US2662357A - Bag closing machine - Google Patents

Description

Filed April l. 1949 K. STONE BAG CLOSING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Shee'b l Dec. 15, 1953 K. STONE BAG CLOSING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 1, 1949 Jmwwew Dee. @59 1953 K. STONE BAG CLOSING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April l, 1949 151, 1953 K STONE BAG CLOSING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April l. 1949 Dec. 15, 1953 K. STONE] 2,652,357

BAG CLOSING MACHINE Filed April l, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Dec. 15, 1953 asian BAG OLO SING MACHINE Kenneth Stone, Elmhurst, Ill., assigner to Neostyle, Incorporated, Chicago, lll., a corporation of Nevada Application April 1, 1949, Serial No. 84,791

(Cl. SI5- 142) 9 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a bagr closing machine for use in connection with the packaging of products in bags of the expanding wail or gusset type, and in particular to an improved sucker for tucking in the expanding wall.

The particular embodiment of my invention herein shown is adapted for use with heat sealing bags.

t is an object of my invention to provide an improved device for tucling the expanding walls of a bag and for bringing the top edges of the bag together while the bag is in motion.

It is a further object to provide an improved mechanism for conveying to and through a sealer, and one which straightens and shapes the bags and causes the top edges of the bag to be tucked in, closed and sealed.

A still further object of my invention is to provide an improved tuclaer which shapes the upper edges of the bag and contents at the same time that tucking is effected, thereby providing a neat looking package.

Other objects, features and advantages of my invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

With reference now to the drawings in which like numerals designate like parts:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation oi a preferred embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan View thereof;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig 4 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation showing the detent wheel and its associated parts;

Fig. 5 is a section taken along line 5 5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is an elevation of the cam;

Fig 7 is an elevation of a portion of the pawl wheel;

Fig. E. is a fragmentary view showing the cani and the pawl wheel in locked position;

Fig. 9 is a sectional elevation illustrating the operation of the tucker;

Fig. 10 is a plan view taken along line ivill of Fig. 9;

Fig. 1l is a perspective view of the parts in position shown in Fig. 9;

Fig. l2 is a sectional elevation similar to Fig 9 but showing a changed position of the parts;

Fig. 13 is a plan view taken along line l3-l3 of Fig. 12; and

Fig. 14 is a horizontal section taken along line i-M of Fig. 3.

With reference now to Figs. 1 and 2, the machine comprises a frame designated generally by the reference numeral l!) which includes a base plate il, one or more legs l2, and other conventional frame elements not shown. The righthand portion of the machine as viewed in Figsv 1 and 2 constitutes a bag receiving portion i3 and the left-hand portion constitutes a bag shaping and closing portion lil. The bags move forwardly from right to left, and the term forward refers to the left-hand portion of certain elements and the term rear to the right-hand portion, as those elements would be viewed in Figs. 1 and 2. The bag receiving portion i3 is of substantial length, but for the sake of clarity, a portion of it is not shown in the drawings, as indicated by the break lines. The left-hand end oi the machine, which includes a bag delivery table, is not shown since it forms no part of my invention.

I The bag shaping and closing portion Ill includes a tucker designated generally as the reference numeral l5 and heat sealing rollers it. The term heat sealing bag includes any bag, the top edges of which are made from a ma terial which can be heat sealed. For instance, the top edges, or the whole bag, can be made from certain types of thermoplastic material, or they can be made from non-thermoplastic material which is provided with a heat sealing coating. Thus, after the top edges of the bag have .y been brought together, they are fed between the heat sealing rollers l and. the bag is thus sealed. It is understood that heat sealing means other than the heat sealing rollers is may be employed, if desired.

