Cantilevered belted bag loading apparatus

Abstract

A multiplicity of relatively narrow spaced apart parallel arrayed endless conveyor belts cantilevered from a support frame in the direction of product movement at a bagging station moves individual product articles, one at a time, towards the cantilevered ends of the conveyor belt array. At a predetermined point adjacent the belt cantilevered ends, the moving product article engages and depress is a sensing trigger which stops the belts forward movement to permit sliding a bag of suitable size over the article, with the bag side walls slipped under and between .[.same.]. .Iadd.some .Iaddend.or all of the cantilevered belts supporting the article. Conveyor belt movement is resumed upon a control signal by the bagging station operator and the bagged article is conveyed from the station. .Iadd.

What is claimed is: .[.1. Apparatus for conveying and supporting during bagging individual articles in a series of articles being continually bagged comprising, in combination; 
     
        continually activate said motive means..]. 2. Apparatus according to .Iadd.either .Iaddend.claim .[.1.]. .Iadd.7 or 8 .Iaddend.in combination with sensing means arranged to detect .[.an.]. .Iadd.a meat .Iaddend.article disposed at a preselected location on the conveyor means and   signal generating means responsive to said sensing means and operably connected to said control means   whereby the presence of .[.an.]. .Iadd.a meat .Iaddend.article at said preselected location on the conveyor means is detected by the sensing   
     
     
        means and a signal is generated to deactivate said control means. 3. Apparatus according to .Iadd.either .Iaddend.claim .[.1.]. .Iadd.7 or 8 .Iaddend.wherein the conveyor means comprises a multiplicity of individual endless conveyor belts. .[.4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the motive means and the control means are pneumatic means..]. .[.5. Apparatus for conveying and supporting during bagging individual articles in a series of articles being continually bagged comprising, in combination; an apparatus frame having a proximal end and a distal end; and a multiplicity of spaced apart parallel arrayed article conveyor means disposed in alignment with the direction of article progression each cantilevered towards the distal end of the frame from a fixed support attached to and adjacent the proximal end of the frame..]. .[.6. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein each of said conveyor means is a roller conveyor..]. .Iadd. 7. Apparatus for bagging meat articles of varying sizes, shapes and weights in suitably sized flexible plastic film bags at a bagging station, which apparatus substantially reduces manual handling of the meat articles, minimizes bruising thereof and does not require adjustment or alteration of the apparatus during the bagging operation when meat articles of varying sizes, shapes and weights are being bagged, said apparatus comprising, in combination; a support means;   a multiplicity of parallel arrayed conveyor belt supports mounted substantially horizontally on said support means in cantilevered relationship thereto and extending lengthwise from a first end whereat meat articles are received to a second end whereat meat articles are discharged, at least said second end being located at a cantilevered end of said belt supports;   conveyor means comprising substantially flat conveyor belts, each moveably mounted on said conveyor belt support for movement lengthwise over the upper and lower sides of said supports, the outer surfaces of said belts being entirely above the belt supports when said belts pass over the upper sides of said supports, the conveyor belts and their respective belt supports being arranged so that the meat articles during conveying and bagging do not contact the belt supports and said conveyor belts being aligned so as to provide a substantially flat meat contacting surface above said supports from transporting the meat articles from the first end to the second end;   a bagging zone located at said meat contacting surface adjacent to the second end,   each conveyor belt and its respective support being spaced laterally apart in fixed relationship from each adjacent conveyor belt and its respective support in said bagging zone, the spaces between adjacent conveyor belts and their respective supports at the bagging zone being large enough to permit passage of a bag wall thereinto and thereby a selective placement of bags of varying widths over one or more of said conveyor belts and their respective supports at the bagging zone; the space above said meat contacting surface in the bagging zone being unobstructed and open to accommodate meat articles of varying heights in the bagging zone and to permit the selective placement of bags of varying sizes over such meat articles when meat articles are positioned on said meat contacting surface in the bagging zone; whereby a bag suitably sized to accommodate the meat article to be bagged may be placed over the meat article and some or all of the conveyor belts and their respective supports, and meat articles of varying size, shape and weight may be readily and easily bagged at a single bagging station;   motive means operably connected to said conveyor means arranged to move said conveyor means; and   control means operably connected to said motive means. .Iaddend. .Iadd. 8. Apparatus for bagging meat articles of varying sizes, shapes and weights in suitably sized flexible plastic film bags at a bagging station, which apparatus substantially reduces manual handling of the meat articles and does not require adjustment or alteration of the apparatus during the bagging operation, said apparatus comprising, in combination;   a frame having a proximal end and a distal end;   conveyor means extending lengthwise from the proximal end to the distal end of said frame, said conveyor means including a multiplicity of parallel arrayed conveyor belts spaced laterally apart in fixed relation to each other, said conveyor belts each having meat article contact surfaces for transporting the meat articles from the proximal end to the distal end of said frame and being aligned to provide a substantially flat meat contacting surface;   a multiplicity of parallel arrayed supports mounted substantially horizontally on said frame, one respectively for each conveyor belt, in alignment with the direction of article progress and spaced laterally apart in fixed relationship to each other, each support for each respective conveyor belt being disposed entirely below the meat contact surface of each conveyor belt, the conveyor belts and their respective belt supports being arranged so that the meat article during conveying and bagging does not contact the belt supports and the meat article is supported and conveyed at its lowermost surface solely by the meat article contact surface of said conveyor belts and each support cantilevered towards the distal end of the frame from a support adjacent to the proximal end of the frame;   each conveyor belt and its respective support being spaced from each adjacent conveyor belt and its respective support at the cantilevered portion of said conveyor supports, the space between adjacent conveyor belts being large enough to permit at least a portion of a bag to be placed therein and the space above the substantially flat meat contacting surface being unobstructed and open, so that a bag suitably sized to accommodate meat articles of varying sizes, shapes and weights may be placed over the meat article and some or all of the conveyor belts and their respective supports, whereby meat articles of varying sizes, shapes and weights may be readily and easily bagged at the bagging station;   motive means operably connected to said conveyor means arranged to advance the conveyor means from the proximal end to the distal end of the frame; and   control means operably connected to said motive means. .Iaddend.