ag'in'thehiachirie;

Agenerally vertically arrangedh us'ing' I is provided, this'housing' being supported on' the floor or'on "some'other support and in the present instance being shown as cylindrica'l. Centrally ofhousing Ill and'supportedby any convenient means'therein'there is avertical shaftll? which 7 may be driven at a relativelyfslow' speedby any desiredmeans. A platform 'Hl'is mounted on shaft [2 .to' rotate therewith as byme'an's ofa bracket 1601' other conyenientdevioe; Supported V frdm the housing lfl'infixedrelationthereto and automatic clampingmea'ns for holding the bag in position for the cleaning operation with the bag held open; in combinationwith means such as a mutilated gearfor intermittently" rotating the shaft, that is, subsequent to .an'initial'cleam ing step wherein the bag is reversed "and again rotating the shaft after a secondcleaning'operation which also invertsth'e bag'so that the latter will be discharged from-the machine in itsoriginal condition but'having been, air cleaned.

Further objects and advantages of the-invention will appear hereinafter, reference beingjhad to the accompanyingdrawings, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the machine embodying the invention; l

Fig; 2 is 1a view in elevation showing; the parts I Fig. 5 shows thesame'prior to the initial ro-- tation.

In cleaning bags Icy.v air suction it has been heretofore the practicetto .arrange a vertical air pipe or 'conduit havingdts"lower end open at a having gear teeth I and 22, thgear-beingblank. A number of substantially radial" shafts" V are,

surrounding shaft [2 there is a mutilated fgear il 8 mounted in bearings 24 on platform l ltorotate therewith. In the present instance',f oiir"of these shafts indicated ate26, 28, and 32, are shown, but it is tobe' understoodthat any 'n'umberi'of shafts maybe employed. Each of the shafts is provided with a pinion gear'34 fixed'thereto for a purpose tobe describ'ed, and at its outermost end each shaft is provided 'with'acircularcollar as at'36. Collars 3B are fasttothe respective shafts for rotation therewith Each shaft is also provided with a fixed lug 38 which pivotally mounts a pair of'substantially bell crank shaped elements'dfl Which-extend mitwardly and terminatein curved clamping arms 42 which conform to the shapejof thecircul'ar collars 36. The lugs 38Ijare fast toth'eirirespective shafts and rotate therewith but are" restrained from sliding motion by'a'ny'desired'orconvenient 2 means. Each shaft is also provided with a slidable but non-rotatable. lug 44; each" of which carries a depending 'pin'45. Lugs 44 are connected to lugs 38 by means, of a pair of tension springs 48 for the purpose of normally maintaining the lugd in outwardradial position on' its shaft.

- cranks 40,

springs 48willmaintain the clamping arms 42 in' Lugs 44 may be moved radially inwardly of the shaft against thetensionfof springs 48. Each lug' M is p'rovided'with'a pair'of pivoted' 'lev'ers 50 which intu'rn are pivoted to the'ends of "the bell This construction provides that will be seen that the platform M dependingly mounts radial shafts 52', there being a shaft 52 for each of the shafts, V mounted above the platform Shafts 52an'd their respective operating shafts 26,;etc., areparallel and are connected by meansofpinions 54- which mesh with gears 34 so that rotation of shafts 52 will rotate their connected shafts and thus will rotate the collars and arms 42 comprising the bag holders. Each shaft 52 is provided at its innermost end with a gear 56 which is arrangedto mesh intermittently with the mutilated gear l8 and thus it'will be seen that shaft 28 in Fig.1 will rotate 180 degrees before it assumes the position of shaft 30 and likewise shaft 30 in Fig. 1 will rotate 180 degrees before it assumes theposition of shaft 32, so that shafts 26, 28 and 30, in Fig, 1, are so arranged that the pins 46 associated'therewith depend, but the pin 46 associated with shaft 36 extends upwardly. In Fig. 1 the air suction pipes Willbe arranged directly over the positions shown in Fig. 3 for the bag holdersfor shafts 28 and 36 and at these two, pointsthei two cleaning operations occur. The illustration of Fig. 2 jis'made with platform I l having been rotated counter-clockwise, as seen in Fig. 1, a distance of 4.5 degrees, the air pipe indicated at 60 will be located asshown, and at this point in the rotation of the device no cleaning is being done; whereas in'the Fig, 3 showing one of the bags is illustrated as being cleaned.