The bags are advanced forwardly by means of a conveyor belt Il, the upper span of which is supported by a tracli ES. The latter may be in the form of a horizontal plate which is spaced above the base plate li. rlhe machine prefers ably includes means, not shown herein, for ad- ,iusting the elevation of the track IS. The conveyor belt is disposed between two pulleys, one of which, pulley i9, is disposed at the right end of the machine and the other one of which is at the left end of the machine and not shown.

vertically disposed shaper belts 2i! and 2i are also provided which engage the side walls of the bag and serve to shape the bag as it moves through the machine. The Shaper belts and the conveyor belt are driven at the same rate of speed by conventional means, not shown herein. Each Shaper belt is disposed between two pulleys, only one of which is shown herein. The pulley 22 is disposed at the extreme right end of the machine, and pulley 23 about which the Shaper belt 2l passes, is disposed at the right-hand end of the shaping and closing portion It. Thus, the conveyor belt il' and the Shaper belt 2G extend all the way out to the bag receiving portion. Filled bags are placed on the conveyor belt at the bag receiving portion, and they lean against the sha-per belt 2B and are advanced by belts il and it up to the closing and shaping portion lli.

In the shaping and closing portion lil, the belts 2i* and 2i pass over Shaper plates 2s and 25 so that the side walls of the bag may be shaped. rEhese shaper plates are mounted by means of brackets E55, 2 on supporting plates 28 and 29 respectively, which are spaced above the base plate ii and are mounted in suitable ways, not shown, icr sliding movement toward and away from each other. Thus, the distance between the Shaper belts may be adjusted for different size bags. This adjustment is effected by means of shafts 3c and 3l which run crosswise of the machine and are provided with right and left hand screw threads 32 and 33 respectively. The supporting plates 28 and 29 are provided with threaded collars which cooperate with the screw threads Si.' and 33 so that rotation of the shafts 3! and 3l will cause the plates to be moved toward and away from each other. The shafts are 1310- vided with sprockets 3d and 35 which are connected by a suitable chain 3B. rlhus, the shafts may be rotated in unison by means of a handle 3l' which is secured to shaft 3 I. Pulleys 33 and 39 are mounted at the righthand end of supporting plates 28 and 29 respectively and serve as belt guides. rlhus, if the Shaper plates are moved closer to each other, the guide pulleys prevent the belt from scraping over the edges of the Shaper plate. Idler pulleys lle and 5| are adjustably mounted on base plate H and bear against the outer spans of the shaper belts to regulate the belt tension. An adjustably iounted backing plate l2 may be provided for that portion of the inner span of shaper belt 2B which extends over the bag receiving portion in order that the bags may be suitably supported as they are advanced. rlihat portion of the bag path f which is between the pulleys 39 and 23 may be termed the throat d3 of the machine. Here the Shaper belt 2l moves inwardly and serves to straighten up the bags which have been tilted against the shaper belt 26 as they pass over the bag receiving portion le.

From the throat, the bags are continuously advanced between the shaper plates past the tucker l5. The latter is mounted on a rotatable sleeve 45, which in turn is supported on a stationary shaft 46. The stationary shaft is secured to supports 4S and i9 which extend upwardly from the base plate il. The tucker l5 is in the form of a paddle wheel and as shown in Figs. 3 and 9 comprises a hub 5S which carries four spokes 5l. Each spoke is provided with a shoe 52. The shoe is generally T-shape and comprises a hexagon shaped plate 53 and a radially disposed plate 54. The forwardly extending portion of plate 53 can be termed a toe 55, and the rearwardly extending portion can be termed a heel 5.6. The shoe also includes a toe rod 5l and a heel rod 58 which are disposed parallel to the spoke 5 I.

As shown in Figs. 9 and l0, the bag 5l! includes a bottom wall ii l, front and rear expanding walls 62 and 63 respectively, and side walls 6d., and 55. The contents of the bag is indicated by the reference numeral E6.

llhe operation of the tucker is shown in Figs. 9 to 13 inclusive. In the Fig. 9 position, the tucker is locked in a stationary position. As the bag Eil is advanced by the belts I7, 2e and 2| into engagement with the shoe 52, the heel 56 tucks the front wall t2. Then the tucker is caused to rotate at a peripheral or linear speed greater than the speed at which the bag is advanced so that the toe ci the next succeeding shoe will engage the rear wall 63 of the bag. This position of the parts is shown in Fig. 12. The plate 53 is spaced slightly above the level of the contents 66 of the bag so that the tucking is effected without any tearing of the bag and so that the motion of the bag can be transmitted to the shoe by the pushing of the contents 56 against the radially disposed plate 565. The plates 53 and 5G, which are perpendicular to each other also serve to shape the contents of the bag so as to make a comparatively sharp corner, thus contributing to the neat appearance of the bag.

