Patent ID: 6079929
Filing Date: 2000-06-27
Classification: B65B

Abstract:
A refuse bag opener comprising a housing, a first cylinder located in said housing and mounted thereon for rotation about a horizontal axis, said first cylinder having flexible members mounted thereon and radiating outwardly therefrom, a second cylinder in said housing and mounted thereon for rotation about a horizontal axis substantially parallel to that of said first cylinder, said first and second cylinders being disposed in vertical spaced relation relative to one another with said second cylinder being at a lower elevation than said first cylinder, said second cylinder having cutting members on the outer surface thereof for slitting open bagged refuse, said housing having an infeed hopper with an inlet thereto at an elevation higher than that of said second cylinder and horizontally offset from such cylinder in a direction upstream of said first and second cylinders, said hopper having a bottom wall inclined downwardly in a direction towards said second cylinder, an infeed conveyor at a lower end portion of said hopper bottom wall for feeding bagged refuse horizontally directly towards said second cylinder having the cutting members thereon, material flow sensor means located within said infeed hopper for monitoring the height of bagged refuse in said infeed hopper being fed to said second cylinder and for disrupting any additional supply of bagged refuse to said inlet of said infeed hopper when said height of bagged refuse is above a predetermined height, and drive means for driving said cylinders to rotate the same in opposite directions to propel the bagged refuse therebetween.