Abstract: A device for smoothing out and pressing together the free projecting end extending over the filling material of filled sacks, said sacks comprising side walls which are inwardly folded and there being two movable pairs of fingers engaging in the sack in the plane of the opened sack or a plane being parallel to said plane as well as a plane being lateral to said plane, whereby said fingers of each of said pair of fingers are arranged at a distance in the transverse direction of the sack opening and two rods or knives are arranged, said rods or knives being movable against each other and are extendable from the outer side of the sack between the fingers of each pair of fingers engaging in the sack, and, if necessary, on both sides of a closable loading funnel of a sack filling station.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for advancing an empty sack in a conveying direction to a filling station comprising a charging funnel, which comprises a magazine containing a stack of horizontally extending flattened empty sacks, from which uppermost sacks are successively removed and each uppermost sack is horizontally conveyed in succession. A conveyor is arranged to receive each horizontally conveyed sack in succession, and this conveyor comprises a horizontal support for at least partially supporting each horizontally conveyed sack in succession, a pair of suction devices adjacent a leading edge of the support and arranged at opposite sides of the sack supported thereon, the suction devices being displaceable in a direction extending transversely to the support for gripping and opening the sack on the support, and the support and suction devices being pivotal in unison between a receiving position wherein the support is positioned to receive the horizontally conveyed sack and a transfer position.