Patent ID: 7328540

Claim:
A bagger for feeding bags to a workstation for loading, the bags arranged in an indefinite length shingled bag assembly with a plurality of shingled bags each having an open lead end, a sealed trailing end, a lead portion, a shingled trailing portion overlapping a trailing bag in the bag assembly, and an elongate member extending along the length of the assembly and removably joined to the lead portion of each bag, the bagger comprising: a bagging workstation defining a work surface; feed means located adjacent the workstation for pulling the bag assembly along a path to the workstation and across the work surface; a control circuit for the feed means, the circuit including a sensor located below the work surface for sensing an empty bag in a position below the work surface and in response stopping the feed means, wherein placement of a product in a moving bag on the work surface does not activate the sensor, and movement of the lead portion of a bag below the work surface actuates the sensor to deactivate said feed means and stop movement of the bag assembly over the work surface.