Bag closer and sealer

Claim 1

A MACHINE FOR CLOSING AND SEALING THE TOPS OF PARTIALLY FILLED MULTI-WALL PAPER BAGS OF THE PINCHED-END TYPE WHICH HAVE A FREEBOARD AREA ABOVE THE CONTENTS, COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: (A) A BAG-SUPPORTING CONVEYOR UPON WHICH THE BAGS IN UPRIGHT POSITION TRAVEL EDGEWISE THROUGH SAID MACHINE, (B) MOUNTING PLATES SPACED APART AND DEFINING A FRAME SLOT THEREBETWEEN WHICH IS PARALLEL TO AND SOMEWHAT LESS THAN THE HEIGHT OF A PARAITLLY FILLED BAG ABOVE SAID CONVEYOR, SAID MOUNTING PLATES BEING BIASED INTO PARALLEL POSITION AND HINGEABLY SEPARABLE AT THEIR FORWARD ENDS, WHERE BAGS ENTER SAID FRAME SLOT WHILE BEING CARRIED ON SAID BAG-SUPPORTING CONVEYOR, (C) UPPER CONVEYING BELTS, EACH BELT BEING ROTATABLY SUPPORTED BENEATH A MOUNTING PLATE IN OPPOSED RELATIONSHIP SO AS TO DEFINE COOPERATIVELY A HINGEABLYSEPARABLE SLOT BENEATH SAID FRAME SLOT, SAID UPPER CONVEYING BELTS BEING ADJUSTED TO TRAVEL AT THE SAME SURFACE SPEED AS THE BAG-SUPPORTING CONVEYOR AND BEING ADAPTED TO GRASP THE SIDES OF A BAG IN THE FREEBOARD AREA WHEN THE BAG ENTERS SAID FRAME SLOT, WHEREBY THE FREEBOARD AREA OF THE BAG IS FLATTENED, GUIDED, AND PROPELLED AT THE SAME SPEED AS THE FILLED PORTION OF THE BAG, (D) ADHESIVE DEPOSITION MEANS FOR SMEARING DEPOSITING A STRIP OF ADHESIVE ABOVE SAID CONVEYING BELTS AND FROM LEADING EDGE TO TRAILING EDGE ON ONE SIDE OF THE FLATTENED BAG, (E) MEANS FOR ACCURATELY SENSING THE FORWARD EDGES OF A FLATTENED BAG, WHEN SAID FORWARD EDGES ARE BROUGHT BY THE BAG-SUPPORTING CONVEYOR AND THE UPPER CONVEYING BELTS INTO IMMINENT JUXTAPOSITION WITH THE DEPOSITION MEANS, COMPRISING A BENDABLE ELONGATED SENSING ARM WHICH IS ATTACHED AT ONE END TO PERMIT SWEEPING MOTION IN A PLANE PARALLEL TO THE BAG-SUPPORTING CONVEYOR AND WHICH IS SO POSITIONED, IMMEDIATELY BENEATH THE UPPER CONVEYING BELTS ATHWART THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF SAID BAG, THAT THE UNATTACHED END OF SAID SENSING ARM IS CONTACTED BY THE LEADING EDGE OF THE FLATTENED FREEBOARD AREA OF THE UPRIGHT BAG AND PIVOTABLY DEFLECTED THEREBY, (F) ACTUATING MEANS WHICH COOPERATE WITH THE SENSING MEANS AND CONTROL THE FLOW OF ADHESIVE FROM THE ADHESIVE DEPOSITION MEANS, WHEREBY ADHESIVE IS DELIVERED TO THE FLATTENED SURFACE OF THE BAG ALONG ONE SIDE THEREOF AT THE INSTANT THAT THE LEADING EDGE APPEARS IN JUXTAPOSITION WITH SAID ADHESIVE DEPOSITION MEANS, (G) MEANS FOR FOLDING A MULTI-WALL PAPER STRIP AT THE TOP OF ONE SIDE OF THE BAG OVER THE OTHER SIDE HAVING A STRIP OF ADHESIVE APPLIED THERETO; (H) PRESSURE-APPLYING MEANS FOR COMPRESSING THE FOLDED-OVER PAPER STRIP AGAINST THE SIDE OF THE BAG HAVING THE ADHESIVE STRIP APPLIED THERETO.