Apparatus for packaging product filled sealed bags into cases

An apparatus for packaging product-filled sealed bags in cases includes an inclined plate and an extensible pushing plate operable to arrange a predetermined number of bags fed from an infeed conveyor in a row on the inclined plate. The row is supported thereon by a movable support pivotable from a holding or supporting position to a retracted position in which the row is free to slide downwardly off the inclined plate and onto a retractable bottom plate. The movable support further operates to position each row formed in an upright position on the bottom plate, where a predetermined number of rows are successively accumulated. The accumulated rows are laterally supported on one side by the movable support and on the other side by a cylinder having a supporting back plate at the end. When a predetermined number of rows have been accumulated, the bottom plate is retracted to allow a cylinder-operated pushing plate to push the rows downwardly into an underlying open case.

The invention relates to an apparatus for packaging product filled sealed 
bags into cases, said bags being in an upward position. 
In known packaging machines for filling cases with sealed product filled 
bags, the bags are introduced into the cases in a lying position. There is 
more chance of introducing damaged bags into the cases than if the bags 
would be introduced in an upward position into the cases. However, the 
filling of cases with upward standing bags will attend with the problem 
that at the collecting of the bags into rows and layers and the 
transfering of such layers into a case, the bags must be prevented from 
tilting. 
The object of the present invention is to provide a packaging machine by 
which the bags may be introduced into a case in an upward standing 
position, while the tilting problem is completely solved. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a machine for packaging 
product filled sealed bags into cases, wherein the number of bags per row, 
the numbers of rows per layer, and the numbers of layers per case are 
separately adjustable. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a packaging machine of the 
above type, in which the collecting of the bags into layers of a certain 
number of rows takes place above the level where the cases to be filled 
are supplied and the filled cases are taken away. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a machine for packaging 
product filled sealed bags into cases, wherein deformable, compressable 
properties of the sealed bags are used to lock up a layer of bags entirely 
and to transfer this layer in to a case. 
According to the invention the apparatus mentioned in the preamble is 
therefore provided with means for arranging a previously determined number 
of upstanding bags into a row on a movable support, means for moving the 
support to a non-supporting position when the row of bags has been formed 
on the support, a bottom plate for successively receiving the rows of 
bags, means for pulling away the bottom plate if a layer consisting of a 
certain number of rows has been collected on that bottom plate, means for 
lock up the layer of bags when the bottom plate is pulled away and means 
to push downwards the layer of bags into a case. 
An advantageous embodiment of the above apparatus comprises a storage means 
inclined in the transverse direction, on which the bags are laid in a row, 
an erector movable between a holding position in which the bags are holded 
on the storage means and a sliding position in which a row of bags may 
slide from the storage means, a back plate opposite to the erector and 
meant to prevent the bags supported on the bottom plate from tilting in 
the direction of the erector, a holding member above the bottom plate, 
said member being movable between a position in which the bags in a 
vertical position are prevented from tilting towards the erector being in 
the sliding position and a retracted position, and means for moving the 
back plate stepwise from the erector along substantially the thickness 
dimension of a bag. 
To lock up a layer of bags at four sides, sideplates may be present at both 
sides of the bottom plate, said side plates extending substantially 
transverse to the back plate and being movable to each other and from each 
other. 
The stepwise retracting of the back plate when the rows of bags slide on 
the bottom plate, can take place in a simple way if the back plate is 
actuated by a pneumatic or hydraulic piston-cylinder assembly, wherein 
between the back plate and the end of the piston rod a spring is mounted 
which when contacting the back plate, may give an actuating signal to move 
the piston rod along a length corresponding substantially to the thickness 
of a bag. 
In an alternative embodiment the means for arranging a certain number of 
bags into a row comprises at least one horizontal endless chain provided 
with vertical carrier plates.