The tucker is intermittently rotated in the manner indicated above by means of a clutch esignated generally by the reference numeral lil nd by means of suitable controls hereinafter described. The clutch, 'as shown in Figs. 3 to B, serves to establish a driving connection between a continuously rotating sleeve ll and the sleeve 55 on which the tucker is mounted. The sleeves 115 and Tl are disposed in end to end relationship on the stationary shaft 5S. A pulley l2 is secured to the sleeve il and is continuously driven by means of a belt "i3 lrom a suitable source of power, not shown. A ratchet wheel M is secured to sleeve 1l and rotates continuously therewith and serves to drive a pawl wheel l5 mounted on the sleeve 45. The pawl wheel includes a pawl l5 which is pivotally mounted on a plate 'il by a pivot pin l2 as shown in Figs. 3 and 7. A spring '59 biases the pawl inwardly against the teeth of the ratchet wheel i4. 'Die plate 'il is suitably riveted to the pawl wheel "55.

Disposed between the ratchet wheel and the pawl wheel is a stationary cam ilo which is mounted on the stationary shaft he cam provided with four rising cam surfaces 8l and four drops 82. Thus, as the pawl wheel is driven by the ratchet wheel, the pawl 'it will be engaged by the cam and raised out of engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel, thereby breaking the driving connection. Means are provided to lock the pawl wheel and its associated parts in a position in which the pawl is held out of cngagement with the ratchet wheel. Thus, tucker and pawl wheel are caused to rotate intermittently through 90 after which the parts are locked in a position corresponding to that shown in Fig. 9.

The locking means are shown in Fig. ain. comprise a detent wheel 83 connected to sleeve l5 and having four notches 34, spaced 30 apart. A plunger 85 cooperates with the notches and is slidably mounted in a casing 8%. A. spring 37 disposed within the casing urges the plunger into engagement with the detent wheel. rhe plunger is retracted by means of a solenoid indicated son erally by the reference numeral The solenoid and the plunger casing are suitably mounted on a portion of the frame of the machine. The solenoid includes an armature Sie which is connected to the plunger by suitable means such a pin 913. the plunger will be retracted from one of the notches 84 and permit rotation of the detent wheel. It is necessary only that the plunger be maintained in itS retracted position. during the rst few degress of rotation of the detent wheel, after which the plunger can be released without impairing the movement of the detent wheel up to the next locking position. The solenoid vis actuated by a trip lever Si which projects through an aperture in shaper plate 25 into the bag path. A suitable switch 92 is closed by the displacement of the trip lever and serves to close the solenoid circuit, the switch and solenoid being operatively connected -by means of an electric cable S3.

The tucker is normally located in any one of Thus, upon operation of the solenoid,`

four positions, the locked position being shown in Fig. 9, and the corresponding loched positions oi? the detent wheel and ot the pawl wheel 'lli being shown in Figs. i and e respectively. It will be observed n. n a comparison. of these figures that the pawi oi the pawl wheel is a icw degrees out of alignment with the notches oi the datent wheel, and that the notches of the datent u.. 3i may be in alignment with the drops oi i/e stationary cana 8d, when the parte in locked position. However, the angular relationship of the parts 83, l5 and il@ may be changed, as pointed out hereinafter. The position oi the trip lever is such that the solenoid will not be actuated until the bag has been moved into the Fig. 9 position in which. the forward wall is tucked. rlhen the tucker, the pawl wheel and the det-ent wheel are caused to rotate at a greater rate of speed. The shape of the cani surfaces is not critical since the pawl, wheel can be disengaged from the ratchet wheel at any time after the parts have been set into motion, the inertia of the parts serving to carry them into the next 90 position. After the datent wheel has been released it is the pressure of the bag against the radially disposed plate 5ft which displaces the pawl wheel the few degrees which is necessary before the pawl drops oi the cam drops 32 and is engaged by the teeth of the ratchet wheel. The detent wheel is mounted for angular adjustment on the sleeve t5 and the cam -f il@ is mounted for angular adjustment on the stationary shaft lib. Thus, the position of these two elements may be shifted somewhat from the posin tions shown in the drawing. instance, it indy be desired to rotate the stationary cam few degrees forward in order to maintain the pall and the ratchet wheel in engagement little longer. Also, it will be observed that the le is provided with an. adjusting screw im ich bears against the stationary caro. and t serves to regulate the timing of the device. The inicroswitch El? shown in and la mounted on a standard i i i, the standard beirg adjustably mounted on the supporting plate lever 9i nia-y be varied in order to regulate the timing. lThe foregoing adjustments i rinit the operation of the machine to be regulated in ac cordance with the dimensions of the bags to be closed.

