US3687447A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus for stacking thermoplastic bags
Assignee: Windmoeller and Hoelscher KG
•
Filing: 1971-01-07
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Granted: 1972-08-29
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Expires: 1991-01-07
Abstract
Abstract An apparatus for stacking thermoplastic bags having weld seams extending transversely to the direction in which they are received comprises: a plurality of gripping bars for grasping the leading edges of the bags and conveying them to a stacking station; a pair of confronting endless congruent guide grooves for receiving the ends of the gripping bars so they can be conveyed along the length of the conveying path; an upstream and a downstream pair of endless conveyor chains for conveying the gripping bars along the conveying path, the downstream pair of endless conveyor chains moving slower than the upstream pair of conveyor chains; and means for releasably attaching the gripping bars with said pairs of endless conveyor chains so that the gripping bars can be conveyed by said upstream chains from a bag receiving position to an intermediate location and wherein the bags can be further transferred by said downstream pair of chains from said intermediate location to a stacking position.
Inventors
- 👤 Friedhelm Mundus
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 15:50
CPC Classifications
B; B31; B31B; B31B70/00; B31B70/74; B31B70/92; B31B70/98; B31B2160/00; B31B2160/10
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
358 words
Stacking apparatus for thermoplastic bags which have weld seams extending transversely to the direction in which they are received from a bag-making machine, comprising: a. a plurality of gripping bars fitted with grippers for grasping the leading edges of the bags and conveying them to a stacking station; b. a guide member on each side of the conveying path, the guide members being parallel and having confronting endless congruent guide grooves receiving the ends of the gripping bars; c. two pairs of endless conveyor chains for the gripping bars arranged in planes parallel to the guide members, the pairs being arranged behind one another in the conveying direction so that an upstream pair follows the course of the guide grooves at the bag-receiving end of the apparatus and a downstream pair follows the course of the guide grooves at the location of the stacking station and moves at a slower speed than the upstream pair, the pairs of chains being led past one another in opposite directions in a common transverse vertical plane, said upstream pair of conveyor chains being offset from the downstream pair in a direction transversely to the conveying direction so as to define a gap between the chains at each side of the conveying path, d. interengageable catch means on the gripping bars each comprising an extension adapted to extend vertically to the conveying direction into the respective gaps between the chains, each extension being provided with two channels which have their mouths facing the respective chains on each side of the gap; and e. interengageable latch means on the conveyor chains each comprising lateral dogs engageable in the facing mouths of the channels, said catch and latch means arranged so that the latch means of the upstream pair of chains co-operate with the catch means of the Gripping bars at the bag-receiving end of the apparatus and the latch means of the downstream pair of chains co-operate with the catch means of the gripping bars at the stacking station end of the apparatus, each gripping bar being transferred from one pair of chains to the other when it is in said vertical plane.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
358 words
Stacking apparatus for thermoplastic bags which have weld seams extending transversely to the direction in which they are received from a bag-making machine, comprising: a. a plurality of gripping bars fitted with grippers for grasping the leading edges of the bags and conveying them to a stacking station; b. a guide member on each side of the conveying path, the guide members being parallel and having confronting endless congruent guide grooves receiving the ends of the gripping bars; c. two pairs of endless conveyor chains for the gripping bars arranged in planes parallel to the guide members, the pairs being arranged behind one another in the conveying direction so that an upstream pair follows the course of the guide grooves at the bag-receiving end of the apparatus and a downstream pair follows the course of the guide grooves at the location of the stacking station and moves at a slower speed than the upstream pair, the pairs of chains being led past one another in opposite directions in a common transverse vertical plane, said upstream pair of conveyor chains being offset from the downstream pair in a direction transversely to the conveying direction so as to define a gap between the chains at each side of the conveying path, d. interengageable catch means on the gripping bars each comprising an extension adapted to extend vertically to the conveying direction into the respective gaps between the chains, each extension being provided with two channels which have their mouths facing the respective chains on each side of the gap; and e. interengageable latch means on the conveyor chains each comprising lateral dogs engageable in the facing mouths of the channels, said catch and latch means arranged so that the latch means of the upstream pair of chains co-operate with the catch means of the Gripping bars at the bag-receiving end of the apparatus and the latch means of the downstream pair of chains co-operate with the catch means of the gripping bars at the stacking station end of the apparatus, each gripping bar being transferred from one pair of chains to the other when it is in said vertical plane.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
65 words
Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conveying path is substantially horizontal, including a stationary drag table beneath the conveying runs of the pairs of conveyor chains for supporting the trailing edges of the bags conveyed by the gripping bars, and means located downstream of the drag table and beneath the downstream pair of conveyor chains for stacking the bags and carrying the stacks away.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
79 words
Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vertical spacing of sprockets guiding the chains into and out of the said common vertical plane and the lengths of the said channels of the catch means are interrelated so that, during transfer of each gripping bar, the latch means of the pair of chains receiving the bar will already by engaged with the associated catch means before the latter are released by the latch means of the other pair of chains.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
96 words
Apparatus according to claim 1 including a pair of upper and lower feed rolls for the bags at the bag-receiving end of the apparatus, wherein the upper feed roll is raisable and lowerable in sequence with the cycle of the bag-making machine, the conveying plane of the feed rolls extends through open jaws of the grippers of each gripping bar when the latter is located in the conveying runs of the upstream pair of conveyor chains, and the feeding speed of the feed rolls is higher than the conveying speed of the upstream pair of chains.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
101 words
Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the upper feed roll is segmented, is mounted in swing arms between direction-changing sprockets at the bag-receiving end for the upstream pair of conveyor chains, is driven in synchronism with said direction-changing sprockets and has a diameter larger than the pitch circle diameter thereof, and has a plurality of segments at equal angular spacings and equal in number to the number of gripping bars conveyed by the upstream pair of chains at equal intervals, the chain length of the upstream pair being a whole number multiple of the pitch circle circumference of said direction-changing sprockets.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
91 words
Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein each said direction-changing sprocket is loosely mounted for rotation on a shaft and coupled to the segmented feed roll by a 1:1 transmission, the swing arms carrying the segmented feed roll are pivotally mounted on a shaft of the transmission and are each provided with a link at the side facing the sprocket shafts, the sprocket shafts comprise eccentrics engaging in the respective lengths, and the sprocket shafts are gear-driven so that one complete rotation thereof corresponds to one work cycle of the bag-making machine.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
52 words
Apparatus according to claim 1 for an intermittently operating bag-making machine, wherein drive means for the upstream pair of conveyor chains include variable gearing at such an angular position that a phase of increased speed of the upstream conveyor chains substantially coincides with feeding of the bag material in the bag-making machine.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
15 words
Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the variable gearing comprises a pair of elliptical gears.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
28 words
Apparatus according to claim 1 mounted on a stationary base for reciprocation to and from the bag-making machine and adapted to be fixed at a desired spacing therefrom.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-08-29 | 1976-02-28 | 1976-08-29 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-08-29 | 1980-02-28 | 1980-08-29 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-08-29 | 1984-02-28 | 1984-08-29 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |