EP0060351B1 - Device for stacking bags - Google Patents

Abstract

1. Device for collecting bags (1), to be associated with a machine for manufacturing or filling bags one by one, particularly plastic bags which are each provided along the one edge (2) in parallel relationship with the bag-movement direction (3) inside said machine, with a hook (4) which projects relative to said bag and the opening (5) of which faces the collecting device, characterized in that it comprises a fixed rod (7) facing downwards, which is arranged in the path of the bag (1) discharged from the machine outlet (6) and with such a spacing therefrom that the rod (7) enters the bag hook opening (5) when the bag is moving, the rod cross-section being smaller than the inner cross-section of said hook to let those hooks which are slipped over said rod, slide along same to have the bags pile up by gravity on the rod, means (28) being provided on said rod with such an arrangement as to prevent the bag hooks (4) falling by gravity from the lower free end of said rod.

Description

The present invention relates to a bag receiving device intended to be associated with a machine for manufacturing or filling one by one bags, in particular of plastic, each provided along one of their edges parallel to the direction of movement of the bags in the machine, of a hook projecting from the bag and the opening of which is directed towards the receiving device.

The known receiving devices for the production of hook bags consist of a table on which the bags ejected from the machine are stacked. These devices have the very great disadvantage that the bags, because of the hooks, do not stack properly. As these bags are essentially intended for the automatic or semi-automatic packaging of products, it is absolutely necessary to manually reconstitute correct batteries in order to package them and transfer them to the various places of use. Given the consistency of the plastic material constituting the bags, the lack of adhesion of this material and the frequent entanglement of the hooks of the bags, the reconstitution of stacks of bags is very difficult and it is extremely painful and often impossible, for machines. at a high production rate, only one person can, throughout the day, put in the correct stacks bags made by a machine.

The invention aims to remedy this drawback and to provide a hook bag receiving device, completely different from the receiving devices for bags with gripping holes, such as that which is the subject of French Patent No. 2,021. 676 and which comprises, on the one hand, a vertical stop plate against which the manufactured bags are ejected and, on the other hand, a vertical mandrel located under the gripping holes of the bags which strike the stop plate, which allows to stack automatically and without any manual intervention stacks of perfectly stored bags, regardless of the production rate of the machine. This receiving device not only improves the working conditions of the person packing the stacks of bags, but also allows a single person to pack, in good conditions, the production of several machines.

We meet for the handling and packaging of hook bags, in which products have been packed, the same disadvantages as for the handling and packaging of empty bags. The bag receiving device according to the invention can also, when associated with a bag filling machine, remedy said drawbacks and allow the bags to be stacked correctly.

To this end, according to the invention, said receiving device comprises a fixed rod, oriented downwards, which is arranged in the path of the bag expelled at the outlet of the machine and at a distance such from the latter that the rod s 'introduced into the opening of the bag hook when the bag is moving, the section of the rod being smaller than the internal section of the hook so that the hooks threaded on the rod slide along the latter so that the bags' stack by gravity on the rod, means being provided on the rod and arranged to prevent the hooks 4 of the bags from escaping, by gravity, from the lower free end of the rod.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the distance which separates the outlet of the machine from the zone of the rod cooperating with the hook of the moving bag is less than the distance separating the opening of the hook from the edge of the bag, perpendicular to the direction of movement of the bags in the machine, last leaving the machine so that the bag which has just been produced is still guided in the machine when the rod enters the opening of the hook.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the above rod is mounted on a support arranged so that the position of the rod is adjustable in two directions, a direction parallel to the direction of movement of the bags in the machine, to allow d '' adapt the position of the rod as a function of the size of the bags taken parallel to the aforementioned direction of movement, and a direction perpendicular to this direction of movement, to allow the rod and the openings of the bag hooks leaving the bag to be aligned machine.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, said receiving device comprises a stop against which the edge of the bag, perpendicular to the said direction of movement and coming out first of the machine, abuts when the bag is ejected from this last, the distance separating the stop from the outlet of the machine being greater than the size of the bag taken parallel to the aforementioned direction of movement.