After the front and rear walls have been tucked, the top edges of theY side wall of the bag are closed by means of closing belts illu and lili. These belts are disposed around pulleys H32, its, respectively at the right end and pulleys tibi, HD5 respectively at the left end. The latter pulleys are driven by suitable gearing itl which are journalled in a bridge member iut, the pulleys IM, lil-5i being mounted on the under surface of the bridge member. The sealing rollers it in this machine are mounted directly in iront of the pullcys itil, m5 so that after the bag has been closed, by bringing the edges together, it is immediately sealed. As indicated above, the bags are carried through the sealing rollers by belts il, 2i?, 2 i, and the latter are extended so that the bags may be conveyed onto a suitable delivery table, not shown.

It will be understood that the sealing function can be performed by means other than the partisular sealing rollers i 5 which are shown herein, and that the position of the sealing means is not critical. Furthermore, it may be desired to provide between the pulleys loll, tilt and the sealing rollers, means for folding over the top edges of the bag, or for applying adhesive, or for performing various other functions. For instance, the inven tion is applicable for use with other types of bags than heat sealing bags.

The operation of the machine has been de scribed in detail in connection with the description of the various parts and sub-assemblies there of. In summary, the lled bags are placed on the conveyor belt at the bag receiving portion I3 of the machine, and they are maintained upright by the extended Shaper belt 2t. The bags are continuously advanced through the throat i2 of the machine which serves to straighten the bags and between the shaper plates 2d and 25 which shape the side walls of the bag and contents. as the bags pass between the Shaper plates the front and rear Walls are tucked, and the top edges ci the side wall are closed by means of closing belts M30, i0 l After this, the bag is sealed by the sealing rollers I6.

The machine can be readily adjusted to ac commodate bags of various capacities by operae tion of the handle 3l which causes the Shaper plates 24, 25 and the Shaper belts 2li and di to move toward or away from each other. Similarly, the elevation of the conveyor belt il' may be adjusted to accommodate bags of diiiercnt height by adjusting the position of the track l.

Although only a preferred embodiment of my invention has been shown and described herein, it is obvious that various modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention.

i claim:

l. A bag closing machine comprising a pair of belts having inner spans spaced from each other and adapted to move in a horizontal direction, said belts being disposed in vertical planes, whereby the side walls of a partially filled bag may be engaged by said inner spans and the bag advanced in an upright position, backing means for said inner spans, a tucker rotatably mounted about an axis spaced above said belts and having a plurality of radially extending arms adapted to project into the space between said belts, means for intermittently rotating said tucker so that the front wall of said bag will be engaged and tucked by one of said arms when said tucker is stationary and so that the rear wall of said bag will be engaged and tucked by an adjacent arm when said tucker is rotatng, and a pair of closing belts disposed above said :tiret-mentioned belts and in front of said tucker and having convoi ing inner spans whereby the side walls or" said bag will be engaged and brought together after the front and rear walls thereof have been tucked.

2. A bag closing machine comprising means to advance a succession of partially filled bags in an upright position, a tucliing device having a plurality of radially extending arins and being rotatably mounted about an axis spaced above said bags, means for driving said tuclring device, each of said arms having means extending rearwardly for cooperative engagement with the front wall of a bag and having means extending forwardly for cooperative engagement with the rear wall of a bag, clutch means between said driving means and said tucking device, said clutch means being normally disengaged, means actuated by the displacement of said tucking device when engaged by an advancing bag for causing said clutch to establish a driving connection between said driving means and said tucking device to rotate said tucking device at a greater linear speed than the speed at which said bag is advanced, whereby one of said forwardly extending means will tuck the rear wall of said bag, said clutch means including means for breaking said driving connection, and means for causing said tucking device to remain stationary in a position for tucking the front wall or a succeeding bag.

