Apparatus for bagging material

Abstract

An apparatus ( 10 ) for bagging material into a stretchable bag having an open end, comprises a movable bag stretching structure ( 18 ) displaceable between a first position for receiving the bag and a second position for holding the bag in a stretched state, wherein said stretching structure ( 18 ) is provided with elongated corner members ( 70, 72 ) for accumulating the bag thereon, each of said elongated corner members ( 70, 72 ) being provided with a movable strap-like member ( 210 ) extending along the length of the corner members ( 70, 72 ) to facilitate loading and unloading the bag on and from the corner members ( 70, 72 ).

1 . An apparatus for bagging material into a stretchable bag having an open end, comprising a movable bag stretching structure displaceable between a first position for receiving the bag and a second position for holding the bag in a stretched state, wherein said stretching structure is provided with elongated corner members for accumulating the bag thereon, each of said elongated corner members being provided with a movable strap-like member extending along the length of the corner members to facilitate loading and unloading the bag on and from the corner members.  
   
   
       2 . The apparatus defined in  claim 1 , wherein the movable strap-like members are power driven by a bi-directional motor.  
   
   
       3 . The apparatus defined in  claim 1 , wherein each strap-like member has a coefficient of friction (CoF) which is less or equal to 0.3.  
   
   
       4 . The apparatus defined in  claim 1 , wherein the CoF is about 0.1.  
   
   
       5 . The apparatus defined in  claim 1 , wherein the movable strap-like members protrude from an outer surface of the elongated corner members by a distance (D) of ¼ inch or less.  
   
   
       6 . The apparatus defined in  claim 1 , wherein D is equal to about ⅛ inch.  
   
   
       7 . The apparatus defined in  claim 1 , wherein each of said elongated corner members comprises a pair of side plates extending from a corner, and wherein said movable strap-like member extends along said corner.  
   
   
       8 . The apparatus defined in  claim 7 , wherein each of said elongated corner members has rounded lower edges.  
   
   
       9 . The apparatus defined in  claim 1 , where each of said elongated corner members has a pair of side plates extending from a corner edge, and wherein an elongated slot extends upwardly along said corner edge from a lower distal end of the side plates.  
   
   
       10 . A method of bagging an article into a bag comprising: a) providing a bag having an opening for receiving the article, b) loading the bag on first and second pairs of corner members of a stretching apparatus, the corners members being displaceable along first an second orthogonal directions, c) displacing the second pair of corner members away from said first pair of corner members along said first direction, d) displacing said corner members of said first pair away from one another along said second direction while at the same time displacing said corner members of said second pair in said first and second orthogonal directions away from said corner members of said first pair, e) further displacing said second pair of corner members away from said first pair of corner members along said first direction, and f) lowering the bag in a taut open state over the article.  
   
   
       11 . The method defined in  claim 10 , comprising holding the bag in a first taut open state for a predetermined period of time between steps c) and d).