• La figure 1 est une vue en perspective, avec brisures partielles, montrant le dispositif de réception de sacs et la sortie de la machine à fabriquer les sacs à laquelle il est associé.
• Les figures 2, 3 et 4 sont des vues en coupe, suivant les lignes II-II, III-III et IV-IV de la figure 1 et à plus grande échelle que celle de la figure 1, montrant la section de la première portion de la tige en trois endroits différents, le crochet d'un sac étant représenté, en traits interrompus, dans la position qu'il occupe lorsqu'il coopère avec la section de tige considérée.
• La figure 5 est une vue analogue à la figure 1 et illustre une variante du dispositif de réception montré à ladite figure 1.
• La figure est une vue en perspective, avec brisures partielles, montrant un dispositif de réception de sacs associé à une machine de remplissage de sacs à crochet.

Nonlimiting examples will emerge from the description of the drawings.

• Figure 1 is a perspective view, partially broken, showing the bag receiving device and the output of the bag making machine with which it is associated.
• Figures 2, 3 and 4 are sectional views along lines II-II, III-III and IV-IV of Figure 1 and on a larger scale than that of Figure 1, showing the section of the first portion of the rod in three different places, the hook of a bag being shown, in broken lines, in the position it occupies when it cooperates with the rod section in question.
• FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 1 and illustrates a variant of the reception device shown in said FIG. 1.
• The figure is a perspective view, partially broken, showing a device for bag reception associated with a hook bag filling machine.

In the various figures, the same reference numerals designate identical or analogous elements.

The bag receiving device, shown in the drawings, is intended to be associated either with a manufacturing machine (FIGS. 1 and 5) or with a filling machine (FIG. 6), one by one, with plastic bags 1 provided , along their edges 2, parallel to the direction of movement of the bags in the machine shown diagrammatically by the arrow 3, of a hook 4 projecting relative to the bag and the opening 5 of which is directed towards the receiving device, the outlet 6 of the machine being sketched in Figures 1, 5 and 6. The receiving device, shown in Figures 1 to 5, comprises a fixed rod 7 consisting of a first portion 8 substantially vertical, arranged on the path of the hook 4 of the bag 1 expelled from the machine so that this portion 8 of rod is introduced into the opening 5 of the hook of the bag expelled from the machine when the latter is in motion, and a second portion 9 substantially rectilinear, which is connected to portion 8 and which makes an angle 10 sup with it 90 ° angle so that the bags 1 released from the machine and threaded by their hooks 4 on the rod 7, descend along the portion 8 to come to line up and align by gravity on the portion 9 of the rod. The above-mentioned angle 10 is chosen so that the bags 1 are stored and stacked on the portion 9 of the rod without escaping from the latter. It is therefore sufficient, to release from the rod 7 a stack of bags perfectly arranged, to slide the hooks 4 of the bags 1 of the stack on the portion 9 of rod to the free end 11 of the latter. The zone 12 of the portion 8 of the rod 7, intended to be introduced into the hook 4 of the bag ejected from the machine, the opening 5 of which is small, advantageously, as shown in FIG. 2, a section substantially elliptical whose minor axis 13, perpendicular to the direction of movement 3, is less than the dimension 14 of the opening 5 of the hook taken perpendicular to the direction 3, the major axis 15 of the ellipse being substantially equal to the diameter of the rod 7, this diameter being greater than the dimension 14 while the section of the rod 7 is, outside of the zone 12, at least slightly less than the internal section of the hook 4. The distance 16, which separates the outlet 6 from the machine in zone 12 of the portion 8 of the rod 7, is advantageously, as shown in FIG. 1, less than the distance which separates the opening 5 of the hook 4 from the edge 17 of the bag, perpendicular to the direction 3, last leaving the machine so that the bag which has just been manufactured or is still guided in the machine when the zone 12 of the portion 8 of the rod 7 enters the opening of the hook 4 of the bag.

It is noted, in view of Figures 1 to 4, that once engaged on the portion 8 of the rod 7 the hook of a bag ejected from the machine can no longer disengage from the rod 7 when it slides on the latter to come and line up, in an aligned position, against the bags made previously. In fact, the zone 12, thanks to its elliptical section, easily engages in the opening 5 of the hook 4, when the bag leaves the machine, and enters the hook to bear on the internal face 18 of the latter. ci (figure 2). The bag, always guided in the machine and propelled by the latter pivots around the zone 12 of the rod 7 until it is ejected. As soon as it is ejected from the machine, the bag slides by gravity over the portion 8 of the rod 7, as shown in FIG. 3, and its hook 4 is in a position such with respect to the rod that the dimensions of the opening 5 of the hook and of the rod 7 at the location in question do not allow disengagement of the hook by passage of the rod through the opening of the latter. By gravity, the bag continues its downward movement along the portion 8 of the rod and reaches, as shown in FIG. 4, an area where the section of the rod is circular, the diameter of this zone being greater than the dimension 14 of the hook opening. With the exception of its zone 12, the cross section of the rod is of cross section. constant circular. Very quickly, the bag, suspended from its hook, takes a vertical position so that it is in a vertical position that the bags are stored and aligned on the portion 9 of the rod 7.

The position of the rod 7 is adjustable relative to the outlet 6 of the machine. To do this, this rod 7 is mounted on a support 19 arranged to allow the rod to be displaced in two directions, a first direction parallel to the aforementioned direction 3, to allow the position of the rod to be adapted as a function of the size of the bags taken parallel to this direction 3, and a second direction, perpendicular to direction 3, to allow the zone 12 of the portion 8 of the rod to be aligned and the openings 5 of the hooks 4 of the bags leaving the machine. The support 19 has, to allow the displacement of the aforesaid rod 7 in the above-mentioned first direction, a series of holes 20 aligned in the direction 3 and regularly spaced in which the rod can be inserted and locked in the desired position, to adjust the height of the zone 12 of the rod relative to the path of the hooks 4 of the bags, by a clamping screw 21. The support 19 can, to allow the displacement of the rod 7 in the above-mentioned second direction, slide on a bar 22 s' extending parallel to the outlet 6 of the machine, a clamping screw 23 being provided to immobilize, in the selected position, the support 19 on the bar 22.

It is advantageous, especially for small bags, to limit the pivoting of the bags around the rod 7, when the latter is introduced into the hook and the bag is ejected from the machine, in order to prevent the bag ejected takes a position such that it can no longer, when it descends by gravity along the portion 8 of the rod, resume a correct vertical storage position. To do this, the device comprises, as shown in FIG. 5, a stop 24 against which the edge 25 of the bag abuts when the bag is ejected from the machine. This stop is advantageously constituted by a rod 26 extending substantially parallel to the portion 8 of the rod 7 and being located at a distance from the outlet 6 of the machine which is greater than the size of the bags taken parallel to the above-mentioned direction 3 . This distance is chosen so that the aforementioned edge of the bag comes into contact with the rod 26 after the bag has left the outlet of the machine and it has pivoted around the portion 8 of the rod 7 of a angle less than 90 °. The position of the rod 26 is also chosen so that it is, relative to the bag ejected from the machine, further from the edge 2 of the bag with which the hook 4 is associated than from the edge 27 which is parallel to it. The rod 26 is of adjustable position and is mounted on a support 28 'arranged, on the bar 22, like the support 19 in order to allow the position of the rod 26 to be adjusted in the two above-mentioned directions in order to adapt the position of said rod, on the one hand, as a function of the size of the bags taken parallel to direction 3 and, on the other hand, as a function of the distance separating the rod 26 from the edge 2 of the bags.

As shown in Figure 6, the axis of the rod 7 can be straight and the section thereof can be constant. This rod, oriented obliquely downward allows the reception of hooks 4 whose opening 5 is much greater than the diameter of the rod and whose internal section is much greater than that of the rod. To immobilize the bags 1 at the free lower end 11 of the rod, the latter has means 28 constituted by two members 29 mounted on the rod by means of a spring 30 bringing said members into two extreme positions relative to the stem. A position in which the members 29 protrude with respect to the rod to form a stop for the hooks 4 and an erased position which makes it possible to release said hooks from the end 11 of the rod by sliding them along the axis of the latter .

It should be understood that the invention is in no way limited to the embodiments described and that many modifications can be made to these without departing from the scope of this patent.

