Patent ID: 7461672

Claim:
A material bagging accelerator positionable between a material supplier and a bag form, fill, and seal machine to enable the bag machine to operate at a higher speed by filling bags with material more quickly, comprising: a downward funneling chute with interior surfaces to prevent the material from scattering, the funneling chute comprising an arcuately-shaped upper portion shaped to track the trajectory of material received from an end of the material supplier passing through a first cross sectional area and to deliver the material through a second, smaller, cross sectional area to a bag of the bag machine, the funneling chute further comprising a substantially vertical lower portion; and an accelerating mechanism integrally disposed at sides of the lower portion of the funneling chute so that elements of the accelerating mechanism form interior surfaces of the funneling chute and do not substantially block the passage of material, to accelerate material passing through the funneling chute, wherein the material enters the funneling chute at a large cross section with low velocity and exits the funneling chute at a smaller cross section with higher velocity.