The apparatus shown in the figures is destined to fill cases or boxes with 
one or more layers of upstanding bags filled with some product, such as 
chips, and sealed in an air-tight manner. Successively a number of bags is 
arranged to form a row. A number of rows is collected to form a layer and 
a layer is pushed into a case. The actuating system consisting of lines 
and valves and controlling and signaling members has not been shown since 
the construction of such a system is obvious for an expert. 
To arrange the bags supplied by a conveyor 1, to form a row, the machine 
comprises a storage plate 2 which is horizontal in its longitudinal 
direction and inclined in its transverse direction. Further a pushing 
plate 4 is used, said plate being coupled to a pneumatic cylinder 3. At 
the place where the conveyor 1 supplies the bags on the plate 2, a fixed 
holding edge 5 is mounted. 
As soon a bag arrives on plate 2, it is pushed forwards along the width 
dimension of a bag by means of the pushing plate 4. Bags being not in 
contact wth the fixed holding edge 5 and lying on the inclined plate 2, 
are holded by an edge 6a of an erector 6 pivotable about an axis 7 by 
means of a pneumatic cylinder 8 between the supporting position of FIG. 1 
in which the edge 6a lies in line with the fixed holding edge 5, and the 
sliding position of FIG. 2 in which a row of bags collected on plate 2 may 
slide along the erector 6 towards a bottom plate 9. 
The number of times the cylinder 3 and pushing plate 4 has moved a bag on 
the inclined plate 2 is counted by a counting mechanism known per se. As 
soon as a previously determined number of bags has been collected on plate 
2, an actuating signal is given to the cylinder 8 to pivot the erector 6 
to the position of FIG. 2. The row of bags (in the drawing consisting of 
four bags) arrives on the bottom plage 9. Above the bottom plate a holding 
member 11 is movable between a retracted position of FIG. 1 and a holding 
position of FIG. 2. In the holding position one or more rows of bags on 
the bottom plate are prevented from tilting in the direction of the 
erector 6. The holding member 11 is actuated by a pneumatic cylinder 10. 
The movements of the erector 6 and the holding member 11 from the position 
of FIG. 1 to the position of FIG. 2 and reverse are synchronized. 
To prevent a row of bags from tilting in the direction turned away from the 
erector 6, a back plate 12 is mounted opposite to the erector 6. This back 
plate 12 is connected with the front plate 14 of this piston rod of a 
pneumatic cylinder 15 by one or more springs 13. A stop member 16 is 
mounted on the front plate 14. 
As soon as a row of bags is moved by the erector from the inclined to the 
vertical position, as shown in FIG. 3, which takes place directly after 
that row has slid to the bottom plate 9, the back plate 12 will be pushed 
away by the action of spring 13 and will touch the stop member 16, by 
which a signal is given. As a consequence thereof the piston of the 
cylinder 15 is retracted until the back plate 12 is free from the stop 
member 16. The back plate 12 will have been retracted then along the 
thickness dimension of a bag. 
The number of times the erector is erected, is counted. As soon as a 
certain number of erection movements (corresponding to the desired number 
of rows in a layer) is carried out, a signal is given to an actuating 
device of a pneumatic cylinder 20 to move the bottom plate 9 from the 
supporting position of the FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 to the retracted position of 
FIG. 4. 
At both sides of the horizontal bottom plate 9 vertical side plates 17, 18 
are mounted which are pivotable respectively about vertical axes 19, 21 
and which may be pivoted by means of pneumatic cylinders 22 and 23. 
When obtaining the desired number of rows (in the figure four rows) in a 
layer, not only cylinder 16 is actuated, but also cylinders 22, 23 are 
actuated to pivot the side plates to a position in which they are 
perpendicular to the back plate 12. The layer of bags is now locked up at 
four sides namely between the erector 6 and the back plate 12 and between 
the side plates 17 and 18. 
The locked up layer is pushed by a pushing plate 24 to a case 26 positioned 
below it. The pushing plate 24 is actuated by a pneumatic cylinder 25 
which receives an actuating signal as soon as the bottom plate is 
retracted and the side plates 17, 18 are moved in a position perpendicular 
to the back plate 12. 
Preferably the apparatus is used in combination with the device to remove 
leak bags, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,148,213. 
Within the scope of the claims different modifications are possible. 
Obviously the pneumatic cylinders may be replaced by hydraulic cylinders. 
Instead of making use of the pushing plate 4 with the cylinder 3, there is 
a possibility to let the conveyor 1 move stepwise along plate 2. 
FIGS. 6 and 7 show an alternative device of a system for arranging the bags 
into a row and transfering each row to the bottom plate. The system 
comprises two horizontal endless chains 30 one above the other. Vertical 
carrier plates 31 are connected to these chains. The support for temporary 
supporting the bags which are collected to form a row, consists of a plate 
32 which may be moved backwards and forwards by a pneumatic cylinder 33. 
The vertical feeding pipe for the bags is indicated by 34. The supplied 
bags are turned 90.degree. with respect to the position which they take in 
the embodiment according to FIGS. 1-5. 
The stepwise movement of chains 30 is synchronized. After each step a bag 
drops between two carrier plates 31. After the required number of bags is 
collected on plate 32 to form a row, this plate is retracted so that the 
row of bags drops on the fixed bottom 43. The side plates 38.39 which may 
be compared with plates 17, 18 of the embodiment according to FIGS. 1-5 
extend along such a distance that they protude along the row of bags 
dropped on the bottom plate. They may be actuated by cylinders 41, 42 
respectively. 
Next the bags are displaced along the width dimension of a bag over the 
fixed bottom 43 onto the movable bottom plate 9 by means of the pushing 
plate 36 actuated by cylinder 37. The bags will be pushed closer to each 
other by means of plates 38, 39. The remaining part of the device is 
substantially equal to the apparatus according to FIGS. 1-5, so that no 
further explanation is necessary.