Abstract:
A bulk bag-filling machine with a traversing strap latching and traversing filler spout mechanisms. The strap latch mechanisms and the filler spout may be moved independently or in unison forwardly towards the front or forward most edge of the filling station, thereby permitting the operator of the filling apparatus to easily and safely suspend the heavy bulk bag&#39;s strap loops on the four strap latches and make the filler neck connection to the filling spout prior to traversing the strap latches and filler neck to their rearmost position, thereby positioning the bag for filling. Boxes may also be utilized by the adaptation of transfer tables in which case the strap latches are not required.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to bulk bag-filling equipment and more particularly to an improvement to my bag or box filling apparatus disclosed by my U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,676,284 and 5,036,894 and incorporated herein in their entirety by reference. The improvement incorporates a traversing filler spout that permits easy removal and attachment of bulk bags, or box filler neck, by an operator standing adjacent to the bag filling apparatus. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Large container bags are currently used for transporting dry bulk materials. Such bags are constructed of reinforced, flexible polymeric materials supported by integral lifting straps and fitted with a filler neck. Bags range in size between 20 and 70 cubic feet and may also be contained in boxes for easy of stacking and transport. 
     Bag filling apparatus are generally designed in a manner whereby the large bags are suspended from the filling equipment by lifting straps connected to latch bars in a releasable manner with the bag&#39;s filler neck connected to the station&#39;s filling spout. The bags are usually lowered periodically onto a platform having apparatus for weighing the contents of the bag and vibrating the material therein-eliminating air pockets to insure densification. When the bulk bags are contained in boxes lifting the bags becomes unnecessary. However, connecting the bag&#39;s filler neck to the spout remains an awkward task for the operator. 
     Various methods have been devised to assist the station operator in connecting the bag&#39;s lifting straps and/or filler neck to the machine&#39;s filer spout in a manner whereby the neck is secured to the filler spout and the bag is held suspended in a fully extended position from the latch bars or in their corrugated boxes ready for filling. 
     As a result of the weighing and vibrating platform being located directly below the bag or box, the operator finds it very difficult to properly secure the straps and filler neck without stepping on the weighing and vibration platform. In some cases the filling station is also not accessible from either side due to conveying equipment or other machines or the filling apparatus may be located above floor level. Therefore, prior art systems have been disclosed which allow the rear most strap latch bars to move forward towards the operator for loading. However, since the station&#39;s filler spout is generally fixed, making up the filler neck connection still places the operator in a strain by requiring the operator to access the filler neck connection from outside the filling station apparatus with the bag in the fully extended position placing the neck central to the loading platform. It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus which allows the operator to have full access to the strap latches and filler neck while standing outside the perimeter of the filling apparatus prior to placing the bag in a suspended or fully extended position. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A bulk bag-filling machine with a traversing strap latching and traversing filler spout mechanisms. The strap latch mechanisms and the filler spout may be moved independently or in sequence forwardly towards the front or forward most edge of the filling station, thereby permitting the operator of the filling apparatus to easily and safely suspend the heavy bulk bag&#39;s strap loops on the four strap latches and make the filler neck connection to the filling spout prior to traversing the strap latches and filler neck to their rearmost position, thereby positioning the bag for filling. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For a further understanding of the nature and objects of the present invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which, like parts are given like reference numerals, and wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the bag filling apparatus with traversing spout in the rear most or fill position; 
     FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the bag filling apparatus in the forward most or bag loading position; 
     FIG. 3 is a side partial elevation view of the apparatus as seen in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a side partial elevation view of the apparatus as seen in FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 5 is partial exploded view of the apparatus as seen in FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the roller guide assembly seen in FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 7 is an exploded view of a portion of the filler spout assembly seen in FIG. 5; and 
     FIG. 8 is an exploded view of a portion of the filler spout and carriage assembly seen in FIG.  5 . 
     FIG. 9 is an isometric view of a second embodiment of the filling apparatus with the traversing bag loop latching arm apparatus and the traversing filling spout apparatus combined and operated by a single actuator. 
     FIG. 10 is an isometric view of the bulk bag filling apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 configured for handling bulk bag boxes on conveyers. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Looking first at FIG. 1 we see that the bulk bag filling apparatus  10  includes a base platform  12 , which may contain load sensing and vibrating equipment, a vertical mast  14  extending upwards from the rear of base platform  12 , filling spout carriage  16  and latch bar carriage assembly  18  and a support frame  38  attached perpendicularly to the mast  14  projecting all forwardly in a cantilever manner over the base platform  12 . 
     The detailed construction of my bulk bag filling station is fully described in my previous U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,676,284 and 5,036,894 and incorporated herein by reference. The improvements disclosed herein are related primarily to the combining of the new traversing filling spout assembly  16  and its support frame  38  which may include the traversing latch assembly  18  utilized in my prior art patents As seen in FIG. 2 or as a combination unit as illustrated in FIG.  9 . 
     As seen in greater detail in FIG. 3, the filler plenum or spout assembly  22  is supported by carriage assembly  16  and is shown supported by a pair of horizontal frame members  38  fixed to the vertical mast  14 . A flexible in-feed line  40  is connected to the upper portion  36  of the filler plenum assembly  22  that includes a filter and vent assembly  42 . The carriage assembly  16  is projected forward to a bag attachment position and retracted rearward to a bag filling position by a cylinder  44  pivotally attached at its base to the mast  14  and at its rod end to the carriage assembly  16 . 
