Patent ID: 7458194

Claim:
An apparatus for producing a self-standing bale, comprising: a frame; a compression tube mounted to the frame and extending along a longitudinal axis, the compression tube having a top open end opposite to a bottom end, the bottom end comprising a flat supporting surface closing the bottom end of the compression tube; a compressor positioned in alignment over the compression tube to compress the loose material in the compression tube against the supporting surface, thereby obtaining the material in a compressed form; setting means for setting a plastic bag having an unsealed top end and a sealed bottom end over the top open end of the compression tube and opening the unsealed top end of the bag; spreading means for spreading out the plastic bag within the compression tube; feeding means for feeding the loose material into the plastic bag; and sealing means adjacent to the top open end of the compression tube for sealing the unsealed top end of the plastic bag, wherein the setting means, the spreading means and the sealing means are positioned above the compression tube and are laterally movable with respect to said longitudinal axis between a first position in alignment with the compression tube and a retracted position away for the compression tube.