Material or article handling – Apparatus for stringing articles on a support in abutting...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-26
2001-08-14
Fischetti, Joseph A. (Department: 3652)
Material or article handling
Apparatus for stringing articles on a support in abutting...
C414S027000, C414S788400, C414S796200, C414S908000, C271S220000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06273663
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to apparatus for automatically stacking bags and loading the stacks upon wickets. Bags such as plastic bags for packaging bread and other products are typically manufactured on special equipment and then placed in stacks upon wickets for delivery to the producer of the product. A wicket is a wire device having two spaced apart arms that are arranged to be received in holes formed in the top sections of the bags. When a desired number of bags have been loaded upon the arms, rubber grommets are placed over the arms to hold the stack in place. The wickets are designed so that they are compatible with the producer's product loading equipment.
Heretofore, the loading of bags upon the wickets has been a manual task requiring the loader to tightly grasp a stack leaving the manufacturing equipment, aligning the holes in the bags with the wicket arms and sliding the stack over the arms. This type of manual operation is not only fatiguing, but also results in the stacks becoming misaligned or dropped, thus causing unwanted delays in the manufacturing process.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a solution to one or more of the problems described above. The present invention is an apparatus for stacking bags having wicket receiving holes formed therein and loading the stacks upon wickets. A loading wheel having stacker bars mounts bags coming from a manufacturing machine in stacks upon pins and then indexes the stacks to a loading station. A stack transfer assembly picks the stacks up from the stacker bars and moves the stacks to a transfer station wherein the stacks are placed upon wickets. The wickets are carried upon an endless conveyor and the movement of the wickets is coordinated with that of the transfer assembly and the loading wheel whereby the stacks flow in a steady stream from the stacking and loading equipment.
In one broad respect, the invention is a method of wicketing a stack of bags having wicket holes which comprises: stacking a preselected number of bags having wicket holes on a set of pins with the holes aligned on the pins; further aligning the stack and the holes and independently of the pins; removing the stack of bags from the pins while maintaining the independent alignment of the stack and the holes; placing the independently aligned stack on the wicket with the holes on the arms of the wicket; and releasing the independent alignment of the stack and holes with the stack on the wicket.
In another broad respect, this invention is an apparatus for wicketing a stack of bags having wicket holes, which comprises: a stacker unit having a set of pins adapted to receive a stack of bags having wicket holes with the wicket holes aligned on the pins; a wicket having arms adapted to receive the stack of bags; and a transfer assembly operable to pick up the stack of bags from the pins and to transfer the stack on to the wicket with the wicket holes aligned on the arms of the wicket, said transfer assembly including alignment means separate from said pins to keep the wicket holes in alignment during such transfer. The alignment means preferably comprises a device which is positioned within the wicket holes to take over alignment of the holes from the pins and until a wicket takes over alignment from the device. An especially preferred device comprises a pair of tubes which fit around the pins and wicket arms.
In another broad respect, this invention is an apparatus useful for receiving a stack of bags and placing the stack on wickets, comprising: at least one stacking bar unit including pins for receiving a stack of bags having wicket receiving holes; a bag stack transfer assembly for receiving a stack of bags from the pins and for transferring the stack to a wicket, wherein the bag transfer assembly includes a set of locating tubes for receiving the pins and for receiving a stack of bags on the pins, and a set of jaws for restraining the stack of bags on the set of locating tubes; and a stack transfer station having a wicket for receiving the stack from the bag stack transfer assembly.
In another broad respect, this invention is a method useful for stacking bags and placing the stacked bags on wickets, comprising: placing a series of bags on a set of pins to form a stack of bags; inserting the set of pins with the stack of bags placed thereon into a set of receiving tubes, with the stack restrained on the receiving tubes; withdrawing the set of pins from the set of bag receiving tubes while the stack is restrained on the tubes; inserting a wicket into the tubes; releasing the stack of bags from the tubes and onto the wicket; and withdrawing the wicket and the released stack of bags from the tubes.
In yet another broad respect, this invention is an apparatus for automatically stacking bags having aligned wicket receiving holes and placing the stack upon the wickets that includes: a bag feeder for delivering bags seriatim into a bag stacking station; loading means for periodically indexing stacker bar units into said stacking station and then into a stack loading station, said stacker bar units each having upraised pins that are spaced in alignment with the wicket receiving holes when a stacker bar unit is in said stacking station so that bags delivered into said stacking station are placed upon said pins; indexing means for moving a said stacker bar unit from the stacking station into the stack loading station when a predetermined number of bags is placed upon the pins of said stacker bar unit in said stacking station; a stack transfer assembly mounted for movement of a stack of bags between said loading station and a transfer station, said transfer station containing a wicket having arms that are spaced in alignment with the holes in said bags; said stack transfer assembly including a positionable head containing hollow tubes that are spaced apart in alignment with the holes in said bags, and articulating means for reciprocating the head between a home position and a stack receiving position when the assembly is in the loading station wherein the tips of the pins are inserted into the tubes and between the home position and a stack ejecting position when the assembly is in the transfer station wherein the wickets are inserted into the tubes; and clamping means associated with said head operable when the head is in the stack receiving position to restrain bags mounted upon said pins into a stack and moving the stack from the pins onto the tubes and to remove the stack from the tubes onto the wicket when the head is in the stack ejecting position.
In another broad respect, this invention is an apparatus for accumulating a stack of bags having wicket receiving holes, comprising: a stacker wheel including a front plate and a back plate that are connected so that both plates rotate together in unison; wherein the back plate is connected to the front plate by a plurality of rotor control link assemblies; wherein the back plate is connected to a shaft that is connected to a gearbox of a motor for driving and rotating the stacker wheel; a plurality of stacker bar units having a plurality of pins secured to a support beam of each stacker bar unit, wherein each stacker bar unit is rotatably coupled to a rotor control link assembly so that the support beams remain in a horizontal position as the stacker wheel is rotated.
In another broad respect, this invention is an apparatus for picking up and placing a stack of bags having wicket receiving holes onto a wicket, comprising: a pick-up head which comprises: alignment means for receiving and maintaining alignment of the stack of bags, a restraining jaw for restraining the stack of bags on the alignment means, and a pusher plate for pushing the stack of bags off the alignment means. It is noted that the restraining jaw may provide a degree of alignment function; however, it is important that the jaw not apply pressures on a stack of bags that result in distorting or damaging the bags. The primary function of the jaw is to keep the bags together on the alignment m
Fluent Stewart L.
Hart Colin R.
Partch Richard E.
Pickering Gordon F.
Fischetti Joseph A.
Huntsman Packaging Corporation
O'Keefe Egan & Peterman, LLP
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