A cam rod 62 is mounted on the exterior of housinglfl in fixed relation thereon, and this rod is provided with outwardly-extending lips 64, 66. Rod 62 is not concentric with shaft ,l2 and it is arranged so that depending pins 46 will be engaged by the lip 64 to slightly retract lug '44 to release a bag and as the platform l4 advances in a counterclockwise direction 111 will be further retracted to open clamping arms 42 to a greater degree as shown with relation to shaft 26 inFig. 1. j l

,In Fig. 1 shaft 26 shows the loading position, shaft 28 shows the position ofinitial cleaning, shaft'30 shows the position for the second cleaning, and shaft 32 shows, the discharge position. The operator picks up a'bag by its open end and arranges it about collar 36 in position to be clamped by arms 42 as the lip 66 is-reached in the progress of the machine. The bag will depend down about the exterior of element 36 as shown at the right in Fig. 2. When the position of shaft 28 is reached the continuously operating air suction apparatus will brin the depending bag upwardly through the circular collar 36 and into the air pipe 66 as illustrated at the right in Fig. 3. 'This action obviously inverts the bag. As the machine progresses the bag will be withdrawn from the air suction pipe 60 and will'trail down over the trailing edge of the holder. From the position of shaft 28 to the'position of that at 30 gear 2ll will.cause shaft 62to, rotatein a 7 direction to rotate the shaft through 180 degrees so that the bag will now hang freely from the holder as originally placed on the machine but inverted. At the, position of shaft 36 the bag is againpro jected up into the second air pipe and reinverted, after which the bag will trail again over the trailing side of the bag holder. From the position of shaft 30'to that of shaft 32, gear 33- will cause a further rotation of the bag holder through 180 degrees to complete a full turn of 360 degrees and thus bring the bag back to its original position, whereuponjitji discharged from the machin as above described. -Allthe operator has to do is to arrange the bags on the collair 36 at the loading station, the rest of the operations being completely automatic.

Any well known friction clamp may be provided. to yieldingly hold Tthe shafts 26, 28, 3D, or 32 'in horizontal position, such device not bein shown for. purposes of clarity of illustration.

Having thus described our invention and the advantages thereof, we do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what we claim is:

1. A bag cleaning apparatus comprising a rotary support, a series of radial rotary shafts thereon, a bag clamp in the form of a hoop on each shaft, said supporthaving a loadingstationgand a discharge station, said bag clamps being normally horizontally disposed, a pair of air suction devices beneath which the clamps pass, and means to rotate the shafts and bag clamps a half turn after each air suction device is passed by the clamps. i

2. A bag cleaning .apparatu comprising a ro tary support, means to rotate the support, a series of radial rotatable shafts on the support, a generally" hoop-shaped bag ,holder on each shaft, means associated ,with each holder to clamp a bag in open-mouth dependent position thereon, a pair, ofspaced air. suction devices in the path of travel of the holders, said suction devices drawing the bags severally through the holders and inverting the bags while cleaning th same, and shaft rotating means to. invert the holders.

3. A bag cleaning apparatus comprising a rotarysupport, mean to rotate the support, a series of radial shafts 0n the support, means to intermittently rotate the shafts, a hoop-shaped bag holderv on each shaft, a clamp for each holder, a pair of air cleaning suctiondevices having operative ranges in the path of. the holders as the support rotates, said shaft rotating means alternating withthe suction devices in the direction of movement of the support.

.4. Apparatus of the class described comprising a support, a bag clamp in'hollow form for clamping a bag in' open-dependent condition thereon, means to invert the bag, means to invert the bag clamp; and a second bag inverting device to reinvert the bag and a second bag clamp inverting means.

class. described comprising a support, a bag clamp in hollow form for clamping a bag in open dependent condition thereon, means to invert thebag, means to invert the bagclamp, a second bag inverting device to reinvert the bag, a second bagclamp inverting means, and mean to free the bag from theclamp. T

6. A bag cleaning apparatus comprising a series of bag clamps, means to move the clamps in a closed path, a. pair of spaced air suction cleaning devices adjacent said path to act on the bags severally to clean and invert the same. bag clamp inverting means located to rotate the clamps between the air suction devices, and a second bag clamp inverting means acting subsequent to the second cleaning and inverting device.

LEOBURWICK,

JOSEPH J, SPRINGER.

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