Abstract: Apparatus for supplying valved sacks or bags to filling nozzles is disclosed, including a first conveyor for transporting a sack to a waiting position spaced from the filling nozzle a distance at least equal to the width of the sack, and a second conveyor for transporting the sack in a suspended valve-open condition to the filling nozzle. A releasable gripping device associated with the second conveyor engages the sack adjacent the bottom of the valve means, thereby to open the same, which gripping device includes a pair of spaced opposed sheet metal plates.

Abstract: An apparatus for opening the upper and lower surfaces of a flat-folded valve bag and for separating a valve bag from a stack of valve bags includes a wedge-shaped insertion member comprising two movable parts mounted on a movable carriage. The movable parts are inserted into the valve and splayed to separate the valve. The carriage moves the insertion member and valve bag upward to separate the bag from a stack of bags. The apparatus also includes a device for depressing the bags and an air blower which directs air along the upper surface of the valve to open the valve for insertion of the insertion member.

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.

Abstract: An apparatus for filling and closing sacks or bags, in particular paper side folding sacks, has a plurality of processing stations including a filling station, stationary clamping elements for holding the sack in an open position and a slide cyclically movable between processing stations. Outside grippers are mounted on the slide which are designed to grasp an at least partially filled sack at its side folding by clamping the folding from the outside in said filling station and transporting the sack by means of the slide to the succeeding processing station.

Abstract: An arrangement for fitting valve sacks on a filling pipe of a packaging machine comprises a unit for spreading a valve of valve sacks, the spreading unit being turnable about a horizontal axis so as to bring the valve of sacks in alignment with a filling pipe of a packaging machine, a unit forming a horizontal guide path for the spreading unit, and a unit for moving the spreading means along the horizontal guide path.

Abstract: Bags are fed individually along a linear path from an upright bag pack by front vacuum cups and after the leading bag has been separated from the pack, rear suction cups are engaged with the back of the leading bag. The front and rear suction cups are moved away from each other to enable a bag gripper to be inserted in its upper end after which the front suction cups are swung out of the bag path, the gripper is moved to move the leading bag past the front suction cups, the front suction cups are then swung back into the bag path, the rear suction cups are swung out of the bag path and the front suction cups are moved toward the bag pack to extract the next bag from the bag pack.

Abstract: A bagging machine comprising a bag supply device, a bag-opening device, a bag-sealing device mounted on one side of the bag-opening device, and a bag-moving device. The bag supply device includes a mounting member and a first bag-attracting portion mounted to the mounting member that reciprocates between a bag supply position and a bag opening position. The bag-opening device has a second bag-attracting portion which faces the first bag-attracting portion when the mounting member of the bag supply device is in the bag opening position. The second bag-opening portion can move toward and away from the first bag-attracting portion. The bag-moving device has a pair of openable holding members. The holding members reciprocate between the bag-opening device and the bag-sealing device, and close the opening of a bag by holding the opening between themselves.

Abstract: The present invention provides a machine for bagging a plurality of small items in a single bag. The machine comprises a bag support for holding a plurality of flattened open topped bags stacked against one another in an upright position, a pneumatic bag opener for blowing down into and opening the bags individually at the bag support, a bag stretcher for stretching the opening of the bags, a feed chute for feeding the articles to the stretched opened bags, a gripper for gripping on the bags after feeding and pulling them sideways from the bag support to a bag closure applicator.

Abstract: The invention discloses a novel type of bag threading device to be used in an automatic bag loading apparatus for rotary bagging machines, and substantially comprises a stationary vertical support frame (10) holding a swinging arm (12) bearing at the other end the pincers (13) associated with a system of connecting rod (14) and crank (19) having the function of rotating the pincers (13) in order to position them in the picking phase axially aligned with the bag (3) to be picked and subsequently with the nozzle (2) of the bagging machine, said arm being able to carry out an angular displacement between to bag positioning device (6) and the nozzle (2) of the rotary bagging machine (1) to be fed in that moment, effected by a cam (15) in order to carry out its angular displacement, acting on a roller (17) arranged on said swinging arm (12), the cam (15) being rotated around its shaft by a motor with reduction unit, the cam shaft and that of the bagging machine being rotated in a synchronous way through known mean

