Claims
- 1. A mechanism for manipulating and filling flexible sealed bags with a liquid or particulate material by separate operations at a series of work stations, comprising:
- means provided at a filling work station for holding said bag substantially vertically,
- means provided at a cutting station in advance of said filling station for placing a slit adjacent an end thereof that becomes the top of the bag when held substantially vertically at said filling station and in a shape that includes a substantially horizontal component adjacent a substantially vertical component,
- means for moving a bag from said cutting work station to said filling work station,
- a nozzle structure held substantially vertically at said filling work station, said nozzle being tapered at a lower end thereof and being movable in a substantially vertical direction and rotatable about a substantially vertically axis thereof,
- means provided at said filling station for inserting said nozzle into said bag through said slit, said inserting means including means for moving said nozzle structure downward and rotatably about said vertical axis in a manner to insert itself through said bag slit and into said bag, and
- means communicating with a source of said material and provided as part of said nozzle for controlling flow of said material into said bag through the nozzle while it is positioned within a bag.
- 2. The mechanism according to claim 1 wherein said material flow controlling means includes:
- a valve held within the tapered end of the nozzle structure by connection to a shaft within the nozzle structure such that rotation of the shaft with respect to the nozzle mechanism and about the vertical axis of the nozzle structure causes the valve to operate between a closed position, wherein the valve is positioned across the nozzle opening, and opened positions, wherein the valve is partially rotated out of said nozzle opening, and
- means attached to said shaft for rotating said shaft with respect to said nozzle structure.
- 3. The mechanism according to claim 2 wherein said nozzle inserting means and said valve rotating means are part of a common mechanical assembly that includes:
- a first driving element attached to rotate with said nozzle structure,
- a second driving element attached to rotate with said valve shaft and held substantially axially fixed with respect to said first driving element,
- means associated with the first and second driving elements for causing said driving elements to be rotated together for a range of vertical positions of the nozzle structure, thereby allowing the nozzle to be moved into a bag, and rotated separately for at least one vertical position of the nozzle structure, thereby allowing the valve to be opened and closed.
- 4. The mechanism according to claim 2 wherein said valve shaft includes an opening along its length that extends through said valve, thereby allowing gas to be moved through said opening into or out of a bag into which the nozzle is positioned
- 5. The mechanism according to claim 1 wherein said bag holding means includes means for removably gripping said bag substantially entirely along the length of substantially vertical outside edges thereof.
- 6. The mechanism according to claim 5 wherein said bag holding means additionally includes means for moving said bag edges toward and away from each other in a substantially horizontal direction.
- 7. The mechanism according to claim 6 wherein said horizontal bag edge moving means includes means for moving top and bottom portions of the bag edges differing amounts.
- 8. The mechanism according to claim 1 wherein said bag holding means additionally includes a backing plate shaped with an indentation that is positioned to receive the nozzle structure when it is moved downward to be inserted into a bag.
- 9. The mechanism according to claim 8 which additionally comprises means responsive to said nozzle moving to enter the bag through its slit for urging the bag against the backing plate in a position above said indentation, thereby to resist any substantial movement of the bag as the nozzle enters through said slit.
- 10. The mechanism according to claim 1 which additionally comprises means operable after filling the bag for resealing said slit, said resealing means including:
- means for holding the filled bag stationary,
- an arm having a heating element provided in an end surface thereof,
- means for wiping said arm across a portion of the surface of the bag adjacent the slit in order to remove any of said material therefrom and then holding the end surface over the slit for a time sufficient to soften the plastic bag sidewalls in order that the sidewalls are welded together in an area surrounding said slit,
- means operable after the bag walls are softened for moving said heated arm end surface a distance away from said bag in order to form a gap therebetween, and
- means responsive to said gap forming means for passing a cooling fluid through said gap in order to reharden the softened plastic, thereby to seal the bag.
- 11. In a method of filling with material a sealed bag formed of two sheets of plastic attached to each other around common edges wherein a slit is formed in one of the sheets near the top of the bag and then a tube is inserted downward into the bag through the slit in order to deposit material into the bag through the tube, the improvement comprising the steps of:
- forming said slit to have both horizontal and vertical components, and
- inserting through said slit a tube that has a tapered end by rotating said tube end as it is descending into said slit in order to catch a vertical component thereof.
- 12. A method according to claim 11 which comprises the step of holding said bag in a substantially vertical position by its opposing edges while the tube end is inserted into the bag through said slit and material introduced into the bag therethrough, wherein the opposing edges of the bag are moved toward and away from each other during said tube insertion and bag filling.
- 13. A method according to claim 12 wherein said bag includes a neck portion formed adjacent its top end between portions wherein the two sheets are welded together and wherein the step of forming the slit includes forming the slit in this neck portion.
Parent Case Info
This is a division of application Ser. No. 07/252,058, filed Sept. 30, 1988, now U.S. Pat. NO. 4,981,374.
US Referenced Citations (8)
Foreign Referenced Citations (5)
Number |
Date |
Country |
568472 |
Jun 1958 |
BEX |
0064321 |
Nov 1982 |
EPX |
0269145 |
Jun 1988 |
EPX |
1816187 |
Aug 1969 |
DEX |
8601485 |
Mar 1986 |
WOX |
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
252058 |
Sep 1988 |
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