Empty-bag group accommodation tray, tray transporting container, empty-bag group conveying method, empty-bag group supply method and empty-bag group supply system

Abstract

An empty-bag group supply system in which at a bag maker, a plurality of empty bags are placed in a stacked state in which these bags are shifted in the direction of length of a bag in a bag accommodation tray whose width is substantially the same as the width of the empty bags and whose length is sufficiently longer than the length of the empty bags, and this bag accommodation tray is sent to a package maker; and at the package maker, the stacked empty bags are removed from the bag accommodation tray and placed “as is” on the conveyor of a conveyor magazine type empty-bag supply apparatus. The bag accommodation tray is formed with a rectangular hole in the bottom plate; and upon taking out the empty-bags, an extraction member is raised from below via the hole and lifts the empty bags from the bag accommodation tray.

1 . An empty-bag group accommodation tray which has a box form shape and is open at a top thereof and in which a bottom wall thereof has a rectangular shape and side walls thereof are formed around said bottom wall, so that a plurality of empty bags are accommodated inside of said tray, wherein: 
 said bottom wall has a width which is substantially the same as a width of the empty bags and has a length which is sufficiently longer than a length of the empty bags so that a plurality of empty bags are placed in a manner that said bags are stacked and overlapped while being shifted in a direction of length of a bag, and    a hole through which an extraction member that contacts a group of bags from below and lifts said group of bags is passed is formed in said bottom wall along a direction of length of said bottom wall.    
   
   
       2 . The empty-bag group accommodation tray according to  claim 1 , wherein said side walls are formed on upper ends thereof with flange portions that protrude in a horizontal direction.  
   
   
       3 . The empty-bag group accommodation tray according to  claim 1 , wherein said side walls are inclined so as to spread outward in an upward direction.  
   
   
       4 . The empty-bag group accommodation tray according to  claim 3 , wherein said side walls are formed in outer surface sides or inner surface sides thereof with step portions that regulate a mutual engagement depth in a case of vertical stacking by contacting the empty-bag group accommodation tray located above or below.  
   
   
       5 . The empty-bag group accommodation tray according to  claim 1 , wherein the hole formed in said bottom wall reaches end portions of said bottom wall in a direction of length of said bottom wall and further extend to said side walls as well, thus forming an integrated hole in said bottom wall and side walls.  
   
   
       6 . A tray transporting container that stores therein a plurality of the empty-bag group accommodation trays according to any one of claims  1  through  5 , wherein 
 said tray transporting container comprises 
 a container main body which has a box form shape that is open at a top thereof and which stores a plurality of empty-bag group accommodation trays in a vertically stacked manner, and  
 a cover which closes off an opening of said container main body; and  
   wherein when said cover closes said opening of said container main body, an inner surface of said cover fits into an inner portion of an uppermost empty-bag group accommodation tray, thus pressing the empty-bag-group accommodated in said empty-bag group accommodation tray from above.    
   
   
       7 . The tray transporting container according to  claim 6 , wherein said inner surface of said cover is provided with an elastic member, and said elastic member fits into an inside of said uppermost empty-bag group accommodation tray, thus pressing the empty-bag group accommodated in said empty-bag group accommodation tray from above.  
   
   
       8 . An empty-bag group accommodation tray conveying method, comprising the steps of: 
 placing a plurality of empty bags in the empty-bag group accommodation tray according to any one of claims  1  through  5  so that said bags are stacked and overlapped while being shifted in a direction of length of a bag,    stacking a plurality of empty-bag group accommodation trays, and    conveying said stacked plurality of empty-bag group accommodation trays.    
   
   
       9 . An empty-bag group supply method wherein 
 an extraction member is caused to protrude upward from beneath the empty-bag group accommodation tray according to any one of claims  1  through  5 , in which a plurality of empty bags are accommodated so that said bags are stacked and overlapped while being shifted,    said member being caused to protrude through a hole formed in a bottom wall of said empty-bag group accommodation tray,    the empty-bag group is therefore lifted from said empty-bag group accommodation tray “as is” in said stacked and overlapped state, and    the empty-bag group is held and supplied to a conveyor magazine type empty-bag supply apparatus of a bag filling packaging machine.    
   
   
       10 . An empty-bag group supply system that supplies an empty-bag group to a conveyor magazine type empty-bag supply apparatus of a bag filling packaging machine utilizing the empty-bag group accommodation tray according to any one of claims  1  through  5 , wherein said system comprises: 
 a full-tray supply apparatus which includes: 
 a full-tray stocking means for accumulating a plurality of the empty-bag group accommodation trays in which a plurality of empty bags are accommodated so that said bags are stacked and overlapped while being shifted in a direction of length of a bag, and  
 an extraction means for extracting said empty-bag group accommodation trays one at a time from said full-tray stocking means;  
   an empty-bag group extraction apparatus which is provided with an extraction member that can be raised and lowered and causes said extraction member to protrude upward through a hole formed in the bottom wall from beneath the empty-bag group accommodation tray positioned in a specified position, thereby causing the empty-bag group inside said empty-bag group accommodation tray to be raised from said empty-bag group accommodation tray while being maintained “as is” in said stacked and overlapped state;    an empty-bag group supply apparatus which includes a holding means for holding said raised empty-bag group and supplies the empty-bag group held by said holding means to said conveyor magazine type empty-bag supply apparatus of a bag filling packaging machine; and    an empty-tray collection apparatus which conveys out empty-bag group accommodation trays that have become empty.    
   
   
       11 . The empty-bag group supply system according to  claim 10 , wherein in said fill-tray supply apparatus, 
 said full-tray stocking means comprises a stacking type stocker which stocks therein a plurality of empty-bag group accommodation trays in a vertically stacked manner and has an anchoring means that can support the lowermost tray by anchoring said tray and can release said lowermost tray;    said extraction means comprises a lifting means which supports and raises and lowers a lowermost tray among the plurality of empty-bag group accommodation trays stocked in said stacking type stocker; and    said anchoring means and said lifting means successively extract lowermost trays from said stacking type stocker one at a time.    
   
   
       12 . The empty-bag group supply system according to  claim 11 , wherein said full-tray stocking means further comprises a conveyor type stocker that can accumulate a plurality of sets of stacked empty-bag group accommodation trays with each of said sets containing a plurality of vertically stacked empty-bag group accommodation trays along a conveying direction, so that the sets of empty-bag group accommodation trays accumulated in said conveyor type stocker are fed into said stacking type stocker one set at a time.  
   
   
       13 . The empty-bag group supply system according to  claim 10 , said extraction member of said empty-bag group extraction apparatus can suction-chuck an undersurface of the empty-bag group inside said empty-bag group accommodation tray.  
   
   
       14 . The empty-bag group supply system according to  claim 10 , said holding means of said empty-bag group supply apparatus is provided with a pair of holding members, which hold the empty-bag groups from both sides, and a moving means, which moves said holding members.  
   
   
       15 . The empty-bag group supply system according to  claim 14 , wherein said holding members hold the empty-bag group and cause said empty-bag group to bend along a bag width direction.