Abstract: When filling flexible bags with a specified quantity of material, the uppermost one of the bags is opened at the mouth thereof and a spatular element is inserted into the bag while streams of gas are discharged from the surface of the element. Then, a vacuum suction force is applied to the surface of the spatular element to cause the bag to be sucked to that surface so that the bag, together with the element, is moved into a recessed wall of a stand frame. The bag is inflated in the recessed wall by discharging jets of gas from the surface of the spatular element into the bag, and simultaneously the bag is sucked to the inner surface of the recessed wall under a vacuum suction force while being held in opened condition. Subsequently, the specified quantity of material is filled into the bag. In this way, each flexible bag is moved to the stand frame while being accurately sucked to and kept in the spatular element.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for inserting pouches into boxes or lining boxes with pouches is disclosed. Rather than manually line boxes, the apparatus takes a pouch from a horizontal stack of pouches, opens the pouch over an open box, partially inflates the pouch, and, inserts the pouch into the box. A vertically reciprocating mandrel is included with tucker fingers to fold the bag's mouth over the outside perimeter of the box thus presenting a line box ready to receive a product.

Abstract: A bagger machine having a frame, a wicket bar mounted on the frame, a rear clamp cylinder for pressing tabs at the upper edges of the rear sides of a ream of bags against the wicket bar, a carriage mounted for sliding movement on the frame, a suction head on the carriage for attracting the front side of the outermost bag of a ream, a bag opening cylinder for moving the carriage while the suction head engages the front side of the bag to open the bag, a bag clamping cylinder on the carriage for clamping the upper edge of the front of a bag against the suction head, a bag push cylinder for moving a filled bag in a direction away from the wicket bar after it has been filled, a control for momentarily causing the rear clamp cylinder to release the tab of the bag being moved while the bag is moving away from the wicket bar, a conveyor underlying the filled bag to support it after its tab has been released and as it is moving away from the wicket bar, a control for causing the front clamp cylinder to release the up

Abstract: The present invention comprises a machine having a fixed portion and fitted with a plurality of pneumatic cylinders and pistons, at least one of said cylinders and pistons is activated by a nominal-pressure supply, and which at least one cylinder and piston forms part of a subassembly which moves with respect to the fixed portion of the machine. There is a counter-pressure system for each working phase of the subassembly cylinder, including means for counteracting the nominal-pressure supply to reduce jerking movements of the subassembly during operation. Also a speed-control unit which has a variable throttling valve and an anti-return valve is affixed to the fixed portion of the machine separated from the movable subassembly. Flexible lines are connected between the subassembly cylinder and the speed-control unit so that the mass of the movable subassembly is reduced to further reduce the jerking motion of the subassembly.

Abstract: A bag placer apparatus having a number of improvements which, in combination, significantly increase the rate of placing valve bags upon a plurality of filling spouts to fill the bags with a flowable material. The apparatus comprises a pair of magazine apparatus for stacking the bags, a transfer apparatus for removing one bag at a time from the stack, a presenter apparatus for aligning the bag with the valve portion thereof in a precise location, and a picker-spouter apparatus which picks up the aligned bag, opens the valve and places it upon any one of one, two or three filling spouts. Each magazine supports a plurality of vertical stacks of horizontally positioned bags. The transfer apparatus alternatively de-stacks one bag at a time from each magazine and transfers it laterally to the presenter apparatus. The presenter apparatus includes means including a novel tilt arm for automatically transfering and registering each bag in precise position and alignment relative to the picker-spouter apparatus.

Abstract: An apparatus for the positive transfer of pre-formed tubes of the so-called crushable type with open bases from the line which processes them into boxes of tube-filling and boxing machines comprises first gripper means which may be vertically moved in an alternating manner at the location of a station at which the tubes are taken up rhythmically from the processing line, second gripper means which may be moved vertically in an alternating manner at the location of a station for the rhythmic introduction of these tubes into the said prefabricated boxes having their filling apertures upwardly open and gripper means which may be moved in an alternating manner for the rhythmic transfer of the tubes from the first to the second gripper means.

