Patent ID: 7770356

Claim:
A bag tying apparatus for gathering the open end of a bag into a neck and tying the bag neck closed using a ribbon, the apparatus comprising: a frame; a gathering means for gathering the open end of a bag into a neck; a holder-shear means for holding a free end of the ribbon adjacent to the gathered neck of the bag and, after the neck of the bag is tied, for cutting the ribbon; a needle means adjacent the holder-shear means, the needle means for engaging the ribbon a distance from the free end and operable to loop a strand of the ribbon about the gathered neck of the bag; a twister means adjacent the holder-shear means, the twister means for twisting the strand of the ribbon around the gathered neck of the bag; a holder-shear drive means for actuating the holder-shear means wherein the holder-shear drive means comprises a holder-shear drive assembly comprising: (a) an eccentric element mounted fixedly on a drive shaft, the eccentric element rotated by the drive shaft; (b) a housing slidingly mounted on the eccentric element, the housing moved along by the rotating eccentric element; and (c) a reciprocating member operatively connected to the housing to be reciprocated by the housing, the reciprocating member operatively connected to the holder-shear means to actuate the holder-shear means, the reciprocating member operable to travel along a reciprocating member path, the reciprocating member limited in its travel at both ends of the reciprocating member path by the holder-shear means, and wherein the housing over-travels the reciprocating member; and an over-travel compensation means operatively connected between the holder-shear drive means and the holder-shear means, the over-travel compensation means for compensating for over travel of the holder-shear drive means relative to the travel of the holder-shear means; wherein the gathering means, the holder-shear means, the needle means, the twister means, the holder-shear drive means, and the over-travel compensation means are operatively supported by the frame.