     The traversing latching apparatus  18  as previously described remain virtually unchanged in this embodiment with lifting arms  24   a ,  24   b  positionable forward and the rear lifting arms  26   a ,  26   b  traversable independently of the traversing carriage assembly  16 . 
     As further seen in FIG. 4, the upper portion  36  of the filler plenum assembly  22  is mounted to a pair of legs  46  pivotally connected to the upper side of the horizontal support arms  38 . A pair of lift cylinders  48  located outboard of the horizontal arms  38  raises and lowers the upper portion of the filler plenum  36  in a pivotal manner to allow the carriage assembly, containing the lower or spout portion  28  of the filler plenum assembly  22 , to traverse. The lift cylinders  48  further serve to clamp the upper filler plenum portion  36  to the lower plenum or spout portion  28  in a sealing manner. This allows the spout portion  28  to be aligned over the bag in a collapsed condition. Therefore, the bag&#39;s loops and its filler neck can be easily accessed from the leading edge of the loading apparatus  10 . 
     FIG. 5 details how the filler neck and carriage portion  16  is constructed and adapted to the support arms  38 , how the cylinders  44  and  48  are connected, how the pivotal mounting of the upper filler plenum portion  36  is achieved, along with a view of the guide roller assembly  60 . These assemblies are seen in greater detail in FIGS.  6 , 7 , and  8 . The roller guide assembly  60 , as seen in FIG. 6, is composed of a base plate  70  attached to the support arm  38  by screws  72  extending through the support arm  38 , two roller plates  74  having four rollers  78 , each attached to the base plate  70  by a shoulder bolt  78  passing through each of the rollers  78  and roller plate  74 , thereby allowing the roller  76  to revolve freely upon the screw  78 . Spacing between the upper and lower rollers is fixed to receive the I-Beam rail members  58  seen in FIG.  8 . 
     As illustrated in greater detail in FIG. 7, the pivotal assembly  22  includes the upper portion of the filler plenum  36  and is also a conical tubular member having a wide flange portion  52 , an inlet tube  62  intersecting the conical tubular portion at an acute angle, and further includes a filter and vent assembly  42  located within the tubular member opposite the flange  52 . The plenum member  36  is supported by the pivotal arms  46  attached to the upper side of the wide flange  52  as seen in FIG. 5. A dust shield  47  is also provided adjacent the flange  52 , extending horizontally between the pivotal arms  46 . Pivotal arms  46  are connected perpendicularly to a tubular cross member  64  pivotally operable about a shaft  66  and supported at each end by bearings  68  mounted to the upper side of the frame horizontal support arms  38  in the manner illustrated in FIG. 5. A channel member  49  is provided and attached perpendicular to each of the pivotal arms  46  adjacent their connecting points with the upper plenum assembly  36  for engagement with the rod end  43  of the lift cylinders  48  in the manner illustrated in FIG.  4 . 
     The lower plenum or spout portion  28 , as seen in FIG. 8, is a conical tubular member consisting of a lower neck portion  50  and a wide upper flange portion  52 . The lower neck portion  50  may be fitted with clamping or expanding mechanisms for retaining the bag&#39;s filler neck. A pair of rail members  54  supports the filler spout portion  28  of the plenum assembly  22  below the flange  52  and a pair of cross members  56 , 57  forming a box frame surrounding the neck portion  50 . I-beam guide rails  58  are shown removably attached outboard of the rail members  54  by screws  59 . 
     As seen in FIG. 9 the traversing latching apparatus as disclosed in previous U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,893 mentioned above is herein cooperatively attached as a frame unit assembly  18  to the under side of the traversing spout carriage assembly  16 , thereby forming a combined traversing carriage assembly  20  that includes a portion of the filler head or plenum assembly  22  seen in FIG.  1  and traverses in a forward and rearward manner as shown in FIG.  2 . By traversing the carriage assembly  20  forward, an operator is presented with the fixed forward latching arms  24   a ,  24   b , rear traversing latching arms  26   a  and  26   b , extended to their forward most position, and the lower neck or spout portion  28  of the filler plenum assembly  22  at or near the front edge of the base platform  12 ; thereby making it much easier for the operator standing at floor level to attached the heavy bulk bags  30  by their straps  32  to the latch bars  24   a ,  24   b ,  26   a (not shown),  26   b . Traversal of the rear latching arms  26   a ,  26   b  rearwardly deploys the bag  30  as seen in FIG. 2, allowing easy access to and connection of the bag&#39;s filler neck  34  to the lower neck portion  28  of the filler plenum  22 . 
     Rearward traversal of the carriage assembly  20  centrally locates the bag  30  relative to the base platform  12  and centrally aligns the lower portion  28  of the filler plenum  22  to the upper plenum portion  36  of the filler plenum  22  where mating of the upper and lower portions  28 ,  36  of the plenum assembly  22  occurs. 
     As further seen in FIG. 10 box type bulk bags  50  may be shuttled forward or rearward on the trundle conveyor having both x any y transfer roller capability to allow the filler neck  34  of the bulk box bags to be aligned and attached to the plenum lower portion  28 . Connecting transfer conveyors  56 ,  58  bring the empty boxes to the filling station and transfer the filled boxes away from the station  10 . 
     Because many varying and different embodiments may be made within the scope of the inventive concept herein taught, and because many modifications may be made in the embodiments herein detailed in accordance with the descriptive requirement of the law, it is to be understood that the details herein are to be interpreted as illustrative and not in any limiting sense.