Abstract: The invention relates to an improved valve bag placing machine and method. The valve bag placing machine according to this invention is adapted to remove a valve type bag from a stack on an indexing conveyor, open the valve opening thereof, and insert this opening over a material dispensing nozzle of a bag filling machine. Vacuum cups, movable in response to actuation of pneumatic cylinders, contacts the valve bag at the end flap and side portions thereof. As these cylinders are retracted, a valve opening rod contacts the side of the bag to positively strip away the valve end flap from the side of the valve bag. Once in this position, one of the vacuum cups is removed from the bag and the valve bag clamping assembly is rotated by an actuator assembly. Prior to, after, or simultaneous with this rotation step, another pair of vacuum cups contacts the side of the valve bag and pulls it down with respect to the valve bag end flap, thus opening the valve bag valve opening.

Abstract: Bag filling and closing apparatus that includes a bag pick up and feed assembly mounted on a frame for removing the top closed bag from a vertical stack of bags on a magazine and feeding the bag into a bag positioner assembly to thereby straighten the bag and support it in a vertical condition at a desired position, a carriage assembly for clampingly engaging a bag supported by the positioner assembly and moving the bag to be vertically adjacent a saddle and shaker assembly, and beneath a scale hopper, opening the clamped bag, discharging product from the scale hopper through the carriage spout into the opened bag, the saddle and hopper assembly supporting the bag bottom and shaking the bag as it is being filled, a transfer assembly for grippingly supporting the filled bag while it is still clampingly engaged by the carriage assembly, and after the bag is released by the carriage assembly, move the filled bag to a conveyor assembly, and controls for controlling the operation of said assemblies.

Abstract: A solid material packing method and apparatus are disclosed wherein the plastic film bags are transported from a storage location to a packing location by a pivotable taking member having adhesive surfaces at its free end. The taking member includes an elongate adhesive tape which can be advanced between the transporting of successive bags to renew the adhesive surfaces. A solid material supplying device comprises a pair of conduit-shaped members which are movable toward and away from one another, the conduit-shaped members moving away from one another as they move toward the bag at said packing location to thereby hold open the bag for insertion of a solid material.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process and apparatus for aseptic filling of pre-sterilized non-rigid containers, especially foodstuffs containers. The said process involves taking laying hold of the container by means of air-suction, followed by sterilization of part of the container and the means holding same, then piercing of the actual container and subsequent introduction thereinto of sterile gas. This is followed by introduction of the foodstuff into the container and ultimate hermetical heat-sealing of the container thus filled. The apparatus used for carrying out the process comprises a movable workhead, positioned appropriately along a traverse overlying the conveyor bringing up containers for filling the workhead has means for taking hold of the container by suction, means for piercing the container, and for introducing sterile gas and foodstuff into the container. The workhead carries out such operations by moving into angularly distinct respective working postures.

Abstract: Apparatus for filling bags and providing completely controlled handling of bags from pickup through their movement to a bag closing station. A pair of elongated forming bars supported for up and down movement and traversing movement between a bag filling hopper and a laterally spaced bag closing station grip, flatten, and assist in forming gusseted bags after filling while the bags are still clamped on a filling spout, and thereafter controllably lower the filled bags to a conveyor and support the bags on the conveyor in traversing movement to a final bag closing station. A pair of gusset arm assemblies supported for lateral shifting movement on opposite sides of a filling spout each include a pair of gusset clamping fingers which are disposed inside of the mouth of a bag during filling. The clamping fingers are actuated in a predetermined sequence to hold and form the gusset pleats of the bag while permitting the bag to be opened over its full width during the filling operation.

Abstract: An apparatus for the automatic bagging of can ends which utilizes a common cam shaft to synchronize the operation of a series of cooperating features. A vacuum table with inclinable leaves, which is designed for vertical reciprocation, strips a bag from a magazine of randomly disposed bags, positions and opens the bag. A bag pick up and a bag horn assist in holding the mouth of the bag open for receipt of a stack of ends. The filled bag is automatically closed and discharged to a storage bin.

Abstract: An automatic system for accumulating, counting, stacking and bagging can ends. The system is designed to protect the end against damage by minimizing the handling of the end. An automatic dispenser counts and dispenses can ends to one of a pair of end stacks which are mounted for rotation about a vertical axis. The end stacks are indexed from a loading position to an unloading position where the filled stack is pivoted from a normally vertical attitude to a horizontal discharging attitude. Ends are discharged to an automatic bagging system for packaging and storage.

Abstract: A bag holding arrangement for disc record sleeves comprising, a plate whose lower surface is profiled to conform substantially to one side of an open bag. The lower surface of the plate is provided with suction means so that in operation the upper side of the bag is held against the surface, the lower side of the bag being unsupported and allowed to hang naturally. A system incorporating the bag holding arrangement is also described.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to methods and apparatus for closing a bag mouth of a bag formed from a heat weldable material after filling the bag through the open mouth thereof. The bag mouth is supported from within the mouth by flat elements held apart across the mouth to draw the mouth into an elongate form and then the sides of the mouth are pressed together between an elongate heating element and an elongate anvil and the heating element is activated to heat weld the sides of the mouth together to close the mouth.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for placing, in sequence, a finished disc record into an empty sleeve, the record-filled sleeve into an empty jacket, and the filled jacket on a stack of finished products. Two vertically reciprocating releasable holding heads are supported above and in registry with two of three adjacent stacks in a row. A movable carriage located between the heads and the stacks translates along the row in a predetermined operational sequence. A finished disc record is pushed transversely to the stack row into an open, empty sleeve held above a stack of empty sleeves by the sleeve holding head. After release of the filled sleeve by the sleeve holding head, the carriage supports the filled sleeve, transports it transversely, and by a continuing carriage motion, inserts the filled sleeve, still supported by a portion of the carriage, into an empty, open jacket held above a stack of empty jackets by the jacket holding head.

Abstract: A bag hanger which pulls the upper portion of the bottom bag downwardly from a stack of bags in a magazine disposed at an angle to a generally horizontal position, opens the upper end of said bag, grips the side edges of the bag, completely removes the bag from the magazine, and transports the empty opened bag to a vertical position on a filling spout of a bagging machine. The stacked bags in the magazine are draped in their central area over a bag support roll shaft extending across the magazine.

Abstract: An apparatus for the automatic filling of bags at a discharge spout of a filling hopper wherein empty bags are stored in a bag magazine in a horizontal position, the apparatus including an attachment unit hub, a frame pivotably mounted on the hub, a suction device mounted on the frame for individually removing each bag from the bag magazine and for swinging the removed bag into an essentially vertical hanging position and including a drum having suction mechanism, a spreading mechanism mounted on the frame for opening a respective bag mouth, and a holding device for holding each bag mouth tightly against the discharge spout, wherein the drum is mounted on the frame for horizontal movement and for rotation about an axis parallel to the surface of the stored bags and for movement parallel to the longitudinal axis of the stored bags upon pivoting of the frame about the attachment unit hub, such that the drum is lowered towards the stored bags so that the suction mechanism seizes the respective topmost bag of the

Abstract: For automatically suspending large sacks successively from a filling device, each flattened sack is folded at least once onto itself. Every sack is in turn brought up to stops on a table and scanned for alignment by photocells. The mouth of the sack is pulled open by suckers, transferred to gripper mechanisms which are carried by swing arms and provided with hinged grippers co-operating with wedges inserted in the open mouth, and the sack is then swung from the table to the filling device where it is pushed onto a funnel.

Abstract: An apparatus for automatically packing record discs comprises a record disc table adapted to receive thereon a record disc to be packed, an inner bag stock section disposed opposite the table and stocking therein a number of inner bags in stacked arrangement, a mechanism for holding the inner bag with its unsealed edge open, which mechanism comprises a pair of arm members adapted to enter at the uppermost inner bag in the inner bag stock section through the unsealed edge thereof and to support the inner bag at the opposite ends of the unsealed edge thereof, and a mechanism for moving the holding mechanism together with the inner bag toward the table. The moving mechanism draws the inner bag over the record disc on the table and in this way the record disc is in effect inserted into the inner bag to obtain a packed record disc while the record disc remains stationary on the table. The resulting package is thereafter inserted into an empty jacket.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for filling and transferring a bag while maintaining the extended tab of the bag slidingly secured on holding pins. A first bag from a plurality of juxtaposed bags is opened and filled while its extended tab is maintained stationary on holding pins. After the bag is filled, the bag is caused to be displaced on the holding pin to a bag tieing position. During the displacement of the bag to its tieing position, a neck portion is formed in the upper part of the bag and this neck portion is fed against an adhesive tape which is simultaneously secured about the neck portion as it is formed.