3. A bag closing machine comprising means to advance a succession of partially iilled bags in an upright position, a tucking device having a plurality of radially extending arms and being rotatably mounted about an axis spaced above bags, means for driving said tucking device, each of said arms having means extending rearwardly for cooperative engagement with the front wall oi a bag and having means extending forwardly `for cooperative engagement with the rear wall of a bag, clutch means between said driving means and said tucking device, means to lock said tucking device in a position in which the rearwardly extending means of one arm will be engaged by the front wall of a bag so that a portion of said wall will be tucked, and means actuated by the advance of said bag iol' releasing said locking means after said front wall has been tucked, said clutch means being operative upon displacement of said arm by said bag after said locking means has been released to establish a driving connection between said driving means and said tucking device to rotate said tucking device at a greater linear speed than the speed at which said bag is advanced, whereby said forwardly extending means of an adjacent arm will engage the rear wall of said bag so that a part of said rear wall will be tucked, said clutch means inciuding means for breaking said driving connection prior to the time that said forwardly extending means engages said rear wall.

4. In a bag closing machine, the combination of a bag tucking device having a plurality of radially extending arms, means for continuously advancing a succession of bags in upright position past said tri-cking device, means for intermittently rotating said bag tucking device, said latter means comprising a continuously rotating ratchet wheel, a pawl wheel axially spaced therefrom and having a pawl for engagement with said ratchet wheel, a stationary cam engaging said pawl for establishing and disestablishing a driving connection between said pawl and ratchet wheels, means for locking said tucking device in a series of angular positions in which said arms are successively engaged by said bags as they are advanced by said bag advancing means, and means actuated by the advance of said bags to release said locking means so that said tucking device can be rotated by the movement of said bags, said tucking device being driven by said pawl wheel.

5. In a bag closing machine, the combination of a bag tucking device, means for continuously advancing a partially filled bag in upright positien, and means for intermittently rotating said bag tucking device, said latter means comprising a continuously rotating ratchet wheel, a pawl wheel spaced therefrom and having a pawl for engagement with said ratchet wheel, means connecting said pawl wheel and said tucking device so that the latter may be driven by said pawl wheel, stationary cam means disposed for engagement with said pawl to break the driving connection between said pawl and ratchet wheels, detent means for locking said pawl wheel in a predetermined position at a time when said driving connection is broken, and means actuated by the advance of said bag to release said detent means so that said tucking device can be rotated by the movement of a bag, the movement of said bag subsequent to the release of said detent means serving to displace said tucking device and to release said pawl from said cam means so as to reestablish said driving connection.

6. In a bag closing machine, a tucking device comprising a supporting arm, a shoe mounted at the end of said arm, said shoe including a plate disposed in a plane perpendicular to the axis of said arm and a second plate disposed perpendicular to said rst plate and projecting therefrom in a direction away from said supporting arm.

7. A tucking device according to claim 6 having a rod disposed substantially parallel to said supporting arm and projecting from the edge oi said rst plate in the same direction of said supporting arm.

8. In a bag closing machine, a tucking device comprising a hub, a plurality of radially disposed spokes, a plurality of shoes, one shoe being mounted at the end of each spoke, each shoe comprising a plate having pointed ends and secured at its central portion to a spoke and disposed in a plane perpendicular to said spoke, one end of said plate providing a toe for engaging the rear wall of a bag and the other end of said plate comprising a heel for engaging the front wall of a bag, and a second plate disposed in a plane perpendicular to said rst plate and substantially parallel to the axis of said tucking device and projecting from the mid-portion of said mst-mentioned plate in a direction away from said spoke.

9. A tucking device according to claim 8 in which said shoes are provided with toe rods and heel rods which are disposed parallel to said spokes and project from the ends of said plates in the same direction as said spokes.

KENNETH STONE.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,551,525 Hamer Aug. 25, 1925 1,909,319 Taylor May 16, 1933 1,979,496 Schilbach Nov. 6, 1934 1,998,287 Pierson Apr. 16, 1935 2,045,254 Schlemmer June 23, 1936 2,085,442 Newell June 29, 1937 2,253,036 Kimple Aug. 19, 1941 2,410,834 Messmer Nov. 12, 1946

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