Package making – Methods – With contents treating
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-15
2003-02-11
Kim, Eugene (Department: 3721)
Package making
Methods
With contents treating
C053S459000, C053S473000, C053S570000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06516586
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the field of loading compressible, agricultural feed stock into expandable storage bags, and more specifically to an improved method and apparatus of evenly compressing the feed stock to achieve fully filled, smooth bags.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Horizontally expandable, silage storage bags are commonly used as an alternative to permanent feed storage structures such as barns and silos. From an economic standpoint, the expandable storage bag is preferable to more elaborate, permanent structure. Further, the expandable bags are more easily loaded than permanent structure and the silage stored therein is readily accessible for use.
An exemplary prior art structure is disclosed in Reissue U.S. Pat. No. 31,810, to Lee. A tractor-powered loading apparatus is disclosed in association with an expandable bag. A backstop is located at the filled end of the bag and has attached thereto laterally spaced cables which extend back to rotatable cable drums. The drums are yieldably braked and, under a predetermined force applied to the cables, release the cable to allow movement of the loading apparatus and tractor away from the filled end of the bag. The bag is filled by a toothed rotor which propels silage through a short tunnel and into the bag inlet. By presetting the braking structure to yield at a desired cable tension, an operator can select the degree of compaction of silage in the bag.
The bag in such bagging machines is manufactured and delivered in a pleated shape, i.e., folded into an accordion-bellows-type shape. Typically, a bag having a nominal ten-foot-diameter (approximately 3 meters diameter, or 9.6 meters circumference) and a 300 foot length (approximately 90 meters length) will be folded to a 10-foot-diameter (about 3 meter) ring about 1 foot (about 0.3 meter) long and 1 foot (about 0.3 meter) thick. To start the loading operation, this bag-ring is pre-loaded around the tunnel, and the pleats are unfolded one at a time as the bag is deployed and filled with feed stock.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,480 issued Aug. 25, 1987 to Ryan, an agricultural feed bagger is described. A brake disk on a shaft associated with spaced cable feeding drums that are yieldably braked controls compacting of the feed and the expansion of the bag. Prior-art
FIG. 1A
(plan view),
1
B (elevation view),
1
C (front perspective view, showing bag
99
being filled) and
1
D (back view) illustrate one such feed bagging machine
100
. Tractor
91
provides power to the feed bagger
100
, but does not pull the bagger
100
, rather, the pressure from the feed filling the bag pushes the bagger
100
and tractor
91
ahead at a rate equal to the filling of bag
99
. A steel cable between bagger
100
and backstop
101
is yieldably held by a disk-brake mechanism
141
that ensures the feed is compacted before the bagger is allowed to advance. A rotor
130
having multiple teeth
131
, and powered by a power-take-off (PTO) shaft
133
from tractor
91
, forces feed
98
up and back into a short tunnel
150
. Movable upper bag bracket
125
is used to lift the folded bag into place on the outside of tunnel
150
, and supports/holds the folded bag
99
at the front end of the top of tunnel
150
as it unfolds from the inside. Lower bag tray
120
is substantially horizontal, supported at a fixed level at its front edge by brackets
121
, and yieldably supported at its back edge by spring-and-chain
124
(which can have its force adjusted by setting various chain links of the chain onto a fixed hook at the top). Elevator
140
, which has a cleated moving belt
141
(e.g., a cleated rubber belt or a chained flight conveyer) moves feed up between two side walls
142
that are substantially vertical at the top of elevator
140
. The feed then drops into hopper
139
. Such a bagger
100
has a tunnel
150
that provides some support for bag
99
as it unfolds, but which has side walls along which the bag unfolds that are substantially parallel to the direction of travel of the bagger
100
. The bagger itself provides negligible back-pressure to the feed which thus presses the bag outward once the feed reaches the bag into a cross section that is circular/oval initially.
FIG. 1E
is a cross-section view of section
1
E—
1
E from
FIG. 1B
showing the general oval-like shape
89
of bag
99
after the bag
99
has being filled and passed beyond tunnel
150
, (with a flat bottom against the ground, but which collapses more over time (e.g., several days or weeks) to shape
89
′).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,355,659 describes a tunnel that can be lengthened, for example by a hydraulic cylinder.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,517,806 describes a tunnel that has ridges on the inside vertical surfaces. It also describes cables that cross in the feed path in the bag.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,355,659 describes a tunnel that includes horizontal cables in the feed path in the bag.
There are numerous problems that one contends with using such previous bagging structures. To a large degree, the compliance of the bag itself, combined with the force provided by the teeth pushing feed into the bag against the pressure provided by the compliance of the plastic bag and the braking structure determines the amount of compaction of the feed. That is, to a large extent, the compaction of the feed takes place in the bag itself. As the bag deploys, folds in the bag release unevenly, and the varying pressure of feed against the stretchable plastic bag varies the compaction at various points along the length of the bag, leaving a lumpy bag and often leaves pockets of air. This air allows decomposition or spoilage of the feed in the bag, and a resulting loss of nutritional value remaining for the livestock that eat the feed. In addition, the degree of compaction varies with varying moisture/dryness in the feed, the type of feed (e.g., corn silage vs. hay silage vs. grains, etc.).
What is needed is a apparatus and method for bagging agricultural feed that provides a high amount of even compaction in varying conditions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an improved agricultural feed stock loading apparatus that includes a feed tunnel having forward and rearward ends. The tunnel also has a top wall extending between opposite side walls defining a bag opening having a bottom portion extending between the opposite side walls. A folded feed bag with a first end may be placed around the tunnel with the bag first end substantially coinciding with the defined bag opening. The tunnel includes a double taper that, starting at the forward end enlarges and then reduces in circumference.
The machine also includes a hopper disposed adjacent the tunnel forward end and communicating with the tunnel through a feed opening oriented in a wall defining the forward end of the tunnel. The machine also includes a rotor element for propelling feed stock from the hopper though the feed opening into the tunnel and a secured bag, the rotor element having a rotor rotatable about a horizontal axis.
The present invention also provides an improved method for loading agricultural feed stock into a horizontally deployed bag including the steps of: mounting the bag in a folded condition around a forward end of a tunnel; deploying the bag from the forward end of the tunnel towards a rearward end of the tunnel; stretching the bag circumferentially with the tunnel between the forward and rearward ends, and then reducing in circumference the bag; compacting feed, from the tunnel forward end, into the tunnel between the forward and rearward ends, and then reducing in circumference the feed as the feed passes towards the rearward end of the tunnel; and allowing the feed to extrude from the rearward end of the tunnel into the bag.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3783578 (1974-01-01), Willis et al.
patent: 4046068 (1977-09-01), Eggenmuller et al.
patent: 4072273 (1978-02-01), Reiniger
patent: 4100023 (1978-07-01), McDonald
patent: 4241562 (1980-12-01), Meyer
patent: 4310036 (1982-01-01), Rasmussen et al.
patent: 4502378 (1985-03-01), Cullen
patent: 4611
Kim Eugene
Schwegman Lundberg Woessner & Kluth P.A.
LandOfFree
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