Abstract: An automatic bagging system useful for packaging a stack of a compressible material, such as a stack of folded disposable diapers into a drawstring type plastic bag. The apparatus includes means for compressing gradually the stack of diapers while reorienting the stack so that when the stack is packaged, the diapers will fit snugly in the bag with the folded portion of the diaper near the open end of the bag, for convenience in removing each diaper from the bag. Further the apparatus comprises means for handling and conditioning the bag for the insertion of the diaper stack that includes collapsible funnels for holding the bag open in a box-like shape in order to receive the compressed stack of diapers.

Abstract: A filling machine for valve bags as a plurality of filling caps for filing bags supplied thereto from a magazine, and includes a rotating structure which carries a plurality of articulated delivery arms which grip the bags at the magazine and deliver them to the filling caps where the bags are filled with product. The delivery arms are constructed and guided in their movement such that they have a very slow approach to the bags and thus are enabled to accurately grip the bags.

Abstract: An automatic wicketted bag leader is suited to load one bag while simultaneously closing and sealing a preceding bag, each bag to contain a predetermined amount of a commodity. A hopper feeds the commodity when desired into a wicket bag which has been opened via mechanism connected to a retractable hopper-closing plate. A bag clamping mechanism simultaneously moves into position adjacent the sides of the opened bag and clamps the sides at about the midpoint thereof such that when the plate returns to its hopper-closing position the bag sides are drawn apart at the opening to bring the bag faces close together. The bag opening changes its configuration from generally square to a long rectangle. Clamping mechanism then moves laterally to encompass the bag opening and to clamp the two faces together and to then withdraw the clamped bag from below the hopper. The clamped bag may be heat sealed as it is withdrawn and then fed to an output conveyor. During withdrawal another bag may be loaded.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for placing finished disc records in envelopes and stacking the thus-filled envelopes include pushing, by a suitable push pin, a finished record along a predetermined substantially straight path into an empty envelope which is held at the latter path by way of a releasable holding structure capable of being actuated to drop the filled envelope onto a stack of filled envelopes after each envelope receives a finished record. The empty envelopes are derived from a stack of empty envelopes situated beside the stack of filled envelopes. These stacks of empty and filled envelopes are arranged beside each other in a direction which is transverse with respect to the path along which each finished record is pushed.

Abstract: An automatic bagging machine includes a bag-pickup station, a bag-filling station and a bag-tying station spaced equidistant from one another circumferentially around an orbit. A vertical shaft positioned centrally of such stations supports a set of radially extending bag-holding and spreading arms over each of the stations. Drive mechanism incrementally rotates the central shaft to move each set of arms sequentially from the pickup station to the filling station, then to the tying station and back to the pickup station. Control mechanism actuates the arms to pick up and spread a bag at the pickup station, grip and maintain the bag open for filling at the filling station, close the filled bag for tying at the tying station, release the filled and tied bag over a discharge conveyor and move the arms into position for picking up another bag at the pickup station.

Abstract: A process for opening the valves of valved bags and for inserting the opened bags on spigots to fill the bags with bulk material, comprises the following steps: consecutively advancing the bags in a substantially horizontal plane towards the spigots, while the bag valve is oriented in the advancing direction of the bags and guiding each bag by a free edge of the bag top; pivoting, during the advancing step, the top of each bag about a top fold line from a horizontal orientation, in which it is substantially coplanar with the bag body, into a predetermined inclined position; pivoting, subsequent to the preceding pivoting step, that half of the bag top which is oriented towards the bag body, about the top fold line, into a predetermined inclined position with respect to the bag body, whereby the bag top assumes an inverted V configuration; pivoting, subsequent to the preceding pivoting step, the bag body downwardly into a vertical orientation; raising, subsequent to the preceding pivoting step, at least the val