Patent ID: 6202389
Filing Date: 2001-03-20
Classification: A01F

Abstract:
A bagging machine comprising:a movable chassis movable along an underlying stationary support;a tunnel mounted on the chassis, said tunnel having an inlet end and an outlet end;a material mover mounted at the inlet end for receiving and moving material under pressure through the inlet end and into and through the tunnel;a material storage bag mounted to the tunnel at the outlet end and incrementally deployable from the tunnel and onto the stationary support, said storage bag having a closed end that closes the outlet end of the tunnel whereby movement of the material through the tunnel deposits the material into a deployed portion of the bag supported on the stationary support;said storage bag gathered on the tunnel and deployed incrementally off the tunnel when a previously deployed portion of the bag is sufficiently filled with the material;a mechanism for producing compaction of the material in the bag, said mechanism including an anchor tethered to the machine by a tether and embedded in the material in the bag whereby as the pressure generated by the moving material urges movement of the movable chassis relative to the bag, said movement is resisted by the anchor embedded in the material, the resistance producing compaction of the material; anda deployment control provided for the machine including a deployment socket mounted in the tunnel through which the tether is extended, and a mechanism for positioning the anchor between positions of retraction where the anchor is located in abutting relation to the socket and extension where the anchor is spaced from the socket and located in the bag.