System and method for manufacturing packaged ice

Abstract

A bagging mechanism for packaging ice into plastic bags is provided. The bagging mechanism includes a roll support for supporting a roll of plastic, a feeding unit for feeding a predetermined length of plastic from the roll of plastic along a feeding path, a sealing unit positioned along the feeding path for sealing the length of plastic across a width thereof to define a bottom and a top of the plastic bag, a breaching unit positioned along the feeding path downstream from the sealing unit for breaching at least one layer of the length of plastic, thus defining an opening at a top of the plastic bag, and a spreading unit positioned downstream from the breaching unit, the spreading unit having a plurality of elongated fingers adapted to extend between layers of the plastic and hold the top of the plastic bag open while it is filled with ice.

1 . A bagging mechanism for packaging ice into plastic bags, the bagging mechanism comprising:
 a chassis;   a roll support operatively connected to the chassis for supporting a roll of plastic comprising first and second layers;   a feeding unit operatively mounted to the chassis for feeding a predetermined length of plastic from the roll of plastic along a feeding path;   a sealing unit positioned along the feeding path for sealing the length of plastic across a width thereof to define a bottom and a top of the plastic bag;   a breaching unit positioned along the feeding path downstream from the sealing unit, for breaching at least one of the first and second layers of the length of plastic, and defining an opening at a top of the plastic bag; and   a spreading unit positioned along the feeding path downstream from the breaching unit, the spreading unit comprising a plurality of elongated fingers adapted to extend between the first and second layers of the plastic through the opening, and to hold the top of the plastic bag open while it is filled with ice.   
     
     
         2 . The bagging mechanism according to  claim 1 , wherein the roll support comprises a roll support arm pivotally connected to the chassis and operable to pivot away from the chassis to facilitate installation and replacement of the roll of plastic. 
     
     
         3 . The bagging mechanism according to  claim 1 , wherein the breaching mechanism comprises a cutting blade comprising a plurality of axially aligned teeth for perforating the plastic bag and defining a perforated line along the width of the plastic. 
     
     
         4 . The bagging mechanism according to  claim 3 , wherein the breaching unit further comprises a tearing roller adapted to tear the first layer of the plastic bag along the perforated line. 
     
     
         5 . The bagging mechanism according to  claim 1 , wherein the feeding unit comprises a first pair of rollers and a second pair of rollers for feeding the length of plastic, further wherein the chassis comprises a top jaw section and a bottom jaw section separable from one another, the first pair of rollers being mounted to the top jaw section, and the second pair of rollers being mounted to the bottom jaw section. 
     
     
         6 . The bagging mechanism according to  claim 1 , wherein the sealing unit comprises first and second sealing mechanisms for respectively sealing a bottom end and top end of the plastic bags. 
     
     
         7 . The bagging mechanism according to  claim 1 , wherein the spreading unit further comprises one or more blowers for blowing air between the first and second layers of the plastic through the opening formed by the breaching unit. 
     
     
         8 . The bagging mechanism according to  claim 1 , wherein the spreading unit comprises a first pair of elongated fingers and a second pair of elongated fingers, each pair of elongated fingers being independently movable with respect to the other. 
     
     
         9 . The bagging mechanism according to  claim 8 , wherein each finger of the first pair of elongated fingers is adapted for pivotal movement toward and away from each other. 
     
     
         10 . The bagging mechanism according to  claim 8 , wherein each finger of the second pair of elongated fingers is adapted for pivotal movement toward and away from the first pair of elongated fingers. 
     
     
         11 . The bagging mechanism according to  claim 8 , wherein the elongated fingers comprise a ribbed section to prevent the plastic bag from slipping. 
     
     
         12 . A stacking mechanism for stacking packaged ice into stacks within a storage unit, the stacking mechanism comprising:
 a frame operatively mounted within the storage unit;   a bag support connected to the frame for supporting the packaged ice;   stacking arms rotatably mounted to and extending from opposite sides of the bag support along a longitudinal axis, the stacking arms being shaped and sized to receive the packaged ice from the bag support and adapted to transfer the packaged ice at a stack location within the storage unit; and   at least one motor operatively connected to the frame and/or stacking arms, the at least one motor being operable move the stacking arms along first and second axes in the storage unit, and/or to rotate the stacking arms about the longitudinal axis.   
     
     
         13 . The stacking mechanism according to  claim 12 , wherein the frame comprises support rails fixedly mounted to opposite walls of the storage unit and a mobile frame supported by the rails, further wherein the bag support is positioned on the mobile frame to allow movement of the stacking arms along the first and second axes. 
     
     
         14 . The stacking mechanism according to  claim 12 , wherein the bag support comprises a load cell to measure the weight of the plastic bag supported thereon. 
     
     
         15 . A method of packaging ice into a plastic bag, the method comprising the steps of:
 a) feeding a length of plastic having first and second layers from a roll of plastic;   b) fusing the first and second layers of the length of the plastic at a first location to form a sealed bottom end of the plastic bag;   c) cutting at least one of the first and second layers of the length of plastic to create an opening at a top end of the plastic bag;   d) inserting fingers between the first and second layers through the opening to retain the plastic bag in an open configuration;   e) filling the plastic bag with ice; and   f) sealing the top end of the plastic bag.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein step d) further comprises blowing air between the first and second layers of the length of plastic through the opening at the top end of the plastic bag. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein step e) comprises:
 i) filling the plastic bag with ice at a first flow rate;   ii) while the plastic bag is being filled, weighing the plastic bag; and   iii) once an intermediate weight threshold has been reached, filling the plastic bag at a second flow rate until a final weight threshold is reached.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising the step of blowing air into the plastic bag after step e), prior to sealing the plastic bag during step f). 
     
     
         19 . A method of stacking bags of ice within a storage unit using a stacking mechanism having first and second stacking arms, the method comprising the steps of:
 a) determining a desired stacking location in the storage unit;   b) receiving a bag of packaged ice;   c) determining whether the stacking location is accessible via the first stacking arm or via the second stacking arm;   d) transferring the packaged ice to the appropriate stacking arm;   e) transporting the packaged ice above the chosen stack location; and   f) dropping the packaged ice onto the chosen stack location.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the storage unit comprises a grid of possible stacking locations, said grid comprising a front grid section and a back grid section, each grid section having a corresponding height sensor.