Thus the rod 7 (Figure 6) or the portion 8 of the rod 7 (Figures 1 and 5) could be located at a distance 16 from the outlet 6 of the machine which is greater than the distance between the opening 5 of the hook 4 of the edge 17 of the bag. That is to say that the bag which has just been manufactured by the machine would be entirely expelled from the machine before the zone 12 of the portion 8 is introduced into the opening 5 of the hook 4 of the bag. This would allow, without adjusting the position of the rod 7, to receive bags whose dimensions, taken parallel to the direction 3, differ.

Claims (9)

1. Device for collecting bags (1), to be associated with a machine for manufacturing or filling bags one by one, particularly plastic bags which are each provided along the one edge (2) in parallel relationship with the bag-movement direction (3) inside said machine, with a hook (4) which projects relative to said bag and the opening (5) of which faces the collecting device, characterized in that it comprises a fixed rod (7) facing downwards, which is arranged in the path of the bag (1) discharged from the machine outlet (6) and with such a spacing therefrom that the rod (7) enters the bag hook opening (5) when the bag is moving, the rod cross-section being smaller than the inner cross-section of said hook to let those hooks which are slipped over said rod, slide along same to have the bags pile up by gravity on the rod, means (28) being provided on said rod with such an arrangement as to prevent the bag hooks (4) falling by gravity from the lower free end of said rod.

2. Device as defined in claim 1, characterized in that the distance (16) between the machine outlet (6) and the area (12) of the rod cooperating with the hook (4) from the moving bag, is shorter than the distance between the hook opening (5) and the bag edge (17), at right angle to the movement direction (3) of those bags inside the machine, which leaves last of all the machine, to let that bag which has precisely been manufactured still be guided inside the machine as the rod enters the hook opening (5).

3. Device as defined in either one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the said rod (7) is mounted on a support (19) which is so arranged as to have the rod position be adjustable along two directions, the one direction in parallel relationship with the bag movement direction (3) inside the machine, to allow adapting the rod position according to the bag dimension in parallel relationship with said movement direction, and a direction at right angle to said movement direction, to allow aligning the rod (7) and the hook openings (5) for those bags which leave the machine.

4. Device as defined in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it further comprises a stop (24) which that bag edge (25) at right angle to said movement direction and leaving first the machine, meets as the bag is discharged from said machine, that spacing between the stop and the machine outlet (6) being longer than the bag dimension in parallel relationship with said movement direction (3).

5. Device as defined in claim 4, characterized in that said stop (24) lies relative to the bag discharged from the machine, farther away from that bag edge (2) which is associated with said hook (4), than that edge (27) which is parallel thereto.

6. Device as defined in claim 5, characterized in that the stop (24) is mounted on a support (28') which is so arranged as to have the stop position adjustable along two directions, the one direction in parallel relationship with the bag movement direction (3) inside the machine, to allow adjusting the stop position according to the dimension of the bags as considered in parallel relationship with said movement direction, and the other direction at right angle to said movement direction, to adjust the spacing of said stop relative to that bag edge (2) provided with the hook (4).

7. Device as defined in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said means (28) preventing the bag hooks (4) escaping from the rod lower free end (11), are comprised of at least one member (29) mounted on the rod through a spring (30), so as to lie in two end positions relative thereto, the one position projecting relative to the rod to form a stop for the hooks, and the other position being a retracted position letting the hooks slide along the rod axis to release said hooks from the free lower end of said rod.

8. Device as defined in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the means (28) preventing the bag hooks (4) escaping from the rod free lower end (11) are comprised of a rod portion (9) lying at a lower level than that rod area (12) which cooperates with the moving bag hook, the axis of which extends substantially in a horizontal plane, the bags threaded with the hooks thereof on said rod, being aligned by gravity over said rod portion (9) without escaping therefrom.

9. Device as defined in any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the rod area (12) to enter the hook opening (5) from that bag being discharged from the machine, has a substantially elliptic cross-section the short axis of which at right angle to said movement direction (3), is shorter than that dimension of the bag hook opening (5) as considered at right angle to said direction, the long ellipse axis being substantially equal to the rod diameter, said diameter being longer than said opening dimension, the rod cross-section outside said area, being at least slightly smaller than the inner hook cross-section.

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