Patent Publication Number: US-2003230050-A1

Title: Apparatus for filling foil bags

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] 1. Field of the Invention  
       [0002] The present invention relates to an apparatus for filling foil bags which are open on one side, wherein the foil bags are individually conveyed to a filling station.  
       [0003] 2. Description of the Related Art  
       [0004] An apparatus of the above-described type is used for filling bags of different sizes having a width of 40-300 mm and a length of 100-400 mm. Bags of this type are frequently manufactured of various plastic foils. The bags have a stepped filling opening through which the bags can be filled either manually or by a machine.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005] It is the primary object of the present invention to Provide an apparatus of the above-described type which makes it possible to quickly and securely fill the bags.  
       [0006] In accordance with the present invention, the foil bags are conveyed into the filling station in an inclined position with the stepped filling opening facing upwardly. A device for opening the stepped filling opening by blowing air is provided at the stepped filling opening.  
       [0007] Since each bag to be filled is individually conveyed with the stepped filling opening facing upwardly to a blowing device, the precise orientation of the bag on the conveyor is ensured. The edge located opposite the filling opening is positioned in a guided manner due to the influence of gravity at an appropriate stop angle. The same is true for the supplied product to be filled into the bag; the product slides into the foil bag to be filled and also comes into contact at the stop angle.  
       [0008] The foil bag advantageously has on the side facing away from the filling opening a flange or lug for hanging up the bag, wherein the flange is somewhat more stable and, thus, reinforces the precise contact with the stop angle. At the same time, after the bag has been fully processed and closed, a finished product which can be manipulated is obtained.  
       [0009] In accordance with an advantageous feature, a conveyor belt which acts from the top can be provided at the end of the device, wherein the conveyor belt conveys away in a controlled manner the strips which have been cut off, so that the strips and the finished product (bag with packaging) are not intermingled.  
       [0010] The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of the disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages, specific objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the drawing and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated and described preferred embodiments of the invention.  
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
     [0011] In the drawing:  
     [0012]FIG. 1 is a side view of an embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention;  
     [0013]FIG. 2 is a top view of the apparatus of FIG. 1;  
     [0014]FIG. 3 is a front view of the apparatus of FIG. 1;  
     [0015]FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along sectional line X-X of FIG. 2;  
     [0016]FIG. 5 is a side view, on a larger scale, showing the blowing device immediately prior to filling of the foil bag; and  
     [0017]FIG. 6 is a side view, corresponding to FIG. 5, showing the device during the transfer of the filling material.  
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
     [0018] The apparatus illustrated in the drawing includes a machine frame  1  which supports a belt conveyor  10 . As can be seen in FIG. 3, the conveying plane is inclined.  
     [0019] Provided at the beginning of the conveyor is a magazine with a collating device  2 . The magazine contains a plurality of foil bags  3  which, in the illustrated embodiment, have a hanging lug  4  and a filling opening  6  located opposite the hanging lug  4 .  
     [0020] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the foil bags  3  discharged from the collating device  2  are conveyed onto the inclined conveying plane in such a way that the filling opening  6  is located higher than the oppositely located hanging lug  4 .  
     [0021] The foil bags  3  are moved individually into the area of the filling station  7 . In the filling station  7 , the bags are opened at the stepped filling opening  6  by a blowing device. It is then possible to fill in the filling material, for example, ballpoint pens, either manually or automatically. The foil bags are conveyed with the hanging lug  4  and placed against a stop angle  9  into the welding station  8 . In the welding station  8 , a welding cut is performed by an appropriate welding beam, i.e., the filling opening is closed and a waste strip  5  remains. The filled bag is conveyed into a collection container and the waste strips  5  are conveyed in a controlled manner into a waste container  15  by means of a conveyor belt  12  which acts from the top.  
     [0022] As can be seen in FIG. 3, the collating device  2  is located at a higher level than the section of the conveying plane which conveys the hanging lug  4 . The conveying plane is defined by the conveyor belt  10  and the stop angle  9 .  
     [0023]FIG. 4 shows the construction of the conveyor in detail. The conveyor is formed by two flat belts which are mechanically opened for receiving the foil bag.  
     [0024] The various conveying directions are indicated by arrows.  
     [0025]FIGS. 5 and 6 show in detail how the filling station  7  is constructed in this embodiment.  
     [0026] Compressed air, which opens the foil bag  3  at the stepped filling opening  6 , is supplied through a hose  13 . As shown in FIG. 6, the filling material  11  is inserted into the opened foil bag by means of a slide member  14 .  
     [0027] While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the inventive principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.